Mid Season Review and 2013 MLB All Star Game...

Well so far it's been a pretty outstanding first half of the season for me when it comes to graphing. I definitely haven't had too shabby start to the season and would say I'd go ahead and put myself at least on a Final Vote position for the Southern California graphing All Star team.

Highlights have been:

David Ortiz autographed baseball

Dustin Pedroia autographed jersey

Mariano Rivera autographed baseball

Kendrys Morales autographed game used baseball bat

Mike Trout autographed baseball

Of the 2013 All Star Roster I have been able to get in this year or previous years:
Mike Trout
Adam Jones
David Ortiz
Dustin Pedroia
Torii Hunter
Felix Hernandez
Justin Masterson
Max Scherzer
Mariano Rivera
Joe Nathan
Chris Tillman
Greg Holland
Grant Balfour
Clayton Kershaw
Craig Kimbrel
Edward Mujica
Sergio Romo
Jordan Zimmerman

AL Manager Jim Leyland

18 of the 78 All Stars, including the starting pitcher for the American League Max Scherzer autograph on a ball. Not a terrible number but not too great in total numbers, but I've gotten about half the American League roster and should be able to cross the 50% barrier by the end of the season. Hopefully I'll be able to knock a few more of them out this year and work on some of the National League All Stars.

Highlights of the Upcoming Season

One of my usual tasks during the offseason is to take a peek at the upcoming season schedule for promotional giveaways. I'm a season ticket holder for the Angels so I like to have an idea of what games I absolutely need to get to and try to arrange my schedule to be sure I can get the coolest freebies. The Angels typically have pretty solid giveaways but I like to look around the league and here are some of the cooler things that will be given away this coming season.

Angels: Mike Trout Bobblehead of "The Catch", Mike Trout Pint Glass, Albert Pujols Pint Glass.
The Angels have given out things like this before and they were nice looking but either flimsy plastic or really small and unpractical. Getting a pair of real pint glasses will be nice to use when watching games at home when the team is on the road. The bobble I just think is cool looking.

Padres: Replica jersey. I'm a fan of the freebie jerseys, they're cool and a nice way to get fans feeling like they're part of the team. I'm a fan of the Padres freebie jersey giveaway seeing as they do them for Adults not just kids. I also like their beach towel giveaway. It's not a big ticket item but actually looks cool.

Pirates: Free Tshirt Friday. That' right the Pirates will giveaway a shirt every friday there is a home game and some of them are actually pretty nice looking shirts. I approve. I also am a fan of "Kids and Dad's" sunday where 14 and unders with their dad's will get a nice looking hat at the game.

Cubs: For 4 games the Cubs will release a special limited edition set of 82 cards only available by attending the game. Current and former players will be featured on the card style of various years they never appeared in. A serious must have for Cubs collectors.

Rays: David Price is getting a Cy Young figurine, his dog Astro is also getting a bobblehead this season. Awesome. I predict it's the most attended game in Tampa this season.

Royals: Billy Butler Silver slugger bobblehead. It's not a unique idea. But it's a pretty great bobble in my opinion. The also have Tshirt Tuesdays, but I'm not as sold on the designs as I am the Pirates'.

Cardinals: The best giveaway this season for last. One I know I'll be getting on ebay for myself. In honor of Stan Musial the Cardinals will have give away a harmonica. I'm not sure I can think of a more genuine or appropriate way to honor the legend. I tip my hat to the organization and whoever came up with this idea.

Autograph Collecting Essentials 2, Collecting TTM

Hi everyone, I've been getting a few questions regarding how to collect autographs Through The Mail (TTM). I thought I'd go ahead and share some of the things I've learned from my time as a TTM collector. I follow a pretty standard formula for my TTM stuff. Hopefully this will be an easy guide on how to start collecting autographs for beginners. So one more time, if you're wondering how to get autographs TTM. Here's how:

The address:

If I'm mailing a current or former player who works for the team at a stadium I address the envelope like:

Mr. Current Player

c/o the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 

2000 Gene Autry Way

Anaheim, CA

92806

If I'm mailing a retired player at their home address it's just a standard address label:

Mr. Awesome Retiree

1234 Not Real Drive

Fake City, CA

12345

The Cards:

I know plenty of people who send a stack of cards through the mail but I tend to keep the number at 1-2. Some people get lucky with their large number of cards while some get 1 and the rest of the cards returned. On occasion the extra cards are unreturned and the player has added to his own collection. I know many collectors don't mind or even encourage the player to add to their own collection but it really depends on if your collection size or budget can afford you sending your extras to the player.

