January 15-16, 2026, Trip To RedsFest

The baseball offseason is a long one.  I'm at the point where I really want to go out and do some graphing, so when my buddy, Aidan, mentioned to me that I ought to make a trip up to Cincinnati for RedsFest, I was intrigued.  I planned the trip for over a month, and looped Jesse in on it, since he is a huge Reds fan.  I treated him to the trip as part of his Christmas gift. It was a gift to me, as well, because I enjoy his company, and that would be a long ride to take on by myself. 

Jesse and I started the trip Wednesday night, driving across the state from Greenville to my parents' farm in Yadkinville.  We got up Thurdasy morning, visited with my mom (and sister, Elly), then grandma (and Uncle Joe; Jesse loves Uncle Joe) for a bit, then headed to the card shop.  I wanted to see if I could get some 2025 Bowman Draft (not at $725/box).  They did let me take the leftover base, which helped me add a few cards to the Reds box. 

We got into Cincinnati around 7pm and had dinner.  I was glad that I over-prepared ahead of time and didn't have to prep or add anything to my book, other than the couoke of Draft cards I got earlier in the day. We could relax in the hotel and rest up for a full day of graphing. 

Jesse and I met up with Aidan Friday morning and graphed outside the hotel near the convention center.  There were a ton of other graphers there, and it was really cold. Still, we were able to get a couple guys to stop and sign, which took the edge off of the huge lot of stuff I brought to get signed. 

RedsFest was very similar to Orioles FanFest, except that the autograph sessions are free to the first 225 folks to get in line, and you don't know who's going to be in each session until 30 minutes before the session starts.  You sign up for the text alerts and have a fighting chance to get in a line in time.  I'll say, we didn't miss getting autographs in any time slot. I was able to double up during most slots, as well, which was great.  The only session we tried to get into but skipped was one on Saturday that included Matt McLain, but we saw the mob of people heading in there, so we skipped it.

I also was cut off by the Reds employee for the line to meet Bronson Arroyo.  I went around the area and stood by the barrier until a guy that was working for Arroyo (he was selling copies of his LPs and CDs at the show). The guy took my card and had Arroyo sign it, a 2010 Topps Walmart black parallel.  Arroyo turned around and told me "that's a weird card man".  I agreed, then asked him what his favorite Pearl Jam song is.  He started by saying "all of them" then pivoted and told me "Black is always a transcendent experience", which was cool as hell.

Aside from the Bowman Draft cards I picked up as we were leaving Winston-Salem, I had prepped and brought 706 cards with me to split between me, Jesse, Aidan, Aidan's brother Riley and Aidan's friend Marcus.  I just happened to pull a few Pierce Johnson cards and prepped them, just in case he showed up.  He was a signing the week before the event, and he did show up.

Devin Mesoraco was one of the guys we got outside of the hotel Friday morning. He signed everything we had.  I even found the smeared 2012 Heritage on the ground after everyone else left, so it went into my slider box.

Every player we met was really nice.  A couple folks on Instagram commented that I was lucky to get a couple of the guys, so it seems that RedsFest does facilitate getting autos from some guys a little better.

For most of the players, I put out no more than 4 cards, with the majority of them being 3 on a page.  The only guys who limited were Graham Ashcraft (1), Tony Santillan (1), JJ Bleday (2), JJ Hoover (2) and Tucker Barnhart (1).

I actually didn't keep the Tucker Barnhart that I got done.  He signed a 2023 Topps Heritage that is going to Max for his Cubs collection. I also got Barnhart's 2022 Topps signed by his little boy who was coloring the table with a Sharpie as hus dad was signing. I asked him if he wanted to sign a card, and I think that made his day.

Aidan's buddy Marcus slipped a custom card of "Big Sugar" Zach Maxwell into my book when I wasn't looking.  I was glad to get it signed, and it drew a response from Maxwell. That was really nice of Marcus.

Finally, the last auto of the show was this custom of my buddy, Aidan.  He and I have graphed together quite a bit over the last year, and I am happy that we have hit it off.  He is a pitcher for Wake Tech, and hopes to get picked up by a 4-year university after this season.  I hope he does, as well.

I'm glad I was able to take Jesse with me, and make this part of his Christmas gift.  I know he had an amazing time (he met TJ Friedl, and found a pair of game used cleats from Blake Dunn's first MLB home run game). We are already talking about going back up to Cincinnati soon.

