Recapping my first Pack War!

Hey guys, Drew back here! And much like my current addiction "How I Met Your Mother" goes, sometimes you need to go backwards in time in order to move forward. So, since I knew most of you would be more interested in hearing about Pete Rose/Rickey Henderson/Johnny Bench, I covered all of those experiences first, but the whole trip actually kicked off before William & I even made it up to Cooperstown. The night before we took off for the Hall, I drove William (with his car) to my local card shop and we picked up a box of 2011 Topps Lineage to play some pack wars with. I'm really not as into the boxes as I used to be, but being able to do this with someone who really knows his players as much as I do was definitely a cool experience.

With that said, I was dominated throughout the entire pack war. William ended up winning 3/4 of the cards along with both autographs and the relic. We did some trading afterwards though and William was generous with his winnings, giving me the ones of my favorite players.

Ever since I laid my eyes on the Montreal Expos throwback hat at Lids earlier this year, I've fallen in love with the team. I do like the Nationals, but I'd rather still see the Expos in baseball rather than say Houston or something. Also, since I recently got the pleasure of meeting Frank Thomas, I've been more and more interested in his cards.

The inserts I wound up with were pretty nice. I got 3 1975 Topps minis: Evan Longoria, Matt Cain, and the David Price you see above. I also added both Hunter Pence inserts, which are both for trade. By far the coolest insert I pulled was the Hank Aaron silk, which was one of the nicer surprises.

William and I worked out a trade afterwards that landed me the 1975 mini relic of Carlos Gonzalez that he pulled! Gonzalez is a pretty solid player, and I love the design of the card. The pinstripe on the relic definitely made the appeal even greater though! I'm not extremely attached to the card, so if you want it please let me know.

All in all, I had a good time playing pack wars for the first time. Hopefully Round 2 will go a little more in my own favor! See Ya!

Inside Look at the Plaque Room of the Hall of Fame!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, the Cooperstown trip is almost a wrap! I've done quite a bit since the trip, and have a lot to show off, but I suppose those posts can wait. There's nothing better than having too many things to write about!

The last baseball related event we went to on Hall of Fame Weekend was visit the Hall itself, as you may have seen yesterday. I covered the vast majority of the Hall yesterday, but I figured the actual "Hall of Fame" part deserved its own post. As you can see, not every plaque was present that day, as some were still on their way back from the Induction Ceremony. 

There is no better place to be as a baseball fan than the Hall. Similar to my feelings towards the Honus Wagner card, I feel like I'm walking into a church when I see the walls of plaques. William & I both removed our hats as a respectful gesture, and though I'd already been there in the past, I felt like a completely new baseball fan. Last time I went, I was a young inexperienced baseball fan, and since then I've been able to say I've met over 10 Hall of Fame players! The Hall carried more appreciation this go round to me than it did last time.

There isn't a whole lot that needs to be said about this part of the Hall that hasn't already been explained. Well.. there was one thing. It just so happens that we were there at the right time. As we were observing plaques, suddenly a part of the room was sectioned off for family members of this year's inductees! The family members of Deacon White, Hank O'Day, and Jacob Ruppert rolled in a little at a time, and we got to see the plaques go up on the wall from a distance! Here's a snippet from the awesome event:

 

On top of that, we got to speak to Deacon White's great grandson Jerry Watkins, the same man who gave White's acceptance speech earlier that day! We told him he did a great job and he thanked us, and he allowed us to take this picture of him. It was actually pretty cool!

As I've stated over and over again, the Hall of Fame is a place where every baseball fan needs to go. If you're feeling out of touch with the game like I was at the time, it helps rejuvenate that passion for you. In a weekend loaded with Biogenesis and A-Rod, it was nice to wander off to baseball heaven and get to meet some of the guys who did it the right way (besides Pete Rose- but that's a debate for another day)! And to be able to do the whole trip with some great people made the experience even better. It was a special trip and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

While the actual trip recap is over, I still have a few other select pickups and experiences to share as time goes on. Be on the lookout for those, along with some more recent events! I've got a lot planned to show off before the conclusion of my summer (which is coming to the final stretch)!

See Ya!

