Kershaw #walletcard Contest Blog Specific Point Earning Opportunity # 4

The official baseball season hasn't even started yet and my Kershaw card is already getting some decent wear and tear and I haven't even gone anywhere yet. Will be real interesting to see how this card looks like in October.

I am in decent health but like most people I could and should be better so this year I am trying to do just that. At the gym at least 4-5 hours a week should help so we shall see where I am at when my next physical comes up in October.

#walletcard Kershaw and I at our favorite gym squeezing an hour of exercise as you know there are never enough hours in the day to get everything you want done. For one point what gym chain am I at?

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps Chrome : Erisbel Arruebarrena Base Blue Refractor Parallel (122/199)

Thankfully the prices for the parallel cards that I am searching for from the 2014 Topps Chrome brand are finally coming down. It also seems to me that the "Cuban" factor is starting to wear off a little as the prices for Cuban players are more in line with non Cuban players now.

I have been acquiring Erisbel's cards in what I call a backwards fashion. I picked up the higher priced autographs first and now I have circled back and looking to get the blue and black non autograph parallels to complete my Erisbel collection for the year. Still haven't been able to find a decently priced black version but this blue one was sure had for a deal. Book has it valued at $4 which is reasonable enough I guess so I was looking to spend no more than $2 for it. Well, how about just 45 cents? Yup, that was the starting asking price and I was the only one to bid on it and won it for literally a handful of change.

Woo Hoo !

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Card of the Day - 2004 Topps : Gary Carter Retired Signature Series Autograph

An autograph that has eluded me for quite some time has finally been acquired.

I originally wanted Gary's autograph for the reason that he was a former Dodger and all things Dodger I want to acquire at some point. The problem always was that since he was only on the team for one year at the tail end of his career there are just not that many options of him in Dodger blue and the ones that are seem to be all sticker variety. No bueno. Well I recently finished up the book entitled "Up, up and away" which chronicles the Expos existence from beginning to end and Gary played a big role in the organization. I knew he was loved there but after reading the book I saw how much. That made me change my mind and hunt down Gary in Expos colors which made more options available to me and this great looking black bordered card from 2004 was my main target.

At any given time there was usually a couple copies of this card on eBay to chose form but the trick was to pick it up at a bargain since Beckett has it valued at $50. Lost a few auctions but I was getting closer as I was only outbid by 50 cents on the last one prior to acquiring this one. The seller had this on a BIN with a best offer attached to it. I sent him an offer that I felt was fair but still 50% more off of book. Took at day but without a counter he accepted my offer. Week later I finally got my first Carter autograph.

Card of the Day - 2014 Bowman Chrome : Hanley Ramirez Base Blue Refractor Parallel (101/250)

With most of my Topps Chrome set needs fulfilled it was/is time to concentrate more on the Bowman Chrome issue as their prices have dropped in recent weeks. Future purchases might be hard to beat the price I received on Hanley .

Surprisingly book price on this card is $5 but I am going to attest that for it being a limited, colored refractor and not because Hanley is in high demand. For anyone not named Kershaw, Puig or Trout my cap for any of these parallels are in the $2 delivered ballpark. I deem that reasonable so when this one came up on the bay for a mere starting asking price of 99 cents it was promptly put on my watch list. No bids as the final hour of auction approached and I put my bid in and won it for 99 cents delivered. Seller probably wasn't too happy with that as he basically gave it to me for free once you factor in shipping, packaging and eBay costs. His loss is my gain. One down and many many more to go for the 2014 Bowman Chrome issue.

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Do You Want An Autograph Picture of Kershaw or a Ball?

Though I haven't shown off all the autographs that I will be including in the #walletcard contest that is currently running I wanted to get some feedback on the top prize.

I may or may not still go the card route for the Kershaw autograph but if I don't I will go with this 8x10 signed photo or a partial team signed ball. I never posted the ball on the blog but full disclosure there are a couple of smeared autographs and from my memory the two I do know that are affected are Josh Lindblom and Shane Victorino. Kershaw's autograph is unfazed and clean.

