Carl Yastrzemski 1999 National Atlanta

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

The 99 National in Atlanta was interesting. The Wife and I had a good time.  The airline needed our seats and paid us very good money for them. Then the next flight we were upgrade to 1^st class.   I nice start to the day.

I had heard of Carl Yastrzemski my whole live. Even though I wasn’t a Red Sox fan, I was excited to get his autograph.

AH

Dave Winfield National 2002 Chicago

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

I was happy to add Dave Winfield to my collection. I do remember him being a big guy and he interacted with some fans as he signed.

AH

Frank Robinson Chicago National 1998

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

If I remember correctly, I went to the 98 National with The Wife and two friends from Jersey. We had a great time although we only saw each other at the end of the day. We all had separate agendas. 

Frank Robinson was one of a few autographs I obtained there.

AH

Willie Mays National 1990 Arlington

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

Willie Mays was the first signed baseball I remember getting. It was at the first National I attended. At the time, I didn’t know what a ‘National’ was. I was collecting Schmidt cards and I had run the course with the local shows. This was just another show but larger so I was hoping to see some cards I never saw before.

As I waited for some dealers to return from lunch or something, I wandered around. Some barker asked If Ii wanted to meet Willie Mays. How could you say ‘no’. In reality, ‘meeting him’ actually meant buying a ball to get signed and buying the autograph. And not really talking to him. But I did it and I was happy. He still had huge biceps.

When I walked away, I looked at the ball and the signature. And something I still say to this day: I got Julie Mor to sign my ball. I don’t criticize autographs. My signature is a squiggle. This just looks like Julie Mor to me.

AH

Harmen Killebrew National

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

While I’m certain I got Harmen Killebrew at a National. I didn’t know which one until I saw the PSA sticker on the back of the ball. It was 2000 in Anaheim.

That was a fun show. I saw an Angles game and even went to Disney land. I’m pretty sure I flew on Legend airlines. Every seat was a first-class recliner. There was a TV in every seat. And to top it off, the flight as very cheap.

AH

George Kell 02 National Chicago

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

George Kell signed at the National in Chicago too but that was in 2002. The National has been in Chicago a few times.

AH

Al Kaline 98 National Chicago

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

I’ve lost count of the number of Nationals I’ve attended. More than 10. I dragged The Wife to a few too. she was a trooper.

At the Chicago National picked up Al Kaline.

AH

Monte Irvin National and Uncle

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

I’m surprised I haven’t posted this before.  I know at some National I was able to get Monte Irvin to sign a ball for me. I just remember a nice guy.

Now, The Wife’s Uncle who has been extremely kind to me over the years, met Monte a few times in public and few times privately.  They would chit chat and just pass the time.  The Uncle came across Monte’s book and got it signed. And another time he got an 8x10 signed.  The Uncle had nothing but great things to say about Monte. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company during the short time they knew each other.

AH

Reggie Jackson 2004 National

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…

I never liked Reggie Jackson. Maybe because we played many years with the Yankees. Maybe because he was showboat.

Then I saw in at a National. It was just after he had back surgery.  He was in pain and he needed to take breaks.  He would pause and need to lie down.  He would excuse himself and let the fans in line know he would be coming back. This was at the end of the era where players signed for an hour and then left. Regardless if people were in line and already paid. Sometimes, the player would sign only a few autographs and then leave. Reggie was classy and let people know what was happening. The wait in line was long for everyone but you knew he was coming back.

That memory always stayed with me.  When I next saw him at a National (many years later), I decided I could move past him being a Yankee and add his signature to my collection.

AH

Rod Carew The National Chicago 2002

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips….

My spreadsheet (yeah, I keep a spread sheet, don’t you?) says this was in Chicago at the 2002 National. That might have been the last Nationals I attended before flipping to SDCC.

This is my Rod Carew auto from that National.

AH

Ernie Banks The National

More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips….

I’m sure I picked up Ernie Banks in Chicago at the National (NSCC). Not sure which one as the National has been there a few times.  

I also don’t remember much about Ernie other than I was happy to see him and he seemed to be all smiles; just like his public image.

AH

Hank Aaron NSCC Cleveland 1997

Since autograph hunting is very slow right now, I’ve asked Mr. Peabody to use the WABAC machine to review some older graphs I‘ve collected….

When I was a kid, my Dad called me downstairs to watch something on TV. It wasn’t the Phillies so I wasn't sure why it was on. Who watched the Braves back then? He said something important was about to happen.  I sat on the bottom step and watched the living room TV. Then I saw Hank Aaron hit his 715^th home run. Dad was right, something important did happen.

