The Mississippi Braves usually come to Smokies Park at least once a year. We weren’t real excited about them coming this year because, quite frankly, they’re terrible and they don’t have many prospects. Well, did our luck change. Rafeal Soriano, the Braves best reliever, was sent to do a rehab assignment against the Smokies (he’s been on the DL with elbow soreness).
Soriano was slated to start, which meant he probably wouldn’t be signing before the game (not to mention he’s stone-faced and never signs at Turner Field). We weren’t real sure we would be able to get him. He pitched a scoreless first inning and returned to the clubhouse. My friend Patrick and I were both pretty sure that he would skate after pitching, and sure enough we were right. Patrick had headed out to the parking lot in the second inning to wait on him. I headed off to the playground to keep my kids occupied.
While in the parking lot, Patrick, ever the salesman, struck up a conversation with Soriano’s “handler” and somehow talked him into taking some things into the clubhouse for Soriano to sign. In the meantime Patrick had called to tell me to hurry up and get to the parking lot. I left on a dead sprint and was able to get to the parking lot just in time. Upon arriving, Soriano’s boy Chang (as Patrick called him) was returning with his photos. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind taking mine in and he obliged. A few minutes later, with Soriano in tow, Chang returned with my items – 3 8×10’s and a ball. Awesome. We were pretty much the only two people in the park to get his autograph that day, and multiples on top of that!
