July 7, 2018, Richmond Flying Squirrels Game

Since the Wood Ducks were out of town last weekend, I decided to take Chris to see my friend, Ryan, in Richmond and graph the Flying Squirrels.  I found out that it was a specialty jersey day, and I hadn't been able to get one of those since the July 4, 2011 game in Kinston.  So, I was hoping  could come away with a jersey.  I did, and it ended up being the jersey of former Wood Duck, Matt Lipka.

Lipka was very happy to see that Chris and I were the ones who won his jersey.  He remembered us from last season.  He gave Chris and I hugs, shook our hands and asked Chris if he remembered him.  We stood on the field talking with him for a good 10-15 minutes post-game.  It was really awesome catching back up with him.

I was also able to get this Wood Ducks team card signed pre-game.  I don't have many unsigned team cards left, so I feel like I have done pretty well this season.

I was also able to add a 1996 Topps to the album.  I had bought a box of 1996 Topps, just so I could have some bulk to send out for TTMs.  Unfortunately, not too many have come back since I bought the box, but I'm hoping some will.

I also got these cards done.  The 2010 Pro Debut Jerry Sands has been floating around my card boxes for the last 8 years.  Since he is from NC, I have been wanting to add his auto, and I was finally able to get him taken care of.

We had a really good time at the game.  The Diamond was packed for the post-4th of July festivities.

Christmas Gifts From Mom

Continuing with my theme of being way behind on blog posts, I need to show some of the stuff that my mom got me for Christmas.  I still have quite a few Christmas items that need to be posted, along with some cards from the National, still.

Mom always hooks me up with some cool minor league jerseys.  This year was no different, but I believe I got more jerseys than in years past.  Mom explained to me afterward that she may or may not have misplaced a box that had LAST YEAR'S jerseys in it.  See, I'm not the only one who is behind.  Here is the West Virginia Power jersey that she picked up for me.  The Power are the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and are based in Charleston, West Virginia.  I want to catch a game there sometime soon with my amazing friends, Josh and Kaleb, so look for me to be wearing this jersey in the near future.

This Tacos jersey is actually for the Fresno Grizzlies.  This is a cool variation jersey.  The Grizzlies are the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros.  This is also a nod to my nephew-dog, Bruiser, who is a Chihuahua and probably would enjoy a good taco here and there.

Here is a Charlotte Stone Crabs jersey that she picked up.  The Stone Crabs are based in Port Charlotte, Florida and are the Class A Advanced team for the Tampa Bay Rays.  Several folks hear Charlotte Stone Crabs and think of Charlotte, NC, but no, Charlotte, NC houses the Knights, the AAA team for the White Sox.

Here is another nod to Bruiser, a T-Shirt of the El Paso Chihuahuas, the AAA affiliate of the Padres.  The dog on the shirt looks a lot meaner than Bruiser.  Still, it is a cool shirt and I plan on wearing it a lot.

The West Michigan Whitecaps round out the shirts and jerseys that Mom picked up.  The Whitecaps are the Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and are based in a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Mom also got me some really cool stuff like a Brooks Robinson comic book and some more Oyo figures that I need to display.  Here is a 1959 Topps Orioles team set that she picked up.  Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Hoyt Wilhelm are encapsulates, and the rest of the team is in a plastic snap case.

The cards are in great shape, and I think I may put them in an album, instead of letting them sit on a shelf or get stuck in a box.  One of these days, I want to put together Orioles team sets, but that is something that is way on down my list at this point.  I hope to get to it sometime in the future, though.

As always, Mom comes up with the best Christmas ideas.  I don't even bother making out any kind of list for her, because I know that she A.) has probably already bought me next year's presents and B.) she is so creative with how she picks up stuff, I would feel bad LIMITING her with a list.  When she is allowed to run free with what she is picking up, she makes it a lot of fun to see where it goes.

Thanks so much for the Christmas presents, Mom.  You know I love them, and now is your chance to see them again in blog form!

Christmas From Mom and a Surprise Visit

My final post of Christmas presents, and you know how I love to save the best for last, comes as a sort of request.  Almost a demand.  You see, I had some surprise visitors com to the house last night.  My parents (plus my sister and niece) came and stayed over at my house last night since they had to be in the area early this morning.  I told them that since their venue was fairly close, they could crash here and save some money on hotel costs.  Luckily enough, they decided that was a good idea, so they dropped in at 11:30 last night.

In a conversation with Mom, either last night or early this morning, (because I woke up so early, they pretty much blended together) she asked why I hadn't done a blog post on the two minor league jerseys that she got me for Christmas (or the other stuff she got me).  Was it because I hated it?  Did I not like the stuff?  No way, I loved what I got, but I was saving the post.  Anyway, I won't show everything I got, but I will show the jerseys.

