Hanging out, by the dugout

We may not have scored the most autographs we'll ever get in a day, but Saturday night's trip to Tropicana Field marked a first in our hounding adventures. Rather than stand along the edge of the field, in the hopes of calling over one of the Rays young stars, we hung out at the edge of the dugout.

First off, let's just say it's pretty cool being that close to the action. You can hear the players talk among themselves. You get a very different perspective, too, watching balls splay all over the field during batting practice. If you pay close attention, you'll even see the team owner soaking up the atmosphere.

It's like you're a small part of the game.

The best part, at least as far as hounding is concerned, is being, in essence, in the front row. You're more apt to score a few autographs there, rather than reaching from three rows deep. And, as we soon came to realize during the pregame festivities, it's a highly sought-after piece of real estate -- everybody wants to stand there.

As far as sheer production from our coveted perch, I'm certain we'll have better days. But what we lacked in quantity, we made up for in quality when Tampa Bay's Delmon Young, part of the Rays core of young talent, obliged our request to add to Colin's team ball. For the record, it now has eight signatures.

We even helped one young fan get her baseball bat signed by Young, acting as the proverbial middlemen in the exchange of lumber and silver Sharpie. Unfortunately, her excitement at getting his autograph, matched only by her father's exuberance, kept her from thanking Young, or us, for our gestures.

As for hounding the Indians, another Sunday morning spent sleeping in and having some homemade sausage gravy and buttermilk biscuits proved too tempting of an offer to refuse.