RBI (230) Albert Pujols...

I've posted my interactions with Albert Pujols before and they've never been all that pleasant. However is still a future no doubt hall of famer and one who is crushing all-time records so when there's the chance to get his autograph I take it. This time I went through the guaranteed route by attending an Albert Pujols autograph signing at the practice of Dr. Alex Corbin Liu.

I opted to get a baseball signed after I had a mishap with a photo order I made. I'm still pleased with the choice as Pujols autographed this 2015 all star game baseball very nicely. It's definitely a good looking piece that is nice to put into my collection.

RBI (225) Mike Witt...

I've previously posted about getting former Angel and Yankee pitcher Mike Witt. The 2-time All Star posted 117 wins with 1,373 Strikeouts but most importantly he posted his own spot in MLB history. He finished out Mark Langston's No Hitter and I had the two of them sign a ball, but now I had Witt sign his own.

Witt threw out the first pitch at the Angel Stadium home opener to start the 2015 season off. I was able to hang around and get Witt afterwards and had him sign a ball.

Previously Witt had declined to inscribe his piece of baseball history but this time he had no problem doing so and inscribed "PG 9/30/84" for me. It was a nice way to start off the season and getting a Mike Witt autograph is tough so this is a really nice piece for me to put into my collection.

RBI (224) Randal Grichuk...

Last year I went to the Angels yard sale, an event where you can make pick ups of jerseys, autographed items, discounted surplus shirts and things along those lines. I made a nice pick up of a locker name plate from former Angel Randal Grichuk who had been traded that off season with Peter Bourjos for third baseman David Freese.

I decided to take a risk and sent the locker plate to Grichuk in the mail care of the Cardinals Spring Training. It was a risk and I sent it toward the end of Spring so I wasn't sure if it would even get to him before he was moved from the big league camp. A year later I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a large envelope waiting for me in my mailbox.

It's nice to get a bigger item like this signed and I'm very happy to have gotten this back since I actually enjoy picking up locker plates randomly from teams. More than worth the wait to have added back to my collection. I'd never gotten Gruchuk's autograph before when he was in the Angels organization so it's also nice to add a first.

Autograph Recap, Kole Calhoun at Stadium Nissan 9/16/14

So it's been a while since I've been slammed with work but I wanted to recap a few things that I've been able to graph since the summer came to a close. One event I made it to was the Kole Calhoun appearance at Stadium Nissan. It was a well run event and Kole knocked out a fairly large crowd, but he was strictly one autograph per person.

I ran into my buddies Al, Matt and David and we had a good time hanging out in line even though it was far too early in the morning to be waiting in a line. I went through the line and got this Kole Calhoun autographed baseball, I had one before but gave it away to a friend and wanted to replace it for my own collection. I asked Kole to inscribe "Red Baron" but he declined saying he wasn't inscribing that day.

After I got my ball signed Matt was kind enough to drop my photo and get this 8x10 photograph autographed by Calhoun. Defense is a big part of his game to go along with the underrated bat so I'm glad to have this photo of him flying for a catch in the collection.

It was a good signing and didn't take too long to get out of there so I was happy with my progress on the day to end up with two Kole Calhoun autographs.

RBI (216) Don Sutton...

I made the trip down to San Diego to graph the Atlanta Braves. I made a silly mistake and neglected to bring with me a card for the broadcast crew as there was Hall of Famer Don Sutton working for them. I was able to get ahold of a card down there from another grapher for a buck in case I had the chance to get Sutton.

Sutton pitched for the Dodgers from 1966-1980 and made his way to the Astros, Brewers, Athletics, Angels and finally back to the Dodgers for a final retirement season in 1988. His numbers are standout at 324 Wins supported by a 3.26 ERA and 3,574 Strikeouts. Throughout his career he was however only a 4-time All Star, though he was the MVP of the 1977 All Star game. His number 20 was retired by the Dodgers  in 1998 the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the only inductee into Cooperstown that year.

I got this Don Sutton autographed 1988 Score card by literally accidentally walking into Mr. Sutton in the street after the game. It was a nice surprise pick up and its always a good day when you can add a Hall of Famer to your collection.

