Kershaw Rehab at Rancho Photo Series

Clayton Kershaw was side lined earlier this season with an injury and ended up making a rehab appearance with the Dodgers minor league affiliate the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The appearance happened to coincide with the Quakes giving out a Brian Wilson bobble head. I went out to try getting Kershaw and didn't have any luck.

The crowd was huge with at least 4 people deep from the railings and people who didn't have tickets lined outside the gates as well.

The crowd was backed up along the stairwell and of course the shot I took got photo bombed after they noticed my camera out for a few shots.

Finally the man of the hour came out to sign some autographs. And I emphasize some. Kershaw walked out and immediately skipped the section of fans who had been waiting the longest for him. Kershaw would sign three or four autographs and then walk another 10 feet before he'd knock a few more until he got to the car. And that was it. Not the best trip but at least I got a few photos of the Dodger stud and his fans during Clayton Kershaw's minor league rehab.

Dodgers Fanfest 2014 Photo Series

So it's delayed by a while but here's a short photo set I took at Dodgers Fan Fest 2014.

Good Morning Los Angeles.

The new Mr. LA Jerry Hairston Jr.

Viva Los Dodgers.

RPS (6) 2013 Padres Fanfest

Well readers I decided to make the trek to San Diego to join in on the Padres Fanfest held at Petco Park. I had heard that it was a fun event from my fellow graphers and even though there aren't really the name brand stars you'd associate with most other teams I thought it would be a good time.

I made the drive down to San Diego and was immediately greeted with some familiar faces running into Alex, David, Josh, Keith and other regular graphers in line waiting for entry. When I got into the stadium I immediately got an autograph pass for an upcoming autograph session and then went on to the Yard Sale. One nice thing I noticed on my walk over to the Yard Sale was the awesome fact that the Padres were letting fans onto the field for different activities.

At the Yard Sale I was able to pick up a few things at a nice discount. I picked up a Jeremy Hermida Batting Practice Jersey, Game Used Joe Thatcher Padres cap, a Stand Up to Cancer patch, and a pair of team issue socks. I almost bought a John Baker Game Used batting helmet but I opted out at the register since I didn't have a ticket to his autograph session that day.

After I made my purchases I went to the first autograph signing session of the day that I had a pass for. I had Carlos Quentin autograph this 2012 Topps Heritage card for me.

Quentin's signing partner was Casey Kelly. I had just pulled two of his Topps 2013 rookie cards and wasn't sure if I wanted the parallel signed or the base card. I put them both in front of Casey and asked if he could sign the one he liked the most. He responded "Well why don't I just sign them both." I was really excited since I had been big on him since he was signed by the Red Sox. After Casey Kelly autographed them he asked why one of them was blue and I explained the difference between the two. He asked why Topps did that and the first thing that came to mind popped out of my mouth, "to make us spend more money" he laughed at that and said thanks for coming out.

After getting the Quentin and Kelly autographs I went around the stadium taking a tour of the stadium. Here's the view from center field toward home plate, and if you notice in the above photo there was a temporary fence up where the Padres are pulling the fences in too. I can't imagine being even farther back and hoping to make a home run.

After my tour of the stadium I popped by the player interview session hoping to score Chase Headley on his way away from the stage. When he was walking on the stairs I asked Chase if he could sign please and he turned back holding up the line of security and other players and very sincerely apologized saying he'd love to but he wouldn't be able to sign right then. I said it was no problem and wished him well. I was struck with how genuine Chase appeared to be to me and all his fans, he seems like a great guy and I hope he continues to be the dangerous hitter he has become.

After that I went back onto the field and got a scoop of dirt for my collection, ate a little lunch, and wandered the stadium a bit more before waiting in line for the next batch of autograph session tickets and in line for the next autograph session. The next session was for Brad Boxberger who I didn't have anything for so I had him sign one of the provided Padres autograph cards. I felt semi bad not having anything for him to sign, especially since most of the fans were skipping him and going to the next signer.

The next signer of course was the man of the day Chase Headley. I was pretty excited to get Chase Headley's autograph on a baseball and it was made even nicer when I asked him if he could please put an inscription on the ball. He was kind enough to inscribe "SS & GG 2012" on the sweetspot with his name and number on a ball I had gotten after a game from Joe West.

