Bring plenty of liquids, sunscreen

It wasn't all that long ago that the Tampa Bay Rays were pushing a waterfront stadium proposal in downtown St. Petersburg. Though the view would have been nice, the open-air concept would have meant one thing -- games would be played in Florida's sweltering summertime conditions.

Long gone would have been the climate-controlled conditions -- a comfortable 72 degrees -- at the Rays' current home, Tropicana Field. In its place, fans would have to face 90-plus degree matinees, stifling humidity and exposure to other elements that a planned "sail" over the playing field wouldn't subside.

Thankfully, the open-air stadium concept was confronted by the reality of Florida's brutal summers. Though efforts are still under way exploring the possibility of a new stadium for the Rays, this survival-of-the-fittest approach has been scrapped. The latest talk focuses on a retractable roof.

Still, that doesn't mean that Florida's summers won't become a factor sometime in the future. That's why we'll be conducting our own experiment this week, when the St. Lucie Mets travel to Clearwater for a matinee match-up.

In our test, we'll keep inning-by-inning track of the daytime temperatures at Bright House Field, using two sets of readings -- one from seats in the direct sunlight and the other from the comfort of shade. And, at the end of the day, I imagine we'll form the opinion that open-air baseball in Florida isn't the brightest of ideas.

Simply put, it's just too darn hot.

These work just fine

With Colin securing another seven Florida State League balls, including five foul balls, over two games last week, we decided to use a few for single-signed balls last Saturday when the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, played host to the Sarasota Reds.

As you can see, three Dunedin players -- Kevin Ahrens, from left, Justin Jackson and Moises Sierra -- were more than happy to honor our requests. This week, we're hoping to add Clearwater's Dominic Brown and St. Lucie's Reese Havens to the single-signed ball collection.

Game-used baseballs weren't the only items we got signed as Jesus Gonzalez (#24) and Raul Barron (bottom right) were among the 11 players to add to the Dunedin Blue Jays mini team bat. Among those also signing the mini bat were C.J. Ebarb, Justin Jackson, Jon Jaspe, Lance Loftin, Bradley McElroy and Manny Rodriguez.

Hopefully, we'll find room and time for Tim Collins, Adam Loewen and Eric Thames before season's end.

Another one's done

Here's another instance where a few minutes of hustle as pregame warmups came to a close, at the tail end of our double-dipping efforts for the visiting Fort Myers Miracle and the hometown Yankees, helped us knock out the rest of the 2009 Tampa Yankees team ball.

With these five signatures, we're closing the book on this ball at 19 signatures:

Damon Sublett;

Adam Olbrychowski, Walter Ibarra and Austin Romine; and

Daniel Brewer.

Making a dent

Given that we picked up a free team set for the 2009 Tampa Yankees, we have plenty of cards for the players in pinstripes to sign.

The first three players to sign the team set, shown above, were, from left, Mitch Hilligoss, Austin Romine and Damon Sublett. And, as you can see, Romine, the No. 4 prospect in the New York Yankees organization, also signed a couple other cards for us.

Now, all we have to do is find time for one last trip to Tampa so we can knock out more of the set.

Better late than never

Earlier this Florida State League season, when Colin's Nana and Babop, a couple of Yankees fans, were visiting from New England, we took them to see a Tampa Yankees game.

During the game, Tampa's Mitch Hilligoss, an infielder, tossed Colin a ball as we sat behind the Yankees' dugout. Last Wednesday, as part of our double-dipping duties, we were finally able to have Holligoss sign it for Colin.

A minor Miracle

Most times, we try to stick to a single team when it comes to hounding at Florida State League games. Now that we're nearly the final third of our Baseball of Summer, though, we're finding it necessary, in the interest of finishing some team balls, to hound both teams.

Last Wednesday, with the Fort Myers Miracle in Tampa to play the Yankees, was one of those instances where we had to practice a little double-dipping. We still had some room on a team ball, started earlier in the season before a game against Dunedin, and we had a couple of cards we wanted to get signed.

