Ten for Tuesday - Memorable All Star Game Moments

Hey guys, Drew back here! Is it just me, or was that Home Run Derby the best since Josh Hamilton made his mark at Yankee Stadium in 2008? I had initially picked Prince Fielder to top Joc Pederson in the finals, and after Fielder hit 12 home runs against Todd Frazier I thought I would be on to something. But, last night entirely belonged to Frazier and the impressive Cincinnati Reds fanbase. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I really enjoyed the new format (especially in comparison to what it was before).

I had been planning a different Ten for Tuesday topic for a few weeks now, but last night's event got me in the All Star Game mood I normally am in but wasn't quite yet this year. Without further ado, here are (in my opinion), the 10 most memorable moments in Midsummer Classic history!

Top 10 Memorable All Star Game Moments

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The All Star Game started in 1933, and has been one of the premier events of most every baseball season since. Over recent years, there have been some questionable decisions concerning the significance of the game, and I can't say I'm much of a supporter for the winner taking home field advantage in the World Series. However, it still is enjoyable seeing my favorite players called out one by one in the player introductions and facing off against elite counterparts across the country.

Honorable Mentions - 

- Stan Musial's Walkoff Home Run in the 1955 All Star Game
- Torii Hunter robbing Barry Bonds of a Home Run in the 2002 All Star Game
- Fred Lynn hitting the only Grand Slam in All Star history in 1983
- Dave Parker throwing out Brian Downing at the plate in 1979
- Bo Jackson's leadoff Home Run in 1989

10 - John Kruk Embarrassed by Randy Johnson, 1993

No matter how many times I watch HOF inductee "The Big Unit" completely overpower Kruk, I still can't stop laughing. I don't know if it's because I'd almost rather gauge my eyes out than have to listen to Kruk and crew call a game on ESPN, but whatever it may be, I'll never get enough of it. Johnson wasn't done though. In 1997, much of the same occurred against Rockies outfielder Larry Walker, who ended up batting from the right side (although he is a left handed hitter) and turning his batting helmet backwards.

9 - Bud Selig Calls a Tie, 2002

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Former Commissioner Selig may have been the culprit for all of the issues we currently face with this game. In 2002, both teams ran out of players on their respective benches, and Selig called the game a tie after 11 innings. This decision sparked the idea for the game deciding home field advantage in the World Series, and the game has not been as fun ever since. The Commissioner had his moments along his tenure at the top of the game, but this certainly was not one of them, as he was booed relentlessly by Milwaukee fans. "Let them play!"

8 - Ted Williams Walks Off, 1941

"The most thrilling hit of my life," proclaimed Williams; speaking of his bomb that put an end to the 1941 Midsummer Classic. It was a special year for baseball, as Joe DiMaggio collected the longest hitting streak to this day and a young, 21 year old "Teddy Ballgame" batted .406 over the course of the entire season. He batted .304 with 4 home runs among his 19 career All Star Games, and was one of the faces of baseball throughout one of the dark periods of the 21st Century in the US; World War II.

7 - Pedro Martinez Dominates, 1999

The turn of the century was a great time to be Pedro Martinez. Between 1997 and 2000, Martinez went on a historic stretch that included 3 Cy Young Award victories and some of the best pitched seasons of his time. Keep in mind that this was during the heart of the steroid era, and he was pitching in the AL East, one of the most fiercely competitive divisions during that span. The Yankees were on top of the world, winning the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, and there was no shortage of energy in baseball during that time.

So when Martinez came to the mound in the 1999 All Star Game, I guess we couldn't have expected any less from the 5'11 Dominican flamethrower. He struck out 5 of the 6 batters he faced, which included now Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, and stars Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Jeff Bagwell. Muy bien.

6 - Cal Ripken Jr.'s Final Moment, 2001

This will perhaps be viewed as Alex Rodriguez's kindest gesture throughout his tumultuous career, but will forever be Cal's moment. Ripken had become a familiar face in the All Star Game, and in 2001 he made his 19th and final place among the elite. Ripken didn't necessarily deserve to be in the game statistically, much as Derek Jeter didn't last year, but out of respect for the man who played more consecutive games than even the "Iron Horse" himself, he was voted as the starting third baseman. As a nod to his excellent years patrolling shortstop for the Orioles, Rodriguez surprised Ripken and switched positions with him. Of course, Rodriguez would go on to play third base just a few years later when the Yankees traded Alfonso Soriano for him in one of the bigger blockbuster deals recorded.