I've run into plenty of players in person and read about their signing habits online where they enjoy adding to their own collection or will reward fans with cards they've received from other collectors. For instance I was at an in person autograph signing for a player who played in the MLB for several seasons for some popular clubs but he wasn't necessarily a superstar. He came to the signing prepared to sign anything for those who came but also had a stack of easily 150 of his cards from various teams and sets. I'm fairly certain the duplicates collectors sent him to sign he ended up signing and giving out to fans who came unprepared to meet him. Personally I have no issue with that and hope my extra Topps card can be a memory as the first piece of a collection for a kid who met his first big leaguer and walked out with not just a stadium giveaway hat signed but a nice clean autograph on a vintage Topps card.

Inside the envelope:

First a letter saying hello and explaining why I'd like the players autograph. Make it personal and prove why you're interested in that specific players autograph instead of just adding to your stack.

Second the card I'd like signed. I don't always send my best card of the player as I'd rather not lose a Bryce Harper Rookie Card to the US Postal system or water damage when I can hold it and hope to get the valuable rookie card signed in person. Once again depends on your own collection and preferences.

Third a index card next to the baseball card to help strengthen the letter to resist bends and creases. Especially useful if you're sending vintage cards or card stock products like Heritage and Gypsy Queen where the edges can bend easily.

Fourth a smaller envelope that fits inside a standard size envelope. Get the nonlick self seal ones that you only have to remove the sticker so it seals, I've learned players and especially the retirees appreciate it.

Be sure that all your envelopes sent have appropriate postage attached. I use forever stamps to ensure that the postage is always correct, especially considering how often postage has risen recently.

Some of my best TTM autographs are Whitey Ford, Craig Kimbrel and Billy Wagner.

And that's really ttm. If you have any more questions on how to collect some autographs feel free to let me know via email. If  you're interested in how to get an autograph yourself in person at a MLB stadium you can read my article with a few tips here.

Balk (15) - Rookie graphing...

For those of you interested in following a pretty hardcore grapher in the LA area I'd recommend the more recent blog MC's Autograph Signings run by a pretty talented young grapher Matt C. He covers baseball, basketball, hockey, and football so for those of you looking for more regular content than my worked induced semi-hiatus I recommend you take a glance over at his blog.

Balk (14) A work in progress

Well like I said earlier when defining my off season goals I decided that I'd use the off season to start assembling projects to work on getting signed during this coming season. I've been able to find an autograph project for the NBA (Matt Barnes' practice jersey) but it's taken some time to find something for baseball season.

Thankfully the holiday season took care of that for me. I was able to pickup a custom piece of wood from the Orange County based Trinity Bat Company on a pretty decent sale. The fine folks at Trinity have made custom bats used by Adrian Gonzalez, Tony Gwynn Jr., Hank Conger and Mark Trumbo. This is the model used by Gonzo, and I had my bat made to the specifications of a game used Trumbo bat I saw online to give it an authentic MLB feel.

It's engraved RBI Collecting and I'm sure the Trinity folks got a smile out of that thinking I was some Sunday league player being a little over anxious when naming my bat.

I'm looking forward to working on getting my first bat signed. I'm not sure what my requirements will be for to add a player on the bat, but I'll definitely collect multiple signatures on it. The chance to meet a Hall of Famer is too rare to make it a pure HOF bat, but I've seen a few out there and they're pretty impressive projects. Considering it's a legit custom bat I'm fairly certain they'd have to at the least have been named an All-Star. Anything beyond that I'll have to keep thinking about it.

Thoughts?

Balk (13) 2012 Awards

Well I think it's pretty interesting that the guy behind this season's "The Catch" didn't win a Gold Glove. Frankly I thought he was a lock for the Center Field Rawlings Gold Glove considering how many highlight reels he made this year. Personally I think it's good for the Angels he didn't win his first yet seeing as it makes it easier to put Peter Bourjos in center with less fuss seeing as Bourjos is an overall better center fielder. Yeah yeah Trout's more exciting, but Pete makes plays look boring because he gets better reads and is fast enough to be sitting waiting for the same balls Trout has to dive for. In right field Trouty will earn plenty of awards.

One thing Trouty did collect though was the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year award. I've gotten a few Trout's signed and I think I'll just post the link to the 8x10 he signed here. Okay I can't just do that to you guys, I'll have to repost this 2010 Bowman Platinum autograph of the ROY Flying Fish.

I'm sure that people are more surprised by Bryce Harper collecting the NL Rookie of the Year since Wade Miley put up such a strong finish. Sorry guys, but hype machines do end up working on occasion and Harper was red hot to help clinch the Nationals bid for the playoffs. I don't have a Harper autograph, so I settled for a graded 10 rookie card of him. I'd post a photo of it, but this post belongs to the fish. Sorry Bryce, but I'm going to be a clown bro.

