2013 Orioles FanFest: The Quiz

The blank cards will give me a few "Quiz" options moving forward.  Here is the first quiz:

Player #1

 

Player #2

 

Player #3

 

Maybe a small prize to the first person to get all three right.  Good Luck.

2013 Orioles FanFest: Final Session

I did well hounding by the stage but needed to make my way to my final autograph station.  Filled with minor stars, but elusive ones, this station was the most important for me.

 

Wilson Betemit 2007 Topps Heritage #16

Available.

 

Wilson Betemit 2012 Topps #538

Wilson's first appearance as an Oriole is much straighter than pictured.  My scanner hated this card for some reason.

 

Miguel Gonzalez 2013 Orioles FanFest Postcard

Miguel still has no major issue cards out there, just a couple of minor league issues.  This postcard works very well, until he gets on a normal size card.  Until then, this beauty is mine.

 

 

Jason Hammel 2012 Topps Update Series #US186

Hammel was the only player from this station that was not completely needed.  I had a signed Orioles Postcard from last season already in place.  But I was able to hound him for Craig to free up the upgrade opportunity.  If anyone is looking for Hammel on a postcard, let me know, I now have one available.

 

Steve Johnson 2013 Orioles FanFest Postcard

Much like Gonzalez, Johnson hasn't graced a Topps card in a Bird uniform.  He has a few Dodger issues out there but this card just looks so much better doesn't it. Steve had the line of the night as he was walking toward the stage and autograph seekers.  He turned to his handler and told her to "Get to work", turning down autograph requests.

2013 Orioles FanFest: On the Hunt

With three hours to kill between sessions there was no better way to kill time by hunting down some more autographs.  I was able to meet up with some old friends, Austin and Ed, and I also was introduced to Dion.  We have talked many times before and have traded multiple times on my Blog, but never put two and two together.  Now we know.

I heard "no" a lot.  Handlers were doing their job and deterred many before we could even ask.  I asked Mike Wright to sign and took five minutes to convince him and his handler to sign one card.  They stopped walking to talk to me and tell me he couldn't sign.  The handler said that Wright would "get in trouble".  I told him they were trying to scare him and he would be fine.  He relented eventually and I was drained.

Mike Wright Baltimore Autograph Card

Now he just needs to crack the Major League roster to make my groveling worth it.

 

Jim Presley Orioles Postcard

Presley was milling around the stage aimlessly for nearly an hour and I took two opportunities to have postcards signed.  He had no handler, no posse.  He was merely handing out, listening to the panel discussions and partaking in a few as well. 

 

If anyone is collecting Orioles Coaching Staff or former players, this one is looking for a nice home.

 

This next group doesn't have much of a story, recognize, ask, sign.  Done.

 

 Zach Britton 2012 Topps Orioles #BAL-16

Available

 

Bobby Dickerson Baltimore Autograph Card (Third Base Coach)

Available

 

Miguel Gonzalez Baltimore Autograph Card

Available

 

L.J. Hoes 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition #67

 

Trayvon Robinson Baltimore Autograph Card

 

I missed a shot at Dylan Bundy because I didn't recognize him, he just seemed too small.  Not even close to 6 feet tall, but I Still should not have missed him.  After his Future Stars panel discussion with Manny Machado, Xavier Avery, Jonathan Schoop and L.J. Hoes, Dylan did the unthinkable.  He stopped and signed.  A ton. 

 

Long arms help and I was able to slip this one to him:

 

Dylan Bundy 2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects #BDPP18

 

 Dylan kept plugging away and I had another card so I figured I would give it a go.

 

Dylan Bundy 2012 Leaf National Sports Collector's Convention #VIP 5

Dylan was near silent the entire time but he was a machine.  Spent nearly 15 minutes signing with his handler tapping the foot and urging him to leave the entire time.  Much appreciated Dylan, thanks a million.

 

If anyone is in need of the NSCC card or any of the other listed available let me know. Who knows, the orange jersey may be attractive to a few of you?

2013 Orioles FanFest: Auto Station 1

 

The debacle of buying Autograph Vouchers left me with a sour taste in my mouth and two tickets to the 12:40 sessions with Jim Palmer, Taylor Teagarden and Kevin Gausman.  I was unable to secure help for the session and got to the line early anticipating needing to make two passes through the line.