But, back to Cal. In clutch fashion, Ripken led off with a home run, and was named All Star Game MVP in response. He couldn't have ended it any better than that.

5 - Babe Ruth Hits the 1st Home Run, 1933

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"The Bambino" had his share of firsts. From christening Yankee Stadium with its first home run to really being the transcendent figure in baseball history, Ruth was better at handling the limelight than any of his predecessors. He was exactly what the game needed to become the force to be reckoned with it is today (although it is currently being outshined by several other sports).

In 1933, who but Ruth stepped up to the plate in the 3rd inning against Bill Hallahan in the first All Star Game. He hit a two run home run, the first in All Star history, because, who else? Ruth only played in one other All Star Game before his retirement following the 1935 season, but we all know if the game debuted earlier he would rank among the very best.

4 - Carl Hubbell Makes History, 1934

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I could make a case for Hubbell being one of baseball's most underrated pitchers, but I'm going to hold off on that until the next edition of Ten for Tuesday. Instead, let's showcase the best pitching performance in All Star history, which hasn't been topped for almost 100 years. Pedro came close, but nothing could top Hubbell setting down 5 consecutive Hall of Famers by way of the strikeout: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin! Hubbell incorporated his lethal screwball to his advantage, working his way out of trouble and into the record books.

3 - Reggie Towers One, 1971

Chicks dig the long ball. And on that 1971 night in Detroit, everyone dug what Reggie Jackson displayed. Jackson's bomb off of infamous hurler Dock Ellis was the most famous of recent ASG history, as it not only landed on the roof but even turned off a light in the stadium! The ball supposedly traveled well over 500 feet, and was a perfect representation of what Jackson would become years later in New York. He could be a one man show when he was at the top of his game, and he certainly was at this Midsummer Classic.

2 - Pete Rose Collides with Ray Fosse, 1970

Pete Rose was not a dirty player. He played the game the way it was meant to be played. He may have broken the rules towards the end of his career, but nobody could take away from what was a brilliant career. One of his more notable moments came in the 1970 All Star Game, when he proved that the game was much more than an exhibition. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Rose came home at full force and crushed catcher Ray Fosse to win the game for the National League. "Charlie Hustle" missed the next few games with a bruised knee, but he shook it off rather quickly. Meanwhile, Fosse did not. He separated his shoulder and never was the same player again. He was certainly one of the best "What could have been?" players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond.

This year, Pete will be a central part of the All Star celebration. Prior to the game, there will be announcements for each team's "Franchise Four", and it is expected that Rose will be one of the Reds' selections. While he is out of baseball, he is currently seeking reinstatement although he previously signed his name saying he would never reapply to the game he did wrong in the mid 1980's. Fans have said that enough is enough, and despite breaking a cardinal rule of the game that once punished the entire White Sox team in 1919; they generally believe he has paid his dues. I'm not his biggest supporter, and do not always agree with his business decisions, but no player played harder and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more.

I'm very anxious to see how tonight fares for the Hit King.

1 - All Century Team, 1999

It wasn't perfect. Anything voted by the fans is not perfect. I can imagine Brian Kenny picking apart the team sabermetrically and completely recreating it. But, picking the right guys wasn't necessarily the point of the All-Century Team. The All Star Game has been a celebration of the most enjoyable players to watch for over 80 years, and the All-Century Team was no different. Once again, Pete Rose was at the forefront of discussion when the nominees were revealed at Fenway Park prior to the Midsummer Classic. Rose was nominated, and there was controversy surrounding whether he should be allowed to be in the stadium despite being banished from Major League Baseball.

Sure enough, Pete was allowed to come, but at that point, nothing mattered more than the touching salute given to the Red Sox' finest player, Ted Williams. Williams was not in good condition at the time, and it would go on to be one of his final public appearances before his death in 2002. He had never been graceful to the Boston fans, but being carted out to an unbelievable ovation brought out the emotional side of perhaps baseball's finest contact hitter to ever live. All of the current players watched in awe and eventually joined Williams in the center of the diamond to speak with him. The late Tony Gwynn was right by his side, along with Nomar Garciaparra, Mark McGwire, and several others.