Now on an unrelated note, I'd like to bring notice to this post at Baseball By The Letters regarding Virgil Trucks. Those of you familiar with TTM know he is an all star veteran signer. Or was. Health issues has unfortunately made it so Mr. Trucks is no longer able to correspond via mail. Mr. Trucks has been an amazing ambassador for baseball, and I as a fan owe him much for his kindness.

Per his request I am going to not only write a letter to Bud Selig, but also will be writing a letter and email to the Detroit Tigers trying to gain more support for at least a nice letter to Mr. Trucks offering their best wishes. We collectors owe him that much, or at least I do.

Balk (12) Off Season Goals

Well now that baseball is over it's time for some off season goals for myself.

Now that work has lightened up I'm hoping to power my way through a closer attempt at my 365. That's goal number one, first and foremost.

Secondly I'd like to pick up my other sport graphing by finding at least 2 events that can increase my collection of NBA and NFL autographed photos.

Third I'd like to track down some more memorabilia to have as goals to get signed during next season. It was satisfying finally being successful in getting my Erick Aybar to sign his Spring Training jersey, so I need to find some more things along those lines to work on.

Fourth I want to continue my poster project and design more ahead of time for specific visiting players so I'm not in a rush to design and print them. I'd like to have at least 10 posters designed for incoming players.

Well see how that goes. It's a process.

RBI (109) 2012 Season Summary

Well folks the regular season is over and it's time for my autograph season summary since the Angels, Padres and Dodgers missed the post season.

64 Games attended at Angel Stadium this season which combined with the 72 last season means a running total of 136 consecutive games at home with at least one autograph. My total consecutive streak ended at Fenway when I opted to attend early but didn't graph and instead enjoyed 100 years of baseball in the hallowed ballpark.

3 Parks visited: Angel Stadium 64 games, Fenway Park 2 games, and Petco Park 1 game.

I had more precise numbers until my iPhone died so I'll say I got approximately 140 autographs this season at a stadium plus a few through other autograph signings.

The highlight pieces of the year. Some are because of what's signed and others because who the signer is.

The AL Rookie of the Year and possible MVP Mike Trout autographed 8x10 photograph I took.

One of my favorite players of all time Dustin Pedroia on my Fenway Seat.

Mark Trumbo on the custom poster I designed for him to sign.

Yankee Captain and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter autographed all star baseball.

Ranger superstar and former AL MVP Josh Hamilton autographed World Series baseball.

And the final highlight piece of the year would be the custom poster designed for Ernesto Frieri that he autographed and inscribed for me.

It was a great season and I definitely enjoyed the experience graphing with everyone. There are some more key pieces that I picked up but these are some of my favorites on the year and I'm excited to see how I can top myself in 2013.

Stay tuned for a follow up posting about the worst autographs that I was able to get this year...

At the mid season review...

We are only a few days away from the MLB trade deadline and GM's are busy fielding offers for those players who are available and unavailable. So as collectors I'm curious what 2 autographs have you gotten this 2012 season that are your pride and joy that other collectors should hang up the phone when it comes their availability. Any discussion to Jerry Dipoto involving Mike Trout ends with a click and my 8x10 of him and my Derek Jeter ball are unavailable. Who are your top 2 autographs from this season so far that you wouldn't even listen to an offer before the trade deadline?

Autograph Collecting Essentials

One thing I want to bring up is the Autograph collector's essentials. There are things that separate the casual fan from the grapher from the hardcore collector. One thing I need to preface this post with is that everything here is personal opinion.

Every collection is unique, but there are some things I have figured out from my collecting that I'd like to offer as a few suggestions on "how to collect autographs" at a baseball stadium. It's in no way the final authority and I pick up new ideas and suggestions all the time, collecting is fluid so don't be afraid to try new things.

Baseballs: While it may seem like a great idea when you're just getting into the hobby to pick up a nice looking $5 souvenir baseball at the stadium, don't do it. If you touch the souvenir ball you realize the ball is made of a synthetic material that won't maintain the signature over time, the Rawlings Official Major League Baseball like used in a game is the only way to go. They can be expensive, but if you want it to last, get it on a ROMLB. When it comes to team balls or players you like but just want the signature more than a perfect display piece batting practice balls work just fine if you clean them up.

• Note: If you're getting a baseball signed don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Be polite and say please, but if you want the sweet spot or have a specialty baseball (Gold Glove ball, All Star ball, etc) ask the player to sign where you want. The worst they can say is no and all you can gain is a perfect piece. Some players will only sweet spot and have no problem doing so, but have to be asked politely first.
• Leave a few Ziplock/sandwich bags in your main bag. You spent the time getting the ball signed, so after you get it autographed put it in the plastic bag, wrap it up, and lock the seal that way the autograph won't get rubbed and a spill in the stands won't ruin your piece.

