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.

Padres Fan Fest 2014 Summary and Autograph Recap

I made it down to San Diego for the Padres Fan Fest 2014 to enjoy my last big graph before the relative calm until the season starts. I won't be making it down to Spring Training so I wanted to knock off as many autographs as I could and have fewer things to work on during the year when I go down to San Diego. Anyways, last years fan fest was great and I was looking forward to this years.

The day started off really well with big help from Rob and Kyle who were able to hook me up with a Carlos Quentin autograph ticket. The ticket got me into the area, but Carlos was signing so slowly he actually got up from his session without finishing everyone who had an autograph ticket. I was about 10 people back in line and was able to catch him at the stairs to leave. He was apologizing to fans that he had to leave and signing a few as he was talking and without really looking took my sharpie and knocked out my photo. That's appropriate because it's the photo of him charging Zack Greinke and knocking him out of part of the season when he broke his collarbone. I'll cherish this photo because I know if I had caught him 1 on 1 sitting down I doubt Carlos Quentin would have autographed it.

At the end of the day I went on the stadium tour and saw this note posted on the PA box between the Padres dugout and clubhouse. And yes it is real. I wonder who it was posted for…

After getting Carlos Quentin I got Josh Johnson's autograph on this 8x10 photograph. It's a nice shot from his time with the Marlins and I asked him to inscribe All Star, he responded he was a two time All Star. I responded that I hoped he'd earn more. He responded by shrugging and inscribing "2x All Star" anyways. I guess Josh can do without more All Star nods. Take note voters.

With Johnson was with Tommy Medica so I got him to autograph this 8x10 photo of him up to bat. I think he was surprised to see me drop a photo on him and was pleased he didn't have to sign a blank autograph card.

When I finished getting those autographs I went to wait in the next line which was to complete my purchase from my stop at the Padres yard sale. I picked up a Yasmani Grandal MLB authenticated Game Used bat. After buying the bat I was really happy to have already picked up an autograph ticket for him so I was able to get Grandal's autograph on the bat.

It's cracked from the game but I'm happy the Padres hadn't taped it back together so it looks better in my opinion.

Yasmani Grandal also autographed this 8x10 photograph I had originally printed for him to sign, and he didn't mind signing it for me after he signed the bat.

With Grandal was Robbie Erlin and I didn't have anything for him so I got one of the provided Padres autograph cards.

My next session was one I really had been looking forward to before heading to San Diego. Last year I was able to get Casey Kelly's autograph but injury really has hindered his chances in the bigs so far. He's going bounce back and I really believe he'll make it with all his talent so I got this Casey Kelly autographed 8x10 photo done.

Current rising Padres star Jedd Gyorko was with Casey and this time I got Gyorko's autograph on this 8x10 photograph. I'm not really sure why but as he was signing I felt inspired and asked him to write "rookie year" on the photo. I don't think he quite heard what I said because he said no problem and inscribed "Rookie" above his name. I think it still looks cool and with PSA charging for Rookie Graph I think I'm more than happy with this photo and inscription.

After getting Casey and Jedd I moved on to snag a quick bite and then got into a overflow line for a session I hadn't gotten a ticket to. I made it in and first I got this Dale Thayer autographed 8x10.

With Thayer was former NL steals king Everth Cabrera and I got him to autograph this nice action shot of him diving in for a bag.

Kyle Blanks autographed one of the Padres autograph cards for me.

His signing partner was someone I always seem to have trouble with, Cameron Maybin. Last year I got Maybin's autograph and it was smudged on my card. This year I was toward the end of the line and he was trying to quickly get through as many people as he could, which I'm fine with. But he didn't take the silver paint pen I offered to him and grabbed a provided silver sharpie. You can see the sharpie almost immediately died on the photo. He took my paint pen and finished the signature then went back over the faded section, which was very nice of him. I just think it's funny a clean signature from him continues to elude me even though the photo is still nice to me.