In all, I got the following autographs: Today's graphing recap of RedsFest: Julian Aguiar x 2, Graham Ashcraft x 1, Benson Barnhart x 1, Tucker Barnhart x 1, JJ Bleday x 2, Keith Brown x 2, Danny Graves x 3, JJ Hoover x 2, Zach Maxwell x 3, Luis Mey x 3, Dave Miley x 1, Tony Santillan x 1, Jose Trevino x 1, Aidan Warnock x 1, Bronson Arroyo x 1, Leonardo Balcazar x 1, Skeeter Barnes x 2, Tyler Callihan x 3, Blake Dunn x 5, Alfredo Duno x 1, Luke Hayden x 2, Luke Holman x 1, Pierce Johnson x 3, Carlos Jorge x 3, Tyson Lewis x 3, Devin Mesoraco x 8, Sam Moll x 4, Mason Morris x 4, JP Ortiz x 3, Connor Phillips x 3, Hector Rodriguez x 2, Ben Rortvedt x 2 and Chris Welsh x 1 (76 total autographs).

July 23, 2024, Graphing of the Legends at Dirty Birds

On my way to Cleveland for the 2024 National, I met up with my friend, Michael, in Charleston to catch the Lexington Legends at Charleston Dirty Birds.  Greg Zaun is managing the Legends and Arthur Rhodes is their pitching coach.  These were two former Orioles that I wanted to get to sign some cards. 

I cleaned out the rest of the Charleston cards that I had, including a couple more Delino Deshields, Jr. that I found in a box just a couple days before i left for the show.  I was also happy that I finally got my David Lebron Frederick Keys team set card signed.

It took me a while to find some Zaun cards, but I found enough for both Michael and I.  I found some JT Riddle cards in the same box I found the Deshields cards in.  I also got a Midwest League All Star team.set card signed by Brady Whalen.

When Michael and I were looking at teams to see on the way to Cleveland, I saw that former Wood Duck. Nic Laio was on Lexington.  I was able.to finally get his 2021 Wood Ducks team set card signed.  I'm down to just a couple cards left to complete that set.

While I didn't find a whole lot of Greg Zaun cards, I found a ton of Arthur Rhodes cards. 

I loaded a ton of the cards into my book, then also got some help from my friend, Josh, who lives near Charleston.

Josh and his friend Jimmy came to the game, which was the first time I've seen Josh in person since he and I went to Myrtle Beach during the full throes of COVID.  He has since gotten married and now has a one-year old son.  I wish I could have also seen his wife and son, but the little guy isn't quite old enough to catch a Dirty Birds game.  I'm glad Josh brought Jimmy along; Jimmy isn't a huge baseball fan but enjoyed himself and seems to be turning into a fan.  It really made me happy that Josh went out of his way to get to the game to see me.

In all, I got the following autographs: Delino DeShields Jr x 2, Phil Ervin x 6, David Lebron x 1, Cristofer Ogando x 1, Korry Howell x 2, Nic Laio x 3, Arthur Rhodes x 19, JT Riddle x 2, Brady Whalen x 1 and Gregg Zaun x 4 (41 total autographs).

TTM Success - Willie Adams

Willie Adams was a player that I thought I had gotten TTM before.  After a search of the blog (how convenient), I realized that I hadn't gotten him before, so I sent off the above 1997 Topps and the below 1998 Topps.  Both turned out nicely, and I believe it has been a while since either set made it onto the blog.

Adams (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1996 and 1997 for the A's.  He had a record of 6-9 with 105 strike outs and a 5.81 ERA.

I mailed to Adams on October 22 and got the cards back on December 17, for a 56-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Matheny

The signature on this 1997 Topps isn't too easy to see, but it is there, and looks good in person.  I made sure to include this card in the TTM request I sent to Mike Matheny via Royals Spring Training this year, because I rarely am able to send them out, and wanted to get this one done because it is a good shot of Matheny.

I also sent these two along; 2001 Topps and 2003 Topps.  Both look great.

Matheny (b. 1970) played in the majors from 1994 to 2006 for the Brewers, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Giants.  He had 925 hits, 67 home runs and a .239 batting average.  He was a 4-time Gold Glove Award winner (2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005).

Matheny managed the Cardinals from 2012 to 2018 and has managed the Royals since 2020.  He holds (as of today) a managerial record of 677-582 (.538 win %).  He won the NL pennant in 2013, where his Cardinals lost to the Red Sox in the World Series.

I mailed to Matheny via Royals Spring Training on February 11 and got the cards back on March 27, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - Juan Guzman

There aren't too many 1997 Topps in my autograph album, mainly because I have very few of those left over from when I built my 1997 Topps set.  So, when I'm able to find someone left in there who signs TTM, I try really hard to get one of those cards into the outgoing envelope.  I was really glad that I found this Juan Guzman to send off when I learned that he signed TTM.  The card looks great.

Guzman (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 2000 for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Reds and Devil Rays.  He had a career record of 91-79 with 1,243 strike outs and a 4.08 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1992 and won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.  His best Cy Young finish was 7th (AL) in 1993.

