Orioles Fan Fest 2017 Recap

Another Orioles Fan Fest is in the books and this year, the haul was much smaller than in years past.  I switched from getting mainly balls signed to cards and since they take up less space, the haul looks significantly different.  Additionally, there wasn't a whole lot that called out to me in the game used room that I just HAD TO HAVE, so that kept my haul smaller as well.

I went to Fan Fest with my son, Chris, along with my good friend and fellow blogger, Ryan (O No Another Orioles Blog) and Ryan's friends Scott and Austin.  I got a call from my buddy, Michael during one of the autograph sessions when he told me that he had picked up a Nolan Reimold St. Patrick's Day autographed game used hat.  Michael was kind enough to sell it to me at cost, and I picked it up from him later in the day.  This is my first game used hat, and I'm on the fence as to how I want to display it.  I may opt to spend the money and get it shadow boxed, but I'm not certain yet.

There was a game used Nolan Reimold bat at the Orioles Authentics booth, but I didn't want to spend the money on it, especially since Michael had sent me one for my birthday.  The salesman heard me telling Ryan that I was interested, so he tried to make a deal with me.  Unsold, I decided to play up to him and see if he would lower the price on this game used jersey.  He named a price and I instantly jumped on it.  I have a Nolan batting practice jersey, and now I have this one.  I want to get this shadow boxed, so I have already put a call in to my buddy, Ross, to see what pricing would be for that.

 I did opt to get two baseballs signed.  When autograph vouchers went on sale, I had my mom enlisted to help me get vouchers since the ticket brokers and bots like to ruin the process for everyone and buy everything up within seconds.  The ticket buying experience was far more difficult this year than in years past, so when Mom went to get a voucher for Hyun Soo Kim, she accidentally got Zach Britton instead.  Not to worry, I needed to upgrade my Britton ball that I got years ago, so I got this 2016 All Star ball instead.  It turned out great, I think.

 I got another 2016 All Star ball signed by Brad Brach.  I figured it would be great to get him on a ball since relievers have a hard time getting selected for the game, unless they are closers.  This ball turned out great, as well.

This was the biggest piece (in gravity and actual size) that I wanted to get signed.  This is my lineup card from the Oct 4, 2015 game against the Yankees in which Chris Davis hit two home runs and Chris, Michael and I were caught celebrating on MASN.  I had two vouchers for Davis, so I had Chris help me by getting the photo signed.  The photo didn't turn out as great as I would have hoped, but oh well.  You can see the signature if you look really closely at the bottom.

Here is where I will briefly express my disappointment with this year's Fan Fest.  The handlers at the event were awful, for the most part.  I understand the policy on one autograph per voucher, but in all of the past Fan Fests that I have gone to, they at least would let you take home a signed post card in addition to your item.  Additionally, most players would add inscriptions to your item with no problems.  The handler for Davis was especially rude in that she wouldn't let Davis inscribe "hit 2 homers" to my lineup card and she wouldn't let Chris take a post card.  Topping it all off, after the session was over, Austin, who is 7 or 8 waited outside of the table area and asked Davis if he would sign his playoff baseball for him.  The lady refused to let Davis sign the ball, and caused Austin to cry in the process.  I get that these guys are busy and are scheduled to do other things at the event, but this was after the last session, and she could have kept her mouth shut and let Davis sign the ball.  My issue isn't with Davis at all.  I heard from a friend who has a relationship with a couple players who told me that many of the players were frustrated with the handlers this year.  My hope is that this can be fixed so that folks can enjoy the experience a little more.  I understand that there is a "one per" policy, but I am seeing other folks at other Fan Fests (Cubs Convention comes to mind) where folks have been able to "rack."  Ryan and I summed it up by saying that we have Davis with the O's another 6 years, so whatever we want signed, we have a good shot to pick it up later.

With my foray into signed baseball cards, I am now looking to get some stuff signed that I feel like would look great in m album.  One such card that kept calling out to me was this 2011 Topps Lineage Black Diamond Ubaldo Jimenez.  I'm not an Ubaldo fan at all, but I paid the $20 for his session just so I could add this card to my album.  I already had a voucher for this time period, so I had to enlist my little buddy, Brian, to go through this line for me.  His payment?  He was able to meet Jim Palmer and get his autograph.  Fair trade off, I think.