All in all I had a very productive and fun experience at the Padres Fan Fest 2014 and am already looking forward to heading down there again. It's a nice day, very relaxed and I'm able to knock out a ton of autographs of guys I actually think are pretty decent baseball players. Getting the MLB authenticated bat was a nice pick up and having Grandal sign it the same day was a big score for me. Shout out to Al, Rob, Matt, Kyle, David, Alex, Scotty, Mark and everyone else I ran into down in San Diego and the week before at Dodgers Fan Fest. Great seeing everyone and looking forward to the next year to start.

RBI (145) Kendrys Morales Game Used Baseball Bat...

Recently I mentioned being able to pick up a Kendrys Morales Game Used Baseball bat through a sale the Angels Foundation had. I was pretty excited to make the purchase and pick up a bat from a player I liked who was a decent slugger. I was nervous though about being able to get it autographed as throughout the years I had never been able to get Kendrys to sign for me. He was a notoriously tough autograph to get and if he did by chance sign I was always somewhere else and missed the chance. The Mariners came into town for a quick series and I knew I had a limited window to get the bat signed since baseball bats are not allowed inside of the stadium, so I had to get it signed pre or post game.

After the first game of the series I was able to track down Kendrys and called out to him that I had his game used baseball bat. He got into his car without saying anything though, and I thought I missed my chance. I was extremely excited and surprised then when his driver started to pull away before stopping a few feet away from me. Kendrys lowered his window, pointed at me and waved for me to come over. I pretty nervously walked over to the car and handed him the bat and marker. He autographed the bat for me while I said thank you and he just nodded before handing the bat back to me.

Though I have my RBI Collecting custom bat, this is my first player used baseball bat and I was pretty hesitant about getting such a tough signer for my first bat, but I think Kendys is a good player so I took the chance. I'm extremely happy that I did and I'm really grateful that he took the time to stop and autograph the bat.

I've had a few people questioning me on the bat because the normal photos you'd see of him batting is with a different brand. So I went to Getty Images and started doing some research. During the 2012 season Kendrys switched to using Trinity baseball bats for a while more than likely because of the success Mark Trumbo was having using Trinity. I'm not 100% which bat it is that I picked up but he does use at least 4 different Trinity bats when I combed through the archives. The markings, scuffs, and position of the MLB dot test look to match one used batting when they played the A's.  It's just one more great example of the quality work done by the Trinity Bat Company, and I'm more than pleased to have this Kendrys Morales autographed baseball bat in my collection.

RBI (105) A Piece of Baseball History...

As many of you know I'm a pretty big Red Sox fan, and this year the Sox were only coming to town for one series. I had already gone to Fenway to join in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Fenway park and decided to continue noting the historic season while they were in Anaheim.

To recognize the 100th year of the stadium I wanted to graph something more substantial than just a few ball or cards. I ended up purchasing an authentic seat back from Fenway park, certified by the MLB as having been Game Used. This is my 2nd baseball seat, which some would say is overkill but I like them. I opted for a red seat back and selected seat #6 also in honor of Johnny Pesky passing away this year.

The first person to sign my seat was manager Bobby Valentine. Plenty of fans booed at me having Bobby V sign the seat and I'll admit I was hesitant at first when I was driving to the stadium coming up with the list of who would be seat worthy. In the end when this era of Sox baseball and the end of the curse is brought up the discussion will always end with "...and then Bobby V..." he's going to be an infamous name in the annuals of Sox historians and thus worthy of the seat. I will add my own complaint about Bobby V. since I took a silver marker for him to sign with but he wouldn't switch from blue sharpie and thus dictated how the rest of the seat needs to be signed. I mean maybe you don't want to switch sharpies between jersey's or cards...but it's a seat. Really Bobby V?

While he may not always be popular with the team I had author and Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy sign my seat also. This was another person I had a quick moment of debate over but seeing as he's written multiple noteworthy books on the Sox and has covered the Sox as long as I can remember I opted to include him as a related personality.

The next person to sign the seat was Umpire Crew Chief and head of the Umpire's Union Joe West. West is not only a notable personality in the game but also involved in Sox history when he work Clay Buchholz's no-hitter from home plate and ended it with a called 3rd strike.