That was what baseball is all about. History embraced in its most beautiful form. Between the crowd screaming and chanting and the players so in tune with seeing their favorite players stand before them; that was a moment even a diehard Yankee fan like myself couldn't argue against.

Here's to a night filled with memories that can hopefully one day join this list.

See Ya!

COMC Card Exchange Mailday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! A few months ago I decided it would be a great idea to send a few batches of my autographed/memorabilia cards in to Check Out My Collectibles in anticipation of making a few extra bucks. It turned out to be an awesome idea, because with the $300+ I've earned thus far I've been able to buy the Robinson Cano Bowman Heritage autograph, some cards I've used for TTM requests, and a bunch of various other cards that hold more of a place in my collection! Here's a look at some of the loot I brought in this summer from COMC:

Charlie Sheen is one of my favorite actors, and "Eight Men Out" is a classic baseball movie. Although he didn't have a leading role here, it was one of the kickstarts to his "winning" career! For under a dollar, I couldn't pass this bad boy up!

There is a slim possibility that Robinson Cano may not be a part of the Yankees after this season, but clearly I believe Cashman will pull through and resign him longterm. Of course, I wouldn't like to see anything past 6 or 7 years contract wise, but with the way these longterm contracts have panned out throughout baseball I doubt he'll get much more. I picked up this 2012 Museum Collection parallel numbered to 299 and 2013 Heritage purple refractor for a couple of cheap meaningless relics.

I really need to update my Cano PC page soon. I've been in the midst of a huge liquidation movement with my collection, but after things settle I'll try to take my current PC's to the Internet for all of you to keep up with. Here's a bland Leaf Limited logo-less bat relic numbered out of 299 along with a funky 2006 All Star Stitches jersey card!

Despite the unfortunate Fanfest turnout with Mr. McCutchen, I'm still attempting to root for him. He's a great player and a lot of fun to watch, and when I saw this 2012 National Treasures relic of his for so cheap I knew I couldn't give up on the McCutch PC!

With the last dollar I had to spend, I turned to William and asked him what I should do with it. Rather than use it towards shipping costs, I bought 1961 Golden Press Bill Dickey card! I own literally next to nothing of Dickey's, and since he was the model in which Yogi Berra used to build his playing abilities, I feel like that's a bit cruel. That said, he doesn't have much out there and his autographs cost a fortune. For under a buck, I'll stick with this cool vintage card for now!

I haven't worked on my Knicks collection in what feels like forever, so here's a Raymond Felton auto relic out of this past year's Absolute Memorabilia product numbered out of 74! I'm not the biggest Felton believer but I do think he moves the ball extremely well and I admire his toughness and ability to drive towards the basket. JR Smith recently guaranteed a championship (what else is new), but on a serious note I'm looking forward to seeing the Knickstape back in action!

Last but most certainly not least, I added this beautiful 1982 Topps Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider rookie card! Oh, and some Ripken guy. Bummer he didn't work out, or else this card would've been a classic. Seriously though, any baseball fan should own a rookie card of Ripken's. I've now had the pleasure of saying that 9 months into 2013, I've had the opportunity to see Cal in person on 4 different days! That's a pretty easy way of saying 2013 has treated me pretty darn well!

School starts Thursday... but for now, See Ya!

2013 HOF Induction Ceremony Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here. And yeah, we were in that. This year's Induction Ceremony was already planning on being a gloomy day for baseball, as three long dead inductees were being brought in by the Veterans Committee. It didn't help that the weather didn't even want to cooperate. There was a rain delay (fitting) for over an hour at the ceremony, and we were all forced to duck under various tents located around the area. We left our chairs and blanket out in the middle of it all, so by the time the rain stopped, we had no choice but to stand. Had we been standing a couple yards to our left, we could've been yelled at by a guy sitting nearby. At one point the guy became so frustrated with the man standing in front of him that he got up in the other guy's face, only to be pulled back by his son. What people do to see Deacon White get inducted into Cooperstown...

