Sending in the Hounds...

I spent a long Sunday with the Loudon Hounds for their inaugural Fan Fest and it was well worth the time for both getting signatures and getting to meet someone that I had always wanted as well.

The Loudon Hounds will not start play until their new stadium is built in 2012,but this was a great idea to begin to establish their brand in the community.
The event which featured autograph sessions,player discussions in the auditorium,sponsor booths and of course the ever present merchandise tables were pretty well done for their first effort.
I love the logo of the Basset Hound and I think the logo/merchandise is going to be a real winner and might be the best in their league...

I was able to get most of the players that attended with a few exceptions.
My friends Corey and Krista Cunningham were with me and helped me get some extra stuff signed after their things were finished and that was a huge help....
Former Oriole Mike Young and former Washington Senator Fred Valentine were last minute additions and so I didnt know they were going to be there.
Too bad for me especially with Valentine,who I do not have in my collection..
The main stars that I didnt get were Tommy John ( I was way back in line when he was signing) and Boog Powell,who is pretty easy to get with his "Boog's Barbeque" at Oriole games.....

I was able to land former Oriole catcher Chris Hoiles,well traveled 1970's catcher Ellie Rodriguez (Especially pleased with his 1973 Kelloggs card),former Oriole bullpenner Tippy Martinez,former Indians (among others) outfielder Otis Nixon,former Yankee second sacker Bobby Richardson and the toughest catch in former Tiger slugger Cecil Fielder.
Fielder seemed a bit overwhelmed with the attention,although not in a bad way at all and wore a horizontally pinstriped black fedora in an interesting look.
Nixon and Rodriguez were pretty quiet,while Hoiles and especially Martinez were very nice and chatted a bit.
Bobby Richardson was a true gentleman and seemed to be a super guy.
Bobby signed a "Ted Williams" set card for me as well as his 1961 Topps that I have had since a small child.
All four card corners were snipped off by the cousin of my mom's that gave them to me and I told Richardson "In that condition,it isnt worth much,but between the signature and the back story,it is worth tons to me"

However,the biggest of all for me was waiting in the wings.
It took us almost two hours to work our way back up the line after getting the Fielder group early and when we finally got there,all the players signing were players we already had gotten and I asked the Hounds employee if I could stay at the front of the line and wait for the next shift and allow people behind me to go ahead and go to keep the line moving.
The person had no problem with that and about ten minutes later former slugger and Rookie of the Year Frank Howard came in and seemed to have difficulty getting around.

Howard had pre signed a ton of cards and had them on the table and allowed everyone to have one,but his signatures were limited to two.
I had Frank sign a 1971 Topps and a baseball (Beautiful signature as well) and added a reprint of his 1973 Topps that was the item I was going to have signed,if the limit was three,so all worked out.
Frank asked if I was having a good time and I responded with "always a good time to get a Buckeye,Frank".
His eyes lit up and asked about Ohio,when I said I used to live in Ashland,Howard then talked about former Eagle and MLB lefty Ken Kravec and complimented Kravec's ablilty.
All and all-a big thrill for me in meeting Frank Howard....

A few suggestions for refining a great event and helping things run smoother.
The players and sponsors were in a small "exercise" gym,perhaps the larger main gym would be a better bet for next year.
Our line twisted around twice before getting to Howard and often confusion reigned .
More space and a more defined area would keep things easier for the lines.saving hassle and keeping people like one "wonderful" woman a bit happier in line.....

All and all,a great day and event and here is wishing the Loudon Hounds well for their Atlantic League debut in2012 and a repeat of the fan fest next season....

Thanks again to Corey and Krista Cunningham for their help...