The final person to sign the seat for me was my favorite Red Sox player 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia was a big score for me and work kept me from doing any pre-game graphing so when I heard he had signed for 2 people on his way in I was crushed. Luckily I was able to get his attention inside the stadium and he signed for me. I was really excited to get the AL ROY/MVP/Gold Glover/Silver Slugger and it's definitely a highlight on this piece. I'm not sure how many people can say they have a Dustin Pedroia autographed Fenway Park seat, but I'm one of the few that can.

This likely be a lifetime piece that I will work on and it'll be interesting to see how this ends up one day when I'm old and have it on a shelf somewhere while I watch a game in retirement.

RBI (103) Jered Weaver, No-Hitter...

I think one of the best parts about baseball is how easy it is to fall in love with the game. There are times where a fun outing to a ball game becomes moment in history and everyone holds their breath as the magic of the game captivates tens of thousands of people at once. It's a game that can mean something to someone and hold you transfixed without even realizing what's happening.

I've been present for some pretty great moments and career milestones, from Ellsbury's straight steal of home against Andy Pettite, CC Sabathia's 2000th strikeout, and Jonathan Papelbon's final appearance as a starter. But the most magical would probably have to be Jered Weaver's No Hitter of the Minnesota Twins on 5/2/12.

It was a masterful start and throughout the entire game the stadium knew something special was happening. Even after his wrist was hit by a pitch and would eventually require surgery, catcher Chris Ianetta trucked on through the game to help Weave cut through the Twins lineup. Weaver only allowed 2 base runners the entire game, a reach on a passed ball after a strikeout and a walk. When he retook the mound in the 9th the stadium alternated from a pitched cheer to a collective hush as everyone held their breath. Finally the last out was recorded by Torii Hunter on a long fly ball the right field and Weaver had done what he had flirted with so many times before.

Weaver is a very tough autograph to get. As a top end starter amongst the elite of the AL he is understandably not a guy often going out and about signing autographs. He did however have a very uncharacteristic free public autograph signing. The signing was held at Pechanga Indian Casino and was very very busy.

I arrived a little late having gone to work and zoning out on the freeway and ending up heading toward the wrong casino. By the time I realized where I was and flipped around to head the right way I was behind schedule. Luckily my friends were pretty far ahead in the line and saved a spot for me. It was a big line that wrapped around the upper level in 3 sections.

There was a VIP line that was going to start at 6:00 pm and go till 7:00 with the regular line going till 9:00, but since there were only a handful of VIPs' Weaver decided to just power through and sign for the public. When you finally got your time with the man of the hour it was a pretty amazing opportunity. The signing handlers didn't let anyone take photos of Weaver while he was signing but he was pretty personable and inscribed his no hitter at request.

Weaver was signing a little inconsistently when he would sign but not always put his number or the date for the no-hitter, but considering he ended up doing more than 600 autographs that's to be expected. I was lucky enough to get a perfect signature, with his jersey number, inscription, and the no hitter date. It's definitely a highlight piece for me especially since I was at the game. I'm very happy to have this Jered Weaver autographed baseball on the sweetspot of the ROMLB with No Hitter inscription dated 5-2-12.

Interestingly this is a game used ball from the first Angels vs Ray series in the 2012 season that was given to me by an umpire.

Angels 2012 Fanfest

Well this is a bit of a weird post for me since I didn't take my camera in so it doesn't qualify as a photo series post, but I do want to give a recap of the Angels 2012 Fanfest at Anaheim Stadium.

It was a weird but good day overall for me. I was able to get a fair amount of autographs though Albert Pujols continuing to elude me despite my best attempts. The fanfest was organized into 5 different lines with a random pair of current Angel players at a table for each line. Last year I hear there was a section for season ticket holders, but this year they weren't given any perks. The whole experience was a luck of the draw sort of thing, as no one had any idea of which players they would get until the player actually sat down. If you didn't like who was going to sign at your line, you better have seen a friendly face who wanted to trade places in their line with you for their spot.