William and I, while appreciating the impact that Deacon White, Jacob Ruppert, and Hank O'Day made on the game we love today, came to see the returning members of the Hall of Fame. Not too many of them showed up, however it wasn't a complete wash in any way. Rollie Fingers and Rod Carew were two of the first players announced, both of whom are usually expected to be there. You can't have a Hall of Fame extravaganza without the handlebar moustache!

One of the marquee players of the pack was undoubtedly Sandy Koufax, the legendary lefty of the Dodgers! Sandy seems to love coming up for the induction every year, although he generally prefers to keep out of the public spotlight. It was great to see him though, and he really looked great for his age.

Rickey definitely won the "Best Dressed" award this year, as he seemed to find a way to look good wherever he ended up. You can also see in this picture how hard it was raining, and this was after the actual rain delay.

Frank Robinson also left his mark on the stage that day, and it was great to get to see him again. Hopefully one day I'll get a chance to meet him and add an autograph of his to my signed baseball collection!

I put my camera away for a while until the weather cleared up because I didn't want to risk my mom's high end camera being wrecked. I snapped a few pictures later on of both sides of the stage, and every time I looked at the left side of the podium, Ralph Kiner seemed to look.. well.. asleep. I give the man tons of props for being there, so he could sleep all he wanted. After all, listening to relatives of obscure Hall of Famers can be a little taxing, as all of our group realized.

The ceremony itself lacked a little bit in terms of speeches, but I think that was the goal of the Hall of Fame in this controversial year. However, they finally got some spare time to pay tribute to the players inducted into the Hall between 1939 and 1945, who never received a formal induction due to the US involvement in World War II. Twelve players were inducted in that timespan, therefore 12 current members of the Hall read off each of their individual plaques. The biggest names of the 12 were legendary second baseman Rogers Hornsby along with "The Iron Horse", Lou Gehrig. Who better to have read their plaques than perhaps the greatest living second baseman, Joe Morgan; to read Hornsby's plaque, and "The Iron Man", Cal Ripken Jr.; to read Gehrig's? Here is Cal reading off of Gehrig's plaque, courtesy of my video camera!

While the day was muggy, the ceremony proved to be one of the bigger statements the Hall has ever made. There were many references to "playing the game the right way", which all seemed to be jabs at the Biogenesis/PED/Steroid era. I'm hoping that next year the Hall will add many players, including the ballot's first timers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, and managers Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa. I'm not sure if I'll be there again, but I'll be watching it on TV without a doubt.

See Ya!

2013 "Parade of Legends" Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here! For as long as I've lived, I've wanted to see a parade. No, not one of those local town ceremonies highlighting the mayor and local boy scout troops, but a real top of the line parade (nothing wrong with boy scouts of course). When I first heard of the "Parade of Legends", the new Cooperstown Induction Weekend tradition, I knew the trip would be worth every penny. We didn't expect to get any autographs there, as the players all were atop beautiful new Fords. Apparently, a few of the players signed when they got off their cars, but I'm going to pretend I never heard that for my own sake.

Kicking off the parade were some of the Hall of Fame board of directors, followed by a car starring Tommy John along with the man behind "Tommy John Surgery", Dr. Frank Jobe, who was honored earlier that day. The parade went down Main Street and parked at the Hall itself, where the players gathered for a nice dinner. I could only imagine some of the stories they had to tell. After my experience with Tommy John earlier this year, I would have paid good money to get into the Hall that night.

The parade started from the earliest inducted players that attended all the way to the most recent electees. Whitey Ford was in town for the night, so he was the first player to stroll by! I was really glad to see Whitey, as he appeared to be looking relatively good for his age. I met him last summer, but he's one of those guys you can never meet enough.

Ralph Kiner followed up Whitey, and he appeared awake, which was a good thing. The marquee player of the event however, was the true Home Run King, Hank Aaron! Aaron looks great for his age, coming from a guy who has never seen him in person before. He looked really happy to be there, although had he done an autograph signing earlier that day, his attitude may have been a bit different.

Frank Robinson is in my opinion one of the most underrated players of all time. He just never seems to get the credit he deserves. William's son Chris was as loud as ever throughout the parade, screaming out the players' names. He probably won't remember it since he's only 7 years old, heck I'm 17 and I don't remember what I did when I was 7, but Chris got a reaction out of almost every single player there. At least one member of our group was spotted out by a majority of the Hall of Famers!

