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 (226) Robert D. Manfred...

I never took advantage of it before but I had seen some TTM requests at the Commissioners office, with the new commissioner in office I decided to give it a shot. I sent an autograph request to the MLB offices and a few weeks later came home to see a large package waiting for me.

I opened it and inside was a great looking full signature baseball signed by Robert D. Manfred. It's a nice signature and it didn't cost me anything besides a few stamps so I'm glad to have added it to my collection. I may try to get Selig's autograph now but I've got to look into how to get ahold of him now that he's no longer in office.

Manfred has some large shoes to fill since Selig cast such a big shadow, but he's handled the first few controversies pretty well and we'll see how things continue on through his first full season.

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 (219) Jason Grilli...

It took a while, but I got a late spring training return that I had written off and assumed to be gone. I mailed Jason Grilli his Sports Illustrated when he was still a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and after he got sent to the Angels I didn't think I'd get it back and it'd be lost in a box in the Pirates clubhouse. I was pleasantly surprised to open my mailbox and find my long lost return waiting for me.

Not only did he sign the magazine for me after Jason Grilli autographed his Sports Illustrated he inscribed "Grill Cheese" as well for me. When he was a member of the Halos it took a while for me to finally get Grilli's autograph but he was a nice guy and when he did sign he made sure to sign for literally as many fans as possible for half an hour at a time. Putting this Sports Illustrated of the former All Star closer in my collection is a nice pick up and I appreciate him following through on his mail requests 9 months latter.

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 (215) George Springer...

Everyone's looking at the upswing the Astro's are on and a big part of it is from the big bat of George Springer. He's taking the game by storm with his power and helping the typically struggling Astro's stay loose and swing free. With top prospects looking like they're going to start paying off the Astro's are finally at the cusp of not being perennial sellers and may start being buyers in a few seasons.

I've already gotten him on a baseball so I made sure to join in the fray after it came out and got this George Springer autographed Sports Illustrated done. It's a nice cover shot in the vintage Astro's uniform and I was really happy to get it signed with a reasonable Springer autograph. With a ball and SI signed now I don't have anything else for Springer unless I decide to knock out a photograph so it'll be nice to refocus on getting my 2014 Heritage set done when the Astros are in town.

RBI (213) Aubrey Huff...

For the 4th of July I went to San Diego with my buddy David to get some holiday graphing in. The Padres were playing the San Francisco Giants so were hoping to get some of the their stud pitchers and position players. Unfortunately we didn't have the best of luck with the Giants but we made the best out of it. We were watching the game and ran into former Aubrey Huff in the stands.

Aubrey Huff played from 2000-2012 as a reasonably successful player as a first baseman, third baseman, and outfielder. While with the Orioles he served as their regular DH and won the 2008 Silver Slugger. He moved on to the Giants where he was instrumental in helping them to win the 2010 World Series Championship and played a smaller role on the 2012 World Series Championship team. He retired with a .278 career average, 242 Home Runs and 904 RBI's driven in.

I got this Aubrey Huff autographed baseball inscribed "2x Champ" and it was the best pick up I got on the day. An unexpected pick up but it came out really clean and I like the inscription on the unexpected World Series winner.

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.

RBI (212) Tony La Russa...

As you're all aware Albert Pujols is currently in the midst of a milestone season where he has crossed the 500 home run plateau. In recognition of this Tony La Russa his longtime manager was brought to Angel Stadium to partake in the celebration where Pujols was given a gift from the Angels' franchise. I've never gotten La Russa's autograph and in August it will become officially more difficult as he is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

La Russa needs no real explanation for his induction or why I was so anxious to graph him at the stadium. He's a 4-time Manager of the Year, won the award in both the American and National Leagues. To go with his 2,728 career wins he's a 3-time World Series champion. He's one of extremely select few that has ever won both Manager of the Year and World Series championships in both leagues. To say he deserved his election into the Hall of Fame with Joe Torre and Bobby Cox would be an understatement.

I'm glad to have gotten this Tony La Russa autographed baseball as an unexpected bonus to going to the Angels vs White Sox game.