Speaking of friendly faces, I'll throw out a quick shout out to Josh aka. Dodger Bobble, Benson, and Dave who I spent much of the fanfest chatting graphing, baseball and the like with. If you like bobble heads and quality autographs, I recommend these guys' blogs. Anyways its always a good day when you get to graph with your friends.

Even though fanfest opened at 7:00 AM, the players didn't appear until 9:45 to sign. I'm not really sure what was the reasoning behind this. I know autographing wasn't the exclusive point of the event, but it was a really big draw and probably the most popular activity. Especially seeing as the Angels had several memorabilia dealer booths set up to sell Angel apparel and baseball collectibles next to the autograph lines for the casual fans to get geared up. I'm not saying they needed to cart Pujols down for 4 hours of signing (even though that'd be awesome) but maybe open at 8 instead of 7 since there's not really a big rush to eat some Famous Dave's at 7 AM or and I doubt anyone is there to buy Nitto tires. Maybe have the local Single-A affiliate 66'ers (who had a booth) send a few players to warm up the early crowd?

I was in the spot trader category, as I was able to trade Benson my Latroy Hawkins and Bobby Abreu spot for Erick Aybar and Macier Izturis. Bobby is always a high profile autograph and I've actually yet to get him on an individual item, but I was in need of Aybar and Izzy much more. Thankfully Benson was super nice enough to switch with me and let me get the pair of infielders.

I added Izzy to the 2011 Angels team ball that I've been working on and I'm currently only missing from my official need list Scoscia, Haren, Callaspo, Takahashi, and Aybar from the regular players with a few guys called up for only a few games missing like Michael Kohn, Francisco Rodriguez, and Garret Richards.

Erick Aybar signed this Spring Training-used Jersey I bought at the Angels Yard Sale last year. I've been trying to get this autographed by him for a while so it was nice to finally get him on it. I actually ran into him earlier in the week and while he signed a card told him about the jersey sitting at home. He laughed and said "Well today was your day man." When I walked up to him at fanfest the first thing I said when he looked up and recognized me was, "I guess today's my day." He smiled and said "See I told you man" before putting this nice signature across the number. Always nice to add a Gold Glover to the collection with an Erick Aybar autographed jersey.

After getting Aybar I moved over to see what the other graphers had been able to get signed. I thought about going after a few of the other current players, but have been pretty successful with everyone but Kendrys and by the time I got to his line I was too far back to score him. I found out after the current players left, that there would be Angel Alumni signing for the fans. I scouted out the main stage where they were being introduced and saw Jim Abbott, Clyde Wright, Mike Witt, Chuck Finley, and Garrett Anderson. Needless to say I was excited at the possibilities when I reported the news back to my fellow graphers in line.

I scored tough signer Mike Witt in my line and was pretty far toward the front of the line. He was really nice and it was easy getting Mike Witt's autograph on the sweet spot a baseball for me after I asked him politely.

I moved onto the next line and got Garrett Anderson's autograph on my souvenir from 2012 opening weekend, a certified game-used ball (Ervin Santana to Chris Getz foul ball) on the sweet spot. Can't complain about getting the full signature of GA so I'm happy to hang on to this Garrett Anderson autographed baseball.

The Jim Abbott line by the time I finished GA had no friendly faces and I just didn't think I'd have a chance to get him.  I probably could have gotten in the shorter Clyde Wright or Chuck Finley lines after getting GA, but seeing as I got plenty of Clyde through the season, and Finley a month prior I didn't want to take someone else's chance to get them and went into the stadium for the game.

All in all it was nice to see the Angels really rolled out the red carpet and got some great alumni to come sign for the fans; and they really were all pleasant and churning out plenty of quality autographs. The current player autographs were not really who people were hoping for though Bobby Abreu and Kendrys Morales are pretty quality autographs in my opinion. I'd have to give the 2012 Angels fanfest a solid B due to the great alumni signers and the free generously sized samples of BBQ pulled pork that got rolled out by Famous Dave's around 11.