Johnny Bench

Joe Morgan

Jim Bunning

Tommy LaSorda

Ozzie Smith

Eddie Murray

Wade Boggs

Believe it or not, this has been the third different occasion I've gotten to see Cal Ripken Jr. in person this year. Every time I see him I gain more and more respect for him also. Chris screamed "CAL!" until he got his attention, and Cal talked to him a little bit. That had to have made his day.

I'm sure Goose Gossage has met thousands upon thousands of fans in his lifetime, but I have a funny feeling that he recognizes my Dad and I at this point! Each time we've gotten the pleasure of meeting him, my Dad has brought up hunting and got to talk a good bit with him. He thanked us for coming out, and posed for a pretty awesome photo. Maybe one day I'll have him sign this, who knows. 

Here's classic Rickey taking all the glory in, enjoying the fact that he's finally among the greatest of all time (although he may argue that he was the best). I'll give him a spot in my top 15 ever, but I don't know how much farther I'd be willing to go.

However, probably the most memorable moment in my eyes from the event came when Bert Blyleven passed us by! Sure, Roberto Alomar snapped a picture of the crowd next to us, Phil Niekro showed Chris his knuckleball grip, and numerous players waved to us and thanked us for attending, but this one took the cake. William recently bought a baseball signed by Blyleven with the "I Love to Fart" inscription, which exists because Bert frequently wore a shirt in the locker room saying just that. My dad yelled to Bert "Pull my Finger!" Bert looked puzzled for a second... and then cracked up. My dad made a Hall of Famer laugh! 

I'm so glad we took advantage of going to the parade, as we all seemed to really enjoy ourselves. I love collecting autographs but sometimes it's nice to take in a special event like this without having to worry about being at the right place at the right time. Before I go, I'd like to send my best wishes to Tony Gwynn and his family, because while he was there, he sure didn't look very healthy. It appears as if his cancer may have reappeared, and he also gained back a lot of the weight he lost when he underwent his radiation treatment. I'm not sure if we just made some assumptions or not, but he didn't look all that well, so I'd like to wish him all the best going forward.

Well, that'll officially conclude my recap of Day 1 of the Cooperstown trip! It was hard for Day 2 to top this incredible day, but I've got plenty more to share with you all. Stay tuned for the next part! 

See Ya!

2013 All Star Fanfest Recap! Part 3!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Well, considering this is a continuation of the past few posts, I'm left without much else to say. Enjoy what's left of our adventure!

I left off yesterday after I was able to add George Foster to my signed baseball collection, and from that point forward I was relatively content. Just kidding, because if you could identify either or both of the men above you knew I was hungry for some more signed balls. I came across a Q&A session in the clubhouse with none other than Cardinals legends Ozzie Smith and Lou Brock! I listened to a very small amount of the conversation, as I was more focused on trying to prepare for their exit. I overheard the security guards say that they would go out the back entrance, and considering I thought I knew the place, I headed over to this "back entrance". Sure enough, they left out of another door, and I was left chasing down Ozzie Smith along with an enormous mob of people. Smith was in the midst of signing a few autographs when security told him to stop signing, and he seemed a little annoyed about that. 

He wound up joining Cal Ripken Jr. at the MLB TV station, where we had previously gotten Frank Thomas and Jack Morris. But, since Ripken had already been sitting there, we were camped out way in the back of the enormous crowd. I decided to leave because I figured it was all a lost cause, but Mike and Vinny decided to try a little longer. They were unsuccessful again, unfortunately.

By the time I came back to the station, Ripken and Smith had exited and Brock was being interviewed. But, the huge crowd was still there, so I again, decided to leave. Dad and I went for a little stroll around the building, and all of a sudden we caught a monster roaming around. Andre Dawson was walking around in the store with security guards, picking through some shirts. When he came out from the aisle, I politely asked him if he could sign for me, considering there weren't many people around. Before Dawson had the chance to open his mouth, the security guard said "No, he can't". Andre gave me a look as if to say "I would if I could, kid". It was really disappointing to see the security as difficult as it was at the show. I mean, had they been more open to allowing players to sign at FANfest, I may have been able to go home with signed balls of Ozzie Smith, Andre Dawson, Andrew McCutchen, and quite possibly Cal Ripken Jr. I understood that players have schedules and what not but I didn't think it could've killed Mr. Dawson to sign one ball in a relatively empty store. Whatever. 

