TTM Success - Alex Winkelman

Here is another former Buies Creek Astro who I sent cards off to TTM in Alex Winkelman.  I had the above 2015 NY-Penn League All Star card and sent it off along with my 2017 Buies Creek team set card.

Winkelman hit me with a dead Sharpie, but the cards are still signed.  I still have several of the NY-Penn League and Buies Creek team set cards left, so I may send some more off soon.

Winkelman (b. 1994) was a 21st round pick by the Astros in the 2015 June Amateur Draft out of Southeast Missouri State University.  He played in the minors from 2015 to 2019, all in the Astros system.  He reached AA.  He had a record of 22-19 with 327 strike outs and a 3.86 ERA.

I mailed to Winkelman on February 25 and got the cards back on March 10, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Pat Porter

This TTM success from Pat Porter helped me get two team set cards out of my box and into my album.

Porter was in the 2017 Buies Creek Astros and 2015 NY-Penn League All Star sets.  I was glad to get these signed, finally.

Porter (b. 1993) was a 15th round pick by the Astros out of Ohio State.  He played in the Astros system from 2015 to 2017, reaching High A (Buies Creek).  He had 155 hits, 15 home runs and a .213 batting average.  I mailed to Porter on February 25 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 7-day TAT. 

Jackson Comes Through With Ensberg

Morgan Ensberg wouldn't sign for me this season when Buies Creek came to Kinston, so I had to rely on my friend, Jackson, to try to get me some cards signed.  I had bought 8 nice Ensbergs, and hoped to get them all done, but I missed out.

Jackson got these two done right at the end of the season, so I was at least able to add two to my album.  I'll have to try the rest of the cards next season.

Thanks for getting these signed for me, Jackson!

I Made A Friend, And He Hooked Me Up With Some Autos

I never did get to Buies Creek this season for a game.  I really wanted to, but never got the chance.  Instead, I went elsewhere and got autos.  During the season, however, I made friends with a few of the graphers who come regularly to Wood Ducks games.  One of them, Ben, also came to the Mudcats while we were there.  The more and more we chatted at games, the more and more we enjoyed ourselves.  At the end of the season, while I was in Kinston catching the Wood Ducks against the Dash, Ben went to Buies Creek.  He was more than willing to take a few cards for me, and hooked me up with a few autos.

Unfortunately, the game ended early due to rain, so Ben's graphing was limited, but he was able to get me the above cards.  He missed out on JB Bukauskas, since he had been promoted a few days prior.  Still, I was happy with the cards that Ben got done for me.

Thanks so much, Ben!  I can't wait to graph the Wood Ducks with you next season!

Graphing the Astros At Wood Ducks on May 30, 2018

The Buies Creek Astros are the Carolina League team that I had the fewest cards of to get signed.  I also didn't have a whole lot in 50/50s to get done.  Add on top of that, the fact that I have finished a bunch of Wood Ducks, I wasn't too busy Thursday night.

Still, I got a few cards signed, and they all turned out great.  The above blue sparkle 2013 Topps Anthony Gose turned out so well.  I had bought the card off of COMC right when I saw that he was added to the roster.

These two Spike Owens came in the Goodwill boxes I bought in Winston-Salem back in April.  I especially like the Best of the National League 1990 Donruss.

Finally, the two guys I was able to get from Buies Creek, JJ Matijevic and Ronnie Dawson.  I tried to get Morgan Ensberg, but he wouldn't sign.

Labor Day Weekend Graphing The Wood Ducks At Buies Creek

This was a really interesting Labor Day Weekend.  I started the weekend with the plan to go see one game at Buies Creek on Saturday, since Brett Martin was starting that day for the Wood Ducks.  Rain on Friday forced a double header for Saturday, so that changed our plans to catching two games that day.  Leading up to this series, the Wood Ducks had gone on a tear, while the Astros were floundering.  With playoff implications on the line, we set out for Buies Creek Saturday.  I printed off a copy of the photo of Chris with Wood Ducks pitcher, Emerson Martinez, since Emerson had asked for a copy.  We got to Buies Creek early and mistakenly found the locker room door, since I parked in the wrong place.