From there I went to the next signing and got Cameron Maybin's rushed autograph. Apparently he gave me his rushed short signature on this 2012 Allen and Ginter card. I saw his full signature on a few other pieces and he definitely has a very nice one compared to the short one I got here. I know I technically shouldn't complain since I heard he's a tough signer in San Diego and it was a free event, but having seen the other signature it's definitely different and sort of a let down to get the rushed one.

After Maybin signed I had his signing partner Adys Portillo autograph on another one of the Padres autograph cards.

When I finished at the Maybin signing I waited around for Bud Black to finish his interview session to add another card to my 1987 set, but I wasn't able to get his signature. After being shot down I scooted on over to the next autograph signing and was caught with another dilemma of which card to get signed again. I put down a Jedd Gyorko 1st Bowman Chrome card and a Bowman insert card and asked if he could sign the one he liked the most. He didn't say anything just thanks for coming and signed both of the cards. Definitely excited to have these Jedd Gyorko autographs in knocked out because I've got the feeling he's going to be good for a while.

Signing alongside Gyorko was Logan Forsythe who signed his 2013 Topps Series 1 card for me.

I meandered one more time through the Yard Sale where I almost bought a few blank batting helmets to use to get signed but opted out when I realized they wouldn't look the same without the right team logo on the front. I took the tour through the clubhouse and on the way in almost got knocked over by a guy running through the halls. I turned to see who it was and saw "Street" on the back of his shirt and realized Huston Street had popped through the tour running into the clubhouse. I called out to him and he turned to throw a quick smile and wave before heading deeper into the off limits part of the clubhouse.

All in all it was a great day spent in San Diego. I got a few cool pieces of baseball memorabilia, some nice autographs, took a tour of the stadium and club house, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I may not have racked quite as many autographs as some of the other graphers but I got some quality stuff and I'm glad I made the trip down to see the Padres and tip my hat to the whole organization for such a fun day.

RPS (4) 2012 Angel Stadium Opening Weekend

The 2012 baseball season has officially begun at Angel Stadium and the autograph hunting is in full swing. Since it was Opening Day I decided to spend the whole day at the stadium 'graphing. Zack Hample may have his streak of 793 (as of 4/8/12) consecutive games with getting at least 1 ball, but I've got a decent streak of my own going.  If you read my 2011 summary post then you know I went to 74 games last year and got at least one autograph each game of a former or current player, I felt the pressure to continue the streak as Opening Day began.

The closer I got to the stadium, the more pressure I felt until I got out of my car and saw some familiar faces. Needless to say the streak lives on and I had a pretty good weekend. However I'm not sure how long the streak will survive due to what I call the "Pujols Effect" which essentially means an obscene amount of people trying to get autographs every day. It's definitely going to take some serious effort to make sure I keep it alive.

Anyways, on to the summary. Unfortunately I wasn't able to photos of the graphing before and after the game, because I don't keep my Canon Rebel T3 on me while collecting since I don't want it damaged.

Going back to the "Pujols Effect" one of the biggest impacts Albert brings to the Big A, is the big ESPN deciding to cover more games than in years before. On hand to cover Opening Day, was Hall of Famer Barry Larkin who was very nice to the fans and signed during breaks from the broadcast. I was able to get him on this Rawlings Gold Glove Baseball, but he signed it with a black pen from the ESPN table.

On his way into the stadium, I asked if he wouldn't mind helping me work on the 1987 Topps set, and he signed one of those while he was walking. It was pretty cool getting to walk alongside Mr. Larkin with security escorting "us" and the rest of the ESPN crew toward the gate. I felt pretty important. You can see the "B" and "L" are consistent with the ball he signed sitting down, but as a Hall of Famer I wouldn't have minded him just scribbling an "x" let alone a decently consistent signature.

I present to you, your 2012 Kansas City Royals Opening Day roster down the first base line.

I couldn't get as nice a shot, but here is your 2012 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Opening Day roster down the third base line.

It's official, Erick Aybar now has the coolest friend in Anaheim. Oh and his friend Albert Pujols is now officially an Angel who has played in a MLB game.