Since, you the readers, will be getting these autographs I put it to you on which one you would like as the top prize. On the right hand side of the blog and near the top there is a poll that will run until the first pitch that Kershaw will throw on April 6th aka opening day. Obviously whichever item gets the most votes will be the prize given out. I will update this post later on with a pic of the ball.

So do you want a single clean autograph of Kershaw? Or do you want multiple autographs including Kershaw but some being blemished? Up to you.

Happy Valentine's Day From The Dodgers

It wasn't from my wife
Nor from my mother
But rather from the Los Angeles Dodgers

Received an early Valentine's day "gift" in my Twitter inbox this morning. I am sure the Dodger organization sent this to all the season ticket holders and important people associated with the team but it was still nice to see them take the time to send out this little message to people.

Thank you to the Dodgers for the note and Go Blue in 2015!!!

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Five Star : Tony Gwynn Base Autograph Rainbow Parallel (18/25) BGS Graded Mint 9.0

A most welcome addition to my collection and one that has been a long time coming.

I watched Tony torment my beloved Dodgers for years as a teenager and was always amazed how this guy that never seemed to have much always did so much. Even before I re-entered the card hobby I was on the look out for an autograph of Tony's to add to my collection. I was never able to acquire a ball that was of good quality. I also never made it down to San Diego to one of the many car dealership signings that he did. I never got to meet Mr. Padre and sadly now I never will as he passed away this past year.

Since I no longer collect white signed balls and I never saw a black signed ball of Tony I turned my attention to cards. The most important thing was to acquire an on card signature and not some sticker one. That became a problem as most copies were on unappealing cards of poor quality but I always kept an eye out.

One day this beauty came up on eBay. It is on card, from my second favorite brand and already graded. The grading part wasn't important but it is a very nice bonus. This card books at $80 raw and this happens to be the only graded copy in the world as of this blog entry. It only needed .5 more to bump up to an overall gem mint grade. I was happy with the 9 and hoped that would help me in the end as it was not labeled with a gold banner. Auction was scheduled to end on a Friday night and I would be travelling at that time so with about 5 minutes left I put in a higher than normal bid as I really wanted this card and had extra funds to pick it up. With seconds left there were 3 more bids but in the end my bid held up and I picked it up for less than book.

Never met the man but I finally was able to add his autograph to my collection. You were a good one Tony. R.I.P.

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Only .5 from an overall gem mint grade

A 10

Only way to have an autograph

Tory Burch Sunglasses Contest For The Wife

Dr. Alex Corbin Liu is running a contest on Facebook where his company is giving away a pair of Tory Burch women's sunglasses. I want to win these for my beautiful and better half but I need your help.

To win you had to write up a comment (which I did) on the flyer (image up above) post entry that he has posted on his site and then have your friends and family to like that comment. Most likes wins the glasses.

If any of you would be so kind to like the comment it would be appreciated.

Go to the Dr.'s original post
Find my comment which is under "MATTHEW N'CHRISTINE JAVIER"
And like that specific comment.
If we don't follow each other feel free to request and I will confirm.

As an added bonus IF I/we win I will award a point or two towards my #walletcard contest to all that like it. This your chance at a Kershaw autograph people.

Thank you in advance to any that help my cause.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps Finest : Mariano Rivera Finest Greats Autograph Black Refractor Parallel (55/99) and BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Continuing my pursuit of players that I want just represented at least once in my autograph collection, unlike certain Dodgers where I want all I can get, I dipped into a brand that I am not that fond of anymore.

Mariano at this moment will go down as the greatest reliever of all-time with all his accomplishments during the regular season and more importantly the post season. He also is the last player that was and will every wear the number 42 as he was grandfathered in when MLB retired the number. I don't collect the Yankees in general but Mariano is one player I for sure wanted in my collection. Now the question was which card to acquire.