RBI (51) A TTM and In person success...

It's not often that as a fan you have access to a former player, that's part of why TTM collecting and getting letter responses is so special. It's even less often that the player is someone of the top tier. I was able to have a few opportunities to get closer Troy "Percy" Percival's autograph.

The Southern California native was taken in the 6th round of the 1990 draft by the California Angels. Originally drafted as a defensive catcher, Percival eventually made his debut in 1995 as a pitcher when coaching staff members realized his throws back to the pitcher were faster than the actual pitch. When Percival debuted in 1995 he stayed with the big league club making a astounding 62 appearances his rookie year. Since his call up he was a reliable anchor of the bullpen as a career closer.

For his 14 season career he would play primarily for the Angels but would spend the end between the Tigers, Cardinals, and finally the Rays. Injuries would make closing a difficult task, but clubs continued to bet on the ever reliable "Percy" in hopes to find a diamond in the rough. Eventually he would retire and end his comeback attempts with stellar stats. 8th all-time with 358 Saves,  Percival would have a career 3.17 ERA to go with 781 Strikeouts and a 35-43 record. He would be be a 4-time All-Star and member of the 2002 World Series champion Angels.

The 8th and 9th inning would always be the favorite part of the game for me when Scot Shields and Percy would come to lock down the game and send the Angels home with a win. Knowing Percival came from a mere 20 minutes away also made me root hard for the hometown boy. I also know he has been active coaching locally for his son's team and helping coach at a local high school. I'm really appreciative he's giving back still to Southern California baseball.

I was able to get this Topps 2011 Angels team card signed through the 50th Anniversary promotion. I got a nice sense of symmetry having my favorite Angel player growing up sign the Topps 60th Anniversary team card in the Angels 50th Anniversary year.

I sent this 1996 Score card to Percy's home address, I love the trademark expression he's making in the action shot. It always looked like he was excited to bare down and make the pitch count. Percival was nice enough to sign and return the card in 61 Days.

The crown jewel though was this ball. While at an Angel game I heard from a friend that Percy was actually in attendance and they knew where he was sitting. Deciding to not intrude on his game experience we watched the game away from his section, and waited to ask him if he could sign for us on his walk out at the end of the game. Percy didn't seem to mind signing for a few people on his way out and was really nice about it, even sweet spotting it unprompted. Its one of my favorite autographs and I'm really happy to put this Troy Percival autographed baseball in my collection. The ball is a game used certified by MLB from Jered Weaver to Russell Martin foul ball from the September 9th, 2011 Yankees and Angels game.

I'm not sure if the Angels will retire his number or add him to the Angel Hall of Fame, but if I got a vote he'd be in there for sure. He is a member of the Angels Hall of Fame by being a member since the entire 2002 World Series team was inducted but I hope they add him individually. I also got a Troy Percival autographed World Series baseball and it's a nice piece to go along with the other Percival autographs I have.

RBI (49) Memorabilia from a career 1st...

Though it most certainly will not be the last. I'm not quite sure if it's shown but I am a big fan of Angel center fielder Peter Bourjos. Not only was Pete my first TTM success (visible on the link) but he's an Angel product through and through. In person he's a great signer and I really do enjoy getting to interact with Pete at the stadium and he's been nice enough to sign a few things for me.

I'd have to say the greatest thing that I've been able to get Pete to sign is a pretty significant piece of memorabilia from his career. I was able to purchase his Game Used Jersey from his first career MLB Jackie Robinson Day. Certified by MLB and covered in dirt from US Cellular Field. Pete went 1 for 3 with a Walk in the Angels win.

I was really excited to be able to get Bourjos' jersey because in 2010 I could tell that this would be a breakout season for him. While I do think he was robbed of the 2011 Gold Glove in center field, I'm sure he's going to get plenty of hardware throughout his career.

Here you can see that Pete was nice enough to take the time and put his full signature and number on the front of the jersey number. It's awesome to have this one of a kind Peter Bourjos autographed jersey in my collection and is a piece I'll always treasure.