Mom has a knack of finding MiLB jerseys that are whimsical or interesting.  She was really fond of the Modesto Nuts jersey shown above.  I tend to agree. Nothing beats the Biscuits jersey she got me a couple years ago in terms of weird team names, but the Modesto Nuts is right up there.

I thought that this Reading Phillies jersey was really nice, too.  I like the old school "Fightin Phils", plus the pinstripes.  The jersey had a bit of a double meaning, since my older brother's name is Philip.  If we were teenagers again, it would be a fitting jersey.  I quit trying to fight him once we hit middle school because he shot up while I stayed scrawny, so I usually got my butt kicked.  I learned pretty quick that 'fightin Phil' was not a good endeavor.

The story doesn't end here with the jerseys, though.  I've spoken often on here in the past about how my mom really supported my interest in the hobby at a young age, even collecting baseballs cards alongside me when I was a teenager.  Something really cool happened last night/this morning, though.

You see, my parents aren't able to get out here on this side of the state often.  Dad has his business and making the three and a half hour trek out here on a weekend is really tough with all of his hobbies and other things going on.  This was, actually, only the second time my parents have seen my house since we bought it in 2011.  So, my dad hadn't really seen the extent of my collection until last night/this morning.

He took one look at my baseballs (you know, my china cabinet with my 98 Hall of Famers, plus lots more of other autos) and said "What the hell are you going to do with all of this stuff?"  My response?  "Look at it!"

This morning, as we were waiting on the girls to wake up, I was showing my mom some of my bobbleheads and die cast race cars, Dad walked up again and said, "So, what's all the fuss in here?"  So, I showed him a few of the things I had on the walls, including some really old racing photos of him, some of his memorabilia, like his old helmet, etc.  He patted me on the back and said, "I'm proud of you, you're just like me!"

My dad has collected a bunch of stuff over the years, HO and Lionel trains, Rocco mini tanks, Johnny West figures, birds (yes, live ones), and scores of other things.  So, my mom helped me get my start with all of this, but I can trace a lot of why I do this to my dad, too.  It was a really cool feeling being able to show him the stuff I've worked hard to collect and display over the years, even though he has admitted that watching baseball is like watching paint dry.  He did get the chance to go to Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles games with a close friend from school in the early to mid 60's, so he does have that on me.  Little did he know that I would become such a huge Orioles fan.

So, it was really nice to have my parents over last night and this morning.  I really wish they could come up more often, but I do understand.  I'm also really proud that both of them think what I'm doing with all of this is cool.  It means a lot to me.

Fan Fest Memorabilia Room - Brandon Snyder Jersey

One of the coolest things I got from Fan Fest was this Brandon Snyder batting practice jersey for $50 in the memorabilia room.  Last year, I thought the memorabilia room was really cool, so I saved up some money with the hope that I could come across something really awesome.  I have always been a Brandon Snyder fan since I met him in Winston-Salem at a 2008 game between the Frederick Keys and the Winston-Salem Warthogs.  It was my first baseball game with my mom in probably 15+ years at the time and we took my son, my brother, sister and nieces.  Chris was only 2 at the time and was really fussy, but Brandon gave him a game used baseball that he signed.  He also introduced us to Matt Wieters, who had just joined the Keys.

I was really disappointed when Snyder was sent to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations last offseason, but that is part of baseball sometimes.  He played 40 games for the Rangers in 2012, hitting 3 home runs and batting .277.  Snyder was re-signed by the Rangers in December, so I'm hoping he gets a shot at making the team out of spring training.  Brandon Snyder has always been nice to me, and i really hope he sticks in the Majors!

Adding to the Man Cave

For a while now, I've been wanting to display some of my jerseys in my Man Cave.  I had an idea in my head about how I wanted to do it, but I hadn't had much time to put my plan into action.  Yesterday gave me a nice opportunity to try out my idea and see how it would play out.

I put little loop screws into the wood molding around the ceiling and ran fishing line from one screw to another.  I made 3 lines, since I knew one line would sag too much in the middle.  I look at the pictures now and really wish I had something to hold the jerseys up other than clothespins, but they will have to do for now.  I do like how my Kinston jerseys look, especially the camo one.  I'm still amazed at how I was able o get that one, especially with the dirt on it.

The other jerseys I hung were two football jerseys.  The white practice jersey was used by my older brother Philip in High School and the black #88 is my brother Adam's game worn Wofford jersey.  I got the Roberts jersey from my good friend Lisa for Christmas back in 2005; it is a replica Roberts 2005 All Star warmup jersey.

I don't think of these as finished products just yet, my mind will be working overtime to try to perfect the way they look, but it seems to work for now.  I'm sure by the time I am satisfied with them, I'll have tried a few different things.

