Christmas Gift From Drew - Machado Patch and More

Believe it or not, Christmas packages are still rolling in, and this one was from my good friend, Drew.  He sent me this awesome Manny Machado patch from 2016 Topps Strata and also a 25th Anniversary Camden Yards logo OMLB.  I'll probably get the ball signed sometime soon; maybe at Fan Fest.

The Machado card is really nice and numbered 52/75.  Drew probably really liked this card and I'm sure he is hoping I re-gift it back to him once the Yankees trade for or sign Manny.  I kid, I'll keep the card, regardless!

Thank you so much for the gifts, Drew!  I really appreciate it!

Christmas Gift From Drew

I received some really nice cards in a Christmas package from my good friend, Drew.  We have been friends going on 8 years now.  I have watched him grow up in the card community and am really proud of the man he has become.  I have spent some time with Drew in person; taking a trip to see the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2011 and again in 2013 to the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  You won't find more of a class act than Drew, and I am happy to call him a friend.

He really hooked me up with this awesome 2016 Topps Hi Tek Rafael Palmeiro.  The card is actually clear, but I had to use a black backing to be able to scan the card properly.  I think it helps accentuate the card.  I absolutely love these Hi Tek cards and now have two different Palmeiro autos from this set, a numbered to 25 from my friend Robert and now this numbered to 50 from Drew.

Also included in the Christmas package was this awesome numbered to 99 Sonny Gray relic auto for my Gray side PC.  I haven't added a whole lot to the Gray PC, mainly because I have been busy picking up each and every Chris Davis I can find, but I still like Gray and am still happy to add any of his relics and autos.

Thank you so much for the Christmas package, Drew!  I sincerely appreciate everything that was in the package, even if it didn't make it to the scanner.

Birthday Package From Drew - Something off of the Top Ten Wishlist

I got a couple birthday packages in the mail today, which helps extend my birthday for a few more days (not complaining about that!).  One of the packages was from my good friend, Drew.  Drew has been easing himself back into the blog world since he returned from an awesome study abroad program earlier this year.  Unfortunately, the trip exhausted Drew and his funds, so he wasn't able to attend this year's National.  Drew was sorely missed, especially since the National was relatively in his back yard.

Drew surprised me by crossing a card off of my Top Ten Wishlist.  This 1948-49 Leaf "John" Wagner is a card that I have kept an eye on for a while.  I almost picked one up at the National, but the guy wanted way too much for it.  This one has awesome edges and corners, but some paper loss on the corners; likely due to someone having it taped into an album.

The back of the card looks flawless, and is a nice read.  I especially like the ad for the All Star Baseball Gum Big Pictures "for hanging in your room or club".  How many kids these days build club houses?  This is an awesome card.

Drew also included this really cool Frank Robinson relic from 2005 Donruss Champions.  This was a nice set that came out back when I had just gotten back into the hobby.  I always liked these cards, but didn't pull any hits.  This Frank will look nice with my other Robinson cards (of which there are few, since Frank eludes me most of the time).

Finally, we have this Adam Jones framed relic from 2016 Ginter.  The framed relics seem to be tougher to find, since they now have the full card relics.  I made a trade with Drew to pick this one up.

Other than Mom or Andrew, Drew may be someone I have talked about the most on this blog.  He and I have been trading since he first broke into the hobby.  He was just about 12 at the time, I believe, and now he is almost done with college.  We have been close friends for well over 7 years now, and have even taken a trip to the Hall of Fame (Chris still says he didn't break your dad's car door).

Thank you so much for the awesome cards, and most of all, your friendship, Drew!  I greatly appreciate it, and can't wait to see you at next year's National!

Christmas Gift From Drew

Wow.  Take a look at the above card.  Yeah, Drew gave this to me for Christmas.  A card that he has had in his collection for a few years now.  A card that he once told me that would end up in my collection, once he felt the time was right.  I guess the time was right, because this 2005 Donruss INKCrdible Cal/Bill Ripken dual auto was in the Christmas package from him that arrived yesterday.

This card is amazing.  I actually had no Bill Ripken autos in my collection, one that I have been building since 1990.  No Bill Ripken autos at all.  I still don't have him on a ball.  I'm not sure why, except for maybe that he doesn't sign a lot; he doesn't seem to have too many certified autos in any products either.  Getting this card into my collection is a huge deal for me.

