Rick Monday Autograph Signing at Frank and Son (4/19/15)

If there is anything that I love about blogging, it's that I am happy to share my experience with each and every one of you.  The autograph hobby has provided me a state of  relaxation, especially when I have recently been busy writing essays for my college courses as the semester is winding down. With that said, I came down to Frank and Son on Saturday in order to acquire Rick Monday's autograph on an 8x10 photograph.  The turnaround for the event was at the point where walking around was doable.  Honabach and Sons set up the lines in a way that the autograph lines would separate themselves from each other (like FanFest).  I purchased my ticket at just the right time because I ended up being in the VIP line for Monday, which gave me a perfect view of behind the curtains next to me.

What I meant was that I was able to see the attending Dodgers behind the curtain preparing to walk to their autograph tables.  Here is Scott Van Slyke.

I don't know how to explain the excitement I get when seeing big league players up close.  It is sort of a vibe that I get once being handed the opportunity to take pictures of these men as everyone else gets ready to get their stuff signed.

New Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal gets ready to head over to his table.

As does Rick Monday, a hero and legend in his own right.

Here I am trying to act like the paparazzi in order to get a shot of Justin Turner.

Howie Kendrick, on the other hand, proceeded to take photo ops with people who purchased that said opportunity.

Scott Van Slyke went to go join in on the photo opportunities.

So did Justin.

The VIP line certainly proved to be beneficial for me as it did not take that much time to meet Mr. Monday.

Like most signers, Mr. Monday was extremely pleasant to meet in person.  We each exchanged greetings as I gave him the photograph to get signed in silver sharpie.  Afterwords, I shook hands with Monday to show my respect and admiration for what he has done in the baseball world.

What an amazing autograph.  I also got PSA/DNA in order to give this beautiful signature the authentication that it needed.  I was not done with my visit to Frank and Son as I needed to purchase baseball cards, photos, and a baseball in order to get ready for next Saturday.  On April 25, I will be heading out to Petco Park with my father in order to see the Dodgers play.  I am going to the game as my 19th birthday will be on April 30.  I would also certainly like to start my own bucket list of visiting the other major league ballparks and acquire more autographs in the process.  I will be sitting down near the third base line in Section 122, so I will be doing my research on autographs in Petco Park and I would be glad to hear any tips from you guys who have had previous experience.

Thank you guys for reading today.  As I prepare the next weekend to come, I leave you all with the "Wall of Fame" I have been working on since I started getting into the hobby more attentively.

Eric Gagne Autograph Signing at Frank and Son (04/04/15)

I am not going to lie with the fact that I procrastinated in attending this autograph signing.  At first I was actually contemplating if I should have attended the Steve Garvey signing that I barely found out about the day before considering that it was a free event and Garvey is a much sought addition for the Infield project that I want to complete.  However, Frank and Son had a rare appearance by an extremely popular Dodger that pretty much told me to not even think about missing this event: Eric Gagne.

As you guys may remember, I attended the Paul Lo Duca signing two weeks ago and received an autograph on an 8x10 that had the catcher with none other than Gagne himself.  My conscious pretty much convinced me with going with the Gagne signing at Frank and Son since he is a tough autograph to acquire and I was given the precious opportunity of completing the project of these former battery mates.  Plus, I was given hope that I can get Steve Garvey for free in the future, especially since a fellow signer informed me that the legendary first baseman attends Quakes games from time to time, which I hope to do this season.

I arrived at Frank and Son with the family around 12:30 in order to give me a good pace in terms of the timing with the event.  Gagne was not scheduled to sign until 1:00, which is why I chose not to arrive early in the morning because I would have been tired out.  Hall of Fame sports had their yearly spring event as they were selling autographed photos at a great price, though I had no interest myself. However, I did buy a total of 30 raffle tickets for $20 in order to receive this Elgin Baylor jersey. They also gave the customer the alternative choice of receiving a Chris Paul jersey.

Eric Gagne arrived a couple of minutes after 1:00, but did not start signing autographs until 1:30, due to being occupied with customers who wished to do a photo op.  Gagne got down to signing items for people who attended and even took the understandably brief time of taking photos. Thankfully, I was wise with how I paced myself with the event because there was a good turnaround for the event both the autograph and JSA lines.  Nevertheless, I was filled with anxiousness that brought out the nostalgia of my young days rooting for Gagne upon getting the former closer's autograph.  I happily handed him my photo to get signed while also taking a photo quickly.  I must say that Gagne was a bit thrown off when I happily offered a handshake, which he accepted, probably due to his wishes of making a smooth signing for him and the fans alike.