Trip To Cooperstown - Babe Ruth Edition

I thought I'd spend the evening listening to Hurricane Irene leave town and writing a blog post.

One of the coolest things I realized when I was walking around the Hall of Fame was that I was seeing first hand some pieces of memorabilia that shaped the very foundation of the history of the game that I love so much. There's probably not another player who completely embodies that history than George Herman "Babe" Ruth.
You all know that I am NOT a Yankee fan. I don't pretend to even tolerate them. I downright loathe them. However, I respect them. No franchise in baseball carries as much history as the Yankees. One of the biggest reasons is Babe Ruth. He was IT. A true showman. Whether you believe all of the legends. Did he really call his shot in the 1932 World Series? I don't doubt it, but there are stories that try to bring the legend of Ruth back to Earth somewhat. I love Ruth because of the larger than life aura that still surrounds him, even today. He might not have been the single greatest player ever (some believe that Ty Cobb should have that honor), but he should be player #1A. Ruth saved baseball from the black eye that was the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Ruth's epic home runs captivated crowds and put butts in the seats. They didn't call old Yankee Stadium "The House That Ruth Built" for nothing. So, my point is (because I'm rambling) that whenever I saw a piece of Ruth's memorabilia in the Hall, my heart skipped a beat.

I had to make sure that I, like many other fans before me, touched the bust of Ruth when I saw his plaque. I couldn't even speak when I stood and admired his plaque. In my opinion, the entire thing should be gold or something. Maybe some flashing lights. It is amazing to see in person.

It was really cool to see this book. According to the display case, Ruth signed this book for his nurse the night he passed away. It was one of his final acts and it is very fitting, signing an autograph on his deathbed.

By far, the coolest piece of memorabilia that I was able to get close to was Ruth's jersey. Seeing that big #3 and those pinstripes can take the breath away from even the staunchest Yankee hater. It was almost surreal to walk along the row of artifacts and items and come upon this jersey. Truly an amazing experience that all baseball fans should feel at least once in their lives.

Christmas Haul

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I had a lot of traveling to do, so I wasn't able to do as many posts as I would have liked. We also got a good bit of snow here in Greenville, so that's always nice. Death to Mosquitoes!!!
My mom, who always gets me cool stuff didn't disappoint this year when I opened my gifts. She got me this sweet Lansing Lugnuts jersey. She was going through the minor league mascots with me this summer and liked the Lugnuts mascot. I now have 3 jerseys of minor league teams: Lansing Lugnuts, Montgomery Biscuits and Kinston Indians.

Mom also got me the little plush mascot. I have the Montgomery Biscuit too, so that makes two mascots... Cool!!! I need to figure out where I can display these guys.

Pete found the redemption card for this 2010 Topps Chrome Brian Matusz auto at a card show for a steal. He, then, gave it to me as my Christmas present. THANKS PETE!!!

Mom got me this graded 10 Cal Ripken 2001 Fleer Tradition with a piece of GU rookie season bat, which is really cool. I hadn't seen these before, so it was nice to get a Cal that I didn't even know about.

Mom also put several packs in my stocking as stocking stuffers, two of which were these jersey/card sets. One was Andruw Jones, and the other was that Ken Griffey, Jr. Can never go wrong with Griffey.

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In all, it was a pretty productive Christmas. I wasn't able to spend a whole lot, but that's not what matters. I was able to spend time with my family and that is far more important. Thanks for everything Mom!!!

Birthday Stuff From Mom

I can always count on my mom to remember little things I mention throughout the year and completely forget about when it comes to stuff to get me for my birthday. Max and I spent a good portion of this summer catching as many minor league games as we could. At a Carolina Mudcats game in Zebulon, I bought myself and Max posters which listed all of the minor league teams and logos. He and I both thought that the Montgomery Biscuits was the best/oddest team name/logo out there. I spent a Saturday at the card shop with my little brother Andy looking at different logos and team shops, thinking about, maybe, buying a jersey; or, at the very least, a hat.
Something I did notice on the Biscuits' team shop was a plush biscuit mascot, which Andy and I both thought was AWESOME. I emailed Max a link to the item and he thought it was pretty cool as well. I got to my parents' house that night and showed my mom, and she thought it was cute and even remarked that she wanted one as well...

Well, she got herself one, and one for my birthday! Pretty cool, huh? But wait, that's not all:

Also in the box was a Biscuits jersey!!! Fan-freaking-tastic!!! Max and I WILL make a trip to Montgomery next year, and now, I have a jersey to wear! Pretty sweet. I just think a team called 'The Biscuits' is really cool. I mean, Evan Longoria wore a Biscuits jersey, so you know they're cool, haha.