White Hi-Poly Eraser: If you get a batting practice baseball that is just a little nicked up but not bad or a glossy card a firm but not overly aggressive rub down with an eraser can help make a ball look fresher. If you're working on a ball be sure to not go against the grain of the leather and cause more scuff marks to the leather. You can also use these to remove some of the gloss from very glossy cards (Bowman 2011's, Topps 2012 Series 1's) to help them take a signature better instead of streaking. You can get one of these at a office supply store for about $1.00 or I prefer to use the one on the end of a Papermate mechanical pencil since it's more precise.

Markers: Sharpie. Don't fight the hype, go name brand and fine tip. I know a lot of people like Staedtler quick dry markers, but I lose too many markers a series to want to drop that sort of money and if you prepare your cards ahead of time or get cards on nice stock like Heritage or Ginters you don't need a quick dry anyways. Also many players tend to fear signing for people with a fancy marker since they would peg you as a dealer not a collector.

The color of the marker should be determined by your preferences and the piece you are getting signed. Even a card or photo is a piece of art or Topps wouldn't have art directors, on staff photographers, and editors for their product. Photos you've taken yourself deserve to have the signatures pop and stand out to showcase your work. Take a second to look at the image and think of what color will stand out and not blend into the background.

• Silver, I like to use for Photos with dark backgrounds or on Black/Blue/Red Jersey numbers, I stick with Sharpie because I like a thinner standard signature look, but I know many who love to go with a high quality thicker end Elmer's Silver paint pen. Very commonly you'll see the DecoColor Silver, but when using a Deco remember to prime the tip with paint and you must run the marker over a blank page prior to ensure no bleeding or leaking.

• Blue, it's the hobby norm and typically a way to tell the difference between a weekender and a collector. Most cards and photos will pop with little to no fade to the signature with blue. Blue is what I think is the way to go when it comes to a White Jersey number as it stands out more.

• Black, now some people think black has no use for a collector. I disagree. Some cards with lots of blue backgrounds or jerseys make blue not show at all. It may fade a bit eventually, but on a card I find it not to be a concern if stored properly. On hat brims or grey jerseys I think black looks good as it stands out against the color more than blue and if it's being worn will fade a little but still stand out as a signature not a smudge.

Pens: When it comes to a pen everyone has their own look. You get a baseball signed with a pen you must have it signed in blue. Black will fade very quickly. Avoid black ink autographs on a baseball. Black is for people with no idea what they're doing or shops who want it to fade in a year so you have to come buy a new autographed baseball for some ridiculous mark up. Now personal preference lets you choose thickness of the pen.

A standard .7 fine blue ball point pen looks thick and good from a distance, but will normally have a little bit of a white gap if the signer isn't pressing firmly because it will skip bumps in the leather of a ball. Lately I've been on a kick using a Uniball Jetstream .7 because it's a nice vibrant blue that doesn't catch much of a skip if any. For a while I was using a BIC Round Stic extra fine with the rubber grip at the end, because it gives a little bit of a thinner signature but the pen runs true and won't really pick up the bumps of a .7 and I like it's shade of blue. I always carry both and hand the BIC's to the families holding black sharpies and baseballs (shudder).

Derek Jeter Jetstream 1.0 mm Left,  Mark Langston BIC Round Stic Extra Fine .07mm Right

Regardless, blue and ballpoint. Fine or extra fine tip is all up to you.

• Note: Carry a scrap piece of paper to run your pen on before handing it to the player while he's signing for someone else. Running it on your wrist will put oils on the tip and encourage a clog. I use the hat trick. Put an extra slip in the inside brim of your baseball cap and you always have your scrap paper easily accessible to scribble on. You can use your ticket back instead, but be prepared to mark up a potential piece of memorabilia if the game becomes historic by say a no-hitter or perfect game.

Cards: I know a lot of guys who only get baseball's signed on the sweetspot. I think it's essential though to carry cards because let's face it not everyone is someone you want to display on a sweet spotted $15 baseball or even on your batting practice ball if you aren't starting a team ball. The rookies or journeyman players are fine on a card or on a team card.

You also never know who you are going to run into at the stadium or event so I get my blog's "business" cards signed that I use as autograph cards. I know there are the generic autograph signature cards and the famed "sweet spot" autograph card, but I like the feel of having the custom card signed. Below are Rob Gronkowski's autograph on the left and Rainn Wilson's autograph on the right.

• Note: I like to vary how I carry my cards. Some people are only autograph seekers while I'm also a ballhawk. I don't carry a full sized binder with card sleeves because it's too cumbersome. I carry 2 mini 4 pocket 10 page binders by Ultra Pro. One for the home team, one for the visitors. Some people like card boxes and I will use one on occasion if I don't plan on carrying a bag but I find the edges get messed up if you're in a rush to thumb through the cards.

