Sorry Guys. I've been having some issues with blogger and been a little busy.
After a disapointing trip to Rockland and getting turned down by Jose Canseco, the following day which was Satueday May 26th. I drove down to Baltimore for the O's vs. Royals gane. I had done Baltimore back in 2009 and did very well with the Texas Rangers. I had read on a forum recently that things had changed as far as the visiting team cars being allowed down the ramp. That post I had read was about the Yankees in Baltimore and had hoped it was just because it was the Yankees.
The game was a 4pm start time. I arrived just before 10am and parked in the garage near the convention center and walked over to the other side of the stadium. There where about 6 other graphers there at that point. I started to talk to one of the guys to see who I had missed already. I had missed a couple of guys. None of whom I really wanted. But, would have gotten on a partial team ball. Then a few minutes later a town car starts to drive down the drive that leads to the Orioles parking lot and where does the car go? Down the ramp. Not really what I wanted to see. The post on the forum I had read earlier in the week was not just for the Yankees. But, for every team. I was not happy I didn't drive 4.5 hours to watch these cars drive by. So, it appeared that it was going to be a bad day. It turns out that just the Town cars where allowed down the ramp. If a player chose to take a generic taxi they had to stop at the corner like they had in the past. So, the day was not a complete waste.
Another change was in the Orioles player parking lot. A stair well was added so the players did not have to walk to the lot entrance to get to the ramp. They would just go down the stairs and because of the location of the stair well. The players didnt have to walk directly in front of us. There is also the golf cart that is in the parking lot for the players. They can hop a ride on the cart. If they did, none got off the cart to sign. Also keep in mind there is an entrance at the warehouse also. Although I think it is used by the player mostly after the game.
I also went back on sunday morning for about 2 hours before I left for Bowie
I was able to get the following,
Eric Hosmer 1/1 SSOMLB, Before the game outside. Saturday
Matt Wieters 1/1 SSOMLB, After the game as he was pulling out of the player parking lot.Saturday
Alcides Escobar 2/2 cards, signed 1 card before the game outside and 1 card after the game outside, Saturday
Nick Johnson 1 card, Outside before sundays game. Didn't expect him to sign because on saturday he ignored us
Jeff Francoeur 2/2 cards, Inside before the game. Jeff is one of the nicest players I've ever met. I had gotten him at Mets ST in 2010 also.
Felipe Paulino 1/1 card., Signed outside after the game.
Aaron Crow, 1/2 cards, Outside before saturdays game.
Dana Eveland 1/1 Outside before saturdays game.
Humberto Quintero 1/1 Outside before saturdays game.
Ned Yost 1/1 card, Inside before the game
I had also started a Royals team ball for players I do not have cards for or didn't deserve there own OMLB
Nathan Adcock, Inside before the game
Bruce Chen, Outside after the saturdays game
Louis Coleman, Outside after the saturdays game
Kelvin Herrera, Outside before sundays game.
Luis Mendeza, Outside before saturdays game
Brayan Pena, Outside before sundays game
Irving Falu, Inside before saturdays game
Mitch Mair, Outside before sundays game
Ned Yost, Inside before saturdays game
Will Smith, Outside before sundays game
Kevin Seitzer, Outside before saturdays game.
Chris Getz, Outside before saturdays game. Left his cards home since he was on DL, I didn't expect him to be there.
After the game on saturday night I had help ID'ing some of the Royals thanks to a group of guys from KC.
I made a rookie mistake by not doing my homework on the Coaches. I know I have cards for Sietzer, Steve Foster, and John Russell. I also saw Mike Bordick, heis doing TV part time for the Orioles and Rex Hudler, he does radio for the Royals
If you have season tickets you can enter the stadium 30 mins prior to the rest of the ticket holders and I missed on Alex Gordon, Moustakas and Frenchy. Although I did get Frenchy later on inside. Like I said he is a great IP signer.
While waiting to get into the stadium I did catch a BP homer in rightfield, not sure who hit it.
Like I had mention earlier, the exit at the warehouse is used mostly after the game. Just after I had gotten Wieters I had run into one of the other graphers who had told me that Moustakas had left out of the warehouse. So, I got Wieters but missed out on Moustakas. If I had my way I would have taken Moustakas before Wieters. Oh, Well
Here are some pics,
After leaving Baltimore on sunday morning I headed down to Bowie for the a 2pm game vs. Altoona Curve. The Baysox play at Prince George Stadium, which is about a 40 min ride south of Baltimore
Bowie are the Orioles (AA) team and Altoona are the Pirates (AA) team. I got there abit early but not early enough for the players. The gates open 1 hour before game time. There were not a lot of graphers there. Mostly just kids getting garbage balls signed with sharpies. So, when the gates opened I headed down to the Baysox dugout. Only to find out that the players do not enter from the dugout. They enter the field down the foal lines. The clubhouses are not in the stadium itself. They are seperate building beyond the outfield fences. My goal here was to get Manny Machado and Bobby Bundy, who is Dylan Bundy's brother.