Standing in line I naturally struck up conversation with people around me and noticed a guy putting away a T.J. McFarland postcard from his first session.  I asked if he had an extra, he did not.  But he had no need for it and traded it to me for a few base cards of Troy Patton, Jake Arrieta and Nolan Reimold.  That's a win.

T.J. McFarland 2013 Orioles FanFest Postcard

 

McFarland was selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the Cleveland Indians and will be getting a look in the rotation come Spring Training. Worst case, the bullpen will be calling his name, making this a quick name to cross off the list, hopefully.

 

Waiting in line I saw a hulk of a man hanging out by the entrance to my station.  I sent this his way:

 

Anyone know who it is?

 

Once the line started moving, the Voucher Gods decided to have some fun with me. The elderly gentleman working the scanner was having trouble with my vouchers. For 10 minutes. The line was held up eventually he sent me to a supervisor on the other side of the world. That supervisor then walked me directly back where I started to manually type in the serial number. Rocket Science I tell ya.

I eventually got in with both vouchers and was able to score these:

 

Kevin Gausman 2011 Topps USA #7

Kevin Gausman 2013 Orioles Postcard

Gausman's handler tried to deny me a signed postcard once I handed him the USA card but was swayed by both of my vouchers.  Kevins was a nice kid, personable but not chatty.  I am expecting his name to be crossed off my list sometime this season.  Much like Bundy, his stuff is plus, but with two years at LSU under his belt, his rise should be a little quicker.

 

The USA card is available for anyone in need and the postcard will be making its way into the collection.

 

Jim Palmer Orioles Postcard

 

Jim Palmer 2012 Topps Golden Moments #GM27

Jim Palmer was in his greatest mood, ever.  I am not just saying that because he smiled during the signing, but he was talking with every fan, Taylor Teagarden and was also handing out his signed postcard.  Before even saying "Hello" he thrust a postcard in my hand which I quickly accepted.  Then handed my two cards for my vouchers.  He too tried to sign just one, but also lamented when I showed him both tickets.  We exchanged pleasantries and I was off, a completely different Jim Palmer experience than this one.

 

A second signed card went to Craig for help at a later session, more on that later.  Both of the Palmers are available for trade if anyone is interested.

 

Taylor Teagarden 2010 Topps #346

 

Taylor Teagarden 2013 Orioles Postcard

 Not much to say about Teagarden.  Solid guy.  Willing to sign anything given him and nice doing it.  The postcard was pre-signed so black had to suffice.  Normally blue is it for me, but I like this photo better than last year, so I do have last years available, as well as the Topps cards.

 

Still more to come as I had to kill 3 hours before the final session, stay tuned.

Orioles FanFest 2013: The Beginning

So, I'm an idiot.

I started the best autograph day of the year for me by losing my Season Ticket holder early entry tickets.  I blogged about those very tickets here, yet found a way to lose them.  Idiot.

Friday night I had to buy another ticket and miss out on the early entrant free signing.  At least I was able to sleep in. 

I rolled up to the Convention Center at precisely 11am, grabbed my ticket at will call and walked into the event.  11:10am and I was ready to go.  Unfortunately the 18,000 people in front of me had other things on their mind, namely walking slow as sin.  After making my way past the slowpokes I found the stage, grabbed my cards and got ready for the day.

I was set up for two minutes when I recognized my first player.

Taylor Teagarden Baltimore Autograph Card

 

His signature is still very sloppy and difficult to read, but looks great on these cards.  The blue pops really well.  The only drawback I have found is in human error, signing upside down. 

 

It was my first time breaking out the custom Baltimore Autograph Card from Brian and Rusty at The Autograph Card and me likey.  Get used to the look of them, they will be making a few appearances in the next few posts.

 

Stay tuned, I brought home 30 more autographs from this years event.

The Best Part About The Flu?

That's a very difficult question to answer.  It's a toss up really.

The vomiting?

The pain?

The disinfecting of the entire house?

The time off work?

Watching "Trouble With The Curve"?

A TTM success and time to blog?

Bingo!

 

Mark Brown 1991 Orioles Crown

 

 

Mark was a sixth round pick of the Orioles that only had a cup of coffee with the Birds in 1984.  In nine appearances out of the pen he managed a sole victory, in the final game of the 1984 season. He struck out Jim Rice to end the season and his career in Baltimore.  That off-season saw him traded to the Minnesota Twins for Brad Havens.  A second season in the big leagues was all Brown would get.  His professional career ended in the Twins organization in 1986.