Kelvin Vasquez was outside and said hello to us.  I asked him if he minded giving the photo to Emerson, since we were right at the door and he wouldn't have to keep up with the photo in the dugout.  Kelvin doesn't speak a whole lot of English, so he went inside and got Emerson.  Emerson thanked Chris and I for the photo and asked me if I had tickets for the game yet.  I didn't, so he put us on "the list" and we got in to the double header for free.

Emerson started the first game, with the Wood Ducks needing to win 3 of the 4 games in the series.  They lost the first game 1-0 in 7 (in the minors, all double header games are 7 innings) on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.  Brett Martin pitched the second game and the Woodies won 5-2.  They won again on Sunday, 7-3, putting them a half game behind Buies Creek with one to go for the second half title for the Southern Division.  We weren't even going to go to the Sunday game, but Jeremy Moore told Chris that if we came, he would take Chris on the field again.  Chris was able to go on the field, and they even put the catcher's gear on him.  Jeremy took him in the dugout and everyone high-fived Chris and hugged him.  They were really happy to see us.

Today, they won 10-3 and clinched a playoff spot.  It was a really cool feeling to see the guys I have followed all season celebrate clinching, after how poor their record was earlier this season.

One of the best parts of the series was that I got to hang out with a fellow Instagrammer, Jackson, for the duration of the series.  He is a really great guy, and has been following me on there since I got started.

I did do some graphing across the series, and also picked up a Buies Creek team set.

I had gotten Anthony Hermelyn on a few cards earlier this season, but found a few more at the National that I could work on.

I got three different versions of Anthony's 2015 Bowman, and they all turned out great.  He stopped and talked to us each day.

Ronnie Dawson was really friendly, as well.  He was also very funny in the outfield, interacting with the Wood Ducks bullpen.

I got this card of Anibal Sierra taken care of from the Carolina League top prospects set.  He was really nice, but spoke no English.

I also got 10 cards signed from the Buies Creek set.  A lot of the players are no longer with the team, so it;ll be tough getting some of the guys.

Jackson said that Chris Holt was one of the toughest autos to get from Buies Creek, so when I was able to call Holt over on Sunday and get my stuff signed along with Jackson's, he was really happy.

Here are some photos I took during the trip.  Here is Chris being brought back to me from Jeremy Moore.  He loves this team, and is really excited that there is some baseball left to be played this season.

The Astros play at Campbell University, which has an odd field.  Everything is Astro turf, for some reason.

Here are the Wood Ducks celebrating after the final out today.

Some more celebration on the field.

We were able to catch a bit of the celebration as it was unfolding near the locker room.  I didn't want to get too close, since it was roped off.  At one point, one of the players motioned for us to come over, but I stayed put, since I didn't feel it to be right to crash their party.

It was a really cool sight to see all of the guys cutting loose and celebrating.  This has been a really awesome season, especially for it to be an inaugural season for the club.

We did have some players come over to us and shake hands and say hello.  Brett Martin came and chatted a bit, as well as Adam Choplick, Steven Bruce and Ledarious Clark.

I think they wore more of the beer and champagne, than they ingested.  They also had a lot of fun with the water hose.

At one point, Jeremy waved at us, and Chris waved back.  Emerson saw us as well and waved.

The coolest part was our friend Matt, the ballboy/clubbie hooked Jackson and I each up with one champagne bottle.  This is going in my display case, for sure!

This was such a cool series, and I was really glad that I decided to make the trip, especially for today's clincher.  The players seemed legitimately happy to see Chris and I, which made us feel really good.  I got a hug from Emerson Martinez after the second game on Saturday.  Luis La O shook my hand and called me Papi today.  I am so happy for these guys, and I hope they can keep it going.  They begin their series against Myrtle Beach on Wednesday at home, and I will be there.

