Ryan has not loaded pictures yet,so I will post them whenever he gets around to it.
The game vs the Binghamton Mets was kinda uneventful-a 7-2 Mets win,with the exception of a 5 run Met 4th.
The Curve finished with more hits,but never seem to string them together.
Jason Delaney hit his 7th HR as a member of the Curve,Delaney has moved himself from an organizational guy to a prospect this year with his performance in Lynchburg and then in his promotion to Altoona.
Neil Walker had 2 hits and Andrew McCutchen had another ofer.
It is clear that McCutchen was moved too fast this year and may have hindered his development a bit.
I will not criticize for this as I agreed at the time with the decision,but with hindsight,it was not a good move.
If you get the chance to see Blair County Ballpark,do so.
It is a beautiful little ballpark and for the most part,the Curve employees do a great job.
Battlin Bob had problems with 1,but other than that guy.I think they do a terrific job.
I cannot imagine a better AA park to watch a game with the open hillside beyond left field and the roller coaster from nearby Lakemont Park over the fence in right,it is very scenic and somewhat different.
Now the downside to BCB and it is a tale that I hear often from autograph collectors-the newer ballparks just do not give you much access.
You have to get there early and get position by the line roughly around the base spot leading to the outfield and even then it is not great.
I had a little more success this year than last year,but still not enough to give my endorsement to BCB as an easy place to get signatures.
I did the Curve team,accompanied by Battlin Bob,while Ryan did the Binghamton side.
Maybe I can get Ryan to do a guest post on his side dealing with Mark Kiger and the Mets.
He did get me some cards from the Binghamton side.
I was able to get 8 Curve players to sign and with the exception of Neil Walker-I was able to get all the "main" players that I wanted.
I bought a Curve and Eastern League prospects set and tried to pull the players that I wanted most and tossed the rest in my briefcase for later use,through the mail for the guys that might play Arizona or Hawaii fall league.
We have had some success from those last year and actually got Neil Walker to sign that way.
So with only a few cards that I brought with me,I didn't have a large stack of cards to go through.
The biggest catch was Andrew McCutchen,as he signed all 4 cards that I had-his 06 Hickory update,Curve card along with 2 EL prospects.
As in Hickory,Andrew doesn't have too much to say,but signs.
Steven Pearce signed his Curve card and 2 Lynchburg cards and was the most personable signer,as he chatted for a few minutes.
Jason Delaney signed his 2 Hillcat cards and was reasonably friendly,as was Wardell Starling.
Starling always seems to be in a good mood and laughed as we talked briefly.
Wardell signed last year and was in a paperwork move on that day,being assigned to Hickory for the day.
I told him that and he responded "I'll go back and play legion ball before I go back to Hickory".
Other signers were Cuban defector Yoslan Herrera (2),Romulo Sanchez (2),Matt Peterson and manager Tim Leiper.
Neil Walker signed for others,but we just couldn't get into the right position for him to sign.
Twice,we hollered for him,but he was in a rush with things to do and after the second time.he said"I'll get you after the game".
When Battlin Bob tried,a Curve employee refused to let Bob through,even as Bob told this guy that Walker said "after the game".
No dice.The only downer to a fun day at the ballpark.
I did get to speak briefly after the game with Mets (and former Hagerstown Sun) pitcher Bobby Parnell after the game.
Bobby was working the radar gun and I said hello and swapped small talk for a minute after the game.
Concluding advice on Altoona
If you are going to see a game at a super ballpark,I recommend Altoona highly.
If you are going for the autograph side,my advice is this.
Be prepared with who you want most,don't bring cards you don't need and get there early.
Today's Pitching Matchup
Pittsburgh: John Van Benschoten (0-4) at Philadelphia: Jamie Moyer (8-8) 7:05
Photo Credits
BCB-Altoona Curve.com
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