 

I sent my request to Mark at least six months ago, and as with most of my requests, I had forgotten about it.  The request came with a religious bookelt from Mark but also a handwritten note from his daughter apologizing for the delay.  She has been trying to get him to sign more fan mail and my success is a byproduct of that.

 

Thanks Mark and Kristen

Orioles FanFest Fail

2013 Orioles FanFest autograph vouchers went on sale Saturday morning at 10am.  I was in front of my laptop poised to make the selections that I needed to add to the collection.  What I was not counting on, more glitches with the ticket system.

Tickets.com was unable to accommodate the volume at 10 am and for 10 minutes I received messages denying my purchase.  I tried multiple sessions and differing voucher quantities, with the same results.  Frustrated, I called customer service to see what could be done.  Never got through.

Finally, 20 minutes of clicking and clicking and I was able to purchase my first autograph session.  Just one.  There was no way to make one purchase for all sessions that were wanted.  In all I had to try and try again to make three separate purchases.  I bought the amount of sessions I wanted, but a glitch changed the time slot.  Doh.

30 minutes on hold again, only to find out nothing could be done with my wrong time slots.  Wonderful.

So, I need some help and have a few extra slots available.

Looking for:
Dylan Bundy
LJ Hoes
Jonathan Schoop
TJ McFarland
Zach Clark
Trayvon Robinson
Nate McLouth
Luis Ayala
Pedro Strop

I have these slots available for trade:
Kevin Gausman (x3)
Manny Machado (x2)
Jim Palmer (x2)
Darren O'Day (x2)
Ryan Minor (x2)
Taylor Teagarden (2)
Jason Hammel

I am open for trading slots or can also do consignment.  If interested just comment or email potziecards@yahoo.com.

Hail

To The Redskins!

I lnow it is a baseball card blog, but after the season my Skins have had, I need to guve them a shout out.

There were hopes for a successful season, but seven straight wins and a division title was not expected.  Now comes the difficult part, expectations.  A home playoff game against their mirror image, in a city itching to be relevant in football, is huge.

A win would be even better, especially since half my family are Seahawk fans.  They are still jawwing about the 2006 Seahawk victory.  The score doesn't matter, all I want to see is #10 "Griffining" when it is all over.

The Most Thoughtful Christmas Gift

My family has grown by leaps and bounds over the last six years.  My Old Man remarried and I gained three step-brothers, a step-mom, and step-cousins.  Then my sister got married and we all started having kids.  It has gotten to the point where Christmas focuses on the kids.  The adults draw names and buy a gift for their selection.

As luck would have it, I drew my brother-in-law Steve, and he me.  Steve is from Long Island and is a huge Yankees and Giants fan.  Somehow my sister can stand him.  He is a carpenter and outdoors-man, so subscriptions to his favorite magazines found their way to his stocking.

When I opened my gift I was shocked.

"Yankees Suck!" by Jim Gerard

 

 

He said when he saw the book he had to buy it for me.  That no one would appreciate the book more than I would.  He was correct.  I can't imagine how difficult it is for a fan to buy something ripping his team apart.  I guess Yankee fans are used to the hatred, I know he is.  We definitely do not see eye to eye in sports.  That makes this gift even more special.

 

My only issue with the book is that the writer himself does not hate the Yankees.  It is an homage to the hatred his friends have for the Yankees.  With that distance comes softness.  The scathing review of the Evil Empire, this is not.  Fuel for the fire, yes it is.

 

One of my favorite movies yielded a great quote that is very appropriate when speaking of the Yankees.  Just like Lundberg, they "represent all that is soulless and wrong."  Thanks Office Space.

Christmas Present From the Orioles

FanFest is on January 19, 2013 and I am stoked.  Hopefully it will jump start me and the collection for 2013.  Because I was a season ticket holder last year I received a Christmas Gift from the Orioles, 2 FanFest Tickets.  And early access to boot.

Now all the Orioles have to do is announce the autograph sessions and I am in business. 

I tried to recruit my brother to stand in line with me and help get autographs, no go.  He seems to have forgotten the 1996 AA All-Star Game in Trenton New Jersey.  I spent an entire day helping my brother graph Vlad Guerrero and others, leaving with zero unsigned cards.  What a jerk. 

His loss, your gain?

Anyone want the ticket?  All I ask is a little help in the lines.  Let me know. 

Oh.....Go O's.