Autograph Recap, 1st Annual Juglife Celebrity Softball Game 8/3/14

I went with my buddy David to Javale Mcgee's 1st Annual Juglife Celebrity Softball game held at UCLA's Easton Softball field. The game was an affordable graph costing only $15 to get inside, and all proceeds were supporting Juglife's bid to fundraise to support their efforts in 2015 to go build wells in Uganda to provide clean water. It's a great cause and McGee's doing good things raising awareness about an issue that may seem basic but is fundamental for life in that part of the world.

Before the game got underway I was able to get NBA center and surprise guest Andre Drummond's autograph on a floorboard piece after he was dropped off at the game. It was nice to get on the board after having struck out with Nick Young declining to sign for me on the way in.

After Drummond arrived I was able to get Denver guard Ty Lawson's autograph when he arrived to support his teammate's cause. Lawson showing up was awesome since he didn't come to play just to hang out and put his support behind Mcgee.

After Lawson showed up I went inside caught the rest of the game to watch the celebrities play ball. It was a blowout game and it even made the wire with Ray J making it on TMZ for blowing over Laura Govan on his way into 3rd base.

When the game wrapped up the Juglife crew set up some tables and the majority of the athletes came over and sat at the tables to sign autographs. John Wall and Nick Young had shown up to the event but they took off quickly without stopping at the tables to sign. Young only signed a few and Wall signed a bit before he came into the event, but I wasn't able to get either of their autographs.

At the tables Andre Drummond started signing but since I already got him and hadn't prepped for him I didn't get another floorboard signed. The next guy was the man himself, Javale McGee autographed two 8x10's for me. The first one was of him participating in the slam dunk contest.

The second 8x10 Mcgee signed was of him with the Wizards winning the tipoff against Yao Ming.

Next to McGee was Terrell Owens who autographed my 8x10 photo of him and Jerry Rice back in San Francisco.

Ty Lawson was signing so even though I got him on my photo I had him autograph a floorboard.

It wasn't a bad haul and there were even more celebrities in attendance than I had prepped for. Ray J autographed my ticket when I was walking out to my car. 

Omarion was in attendance with his wife, Damien Wayans, Laura Govan, and Doug Christie were also there. Those were the main celebrities that I recognized but a few minor celebs from vine, instagram, tv and music were also in the game.

Overall it was a great day getting a few NBA autographs and Terrell Owens who may go in the Hall of Fame in a few years. Javale's crew did a great job putting on one of the best charity events that I've been to in a while. He was really polite and donated a ton of items for the raffles that went on with nice prices throughout the game, and his guests were also great taking the time to sign for fans and come out. It's nice to see someone local bringing their star power to good use but still being accessible to fans. Bobby Wagner take notes, the Javale McGee softball event was how things are supposed to be.

Autograph Recap Josh Beckett Rancho Cucamonga Rehab 4/4/14

Dodgers starting pitcher Josh Beckett was slated for a surprise rehab start in Rancho Cucamonga. With the Dodgers home opener the same day I figured the graphers would be light in attendance and I'd be able to knock out a big autograph for myself without having to go to LA.

The day started off well with much hyped prospect Corey Seager signing a 2013 Bowman prospect card for me. I've seen Corey be a good signer the past few times I've gone to Rancho, but I've never had anything for him so I made sure to bring along a card this time. He was really nice and I'm glad to have finally gotten a Corey Seager autographed Bowman card in the collection.

After Seager came in a steady stream of minor leaguers made their way in before Beckett finally came. Josh autographed my Fenway seat back, and it was a big addition for me to put the 2007 World Series Champion on it.

After Beckett signed I returned home and waited to head back to Rancho for the game. I went inside and ran into fellow graphers Matt and David and it began the second part of the day.

Finally Beckett left his rehab start and signed a for a few fans, he ran with a black sharpie and I was able to get my 2014 Topps Heritage card done for my set.

To cap the day uber prospect Julio Urias also signed after the game. I remember watching Puig walk past me in Rancho and regret never taking a shot at him considering how things turned out. I wasn't going to let this happen again so I got this Julio Urias autographed baseball and had him sign his Quakes debut ticket.

It was a very long but satisfying day to knock off a card for my set, pair of top prospects and my Fenway seat back.

RBI (192) Story of the Year

In the late fall of 2006 I went to the Boston venue the Avalon to see St. Louis rock group Story of the Year perform. For a small fee with my ticket I was able to get access to a meet and greet after the show. It was a great show because they're really a high energy live band and always a group I see in person if given the opportunity.

Some of the fans were just there to say hi and take photos but I opted to get Story of the Year's autograph. All the guys were nice and I had the whole band autograph the ticket I had printed out for the show. It was a quick meet but I enjoyed it and am glad I took advantage of the chance.

RBI (191) Paramore

Continuing to upload some autographs from my collection that I had gotten years prior to becoming an actual hardcore grapher here is one of my favorites that has been framed for years before I really knew what I was doing. In the summer of 2006 I went to Warped Tour San Diego to see the band Paramore perform I was happy to enjoy the show and have seen them several times since then. I was even happier to get Paramore's autograph on my ticket at an appearance at a booth sponsored by someone I can't remember.