I would love to thank Hall of Fame sports for organizing an amazing event that was comfortable enough for my legs to withstand a wait that was gradual.  More importantly, I would love to thank Eric Gagne for coming out to give many signers the opportunity to add his signature on numerous items, like my photograph.  This is just my second project that I manage to complete and I hope this baseball season gives me more opportunities such as this one.  With that in mind, I wish you all a good day, a safe Easter, and a hyped new season of Dodger baseball.

Paul Lo Duca Autograph Signing at The Optometry Practice of Dr. Alex Corbin Liu, O.D.

Dr. Alex Corbin Liu was set for the Paul Lo Duca autograph signing that was scheduled today.  I certainly had to get his autograph on an 8x10 that featured Eric Gagne since the former Dodgers closer is due for his own signing two weeks from now at Frank and Son.

After leaving my house around 2:30, I arrived to the Optometry ten minutes before the start of the signing.  This gave me enough time in order to purchase my ticket and 8x10.  The line outside was not a hassle; if anything, it went smoothly and only went at a moderate pace because a free photo opportunity came with the autograph.

Thirty minutes into the signing, I was able to get inside in order to get my autograph.  Just as Dr Alex and the staff of his optometry are hospitable and organized, Paul was quite friendly to address for a minute or two.  He signed my 8x10 of him and Gagne in a beautiful use of a silver marker and happily accepted my request for a picture.

Here is the start of another amazing project.  Thank you very much Paul for taking the time to sign and take photos with fans.  Huge thanks to Dr. Alex Corbin Liu and his staff for making the signing worthwhile and my first time at his optometry a good experience.  With that I hope to see you all next time as I attempt to get this project done with Gagne in two weeks.

2015 Dodgers FanFest Recap - More Autographs, Less Waiting (Sort Of)

My excitement and anxiousness that lasted for an entire month had finally come to an end. Today was time for the third annual off season FanFest for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Unlike in years past, my autograph experience was not going to be limited.  In 2013, I had to leave with the disappointment that a long atrocious line killed my dream of obtaining autographs while my rookie mistake last year with online vouchers limited me to just two signing sessions.  This year around, I was completely prepared and realistic about my choices.  Funny thing about it, I purchased all my vouchers while I was in college, but was still able to get my top priorities.

The entrance was easy sailing.  My family and I had an easy access through the left field gate near Academy Road in order to get to the stadium.  I was really intrigued with how the Dodgers went with having the event in the vicinity of the ballpark.  I had an hour to myself before getting an autograph at 11:10, so I went straight to turn in my waiver for a wristband.  I had a nice stint in the batting cage going five - for - five while batting as a lefty.

I took notice of where all the vendors were at during my walk around the park.  However, I did not really take the time to visit them all as the hour was passing by for me to start getting in line for the autographs.  One thing that I can confirm is that I will be attending the Kershaw bobblehead game on May 12 versus the Marlins as I did buy my tickets in advance.

As the clock was nearing 11 on my phone, I proceeded to get in line for my first session.  I must comment from a fellow grapher that it was sort of dumb in part of the Dodgers that the lines were extremely close to the walk way entrance for fans to get into the field.  Nevertheless, as I finished one session, I still had precious time to hop onto another within the same hour.  My first session was Howie Kendrick with Chris Hatcher.

I honestly could not think of anything or had the necessary tolerance at the time to get separate items for the signers.  Therefore, I thought it was acceptable in my part to get something as generic as a mini batting helmet for a majority of the signers to sign their autograph on.  I gave that said batting helmet to Hatcher and Kendrick to sign on.  Chris Hatcher was an extremely friendly guy and I took notice with how he was having conversations with several children.  I had him sign my  helmet on the right side of the helmet.  Howie Kendrick was the class act that a majority of signers know him for.  I opted for him to sign below the Dodgers logo.

My next signing, which was still within the same hour, was Ron Cey with Mike Bolsinger.  This was no doubt the most important autograph session of the day for me simply because Ron Cey's autograph was the last one that I needed for my 1981 World Series MVP's 8x10 photograph.  I gave Mr. Cey my photograph and had him sign the photograph in black marker because I already had Steve Yeager sign it with the same color in order to stand out from Pedro Guerrero.