The 1993 Finest issue is still one of my favorite of all-time but recent years have left my desire for it wanting. The 2014 issue had Mariano represented with an on card autograph which was a necessity when trying to lock up his card. Well most of the cards are still not that all attractive to me but the black parallels are an exception and that became my focus for my Mariano autograph.

I could have gone the ungraded route but having the option of having it already in gem mint grade in a nice case was too good to pass. The seller had this card on a BIN auction with no best offer option and it sat on my watch list for weeks with no one buying even though there were 11 watchers. Auction ended but the seller relisted it a hour later for $25 less than the previous auction. I finally pulled the trigger and bought my first and only Mariano autograph. Great looking card of the Yankee great and glad that I scored such a deal on it.

Gem mint goodness

Perfect and legible autograph

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Five Star : Dave Stewart Base Autograph (276/386)

Another reacquired autograph has made it back into my collection. This time it is of former Dodger and obviously A's pitcher and the new GM of the Diamondbacks, Dave Stewart.

I meet Dave way back when I first met Matt Kemp at a public signing. It was either 2006 or 2007. He was in the background as Matt was doing the signing but a few us recognized Dave and asked if he wouldn't mind a picture with us and/or an autograph. He obliged us all on both requests. I obviously got him on a ball as that was what my autograph collection was all about back then but I sold that during the ball purge. I meant to get his autograph again at some point but it was never a priority. Now that he is moving on from being a player agent to a GM of a team I knew the odds of me meeting up once again were diminishing.

One day his name popped up in my brain and I thought let me see what is on the bay that might interest me. Not much in the way of him in Dodger blue and what was out there were shoddy autographs. Well I went to my 2nd favorite brand to see if he had an autograph in it. Yup, he was in the 2013 release of Five Star and I did not expect there to be much traffic on his cards as he isn't really in demand. Found this particular copy with a starting price of a penny. A week later I won it for a little over $6 delivered to me. Nice price on a great looking card. Welcome back Dave.

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Card of the Day - 2014 Topps Chrome : Yasiel Puig Base Photo Variation

$150 book value.
Ha Ha Ha Ha ... I don't think so.

Mislabeled and titled wrong eBay auction with an ending price of a little over $23? Uh, hello, yes please.

I so love when a seller messes up their auction and I am able to scoop up a card at a massive steal. Is this card in perfect condition? No it is not but if I was to submit it to Beckett for grading (I'm not) it would come back at least NM if not Mint.

My main focus in collecting are autographs and the blue and black parallels of chrome issues but photo variations have a special place in my heart and collection. Since they are usually very limited that means they usually have a high price tag hence the $150 assigned book value for this card. I was never able to get my hands on the 2013 Topps Chrome variation of Puig but this past year's release gave me another opportunity to acquire one.

I already have Kershaw and Kemp photo variations and still wanted a Puig and a Ryu one to round out my set. This card has sold for more than $75 on eBay and sometimes touching $100 but I was never going to be in that market for it. Well along came this card and up till the last day of a 7 day auction the price stood at under $20. Again I attest this to the fact that it wasn't titled right and the seller had low feedback. I put my bid in with a minute left and surprisingly I won it for 80%+ off of book. Thank you again to the seller for mislabeling the auction.

Card of the Day - 1998 Donruss : Ismael Valdes Signature Series Autograph

It has been awhile but I picked up an autograph card of a past Dodger who I have never acquired before even though I have met him 3 times in my life.

Ismael was never the best of pitchers and had a very mediocre career as he posted a 104-105 record with an ERA over 4.00. But his best years were with the Dodgers when he won 61 of those career 104 wins.

When I worked at a car dealership in Carson back in the 1990's he walked in a few times and I helped him purchase a car ( full disclosure I am not a salesman ) but for some reason I never asked him for an autograph. Of course back then I did not carry around baseballs on the chance that I ran into a player nor did I have photos. Nonetheless you would think after the 2nd time I would have been prepared. Oh well.