Brian Robers, Endy Chaves and Mark Reynolds where also there on rehab.
It turned out to be a not so great day for autographs. Manny Machado ignored us along the the 1st base line. As did Chaves, Reynolds and Roberts. But, I expected that.from the big leaguers. Bundy was the starting pitcher. So, he didnt sign.
I was able to get the following on a Baysox team ball, Kennie Steenstra,, Sean Gleason, Robert Hinton, Chris Petrini, Allen de San Miguel, Steveb Bumbry and Jacob Pettit. I didnt get a chance to get over to the Curves side of the field before the game and I was not really concerned with them. Since they really didnt have any big prospects. Jeff Kartsens was on rehab and the only other player I had cards for was Sharion Martis.
I decided to try the player parking lot for Bowie and was disappointed to find out that the parking lot was roped off. There where signs stating, For "player and team personal only" and "No trespassing".
I was told this was done because of the number of Major leaguers with the team on rehab. There where 3 other graphers there and we talked abit and figured it couldn't hurt to wait outside the roped off area and see if anyone stops to sign. No, luck. Everyone just drove by as if we where not even there. Machado seemed to drive abit faster that the rest of the players. By the time I decided this was a lost cause. The Altoona team bus had left.
7 autographs in total for Bowie. I've had better days. At this point I was tired and sunburned and had a 5 hr trip home ahead me and left.
I was not impressed with the Baysox stadium. When I drove up in the parking lot the stadium looks more like a office building. If it was not for the light stanchions I would have thought I was in the wrong place. The locker rooms are not even in the stadium. They are in seperate buildings down the lines and the players enter the field thru doors in the outfield fence.
They were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the stadium and by the looks of it. Nothing had been updated since day one.
The entrance to the stadium.
As you can see, the team does not draw very well. This pic was taken in the middle of the 6th inning from the club seats in front of the restaurant. It was a hot day though. I had a front row seat. But, spent most of the time under the overhang in the last row.
I do not have any trips planned as of now. I'm sure I will be going to a few Duck games in the next week or so.
Thanks for reading
After a disapointing trip to Rockland and getting turned down by Jose Canseco, the following day which was Satueday May 26th. I drove down to Baltimore for the O's vs. Royals gane. I had done Baltimore back in 2009 and did very well with the Texas Rangers. I had read on a forum recently that things had changed as far as the visiting team cars being allowed down the ramp. That post I had read was about the Yankees in Baltimore and had hoped it was just because it was the Yankees.
The game was a 4pm start time. I arrived just before 10am and parked in the garage near the convention center and walked over to the other side of the stadium. There where about 6 other graphers there at that point. I started to talk to one of the guys to see who I had missed already. I had missed a couple of guys. None of whom I really wanted. But, would have gotten on a partial team ball. Then a few minutes later a town car starts to drive down the drive that leads to the Orioles parking lot and where does the car go? Down the ramp. Not really what I wanted to see. The post on the forum I had read earlier in the week was not just for the Yankees. But, for every team. I was not happy I didn't drive 4.5 hours to watch these cars drive by. So, it appeared that it was going to be a bad day. It turns out that just the Town cars where allowed down the ramp. If a player chose to take a generic taxi they had to stop at the corner like they had in the past. So, the day was not a complete waste.
Another change was in the Orioles player parking lot. A stair well was added so the players did not have to walk to the lot entrance to get to the ramp. They would just go down the stairs and because of the location of the stair well. The players didnt have to walk directly in front of us. There is also the golf cart that is in the parking lot for the players. They can hop a ride on the cart. If they did, none got off the cart to sign. Also keep in mind there is an entrance at the warehouse also. Although I think it is used by the player mostly after the game.
I also went back on sunday morning for about 2 hours before I left for Bowie
I was able to get the following,
Eric Hosmer 1/1 SSOMLB, Before the game outside. Saturday
Matt Wieters 1/1 SSOMLB, After the game as he was pulling out of the player parking lot.Saturday
Alcides Escobar 2/2 cards, signed 1 card before the game outside and 1 card after the game outside, Saturday
Nick Johnson 1 card, Outside before sundays game. Didn't expect him to sign because on saturday he ignored us
Jeff Francoeur 2/2 cards, Inside before the game. Jeff is one of the nicest players I've ever met. I had gotten him at Mets ST in 2010 also.