• Many collectors at stadiums utilize notebooks with blue tape on the corners to hold their collection and provide a flat surface for the player to sign on. I'm not a fan for a few reasons. You look like a dealer or a hardcore collector and some of the more established players tend to avoid you. I like slipping in under the radar to get my one. Some players if they have the card taped will actually start the autograph on the card but end off the page so you get half a signature. I've seen people hand pages with other players taped to the page but get refused signatures because they don't notice their card next to their fellow player or actually sign the incorrect card.

Photos: For some of the upper tier players or personal favorites sometimes a baseball or a card isn't enough. I've dabbled in printing 8x10 photos from various places and come to a few conclusions. Like all things the photos you print and where you print from are personal preference. I know many guys who swear by photo printing by various places and frankly I don't always understand the hype. I've tried professional developers Adorama to mixed success. I've tried the instant print machines from Walmart and CVS which I don't recommend since the photo stock is oversized and you'll have to trim it yourself and if you aren't confident don't bother getting someone important's autograph on something you may ruin sizing for a frame. I've bought photos from guys who print at Costco and the gloss is nice but the stock feels kind of flimsy to me and it just doesn't hit the right note for me though the price is excellent. My personal preference is the photo center at Walgreens, it's a nice gloss level and solid stock for a reasonable price considering there's almost always some sort of deal being offered online. But try it for yourself, despite the belief that a photo is a photo it's really not. The same way a typewriter and your at home printer has their own unique traits so do the photo print machines and their operators. One office supply store I like the poster prints from has a long time photo tech who has long nails and I've had to have posters reprinted because of long scratches that showed in the light.

Well folks that's that. Like I said everyone has their own preferences on how their collection looks and these are just my own opinions and preferences. A handy beginner's guide to getting some quality in person autographs in your collection that I will add to as time goes on.

If you're interested in learning about autograph collecting through the mail you can read my essentials post here.

I'm often asked how to get autographs at Angel Stadium or how to get autographs at Dodger stadium, I posted a guide on what I think are the actual in the field essentials on how to get autographs in person at a MLB stadium.

I'll also likely add a section on storing autographs.

Balk - 10 An encounter with Justin Upton and a question

This weekend the Angels and Diamondbacks have had a pretty great series. With he Dbacks coming to town I had 3 goals: Justin Upton, Ian Kennedy, and Miguel Montero. After the Friday game I tried to get Upton and here's what happened. The Arizona families were actually at the game and were waiting by a player exit inside the stadium.

A pretty decent sized crowd of regular graphers and random fans were waiting next to them. Players began to come out and fans tried calling out only to be ignored by the players. While the players talked to their family most graphers were respectful and stayed quiet and away from family time. Here's where it got weird.

 A stadium security guard supervisor began aggressively telling people to back away or we would be kicked out of the stadium and made to leave. He then actually had us split to the left and right of the players and their families. He started talking in very hushed tones with Upton who just nodded and didn't talk back to him. The supervisor then told us graphers on the right to leave. Ok no big deal we turned around to leave the gate 20 feet behind us. He then yelled at us to stop and that we couldn't exit through the exit. And told us to leave through an exit that would make us walk through the players and their families. Then proceeded to say stay away from the players...great job mr. Security guard.

Having seen the righteous fury he had to keep us away from the exit I assumed Upton was going to leave that gate. I posted on a planter out of view and waited for him to leave. Here's the kicker. Upton left with his girlfriend through the gate. And 5 security guards. I called out Mr. Upton can you please just sign one it's just me. Without even looking at me or acknowledging I was a human being he put his arm on his girlfriend and stared straight ahead and was escorted to a waiting cab. And 2 police officers joined the escort party...

Um. What? I wanted Upton. I think he's a good young player. Alex Rodriguez. Curtis Granderson. Ivan Rodriguez. Jayson Werth. Rod Carew. Bert Blyleven. Nomar Garciaparra. legitimate stars, superstars, and Hall of Famers have all walked out of various exits around the stadium, but never with a 7 person security detail. Who does Justin Upton, he of the .245 batting average think he is?

Do we put so much hype and fantasy baseball relevance and draft pick card importance on young players that they actually believe they need an escort bigger than a legit I've made it and done it star?

Balk 8 - A pair of off topic autographs

Even though baseball is my big passion and focus for collecting, living in Southern California does have it's occasional perks by being able to run into various sports athletes and celebrities when you're just out and about.

This is post is a dual post since they're kind of related but I did get each signature on separate days. While most of Southern Californians are now flying their "Clipper Nation" flag, I had mine up a bit longer. Last season I went to 70 something baseball games and one of the main reasons I would miss a game was work or to go to a Clipper game.