Autograph Recap, Garrett Richards Eco Challenge Day 7/26/14

Gerrett Richards made an appearance at Angel Stadium for Orange County Eco Challenge Day. Participants brought in household waste, clothing and electronic waste to be recycled and were given a wristband for an autograph and the first 200 donators received either tickets to that nights Angel game or the Discovery center.

Richards is a difficult autograph to get at the stadium, he doesn't often sign so I had to take advantage of the opportunity to get his autograph. I arrived at the stadium and while I thought I had come early I was sorely mistaken and there was an impressive line of cars waiting ahead of us.

Eventually we were let inside to form another line next to the famous hats at the home plate gate to wait for Garrett to show up for the signing. 

Garrett arrived a few minutes early and promptly started signing autographs for those waiting in line. He was polite and was giving out nice signatures on everyone's items. The handler was more lax at the start so some were able to get two items signed but by the time I arrived to the front it was more strictly held to one per.

I was glad to get my Garrett Richards 2014 Topps Heritage card autographed to add to my set.

He's got a great signature and getting it done at a sit down setting made it look great. It was a quick signing that supported a good eco-driven cause.

Autograph Recap, Angels Mystery Bags 2014

Well it was that time of the year again when the Angels girlfriends and wives host their annual mystery grab bag fundraiser. Each bag costs $40 and proceeds go to support the Special Olympics. You have the chance to pull a baseball autographed by a participating player and if you're exceptionally lucky you can find a gold ball that gives you the opportunity to go on the field before a game to meet the player.

I waited in line with some friends and took my shot at the chance for the opportunity. I ended up pulling a Kole Calhoun and two Howie Kendrick baseballs. I traded one of the Howie Kendrick's for a Josh Hamilton baseball and then traded that Josh Hamilton for a Jered Weaver.

To say I'm happy with this is an understatement. A Jered Weaver autographed baseball in blue on the sweetspot is more difficult to get than I'd care to even really think about. The fact that it has paperwork from the Angels certifying it makes it even better. It'll look extra great next to my other Weaver autographed ball inscribed with Weaver's no hitter.

The Howie Kendrick autographed baseball is a nice full signature so I'm reasonably happy with it.

The Kole Calhoun I gave as a present already so I don't have a photo of it, but Kole's actually a bit tough so it was nice to get the ball so I could focus on other graphing instead of chasing him. Overall it wasn't a bad haul for me and it could have gone much worse. The Angels also were kind enough to learn from bad experiences the past few years and the players gave out nice signatures on the sweetspot in good blue pens. Every fan I saw may have wished they had pulled a Pujols or Trout autograph, but I don't think close to everyone left with a quality signature from their player.

Autograph Recap, Howie Kendrick Pechanga Appearance 5/22/14

I've posted previously about All Star Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick and he's off to another tear to start off this season. Kendrick had an autograph appearance scheduled at the Pechanga Casino so I decided to make my way there after work. Previously I had a great time at the Jered Weaver autograph appearance at Pechanga so I was hoping for a repeat.

When I got to the casino the line was in the grand ballroom and was extremely small. Even though I only got there about an hour ahead of time I was about 60 people back from the front. Howie started signing for the Pechanga VIP club members at 6 and quickly was through the VIPs. He started signing for the general public line by 6:30 and started knocking autographs out.

Howie was strictly one item per when I handed him my card and put my photo on the table. He asked which one I wanted done but had already started to sign the card. I got him to sign my 2014 Topps Heritage to cross one more off the list while I work to get the complete set signed.

After Howie signed my card I went to the casino and played a few quick hands of blackjack. I pocketed some quick winnings and decided to leave while I was ahead. I was walking out and saw the line for Howie had shrunk even more to less than 20 people so I got back in line.

Howie autographed my 8x10 photograph I had taken from a few years before and he gave it a nice signature. While he was writing I asked him if he could inscribe All Star and he responded "No sorry but I can sign it for you." Obviously.

I'm glad to have finished getting Howie on things that I need done. He's a bad signer at the stadium and even though his signature is nice it's good to be done with the not most pleasant person.

Autograph Recap May 3, 2014 CJ Wilson at Cox Irvine

Angels pitcher CJ Wilson made an appearance at the Cox store in Irvine, and rather than start the day waiting around in the heat for the Rangers to roll in I made my way out there.