I mailed to Guzman on September 8 and got the card back on February 8, for a 153-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lance Johnson

I waited a long time for these to come in, but the long wait paid off when I got these nice cards in TTM from Lance Johnson.  I had gotten most of these cards from the former Greenville card shop a while back, and they all turned out really well.  I like the above 1997 Upper Deck SP.  I remember when I mailed these off, I was hoping this one would get signed, especially.  He signed everything I sent, which was nice.

I had also included a 1997 Topps Stars, 1997 Topps, 2997 Donruss Preferred, 1993 Flair and a 1996 Topps Finest.

Johnson (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1987 to 2000 for the Cardinals, White Sox, Mets, Cubs and Yankees.  He had 1,565 hits, 34 home runs and a .291 batting average.  He led the league in hits twice (1995 and 1996) and in triples 5 times (1991 to 1994 and 1996).  He was an All Star in 1996 and his best (and only) finish in the MVP voting was also that season, 18th (NL).

I mailed to Johnson on November 9, 2016, and got the cards back on January 16, 2021, for a 1,529-day TAT.  He also included someone named Ethan's letter and answered his questions.  Maybe one of these days, I'll find out who this Ethan guy is, and can get him his letter back.

Max Hits it Big

To say that 2020 has been a terrible year for graphing would be an understatement.  I have had almost zero opportunities to graph and get cards signed via 50/50s.  When my friend, Max, messaged me asking me for every Frank Thomas card that I could find, that awoke the 50/50 fire in me that had been dormant for the year.

I went through all of my boxes of cards and pulled every Thomas that I could get my hands on.  I came away with 75 cards, and Max was really happy with the results.  The cards were expedited to him, and he took them to a signing that he was attending.  Max ended up hooking me up with some of the cards I searched for, so I could add them to my album.

The best part is that a few of them actually came from my mom's collection that she had given me in an old tin cigar box.  The cigar box had a bunch of 90s cards, and Thomas was in there quite a bit.  The above 1995 Collectors Choice What's The Call card was my favorite one out of the whole bunch.  If I only had one card to choose from to take back, it would have been this one.  I was really glad to get it signed.

Max was very gracious in the cards he let me pick from.  There were a bunch of great ones, but I was allowed to get some of the best ones in the bunch.  The 1997 Topps (above, top) was the lone Topps base card that I chose.  I definitely loved the 1997 Upper Deck Define The Game (above, middle) and the 1997 Upper Deck Home Run Heroes (above, bottom).

I don't remember where the 97 Ultra Big Shots (left) came from, but it was a really awesome card.  The 1995 Stadium Club Statistical Extreme card came out of Mom's box, and just looks really great signed.  Finally, the 2017 Topps 87 insert had to come back to me, because it is the 87 design.

I'm really happy with how all of the cards came out, but I'm even happier that Max thought of me when he needed to get some Thomas cards fast.  He went above and beyond in hooking me up, and I always appreciate how we have our deals set up.  Thank you so much for thinking of me, Max!

TTM Success - Charles Nagy

He was one of the tip pitchers of the mid-90s, leading the Indians to a couple playoff berths, and has recently been a major league pitching coach.  When I saw that Charles Nagy was signing TTM, I was very excited and picked up some nice cards of his to send off.

The 1999 Stadium Club (above) turned out really well, and was a card that I had found at my LCS a while back.

I don't have many signed 1997 Topps and even fewer 1997 Topps Chrome in my album, so adding these was nice.

Finally, I had him sign a 1997 Finest Hurlers, 1997 Studio and a 2000 Topps.

Nagy (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1990 to 2003 for the Indians and Padres.  He had a record of 129-105 with 1,242 strike outs and a 4.51 ERA.  His best finish in the AL Cy Young race was 4th (1996).  He was also a three-time All Star (1992, 1996 and 1999).

I mailed to Nagy on October 15 and got the cards back on April 17, for a 185-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe Randa

Here are some nice cards that I was able to get signed TTM by Joe Randa.  I only have a handful of 1997 Topps, so I was glad to put one in the album.

The Collectors Choice card at the top of this photo is hard to tell, but I think it is a gold signature parallel.  I had it separated and top loaded for a long time, and I feel like that is why.  It is hard to tell, and even harder to tell from the scan.  Randa's 2003 Topps (bottom of photo) turned out really well.

Finally, I got a 1997 Collectors Choice and a 2002 Topps Opening Day, and they'll look cool in my album.

Randa (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1995 to 2006 for the Royals, Pirates, Tigers, Reds and Padres.  He had 1,543 hits, 123 home runs and a .284 batting average. 

I mailed to Randa on January 2 and got the cards back on March 13, for a 71-day TAT.