As for Bolsinger, I had that batting helmet ready for him to sign rather than something boring like a company manufactured card.

Here is a look on the project that took me 8 months to complete.

My first signers for the 12:10 session was Scott Van Slyke and Joel Peralta.  However, something was different as I was approaching the tent.  More on that in a bit.  I purchased an 8x10 of Scott at Frank and Son in order for him to sign.  Scott was very welcoming as I happily gave him my photograph to get signed in silver sharpie.

He was also very nice to take a selfie with me.  I am glad that I had him on my list of top signers to acquire.

Back to what I said about this particular signing that was different than was promoted through my voucher.  Joel Peralta was nowhere to be found and in his place was Juan Nicasio.  Despite the voucher and web site exclaiming for graphers to be aware of any changes, this still took me by surprise.  Nevertheless, I was a bit excited to add a far younger pitcher that still has potential to my collection.  I gave Nicasio my batting helmet to sign and, like Van Slyke, welcomed me with a warm heart.

He also took the time to oblige for a selfie.

The next session that was within the same hour was Brandon McCarty with Zach Lee.  I personally think of this signing as a low risk high reward kind of deal.  After all, McCarthy is a part of the Dodgers rotation while Lee is a prospect that has yet to be given the experience to shed out his full potential.  Think about it, McCarthy's only obstacle is his health, while Lee had trouble in the not so pitcher friendly Pacific Coast AAA League.  Therefore, I have high hopes for them to be successful in some way.

Like all the other signings, I gave them both my batting helmet to get signed.  They were extremely grateful for my visit and I was just as glad to add them to my collection.  I wish them the best of luck for the season, especially Lee whose debut I've been waiting for quite a while now.

Now here are pictures containing all the autographs I got from FanFest.  Howie Kendrick's autograph below the logo.

Chris Hatcher and Mike Bolsinger.

Brandon McCarthy's autograph is right on the left while Juan Nicasio's signature is on the far right.

Here is a better view of Nicasio's autograph.

Finally, here is Zach Lee.  

I had a great time at FanFest considering how I had far more signing opportunities to rack up for my collection.  Unlike last year, I did not take  the time to do things like purchasing a mystery bag or eating a Dodger Dog.  Could you believe that?  I went through FanFest without eating a Dodger Dog! Oh well.  The reason was that I had to leave with my family as early as possible in order to attend my grandfather's birthday party.  I was just glad that I did not leave a FanFest empty handed or as miserable as compared to the horrible 2013 edition.  With that in mind I bid you all farewell, drifting off into the sunset, with this amazing picture of Bobby Crosby and Deep Left that my younger brother took.  I did bump into them myself, but the picture we posed for came out blinded by the light reflecting from the field.  At least I have an entire year to take more.

Jackie Robinson Tribute - Best Steal Ever

As you all may know, tomorrow will be the third off season Fan Fest that the Dodgers will hold. However, that is not the only event that is taking place on January 31, as it will also be Jackie Robinson's birthday.  Jackie certainly went far and beyond in order to hold in his emotions in order to show people that he was a talented athlete, while also changing the viewpoints of the majority of fans at the time.  I not only thank him for doing such a noble thing to change people's opinions of how they see people of different color but view him as the most humble person to have changed the country for the better.

Now let's get to what I found.  On Sunday, I finally went back to the Citrus College Swap Meet and pretty much found one of the important pieces of memorabilia a collector can have.  While looking for more bobbleheads to add to the collection, I came across a young vendor and his mother and saw that they were selling a Jackie Robinson action statue from 2005.  I don't know much about this statue, but I at least have some background as to how much it usually costs on eBay and Amazon. They were selling it for $25.  I continued walking while thinking if I should purchase the statue.  It wasn't until some more research on the internet and self-talk that I decided to just buy the statue while it was there available for me.  I was pretty much happy with how I ended up with another great find for my collection, especially considering that it was one of my favorite athletes of all time.

TTM Success - Carl Erskine (1/12/15)

I am officially in the TTM hobby.  I inspired by Dodger Penguin and Robby Marsh to start receiving autographs from the mail.  I am starting out by attempting to write to former Brooklyn Dodgers and add autographed photos to my Wall of Fame.  The one man that came to mind when starting the hobby was Carl Erskine.  He has a credible resume with being such a generous signer, along with his great, but shortened, career.  Upon writing the letter, I thanked him for his incredible track  record on and off the field and donated $5 for his charity.  I sent the letter to him on January 5 and received it back exactly a week later on the 12th.  I was very grateful for Carl taking  the time to read my letter and for signing my photograph and starting my TTM hobby.