That's why we split up our pregame hounding efforts, so we could add these to the Miracle team-signed ball, giving us a total of 18 signatures:

Joe Benson, Allan de San Miguel and Deibinson Romero, for the second time;

Estarlin De Los Santos; and

Dakota Watts and Evan Brigley.

Worth the effort

I must admit that we squeezed in a little more time than planned for the Fort Myers Miracle during last week's visit to Tampa.

Though we had decent luck with them in our first trip, when the Miracle played Dunedin in a sweltering matinee, we still had a few items, namely these cards for Joe Benson and Ben Revere.

The bat, from Rene Leveret, was a bonus, one of two he broke during the game. And though he told Colin that the team doesn't want players giving away bats, he relented and signed it for him.

Mop-up duty

Though this isn't a reflection of her efforts, we must give Momma all the credit for knocking out the 2009 Clearwater Threshers team-signed baseball last week. While Colin and I were busy working a Sarasota Reds team ball, Momma, armed with a roster and a short list of players, snagged autographs from these five players:

Steve Susdorf;

Carlos Monasterios and Dominic Brown, the top-rated prospect, according to Baseball America, in the Philadelphia Phillies organization; and

Michael Schwimmer and Michael Durant.

Change in plans

Back in April, in the earliest days of our Summer of Baseball, building a collection of team-signed balls was not among the goals of the project. No, the project was more about hanging out, watching a ton of baseball and, if we were lucky, adding a few baseball autographs to the collection.

Initially, we figured we'd put together team balls from our three local Florida State League teams -- the Clearwater Threshers, Dunedin Blue Jays and Tampa Yankees. Yes, that was the plan.

Here we are, though, in the last week of July. Thanks to a seemingly never-ending supply of foul balls and 16 members of the Sarasota Reds, the FSL (Advanced-A) affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, Colin completed his 10th team ball of our Summer of Baseball:

Jorge Orta and Rafael Gonzalez;

Jake Kahaulelio, Jake Long, Justin Reed, Josh Beal and Joseph Krebs (Like how everyone's first name begins with a J? Pure luck, I promise.);

Devin Mesoraco, Shane Carlson, Mace Thurman and Neftali Soto; and

Steven Otterness, Dennis Phipps, Kyle Day, Dave Sappelt and Jason Louwsma.

Remember him?

Most every Florida State League team roster carries a former big leaguer on its coaching staff, hence our work-in-progress Major League Baseball Alumni team ball project.

Sarasota's batting coach Jorge Orta, who played for five teams in his 15-year career and won a World Series ring with the 1985 Kansas City Royals, became the latest ex-player to add to the project.

Pretty sweet signature, too, if you ask me.

Three-bagger

Besides getting a team ball signed by the Sarasota Reds, we were also able to snag Devin Mesoraco and Neftali Soto, two of the squad's top players, on these cards. Cincinnati picked Mesoraco 15th overall in 2007.

This isn't brain surgery

Even if it sounds like we're bragging, it's hard to argue against the simple methodology Colin and I use to fill up a team ball. Need proof? How about this team ball signed by 17 members of the Brevard County Manatees, the Florida State League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers?

Really, it was pretty simple. We show up near the visiting team's dugout just before the team begins its pregame warmups. Armed with a roster, I feed Colin the names of players heading out to the field. He then addresses them by name, asking politely if they'll sign his team ball. Very few, to date, have refused this requests.

We must confide, too, that we gambled a bit with this ball, believing at the time it was our final foul ball of the season. No need to worry, though. By game's end, in which the Manatees lost to the Clearwater Threshers, Colin had added collected another three foul balls.

Here's who signed the Brevard County team ball, the ninth of our Summer of Baseball:

Eric Ferris on the sweet spot;

Martin Maldonado, Brent Brewer and Logan Schafer;

Lee Haydel, Mark Willinsky, Brandon Rapoza and Roque Mercedes;

Alex Periard, Caleb Grindl, Derrick Alfonso, Chris Errecart and Zelous Wheeler; and

Pitching coach Fred Dabney, Rafael Lluberes, Omar Aguilar and Steffan Wilson.