24 years later, I attended the ‘97 National.  I picked up a bunch a signatures. Hank Aaron was the last one I got from that long weekend. He had a slow line. I was in the back of the line.  

I’ve referenced this autograph before. I explained that I stressed out while in line. It was late on a Sunday and my flight was getting close.  I had to return the rental car and get to the airport. While the convention center is basically next to the airport, it’s still a timing issue.

I’m sure I fretted and shuffled my feet incessantly. I’m sure I looked at the time ever few minutes. There is no doubt I counted how many people were in front of me and how long each signature took.

After 2 or more hours, I had my chance.  He signed for me. 

He looked tired. His signature looked tired.  Then I did something I very rarely do. I paid for the ‘certification’. In 1997, certification companies came and went with every season. I have no idea which company it was. I’m sure they are long gone and forgotten. I might still have the paper certificate somewhere but it’s not worth digging for it.

Looking over the ball now, the signature isn’t as bad as I thought at the time.  I expect my vision was tired from the stress.

AH

Don Larsen – Anaheim 2000 National

I don’t often do a post-mortem autograph but I recently unboxed all of my signed baseballs. After years of being hidden in boxes, I put some shelving up and the signatures are now visible and easily accessible.

I got Don Larsen’s autograph a long time ago. It was actually before I started tracking where and when I acquired items.  This baseball had a small PSA sticker on it. After looking that up, I see that Don signed this for me at the 2000 National in Anaheim.

The ball, which was never in direct sunlight and always in a cube, has yellowed.  The signature is faded. Only a hint of the inscription is visible. The inscription was WSPG 10-8-56.

AH

#SDCC and #PSA

While we all freely admit to being nerds/geeks, there are varying degrees to our nerdiness.  And often as much as we like to think we are an open and welcoming and very ‘hail fellow well met’ crowd we can be totally oblivious to other forms of nerdiness.

Besides collecting autographs I also collect graded Mike Schmidt cards. I have a nice collection.  I’m at the point where I need to purchase ungraded cards and get them graded.  I don’t do that a lot.  It’s easier, albeit more expensive, to buy cards already graded.  Since I can’t find the cards I want graded I resort to doing it myself.

I used to go to The National.  Notice that capital ’T’ in front of the ‘the’?  Yes, it was there for a purpose.   The National is the big card show. It’s the biggest show in the country and it’s once a year. It’s awesome. It’s more than baseball cards; just like SDCC is more than just comic books.

I shifted away from doing the National and focused more on ComicCon.  One thing you can do at The National – get your cards graded. And I have been sitting on a few cards for a while.  Since I don’t go, I don’t get the cards graded.

Now, the card company that I use, PSA decided to show up at SDCC.  Very cool. I was excited. I brought 12 cards with me to get graded.

Yes, you read that right, I brought baseball cards to a comic book convention.  Yes, that is a strange intersection of nerdiness. 

First thing I did on Preview night was find the PSA booth and fill out my form and paid my money. It took about 30 minutes but it was worth it. Yesterday I got 2 of my cards back. Not sterling examples but they are mine and graded and added to my set.

I will lay odds I was the only one to do that at ComicCon.  The few people I mentioned it to, did look at me like I was a sparkle vampire.  See, sometimes we aren’t as accepting as we like to think.

But as a true nerd I’ll hide the hurt and will boldly do it again if the need arises.

 

AH

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2011 recap

This is the second year I’ve gone to Texas Frightmare Weekend (TFW) and I must agree it’s growing on me.

While I’ve been collecting autographs for a long time, I really haven’t done a lot of the local conventions. Because of some boring experiences with another promoter, I’ve just avoided the local gatherings in favor of San Diego ComicCon (SDCC) or The National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC).

SDCC and NSCC are different animals from these local events and many years ago I jump right into those big shows never really looking back.  I‘m beginning to realize I have missed a lot in the DFW area because of my tunneled vision and snooty attitude.

Last year I attended TFW for the first time.  Some friends from college mentioned it to me as they were planning on driving to DFW for the show.  So I bought tickets to go with them.

I went and did what I needed to do and while I was happy with the guest list I wasn’t too impressed with the show over all. That is because I was comparing TFW to SDCC; like I said 2 different animals.  TFW is a social occasion. You walk around with a beer or two. You plan on hanging out in the bar with the celebs at the end of the day and plan on attending the big convention party. You don’t mind sweating the day away as you’ll go upstairs and shower and get ready for the night.

