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.

July 4, 2018, Keys at Mudcats

The Wood Ducks were out of town on July 4, so I did what I have done the last several years, and caught a game in Zebulon.  This year, the Keys were in town, and I did a lot better graphing than I did when Salem was there last year.

I had to do the game without my wife (she had to work) and my son (he was at Boy Scout Camporee)., but I was able to hang with my friends Jackson and Dugan.  We graphed a ton, and had a great time.

I got a bunch of cards done that included cards from last year's Mudcats team set and the 2018 All Star set.

I also got a few Phil Bickford cards done.  He seems like a great guy, and has been really cool to us when we have graphed.

I was happy to add Orioles pitching prospect, Zac Lowther to the autograph album.  He was charting pitches pre-game, but I happened to catch him on his way to his seats.  He was really friendly, and signed everything I had.

I found the blue parallel Randolph Gassaway when I was going through my Orioles box looking for Rafael Palmeiro.

The fireworks were really cool, but the next to last one went off too soon, and we had to duck and cover, since we were right by the outfield wall.

Final Regular Season Home Game For the Kinston Indians... Ever

 I'm late posting this, but we went to the last ever regular season home game for the Kinston Indians on September 2, 2011.  They were playing the Keys in that final home series and funny thing is, the Indians were able to stretch that into a playoff run and play the Keys again in the Mills Cup finals.  We went to a game in that series as well.

 We had to get general admission tickets and sit on the grass, which wasn't bad.  The game ended up being sold out.  I had to wait an hour and a half in line for concessions and then another hour was spent in line for the souvenir shop because everything was 50% off.  I got my wife a shirt; my son a foam hand; and myself a pennant and a team ball.

 We were able to watch Orioles prospects play for the Keys.  Here is Jonathan Schoop who is one of the few international prospects (he is from Curacao) that the O's have signed lately.

 Schoop laid down a pretty nice bunt and almost beat the throw.

 We also got another look at Orioles 2010 first round pick, Manny Machado.  Manny looks to be a pretty good player and has been compared to a young Alex Rodriguez.  I'm not sure I'd go that far, but he does seem to be a good player.

 Here is my last view under the lights during a regular season MILB game at historic Grainger Stadium.  I love going to games there and I hope another team will be taking their place.  I wouldn't mind a lower A team.

The Indians closed out their home series with fireworks, which was really awesome.  I'll sure miss spending 4th of July at the park watching the fireworks.  I'll have to take my July 4th tradition to another park somewhere else, I suppose.

So, goodbye, Kinston Indians.  Since 2009, you have been my home team and my way to see some top prospects come through town.  I've had some good times there with people like my good friend Jim, my wife, my younger brother Andy and especially my son.  I'll always remember those good times at Grainger Stadium.

Funny... this was my 700th post.  Congratulations to me, haha.

July 4th, 2011 Kinston Indians Vs. Frederick Keys

Happy July 4th to everyone out there. I spent the day enjoying my day off... playing Wii with my son and then going to the final 4th of July game at historic Grainger Stadium in Kinston, NC. As you all may know, the Indians are leaving Kinston at the close of the 2011 season. While I am sad that this is happening, I'm not surprised. I'm holding out hope that another team will be taking their place, but who knows if that will happen.

Last year, I took the family to Kinston and left with a game worn 4th of July jersey (read about the game here). This year, the team did a similar promotion, but the jersey was in honor of the military and the numerous nearby military bases, so this year's jerseys were camouflage.

Pretty epic, right? I bid on and won the jersey of Kinston first baseman Jeremie Tice. Tice was drafted in the 38th round of the 2006 amateur draft by the Florida Marlins, but did not sign. He was, then, drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 draft by the Indians.

Tice went 1 for 4 tonight with a single. He is currently batting .252 on the season. The coolest thing about this jersey, and the reason I went for it was because he got it nice and dirty for me! I'm definitely going to keep it as is and display it in that fashion.


Also, Tice autographed the jersey after the game, so I was pretty happy about that.Unfortunately, my digital camera is on it's last legs, so I was only able to snap a few pictures of the game with my handy-dandy cell phone. As you can see here, plenty of people came out to enjoy the smoke filled historic Grainger Stadium (there is an on-going wildfire to the southeast of this area, and the smoke has lingered about for weeks, now). The smoke was pretty harsh tonight, and I still smell like it. Uggh.
Another cool thing about the game was that the Indians were playing the Frederick Keys. I was able to get a baseball signed by Orioles #1 draft pick from the 2010 amateur draft - Manny Machado. I now have baseballs signed by 5 Orioles #1 picks - Manny Machado, Matt Hobgood, Matt Wieters, Billy Rowell and Brandon Snyder.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. I sure did!!

A Fun July 4th

For the second time, I went to a baseball game on July 4th with my wife and son. The last time was 2007 or 2008 I think, at the old Ernie Shore Field in Winston-Salem.

This year, we went to Grainger Stadium in Kinston to watch the Indians take on the Frederick Keys. The game in Winston-Salem had been against the Keys as well. Tradition starting?
Chris got some autographs while we were there. Here he is getting one from Jacob Julius. I had met him before, he seems like a really nice guy. He signed a broken bat for me at the last Keys game I went to.

Xavier Avery came over and signed a ball for him as well. Avery is now the Orioles' #1 prospect since Brian Matusz is in the Majors. He's pretty fast and has been hitting the ball pretty well.

Chris got a lot of compliments on his sunglasses. Ronnie Welty signed a ball for him and told him he liked them. Chris responded 'Yeah, they're red...'

This was the first time I had ever seen Grainger Stadium at capacity. I'd say it was sold out, but they were still selling standing room only tickets long after the game started. It was almost ridiculous, but kind of nice to see the place full at the same time. We ended up saving money because after our initial round of food and drinks, we shied away from the long line and waited to go to Cookout afterward for some shakes.

You can play Where's Waldo with this picture and find Chris. Not too hard, I think, but still kind of cool.