Revisiting Baseball's Hallowed Hall

Hey guys, Drew back here! William has soared past me with this trip recap, however I've still got quite a bit to post. I'm not used to being as busy as I am but I'm trying to contribute to the blogosphere whenever I get around to it. With that said, here is my recap of our most recent visit to the Hall of Fame.

We originally went into the Hall before we went to the Induction Ceremony to get our tickets and hands stamped. We figured that after the Induction, many people would be checking out the museum, so rather than wait in line, we got stamped and returned later on, walking through the line like VIP members!

For any of you new to the Hall, normally the first thing you'll see in the Hall is their short little introduction video. If you aren't in the museum mood, this will change that. It's a nice beginning to the Hall, but I won't spoil it any more for any of you interested in checking it out for yourself.

After the intro, you're told to start from the very beginning of history in the Hall, but I don't quite understand why you wouldn't. The earliest stuff is in my opinion the most interesting in all of the museum, especially since I had already been there in the past. There are a lot of unique pieces in the earlier displays, while some of the later displays contain more jerseys/hats/equipment/etc. 

Babe Ruth's exhibit is one of the coolest in all of the Museum! The Hall owns many of The Babe's classic memorabilia, and it is almost overwhelming to see it all in the same place and take it all for what it is. However, they own his last ever autograph (above) along with some jerseys and bats from memorable moments.

When I visited the Hall... I had still not seen 42. They had a small display featuring some of the movie memorabilia, and I wish I could've enjoyed it more. However, the night we returned to my house we got to watch it, and as far as I'm concerned we all really enjoyed it.

Hate the Yankees all you want, but when you go to the Hall of Fame you need to expect to see some of their classic memorabilia. Being a Yankees fan, there was an awful lot of incredible memorabilia I got a chance to feast my eyes on.

The Pirates have been a lot of fun to watch in 2013, and I've gained more appreciation for the organization by the day (well, everyone but Bill Mazeroski). I hope to see them win the NL Central and compete throughout the playoffs. Having them as a second favorite team should add some excitement in October when the Yankees most likely won't (and probably shouldn't) be playing.

The first time I went to the Hall with my Dad in 2009, this Hank Aaron "Chasing the Dream" exhibit had been in construction. I remember they were working on the displays while we walked by, and we got to see one of Hank's game used bats outside of the glass. They did a really nice job paying tribute to Hammerin' Hank, and I found it interesting that the MLB records displays were right next to it...

William and I's teams don't seem to share much in common. Both the Orioles and Yankees have been around for a while, and both have their share of incredible players, but otherwise they don't have a lot to relate to. Well.. except for the "Iron" connection between Gehrig and Ripken, the "Most Consecutive Games Played" record, which Ripken now owns obviously. The Hall did a nice job showing off some cool pieces surrounding the hallowed record.

Even Eddie Gaedel's classic "1/8" jersey was on display! Gaedel, the legendary midget who had one at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951, owns the highest On Base Percentage in MLB history (although he only registered one at bat)! His uniform was next to current MLB'er Jon Rauch's jersey, the tallest player to ever take the field in the Majors.

When I went in Spring 2009, this sucker wasn't in the World Series ring display, because it hadn't been won yet. The 2009 World Series has been the only Yankee World Series I've associated myself with throughout my life because I was far too young to understand their late 90's run. So, it was really neat to get to see one of the rings up close!

"Sipping from your cup til' it runneth over, holy grail". Justin Timberlake couldn't pay tribute to the 1909 T-206 Wagner any better. Whenever you're in a room with that card, you could almost taste the aura surrounding it. Simply put, it's the greatest baseball card ever created, and is a lot of the reason why we all still are able to collect today.

Also since our first trip, I began to start the 1961 Topps set! I'm now a little over halfway done with the set (including the high numbers), but I've really started to question whether I should bother with the high numbers or not. Of the 12 cards on display, I own 7, which isn't too bad considering I haven't focused on the set in a while.

William and I really enjoyed getting to see the Hall together this year. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I was able to see it with someone who appreciates it even more than I do. However, I have a little bit more from the Hall I'd like to share with you all, which I'm planning on getting to tomorrow.

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!