My SDCC and NSCC mindset is – huge crowds and too much to do in a short amount of time – focus with laser precision and be as efficient as possible to get the ‘work’ done and then relax after the show is over. 

My TFW mindset NEEDS to be - hang out and talk to some really cute actress that just completed an Indie movie and then you get to buy her a beer or better yet she buys you a beer. Flirt, have fun, and laugh.

TWF is a nice relaxing weekend with quality guests and a great way to meet people either in the horror genre or just fans. The guests often make time to talk with you as they share stories or listen to you as you tell them a story. 

There is a vendor room with maybe a 100 vendors.  Even with a limited amount of space for vendors, you can get a tattoo done.  There is one panel room that does the movie screenings, previews, Q&A, and etc.  The celebs are signing in various spot throughout the hotel.

Friday is the best night to get your ‘work’ done. The doors open at 5PM and then the non- VIPs are let in at 6PM.  The crowds start gathering about 7PM.  Getting there early allows you pick up the big names and then you can concentrate on the rest of your wish list the rest of the weekend.

Saturday is a tough day. Saturday has not been productive for me either year.  Last year I didn’t get anyone (I only had John Carpenter remaining on my list) and this year I was ONLY able to get Roger Corman. 

Sunday the crowds are lighter but still heavy. The only issue with Sunday is some guest leave early.

There are some booth babes, there is some Cosplay, they have a Herse car show, and a zombie walk.

Next year’s event will be moving to another, bigger, hotel. It should allow growth and make it easier for people to fly into/out of Dallas for this event.

AH

Lines, Lines, Everywhere Lines

(Apologizes to Five Man Electrical Band and their song Signs.)

Lines are at part of the autograph process, especially when going to an organized event.

Good comfortable shoes are a must.  Some water and something to eat are good to have to have also.

Most importantly, you need to embrace your Inner Cow.

It’s a Zen thing. It’s a Relax your Mind and Float Down Stream thing (Beatles).

If you don’t acknowledge and love your Cow, the lines will get to you.  Maybe not at first but after a few dozen lines that last several hours you will be beaten down. You will be crabby and you will lose your center. You’ll give up and be unsatisfied.

After you embrace your Cow, you’ll see lines when others don’t; the nominal wait of 2 hours will fly by; anxiety will vanish. It’s as simple as finding your Cow and loving him.

Even after you and your Cow are buds, it’s not all clear sailing, at times you will lose your center but you can often quickly find it again.

Hank Aaron

I lost sight of my Cow at The National a decade ago. I was in line for Hank Aaron. It was Sunday afternoon. He was late. My flight was only hours away.  I still needed to return the car and get to the airport. I had a numbered ticket that put me in the back of the line. I was stressing.  The inner turmoil of staying and getting the signature or leaving and ensuring I made the flight gave me heartburn. I fidgeted. I muttered under my breath. I took a breath and tried clear my mind. I made my decision. I found my Cow and I relaxed. If I missed the flight, I missed it. I’d deal with that latter.

I should have left though, not because I missed the flight but because the signature was awful. He was tired by the time he got to me and his autograph did not look like his customary one. Oh well.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Seeing lines others don’t is helpful in getting a better position in a line. It can also backfire.  At my second ComicCon I was trying to find the line for Jennifer Love Hewitt. The booth was inside the convention floor but the line was out in the concourse.  The line wasn’t organized and the directions were vague. I found the line and saw I was about 50 people deep. Pretty good and I was happy with myself.

After a few minutes the line moved. Odd. The signing wasn’t for another 2 hours. Then the line inched forward again. And again it inched after a minute.  I asked someone to hold my place and then I tracked the line to the beginning.  It was a line for the ATM.  D’Oh!  I left chagrined and found another amorphous and that turned out to be the right one. While my position in the new line wasn’t as good as it was for the ATM line, I still got my autograph.

It's a Marathon

While holding onto your inner cow you realize it’s not a sprint but a marathon.  ComicCon is a good example of  lines being a mile long or lines lasting hours as people start camping out at 5PM for the 10AM opening.

Once one line is done, it’s time to find the next one, then the next. It’s a long weekend of Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

It's a sea of people that seemingly never ends.

By the end of the 5^th day your feet, ankles, knees, and hips hurt. You have blisters and even after drinking lots of water you’re dehydrated.  But you have survived.