This card was also in the package, and while it seemed like I kind of overlooked it with my excitement over the Ripken dual auto, this triple relic from 2014 Panini Classics is a really nice card as well.  Numbered 3/99, it is really cool.  This is going right into the Chris Davis PC and spreadsheet.

Drew has been the longest tenured friend that I have made since I started this blog and joined the online card community.  I have seen him grow up from a 12-year old kid to a college student about to embark on a huge journey in his life.  His blog has undergone huge changes recently, including a change in URL.  I recommend that you check it out.  The link can be found here.  I have also updated it on my sidebar.

Thank you so much for the awesome Christmas gifts, Drew!  Good luck on your journey, and I will be here in a completely different time zone waiting to hear from you!

Rest In Peace, Yogi

While I will never be a Yankee fan, I can gladly say that I was and am a Yogi Berra fan.  I awoke to the sad news this morning that Berra had passed away at the age of 90 yesterday.

He truly is one of the all-time greatest players to ever play the game.  His 10 World Series rings can attest to that.

He is one of a few players that was alive during my time collecting that I really wish I could have met (along with Bob Feller and Mickey Mantle).  I have a lot of friends who are huge Yankee fans that are feeling his loss this morning.  So, Drew, Pete, my thoughts are with you guys.

Rest in peace, Yogi!

Birthday Gifts From Drew - Adam Jones Hits

I got an amazing birthday package in the mail the other day from my good friend, Drew.  He has been one of the people that I have traded with the longest since I started this blog in November 2008.  I believe he and I met in February of 2009 and traded soon after.  That is a long time, if you think about it.

Drew always sends great stuff my way, and this time was no different.  Having recently returned from the "East Coast National", Drew found some really nice stuff.

The above card is a 2012 Panini Prime Cuts Adam Jones patch numbered 19/25.  I don't have a lot of Jones patches, so it was nice to add this one to my collection.

Drew also included this 2015 Gypsy Queen silver Jones auto.  This card is numbered 39/50 and the auto is on card.  Jones has a nice signature, and it really pops on this card.

Thanks so much for the gifts, Drew!

Mailday From Drew - Surprise Care Package

I got a care package in the mail recently from my good friend, Drew that was full of Orioles cards that he had gotten lately.  Drew and I haven't been able to talk to each other as much as we would like over the last few months, but when we do talk, it's like we have never been apart.  He called me up last week and we talked for a LONG time about his "Ten For Tuesday" posts on his blog (which you should check out).

Drew just finished up the spring semester of college and will have the summer filled with working and saving, which I know how that is!  I really appreciated him taking the time out to contact me, and even more in sending me a care package.

I miss my buddy a good bit, but we all know that life gets in the way of the hobby sometimes.  I'm just glad that he is doing well and has found a school that he is happy at, instead of the other one.  I know we will get together soon to catch up and maybe sometime soon we will be able to catch a show together or something.

Thanks for the care package, Drew!

A Care Package From Frankie

It was about this time, 6 years ago, that I met a young kid who had a great blog and huge enthusiasm for cards.  That kid was 12 years old and now he is in college.  I took Drew under my wing and we forged an amazing friendship.  When I heard that Drew took a liking to a young kid with a new blog and had dispensed a great deal of advice, it was like a torch had been passed.

Drew met up with Frankie, of the blog: My Life in The Sports Card Hobby, at a card show in New York and told me about it the next day.  It was really cool to see Drew kind of mentoring a young person in the hobby, much like I had done with him over the years.  After Drew told me about his blog, I went and read a bunch of Frankie's posts.  He has an amazing collection, even though he is a Yankee fan.  So, to introduce myself to him, I sent Frankie a care package consisting of one item that I thought he might need for his Yankee autograph collection.  I was right, he hadn't acquired the auto I had sent, so I did a good job of finding something that helped him out.

While I didn't want anything in return, Frankie insisted that he send me back a care package, and I got it a few weeks later after a little big of a blogosphere mix-up.  You see, the package Frankie meant to send to me, actually went to Drew, and I received a package intended for Drew.  We laughed it off, and fixed the issue and now I have a few amazing cards that Frankie had sent my way (via Drew).

The above 2012 Bowman All Star Futures Game relic of Dylan Bundy is a really great card.  The card is numbered 176/199 and looks really awesome in person.

Another of the cards that Frankie sent was this 2014 Panini National Treasures Adam Jones jumbo patch card numbered 11/99.  I have gotten so many amazing patch and relic cards lately, I'm going to go broke buying magnetic cases to fit them all.  I also need to get a new storage box for all of my amazing relic cards.