So I was going back through past mini stars who played for the Dodgers and came across Ismael on my search and I promptly went onto eBay to see what on card autograph I could find of his. Found this old ( 16 years ) Donruss card on a BIN auction for a little over $2 delivered. Pocket change was sent to the seller and I finally had my first Ismael autograph to add to my collection.

Kershaw #walletcard Contest Blog Specific Point Earning Opportunity # 3

Another week has passed and I finished the Orange is the New Black book (decent read but I was highly disappointed in the vast differences between it and the show) so onto new reading material and what better to catch up on than a preview magazine for the upcoming baseball season.

While Adrian is a major key to the Dodger's success I was disappointed not to see the NL MVP, Kershaw next to the AL MVP, Trout on the cover. Well I'll just fix that and make this an opportunity point for the #walletcard contest.

So the question is, who does Sporting News pick to win the 2015 World Series? Answer below in the comment section BUT you may only state one team at a time till I say you are right or wrong. You can't just rattle off multiple teams. Ha Ha. Good luck to everyone as always.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2014 Bowman Chrome : Yasiel Puig Base Blue Refractor Parallel (103/250)

The biggest purchase so far for me when it comes to the blue parallels from Bowman Chrome but with that said it was still acquired at a very reasonable amount.

Puig still commands a high book value even though it doesn't match actual market sales for the most part. Book has this card at $12. Yeah, no way I am touching it at that amount but for the $3 I did spend for it I have no problem purchasing it. 75% off of book is always a score in my eyes.

This makes one of the two expected high dollar purchases finished as I still have Kershaw to hunt down, I honestly think I will spend a few cents more on Clayton's than I did here for Yasiel's.

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Card(s) of the Day - 2013 Topps Chrome : Finally Redeemed Paco Rodriguez Base Autographs Blue Refractor Parallels (3 and 15/199)

If you were color blind you would swear that I am posting the same thing as I did yesterday as here we are again with twin Paco redeemed autographs from the 2013 Topps Chrome release. The only difference is the color.

As with yesterday's pair, these twins also were purchased together as it was cheaper than going the single route. All cards look better in blue and these are no exception. Dodger blue, blue border and blue ink make for a very pretty card.

Just like yesterday's post I do not need two of these in my collection so one is available for trade if anyone would like it. If not then it might be pared with one of the none refractors from yesterday and will be included in the #walletcard contest.  Good luck to those already in the contest and for those who are not why aren't you?

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

Card(s) of the Day - 2013 Topps Chrome : Finally Redeemed Paco Rodriguez Base Autographs

It's been a  long time coming for these twins as I finally received them after what seems like forever. I think it was close to a year if I am correct but I'm too lazy to verify that statement.

I understand certain players have a lot on their plate but damn Paco, what held you up on fulfilling all these orders? It's all good as I wasn't all that in a hurry to get them back but it is nice to finally have them in hand. Bought them as a two pack as it was cheaper that way than just acquiring one.

Hopefully Paco can reclaim his 2013 form and apply it to 2015. Our bullpen was depressing last year but the revamped one with him it looks to be much improved.

I don't need two of these so unless someone claims it on a future trade in the next day or two it will be  may or may not be going into my #kershawwalletcardcontest that I am running.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Archives : Clayton Kershaw Mini Frame Autograph (10/25) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Nope this doesn't look like a graded card much less a mini frame.

Nicer looking card than the first but still not what the title states that this blog entry is about.
Hmmm . . .

Ahh...There we go.

So what are the two cards up top doing in this post? Well I went and did what some people would call dumb and most would just say why? I did what probably only a small group of people would do but I have no regrets that I did it.

As long time readers of the blog probably know I truly hate sticker autographs. When I first re entered the hobby I just went out and acquired any and all and didn't really care if the autos were sticker or of the on card variety. Now I just can't stand them and that includes Kershaw autographs. Again, I can see people say, your're crazy. Well call me crazy I got rid of those two cards up top and washed my hands of another sticker autograph. I have two sticker autographs of Kershaw left but one I will be keeping just for the fact of all the effort I went to acquire it in a contest. It holds a spot in my heart.