RBI (211) Harmon Killebrew...

Recently I went to my local card shop and found a big collection of signed baseballs stacked up in the case. Unfortunately a collector passed away and his wife sold off his collection to the shop. I perused some of the balls and settled on this nifty vintage pickup of a Hall of Famer.

A Harmon Killebrew autographed American League baseball inscribed 573 HR which I bought for a pretty reasonable price. I've always wanted a Killebrew and the vintage ball is what made me jump on it. Killebrew autographs will always float around but balls from that era will only become harder to find, especially in such nice condition with the autograph holding so well.

Autograph Recap 4/21/14 Lancaster Jethawks at Inland Empire

I was able to make it out to Inland Empire recently to do a bit of minor league graphing, though I doubt the guys will be in the minor leagues for very long. Houston Astros affiliate the Lancaster Jethawks are stacked with talent waiting in the pipeline to make it up to the majors. The whole roster is filled with prized and well regarded prospects so getting anyone I knew would end up making the day worth the trip.

The first guy I was able to get was 2013 1st overall pick Mark Appel's autograph on a baseball. Considering how highly ranked this guy is and the expectations I knew I'd have to get him while he stilled signed as a prospect. I'm glad I was able to get him virtually one on one as a minor leaguer before he debuts and becomes a victim of the dreaded "contracto" and impossible to get as nice an autograph as this.

After Appel 2012 1st overall pick Carlos Correa autographed a baseball for me. He's just as prized and I can tell he'll be extremely difficult to get when he gets his call up into the majors.

It was funny for me to see Appel's teammates rib him a bit when I came up to ask him to sign and make comments that "there's always one" waiting around to meet him. It was goodnatured and he didn't respond to it, but I'm glad to have gotten the two to sign.

RBI (206) Sonny Gray...

Well Billy Beane's done it again in finding the right arm at the tight time in starting pitcher and future star Sonny Gray. Gray was first drafted in the 27th round of the 2008 draft but held out and went to Vanderbilt until the 2011 MLB draft when he was taken 18th overall by Oakland.

Gray made an immediate impact for the A's when he was called up in 2013 and made his MLB debut. He helped the A's clinch their playoff berth and then went up against reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in the playoffs for two strong starts. He's stepped up as a big arm in the rotation as the starter who took the mound for the A's home opener and is pushing them toward another AL West title.

I was able to get this Sonny Gray autographed baseball before a game when the A's came to play the Angels during the 2014 season. It's nice getting promising young players and getting him on a ball sweet spotted before the hype train really gets going and they stop sweet spotting is always a bonus.

RBI (204) Brad Miller…

It's not often that I prospect on players, but every once in a while I have to take a shot after watching the guy with my own eyes. After watching this weeks 2014 Opening Series at Angel Stadium between the Angels and Mariners I decided I had to get shortstop Brad Miller's autograph.

Miller's a top prospect who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB draft he's flown through the minors to the bigs. Now that he's established himself he is making a solid name for himself as a big leaguer after last season's call up. In his short career so far he's shown to have big boom in his bat with 4 multi-home run games.

I got this Brad Miller autographed baseball inscribed "4-1-14 2 HR Vs. LAA" at Angel Stadium during the 2014 season. Brad was really nice to stop and put the inscription for me, I appreciated it and am looking forward to watching more of him.

RBI (203) Kenley Jansen…

I went to Dodger Stadium with some friends to catch the Angels Dodgers preseason action and get a bit of graphing in to train for the season. I'm not often in Los Angeles for baseball autographs so I was glad to get some Dodger Stadium graphing in.

I was able to get this Kenley Jansen autographed baseball at the Dodger dugout after he chatted with a few suits on his way into the clubhouse. I'm glad to knock this out since he's one of the top closers in the National League and the hard throwing righty has one of the highest K/9 ratios in the game for a reliever. He's only 26 and already sitting on over 300 Strikeouts and 60 Saves. If the Dodgers are going to the World Series he's going to be a big part of it.