In pink is Hayley Williams' autograph, in teal Hunter Lamb, black is Zac Farro, red Josh Farro, and in blue is Jeremy Davis. Back when I got the autograph they were just becoming popular with the success of All We Know Is Falling and their tour, but I'm not sure anyone in San Diego that day knew they were seeing a 3-time Grammy nominee with a Platinum record. Either way it's fun to have another band's autograph in my collection, especially one that did one of my favorite records. Now I'm sure it's almost impossible to knock out a piece like this signed by Paramore easily since they're such a popular group with hardcore fans.

RBI (144) Moose...

Moustakas. Mike Moustakas. A name that definitely lends itself to being a ball player, let alone a popular fan friendly one. I have written about getting Moustaskas' autograph before in a general sense since I included an autographed 8x10 I took during the Opening Series for the 2012 season. I've left out some pretty sweet items that I finally was able to complete this past series.

Moustakas debuted during the 2011 season at Angel Stadium. It was nice for his debut to come in Anaheim since Mike was a graduate of Chatsworth High School and owned several California high school baseball records. Since he's a local boy he had plenty of family on hand to watch him debut in the MLB. His debut game was on and I was actually about to get a ball Moose hit during his BP. Not only was I able to snag a ball from his BP but I was able to get Moustakas to autograph the ball before the game on the sweetspot.

I posted previously about how nice and down to earth Moose is when he signed this 8x10 of him from 2012 Opening Day. He's a consistent signer when he's in Anaheim and I was able to get this Mike Moustakas autograph on my ticket from his MLB debut game.

Hopefully Moose will develop a more consistent bat, 2012 looked to be a breakthrough year for him and he even was nominated for a Gold Glove award, but he's had a bit of a regression year in the first half of 2013. Seeing as he was the 2nd pick of the 2007 draft I'm sure the Royals hope he can put it all together and will give him everything he needs to reach his fully potential. I think he's got the strength and tools to develop into a solid career 3rd baseman.

RBI (99) The Undisputed Champ..

I know there are several readers out there who also read David's and Zim's blog since they graph more than just baseball like I tend to focus on. One thing that I enjoy doing is seeing what other celebrity's are at the Angel game since there tend to be a random cool person at least once a home stand. LA may get it's notables but so far I've been able to meet Tommy Lasorda, Jon Daniels, and this time former WBC Welterweight Champion Victor 'Vicious' Ortiz at an Angels game.

With a professional record of 29-4-2, Ortiz is a top contender winning the Welterweight title in ESPN's fight of the year over Andre Berto in 2011. He then had a very controversial fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. where the fierce southpaw lost the title by a KO that split boxing fans over the fight's outcome. His follow up fight for the vacant WBC Silver Welterweight title against Josesito Lopez was stopped as Ortiz's jaw was broken and he couldn't come back out of his corner to continue the fight.

Vicious was actually really nice and was taking photos and signing autographs for any fans that come by to wish him well and meet him. I had him sign my ticket from the game since I was out of balls and didn't realize he would be at the game so I didn't bring a photo or anything for him.

Ortiz is a top contender and I'm sure when he's healthy he will get another shot at the title. I'm actually a big fan of boxing so this was definitely a pleasant surprise to meet him and score his autograph. He was cool enough to inscribe "Vicious" under his name.

RBI (91) 100 Years of Fenway and a Red Sox Hall of Famer...

There's no witty tie in for this one, just a few facts.

Fact I just went to Boston for vacation.

Fact my streak of consecutive games with an autograph is over. I went to the night game of the Red Sox-Yankee Saturday double header and didn't get anything. I didn't try any pre or post game graphing and inside I only saw Robinson Cano sign 3 autographs while walking into the dugout.

Fact the next night I decided to treat myself on said vacation to one more game during Fenway Park's 100th Anniversary. I went to a ticket reseller since I knew I didn't have enough cash on hand to get a ticket on the street and was informed of another fact.

Fact the only tickets available were in a suite.

Fact I sat in a suite in Fenway Park.

Fact I have a new streak going.

Story time.

I was informed that the only tickets that were still available were in a suite that the company bought and was selling off. I decided I didn't care and HAD to get into the game to watch the greatest rivalry in sports in the greatest baseball park in the greatest city. Life in the suite. Awesome. Worth every penny.

I however was called during the game and stepped outside to watch the game on the flat screen through the window and take the call. While on the call I saw what? Just a crowd of people asking for an autograph on the floor below me. I immediately turned and sprinted down a pretty good distance to get to the ramp and then down. I caught my target of attention right as he was saying goodnight to a staff member and was walking toward his luxury suite.

"Mr. Tiant, can you sign my ticket please."

Louis Tiant in all his mustached glory turned around, shook his head, and said "Man you kids crazy man" as he reached his hand out toward me. He pulled out his own sharpie and autographed my ticket before putting his sharpie away. Why is this important? Because he handed the ticket back to me with one hand while I said thank you, and as he nodded with his other hand gave me a grandfatherly pat on the cheek "There you go, get out of here."

El Tiante. In Fenway Park. One on One.

For those not versed in El Tiante he is a Cuban born player who played from 1964-1982 for the Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates, and Angels. He was a 3 time All-Star, '75 Babe Ruth Award winner, and 1972 AL Comeback Player of the Year. His career line stands at 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 Strikeouts. He was the starter for Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, arguably the greatest game ever played.

He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. He has not made it into Cooperstown and it will be up to the Veterans Committee if he gets to take that plunge. Regardless I have a Louis Tiant autograph in my collection on commemorative Fenway Park ticket stock from a Yankees vs Red Sox game. Awesome.