One problem I had was that I ran out of cards of some guys that I wanted to get signed, or I couldn't find them in time.  No fear, though, I grabbed a bunch of generic Orioles cards, like these 2009 Upper Deck Orioles cards.  I think other folks should take notice in that there are a bunch of ways that you can retain an auto, and sometimes cards like this work out great.  The top one is Christian Walker (I have plenty of his cards, but for whatever reason, I couldn't find the box his were in during the week that I was compiling everything I was going to send.  The bottom card is Joe Gunkel.  I was expecting a card in the mail from my good friend, Dugan, but for whatever reason, it still hasn't arrived.  I got this Upper Deck signed for him as well, which I hope he will enjoy.

The way the handlers were herding us in and out of the autograph sessions really hurt my ability to whip my phone out and take pictures.  The only one that took decently was this one of Chris getting Mike Bordick in the Kids Line.  Bordick was also the only player who would sign whatever was put in front of him.

Chris had three Bordick cards in his hand and asked Mike to sign the 1994 Topps Finest, but Bordick signed all of the cards.  This was great, because I didn't have many 1999 Topps,  but couldn't pass up the Finest.  Chris did a great job helping Ryan and I get cards signed.  He has gotten to where he understands the process and doesn't mind getting things signed for us old folks.  He told me this morning to hold onto all of the signed stuff that he got because he knew I would add them to my albums and take care of them.  He's a sweet kid, and very thoughtful.

I had a session with Christian Walker, and had already set aside two cards for that session.  I forgot that I already had the 2015 Topps that my buddy Dilan got for me at a Norfolk game.  Had I known that, I would have looked a little harder for my box.

I met up with a fellow Instagrammer at Fan Fest, a guy names Andy that I just completed my first deal with.  He was actually beside me in the merchandise room first thing in the morning, then we kept bumping into him during the day.  Finally, Michael needed someone to catch the Davis session for him, as he was committed to the Trumbo session, but didn't want to waste his pass.  I was able to broker a deal where Andy went through the line, got to meet Davis, and he would get Michael's item signed.  Win-win for all parties involved, I think.  Andy was able to get a card signed as well; I believe the handler wasn't paying attention at that time.  Andy got the 1996 Donruss signed and gave it to me afterward.  Chris got the Rookie Class, and I got the 1997 Topps.  I only had two other 1997 Topps, so adding this was a good addition to the album.

I had a choice to use my last remaining OMLB from the National to get Kevin Gausman, but I opted to keep it for a future TTM and get Kevin on a couple nice cards.  I wanted to add another 2016 Topps and saw this 2013 Finest orange parallel that I couldn't pass up.  I pre-treated this and all of the other Finest cards that I brought with baby powder.  It really worked, as is evident by Kevin's signature.

I had doubled up on signing times, with the Zach Britton session the same time as Gausman, so Ryan and Chris used those vouchers for me while I got Britton on my ball.

Brad Brach and Mike Wright were also signing during the Gausman session, so Ryan and Chris got these cards signed.  Ryan was kind enough to donate these 2011 Bowman Draft cards and get the done for me.  I had the 2012 Topps gold Brach in my rookie box that I had pulled out for a later TTM, but now, I don;t have to sent it out.

I believe Chris went through the kids line 4 times this year, and I was happy that I worked hard to find cards of guys I thought would be there.  I did really well, I think.  He was able to get this 1991 Topps by Scott Coolbaugh; this 2001 Topps Opening Day Orioles Logo by John Parrish and this 1988 Topps Traded by Joe Orsulak.

Last, but not least, here is the 2015 Topps Update that I got done by Logan Verrett and a 1996 Finest by Jeff Manto.  The Manto had the old protective film on it for 21 years before I removed it last Thursday.  The card looked like a gem mint 10 and now, with the auto, looks really amazing.  I sincerely enjoy seeing Finest cards signed.  I am going to have a goal to add more of these (and other Chrome cards) to the album.

So, lots of folks have asked me my take on this year's Fan Fest.  It wasn't the best one I have been to, but it wasn't terrible.  I'm trying really hard to not let the actions of some of the handlers get me down.  I was really happy with all of the cards that I got signed, and the few items I picked up.  Not pictured are a new hoodie that I got on sale, and a couple items I picked up for some good friends.  In the end, I had a great time with my son.  I also enjoyed seeing and spending time with Ryan.  He's a great friend that I don't get to talk to as often as I would like, since both of our lives get in the way.  Finally, I was able to see Michael, and also meet Andy in person for the first time.  I think that this was a really productive Fan Fest, even though the haul was "smaller" and I am exhausted from the work I put in.