So I went on one of my Kershaw searches and found this gem mint beauty from 2013 Topps Archives release. At the present moment it is one of only 3 that have been graded and with only 25 total copies in existence there might not be many more in the future. Its on card and already graded. What more can I ask for? Well I wanted it but didn't want to pay for it. Isn't that how it always is? Anyways, I wanted to see how I could swing it then I remembered I had those two cards up above ready for grading as I am in the process of getting all my Kershaw autos graded.

Well the Five Star one might squeeze an 8.5 overall and I was not overly hopeful it would receive that grade but more concerning was the autograph as you can see it stretches to the end of the card which BGS hates. So I could have it returned to me with a 8 or 8.5 grade coupled with a 9 autograph. Not really enticing in my opinion. Well the Triple Threads card looked like a good candidate to earn a mint 9 with a gem mint 10 grade on auto. The problem was that it is a sticker. Nuff said. So do I submit the two cards to get graded and potentially hate the returns? And even though one is an on card autograph the other one still irks me as it is a sticker. Well what if I could sell both on the bay and use those funds to purchase this already gem mint on card of Kershaw? Well why not?

I purchased the Archives card and since the seller didn't require payment for 10 days that gave me a window to sell the other two to pay for it. I put both up on 3 day auctions and both sold at the necessary amount to off set the Archives card. A little money my way, a little money that way and in a week I received the Archives card. I couldn't be happier with the transactions as the other two graded would have been a disappointment and I am now one less sticker autograph in my collection,

Again, I know some people would call me crazy to do a 2 for 1 but I am happy and at the end of the day and when it comes to this hobby you have to do what makes you happy and leaves you satisfied.

Nothing like a nice gold label attached to a Kershaw autograph

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Card of the Day - 2014 Bowman Chrome Draft : Grant Holmes Base Autograph Blue Refractor Parallel (40/150) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

In yesterday's post about the Fan Fest from this past Saturday I alluded to an autograph that I planned to acquire but did not even though I had a voucher for him. The plan was during the first session I was going to get Mark McGwire's autograph and then swing over to Orel Hershiser and Chris Withrow's line to get their autographs. Instead of going that route I ended up with this card in Orel/Chris's place:

Yup, instead of a Dodger great and a very good reliever I picked up a graded card of a player that the Dodger just drafted last year. 19 year old Grant Holmes. Now why did I go and do that? Simple. Money and opportunity. 

I already have a few autograph cards of Chris but the main draw was Orel as I only have one autograph of his in my collection and wanted to add a photo or a black ball (I hadn't decided which one at time of the voucher purchase) to that total. The Chris autograph most likely would have gone into the #walletcard contest. I had this Grant card on my to get list from Bowman Draft and it was also on my eBay watch list. This was the first blue graded card of his to hit eBay so I expected some interest in it. Ungraded this card has a Beckett value of $100 with most sales going for $70-$80. While I wanted it I was just curious to see what the final sale price would be. 

As I was getting my vouchers arranged for Saturday's Fan Fest I thought why don't I check what the Orel voucher is going for on eBay. Puig, Greinke and Adrian were going for obscene amounts of cash with Puig touching $250. Really? Anyways, I saw that there was only one Orel for sale with a BIN of $175 or best offer. There had been one sale already at $150. Hmm.. I didn't need Withrow's autograph and I had Orel but what made me really think is that Orel will probably be with the broadcasting team for a few years and I know he signs at the stadium. I will undoubtedly get baseline seats at least twice this year so I can probably score his autograph then. So why not sell Orel's voucher and use those funds on getting this great looking and graded card for "free"? Well that's what I did and now own the only blue graded card of Grant's. He is already a top prospect in the organization and hopefully he will be assigned to Rancho for his first full season as a Dodger as I have 8x10's ready to be signed by him.