Nomar Garciaparra Autograph Signing at Glendale Galleria (12/13/14)

If there was one baseball player's autograph that I had wanted to acquire all year long, it had to be Nomar Garciaparra.  Prior to the FanFest held in February, I had bought a Nomar Garciaparra 8x10 in hopes of having him sign it.  After all, I was being realistic over the autograph tickets that I would buy or at least were available.  Sadly, the Nomar autograph ticket was sold out as quickly as I could have cursed over the tickets selling out in quick fashion.  If you remember from my FanFest post, I did at least get a Shawn Green autograph, which was my other priority.  Nevertheless, I was a bit frustrated that I could not have gotten a Nomar autograph before they sold out, which forced me to properly store the photograph in one of my drawers.

 

Flash forward all the way to last Saturday where the possibility of getting Nomar's autograph was finally achievable.  I had discovered in November that the Dodgers were going to continue the tradition of the Mall Tours, where former and (possibly) current players would attend for autograph signings.  However, the Dodgers had posted only two Mall Tours, which really bummed me out even more because I wanted to complete my projects on the 1981 World Series MVPs and The Infield as soon as possible.  Oh well, I still had my hopes as high as possible as the 8x10, that I would sometimes take out throughout the year and inspect, finally saw the light of day in being signed.

 

I had arrived at the Glendale Galleria about twenty minutes prior to the start of the Fernando Valenzuela signing.  My mindset was that if I had arrived before Fernando started signing, then my chances of acquiring Nomar's autograph would increase.  I was not the only person that was also doing the same strategy in getting Nomar's autograph, as many people knew they had a better shot at him than with Fernando.  The line was very unusual to me, as it had really extended to the parking lot, so no autograph seekers would impede the flow of shoppers walking all around the mall.  One security guard informed me to get in the back of the line simply because whoever got cut off from Fernando would start the line for Nomar.  Just as another security guard was about to mess up and start a completely different line for Nomar, a Dodgers representative confirmed that it was fine standing in line as whoever got cut off would definitely start it. 

 

Having calmed down from that experience, all I had to do was endure the long in between break from Fernando's departure to Nomar's arrival.  I'm not going to lie, the wait tired me out and I was a bit disgusted over the parking lot, as many people from before had just littered their food onto the floor.  There were even moments in which I just did not want to sit down on the pavement that looked like it was filled with oil and bacteria, but I had no other choice as my back would kill me in the long run.  Thankfully my experience was gradually becoming more bearable as I came across a fellow instagram user, icollectdodgerautos.  We both had a conversation previously about how the event would possible be organized and continued discussing about the event.  I guess it really is a small world after all.

 

As you can tell from the pictures, I had a long way to get through.  The line had me spiral twice before I can even get close to the inside structure of the mall.  Like I said, merging the people getting Fernando with the ones acquiring Nomar helped me out as I was not too far away from the entrance of the mall when Nomar arrived.  When I was getting near to Nomar, I had a lot of stuff in my mind, ranging from actually getting the autograph after a year's worth of waiting to finally getting something to eat. 

 

Once I got extremely close to Nomar, that's when the sense of accomplishment started to kick in.  I knew that I can knock off another Dodgers great from my list.  I should note that the mother that was in front of me asked if I would like an additional autograph.  I gave her a baseball that was filled with previous autographs so Nomar can sign it.  I did, however, scolded myself for not even trying to bring the Nomar bobblehead that I had in my collection, but it would have required more effort on my behalf to be cautious. 

 

Nomar was definitely a pleasant man to meet.  Upon handing him the photograph, I asked him how he was doing.  He happily replied that things were doing good for him, except that he was a bit under the weather.  Therefore, when I offered a handshake, he had no other choice but to inform me of his condition and we fist bumped.  I was happy though that the experience was well worth my time and effort.

Now I am definitely most proud to say that I have added two Nomar autographs to my collection.  I am also happy to add Nomar's photo to my Dodgers Wall of Fame, knowing that I am more relieved more than ever.  Is there a moral to this experience?  Yes, the most tiresome of experiences can bring the most reward.  Also, I just finished my first semester of college, so I'll make sure to get back into writing more posts.