**A special thanks to Mom for picking up the Britton session and letting me pay her back by buying dinner for my sister and niece last weekend.  Thanks Momma!

Christmas Gift From Judson

I got an awesome Christmas care package a few weeks ago from fellow blogger Judson (My Cardboard Habit).  In the package was a bunch of really cool Orioles cards that I needed.  The above Cal Ripken coin card is really cool, and one that I hadn't seen before.  It is a nice (and heavy) card that I can add to the Cal PC.

Judson included two Christian Walker chrome autos, one of which is the above refractor numbered 92/499.  This card itself is really nice in person.  I'm not sure what will happen with Walker, but I still like him.

This pink parallel of Delmon Young is a really cool addition.  Take away the fact that Young has perennial anger issues and has made terrible life choices, his double in the 2014 playoffs will go down as one of the most memorable games I have ever attended.  It appears that the double is depicted on this card, and I think that is really awesome.  That make three cards that I know of that show photos from games I was at (the Mark Reynolds SP from a few years ago [2013 Topps, I think] and a Brian Roberts from 2006 Upper Deck).  This card is numbered 19/50.

Thanks for the package, Judson!

Christmas Package From Robert

I got an awesome Christmas care package from my little buddy, Robert, the other day and was really excited to see what he included.  Robert is fairly new to my little Instagram chat group, but he has assimilated into the group almost seamlessly.

Robert really came through and sent me some stuff that I love!  The above Christian Walker blue parallel auto from 2015 Inception just looks so cool!  It is numbered 75/150.  I actually don't think I have seen one of the blue autos yet.

Robert also included this 2009 Bowman Sterling auto of Nolan Reimold.  This is my favorite card of Reimold.  I have 6 of these now.  I still need to get myself the gold parallel.  These cards just look awesome.  Since I have so many, I ought to send one of them to be graded, you know, just for fun.  I may do that at some point.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gifts, Robert.  I appreciate it, and I am glad that we were able to meet and become friends these last few months!

A Look at the Signed Baseballs I Got at Fan Fest

When the autograph vouchers were announced for this year's Fan Fest, there weren't a lot of surprises.  Nor were there too many guys left that I hadn't met, yet, so I picked up only a select few vouchers.  I wanted to see Nolan Reimold again, so I bought the session that included him, Brady Anderson and Dylan Bundy.  Melvin Mora was making his first appearance there in a long time, so I wanted to meet him, so I got the Mora, Tim Berry and Dylan Bundy session (so two meetings with Bundy) and finally, I wanted to meet Tyler Wilson, and that session also had Jim Palmer and Christian Walker.  For each voucher I bought, I got a second, so Chris could go through the line with me.

I decided that I really liked signed specialty balls.  I was able to find a real cheap 1996 All Star baseball for Brady Anderson to sign.  As you can see above, the ball looks really good, even though Brady's signature is pretty bad.  Chris also got a plain OMLB signed for me, which was nice.  He knows that all of my stuff will eventually become his, so he did a really good job at Fan Fest in helping me find stuff, and also getting things signed.

For the people that I didn't necessarily need second signed balls of, I let Chris have an OMLB, which he got multi signed by a bunch of the guys there.  I had only taken 14 balls to Fan Fest, then sold two to Ryan, so I needed a way for Chris to enjoy the signings as well.  Also, in a rush to leave on Friday, I had forgotten the large photo that Chris had been getting signed by former Orioles.

I was able to find another specialty ball on Ebay, a 2005 All Star ball.  This one was for Melvin Mora.  I actually got complimented from a fellow O's fan on the ball, which was pretty cool.

The ball turned out really nice, I think.  I really like the different colored seams on the All Star balls.

I was able to meet Hall of Famer, Jim Palmer again, which is always a treat.  I can't count how many times I have gotten his auto at Fan Fest, but I try to every chance I get.  I also traded for a signed Palmer ball from Ryan, then also ended up with Chris's ball.  I had a pending deal with my good buddy Max for one of the Palmer balls in exchange for an upgrade to another one of my Hall of Famers (which I will show another time).  The other, I ended up making a deal with my good friend, Sam for that.  So, of the three I got, I have deals pending for two of them.  The last one I will hold onto for now.

