The State of Local Sports Where I Live: Response to Play at The Plate

Well this morning is like most every Sunday morning is during the school year. Wake up when I want to, have coffee and a smoke, watch Baseball Tonight and CBS Sunday Morning with my wifey and check up on/contribute to weblogs. After Sunday Morning (The show not the time-period) is over, we get to work cleaning this joint for the week.

Today is a bit special. The first post I read this morning was by Brian over at Play At The Plate. It was about the state of local sports where one lives. Read Here. And while Brian lives in a vast, level sprawl of a city in Dallas, I live in the mini-metropolitan center that could, Richmond, VA.

Now, Most of you will remember the "Richmond Braves" and might have even read about my love for the R Braves and the great times that I had at their games. Heck for most of my years in richmond, I lived within walking/bike distance from the games. This was the reason that I collect Yunel Escobar. He owned the chalk leaderboard in the breezeway when he was in town. I miss the braves.

We get TBS and WGN here for some effed up reason, so we get a deluge of mediocre baseball. Nats, O's, Cubs(!?WTF), Chisox, and Braves. Now, I do get to watch more brewers games nowadays, and the O's have been heavy on MASN, but wow, you wanna watch some bad baseball? come over to my place, I can tivo like 8hrs of it for you.

My point is that I used to be able to watch guys win games in richmond (Internatn'l league champs 08) and then watch them hit the show on Ol Man Turner's network. Now, after they leave richmond, they drift back into the nebulous SanFranciso Giants farm system. I am not a fan of these guys disappearing into west coast ether, that I never hear from them again.

I am trying to like the Giants.I think I have them in an upcoming break...that's how I am "trying". I have been busy with the Blue Devils (5-8-1) and have not seen a RICHMOND SQUIRRELS game yet.

Today we turn the page.

I have some great tickets on the third base line for Today's game at the Diamond.

Reports and photos to follow...

Ones that Speak to Me: Jordan Schafer

With the advent of 2010 MLB action, there will be a few people watching out for this year's version of Jordan Schafer. Some lanky kid to come in hot and make you think twice about prospect lists enough to earn an A&G SP status. This kid was named 2009 starting centerfielder without ever playing a game past AA. He kills his first at-bat against a hot Brett Myers for HR and people want to know what's good. unfortunately, for those who did some research, he had recently served a 50-day suspension without ever testing positive OR being caught purchasing or possessing HGH. So that was a wash, I guess? either way, he couldn't sustain any power or plate discipline in 09 and was optioned to AAA Former Richmond Braves (we was robbed), and I would have been all over that park-aquired auto. (I have the last foul ball hit by the Braves at the Diamond, and still can't figure out who I want to sign it.)
I am freaking crazy about this kid's sig, and believe that I have reason to be. To my knowledge, he is the first baseball player to sign his name with 3 1/2 letters punctuated by two horizontal lines. Jordan's auto is incredibly consistent, and I am still looking for the right card for me. I do not like the design of either of the two 2009 flagships, and with both of those auto editions being on-card, i am having dif. (difficulties) My want for this autograph on a well-concieved design is literally unparallelled.

By My Hand: 2006 Yunel Escobar

YUNEL ESCOBAR

Atlana Braves

2006 Bowman "Signs of the Future" sticker* autograph

Here we go, I am going to start it off simple so as not to set your expectations too high. The first "AUTO" signature I present to you is the first one I ever pulled from a pack. Having attained several random musicians' signed setlists, this was a new beginning to my interest in signatures.

Combine the 10-year-old-hand-sized pieces of cardboard that I loved when I was 10 and upgrade them with the ACTUAL signature of the player pictured? Pure marketing Genius.

"In America, we are all consumers, we just have so many options for what to consume."

feel guily or don't, that's on you. I have had a hard time cutting back on card-purchases, and am enjoying doing more with what I have...hence the blog.

I had some cash, and no GF so I got in to the game and bought a ton of hobby wax my first couple years. I am still not sure if that was a thoroughly bad, or collosally(sp) bad idea.

It was like when Nike introduced a skateboarding line of shoes with myriad styles and color combos and produced them in limited quantities, only to create one of the strongest secondary markets I've seen. (along with, incidentally my favorite money maker/taker, Baseball Cards.)

(The kicker about the kicks is that you don't wear baseball cards...think about it)

Yunel Escobar was breaking all sorts of Richmond Braves records just down the street from me in Richmond when I pulled the card. It wasn't until the next time I rolled in to the Diamond after the 5th with a pants-full of beers that I realized that this dude was worth a damn at baseball. OK pull, but the story and g'nnections make it special.

This is not, by any stretch one of my favorite autographs inside the hidden parameters of what goes in the blog, but rather a cop out on choosing a favorite, or explaining my reasoning behind good autos and good auto cards. sue me. (shit, don't do that.)

oh...we have so much to discuss...see you soon.

Peterson







*I f..king hate sticker autos, but I have alot. may that be your introduction to my fleeting hypocrisy.