Last season I was with my family getting a late bite to go and some gas for the trip home after a Clippers-Suns game when my dad looked out the window at a really nice car pulling up to get gas. When the door opened he immediately said, "Hey, that's Brian Cook."

We waited a minute for him to get situated and then asked Brian if he could sign my ticket stub and told him how happy we were that he was back in LA after a few seasons away. Though I'm a Clipper fan, Laker games were always predominantly what made it onto TV and Cook was a 1st round selection by them in the 2003 Draft. There are few things as exciting as a momentum changing 3-pointer and through his Laker years he was a talented 3-point specialist. Brian Cook autographed my ticket and we said thank you before walking back to fill up his tank and head home.

This season Brian started with the Clippers, but as many of you are aware the fortunes of the team has drastically changed with the addition of Chris Paul and his role was reduced until he was finally traded. One benefit of the changing fortunes of the Clips, is the addition of more high profile fans. On my way into a game against the San Antonio Spurs, I spotted Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute, on the way into Staples Center. I was able to get a Rainn Wilson autograph on one of my cards.

Like I said, living here has some perks. Not a bad pair of random autographs to add to the collection.

Big League Interview (4) Kenny Powers

That's right folks, the Shelby Sensation took some time to do an interview with us. Those of you who don't know who Kenny Powers is...well you obviously haven't been watching the best show on baseball since baseball and cameras came together Eastbound & Down. It's a pretty hilarious show based on the life of former star closer Kenny Powers and highly highly for mature audiences only. Kid's don't go flipping through for it, because it's on HBO and rated Mature.

Those of you who think Logan Morrison is offensive but funny haven't seen anything yet if you haven't seen Danny McBrides' Kenny Powers twitter. It's like comparing a glass of water thrown on you to someone beating you in the face with a fire hose filled with salt water. Twice.

Anyways on to the interview and once again for Mature audiences only:

1) If you could hit any player in the batters box past or present who would it be?
Cal Ripken Jr.

2) Popping Macworthy's eye out, how many times have you watched it on Youtube?
It replays in my dreams.

3) What city has the best baseball groupies?  
America 

4) Your World Series ring from Atlanta, what'd you do with it?
It didn't double as a **** ring so I pawned that s*** for a new hot tub.

5) What's the first thing you bought with your signing bonus?
Gold bars.  

6) One thing you want to get back to the Majors to do?  
The legal steroids.


Thanks for the time KP, best of luck getting back to the Majors.  You can find Kenny Powers on twitter if you're interested in more.

Balk 8 - This guy is kinda famous...

I've always thought it would be really cool to end up in the background of a player's trading card. I'm kinda in the background of Bobby Abreu's 2012 Topps card seeing as I was at the game sitting 6 seats to the left 15 rows back, but the crowd isn't in the actual photo. I know I was there though seeing as Abreu made 18 appearances in left field all season and the photo may look cool, but he almost missed the catch AND after he made the catch almost fell down into the bullpen wall. Hence his very not so confident face in the picture. So yeah. I was there for Bobby Abreu's 2012 Topps photo. Cool.

Anyways. My friend David was on TV for the Albert Pujols press conference and is pictured on Yahoo's fantasy summary of the 2012 Angels AND is in Sports Illustrated. Did I mention he got Pujols to sign his ball too? Some guys get all the luck. David has a blog that many of you are already reading, but those not reading can find it see his goodies at David's Autograph Signings.

I guess since he was in SI I should get his autograph too. Just another thing to put on the to do list.

Oh and ps. Moneyball was robbed at the Oscars. Billy Beane was there though to see it happen supposedly. I wonder if he went to check out the remnants of Mannywood too.

Balk 7 Fantasy Baseball preseason thoughts

Today was a big day for me in the world of imaginary baseball, today I made my selection of players for my 2nd season in a keeper league. Seeing as I won the league last year I'm feeling big pressure to repeat my ring. I'm not sure how the pros do it, because it's the off season and I'm already wondering about my selections and draft strategy.

Anyways, I'm now in the mood to talk a little fantasy baseball.

Hanley, how you burned me last year Mr. Ramirez. For being my first round pick last year your production left me less than pleased. With Jose Reyes joining the Marlins and Hanley being slid over to 3rd will this be a bounce back year? I'm hopeful but not quite so sure. Hanley's a historically fickle player and there are no reports that he's in love with Reyes being on the team and taking his position. The Marlins hitting coach has already said Hanley looks healthier but there is still room for improvement. The advent of Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison do however make this a sneakily good line up. The trick to Hanley will be determining his true value. If he was a pure 3rd baseman I'd probably have him in the top 8, but as a shortstop eligible he's still top at either position. I'm predicting a .293 90 Run 95 RBI 20 Home Run 25 Steal year from him. Not a bad year but I'm going for Tulo before Hanley, but Hanley still above Reyes.