I got there and walked down the fairly long line until I finally found the end. Members of the Angels strike force were there and gave me a wristband to guarantee an autograph as long as I was within the first 200. Getting there about an hour and change before it was scheduled to begin got me wristband number 149. CJ was scheduled to be there from 12:00-1:00 but arrived about fifteen minutes late and started signing immediately. He actually was able to get the line moving rather quickly since photos with CJ weren't allowed.

I snapped a quick shot of CJ before it was my turn.

 You may recognize the guy to the left of CJ, he's a regular member of the stadium CSC security team at Angel Stadium. Why he and another CSC security guard was there is beyond me.

He was strictly one item per and held to it while he was going through the line. I had him finish an item I've been randomly lugging along for years. I finally got my Jerry Dipoto and CJ Wilson autographed photo of the pair of them together at the CJ and Albert Pujols press conference in 2011 when they signed with the Angels. It feels good to finish projects as now I've gotten both photos I took and printed done since I go the Albert Pujols signed at the end of last season.

Autograph Recap 2014 Exhibition Angels Vs Dodgers series...

As I posted previously when I put up the Kenley Jansen autograph I got I went to Dodger Stadium to graph the Angels. The following day was the Angels pitiful excuse of a "fiesta" fan fest, Mike Trout extension press conference and Dodger game. This year I'll be beginning the long and arduous task of collecting the Topps Heritage 2014 set and getting it autographed. I've bought a complete low number set and am working on assembling the short prints.

The first card I got signed for my set was my David Freese short print during Spring Training so it was time to finally get to work on the set. While at Dodger stadium I was able to get Kole Calhoun to sign his heritage and inscribe "Red Baron" on it.

I started off the next day Saturday at Angel Stadium getting this Matt Shoemaker autograph on his Rookie stars card with my buddy David.

After Shoemaker we went to the press conference and the fiesta where the only coaches to sign were Steve Soliz, Gary DiSarcina, and Don Baylor, and no active player did an autograph session or signed at the press conference. Bust.

We went inside the stadium and I was able to get a long time favorite Matt Kemp's autograph on his heritage card when he finished his batting practice session.

After Kemp signed I waited for the rest of batting practice to finish up, but it was slow so I tried my luck with the players when they stretched. I got my Carl Crawford autographed card, even though it wasn't the best signature.

Post game was a bust as I got shot down by the players as they left for San Diego to start the regular season.

Spring Training 2014, My 1 Day Trip

Well I got bit by the bug and decided to make my way out to Arizona for Spring Training. It was a very unexpected trip so I was light on supplies for the adventure so I decided to focus on the Angels only instead of hitting up multiple teams. Here's a summary of how I fared.

I arrived in Tempe at about 5 am after driving through the night to get there. Nice drive, going through the desert is always fun especially at that time. I posted up at the spot everyone had told me about and began the wait.

The first person to stop for me was Chris Iannetta, he signed a pair of cards for me, Topps 2011 and Topps Heritage 2012.

After Iannetta autographed those cards for me JB Shuck came over and signed his 2011 Bowman prospects rookie card and a 2012 Topps Heritage card for me.

After Shuck signed it was nice to get a new face to sign for me, I got this Tyler Skaggs autographed baseball. I think he's going to put it all together now that he's got veteran lefty CJ Wilson to learn from and will pan out to be a great pitcher.

From Skaggs on it was pretty terrible. I went inside to watch the Angels practice and got ignored by the rest of the team with Trout only signing one home made sign and Kole Calhoun doing like four people with the rest of the team waving us off and then going to leave for their game against the Royals. I jumped in my car and drove up to the Royals facility in Surprise to meet the team for their game.

Inside I was able to get Mike Scioscia to autograph this photo I took of him at the Pujols-Wilson press conference when they signed with the Angels. It's nice to cross this off the list of things I need to do and can finally take it out of my folder.

After Scioscia signed the photo it was time for baseball and it was great to watch the guys play ball. When the starters got pulled I booked it back to the car and made my way from Surprise back down to Tempe to wait. My driving and patience paid off and I was one on one with the man, and I was able to get this Albert Pujols autographed baseball. Of course it's the APS short sig under the reverse Rawlings but at least it's a big reasonably clean one.

After Albert took off I was able to begin my newest project, getting the 2014 Topps heritage set signed. I was able to get it started off very nicely getting David Freese's autograph on his short print card and he inscribed "2011 WS Champs" for me on the card. I'm looking forward to working on the set and hope to get as many of them inscribed as I can.