Nothing better than a blue gem mint Dodger autograph

While some people might question why I would trade/sell of an autograph opportunity of Dodger royalty for an unproven player the simple answer is because I can and I am confident that I can get Orel's signature in person in the coming year. If I did not live in Los Angeles I most likely would not have done this but for the ridiculous prices that people are paying for these vouchers can you really blame me? Either way I am happy with my transaction as I got the player I really wanted (Mac) at Fan Fest and got a limited colored parallel for nothing.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Measles and Forced Healthcare

Fair warning to everyone as this is not baseball related but my opinion on what is becoming more than just a nuisance but starting to affect a whole lot of people in multiple states and how in my view the forced upon health care law affects this the situation now and in the future.

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Alright then. I am sure most people know by now that the measles are making a comeback and it has been attributed to parents deciding not to vaccinate their children and then have those same children around other children and/or adults who then contract the disease. Many people are of the opinion that vaccinating can lead to stunted brain growth or some type of retardiness in babies and young children. Even though there has been no scientific connection to that belief more and more people are choosing not to vaccinate their children. While that is their choice and their right that decision is effecting more than just their child and family. When these unvaccinated children are out in the world they interact with other people (obviously) and if they contract measles then they can pass on measles to the next person that is not vaccinated and so on and so forth. The problem is that you can not vaccinate a baby till roughly they are one year old. That makes them highly susceptible to catching measles and if more and more children are not being vaccinated then that just ups the chance of contracting it. It is a very serious and deadly disease and should not be taken for granted but people (some) rather forego the vaccination so their child doesn't possibly contract a mental problem which no link has been proven as of yet.

This is a domino effect in two different ways. If I had a baby that was under the age of 1 that came into contact with someone with measles as they were not vaccinated because of their parent's belief then my child might contact measles. If that happens then I or my wife would have to stay home from work to care for the child which means that one of us would not be making any money since we are not at work. So now the decision of another parent my child has hurt and as a family we would suffer with less money coming into the household. Even though there would be less money the sick child has to be taken care of  somehow as the costs will have to be paid whether that is through savings or credit cards. It would also be possible that my child would have been in contact with another baby who was also under 1 and he/she gave it to that baby at no fault of my own. Now that would be two families affected by the decision of those parents who chose not to vaccinate. It would continue the domino effect for who knows how long.

Now when it comes to the new health care law mandated by our all so knowing President that everyone must be covered, people like me are paying more to offset the costs for people that can't afford it or refuse to make enough money to pay for health care. Yes, there are people like that and if you pretend that they don't exist you are just fooling yourself. Now, with this outbreak more and more people will have to use their health care that they have. If doctors and hospitals have to pay more do you think they are not going to pass it down to you and I in some form? When we have to renew our mandated health care we will probably see an increase in our premiums which means more out of our pockets and less for the household. Money that could have been used for something fun and put back into the community now has to go to health care since I and millions have to pay for others.

All of our life decisions are part of a domino effect with this just being one of them. I am choosing to discuss this as the measles outbreak is the hot topic right now in the news and Obama's health care has and always will be a thorn in people's side till they rescind it, God willing. So if a parent chooses to not vaccinate their child and comes in contact your non vaccinated child remember somehow somewhere you will pay for it all the while your child suffers when they shouldn't be.

On a side note pertaining to all of this, if I am forced to pay for more medical care that I do not want or need (mammograms, yes men now pay for this) so that all others may be covered why can't I send my bill to these same people or the government when I can't work or have to pay for something I shouldn't have to because they chose to let their child be sick and in turn infect my potential child when they come in contact with him/her? Just a thought.

Thank you as always for reading and have a blessed day.
This is my opinion and point of view and I am always open to debating in a civil way so feel free to contact me if you would like to.

-Penguin

Upcoming Player Appearance / Signing : Paul Lo Duca @ Dr. Liu's Optometry On March 21, 2015

Football season is officially over so let baseball season begin. And with that, it's time for more in store autograph signings of current and former players. Dr. Liu is hosting his first Dodger in store signing of 2015 next month on Saturday the 21st when former Dodger Paul Lo Duca makes a return visit to the area.