Thank you so much for the package, Frankie.  I really hope that you have enjoyed your time in the card community so far.  You have gravitated toward a great mentor in this hobby (Drew) and I hope you can grow your collection into something far more amazing than it already is!

Christmas From Drew - 2009 Topps Chrome Nolan Reimold Auto

I got an awesome Christmas present from my good friend, Drew, that I opened today when I got home from my whirlwind tour of NC.  This is a Reimold RC auto that I still needed in my PC.  I have his base auto, blue, red and gold autos.  I'm doing really well on that rainbow now.

This card is numbered 30/50 and looks awesome!  I have posted my Reimold PC on my Google docs spreadsheet, so you all can go check it out on my wishlist.

Thanks so much for the gift, Drew!  I really appreciate it!

Lots of Mail From Drew

I got a huge package in the mail from my very good friend and long-time trading partner, Drew, the other day.  The package consisted of the stacks of cards that can be seen above.  Most of it was just Drew clearing out space on his card desk, but there were quite a few hidden gems inside as well.

First up is this 1967 Wally Bunker.  I'm warming up to '67.  I used to think it was boring (and it still kinda is) but it is a good, almost iconic set.  Stripped down, raw, and simplistic, the set does have its merits.  Add in the fact that I own the Mantle, I think I could grown to like it even more as other Hall of Famers out of this set join my collection

Here is a Chris Davis card that Drew included.  I'm pretty sure I didn't already have it, but I need to consult my Davis PC and see.  I know I had it in my set (duh) but I really don't remember buying it when I went on my COMC bender a while back.

I really like this 1961 Orioles team card.  Drew has been working on the 1961 Topps set for some time now. I really hope he finishes it because it is a good one and he is well on his way!

Look at this young buck, er I mean young Buck.  A 2005 Topps gold parallel Buck Showalter.  I actually do have a Showalter PC.  He has quickly grown into my favorite Orioles manager, since I don't remember the days of Earl Weaver.

Finally, I just thought this Score Chris Hoiles card was awesome.  I'm especially please about how it scanned.  I mean, look at it, it looks amazing!  The card really looks like it could have come out this year.

So, thanks for all of the cards, Drew!  You know you'll have some stuff coming from me shortly!

Hall of Fame Baseball #100 - Mickey Mantle

The quest began in January of 2010 when I posted here that I wanted to branch out into memorabilia.  It was a discussion with my good friend, P. A. at the card shop on a Saturday that getting some signed baseballs by Hall of Famers wouldn't be too difficult a task.  I began with three baseballs, the Cal Ripken that my mom gave me in 1992; a Jim Palmer given to me for my 19th birthday in 1999 by my old boss, Todd and a Brooks Robinson given to me by Mom a few years later at Christmas.  The first baseball in my quest (4th overall) arrived on January 14, 2010 (A ball signed by Stan Musial, which you can see here).  Four years and 96 baseballs later, we now have number 100, Mickey Mantle.

This has been an exhaustive quest.  I have obtained several baseballs through the mail, at card shows, over Ebay, through auction houses, antique shops, two trades, birthday and Christmas presents from my mom and great friend, Drew and a couple in person autographs.  I haven't spent near what one might think on these 100 baseballs. I've watched sales and auctions like a hawk.  I've learned a thing or two about autograph authentication along the way, of course.

The Mantle ball came about, like I said last night, through my friend Conrad from the antique shop (Chic Antiques) in Columbia, SC.  He did shows with a good friend of mine in the 1980s and early 1990s where they would meet Hall of Famers in person, one of which was Mantle, himself.  Conrad wanted to help me with my quest, so he gave me a deal I couldn't refuse on both the Koufax ball and this Mantle.

As you can see, the signature is amazing.  Words can't describe, so I'll just let you take a look at the picture and see for yourself.

Now what do I do?  I've reached a plateau, 100 signed baseballs and I've nearly run out of room in my China cabinet.  This ball and several others won't even be able to be displayed since they are in a safe location, not in my house.  Do I keep moving forward and knock more players off the list (and go for Jimmie Foxx, ultimately)?  Do I rest on my laurels and admire the fact that I reached #100?  I don't really know at this moment.  I'm inclined to continue on, maybe try to reach 150 or more.  If I do, I need to devise an alternate means of display.  Also,I know I have to replace at least one ball (Niekro) because of fading.  I also need to re-assess my choice of pens/balls for TTM and IP autographing as well to eliminate the fading issue (which I think I have solved).

