April 17, 2010
It didn’t take us long this year to get down to the ATL to catch the Braves and try to get a few autographs back at the player’s parking lot. For the past few years it has been slim pickings back there as fewer and fewer players come over to sign. Your best bet is to hope that there are one or two guys who still regularly take the time to sign. Coming in to the weekend I had hoped Billy Wagner would be one of those guys and I was right. From everything I have heard he has been a great signer throughout the course of his career and that trend has continued in Atlanta. After arriving in his tricked out Ford truck, he calmy sauntered over in his cowboy boots and hat and signed for everybody. He seems like a really cool dude….so much so that my buddy Patrick decided that upon getting back home he was going to go buy a Ford truck and trick it out just like Wagner. Anyway, here are a couple of things I was able to pick up:
February 4, 2010
As opposed to hosting a FanFest in Atlanta this year, the Braves decided to instead send out teams of players to various locations around the Southeast. One team made up of Frank Wren, Jason Heyward, and 1st Round draft choice Mike Minor was deployed to Nashville. Although I wasn’t able to make it because it was during the workweek, a good friend of mine was able to navigate the crowd pretty easily and pick up a few autographs for me.
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.
