Okay, so we didn't load up on baseball autographs over the weekend. That doesn't mean, though, that we got shut out.
With the Boston Red Sox in town, and staying at the Don Cesar on St. Pete Beach rather than the usual Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg, opportunities were available. But given the weather (hot, muggy and thunderstorms) and the fact we slept in Sunday morning, our productivity wasn't as good as I had hoped.
That's why I jumped at the opportunity to snag Red Sox legend Rico Petrocelli, who was signing before Sunday's Red Sox-Devil Rays game, for the first signature on a Red Sox batting helmet. As expected, he was gracious and personable. The signature, too, was letter-perfect, well worth the $10 donation to the Jimmy Fund.
Following the game, in which the Rays won 5-2, we also scored a couple autographs from Tampa Bay players, most notably B.J. Upton, on a baseball. Unfortunately, Rays stars (yes, they do have a few) Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir and Delmon Young declined to sign for us.
The biggest reason for their denials, I suppose, was that we committed a cardinal sin of hounding -- we were wearing Red Sox jerseys. I try not to wear team-specific gear when hounding, but yesterday was a spur-of-the-moment session.
Again, I'll chalk it up to experience.
Looking ahead, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles will be in town this week. Colin and I would head out for the Jays this afternoon, but I've got to work some overtime tonight. Maybe I'll head out some time this week for the Jays. As for the Orioles, Sunday morning, provided we don't sleep in again, looks pretty good right now.
P.S. I added a photo of the ball that San Diego's Trevor Hoffman signed to Colin.
P.S.S. Checking out the Rays Web site, I thought this was a pretty cool offer. It's too bad, though, that we already have something similar.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Some's better than none
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3 comments:
Crawford has always been tough to get on the road. I got him once (in four tries) in Boston, and even then you could tell he didn't want to sign and only did one card.
Kazmir was decent in 2005.
Always heard good things about Upton (hopefully it holds true TTM as I'm planning on trying all of them and Aki Iwamura TTM soon).
Hey -
I am visiting the Tampa area from the 21st-24th of August. Have you had any success with Don Zimmer at the ballpark? I have a Brooklyn Dodgers item I'm trying to get signed and I'm curious to know if you've had any success with him there.
Thanks
Nick
Nick:
To be honest, I've yet to see Don Zimmer at all this year. Granted, we've only been to a handful of games and hounded the Rays later even fewer times.
It's unfortunate that you won't be in town for a Saturday game. The Rays usually bring in a notable ex-player (last Saturday it was Jim Palmer) to sign autographs before the game.
My advice, bring whatever item you'd like to get signed. Maybe you'll see him, maybe you won't. It also never hurts to reach out to the team, through an e-mail or call, and explain what you're doing. The worst they'll say is no.
Pre- and post-game, you might want to hang out around the Rays parking lot. You'll find it between Gates 2 and 3. A chain-link fence seperates players from fans. It's a shot in the dark, but Zimmer might park there.
Hope this helps.
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