There are a few players I'm going to be trying to target this season and am expecting nice years from.

Gio Gonzalez is someone I've always been high on but never been able to snag. With him out of Oakland I'm thinking people will be less confident in him but essentially his numbers are the same on the road. Leaving the AL and going to the NL where his career starts are essentially lights out I think is going to make him an undervalued ace to steal.

Josh Reddick formerly of the Red Sox and now of the A's is someone I'm going to be keeping my eye on. He's being given the starting job in right for the A's due to the complete lack of other options and he has a history of struggling in his previous looks, but last year he was more than serviceable with the Sox. With no other real challenges for a high batting order spot and Coco Crisp and Jermile Weeks hitting ahead of him, I think Reddick has the chance to be a sneaky pick up for some cheap rbi numbers and a little pop. I'm not sure about his year long numbers being spectacular but I can see him being an undervalued Hunter Pence still in Houston type player.

Casey Kotchman with the Indians. The Indians are a solid club with good young players that play for a team expecting bounce back years from several key players so he should come cheap. Even better the revival Kotchman had in Tampa is supposedly due to him having a corrective eye surgery. I'm not seeing it as a fluke and if Jason Kipnis, and Grady Sizemore can be even marginally productive the contact hitting Kotchman should find a nice spot to drive in the runs. I'm not thinking he's going to be top of his position because of his lack of power, but when the DL bug bite or you have an extra utility spot needing use I'm reaching for Kotch.

Balk 6 - Calling all readers...

Well folks as the off season marches on it's time for this blogger to do what all good writers must...reflect. It's been an interesting foray into the hobby of TTM and autograph collecting, one I've thoroughly been enjoying. Months later I still browse my sent list and wonder if there will be a response coming my way this coming holiday season. When I finally see the familiarly shaped return envelope with my handwriting on the front, I get a thrill to check the postmark and rack my brain to solve the puzzle before I open it. It's a thrill I expect to survive on through the years.

But that part of the hobby is an individual thrill. The other part is sharing it with all of you. I want to know how can I improve that? So here's the deal, I won't actually call this a contest but there will be a reward for those who participate. It's a secret but it will be a fairly enjoyable reward for a few moments of your time.

For those of you who read the blog, please give me feedback and let me make your reading experience more enjoyable.

1) What are your two favorite posts I've put up?

2) Do you enjoy the format of the posts or find it tedious?

3) Would you like scans of the letter responses included in the post?

4) Should the Big League Moment posts continue next season?

5) Does anyone miss the weekly/monthly summary posts of the Angels baseball performance? Should I bring it back or expand it?

6) Are the separate pages for In Person and TTM autographs inconvenient and you'd like a single master list or is it fine separating by interest?

7) Any general comments, questions, or additional feedback?

Balk 5 - Award predictions

American League Cy Young
Justin Verlander 

Do I really need to write anything here? Weaver put up a great fight, but it was Verlander's award since August.

National League Cy Young
Roy Halladay


Kershaw has a lower ERA, WHIP, and more Wins and Strikeouts. He won 2 more games, a .07 lower ERA, .06 lower WHIP, 28 more Strikeouts, and gave up 19 more Walks. He also had 9 starts against the Padres and Giants. Call me biased, but the schedule Halladay faced was more imposing in a more difficult park yet he still gave up fewer walks and homers than Kershaw. Doc also had 8 complete games against Kershaw's 5.

National League MVP
Matt Kemp

I don't think I really need to explain this pick. Some give it to Braun, but it's Kemp's season considering the lack of supporting cast, management controversy, and position difficulty.

American League MVP
Jacoby Ellsbury


Sorry Bautista, but Jacoby played in 8 more games with no DH appearances compared to your dozen. 154 games in center produced 0 errors compared to Bautista's 8 errors in fewer games in the field. Attention all Yankee candidates, the fact that there is more than one of  you means none of you were "most valuable" to the team let alone league. Jacoby also hit .358 during the Red Sox September slide. Without that performance the Wild Card race doesn't go down to the final game and the Sox collapse is even more epic.

National League Rookie of the Year
Craig Kimbrel

The Braves decided to pitch their rookie closer until his arm fell off and fell out of the wild card race as a consequence. But throughout the season Kimbrel was dynamic and lockdown with his 46 Saves, securing himself his own piece of hardware if not a post season appearance.