TTM Success - Turk Wendell

I kept putting off sending to Turk Wendell for some reason that I can't remember.  I finally sent off some cards and they came back in April.  He is kind of odd when it comes to signing; he colors the edge of each card with a marker.  I don't quite get it, but it was kind of cool.

I was able to get some turn-of-the-century cards signed, but I'm most happy about the 1997 Topps at the top of the page.  I have very few of these cards remaining, and am always glad to get one into my album.

Wendell (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1993 to 2001 and 2003 to 2004 for the Cubs, Mets, Phillies and Rockies.  He had a career record of 36-33 with 515 strike outs and a 3.93 ERA.

I mailed to Wendell on March 15 and got the cards back on April 27, for a 43-day TAT.

Texas Trip Day 2 - Meeting Raffy

The second day of our trip was exciting for me, because I planned for that day to be a trip to Cleburne, Texas.  In Cleburne, there is an independent league team, and one of their players just happened to be Rafael Palmeiro.  The stadium is new, so new that it didn't pop up in the rental car GPS.  Luckily, I had decent enough service that I used Google Maps to get there.

For an independent league team, they have a really nice stadium.  It reminded me of Jim Perry Stadium at Campbell University, where the Buies Creek Astros play.  Everything was turf, which is kind of cool.  I don't think I would want to see an all-turf field all of the time, but when it is at a game here and there, it's ok.

Everyone we talked to while we were there was very friendly.  We told anyone that would listen that we were visiting from NC.  Chris and I had gotten there several hours before the gates opened, because I thought we would have some other things to do in the area.  Unfortunately, when we got there, the temperature was 115 degrees, so after a few laps around the stadium looking for home run balls (we found three), we drove to a nearby Sonic and got some massive slushies.

We got tickets right beside the dugout, front row, for $12 a piece.  Raffy came out and signed autographs pre-game, and posed for a photo with me.  He signed 4 of the 8 cards I put out and signed as many for Chris.  While Raffy was signing for us, a girl from the promotions department had come down to talk to us about how we traveled all the way from NC.  She invited Chris to come onto the field to say play ball, which he reluctantly agreed to do.  I also told Raffy that I had been a big fan since I was really young, and we traveled all the way from NC to see him.  He thanked me, and shook my hand.

While Chris was on the field getting ready to say "play ball", Patrick Palmeiro (who is also on the Cleburne team) told Chris he would give him a bat.

The bad turned out to be a broken Rafael Palmeiro bat!!  We ended up shipping it back home the day after the game.  I was stunned by being able to take it home.

My cell phone doesn't do terribly when it comes to action shots, I've found.  Here is a pitch being delivered to Raffy, which he hit out of the park.

That's right, Rafael Palmeiro hit a home run in his first at bat while we were there.  When he returned to the dugout, he chatted with Chris, since we were beside the steps.  Chris congratulated him on the homer, and asked Raffy if he would sign the bat we had gotten.  Raffy agreed to.

The Railroaders provided a really fun experience, and a really nice ballpark.  There were train engines and cars all around the stadium, and there were a good many people there.  I bought a hat, a shirt, and a mini bat for Chris.

Here is a pic of Chris in front of the stadium as we were leaving.  I definitely would go back to Cleburne for a game, even if Raffy isn't there.  The Railroaders lost the game to the Sioux Falls Canaries 6-3.  Raffy went 1-4 with the homer, his third of the season.

Like I said above, Raffy signed 8/16 cards for us.  I wasn't sure how many to show when he was graphing, so I just laid my book out, opened, with 4 cards on each page.  He chose a page and signed/  Luckily, the pages he chose out of my and Chris's books were all of the main cards I wanted signed.  The above 2005 Bowman Heritage mahogany parallel was the #1 card I wanted to come back with signed.  I definitely wanted one in my album, and this one was really awesome paired with my Staedtler pen.

I also wanted to put this goofy Bazooka Comics insert card into my album.  I definitely didn't have one of these signed, and it actually turned out pretty nice.

Chris wanted to keep two of the cards he got done, and I sent one to my friend, Max.  We also got two extra ones signed because I loaned my pen to a lady beside us, and she had her grandson get two of my cards signed post game.  He didn't want to keep them, so that worked out for me.

My good fried, Gerard, was kind enough to figure out which players on the Railroaders and Canaries had cards, and also sent me some for 50/50s.  He had a bunch of Angelo Gumbs, who was really nice.

I actually had this card of starting pitcher, Josh Hodges.  It felt really good to get this 2009 Bowman out of my box and into my album.  That was really gratifying, especially since I went through so many cards to find one that I had of one of the Railroaders.

Stay tuned for the next day of our trip: where Chris and I were reunited with some old friends from the Wood Ducks.