So, we'll see what the future holds.  If I were to guess today, at this moment, I'd be willing to say Hell Yeah, keep em coming, but I do have some things to think about.

Mickey Mantle (b. 1931 - d. 1995) played in the Majors from 1951 to 1968, all for the Yankees.  He had 2,415 hits, 536 home runs and a batting average of .298.  Mantle was a 16-time All Star, 3-time AL MVP (1956, 1957 and 1962) and the 1956 AL Batting Champion (.353 average).  He won the World Series with the Yankees 7 times (1951, 52, 53, 56, 58, 61 and 62) and made 12 trips to the World Series all together.

He was a 4-time AL Home Run champion (1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960) and hit 50 or more home runs twice (1956 and 1961). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974 (his first ballot) when he was named to 88.2% of the ballot.

So, there you have it.  I am celebrating a huge milestone in my collection.  I wanted #100 to be special and I couldn't honestly think of getting anyone other than Mantle at #100 (unless a Jimmie Foxx fell into my lap).  I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get to this point, namely Mom, my wife, P. A., Drew and Conrad.

Rest In Peace, Ralph Kiner

Today, another Hall of Famer was lost when Ralph Kiner passed away this morning at the age of 91.  He was really nice to Chris, Drew, Adam, Joe and I this summer when we met him during an autograph signing. I have to commend the guy for getting out of the house at 90 (at that time) and meeting and greeting fans.

Kiner took the time to painstakingly sign the two baseballs we had and was nice enough to speak to Chris. I'm really sad to see him go, but he leaves a legacy as one of the greatest power hitters of all time.

So, I leave you all with this overlong video of Mr. Kiner signing autographs for us.  Special thanks to my good friend, Drew, who shot the video.

I'll be back on later tonight hopefully to resume my Fan Fest posts. If I don't get one on tonight, I'm sure you understand why.

Christmas From Drew

My good friend, Drew, always sends great stuff for birthdays and Christmas.  This year was no exception.  He had already warned me that my Christmas package wasn't going to include a ball, but would still be pretty awesome.  I wasn't worried about the awesome part, because, really, it's the thought that counts.

That being said, when I opened my package, I was very happy with the cards that were inside.  Drew took the time to read my wishlist and knocked two Bob Feller cards off that I needed for my PC.

The top card is Feller's 1954 Bowman.  It's a really cool card, with a smiling Feller posing in the dugout.  A really good shot of him.  I like the old school uniform and patches on his sleeves.  the card is in great shape, too.  There are a couple of creases across the middle of the card, but you have to really look for them.  I like it, that's for sure.

The other card comes out of one of my favorite sets, 1955 Bowman.  This card is in really good shape.  Feller is shown here gripping the ball across the seams.

I really liked the cards that Drew sent.  It's a shame that he has been so busy lately preparing for college because regular posts on his blog have become a thing of the past.  Once a stalwart in the blogosphere, Drew has kind of taken a few steps back into the shadows.  I'm hoping when things calm down for him, he will find his blogging voice again and we will see more posts.

Ok, enough of my shameless plugging.  I spent yesterday's post talking about one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game and was able to follow it up today with who I have always believed was the greatest.  He is definitely my favorite pitcher of all-time (of which I have many).  One regret I do have, however, is that I was never able to meet Feller in person.  I do want to go to his museum in Iowa one day.  Maybe I'll be able to convince Drew to go on a road trip in the future.  Who knows.

So, thanks for the awesome Christmas present, Drew.  You've always been a class act and I am glad we have been able to collaborate on our blogs for the past 5 years together.  Thanks so much!

Birthday Present From Drew - Dave Winfield Signed Baseball

The other baseball in my package from Drew was of Dave Winfield.  Winfield (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1973 to 1988 and 1990 to 1995 for the Padres, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and Indians.  He had 3,110 hits, 465 home runs and a career average of .283.  He never won the MVP award (surprisingly) but finished 3rd in the voting in 1979 (behind tying winners, Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell).  Winfield had to wait until 1992 to win the World Series, with the Blue Jays.  He had one other appearance in a World Series, 1981, when he batted .095 for the Yankees, gaining the nickname Mr. May from Yankee owner George Steinbrenner.

Looking at his stats, I would have thought Winfield had led the league in more of the traditional categories (you know, hits, runs, homers, RBI, avg, etc) but he only led the league in one of them, RBI, in 1979 with 118.  I guess the definition of him would be "solid".  He was a solid player his whole career and parlayed thar into the Hall of Fame.