You can see the back of the jersey with the Angel patches for the 2011 season, the traditional "A" altered so the halo would be gold for the 50th Anniversary instead of silver.

Again you can see the anniversary gold Halo, club house Sharpied number on the inside, and the sweet dirt Pete picked up during the game.

Definitely one of the best highlight pieces I'll ever be able to have in my collection. Here's to a promising career of Peter roaming center field and tearing up the base paths Jackie Robinson Day after Jackie Robinson Day.

RBI (14) Bringing the wood...

And I don't mean figuratively. The other day I converted some credit card bonus points into gift card credit for a store that won't receive free publicity unless I become sponsored by them (Target) and turned the gift card into a Topps 2011 blaster. The cards were all pretty generic but I was able to get a few needed cards from the base set and I think two inserts I needed.

Buried within the box though was a pack that felt a little funny. Of course within that pack there was a wonderful little goodie. An Aramis Ramirez  2011 Topps wooden bat relic! This was my first relic from the 2011 Topps Series 1 so I was pretty excited. I'm not a fan of the Cubs, but I'm a fan hits and the Topps 60 insert set. Looking at the relic and grain on the wood I feel like it's from the base of the bat, but could be wrong.

Ramirez started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1998 but since 2003 has been a fixture in the Cubs clubhouse. A two time All-Star he has been a fairly consistent 3rd baseman capable of putting up pretty impressive numbers. He has a .282 career average and in 6 out of 8 seasons has hit at least 25 home runs with plenty of RBI to go around. 

With 1,046 career RBI 1,029 have been knocked in as a member of the NL Central Division ranking him 5th all time in division history. I'm not sure if the product of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic will ever catch the men ranked 3rd and 4th seeing as that is Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman, both of whom are still in the division and having a strong season. 

This season Ramirez has continued to be passably consistent with a .290 average in 44 games but with only a lone homer to go with his 17 RBI, if he wants to catch Pujols and Berkman to be top man over Sammy Sosa's 1,296 he will need to pick up the pace. With the Cubs sitting 6 1/2 games back in the division with a 22-26 record I'm sure they would appreciate him bringing some more wood, maybe I'll have to send him back part of his bat.

RBI (6) I better keep the blog from going wayward...

And get back to talking about a cards with one from Heyward. That's right folks today as I was getting ready to leave for work I heard a few rings on my doorbell. I went to the door to see who it was, and it was my friendly neighborhood spider...I mean mailman. I was a bit surprised to see him as I hadn't ordered anything that I could think of when he handed me a small bubble package to sign for. I signed, went to the counter and popped it open it by pleasantly surprised.

If you've been keeping up and remember my very first pack ever was a Bowman Platinum that contained a wonderful Mike Trout autographed refractor. Well the second pack was pretty nifty too, you see it contained this weird little card inside.

I logged onto the Topps site and filled out the redemption information and proceeded to mainly forget about it since the site informed me it expected delivery in mid-June. Well here we are in the first week of May and the mailman delivered this!

Yup that would be an Jason Heyward autographed refractor with a game worn Jersey relic numbered 53/740. I'm not very well versed in Braves gear so I'd appreciate anyone who could help me identify what it came off of. Jason Heyward's autograph is definitely a crown jewel within my collection. To say I got lucky with my first blaster of Bowman Platinum is an understatement.

Heyward is a talent very similar to the other outfielder I pulled in the blaster, by that I mean a future franchise cornerstone. Named the 2009 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and USA Today, and was the consensus number one prospect in all of baseball coming into the 2010 season.

Heyward was known for strong plate discipline and delivering towering home runs and demonstrated both when he joined the major league club.  During the Braves 2010 Spring Training a Heyward homer broke the sun roof of Braves Assistant GM Bruce Manno and David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Manager Bobby Cox said the Braves would most likely install nets to protect the cars from $3,400 dollar damage estimates like Manno's.

