2014 Dodgers FanFest Recap - A Great Improvement

Today was finally the day.  Fanfest had come and I needed to get ready to leave.  My parents left with me and my little sister at 9 in the morning.  I knew that parking gates opened at 9:30 at the Sunset and Downtown entrances.  What I had in plan was to get there at the same time the gates would open thus smoothly getting us in.  However, that did not happen.  You are probably thinking as to why I'm saying that this is bad when I'll discuss the cool things about FanFest.  Well, the lines coming at every  intersection were crowded and traffic was moving slow.  Therefore, security guards  decided to open the Left Field entrance in Academy Drive to make it easier for access.  Too bad for me because I had already got out of my father's car to make the long jog from Elysian Park that was near Academy Drive all the way to the Sunset gate.  I had managed to arrive a bit ahead of my parents in order to get as near to the FanFest entrance as possible.

The crowd went on smoothly as security checked my bag quickly.  The minute I got in I was just amazed to be attending the event.  The serene beauty of Parking Lot B kind of brought me to wanting to cry.  Once I found the line to get in for autographs, I entered and made my way to get my stuff signed.  My first of two autograph sessions were Shawn Green and Rule 5 draft pick Seth Rosin. 

 

 



Of the two, I really wanted Shawn's autograph.  He was a really nice guy and I really appreciate that he signed the picture that I had of him.  Seth was also cool and signed a card that the Dodgers had available on the tables.  Before going for Stephen Fife and John Valentin's signing, I checked around the scenery of the fanfest. I even had fun at the batting cages since I had filled out a waiver.  I went back to the autograph lines and security let us in about 20 minutes before the signing  so we could  get our vouchers scanned.

 

 

I got Stephen and John to sign one OLB 3 Rawlings  baseball on the sweet spot.  They were also very generous for doing so and I thanked them.  Now check the rest of my highlights.

 

First Dodgerdog of the year!

 

 

I also took a picture of with one of the trophies from the 1980's championships.

 

 

Charley Steiner interviewed on stage.

 

 

Stunning view from nosebleeds looking down upon crews getting rid of what was the Stadium Series.

 

I also bought an autographed baseball for $20.  It was a mystery bag and in it it had a random autograph.  There was a bucket full of bags with one baseball in it.  You pretty much had to guess and hoped that the bag you got was a good one.  The first one I bought was a Rafael Furcal autograph.  An hour later, I went back to buy another one..... only to get another Furcal autograph.  I don't know if that's just good luck or bad luck.  Oh well, thank goodness I got a World Series champion and proceeds went to charity for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.  There were also mystery photos and jerseys autographed for sale as well.

 

The 2014 edition of FanFest was one of the best times of my life.  I'm not kidding.  Unlike last year, I walked out with at least one autograph that I really wanted and there was much room to walk around.  I just hope the Dodgers can improve with sales of autograh vouchers so they don't sell out as quck as they did Monday.  I also wish that they keep up the good work with having Fanfest in an amazing setting, like lot B, so that way everyone can have fun for years to come. 

Dodgers FanFest Autograph Vouchers Being Sold on Ebay and Craigslist

Yep, you read the title right.  Yesterday, tickets to get autograph vouchers for Dodgers FanFest were on sale online.  Season ticket holders got a head start with a code to buy autograph vouchers at 10:00 a.m..  Everyone else had the opportunity starting at noon.  By the time my parents were able to get on the computer to start buying, they were unable to buy tickets.  That is because the vouchers were all being sold in the process and ran out within the hour.  You probably even had the same problem with getting a voucher for someone like Yasiel Puig.  Thankfully, my parents were able to get me a voucher for Shawn Green and Seth Rosin at 10 - 10:50 a.m. and Stephen Fife and John Valentin at 11 - 11:50 a.m..  Shawn Green was the main voucher that I needed considering that I had bought a picture of him.  For anyone that might have bought a voucher for a fan favorite, they are already selling it on ebay and craigslist at a high price.

 

I had high expectations to get a good autograph voucher when they were available.  However, upon considering the competition, I had decreased it to a more realistic option like Shawn Green.  I even wanted a Nomar Garciaparra voucher, but that was sold out as well.  Now I'm just plain mad with people buying vouchers that everyone else wanted for ten bucks and then selling it at a ridiculous price.  That's highway robbery!  The FanFest tickets were an opportunity for pretty much everyone to get an autograph from their favorite players, not for some fool to get a quick buck.  But hey, I should have expected some jerk to do something like that.  No worries.  I'll hopefully put this aside as FanFest comes around this Saturday.  Until then, see ya!

Hi There!

All right.  Let me introduce myself.  I am a rookie blogger, going by the name BlueSkinnyFan.  I chose that name because of two reasons, other than my weight.  I am very fond of the color blue and have been as far as I can remember.  I also chose it because I am a huge Dodger fan and this blog will mainly cover the sport of baseball.  I am seventeen years old and a high school senior.  I was introduced to the sport of baseball at the age of six, when my dad signed me up for tee ball.  My dad also coached my team, the White Sox.  I can vaguely remember my time playing ball, as I usually grounded out.  Nevertheless, I did have my best moments whenever the chance came up.  I stopped playing baseball after tee ball ended because I never was interested in playing, especially with my commitment to school work.  I still watched baseball when the postseason aired, especially during the White Sox World Series Title run in 2005.  The next year, I played close attention to the Dodgers postseason run and I started to become a fan.  However, it wasn't until the Dodgers' acquisition of Manny Ramirez in 2008 that I skyrocketed into a huge fanatic of baseball.  Since then, I can't stop thinking of the team.  I have also recently started with trying to collect memorabilia, such as autographs and bobbleheads.  Therefore, with all that information I will be covering baseball and any other sporting news/events.  I hope to have fun with trying this blog out and would also like for any of you guys to give me feedback.