Dad and I came back to the MLB station to find Vinny and Mike, and as we came across them we also came across a familiar face entering the building, at least for me. Mike, Vinny, and Dad had no idea who it was, but I knew the face when I saw him. Mr. Marlin himself, Jeff Conine! Conine was a solid player in his day, and I guess he decided to show up for some particular reason (we didn't follow him around). Before he entered the room, he signed for Dad and Vinny, because Mike and I didn't have anything to really add him on. Conine would be the last player to sign for my Dad, so he left with this beautiful custom made (by me) picture of Citi Field celebrating the All Star festivities!

The picture is signed by Frank Thomas, Gaylord Perry, Jack Morris, Jeff Conine, Jim Leyritz, George Foster, and Rollie Fingers! Leyritz' autograph came with the MLB authentication sticker, so it made the photo look pretty legitimate. I'm glad I decided to customize a picture, because it sure did come out nicely, even though nobody signed to like the right field bleachers. I'm planning on framing this and hanging it up, in commemoration of the event!

Following Conine's autograph, we decided to start wrapping things up. Since the building had been basically divided into two huge rooms, we finally got to check out some of the side we entered through. Most of this side was composed of memorabilia/card dealers and some exhibits/fun family activities. However, ESPN Radio was also staged over on that side, and it had previously had Gaylord Perry and Tim Teufel as free signers earlier on. My favorite author Mike Lupica was doing his radio show earlier as well, but at the time we got there his show was long over. Instead, Don La Greca and Yankees announcer Michael Kay were doing their show! I have grown up with Michael Kay as the Yankees announcer, and since he's about 100 times better than John Sterling, I've always respected him. He isn't Bob Uecker or Vin Scully, but he definitely holds his own and knows what he is talking about.

A fan standing to the side of the booth waved to Mr. Kay during his break as if to grab his attention for autographs, and Kay gave him the "one minute" signal. Mike, Vinny, and I joined in behind the fan in line, but we knew we had to hurry because he probably would have to go back on air shortly. However, we all got a chance to go up on stage, greet him and talk to him. Unfortunately this was where wearing a Pirates jersey did me wrong, but I explained to Michael that I wore it to get McCutchen's attention and that I'm a diehard Yankee fan, and that I really enjoy listening to him. He was really cool about it and appreciative, and he signed my ball on the sidepanel. It still looks pretty awesome to me, but say what you want!

Although I wasn't wearing the proper attire, I'm really glad we all got to meet him! It was so surreal hearing his voice as he talked to us, considering I've listened to him as long as I've been a baseball fan. We all agreed that he was a good way to complete the day, and that from that point on we could have a little fun before we made the trek over to our next stop (see next post)! As we talked about the rest of the plan, Dad came back over from the Topps booth with a handful of cards, topped by this one:

The special at the Topps booth was one All Star commemorative card per every 3 packs bought by customers. I planned to take part in this but I completely forgot about it, but I'm glad Dad wasn't shy! He bought 3 packs of 2013 Bowman, the first tastes I've gotten of the product. Well, it looks nice to me, and take a look at what I ended up getting!

I'm not really into cards as much as I used to be, but I will never really turn them down, unless they're commons from the junk wax era. I plan on using many of these for future through the mail requests, so again, this was definitely appreciated Dad!

From there, we basically just walked around, snapping pictures in every direction, and as we headed out, we posed for a photo with the Fanfest "World's Largest Baseball", which is below the header of the post. I want to thank Dad once again for everything he did for me at this show, along with my buddies for accompanying me, although they seemed to have had a great time as well. But this trip wasn't over yet...

See Ya!

2013 All Star Fanfest Recap! Part 2!

Hey guys, Drew back here! In case you haven't noticed, I decided to bring my blog back to the old design. I couldn't tolerate needing to update my Java every other day in order for the page to actually load correctly. Sorry if the site was inconvenient to any of you, but fortunately now we are right back on track. So when I left you all yesterday, I just finished showing off my "Big Hurt" and Jack Morris signed balls, after a very unlucky opportunity with my favorite player. Let's continue my coverage of 2013 Fanfest, shall we?