A couple more cards

Little by little, we keep knocking out cards in the 2009 Florida State Lague Top Prospects set. In this case, it was Brevard County's Eric Farris, left, and Caleb Gindl who added to our efforts before a game last week against the Clearwater Threshers.

Quick fill

It's not so remarkable that Colin pulled in the fullest team ball of our Summer of Baseball when the Lakeland Flying Tigers visited Dunedin earlier this month. After all, this is the Florida State League, where the autographs come pretty easy, especially for a little kid.

What makes this baseball, one of the 15 foul balls (so far) that he's snagged over the summer, so remarkable is how he got the signatures on it. Dodging an occasional raindrop and ankle-deep puddles, Colin got the players to sign it within a 25-minute span before umpires and managers called the game because of rain.

All told, Colin scored 21 autographs from players in the Detroit Tigers pipeline:

Flying Tigers manager Andy Barkett;

Scott Green, Joseph Tucker, Audy Ciriaco, Christopher White, Justin Henry and Brett Jacobson;

Kody Kaiser (yes, it's upside down), Josh Workman, Michael Bertram and Chris Carlson;

For the sake of accuracy and clarity, here's Kaiser's signature viewed right side up;

Maiko Loyola, Andrew Hess, Jeremy Lasler, Devin Thomas and Adrian Casanova; and

Trevor Feeney, Jared Gayhart, Nolan Cain, Lester Oliveros and Chad Linder.

Chipping away

Thanks to the release and our subsequent purchase of the 2009 Florida State League Top Prospect set, we found ourselves with a little project over the summer -- getting it signed.

Well, it didn't take long to realize that we wouldn't complete the set, given the promotion of some of the players as well as missing out on teams so deep into the summer.

Still, that doesn't mean we not trying to get as many cards signed as we can. Here, Audy Ciriaco , a member of the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit's Advanced-A affiliate), did his part to help in our endeavours.

We have a couple more to show off, thanks to a pair of Brevard County Manatees players, but that will wait until next Monday. Also, with two games over the next week, conditions exist to add a few more.

Not a total washout

Just because Mother Nature decided to go deep before last Thursday's Florida State League game between the Daytona Cubs and the Tampa Yankees, it didn't mean we didn't score a few autographs.

In fact, one of them came from Daytona third baseman Josh Vitters, a highly touted first-rounder, who's drawing rave reviews not just as a Chicago Cubs prospect but as a top 10 in Major League Baseball as well.

We also started a Daytona Cubs team ball, but the rainout kept us from completing the project. Weather permitting, we'll finish it Aug. 8, when the Cubs play the Dunedin Blue Jays.

It's a start

Last year, Colin and I spent a long, muggy afternoon at the tail end of the All Star break working a team-signed ball from the Tampa Bay Rays. This season, however, the ball is going to take a little longer.

Colin scored the first four signatures of another of our Summer of Baseball projects before last Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, again weathering a fairly muggy day and a considerably bigger crowd of hounds.

Still, the four players who did stop to sign provided a decent start to the project:

Shawn Riggans, top, and Akinori Iwamura (top photo, signing for fans in the Rays' parking lot); and

Gabe Gross, top, and Carl Crawford.

The ball, as well as a few other items, were part of our so-called doubleheader day. After attending the Jays-Rays game, we traveled to Tampa to dodge some raindrops and hound the Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League. After the Cubs-Yankees game was rained out, we turned our attention to hockey, namely the Tampa Bay Lightning's Young Guns camp.

Taking full advantage

When it comes to getting autographs, Colin often employs an advantage that is often unfair to others.

First, he's a kid and that scores major points with big league ballplayers. He's quick with "please" and "thank you" any time he gets an autograph, too. His advantage, however, goes beyond that -- his handdrawn team sheets, especially ones with an old-school logo, are a big hit, so to speak, with players.

Granted, he may have had only four Toronto Blue Jays players sign his most recent work of art, but he was among the first to get an autograph from four pitchers before last Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Who signed? How about, from left, Brandon League, Jason Frasor, Jesse Carlson and Scott Downs.