American League Rookie of the Year
Mark Trumbo

I know Eric Hosmer, Michael Pineada, and J.P. Arencebia are getting a lot of media time in the AL ROY debate, simply put they shouldn't be in the mix. Arencibia was a monster for game appearances but batted .229 on the year. Pineada won his last game in July and had a second half ERA of 5.12 as the season wore down on him. Ivan Nova is tougher but with 7 starts the year before I don't really count him as a rookie. Hosmer has been on fire since August. Great, I'm sure the Red Sox wish there weren't a previous 3 months in the season too but unfortunately there were. Trumbo as a rookie won his team's MVP award and had them on the cusp of a decisive series before breaking a bone in his foot. For a guy expecting to only be a place holder for star Kendrys Morales for a few weeks at the start of the season, I think that's ROY material if I've ever seen it.

National League Comeback Player of the Year
Ryan Vogelsong


Journeyman who last pitched in 2006 for a MLB club turned vital part of the Giant's rotation and All-Star in 2011. He went from AAA player to innings eater who was flat out dominate at times throughout the season. Easy call even though I know some throw Berkman's hat in the ring.

American League Comeback Player of the Year

Jacoby Ellsbury

An injury wasted 2010 didn't slow Ellsbury down from propelling himself not only into the MVP debate, but easily secures his comeback award. 

American League Silver Sluggers

Catcher Victor Martinez

First Miguel Cabrera

Second Dustin Pedroia

Short Asdrubal Cabrera

Third Adrian Beltre

Right Field Jose Bautista

Center Field Jacoby Ellsbury

Left Field Alex Gordon

Designated Hitter Michael Young


A few comments. Victor Martinez is a no brainer despite being not a full catcher. Cabrera same deal. Pedroia vs Cano came down to a higher OBP, more steals, and almost the same number of RBI despite the horrendous April and September the Sox went through. The parity of production despite the epic decline of the team really pushed Pedroia over the top. 

National League Silver Sluggers

Catcher Miguel Montero

Pitcher Daniel Hudson

First Prince Fielder

Second Brandon Phillips

Short Jose Reyes

Third Aramis Ramirez

Right Field Justin Upton

Center Field Matt Kemp

Left Field Ryan Braun


I don't think any of these actually need to be explained.

American League Gold Glovers

Catcher Matt Wieters

First Adrian Gonzalez 

Second Dustin Pedroia

Short Jhonny Peralta

Third Adrian Beltre

Right Field Nick Markakis

Center Field Peter Bourjos

Left Field Alex Gordon

Pitcher Dan Haren

National League Gold Glovers

Catcher Yadier Molina

First Joey Votto 

Second Neil Walker

Short Troy Tulowitzki

Third Placido Polanco

Right Field Jay Bruce

Center Field Matt Kemp

Left Field Ryan Braun

Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda

Balk 4- Important Contest Update

Well folks, unfortunately my card delivery didn't include the hobby packs that were supposed to be there for the Sac Fly (2) prize. So I went out and bought 2 value packs of 2011 Allen and Ginter and hope that you all think that is a comparable prize to all you who have entered so far.

Really sorry everyone, I guess I jumped the gun and won't be having the dealer I went through acquire me packs anymore. If anyone has an issue who has already entered feel free to email me and I'll see what I can do to make everyone happy.

Sac Fly (1) Winner!

Well here's the deal. I didn't actually say if the guesses were going to count as a total score or individually. Luckily you all solved the issue for me by not a single person who entered twice repeating a name. So every person if they submitted 2 entries submitted 6 separate names with none being repeated, meaning there was a general interpretation that it was cumulative. Which is what I intended for and why the extra entry was so valuable.  The 3 players who signed for me were Grant Balfour, Brad Ziegler, and Gio Gonzalez. Meaning the winner was the lone person who correctly named 2 players in their guesses was.........Matt of Tenets of Wilson! So congrats Matt you're the winner of my first ever contest meaning the odds are high I send you an additional slightly meaningless prize with your main prize.  For everyone else...you're all awsome and I enjoyed your guesses. I'll be hosting additional contests soon so keep an eye out.

As an additional note, Gio signed 2 cards for me and Ziegler signed a ball for me with someone else's gel pen (shudder) that immediately smeared and then resigned in my pen since I asked nicely at the end of his signing when he saw the awful smear on the original signature. He actually looked at the ball and said "gross I totally understand don't worry" (yay young pitchers) when I asked him to sign again while showing the horrendous smear. So I got 3 players but 5 signatures, which is why I said I had to repay the great karma I had by hosting a contest since Zeigler and Gio were so nice to me.

Balk 3 - Contest madness

So while I have my contest going on I thought I'd plug a few others going on around the blogosphere.

Autographed Cards has a College World Series Contest going on.

The Diamond King will be posting want lists soon but until then you can drool over a few hits being given away.

Good luck everyone!