July 7 Graphing of Wood Ducks Vs. Astros

The Wood Ducks returned home tonight from a successful 3-game road trip where they won a series against the Winston-Salem Dash.  They carried that momentum into tonight's game and beat the Buies Creek Astros 7-1.  I had a great time tonight, as it was a return home for me, as well.  My last graphing experience didn't go as well as I had hoped, so a return to the friendly confines of Grainger Stadium was welcome.

I took this photo tonight and it was featured during the weather on WITN's 11:00 PM newscast.  I was really excited about that.

I have only been placing two cards of Howard Johnson in my autograph book, now, since he has pretty much been doing two-per at each game.  I have a couple nice cards, still, that I would like to get signed, so I hope I can get them during the next few games.  That way, I can finish the 50/50 from Gerard, and wrap up the season without too many cards left over.

The 2009 Topps Tribute turned out amazingly.  It is numbered  115/219.  The 1990 Donruss Best of The National League is also really cool.  I always loved the 1990 design, so adding a "parallel" (even though it isn't a parallel) to that was really cool.

I came home with one each of newcomer Yeyson (pronounced Jason) Yrizarri, Brett Martin, Jeremy Moore and Matt Lipka.  Lipka actually signed two, but one is for Gerard.  I was really happy that Lipka signed for me pre-game.  I hope I can get the last two cards of him taken care of.  His bat is coming to life, so maybe that has helped his demeanor.  Not that he was mean or anything, maybe he just doesn't like to sign.  That's fair enough.  I had a lengthy conversation with Brett Martin, which is always enjoyable.  I also spoke with Jeremy Moore twice.  He specifically asked about Chris, which was really cool.  Chris is on a trip, so when he gets back, we will have to make a point to go to Kinston so he can say hello to all of these guys.

Speaking of newcomers to the team, Ti-quan Forbes was recently promoted to the Wood Ducks.  I had a bunch of cards of him, so I went ahead and got the best of the bunch taken care of.  With him and Yrizarri, I knocked two more cards off of my Hickory set.  That was really nice.  I could have gotten a third, but I have yet to be able to get Peter Fairbanks.  I am kind of waiting for Chris to come back, since he told Fairbanks that he is his new favorite player.  I can always wait til after the game outside to get those cards taken care of.

Another newcomer to the Carolina League is Astros prospect, Forrest Whitley.  He signed two of the four cards that I had.  I will try Buies Creek at least one more time, so I think I can get the rest taken care of.

I went to the card shop while on my lunch today, and along with the Whitleys, I also picked up two Jake Rogers.  He was really nice, and signed both cards.

I also picked up these two Anthony Hermelyn cards that turned out really nice.

Finally, I had gotten a couple Brett Adcock cards from the shop, and also from an order on COMC.  I have a couple left over, but these were the best of the bunch.  That blue parallel really looks nice.

I felt so much better following this game, as opposed to the Salem Red Sox game.  I think it was a return to the field I am familiar with (graphing, at least) that helped.  Also, it was Food Truck Friday, and the food was amazing.  Maybe that was it.

Two Days of Graphing the Wood Ducks and a Walk Off Grand Slam

I had a really productive weekend this weekend with two Down East Wood Ducks games.  I had bought a few lots of cards off of Ebay to replenish some of the players that I had gotten already this season.  I also needed some cards of a few guys that I didn't have before.  I got this really sweet 2013 Bowman red ice parallel of Ducks coach, Jeremy Moore really cheap.  I had a few conversations with Moore this weekend.  He is always friendly with us, and has been willing to sign whatever we have had.  That is always nice, when you are standing there waiting for the game to start.

I hadn't really looked for any Buies Creek players until my friend, Sam, messaged me the night before last, asking if I was planning on getting Kyle Tucker's auto.  Luckily enough, I had three of his cards in my 2017 Bowman box.  Tucker was really nice.  He signed a ball for us, and the three cards that I had.