Winfield was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001 (his first ballot) with 84.5% of the vote.  He is my 94th Hall of Famer.

So, thanks again, Drew, for the awesome birthday presents!

Birthday Present From Drew - Paul Molitor Signed Baseball

I got a package in the mail today from my very good friend, Drew, from Drew's Cards.  The package was a birthday present that I have been waiting for with great anticipation.  Drew already let it be known that there would be two Hall of Famers in the box that I needed and he definitely didn't disappoint.

The first ball, my 93rd Hall of Famer was Paul Molitor.  I think, historically, Molitor is vastly underrated.  Molitor (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1978 to 1998 for the Brewers, Blue Jays and Twins.  He had 3,319 hits, 234 home runs and a career batting average of .306.  He led the league in hits 3 times (1991, 1993 and 1996), once collecting 225 hits (1996).  He was only a 7-time All Star in his 21 seasons in the majors and never won the MVP Award, finishing 2nd in 1993 (losing to Frank Thomas).  He did, however win a World Series ring with the Blue Jays in 1993 after losing in his only shot with the Brewers in 1982.  In the '82 series, he did his part.  He went 11 for 31 or  a .355 batting average. 

Probably the oddest statistic, at least to me, is that Molitor never won a batting title.  I really would have thought he had at least one batting crown in his trophy case, but it appears he does not.  He did bat over .300 in 12 seasons where he played 100 or more games.  He hit .353 in 1987, only to lose to Wade Boggs, who batted .363 that year.  Not a bad guy to lose the batting crown to.

Molitor was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004 (his first ballot) when he was named on 85.2% of the ballot.

Thanks for the ball, Drew!  Stay tuned to see the other ball that he sent!

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - Trading With Drew

Wow, I'm so ridiculously behind.  It's a good thing though.  I have gotten a ton of trades in the mail lately, and I also attended a card show.  So, I have a ton of stuff to show off.  I've pretty much ended my run talking about my vacation, except there may be 3 or so more posts that I want to do on it.  However, since I am talking about trades, I will begin with the in person trade I made with Drew.  You may have heard of Drew on this blog before.  Maybe?  Anyway, check out his blog as well.  Because he's a great dude and a good friend.  So, the first night I was at Drew's place, we busted a box of 2011 Lineage and then he gave me a huge stack of stuff he had been collating for me for quite some time.  He also let me go through some album pages of cards that he had gotten in his amazing binder from a couple years ago.  I needed the above Harvey Haddix for my 1959 set.

I grabbed this 1967 Topps Mark 'The Blade' Belanger RC for my Orioles collection.  Belanger was a slick fielding shortstop for the Orioles in their 70's heyday.

Ok, so, I have no idea how this card had eluded my 1971 set for so long.  I could have sworn I had this card already.  I need to check, but it was on my needs list.  Maybe I had a beat up one that I wanted to upgrade.  Anyway, Drew was nice enough to let me have it, and for that, I am thankful.  This really is a cool card of The Splendid Splinter.  His time in Washington was forgettable, leading to the theory that some great players just don't make good coaches.

Drew threw in some nice RCs into my box as you can see with this 1973 Topps Goose Gossage and the below 1993 Topps Derek Jeter.  Look how young Jeter is.  Yikes!  I'm feeling old!

Yes, I am working on the 1993 set, but I have been lazy and haven't put my needs on my wishlist yet.  I'll get around to it.

We pulled off a trade for one of the relic cards in the Lineage box for the above 2009 A&G McLouth relic.  Nate is becoming one of my favorite Orioles and I was happy to take this one off of Drew's hands.

Finally, Drew threw in this cool coupon from Memory Lane, Inc.  It is kind of a hideous portrait of Jimmie Foxx, but it will still go into my Foxx PC.

So, thanks for all of the awesome stuff, Drew!  I love this in-person trading.  I would really like to do more of it.  I guess I may have to consider a Foul Bunt World Tour for 2014.  Haha.  Stranger things have happened.

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - The Plaques

The most important part of the Hall of Fame, to me, is the plaque room.  That place, in my opinion, is hallowed ground.  I always enjoy myself in there and was really happy to share the experience with my son.  I walked him around and showed him several of the legends that he has heard me talking about.  The first plaque we went to was Brooks, which can be seen above.