First up some shots from Opening Day, Alex Gordon led off the night against Jered Weaver.

Howie Kendrick was up second for the Angels and is definitely going to have a big year seeing fastballs batting in front of Pujols.

Between all 3 games, I was able to get a pretty nice collection for my first weekend back into the season.  On Opening Day besides Barry Larkin, I got Rich Thompson to sign this 2011 Topps.

Mark Trumbo autographed this 8x10 of him against the Dodgers.

Angels owner Arte Moreno signed this 8x10 of him speaking at the Pujols press conference.

After the game I was able to get local product Royals 3rd baseman Mike Moustakas to sign his 2011 Topps Rookie Card. I told him how I had gotten a really nice shot of him fielding during the game and he said he'd sign it for me if I brought it.

On Saturday I didn't spend the whole day at the stadium, but I was able to get my first ball of the season from batting practice. Moustakas was nice enough to autograph this 8x10 I took of him on Opening Day.

I forgot to ask him to sign this 8x10 I printed out of the entire Royals team. But I was able to get center fielder Lorenzo Cain, All-Star reliever Aaron Crow, and Opening Day starter Bruce Chen to sign it.

On Sunday I was forgetful and left the team photo at home, but luckily remembered my cards. I had Gold Glover Jeff Francoeur sign my first ball from the day before on the sweet spot and my 2011 Topps.

The last autograph I was able to get for the series was future superstar Eric Hosmer on his 2011 Topps rookie card.

To summarize...awesome. It's nice to be back and have the streak extended.

RPS (3) Dodgers-Angels Exhibition Freeway Series

It's that time folks, time for the 2012 season to start. How'd the Angels prepare for the coming season? Just a little freeway action against the rival Dodgers (Doyers) to start off the week. Game 1 was hosted by the Angels in Anaheim and the following 2 will be played at Dodger Stadium.

I couldn't wait for opening day, so I opted to go spend the day graphing the Dodgers and Angels as they arrived. I split time between the two sides, but missed most of the Angels while on the Dodger side and heard they weren't really in a signing mood. The Dodgers on the other hand were not so bad. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me before the game while outside the stadium but got some nice shots inside.

First up I was able to get from the Angel side back to the Dodgers fast enough to catch pitching coach Rick Honeycutt right as he was finishing up signing and Honeycutt autographed this 1987 Topps for me.

Don Mattingly came into the stadium after Honeycutt, and was nice enough to stay for a long time signing and taking photos with the fans. I liked that he was calling fans out for trying to come back and get multiples when he still hadn't finished with half the crowd. Mattingly signed this 2012 Topps Heritage for me.

A few Dodgers came after and I wasn't able to get all of them. Tony Gwyn Jr. signed for a while, Juan Rivera made a really nice dent in the crowd, James Loney tried to get a good amount done, but someone knocked his Gucci sunglass case and contacts off the ledge and that kind of killed his mood, Todd Coffey said he'd sign after the game, Tim Federowicz did like 3, Javy Guerra signed for most of the kids, Kenley Jansen did like two kids and a few more guys I didn't know came but didn't sign.

I'm sure most of you want to know about the big 3. Kershaw, Kemp and Ethier. Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon shared a car ride to the stadium. The fans stayed back at first and most of us went to form a line at the barrier but some less patient "fans" rushed the car as soon as Dee Gordon got out. He signed for a few people before realizing he was surrounded in a mob and security helped save him. While Gordon was walking through Kemp got out of the car and was also mobbed so he signed the first three literally shoved in his face quickly before darting to safety behind the barriers. Kershaw came as they were being bum rushed and he cut his way through saying he would sign inside the stadium (I didn't see him sign but did see him imitate Kemp making a jump in center field trying to rob a homer).

The last hope was Ethier. It's a good thing he was awesome. He came and started to work his way down the barrier signing for all the fans sweet spotting when asked and making light banter with the fans. I'm not sure if you guys know this, but Andre Ethier is awesome. One guy in a Pujols shirt asked for his autograph and got a ton of flack from the other fans and Ethier himself. It was pretty funny.