After Freese signed for me I called it a day and got back into my car to meet up with an old friend for dinner and a nap, then got back into my car and headed back to Southern California. It was a long drive and an even longer day, but was definitely was an adventure and fun day at Spring Training.

RBI (201) Jim Fregosi...

Unfortunately longtime fan favorite and baseball lifer Jim Fregosi passed away today. Fregosi was a great example of what a player could mean to the game, players and fans.

Fregosi was a Gold Glove short stop paired with fellow Gold Glove teammate Bobby Knoop and named to 6 All Star games. He hit the first cycle in Angels franchise history. Even his leaving meant much to the team as he was part of the deal that brought Nolan Ryan to the Angels. His number was retired by the Angels for his service as a player and a manager.

Jim Fregosi autographed this Angels 50th Anniversary baseball for me on the way into a game at Angel Stadium to scout the Angels for the Braves during the 2011 season.

Big League Moment Angels Pitcher Hector Santiago Interview

For the 2014 off season the Angels participated in a 3-team trade to try to solve the rotation problems of the previous season. Slugger Mark Trumbo was dealt and in return the Halo's received two young arms Tyler Skaggs, a former Angel prospect, and Hector Santiago. Santiago is developing into a reliable arm in the rotation, building up a solid innings count with a very good K/9 ratio supporting his 3.56 ERA. While many writers are focusing on the potential of Skaggs, Santiago's arm has the potential to be the key bridge in the rotation for Halos this season and farther down the line.

Santiago was kind enough to do an interview and answer a few questions for me about his MLB career.

First off, new member of the Angels. How did you find out about the trade? Who broke the news to you about it?

"Rick Hahn, GM of White Sox called me."

How did you find out you were being called up to the Majors with the White Sox in 2011?

"My Double A manager called me early Sunday morning and asked if I could pitch for the Sox at night."

After your call up did any player go out of their way to show you the day to day of being a big leaguer and help mentor you?

"No not really I kept to myself and just went about my business."

Pitching coach Don Cooper, what was his biggest piece of advice to you as a young pitcher? 

"He always said focus and fastball command two big things pitchers need to have success."

You're a fan favorite in Chicago and likely one in the Anaheim being so twitter active. What's the biggest thing fans can do to show you support?

"Fans show their support all the time through twitter but actually showing up to games and cheering us on in good and bad times gives us confidence and trust in the fans. We love when we talk out and see our teams colors and logos all over the place. "

The White Sox are a popular franchise, how do you feel about autograph seekers? Do you mind it? Anything you especially enjoy signing?

"I don't mind signing anything or anytime but I hope that fans understand that we are at work and we can't always stop and sign. But I try to sign as much as I can! And I like signing team baseballs the most because it shows your team fan! But sweet spot is pretty cool!

This team is gonna be great. I see some MVP type seasons ahead and hopefully a Cy Young! Don't forget about Rookie of the Year!"

It was great of Hector Santiago to do spend some of his offseason doing this interview and I'm looking forward to him becoming an anchor in the Angels rotation for years to come. If you don't follow him on twitter you should follow the fan friendly pitcher's twitter @HecSantiago53

Big League Moment Grant Green Interview

While at the Brandon Barnes Wiffleball event I used some time to interview Angels' infielder Grant Green. Grant was extremely personable and a pleasure to do an extended interview with, that gave a great glimpse into his time so far as a Major Leaguer.

First question. How did you find out you were being called up the majors?
I was actually in AAA Fresno. My manager was the same high school I went to, I start to get dressed for the game, he was like "Hey grant don't get dressed yet." so I'm just sitting in the visiting clubhouse wondering what's going on. I go into his office and go so whats the deal, " He tells me you're getting called up you're getting on a plane tonight you're going to Pittsburgh." And I'm like are you kidding? He says he'd never joke about something like that."

When you first get to the clubhouse what did the As have waiting for you?
"I mean they have the jerseys and everything. It's nothing special just jerseys. But the coaches are there waiting congratulate you, say hi and what not. To me thats one of the coolest things when you get that first call up how excited everyone is for you. Everyone goes through it, everyones been there before, they're all just so happy."

I know some teams break it up. Did the club house manager give you a number?
"It was my number in spring training so they just kept it over for the season."

