I didn't really plan on doing a lot of graphing here, I had a grand total of three cards with me, all top 100's and hoped to be lucky enough to nab one of them.
Fred and I waited for a bit in the car for the gates to open before going to the gates where we ran into some local graphers and swapped stories from our various circuits.
One grapher told us that the team had one player come out and sign before each game on the concourse, but there was not a schedule of appearances.
Fred asked about the Red Wings top prospect in infielder Nick Gordon and the response brought a snicker and a comment that Gordon hadn't done that all year, but the other Red Wing that I needed on a 100 had done a few signings (Pitcher Steven Gonsalves) and there was some hope that he might do one today.
The day's giveaway was a team logo ball, which I had decided earlier this year to start collecting but only of teams that I had been able to visit their ballpark.
It was a white ball and I prefer more unique baseballs for this project, but it was free and the team store didn't have a baseball that I liked better, so I was happy to add it to the project at no cost.
Upon entering, I discovered that I had left my number list in the car, which wasn't so bad as I knew what Gordon looked like and knew that Durham's Willy Adames was number one, which meant only Gonsalves would need to be asked about.
We walked by the small booth that hosted the signings and the name on the wall was pitcher Dietrich Enns and who knew if Enns was today's signer or left over from the last game.
I decided to try the Red Wings side since I had two of those players and as I walked halfway down the first base line, an announcement came over the PA that Nick Gordon would be signing today!
I looked up and about every grapher was on a dead run to get to the concourse!
I hustled up and saved Fred's spot, which put us in a really good position near the first handful of fans in line.
We wound up getting Gordon easily (a top 100 for me and a baseball for Fred) and it really made my day, but it could have ruined the trip and here's why.
The day before I left, I was preparing cards and discovered that I had sent Nick Gordon's top 100 to Corey White in Tennessee!
Gordon had started the season with AA Chattanooga and I just wasn't thinking that Gordon might be in AAA when we made this trip.
Suddenly, I was faced with making the trip without a Gordon card and I knew I'd be furious if Gordon was signing and I didn't have that card.
Running very short on time, I wrote Kendall Morris, who also does the top 100 sets, and asked if I could "borrow" his Nick Gordon.
If I was able to get it signed, I would replace his card (Kendall, it is on its way) and if not, I'd return it.
Thanks to Kendall for the help because if Gordon would have been that easy, I would have been the biggest baby you've seen and Fred would have been in for a miserable ride home!!!
We decided to try for Durham's Willy Adames, who in not unusual for AAA fashion wasn't interested, but still, my goal was to knock one of the three cards out and I was able to do that for a successful day.Fred watched a few innings, while I walked around taking pictures and believe it or not, I was recognized by someone!
I won't waste your time there with that interaction, but in a different conversation, I was wearing one of my favorite shirts, my 1963 Lance Alworth jersey and an older fellow (that appeared to be a bit under some type of influence) wanted to talk about the AFL and Lance Alworth!
I usually wouldn't wear this jersey to a game as I learned this lesson years ago when a nitwit grapher sharpied a Cavaliers hoodie, that you don't wear things to graph that could get messed up, but since I was graphing so little I figured it was OK.
I was able to stop at the team shop and pick up team sets for other people (I only buy AAA team sets for three teams) and picked up a schedule holder for myself.
I really like those when they are made with a solid box floor (Most aren't) because not only do they look good, they are perfect for holding a few cards nearby when I'm working on things.
We then began to make the trip home and in a few hours, we neared Binghamton, New York, and both Fred and I began to get a bit hungry.
I hadn't eaten all day and I hadn't seen Fred eat, although he likely had breakfast when I was not around, so the time was right.
Since I was in that area, the best thing to do was contact Jason Christensen for advice on where to eat.
Jason advised us to roll past Binghamton about 20 miles and barely across the Pennsylvania line to a place named Bingham's.
Fred asked if it was right off the interstate and Jason said it was-it turned out to be so close that Fred was in the parking lot with a small tap of the brakes.
Bingham's turned out to be a family restaurant that reminded me of Lyn-Way in Ashland with a large number of pies and cakes among other desserts.
Fred really seemed to enjoy Bingham's and I would certainly go there again- I even ordered a small piece of cheesecake, which is a big deal for me considering that I almost never order dessert.
The ride back to Mechanicsburg was a wet one as rain most of the trip and fog on occasion, but one event happened that will be talked about for a long time.
We hadn't been on the road for very long and as I looked at my IPad, I glanced up to see a large black object hit my side of the windshield with a loud THWACK and I saw it tumble over the roof of the car!
I asked Fred "What the hell was that?" and his nonplussed answer was " I just hit a turkey".
I couldn't stop laughing at both the odds of hitting a wild turkey in mid-flight and then the matter of fact way that Fred said: "I just hit a turkey".
Many (many) turkey and death jokes later, the trip ended at Fred's house, but the turkey talk wasn't completed yet.
The following day, I visited my parents and after a while, my dad asked me if I wanted some lunch.
I wasn't hungry, so I declined, but he followed up with "Do you want a turkey sandwich?"
I started laughing like crazy, complete with dad looking at me like I'm nuts...
Great time with Fred for the weekend and I'd certainly do this trip again in the future!
Lots of stuff in the inbox with passings and other notes and I'll be trying to catch up on those very soon.
I'll also have the boxing challenge and next week, I'm planning on a look at the Cavaliers and Devils before they enter next week's drafts...
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