I think, other than Nolan, I was most excited about meeting Orioles pitcher Tyler Wilson.  He just completed his rookie season, and had a pretty decent showing.  He struggled, for sure, but I think he has a bright future with the Orioles.  I had seen him (with Ryan, of course) pitch for Bowie a couple years ago, and really was impressed (much more than I was with the next day's starter, Eduardo Rodriguez),

Wilson was very nice when we signed, and I wished him well for the 2016 season.

I got another ball signed by Christian Walker as well.  His signature has changed since last year, which is interesting.  Walker has a chance to break camp with the O's, unless something drastic happens, and Chris Davis re-signs.  I doubt Davis will be back, so maybe Walker gets his shot.  Who knows.

I'm sure some folks are wondering if I got something signed by Nolan.  I did, but since I have a ton of stuff signed by him that I absolutely love, I decided to do something nice for a friend of mine.  So, I had Nolan sign a ball with a message, and I dropped it in the mail today.  I hope my friend loves it!

So, of all of the baseballs I took with me to Fan Fest, I have one left.  I will likely hold onto it for now, unless I decide to get it signed TTM by someone.

Julie Sends the First Holiday Package of the Year

I got my first holiday care package of the season in the other day from Julie.  She writes the fantastic blog "A Cracked Bat".  She was nice enough to include some really good cards.  The above Zach Britton relic from 2015 Topps Update was a nice addition to the collection.  The Orioles were kind of a middling team this past season,  but they still had 4 all stars.  Not bad!

I need to see if the other All Stars have relics.  Those would be nice cards to pick up.

Julie included this base auto from 2015 Chrome of Christian Walker.  I need to try to get the color parallels of Walker's 2015 autos, but that is something I will do later on.  Walker is a good player, but I would be completely ok with him playing this season at AAA Norfolk.  Especially if that means that Chris Davis will be coming back.  Come on guys, sign the man!

Finally, Julie sent me this really nice insert from 2015 Topps of Jason Johnson.  Johnson doesn't have a whole lot of cards these days.  He is significant for me because he was the first ever player I got an auto of IP.  He was really nice at the time, and I always hoped that he would pitch well for the O's.

Thank you so much for the care package, Julie!  I really appreciate it!

Amazing Care Package From Fred

The Instagram Card Community is a great place for trading baseball cards and memorabilia, but the average age of the users appears to be about 15 or so.  I am one of the oldest people who are trading actively on there.  One of the other folks who are about my age is Fred, who is also from NC.  He told me recently that he was preparing a care package for me, just because, and told me that I would really enjoy it.

Fred was right!

I was very surprised to find this Brooks Robinson signed OMLB.  According to Fred, he had this ball for a LONG time and decided that when he parted with it, it should go to someone who would love it.  Again, Fred was right.  I really love this baseball.  I now have three of them: this one, one my mom gave me and one that I got TTM.  This one might have the cleanest signature of all.

Fred also included this really nice Christian Walker Bowman Inception auto.  I like the design on these cards and the signature on this one is really great.  I just can't get over how amazing this care package was.  Fred is a great guy, and I'm happy that the NC and Instagram Card Communities have such a strong bond!

Instagram Trade With Dylan

I completed a trade recently with my friend, Dylan from Virginia when I sent him a Rafael Devers auto that I pulled from a pack of 2015 Contenders baseball.  In return, he hooked me up with this really nice Rickey rookie.  I had an extra one of these before, but traded it away.  This one is in much better shape, even though it didn't scan all that great.

Dylan sweetend the deal with this 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker pink refractor.  This is a nice card to see in person.  I found it a bit odd that it wasn't serial numbered.  I thought for sure that the pink parallels were numbered.  Oh well.  It is still a nice card.

Finally, Dylan surprised me with this Cal Ripken standups card from 1985 Donruss-Leaf.  It is an '85 All Stars standup, and as you can see, it features Cal inside the Hubert H, Humphrey Metrodome.  I don't think I had this in my collection until now.  I think I would know, especially since this is an elongated card, and it would stand out.

Thanks so much for the trade, Dylan!