So you were traded to the Angels, how did you find out?
"I start to get on the field for a game. Same thing manager says "hey we can't let you play today you're taking the day off." I knew Sogard had been hurt a couple days before so he says hey you're just in a holding pattern right now. We're just going to see what the deal is. So I went up and was lifting in our clubhouse and a couple of pitchers come in and ask what the deal is. I tell them I don't know  yet. Finally one of them says congratulations. For what? You just got traded. I was like…bull…I would have heard something. And he says no it's on twitter. I ended up finding out a little after that when the GM's called."

The stories about Billy Beane...are they true? Is there an organizational idea, hey this is what people think about our organization? Or is it more baseball and less numbers than everyone tries to make it out to?
"There's definitely less numbers. He's not going to reward you for walking 500 times. It's the type of thing where a lot of teams are just starting to looking into now its On Base Percentage. He's really big on that and not to the extent that most people think but he's still into OBP and playing the game the right way. Although its not as bad as everyone says it is, it's still present in the organization."

Did anyone take you in and show you how to be a big leaguer?
"With Oakland I knew a lot of the guys already from Spring Training every year. I knew Trumbo from being around here, Conger's from around here. Kole Calhoun from playing against him. All the guys have been there before so no one treats you any differently. There is a bit of rookie hazing but its all in good fun. everyone was nice and forward with any information I needed."

What was your rookie hazing?
"We wore Speedos with the Angels, but I wasn't there for it with the A's. Usually its in September with the September call ups but I wasn't around for it."

What's your favorite park as a player?
"New Yankee stadium is always nice. But still my favorite the one I had the most fun in, maybe because it was my call up is Pittsburgh. I had a blast. I thought the ballpark was gorgeous, such a beautiful ballpark the city we stayed in was really nice. All around great."

What are your goals as a team or individually?
"As a team it's to win games make the playoffs and hopefully heat up at the right time and win a World Series. Personally same as every year. Get better be more consistent. Wherever the chips fall theres nothing you can control besides working hard and trying to do your best."

Recap Brandon Barnes' 1st Annual Barnyard Wiffleball Invitational 12/14/13

Southern California native outfielder Brandon Barnes returned to his roots to put on the 1st Annual Barnyard Wiffleball Invitational at the Anaheim based The Office Sports Academy. The charity event featured a wiffleball tournament, raffle, silent auction, vendor booths and food truck all in support of the  Pediactric Cancer Research Foundation.

The cause is especially close to Barnes' heart as his younger brother had a condition which required treatments from 13 months old through the 8th grade to become cancer free. What was especially nice was the event got large press coverage, making the Astros' official MLB website and some television promotion prior to occurring.

Typically for events like this the promotional coverage doesn't always spread beyond direct sponsors or sites covering athlete appearances. Seeing the cause being discussed on a national scale is a huge success for Brandon Barnes. The event was well run and organized, appearing to be a resounding success raising significant funds through entry fees, raffle tickets and the live auction. Hopefully the event is repeated and further coverage can increase attention to the PCRF for more information about the foundation you can read it here on their site.

I got Brandon Barnes' autograph on this ROMLB and he was nice enough to inscribe the "Cycle 7/19/13" he hit for the Houston Astros. Now that he's moving to the Coors Field I think his offense will continue to shine. Barnes was kind enough to share a few moments to answer a few questions about his career and involvement with the PCRF which you can read here.

Barnes' rallied support from fellow Southern California natives and big leaguers Angels' infielder Grant Green and Oakland A's infielder Daric Barton to donate items and play in the tournament with him.  Barnes is in the far back and Barton is to the right behind the bar.

Also I had Grant Green autograph this 2010 Bowman Platinum prospect card.

Though Daric Barton and former All Star Gregg Jefferies were there I didn't have any cards or photos for them to sign and I declined to drop a ball on them. After getting Green and Barnes' autographs they were kind enough to spend a few minutes being interviewed by me which I will post soon. When the interviews were over I watched some more wiffleball and hung out for the raffle before leaving since former Angels slugger Mark Trumbo was a no show and didn't make an appearance.

It was a nice event and I'm looking forward to seeing the PCRF and Brandon Barnes work together in the future. Hopefully Grant Green makes it a tradition to rock a neon bandana while playing.