Price is simple and reasonable as it is $20 per autograph on any item you Paul to sign. The doctor always has photos to purchase at the store as well if you do not have anything in your own collection to have Paul sign. Inscriptions are an additional $5. With your purchase you also receive a free photo op with Paul.

If you have any questions or would like to pre purchase your ticket feel free to contact the office via his email as seen on the flyer.

2015 Dodgers Fan Fest Recap

The yearly Dodger extravaganza known as Fan Fest was this past Saturday and once again I attended and couldn't be happier to be back among my "friends" in blue. Official baseball season is just around the corner and this event starts the countdown to it in earnest.

While there are other things to do and see the main reason I and a lot of people attend Fan Fest is to acquire autographs of current and retired players along with some coaches. As a season ticket holder I had the opportunity to purchase tickets prior to the general public and also the chance to buy during that time as well. My main focus was to get Mark McGwire and to hopefully get more than one ticket as I had a photo and a black ball I wanted signed by big Mac. After all was said and done from the two sale times I ended up with 9 autograph vouchers with each one getting you autographs from two separate players. Unlike last year they were not spread out as I was double dipping in a couple sessions and I was scheduled to be done around 1:30.

I decided to arrive early as I did not want to deal with the massive onslaught of cars entering the parking area. Mark was in the 1st session so I wanted to be near the front of the line. I also had another person that I bought a voucher for but more on that tomorrow as that changed mid last week. Even with me being in the stadium parking area early I still ended up being around 40th in Mark's line. No biggie. First up in the Dodger pairing though was Zach Lee

Zach was probably the nicest and most engaging Dodger of the day. Hopefully he can help the big league club this year as I am sure he will get called up at some point even if it is just in September. He has a "quick" signature which made the autograph streak a little. Little disappointed in that.

... but since I had two vouchers I switched to blue sharpie for the second auto. Came out a tad better but his pen stroke causes streaks either way. Still came out good though.

Big Mac hitting dingers. I couldn't find a good enough picture of Mark in Dodger blue to my likely so I went with one during his glory days with St. Louis. Love this pic as the bat is just "floating" in the air and with his hand gesture it looks like he is commanding it. My favorite picture of the day. No streaking here.

And with the second voucher I got this black ball signed. This was the main focus of the whole event as I wanted Mark on the sweet spot of a black ball. I knew that he signed slow so the odds of streaking would be minimized and the result did not disappointed. Don't have many signed  balls left but this one is a keeper.

While I was acquiring those four autographs my friend Jimmy was in line for Orel Hershiser's autograph who was paired with Chris Withrow. He didn't really want or need Chris's autograph so he was willing to trade it off. Again, I had a ticket for that line but more on that in tomorrow's post. I handed him a photo and a pen and he got this 8x10 for me. Great signature with no issues. Thank you again Jimmy for the autograph.

I had a hour till kill before my next autograph session so I decided to roam around and saw that there were camera lights on near the 1st base dugout. I decided to see what was going on and I'm glad I did. Jerry Hariston was setting up for an interview and he started to engage with the fans and sign autographs. I did not buy a voucher for his session so this was a nice little bonus for the day. Great signature and placement.

Resting time was over and it was time to double dip again as I had two vouchers for Joc Pederson and Mickey Hatcher. Found this great photo of Mickey from an Old Timer's game but when I approached the table I found out that my silver decos (all of them) had run dry. Ugh. Hence why his autograph is on his leg. I only had blue pens left to use for the remainder of the day and a blue autograph on a blue background doesn't look good. Asked him to sign on his leg which was no problem. Odd placement but Mickey was accommodating.

Now for the odd signature of the day. When I approached Joc's part of the table he asked me my name which I found odd and knew right then what he was planning to and did do. He personalized the photo. What? Why did he do that? Didn't notice him do that to anyone else. Why me? You notice though that he also added his old number to the autograph as that is the number he is wearing in the photo. So since I had two vouchers what would he do on the ball?