The Foulbunt Top Ten - No. 7

What is a top ten list without some amazing relic or patch?  I have grown to love the pieces of uniform patches that sometimes make their way onto relics, and when it is of a highly touted prospect in your favorite team's system, that makes it even better.  Add into the fact that it came from one of my favorite people in the hobby and is a huge piece in my history of trading on Instagram, and you have the reasons why this next card cracked my Top Ten.

This 2014 Topps Pro Debut Christian Walker patch made it to No. 7 on my list and was part of a huge trade I made with my amazing friend, Max.  The card is numbered 2/5 and is the "sickest" patch card that I own.  I hate using the term "sick" when discussing a card, but I think it fits in this case.  This card is awesome. The patch is actually game used and not a manufactured patch at all.  I can't even put a value on it, because it means so much more to me than money.  My friend made sure he made it very easy on me to get it, and it is now a jewel in my collection.

Relic Cards From Blaine

Continuing on with what I got from my friend, Blaine, here are some of the miscellaneous relic cards that were included in my package.  I don't know about you, but I really like the 2014 Triple Threads design.  The cards have what I would call a matte finish and it is really visually appealing with these cards, I think.

This 2014 Triple Threads Gausman relic is numbered 10/36.  The bright orange swatch really pops.  Gotta love the orange alternate jerseys.

This 2013 Allen & Ginter JJ Hardy is a nice card.  I don't have a whole lot of Hardy stuff, even though I really like the player.  I just haven't really done any kind of PC with him.  He has been the backbone of the Orioles these last few years, and I am glad that he is around.  He may be declining offensively, but he is still amazing with the glove.  He fills his job well as the "field general" in Baltimore.

I have a relic card like this one of Christian Walker from 2014 Topps Heritage Pro Debut, but it is a different color (white, I think, but I don't remember).  This blue one was nice to find in my package from Blaine.  Walker hasn't yet caught on with the O's, but with Chris Davis's impending departure, the first base job may be his (Walker's) to take.

Finally, I was pretty sure I had one of these, but I need to look through my boxes to verify.  This is a 2011 Goodwin Champions Manny Machado relic.  This is one of the first relic cards issued of Manny, so this is a pretty cool piece to have.

Blaine's deal still continues to deliver.  I will close it out tomorrow by showing off the autographs that were included.

Card Shop Pickup - 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker Refractor Auto

Jacob at the card shop had a card for me when I went to the card shop this past weekend.  I was happy to see that it was this 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker refractor auto.  The refractors from Topps Chrome look really cool.  This one is numbered 100/499.  I think I am going to try to get more of these color parallels from 2015 Topps Chrome.  They just look cool.  I wish more Orioles were in the set (cough cough Chris Davis cough cough).

Jacob gave me a pretty good price on the card; it was a bit of an over pay, but it was more of helping a guy out than anything else, which I am fine with.

Care Package From Eric

I got a care package in the mail recently from my friend, Eric, whom I met on Instagram.  We have sent each other a couple care packages here and there, but haven't been able to talk a whole lot over the last year due to his going off to college.  During his summer break, we caught up, and were able to send each other a few things.

As always, Eric really hooked me up!  In the package was a signed program from an Orioles minor league affiliate with autographs from recent draft picks.  Also, there were some nice cards, like this 2015 Bowman Inception Christian Walker auto.  This card looks really nice.  Too many times have I seen Inception come along and there not be any Orioles I have really wanted to pursue.  I was happy to get this one, though.

Eric supplied a Chris Davis that I needed for the collection in this 2015 Topps Tier One.  This card is numbered 136/399 and scanned really well.

Finally, there was this 2001 Donruss Stadium Stars relic card with a piece of a seat from Memorial Stadium.  I have Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer cards that have the seat pieces (from differing sets), and now I have a Cal.

Thanks so much for the awesome package, Eric!!

Instagram Deal With Nick - 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker Auto

Is the 2015 trainwreck season over yet?  Holy balls, it has been brutal.  I don't see it getting any better, either, with Chris Davis being represented by Scott Boras.  I don't have any good feelings that the Orioles will grow a pair and actually sign him.

So, I guess I need to embrace the next first baseman in the minors, Christian Walker.  I actually do like Walker, having seen him in his days as a Gamecock.  I went to a few Cocks games with my younger brother who lives in South Carolina, so that gives me a good reason to follow him.