RBI (184) Albert Pujols, Graphing the season's final home game...

It took two seasons but I finally did it. I got Albert Pujols' autograph on the final day of the 2013 season after two full seasons of trying to hunt him down.

The last home game was scheduled for the early afternoon so I was able to get to the stadium and catch some of the players going in for the game before I had to go into work. I was too late for a few of the players but Albert Pujols rolled in and after loading up his bags he came to the waiting crowd and started signing. It was a magical high pressure moment for me since it had taken so long for me to even be close to Pujols picking up a pen to sign and I was really worried if he would pick me or not. He reached for my clipboard and sharpie so I was super excited and thanked him for signing.

Albert signed this 8x10 photograph that I took of him at the Angels press conference after he signed as a free agent for the 2012 season. I was so excited to finally put the future Hall of Famer into my collection and it's a huge relief to finally knock him off the list after he signed this photograph at Angel Stadium. Talk about a great way to graph my last day of the season.

RBI (179) Troy Percival...

I've written in the past before about getting Angels pitcher Troy Percival's autograph in person on a baseball and through the mail. The Angels held a fiesta celebration at the stadium and had current players as well as alumni come to sign autographs for the fans and Percival was among the alumni who came back.

I had Troy Percival autograph this baseball and he was nice enough to inscribe "02 CHAMPS" on the ball under the World Series logo. The autograph and inscription came out nicely so I don't think I'll turn this into a 2002 team ball and will leave it as a Percival solo signed ball. The ball was actually a nice surprise my parents found when going through some old boxes that they picked up back when the team actually won the World Series so it was awesome to find a 11 year old baseball and get it signed by one of my favorite former Angels.

RBI (176) A Comeback All Star...

Recently I was able to get the autograph of former All Star pitcher Scott Kazmir.

Kazmir was drafted 15th overall in the 2002 Draft by the New York Mets despite verbally committing to the Longhorns. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004 and became a staff leader until he was traded to the Angels. After the trade his career fell apart and he dropped out of baseball until he worked his way back through independent ball and the minors to come back up with the Indians. He's been a 2-time All Star and was the 2007 AL Strikeout leader.

Scott Kazmir autographed this 2011 Topps Heritage card for me and was nice enough to inscribe "All Star" on it when I asked him to. To be honest I wasn't a huge Kazmir fan but seeing how he fought his way back into baseball to be part of the Indians resurgence makes me respect him a lot.

RBI (157) More Mike Trout...

One nice thing about being a grapher based in Southern California is the amount of signings in the area and the quality of team demanded by the fan bases. Right now the Angels are loaded with talent and sought after autographs, none more than rising superstar and now two time All Star Mike Trout. I've posted before about getting a Trout autographed 8x10 photograph and pulling my Trout Bowman Platinum but I was able to add another Trout autograph to my collection.

Even though I had gotten him on my 2011 team ball I needed to add a solo signed Mike Trout autographed baseball. I'm not sure you can ever really have enough Trout considering only two full seasons into his career he's a multiple time All Star, American League Rookie of the Year, and won a Silver Slugger. That's more hardware than some guys get their entire career and he's barely starting into his.

I was able to get this Mike Trout autographed baseball on the sweet spot at Angel Stadium before a game during the 2013 regular season.

RBI (156) A Holiday Josh Hamilton...

Previously I was able to get a Josh Hamilton autographed World Series baseball when he was with the Texas Rangers. Since coming over to the Angels I hadn't been able to get Hamilton to sign for me, which was really disappointing seeing as I like the former AL MVP and heard he was a reliable signer. I was however finally able to get Hamilton's autograph on the 4th of July. He signed for a good number of fans taking the time to switch to the appropriate pen or marker for people who came up to him asking for an autograph. He actually took my pen and knocked out a few autographs before he signed my baseball since the people asking for him to sign were trying to hand him a sharpie. I always like when I see a player doing that to make sure their autograph comes out nicely for the fan, and it's even nicer when the player signing is a player of that caliber.

Hamilton is known for signing for the fans and inscribing a bible verse when he gives out an autograph, on this sweet spot baseball he inscribed "Psalm 18" I was glad he put the inscription on the ball since the World Series ball didn't have one and it's a big part of his signing habit so I felt like my collection needed an inscribed Hamilton to be more complete.