September 1, 2009
Back in the winter it was announced that Ryne Sandberg was going to be managing the nearby AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet him and get an autograph shortly thereafter. As the season approached I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Hall of Famer in regard to his signing habits. Boy was I surprised. Turns out, Sandberg has a real affinity for the fans and signed prior to every home game the Smokies played this year. Fans regularly lined up down the aisle by the Smokies’ dugout prior to gametime, and sure enough Sandberg would come out of the dugout and sign for as long as he was able (including multiples!). It was such a success that the Smokies’ management renamed that aisle “Sandberg Alley.” I made the trip over several times during the season and was lucky enough to get several items signed.
Although I am sure that Mr. Sandberg will never see this, I want to publicly thank him for his graciousness with the fans. It was a blessing having him here.
August 18, 2009
The Braves have recently been doing a promotional/community event called “Shopping With the Braves” with one of their corporate sponsors – Publix. About once a month, they send a couple of players out to one of the Atlanta area Publix and have them bag groceries and sign autographs. Being that the opportunity to get Braves autographs out in the community has decreased over the years, this was a welcomed event. The lineup for this event included Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, and Omar Infante. Unfortunately Prado was not able to make it over because he was suffering from some health problems incurred earlier in the week. Truth be told it was probably a blessing because had he not cancelled I wouldn’t have been able to make it through Jurrjens’ line and get my items signed. Jurrjens is, in my opinion, one of the most unheralded pitchers in baseball. He eats innings, has a miniscule ERA, and most importantly is 23 years old. I’ve become a big fan of his not only because of his success on the field, but also because he has come over to the fence several times at the Braves parking lot and signed for everybody. Good guy, great player.
August 18, 2009
One of the reasons I decided to head on down to the ATL for the “Shopping with the Braves” event was because Yunel Escobar was also going to be doing a paid, public signing at a small memorabilia show nearby. If you have read through GraphLife before, you have probably noticed that I have gotten Yunel several times before without having to pay anything; however, I thought the autograph fee was pretty low considering he has become one of the best shortstops in baseball and I had a bat I wanted him to sign. (I want to send a special thanks to the folks over at Autographhelper.com for their help with this event. If you haven’t been over to their site, please be sure to check it out. ). Anyway, the signed bat turned out real well and I even picked up several other items that were being sold at the show. All-in-all it was a pretty good day.
