Grinding it out

If there was any disappointment during our 2010 Summer of Baseball, it was the inability to complete a significant portion of the 2010 Florida State League Top Prospects set.

Give the developmental nature of the FSL, it's easy to understand that players move on. This season, the July release eliminated many autograph opportunities.

A couple of weeks ago, Dunedin's Travis d'Arnaud and Anthony Gose, part of a Phillies-Blue Jays deal that brought him from the Clearwater Threshers, added only the fifth and sixth cards of the 24-player set.

Just last month, Gose, an outfielder, was featured on the Threshers' game programs.

Using the noggin

Not content to score team-signed balls from all 12 Florida State League teams, we stumbled upon another project for our 2010 Summer of Baseball with a trip to the souvenir shop at Dunedin Stadium.

Normally an air-conditioned respite from the heavy summer air, we also find it useful for getting cards sets and checking in with friendly staff. One trip, though, we happened upon some Dunedin Blue Jays game-used batting helmets. At $25 a pop, I figured why not. One helmet would make for a good summer project.

It took Colin a few trips since mid July, but he's added 31 players to the helmet. I'm thinking, too, there's room for a couple more.

Another thing, too. That blue paint pen pops, doesn't it? Some of the D-Jays players thought so, too.

Boomer Potts, from middle left, Darrold Knowles (pitching coach), Brad McElroy, Matt Daly and Mark Sobolewski; and

Unidentified, from lower left, Shawn Hill (in Dunedin on a rehab assignment), Mike McDade, Brian Van Kirk, Justin Mashore (hitting coach), Welinton Ramirez, Joel Carreno (way up top), Chris Hopkins and Yan Gomes; and

Travis d'Arnaud (above logo), Clayton McCullough (manager, on brim), Frank Gailey, Ryan Page (lower right, on brim; and

Ross Buckwalter, from left, Chad Jenkins, Jon Talley and Chuck Huggins; and

Dan DeLucia, from left, Ryan Goins, unidentified, John Tolisano, Justin McClanahan and Tyler Pastornicky (now in Atlanta's organization).

Summer project

Before every game we attend at Dunedin Stadium, I make a point of poking my head inside the team store to inquire about a 2010 Dunedin Blue Jays team set. Up until last Thursday, I've left empty-handed.

Even though the team set isn't due to arrive until later this season, I believe this 2009 game-used D-Jays batting helmet, size 7 1/4, will keep us busy until the cards arrive. At $25, it's on the high-end of any autograph platform we'll use this summer. Still, though, it'll be a nice team piece and memento of the campaign.

I'm not sure whether we'll knock it out in one trip, as we'll be chasing team balls for Lakeland and Fort Myers in our next two trips to Dunedin. Chances are, we'll take the rest of the season to complete it.

An old friend

A trip to Dunedin Stadium to watch the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, wouldn't be complete without a visit from D-Jay, the Florida State League squad's mascot.

Special thanks to Miss Laura, one of my colleagues at the newspaper, for taking this picture of Colin with D-Jay during Karate Kid 2 Night against the Clearwater Threshers earlier this month. In case you're wondering, that's Colin, on the left, clutching a bag of Cracker Jack

A good one to get

If you're going to get one autograph at a Major League Baseball game, it might as well be a good one. Right?

At least, that's what Allan, Baseball Monday's correspondent in Toronto, relates after taking in a Tampa Bay Rays-Toronto Blue Jays game last week at the Rogers Centre. Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria signed this baseball for his wife just before the game.

It sounds like Longoria followed his pregame routine at the Trop:

"We missed batting practice, but did manage to get there when the players came out to stretch about 20 minutes before game time. We were on the Rays side and my wife got Evan Longoria's auto on a ball.

"Longoria signed for about a dozen people and then ran off to the dugout. I think everyone in the original crowd got an auto, but the secondary rush got shut out.''

Between seasons, too

I guess we're not the only hockey hounds passing the time during the offseason by adding to our baseball collections. Allan, one of Hound Central 4.0's correspondents, checked in from Toronto to share the rewards of hounding at a couple of recent Blue Jays games.

As you can see, this haul hasn't too shabby, adding balls (above) from Jays legend Roberto Alomar, top, and Scott Downs, currently in Dunedin on a rehab assignment, and John McDonald. Jays rookie Travis Snider signed the ball at left.

Without even asking

Our original intent was to add Clearwater Threshers manager Ernie Whitt to the Major League Baseball alumni ball before Wednesday's sweltering game against the St. Lucie Mets. Without even asking, hitting coach Kevin Jordan added the sixth autograph to the game-used Florida State League ball.

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.

A fan favorite

Justin Jackson, a 2007 first-round pick by Toronto, gets our vote for the friendliest player on the Dunedin Blue Jays. He always stops to say hello and signs a ton of autographs before and after every home game. I suppose it helps, too, that Jackson's grandfather, a welcome fixture at Dunedin Stadium, is one of Colin's "buddies."

That's not to say, though, that Jackson was the only D-Jay to sign before a recent home game against the Fort Myers Miracle. Nope, these players added to Colin's work-in-progress Dunedin Blue Jays team ball:

Tim Collins, Marcus Walden and Andrew Liebel; and

Leon Boyd, top, and a smudged autograph from Ryan Page.

Leading off

Just like here in the Tampa Bay area, there's no pro hockey taking place in Toronto, either. But rather than let that sideline hockey hounds, a handful have turned their attention toward baseball, specifically the Toronto Blue Jays.

Al, Hound Central 4.0's Toronto-based correspondent, files the first Major League Baseball hounding report of Baseball Mondays' 2009 summer campaign, sharing the bounty of his family's visit to a recent "Have a Ball With the Jays" event.

It looks like they had a great time, doesn't it?

This old-school Blue Jays jersey, a design from the team's earliest days in the late 1970s, turned out to be a pretty sweet item.

Signing it were Rod Barajas, #20; Jose Bautista, #23; Shawn Camp, #57; Jesse Carlson, #39; Raul Chavez, #13; Scott Downs, #37; Jason Frasor, #54; Roy Halladay, #32; Brandon League, #22; Jesse Litsch, #51; John McDonald, #6; Dustin McGowan, #29; Bill Murphy, 62; Lyle Overbay, #35; Scott Richmond, #48; Alex Rios, #15; Ricky Romero, #24; B.J. Ryan, #52; Marco Scutaro, #19; Brian Tallet, #56; and Vernon Wells, #10.

Need proof that the Blue Jays' bigger-named players attended the event? How about this photo of pitcher Roy Halladay signing a replica jersey? Works for me.

A better look at Halladay's signature on his replica jersey. Nice placement, between the name and the numbers, too.

Halladay also signed this 8x10. Not a bad haul, eh?

Johnny McDonald, or simply "Johnny Mac" within Blue Jays fandom, is known as a super nice player.

Reports say Alex Rios, on left, solidified his fan-favourite status at the event, staying almost an extra half-hour so people went home happy. The same, I've heard, can't be said for Marco Scutaro. That's Aaron Hill with Rios.

A Lyle Overbay-signed baseball.

A Vernon Wells-signed baseball.

Halladay and Rios signed the brim of this Blue Jays hat

These Blue Jays mini ice-cream-cup helmets were signed by Brandon League, #22; Rod Barajas, #20; Brian Tallet, #56; Vernon Wells, #10; Jesse Carlson, #39; and Raul Chavez, #13. Great idea.