The Pirates are in Chicago and the Indians are hosting the other Chicago entry in the White Sox.
Despite the calendar saying spring has already begun,to me spring doesn't truly start until opening day.The outlook doesn't look bright for either team this season,but one can always hope!
Baseball is more than just the bigs to me as Hagerstown and Frederick are just around the corner as Frederick's home opener is April 12th and Hagerstown's 2011 debut and beginning of the Bryce Harper circus is April 15th.
Here is hoping for a super fast start for Mr.Harper,so he can progress right up the ladder as (in my opinion) the Muni is simply not suited for the craziness that is going to follow Harper through no fault of his own.
I do believe that the Hagerstown Suns have made an early misstep in handling things with their Meet the Suns day on Monday.
The last two were well organized and I was hoping to see more of the same this season.
However,I cannot make it on Monday,so their decision will not affect me any,but they are having the first hour be a season ticket holder only event.
I have no problem with that at all,Season ticket holders deserve some perks for laying out their money in advance and I wrote so last December.
The event opens up to the general public at seven and NO autographs available for the general public.
Again,this affects me in no form or fashion as I cannot attend,but zero?
This (somewhat understandably) is an attempt to protect Bryce Harper from the hordes of people,but why not this-Bryce Harper is available only to the season ticket holders,Bryce Harper is leaving the building at seven (Hit the Elvis music here!),the rest of the team will be available for autographs and anything else for the remainder of the event.
I understand that the Suns worry about the young man is only while he is here and once he moves on,the circus becomes someone else's problem,but my question is this to the Nationals-If you are protecting the player in Hagerstown,where does it stop?
Woodbridge (Potomac)? Harrisburg? Syracuse?
You certainly cannot expect it to stop in Washington,can you?
In any event,baseball is here and the good times are ahead at a ballpark or television near you-Enjoy the season!
6 comments:
I really do believe that rule (and I don't know anymore about it than what I've read on here)is to at least give the players one day of peace and for the public to get to know them and for them to know the public. You know better than anybody that players get swamped for sigs. You've seen that. And somewhere along the line maybe they feel like people just talk to them for that. This just gives them one night just to relax. There are 6 months and 140 games up and down the coast to sign autographs. so from that perspective I can see why the Suns chose to do that. Plus I think it's great for Hagerstown to have their time in the minor league spotlight. So let's enjoy it while it's here. Even if it's only for a month. It boosts the economy of the town. The town needs a positive distraction from their everyday worries. It's good for us,the Suns, and even the Nationals. Nobody loses in this.
I hope the team makes tons of money off of him while he is here.
The more money they make,the more things can be improved at the Muni etc.
If he is the player that most seem to believe that he is,that time will be short anyway.
As far as one night to relax,I don't buy it.It takes no more energy to sign something than it does to take a picture.
I think I would rather sign in a controlled environment that limits fans to 1 or 2 items than the mess that will be coming at every stadium.
As I wrote,one could excuse Harper and the other players could sign.
If you are going to take the time to have an event (and the previous two were well done),then why add stipulations (which were never in effect before)?
I don't blame the team for not wanting Bryce Harper in such a scenario of a cattle call for autographs,but the rest of the team?
Because maybe to an autograph collector the past shows it didn't seem like a problem. To those paying to put the 'Meet and Greet' on and establish a repoire with the public the last thing they want to see for most of the night is their players with their heads bent down and sharpies glued to their hands for 3 hours. If they had wanted to hold an autograph session they could have had it at the stadium instead and saved money.
Last years was at the stadium and the previous one was at the same location as now.
Chris,do you really think that every member of the Suns is going to be buried in items to be signed?
More often than not,they are going to be sitting there doing the same things whether they sign or not.
It doesn't affect me one way or the other because I cannot attend and honestly with the hassle of people coming to town to swarm on Bryce Harper (Not Harper's fault),I am not even worrying about him signing that one card of his that I have.
Just a one year blip because of the situation and things will be different next season...
I do Shawn. You and I both worked for the Suns.(although this applies to other sports but baseball players are always more exposed and vulnerable than most other athletes) I was a batboy, I don't know what you did. I'm pretty sure you saw the same thing I did before,during, and after the game and that was players being asked for autographs. The autograph collecting is so huge anymore. No easy strolls back to the clubhouse this year.
Sure you're going to have people who just want Bryce Harper but you're also going to have people who want autograph baseballs(or card sets) of the whole team. For someone who's driven hundreds of miles for autographs, how many people do you think will be coming into town to get his? That number is just not limited to actual collectors or fans of baseball but people coming to see something they might not get to see again. Also include the speculators who think they can flip a graph for a buck or so.
Hell, I've only been to 6 games in the past twenty years and I'm thinking of taking Dad who's shown more interest since he's retired.
So yes I can see why they've done it this way.
Chris,I agree with some of what you write.
There will be tons of people coming from out of town for Bryce Harper and your references to him and the collectors/speculators are accurate.
But,I have been doing this for the last seven years and there are very few doing team sets or asking the average player.
On an average night at the stadium,the average Suns player (the top prospect or two excepted) might get asked to sign one or two things.
That goes up slightly when the team set comes out and quickly returns to its normal level.
Watch and see as you come out more,there are 15 collectors on a big night and usually well under ten there.
That will be post-Harper mania,of course.....
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