When he began the season as the starting right fielder for the Braves he was assumed to be a lock for National League Rookie of the Year honors. He further fanned the flames of hype when he homered in his first Major League at bat off Carlos Zombrano. For his efforts he was elected a starter for the 2010 All-Star game, but due to a thumb injury that began to hamper his season did not play. He finished the season with only a .277 avg but a staggering .393 OBP in 142 games. His power numbers flashed with his 18 Home Runs, 5 Triples, and 29 Doubles with his 11 steals. Despite his strong numbers he was out shined for NL Rookie of the Year honors by fellow Georgian Buster Posey who ran away in the second half leading a resurgent Giants club to steal the NL West from the Padres in the final game of the season and eventually win the 2010 World Series.

In 2011 Heyward started the season the same way as 2010 and went deep off Livian Hernandez in his first at bat of the season and is helping the Braves stay in the hunt for the NL East title. In 32 games he is batting only .241 but again with a high on base percentage reaching at strong .346 clip. When he is connecting he's muscling the ball very well and has 7 Home Runs, a triple, and 4 Doubles.  While he isn't hitting for average so long as he keeps being a constant long ball threat and taking walks, it's highly unlikely many in the Braves organization will complain about having a Gold Glove All Star in the organization.

You can follow Jason Heyward @JasonHeyward on twitter at http://twitter.com/jasonheyward

RBI (2) A few treasures from around the yard...

Well not really a yard, but the entrance to Angel Stadium at the Home Plate Gate Hats in Anaheim.  Today was the Angels' Yard Sale located under/between the famed New Era hats sized 649 1/2".

For sale was a selection of t-shirts, hats, banners, general merchandise, and select memorabilia items. As a season ticket holder my family and I would be allowed in before the general public with the other season ticket holder's meaning we only had to arrive at 6:30 AM to get a good spot for the sale's start at 9:00 AM. I was able to score a plethora of goodies such as this luckily obtained chair I'm blogging from (but in doors) at this moment. I had attended the sale with my parents and while I was in the memorabilia section looking for things my mother was able to land the final chair available! Talk about lucky...

This comfy little item is one of the folding chairs used during the 2010 All-Star Weekend festivities when it was hosted for the 3rd time by the Angels. While I didn't get one a local article in the newspaper revealed some of the chairs available for sale were actually signed by players. Previously hosted by the Angels in 1967 and 1989, the National League went on to win the game raising it's record to 2-1 when the ironically American League Angels host the Mid Summer Classic. 

While I was in the sectioned off memorabilia area I found one of Erick Aybar's Spring Training jerseys for sale. Needless to say I was quite pleased to snag the speedy shortstop's jersey just as the weather starts to warm up.

Aybar is the Angel's starting shortstop for the 3rd consecutive season after beginning to play with the club in 2006 after working his way up through the Angels organization.  His career year so far was 2009 when he batted .312 (8th in the AL) with 58 rbi, 5 home runs, 9 triples, and 14 steals. 2010 wasn't as good to Aybar as his average dropped to .253 but when on base he remained a menace to opposing pitchers ending the season with 22 steals. In limited playing time due to injury, 2011 has shown great promise for Aybar as he has stolen 4 bags while batting .353 over 13 games. 

Another great pickup I was able to make was a game used Steve Soliz baseball cap. Thankfully Steve doesn't wear a New Era quite as large as the Hats the register was under, and we both wear the same size  fitted hat (7 1/4" all you trivia hunters). Unfortunately Steve and I don't quite wear the same size jersey and I couldn't bring myself to buy the on sale uniform. Maybe oversized shirts are good for yard work, but they aren't the best purchase at a yard sale.

Steve is the bullpen coach for the Angels for the 2011 season after being the bullpen catcher from 2003-2010. So far he has done a great job working with the other coaches and players, helping the Angel's bullpen hold opposing teams to 22 earned runs over 76.2 innings for a 2.58 ERA in relief even with a rookie closer and several new additions to the pen. Keep up the great work Mr. Soliz, and thanks for numbering your cap so I can know it's yours, hopefully I'll be able to get him to sign it from the bullpen during the coming home stand. 

In the coming post I'll reveal the second half of my haul from the sale.