I got this 2015 Topps Chrome RC auto off of Instagram in a trade with a nice kid named Nick that I have traded with before.  We did a straight-up trade for Chrome autos.  I sent him a Corey Spangenburg auto for this Christian Walker.  Not bad at all.

Walker has had a pretty decent season at AAA Norfolk.  The playoff-bound Tides have benefited from a surging Walker.  He has 18 home runs, 136 hits and a .257 batting average this season.  From what I understand, offense comes at a premium at Harbor Park, so Walker's numbers are actually pretty good.  It looks like he will the the O's starting first baseman next year, so I need to start getting excited, right?  Mehhh, maybe in November I will be feeling it.  I'm not at this moment in time, though.  May just put a bag over my head for a while.

Thanks for the deal, Nick.  I do appreciate it.

2015 Orioles Fan Fest Autograph Station 1 - De Aza, Walker, Showalter

I'm really excited right now.  As I was scanning stuff for this blog post, I found out that Nolan Reimold is back in the Orioles system, as he has signed a minor league deal, with an invitation to Spring Training.  I seriously am ready for the 2015 season to start.  Before we think too far ahead, I wanted to recap the autograph stations which I had vouchers for this past Saturday.

We got in the door just before 11:00 AM, and as we made our way inside, I passed out about 15 team bags of baseball cards to kids who were also making their way into the venue.  I wonder if any of them have checked out the blog, since I included my business card in the bags.

Once that was done, we (Mom, Christy, Mal, Chris and I) all made our way to our first signing of the day.  I had 2 vouchers each for four stations and Mom had 2 vouchers each for 2 stations with us doubling up (4 vouchers) for the first session (Buck Showalter, Alejandro De Aza and Christian Walker).  With 5 of us in our group, one of us wouldn't be able to get anything signed, so my wife took my camera and stood nearby to take pictures.

My mail goal for this year's Fan Fest was to meet Buck.  He is far and away my favorite Orioles manager (since I was too young when Earl was manager).  I always enjoy his post-game interviews, and learn a lot about life (and a lot of other things) by paying attention to them.  I got Buck's signature on my 2014 Playoffs OMLB that I picked up at Game 2 of the ALDS.

I wasn't able to exchange much more than basic pleasantries, since we were being pushed through the lines quickly.  While I wish I had more time to interact with him, I appreciated the swiftness that we were moved through the lines later on in the day.  Mom, however, was able to get Buck talking.  I'm not going to repeat what she said to him (something about how hot it had gotten in there while we were waiting in line), but she was able to get Buck talking about the weather and his morning, so it was kind of cool that she was able to chat with him for a bit.  I know Mom was really nervous before we got up to the signing table, and I think her interaction with Buck helped calm that down for the rest of the day.

De Aza was actually the first player at the station, and to conserve OMLB balls, I got his autograph on his Upper Deck rookie card.  He actually commented on the card, showing it to Christian Walker and telling him that he wasn't even 21 in the photo.

My sister, Christy, got this 2012 Topps signed for me, since she was along for the ride and wasn't too interested in taking any autographs home.  I kept telling her that she should take some home for her boyfriend, but apparently, he isn't interested in sports.  Something I might have to work on.

Each autograph subject had Orioles post cards available, as well.  They were only supposed to sign one item per voucher, but many of them handed out the post cards with whatever I wanted signed. We weren't as lucky with some of the later signers, but this first session yielded us at least one post card per person.

Since Christy wasn't interested in taking autos home with her, I ended up with two baseballs signed by Christian Walker.  Mom kept hers, and Chris got his 16 x 20 photo that I had printed for him signed.

Walker also gave me three of his signed post cards.  He is a legit prospect for the O's, and is likely to take over at first base when Chris Davis leaves to free agency.  I love Davis, but it is nice to know that we have some minor leaguers waiting in the wings, after too many years of not having sufficient backups in place.  Gone are the days where veteran players will pass through the revolving door that was the Orioles.  It is nice to have some guys coming up in the system who fans can watch develop into major leaguers.  It is especially nice for me to watch Walker, as I watched him at South Carolina while hanging out with my brother.  When we met Walker, I pointed this out, which he thought was cool.  I hope he becomes a star (and I hope Davis stays, he can always DH).

So, that was a pretty successful first session.  Stay tuned for more Fan Fest autographs.