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 (202) Tony Gonzalez...

Recently I was out and about in Orange County and ran into someone I was glad I had a baseball on me for, future NFL Hall of Famer and the greatest tight end in NFL history Tony Gonzalez.

Tony G is without a doubt the greatest to play his position. He's the NFL's all-time leader as a tight end in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and ranks within the top 10 period as a receiver for those categories as well. He was the first tight end ever to catch 1,000 passes and crossed 15,000 receiving yards during his 17 season career. Across the 17 seasons he's missed only two games being one of the most durable players of his era. He's had 14-Pro Bowl appearances, named an All-Pro 10-times and will be without a doubt a first ballot Hall of Famer to enter Canton, probably unanimous.

I'm glad to put one of the greatest NFL players of all-time in my collection, and if he had played for a team besides the Chiefs for the majority of his career he'd be an even bigger star than he already was.

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.

Autograph Recap Eddie Guardado and Michael Young Stars and Strikes Bowling Charity Event 1/26/14...

The 3rd annual Eddie Guardado and Michael Young Stars and Strikes Bowling Charity Event occurred   January 26, 2014 and I decided to attend this year. It's proven to be a solid event and a large group of Southern California autograph seekers attended to knock out the stars that were in attendance to support Eddie and Michaels fundraiser to benefit children with Autism.

The event was set up differently from what I heard from graphers who previously attended past years. I was able to start the day off by getting UFC welterweight fighter Jake Ellenberger's autograph on this 8x10 photograph.

After Ellenberger signed Eddie Guardado popped out to speak to some of the event handlers, and I got Guardado's autograph on this 8x10 photograph. It was nice to add the two-time All Star and recent member of the Twins' Hall of Fame to the collection.

It was a good start so far and then Ian Kinsler arrived. Kinsler autographed this 8x10 photograph really nicely signature wise, but he signed on a dark spot so it's a little tough to see. Needless to say I was a little disappointed even though I'm still glad I got it signed.

I was disappointed about the nice Kinsler signature being in a tough spot, eventually Adrian Beltre came out and I was able to get his autograph. Beltre's one of my favorite players so I'm really glad to add a nice clean Beltre autographed photograph to my collection of the Gold Glover at work.

After Beltre left the next autograph I was able to get was a big one for me. It was my first time getting Adrian Gonzalez's autograph and I was excited to put the Silver Slugger, Gold Glover All star's signature in my collection on this photo. Making the photo even nicer to me is a opted for a photo of him still playing with the Padres and swinging a nice Trinity Bat Co. piece of wood.

After Gonzalez left the next autograph I got was a surprising one but it was a good one I was very excited to have. 3-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May Treanor was in attendance with her husband MLB player Matt Treanor. I got Misty May autograph a baseball on the sweetspot and then had Matt Treanor sign the ball also and he got a kick that she had already signed the sweet spot before he could.

The last thing I was able to get was this Michael Young autographed 8x10 photograph even though like his former teammate he also signed it in a spot where it's tough to see. I'm glad I was finally able to put something from the 7x All Star in my collection since he's been a great consistent player to watch growing up.

The whole thing was a great event and there were even more signers there at the event that I either couldn't get or didn't have anything for them to sign. It was definitely a nice way to wrap up the off season and add some major names and nice items into my collection.

RBI (195) Taijuan Walker...

At the end of the year I was able to do a nifty trade with one of my friends from the stadium that unlike the real baseball world was actually able to help both of us out. In the trade I was able to get Seattle Mariners stud pitching prospect Taijuan Walker. The Mariners have been making waves with their moves this past off season and Walker is one of the reasons why management is looking to finally make a real line up to put up runs for the rotation. Felix Hernandez, Iwakuma, Walker and fellow prospect Danny Hultzen are making the rest of the American League take note of the pitchers the Mariners will be putting on the mound for this year.

I'm looking forward to seeing Walker develop into a big leaguer so I'm glad to have this Taijuan Walker autographed baseball in my collection from this early in what hopes to be a bright career.

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.