Felipe Paulino 1/1 card., Signed outside after the game.
Aaron Crow, 1/2 cards, Outside before saturdays game.
Dana Eveland 1/1 Outside before saturdays game.
Humberto Quintero 1/1 Outside before saturdays game.
Ned Yost 1/1 card, Inside before the game
I had also started a Royals team ball for players I do not have cards for or didn't deserve there own OMLB
Nathan Adcock, Inside before the game
Bruce Chen, Outside after the saturdays game
Louis Coleman, Outside after the saturdays game
Kelvin Herrera, Outside before sundays game.
Luis Mendeza, Outside before saturdays game
Brayan Pena, Outside before sundays game
Irving Falu, Inside before saturdays game
Mitch Mair, Outside before sundays game
Ned Yost, Inside before saturdays game
Will Smith, Outside before sundays game
Kevin Seitzer, Outside before saturdays game.
Chris Getz, Outside before saturdays game. Left his cards home since he was on DL, I didn't expect him to be there.
After the game on saturday night I had help ID'ing some of the Royals thanks to a group of guys from KC.
I made a rookie mistake by not doing my homework on the Coaches. I know I have cards for Sietzer, Steve Foster, and John Russell. I also saw Mike Bordick, heis doing TV part time for the Orioles and Rex Hudler, he does radio for the Royals
If you have season tickets you can enter the stadium 30 mins prior to the rest of the ticket holders and I missed on Alex Gordon, Moustakas and Frenchy. Although I did get Frenchy later on inside. Like I said he is a great IP signer.
While waiting to get into the stadium I did catch a BP homer in rightfield, not sure who hit it.
Like I had mention earlier, the exit at the warehouse is used mostly after the game. Just after I had gotten Wieters I had run into one of the other graphers who had told me that Moustakas had left out of the warehouse. So, I got Wieters but missed out on Moustakas. If I had my way I would have taken Moustakas before Wieters. Oh, Well
Here are some pics,
Bowie are the Orioles (AA) team and Altoona are the Pirates (AA) team. I got there abit early but not early enough for the players. The gates open 1 hour before game time. There were not a lot of graphers there. Mostly just kids getting garbage balls signed with sharpies. So, when the gates opened I headed down to the Baysox dugout. Only to find out that the players do not enter from the dugout. They enter the field down the foal lines. The clubhouses are not in the stadium itself. They are seperate building beyond the outfield fences. My goal here was to get Manny Machado and Bobby Bundy, who is Dylan Bundy's brother.
Brian Robers, Endy Chaves and Mark Reynolds where also there on rehab.
It turned out to be a not so great day for autographs. Manny Machado ignored us along the the 1st base line. As did Chaves, Reynolds and Roberts. But, I expected that.from the big leaguers. Bundy was the starting pitcher. So, he didnt sign.
I was able to get the following on a Baysox team ball, Kennie Steenstra,, Sean Gleason, Robert Hinton, Chris Petrini, Allen de San Miguel, Steveb Bumbry and Jacob Pettit. I didnt get a chance to get over to the Curves side of the field before the game and I was not really concerned with them. Since they really didnt have any big prospects. Jeff Kartsens was on rehab and the only other player I had cards for was Sharion Martis.
I decided to try the player parking lot for Bowie and was disappointed to find out that the parking lot was roped off. There where signs stating, For "player and team personal only" and "No trespassing".
I was told this was done because of the number of Major leaguers with the team on rehab. There where 3 other graphers there and we talked abit and figured it couldn't hurt to wait outside the roped off area and see if anyone stops to sign. No, luck. Everyone just drove by as if we where not even there. Machado seemed to drive abit faster that the rest of the players. By the time I decided this was a lost cause. The Altoona team bus had left.
7 autographs in total for Bowie. I've had better days. At this point I was tired and sunburned and had a 5 hr trip home ahead me and left.
I was not impressed with the Baysox stadium. When I drove up in the parking lot the stadium looks more like a office building. If it was not for the light stanchions I would have thought I was in the wrong place. The locker rooms are not even in the stadium. They are in seperate buildings down the lines and the players enter the field thru doors in the outfield fence.
They were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the stadium and by the looks of it. Nothing had been updated since day one.
I do not have any trips planned as of now. I'm sure I will be going to a few Duck games in the next week or so.
Thanks for reading
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