Hey guys, Drew back here! So, jumping right back into my review of the Mid Hudson Civic Center baseball card show; I went for one main reason. A Yankees legend, joined by two other former greats was going to attend the show. And that legend just so happened to be the Chairman of the Board, Whitey Ford! The Yankees all time best starting pitcher just so happened to take a stroll through our area and made a rare autograph signing for all of us in the upstate area! Joining him in this signing were former Yankee outfielder Shane Spencer and utility man Joe Pepitone! I never met any of them before, so I was reluctant and extremely excited to get my opportunity so closeby to home!
Unfortunately, in order to get my chance, I had to wait in a long line with my friends Schuyler & Connor. Connor had to go to work and rush out within the next half hour we were in line, so he never got a chance to meet Pepitone, however, we got him some autographs anyway. He did get to meet Whitey and Shane though, so it certainly wasn't a total loss for my good friend!
Ford seemed to be a really nice guy. It appeared as if he enjoyed coming out and signing autographs, however the guy handling the line and tickets was a real jerk. He hardly allowed us to get a word in with Whitey, and we were lucky we even got a picture with him. However, we still get a few seconds with one of the greatest pitchers to take the mound, so I was still more than content with the result. It was just annoying, because the line was done within an hour, and only a few occasional people took the short line opportunity that remained for the next two hours. I don't think he was in much of a rush, but I guess the ticket dude must've really wanted a hot dog or something. Oh well.
Next in line was legendary postseason performer Shane Spencer! Shane only charged $10 an autograph, which was pretty good for a guy who did so many great things for one of the best teams in sports history, the 1998 Yankees! He seemed like a nice guy as well, and after he signed my Mantle photo, he tapped on The Mick on the photo as if he was blessing him or something. You don't see athletes doing things like that often, so that was kind of neat.
As much as I love meeting legends like Ernie Banks, Ralph Kiner, and Whitey Ford, the new guys always feel more relevant for me, especially since I grew up with them. I wish the Yankees dynasty could've waited for me to get a little older than ya know, 2, 3 years old, but I guess I shouldn't complain.
Last but certainly not least was the guy you can't miss at a party, Joe Pepitone! The colorful character certainly made people notice he was there, being the true Italian he is. You have to love guys like that, especially when they're signing autographs for free. The 3 time Gold Glove winner was a very nice guy, and gladly signed my picture for me.
Apparently he was wearing the same hat as I was, the "retro" Yankees hat that he wore at the Old Timers Day game one year. I've been to 2 Old Timers games in my life, and I'll always remember him crushing the ball. He's still got it for a 71 year old, which is pretty awesome.
As I aforementioned, I got all three of the signers on my photo I previously won from JP's Sports of Mickey Mantle, which was already signed by 29 former Yankees. I decided since Cecil Fielder's autograph was already on the picture, I'll allow any Yankee who started their career before the turn of the century to sign the picture. Whitey is easily the biggest name on it now, but I'm certainly hoping that can change in the future!
I had Ford sign around the lower middle area, so his signature will stand out when the project is eventually completed. Pepitone's signature is right below Mantle's right knee, and Spencer is right above Rafael Santana's! All three autographs came out great in my opinion!
With these 3 signatures, I now have 32 on the photo. The certification will not cover the whole photo, but I don't care considering all the autographs will be real. I hope to one day fill the 16x20 up with as many signatures as I can, and hang it up on the wall next to a picture that I have not yet revealed to you guys yet. It's epic, is all I can say for now.
Before I let you all go, I wanted to inform you guys that Dad and I made the larger local newspaper in an article about the show! Here is a link, check it out to see our appearance!
Okay, I'm done now. See Ya!
The Poughkeepsie Journal is awesome!! Congrats!! It really was an amazing experience as it was my first, and definitely not my last show!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to meet those guys, man. Too bad the ticket taker was a douche, but what can you do? At least you got the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAwesome experience man!
ReplyDeleteDrew,
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the old timers signatures. Guys with class and good signatures are getting rarer all the time. You did a quality review of your experience at the show. Keep up the good writing.
This is WAY off-topic, so bear with me here. I saw the name Shane Spencer and originally thought it said Shawn Spencer and immediately said, quite out loud, PSYCH!
ReplyDelete