Chris took this very unflattering picture of me in front of Brooks's plaque.  He kept begging me to let him take a picture, so I finally relented and let him take one.  Not bad.

Then, of course, Chris wanted to have his picture taken in front of the plaque, so I obliged him, of course.

With Chris being a huge fan of The Sandlot, he had to have his picture taken in front of Babe Ruth's plaque.  Any self respecting baseball fan should have a picture of themselves in front of The Babe's plague.  I'm just saying.  He also had to touch Babe's bust as well.  This will probably be a tradition for us, I think.

A really nice lady offered to take our picture in front of The Babe, so we were appreciative of the gesture.  When Chris then told her "Ok, you took our picture, now I'm going to take yours" I kind of freaked out, especially since she had one of those really awesome cameras.  She was really nice and showed Chris how to operate it and he took the picture for her.  Thankfully, he didn't drop her camera, which is what I was afraid of.  Maybe I should start trusting him more?

No, just by looking at that face, I know I can't trust him yet, haha.  He was happy to have his picture taken in front of Cal's plaque as well.  I read him Brooks's and Cal's plaques.  I did well reading Brooks's plaque, but when I read Cal's, I got a little choked up.  You know, reading the Hall of Fame plaque of my childhood hero to my son...  What an awesome moment.

Then something really cool happened.  The staff of the Hall of Fame closed off the section of the plaque room so that the plaques of the newly inducted Hall of Famers could be hung.  I'm really excited to say that we were there when there guys' plaques were hung.  That's so cool.

While we were standing and waiting for the plaque hanging to be finished, we noticed that the great-grandson of one of the inductees, Deacon White, was right beside us.  Jerry Watkins, White's great-grandson, accepted White's induction and gave a speech at the ceremony earlier that day.  He was really nice to us, spoke to us for a little bit, then posed for a photo.  I also thought this was really cool.

Finally, Drew did something really awesome for me as well.  I had no idea he was behind me taking this photo, but this is me reading Stan Musial's plaque to Chris.  It really meant a lot to me that my buddy was able to catch this candid moment of me sharing this experience with my son.  Thanks, Drew!

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - The Hall

First off, someone give the old lady in this picture a hug, please.  She looks so pissed.  I mean really.  Was she surprised that someone was posing for a photo in front of the Hall of Fame?  Really?  Not only is she angrily photo bombing us, the old lady in the hat on the left side of the picture cut in front of us as we were trying to get another picture.  She bumped into me and cut right in front of us, and clearly there was someone taking our picture.  It caught me by surprise enough, that I couldn't bite my tongue and said really loud "Thanks a lot lady!"  She didn't respond.  Anyway, we were undeterred, we moved on into one of my favorite places in the world, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

I detailed my first visit to the Hall in a series of posts back in August of 2011, which you can start with here.  I will spend this post showing a few new things and several pictures of Chris in front of some stuff.

Chris had to pose in front of Pete Rose's jersey, since he is now a fan.  There seems to be a bit of a groundswell of support for Rose getting into the Hall these days with the Biogenesis crap going on.  I, for one, wouldn't mind if Rose's ban is lifted, but if his is, then the cases of Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson also need to be re-evaluated.

Chris has been a Brian Roberts fan for as long as he has been able to comprehend baseball, so he was really happy to have his picture taken in front of the Orioles locker that had jerseys from Roberts and Adam Jones.

Yeah, I had to take this picture since it is of a hat worn by Orange Crush himself.  I love that it is from his game as a pitcher in May 2012 against the Red Sox.  That has to be one of my favorite performances by an Oriole.  I keep thinking back on it and am still amazed that he struck out Adrian Gonzalez and the O's squeaked out a win.

I thought this was really cool, considering that I have this pennant hanging up in my Man Cave.  Pretty cool that I have one and there is one in the Hall.

Finally, I had to make sure I paused and paid my respects to the one and only Virgil Trucks when I saw the book of No Hitters that was on display.  Being able to see his name on one of the items in the Hall brought a couple tears to my eyes and I was sure to point it out to Drew as well.  He is the one who turned me on to Mr. Trucks and I will always be grateful.

That being said, because we were there on Induction Day, the archives were closed, so I wasn't able to see my interview that I submitted a few months ago.  You have to make an appointment to visit the archives and look at any of their documents.  I was ok with this, though, because we really didn't have a whole lot of time to look into it.  I know it's there, and have a certificate to prove it.

So, stay tuned for a look at the plaque room and a unique experience that we shared while we were there.