Andre Ethier autographed Gold Glove Award ball under the logo, and after he signed it I just had to take the chance and ask him if he would sign a card too so I could find a display case for them together. He nodded and instead of working his way farther down the line stopped to sign around me while I fished out my sharpie and he signed this 2011 Topps Lineage. Anyone who says he isn't good to the fans obviously hasn't met the man.

Now for the other good stuff, the photos.

Pujols taking his first pre-game jog at Angel Stadium as an Angel.

Dan Haren took the mound for the Angels.

Pujols taking his first at-bat in a game at Angel Stadium as an Angel.

Matt Kemp most likely made ESPN tonight doing a crazy double stealing dive and catch while in beast mode. I was too busy freaking out to get a shot of the catch, but you can tell he's pleased with himself.

Oh did I mention Kendrys Morales is back too? Yup he's pleased with himself. Look closely at the bat he's using in the game.

Angels won 12-3. I don't make it out to Dodger Stadium often so it was nice to get some Dodger autographs while at Angel Stadium.

RPS (2) Trinity Bat Home Run Challenge and Cory Hahn Benefit

This past Saturday January 21st, Trinity Bat Company took part in hosting a charity Home Run Challenge to help former Southern California prospect Cory Hahn's family after a tragic injury during his second collegiate game. Trinity Bat Co. combined with sponsors such as The Inland Empire 66'ers, the Rex Hudler Wonder Dog Show, Chick-fil-A, and to help raise awareness of Cory's unfortunate situation and of the great lengths he is going to stay positive and an inspiration to those in tragedy. Trinity has gone so far to offer a Hahn model bat with proceeds going to assist Cory's family with the rising costs of the tragedy.

The Home Run Challenge had categories for people of all ages, but the main show was the professional players who came out to support. The showing was actually pretty impressive with a large sized crowd coming to support the Hahn family. A ticket into the event actually got you a fair amount. You got 2 tickets for a raffle featuring items such as autographed bats, jerseys, balls, and even custom framed autographs. Chick-fil-A gave away coupons for free food, free sandwiches and sweet tea, and players were very friendly about signing autographs for those who asked.

Even though it was a little overcast in the morning, the sun came out and beside a light breeze it was a nice day out there to hit. Prospect Matt Hobgood of the Orioles took the first at bats for the pro's.

Matt was followed up by prospect Nick Ramirez.

Even though the show had been impressive to that point, it was time to "pop the chain" and YouTube sensation Domingo Ayala went up to the plate. It was pretty funny to watch him bat in person and watch him actually crank one out.

After Domingo warmed up the home crowd, Angels catcher Hank Conger took to the plate to showcase some of the muscle we'll hopefully see this coming season.

Trace Thompson of the White Sox system was next up.

Aaron Northcraft a prospect from the Braves also took up a bat.

Padres prospect Austin Hedges was the final participant before they cycled through to hit again. 

The show was so entertaining that former Angel player/broadcaster Rex Hudler couldn't resist popping on the announcement system for a  few high energy words. 

He was so energetic that the 66'ers mascot couldn't stop himself from going out into the outfield to try and shag a few flyballs too.

Part of the draw was from Conger announcing he was going to be hitting bombs and the 2011 Angel contender for Rookie of the Year Mark Trumbo announcing he would also be in attendance to sign autographs though he couldn't hit due to injury. Mark sat down to sign an item for each fan that stood in line, taking his time to give an actually very nice signature.

There was also a surprise guest who appeared to watch the festivities and show his support.  The Pittsburgh Pirates choice with 1st pick of the 2011 MLB draft, Gerrit Cole.

 It was a very nice event, and I'm glad there was such a strong showing for the Hahn's. Definitely worth making the trip out there and see the prospects, and more importantly the community of regular autograph collectors from Angel stadium. A great day that made me anxious for the coming season. To read about the 2nd Annual Trinity Bat Company Home Run Derby and Cory Hahn benefit you can read it here.

If you're a social networker and want to follow some more baseball players twitters, you can find:

Mark Trumbo's  twitter @mtrumbo44 

Hank Conger's twitter is @hankconger16

Nick Ramirez's twitter is @nickramirez3314

Matt Hobgood's twitter is @matt_hobgood48