 This was the third card that I had.  I don't know if I will be able to get the other two guys or not, but it still looks cool with Tucker's auto on it.  Chris and I actually arrived to the part too early (I thought I saw that Saturday's game was at 4, but it was really at 6), but we were able to get Tucker when he got off of the Astros team bus.  It worked out fortuitously.  In the time that Chris and I were waiting for the gates to open, we took a few laps around the stadium and found a baseball in the empty lot behind the stadium.  I don't know if it was a home run ball from the night before or a BP ball, but it was still really cool to find one.

We spoke with Tucker inside the stadium as well, and he posed for a photo.  I printed out the photo today and he signed it this afternoon for Chris.

I bought bulk lots of cards of Jeremy Moore and Josh Morgan.  Both of them are really generous with their signatures, so all told, I picked up 7 signed 2013 Bowman and one 2013 Bowman Chrome from Moore (not to mention the Bowman Ice at the top of the page) and 10 Josh Morgan signatures on 2014 Bowman.  I plan on sending the extras out to friends who have helped me get autographs in the past, so adding the bulk cards will really help out.

 I also added two more signatures on the Hickory Crawdads cards that I picked up early in the season.  If it weren't so expensive to buy the sets, I would pick up a couple more.

I ran into a few familiar faces this weekend.  One guy was graphing next to me was someone I see at the Raleigh card shows all the time.  He was nice enough to give me a blank Brett Adcock card for me to get signed in exchange for me getting an extra for him.  I had no problem with that, as we worked together to get autographs Saturday, making easy on each other.  I see a lot of folks treating graphing as a competition, but I like it a lot better when the folks out there are working together.  There's no sense in being a jerk about getting autographs.  Don't ruin the hobby for others.

I was able to get some more cards signed by Wood Ducks manager, Howard Johnson.  He is usually really busy as he is coming out of the clubhouse, but he has always stopped for us.  I have enjoyed getting all of these different cards signed.  This 1986 Fleer turned out really nice.  It really matches the Mets color scheme.  I did ask Johnson today the $100,000 question.  He did not have any relation to the old Howard Johnson hotel chain, even though their color scheme was very close to that of the Mets.  He did mention that he wished he had done something with them in the past, as it would have been pretty cool.

My wife was a real trooper this weekend.  She was tired from work yesterday, so Chris and I went by ourselves to the game last night.  She met us at the park today (she passes by it on her way home from work) and spent Mother's Day with us there.  She was able to "run" the bases with Chris (they actually walked them) after today's game.  She also got in free this afternoon.  She stood with us today and got this card signed for me.

Chris also helped get autographs for me, and also some for himself.  He really wanted the Flair card (bottom left), so that one is going into his collection.  He hasn't come in here yet to tell me which other cards he wants, but I plan on at least giving him the 1986 Topps as well.

Luckily, Chris got the 1989 Fleer signed.  That one is going to a graphing friend of mine who is building that set.  We have worked out a deal for it, and I imagine it will be shipped out soon.

Like I said before, Josh Morgan is really generous with his time and his signature.  I think because he always has stopped and talked to Chris and I at games, I will be starting a PC of him.  I also want to get some more of his shimmer cards like the one above and get them signed.  They look so great.  This one, I got off of Ebay for around $4, and it is numbered 29/50.  I really want to get the orange parallel, but have missed out on it so far.

Finally, the Wood Ducks won today's game and snapped a 6-game losing streak.  They won the game in grand fashion (pun intended) when Morgan launched a grand slam to beat the Astros 10-6.  It was the first time I have seen a walk off grand slam live.  I called the shot to my friend, Jacob.  I think it was really awesome that Morgan was kind enough to inscribe this card with "walk-off grand slam".  I had given Jacob my remaining Morgan cards, but he was nice enough to give me this 2017 Bowman Chrome.  This card will definitely look awesome in my album!

I am not too sure when I will be graphing the Wood Ducks next.  I am taking some 50/50s now for a few friends, especially my good friend, Gerard.  He has a package on the way containing a few guys that he needs, and he will be returning the favor by getting me some Pawtucket Red Sox.

Stay tuned next week for what is going to hopefully be my next graphing recap, of the Bowling Green Hot Rods.