After we finished adding Morris and Thomas to our collections, we immediately bounced over the Sirius XM Radio station. Rumor had it that Curtis Granderson was there earlier and that they were planning on having Cal Ripken Jr. there along with Bud Selig later on! Sure enough, the "Ripken Baseball" interview was just getting underway at Sirius with Cal and host Adam Schein. Had we not had specific goals that day, we would've all stayed and listened to the legend talk, but instead, we rotated in and out of the station, making sure to keep our spot in case he signed autographs. While I was holding our spot, I recorded a little bit of what Cal had to say about the steroid era. Check it out:

Cal spent the better portion of two hours answering fan's questions, and it was really entertaining to hear his opinions on many of the games current issues. I wasn't too concerned about getting his autograph, since I already paid to do so earlier this year. However, I wouldn't have minded a second one, and I wanted to help my buddies add him to their collections. After the interview, he signed for many of the people there, but it was probably the biggest mob I've ever dealt with in a signing before. I ditched out because it wasn't worth all of the pushing and shoving for me, while my friends hung around. Unfortunately, they were pushed around so much that after about an additional hour of trying, they came up short as well.

While they desperately tried to get Cal to sign for them, I moved to the WFAN station where former Yankee Jim Leyritz was signing. I haven't heard much about Leyritz since his legal troubles a few years ago, and I didn't even know if he was in prison or not. However, you could have never guessed what happened to him if you met him that day. He was as nice of a guy as they came! I told him I'm a big Yankee fan despite the Pirates jersey, and he curiously asked me why I was wearing it, and I told him it was in order to try and get McCutchen's attention. I told him how all of that went down and he seemed pretty sympathetic. I asked him if he could inscribe 1996 World Series champions because that was the year I was born, and he was more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, the security didn't allow a picture, but I snapped a few from the bottom of the stage as I walked away. I'm glad I got to meet Mr. Leyritz because it gave me an entirely new opinion on him as a person, so I can begin to watch his classic playoff home runs again without thinking of his darker times.

While we were in line to meet Leyritz, we overheard a few people talking about Rollie Fingers signing autographs. I didn't expect to see him there because he wasn't on the lineup, but I should've known better considering he had been there every other day of the show. Sure enough, we bounced over to the Fergie Jenkins Foundation area, which asked for $20-30 donations for any of the players signing. Bert Campaneris, Gaylord Perry, and Rollie Fingers all were sitting there with very short lines. I ended up getting Fingers while my Dad paid to get Gaylord Perry. We passed on Bert because he normally signs TTM for free and I didn't have much interest in adding a signed ball of his.

Rollie was as cool as always, and after he signed my baseball, I told him that his signature is beautiful, but not as beautiful as the moustache. I wonder how many times he's heard that one before. He was kind and friendly to us as he had been when Dad & I met him last summer, and I'm glad we took advantage of meeting him again.

Mike was currently holding down the fort for Cal at the time, but when I told him about Fingers signing he gave up and gave in for the handlebar man. I got him a picture with Mr. Fingers and told him "long time no see"! After Mike got his autograph, we left the station and started to roam around. We saw an older man wearing a blue Detroit cap, and neither of us knew who he was.. but we decided to get him anyway. There is no situation more awkward than when you're trying to get an autograph of an unrecognizable person, however we politely asked the man if he could sign for us and he was more than happy to. He asked us "Do you want my teams?" and we said sure, considering we'd use them later on to find out who he was. It turns out that it was Pedro Sierra, a former Negro League pitcher for the Indianapolis Clowns and Detroit Stars.

Sierra was a nice surprise, and by the time we got him and made another loop around the building, we saw George Foster enter the building and go to the Fergie Jenkins foundation. For $20, I wasn't going to pass on one of the most underrated players on one of the best teams of all time. Foster was a quiet but relatively nice guy, and he was patient enough to wait for me to walk all the way around Fingers and Campaneris for a picture. While he was decked out in Mets stuff since he played most of his later years in New York, I'll always look at him as a member of the Big Red Machine, and I had him sign the ball recognizing just that.

So, I believe that Foster is a pretty solid place to stop for now, and I'll have the rest of FanFest for you guys tomorrow! Indeed, there is more! Keep on the lookout!

See Ya!