So embrace your Cow.

Moo...Moooo….Git along Little Doggies…Moo.. Moooo.

AH

The secret word: UofA

Groucho – Tell me the secret word and I’ll give you $50. Give me $50 and I’ll tell you the secret word…

At times the UofA feels like that secret word.  It’s something that pops up out of nowhere and I get a connection to someone that I didn’t expect.

I went to the UofA (Arizona - the better of the three Universities in AZ) over 2 decades ago. I am not and never was a huge supporter of their teams and I never give money to the alumni association.  My friends are astonished when I don’t know when we play or how we are ranked in the polls.  I went to one football game while I was there. I never saw a basketball game and only went to a few baseball games because it was free and we used to do a betting pool and I got stuck tracking the results and holding the money.

I really enjoyed getting my Bachelors there. It only took me 5 ¾ years but I got my 4 year degree and I must admit it was good times. I even met my wife there.

After I matriculated, I never looked back. I moved to Texas and started grinding away at a job.

One thing I started doing was wearing golf shirts; the pull overs with a few buttons at the chest and a logo on the breast. There are light weight and cool and semi-fashionable for work or home.  For one reason or another I started wearing ones that had the UofA logo on them. Silly considering how bad of an alumni I am.

The odd thing is people would stop me and ask if I was from Tucson or tell me there went there too. It was a walking conversation piece and it was amazing when and where I would get stopped.

One time my wife and I were on the ferry going to the Statue of Liberty and a couple asked the typical question. They mentioned they just moved to a small town south of Tucson. That town was the same small town my wife grew up in.  What are the odds of meeting ‘neighbors’ in NYC?

This also happens at signings.  The year I got Steve Carlton’s  autograph in Houston was the year the Phillies asked Mike Schmidt to be a spring training batting instructor. When it was my time to get a ball signed I mentioned the Phillies should have asked Carlton to spring training also. He mentioned that they did but he had other commitments.  He looked up and saw the UofA shirt and asked if I lived there. I told him I went to school there but live up near Dallas. 

This intrigued him. He finished with my ball and before I left, he asked me to stay a moment. He signed a few more balls and told me he really liked AZ. I don’t remember any more of the conversation. I just remember security wanting me to move along but Steve kept telling me to stay.

At another show, Ozzie Smith saw my shirt when he handed my ball back and told me a good friend of his went to the UofA. Thinking it was personal friend I asked who. He told me it was Terry Francona. At the time Terry was coaching my Phillies; my favorite team which I let Ozzie know. I got very excited as I didn’t know that Terry went to there also.  Terry graduated just before I got to college so I never saw him play.

A year or so later I saw Terry at the Houston ball park and got his autograph. I showed him my UofA shirt and told him I met my wife there.  He smiled and asked if she was at the game. I said yes, and pointed and he looked over and waved to her. It embarrassed my wife but that was pretty neat.

I went to several Nationals in a row so I started recognizing some of the people that work there. One of the guys must have been a people watcher too as he recognized me and commented on my shirt. He also attended the UofA.  This guy was one of the handlers for the players; he would show them where to sit and accompany them as they signed and would keep the line moving. Later at that same show he was there with Tito Francona. He told Tito I was a friend and I also went to the UofA where his son Terry had gone.  Tito gave me a big strong handshake to welcome me to the ‘club’.

At the 2010 ComicCon I was on the convention floor and saw Christopher Judge (Stargate SG1) signing at a booth. I came over and he signed a photo for me. He saw my UofA shirt and asked if I was from Tucson.  After telling him I spent 5 and ¾ years there working on my degree, he laughed and asked when I went there. Surprisingly we are about the same age and we attended school at the same time. If I had seen more games I would have seen him play…or not.  He said that he blew out his knee at Arizona Stadium and that ended his football career.  So of course I asked him how that happened.  He got so excited to talk football. He went into detail about the players on his team (Oregon Ducks) and his opponents (my Wildcats), what the assignments were and then he started describing the play.  He HAD to get out of his seat.  Words would not do the incident justice. He moved chairs out of the way so he had plenty of room. He started reenacting the play and how his foot went one way and his knee went another.  Just like a kid. Or like a million other frustrated athletes that couldn’t make it big; just like the rest of us getting waylaid on our journey through life.  I bet he beamed with happiness the rest of the day because he got to tell his football injury story.

So the secret word for me is the UofA shirts I wear. They start conversations and make connections with a lot of different people.

AH