Making the most of our time

We took a chance, really we did, by driving up to Dunedin last Thursday. It had rained for nearly two days straight and the skies looked threatening. Still, though, we didn't let that, or the two inches of standing water near the Mets' bullpen, stop us.

Though we dodged raindrops before, during and after the shortened game, Colin, using a foul ball, was rewarded for our efforts, completing a team-signed ball from the St. Lucie Mets, the Florida State League affiliate of the New York Mets, in less than 30 minutes of rain-free hounding.

The 17 members of the St. Lucie squad to sign the team ball, the seventh of our Summer of Baseball, were:

St. Lucie manager Tim Teufel, one of two balls he signed for us, on the sweet spot;

Phil Regan, Reese Havens and Kirk Nieuwenhuis;

Juan Lopez, Zach Lutz and Brahiam Maldonado;

Angel Calero, Manuel Alvarez, Jake Eigsti, Hector Pellot and Rafael Arroyo; and

Julio Rivera, Brant Rustich, Carlos Guzman, Jordan Abruzzo and Tim Stronach.

We didn't get rained out

Just because a game gets rained out, it doesn't mean that you can't get autographs. Take this Dunedin Blue Jays mini bat, for instance. Colin was able to get 11 players, including John Tolisano, to sign it as umpires and managers gathered to call a rain-shortened game last week.

Others to sign were Kevin Ahrens, Alan Farina, Jesus Gonzalez, Darold Knowles, Andrew Liebel, Matt Liuzza, Omar Malave, Ryan Page, Sean Shoffit and Moises Sierra.

We also had Shoffit sign this card from the Dunedin Blue Jays' 2008 team set. Thankfully, too, there are a few other players remaining from the 2008 squad: Kyle Ginley, Gonzalez, Knowles, Malave and Kenny Rodriguez.

As we're starting to run out of items for the D-Jays, we're looking forward to the 2009 team set. That should give us something to work on during our remaining visits to Dunedin Stadium.

School ties

One of the first things I check when researching a visiting Florida State League team is whether or not any of the coaches are former Major League Baseball players.

In the case of the St. Lucie Mets, the Advanced-A affiliate of the New York Mets, former big leaguer Tim Teufel fit the bill, becoming the third person to sign MLB Alumni ball.

I was able to easily call over Teufel after telling him that we were fellow alums of St. Petersburg Junior College, now known as St. Petersburg College, and sharing a memory of Ed Davis, Teufel's coach during his days playing for the Trojans.

"Wow, hearing that name has brought back some memories," Teufel said.

Next trip, though, I'll have to get Phil Regan, one of St. Lucie's coaches, on the MLB Alumni ball.

Not too hard to figure out

Of all the teams playing in the Florida State League, one might think that a local team -- either the Clearwater Threshers, Dunedin Blue Jays or Tampa Yankees -- would capture Colin's fancy.

Nope, his favorite team -- the Charlotte Stone Crabs -- shows the extent of how deep his loyalties run. As the Advanced-A farm club for the Tampa Bay Rays -- his favorite MLB team, Colin says that's the biggest reason why he's a big fan of the Stone Crabs.

I'm sure, though, that after watching them play six times now is another factor. Given all of the times we've seen them play, it's no wonder that he's running out of items to get signed:

Colin got 15 players, including his favorite Shawn O'Malley, to sign his Stone Crabs alternate cap. Other notable signers included Cody Cipriano, Brian Flores, Emeel Salem and Gregory Sexton.

The only card we got signed during the Stone Crabs' visit to Dunedin came from outfielder Reid Fronk, part of the Florida State League's 2009 Top Prospect set.

We had another set card for Charlotte's Alex Cobb, and had asked him to sign it as he made his way from the dugout to the bullpen. He said he couldn't sign during a game (it never hurts to ask) and that he would after the game.

Given that FSL players routinely go out of their easy to sign, it was disappointing when Cobb didn't honor his statement.