Well he knew my name but thankfully he did not personalize the ball as well. You notice on this though he put his new number on it. So I ended up with a 65 and a 31. Nice. This was a replacement for a black ball I got signed by Joc last year at Frank and Sons where the signature streaked a little. This time it's much better with minimal "issues"

Down to the last two (4 autographs) sessions of the day. I needed to reacquire Tim's autograph as I sold the signed ball that I had of his but I couldn't find a decent picture of him playing as a Dodger. I decided to go back to his roots and printed out one of him as an Expo. The only issue I have here is the placement of the autograph as he put it right on his uniform which would be fine if the pen wasn't blue !!! Still a nice autograph though.

I acquired Howie's autograph last year when he was an Angel but I wanted to get one of him as a Dodger but since he hasn't played on the field yet there are no photos of him in that situation. So why not print one of him in a Dodger hat and jersey during his press conference? Good enough for me. As always, Howie is one of the nicer players and his signature is one of the best.

Last session and I finally got get Kenley's autograph in person. To me it is still one of the odder ones out there as is looks like a seven but hey, we all have different signatures and this just happens to be his.

What better way to end the week and Fan Fest than to get the Penguin's autograph one more time. I started off the week getting Ron's signature on a photo at Select a Seat and now he was last on my to do list for Fan Fest. Once again, Ron as always was cordial and pleasant.

That finishes up my day at Fan Fest. 13 signatures in under 4 hours. Not too shabby. Thank you again to Jimmy for the trade and it was great seeing friends such as Luis, Bill, Eddie of Harry's Dugout Fame, Franz among others. Thank you again to the Dodgers for hosting another smooth running Fan Fest event and I look forward to next year's when we celebrate the 2015 World Series Championship team.

= )

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

February Festivities

A month into the new year and we come to the love month and more importantly the one month countdown to my wife's birthday. 28 days and counting till I/we celebrate the birth of my better half so this month will include some preparation for that day but more on that next month.

Midway through the month we have the national holiday also know as Valentine's Day or the day us men say I Love You to the main girl in our lives. A day we all look forward to. = ) . I am taking the wife out for a nice dinner but what I look forward to is the dinner we make for each other at home including some type of dessert. Mind you, she is the cook and I just help by chopping and whatever she tells me to do so I am basically along for the ride but I like to think I am helping a bit.

On the movie front, February is like January where there is nothing that screams "need to watch in theater". The only one that I really want to watch is "The Kingsman" but since that is on Valentine weekend I will probably try to catch it the following week. Looking ahead, March only has one movie that needs to be seen on the screen as well.

There are two loves to be celebrated this month and the other is this . . .

YES !!!

The wait is over. Stand up Mr. Kershaw and exercise those playoff demons as baseball is officially back when the Dodgers report to camp in less than 3 weeks. With the last week surrounding my aforementioned wife's birthday, her and I are planning what seems to be our yearly February trip to Arizona. She is meeting up with some friends and while she is doing that I am prepping for my day(s) at Camelback Ranch for some autograph hunting/hounding and seeing our boys in blue workout and practice. A new spring training year brings about renewed hopes. Seriously, IF the Dodgers don't make the World Series this year all hell is going to break lose in Dodger land.

I am hoping to meet up with a few friends that I have never met and have only talked to online and a few that I do know in person might be making the trip from California as well. The Arizona trip is not all about baseball though as before we leave the desert the wife and I are also planning on taking an overnight trip to Sedona. For those that have never visited this city near Flagstaff and if you ever have an extra day while in Arizona I would recommend a venture up there. It is a very laid back city and if you know anything about vortexes (Google it) they have plenty to keep you "entertained". It is a very quiet city that "closes" when the sun goes down. A place to relax for sure.

So for my personal life February is the celebration of love.
Love for my better half which is first and foremost
And the return of my other love, Dodger baseball and baseball in general.
A great month for celebrating.
My month has a sunny outlook. . .how about yours?

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin