October 2022 Chantilly Show - Finishing the Ripken Baseball Family Card

When I picked up this 1988 Donruss Ripken Baseball Family card that had already been signed by Cal, Sr., I had hoped of adding Bill and Cal to the card at some point.  Last year, I saw Ryan Ripken when he came through Durham with Norfolk, so I went ahead and for him on the card.  He told me at the time that his dad would love to see the card in person and to talk to me about it.  He also said I should be patient and wait for his uncle Bill to do a signing, because if I tried sending the card through the mail, it would probably get lost.  We also joked that I should get the other Ripken brother (Fred) to sign the card, since, in Ryan's opinion, Fred was the better baseball player out of the three, but didn't pursue it because he didn't like baseball as much as Cal or Bill.

Finally, a signing came along where Cal and Bill would both be in attendance.  Cal hadn't been at the National in 2021 or 2022, so I was excited to see him in the lineup for the Chantilly show.  He did remark on the card, that I had added "Ryan Rip" to the card.  I told him "Yeah, and I'll add Bill later on today.  I just need to add Fred at some point."  That was when Cal's face dropped a bit and he said "You'll have a hard time adding Fred to this card.  We just lost him."  I was floored.  I had created an awkward conversation with my childhood hero.  I apologized for his loss; he explained what had happened.  We was so cool about it, but I felt terrible.  It goes to show how great a guy Cal is, and I feel awful for his loss.  I'm sure he knew that I had no idea that his brother had passed, but it still made for an awkward exchange.  He was still gracious enough to explain the circumstances, and still posed for a picture afterward.  I wish I had more time to talk to Cal, though, because I did feel badly for him.

Bill was super nice, as well.  He said "Oh, I see that you got my mother to sign the card as well."  I had to tell him that was Ryan's signature on the card, and he said "Oh, I thought it was my mother's."  Cal and Bill's mom passed away last year.  He then commented on my Turbo Tubs jersey, which we talked about for a bit before I got shooed away by the handlers.  This was my first time meeting Bill (and third time meeting Cal), and they both were really nice.

I finally got the card completed, but I do wish I had known about Fred's passing.  On my way home, I looked up and read his obituary; he seemed like he would have been an interesting guy to talk to, as well.

July 4, 2019, Graphing Recap of Keys at Mudcats

Chris and I found ourselves at Five County Stadium on July 4 to see the Mudcats take on the Keys.  It rained most of the time we were there, and eventually, the game was called.  We did, however, manage to get a few autographs, which was nice.  The rain did affect two of my cards, but the rest turned out ok.

The highlight, as has been usual this season with the Keys, was a long conversation we had with Ryan Ripken.  He is just a good dude.  I really enjoy talking with him, and this time around was no different.  We talked about the weather, of course, and some other baseball-related topics, as he waited on word about whether or not the game would be played.  He even gave Chris and I a heads up that the game would be called, so we could beat the traffic.

I had recently picked up some Delmarva team sets, so those gave me some cards to get signed.  The two Will Robertson cards got wet, and the signatures suffered.  He tried to sign them again for me later, but they couldn't be helped.  I told him that it was not a big deal, as I don't sell my cards, and I would have the story of the rain to go along with them.

Finally, I was able to get a few more DL Hall cards signed.  He is always really nice, and has been accommodating to Chris and I.

As the season is winding down, my stash of cards is getting smaller and smaller, which I like.  I'm hoping I don't have much left over when the season is done.

March 16, 2019, Raleigh Card Show Recap

I hadn't been to a card show since last year's National, and I really wasn't planning on going to the Raleigh show this past weekend.  I received a message from my friend, Jackson, who wanted to go, and he asked me if I would go with him to the show.  I figured it would be nice to spend time with him, so I decided to go ahead and attend.

I had some Christmas money that I hadn't spent, so I had a little bit of a budget.  I bought mostly stuff for other people, which is usually the case.  I did, however, find a few things for myself.  Most of what I bought was vintage stuff for TTMs and cirrent prospect stuff for graphing.  I did grab a few things for the collection, like the above 1949 Bowman Ralph Kiner.

The Kiner is really rough, but I liked it, and it was part of a bulk vintage deal with one of my favorite vendors.  I paid $20 for this card and a stack of lower grad vintage for TTMs.

This blue wave Riley Pint auto was part of the last deal I made.  The guy had a ton of nice Bowman parallels and autos.  I got a decent stack from him for $50.

I picked up a bunch of current and former Wood Ducks autos, as well.  I got this Eric Jenkins as part of a 2/$5.00 or 5/$10.00 deal.

Kyle Cody is a case of "buy low" at this point.  He has been out with arm injuries, but when he was on the Wood Ducks, he was pretty much "lights out".  I'm hoping he can bounce back and also spend a little more time in Kinston before he moves up (for selfish reasons, of course).

 I loved this green shimmer Cody auto, and this was the card that started that bulk $50 deal.  Jackson found it for me, and I made sure to take it home.

 This Jairo Beras auto was a steal.  He is a really cool guy, and even if he doesn't make the Show, I will hold onto this, since we met him several times.

I guess I have a small bit of a PC for guys that I have met, so adding this Jose Trevino made sense.  He was an awesome guy, even though he wasn't a Wood Duck.

This Ryan Ripken auto was a throw in on the bulk deal, and I was glad to grab it.  I was also glad I have finally learned not to wear Orioles gear to a show.  I got hosed back in the day when Ripken was first drafted, since I had an Orioles shirt on.

Finally, my big ticket item was this graded 10/10 Leody Taveras auto.  I paid $50 for it, and I think it will only go up.  I expect to see him again in Kinston this summer, but probably for not very long.

I had a great time at the show.  I was happy with everything I picked up, and I really appreciate Jackson inviting me.

May 12, 2018 Graphing of Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Columbia Fireflies

It's fun graphing stadiums for the first time, especially when you have no clue as to where the players come out, and how accessible a stadium is.  Luckily, I was still successful last weekend at the Columbia Fireflies game.  I had a ton of cards for the Shorebirds, since they are the Single A affiliate of the Orioles.  I probably took away from some future graphing of the Keys, but since none of these guys are guaranteed of advancing, I went ahead and knocked them out.

I was most excited about meeting Ryan Ripken, son of Cal.  He was really friendly, and chatted with us for a bit.

My friend, Michael, picked up an Aberdeen set for me last season, and a few of those guys moved up to Delmarva to start the year.  That afforded me an opportunity to get quite a few cards done.  One interesting note, Zach Jarrett is a fellow graduate of UNC-Charlotte, which I made sure to point out to him.  What I didn't know up until a week before the game was that he is the son of former NASCAR champion, Dale Jarrett.

Justin Lord, one of the Shorebirds coaches, was the first auto we got.  He was at the wall talking with his family and signed for us after I helped take a photo of his family for him.

I was able to get some older Aberdeen set cards done that I had been sitting on for a while.  I also was glad to get a few of my 2013 Perfect Game cards signed that I got at the National last year.

Matthias Dietz was really nice.  He had a pretty cool mustache going, and we talked about that for a bit while he was signing these cards.  I especially like the Maryland Flag jersey on the 2017 South Atlantic League Prospect card.

Finally, here are some of the other Ryan Ripkens that I got done.

I wanted to get the Fireflies postgame, but we were all tired from a busy day, so we left early (after 14 total runs were scored) and went out to eat.  I plan on going back this season and graphing with my brother.  I'm sure he would be up for some graphing...

IP Autos From Michael

I am really behind on my posts.  It also doesn't help that my desk is a mess and I sat this stack of cards in a spot that conveniently made me forget about them.  About a month ago, I got a package from my buddy, Michael.  He had gone to a bunch of Orioles and Orioles affiliate games this summer.  I sent him some cards to 50/50, and he hooked me up!

From what Mike says, Mark Hendrickson is a tough signer, so I was really happy to get this 2009 Topps back.

I had sent Michael a few generic Orioles cards, just in case he had something to get signed if he ran into any Orioles alumni who he might not have cards of.  Conveniently, he ran into Ron Hansen, and got these done for me.

 I was able to add two more Ryan Ripken cards to my album, thanks to Michael.  Ripken actually had a decent year at low A Aberdeen.  The Orioles sent him to the  AFL, so maybe he can continue in the organization.  I wouldn't mind meeting him.  I know it is a very long shot for him to make the majors, but it is still cool to see him in the organization.

Michael is close personally with Adrian Marin, so it is a bit easier for him to get autos from Marin, as opposed to some other players.  He hooked me up with some nice cards.

Finally, here are two autos from DJ Stewart and Tim Berry.  Berry returned to the organization last year, and I was surprised that he didn't get called up when the rosters expanded.  Surely, he could have done better than Ubaldo.

Thanks for the cards, Michael!

National Pickup - 2014 Bowman Chrome Ryan Ripken Auto

At the time I picked this card up at the National, I was excited.  I saw it in a vendor's showcase and immediately paid his price of $20 for this card and went about my business.  Unfortunately, for me, I probably should have looked a little bit longer while I was there, because on the last day of the show, I saw two of these in a bargain box for $4 a piece.  Dang.  I'm sure that the vendor I got this from saw my Orioles gear and figured he had a sucker.  Oh well.  $20 isn't a bad price to pay when you consider that my goal has been to get Ryan Ripken's autograph so that I can say that I have three generations of Ripken autos (and Bill, as well).

I really want Ryan on a baseball, but at this point, this card works for me.  I have Cal, Sr. and Cal, Jr. on baseballs.  I don't have Bill on one, either, but that shouldn't take me much longer.  Ryan is still in the Nationals system, after being drafted in the 15th round of the 2014 draft out of a Junior College in Florida.

He is scuffling so far in his MiLB career, with a .203 batting average, 3 homers and 47 RBI over 141 minor league games across 3 seasons in Rookie League, Low A and A ball.  I doubt he will pan out much more than having a famous last name, but at 23, he is still fairly young.  I was initally disappointed that he wasn't drafted by the O's (he was drafted by them in 2012 out of high school, but didn't sign), but he probably stands a better chance in DC and not living up to his dad's shadow in Baltimore.

So, I kind of wish I had waited to pick this card up out of the bargain bin, but $20 is still not bad, especially in the grand scheme of things.