Yesterday, I made the drive down to West Michigan for my first ever White Caps game!!! Thanks to my baseball interest carrying over from the Beach Bums games in the Frontier League again, I thought I would give this level of baseball a try. Well after seeing all the successful Ryne Sandberg posts on here and from talking to people about Ryne Sandberg, I thought I would give this level of baseball a try for graphs and to take my shot at getting Sandberg. Well as for the park, this park down over in West Michigan has to be the easiest park I have ever gotten to. From all the years I been traveling/driving on US 131, I always been by this park numerous times but I never thought I would go in it for a game. I never really understood minor league baseball back then until the Traverse City Beach Bums came into existence last year and I explored online the Frontier League and all the other leagues/levels of baseball. Now I understand it fully and I am glad I have graphed more minor/independent league baseball games then I have major league games. I will have more to say about Sandberg and all that shortly but before I do here are my overall results from my first ever Midwest League game!!!:
A-Baseball: West Michigan White Caps vs. Peoria Chiefs featuring Ryne Sandberg!!! 7/30/07
West Michigan White Caps
Computer Printout Sheet(s)
Duane Below
Kelvin D. Cedano
Audy Ciriaco
Santo Deleon
Dan Fyvie (He remembered me from Traverse City when the Kalamazoo Kings were up here earlier in the year. I was shocked he did but anyhow, he got me a ball this time around and mentioned he was glad to get out of there. Nice to see they don't forget their Frontier League fans that they have signed for!!! It was nice to run into this guy again!!!)
Jeff Gerbe
Phil Napolitan
Jonah Nickerson
Zachary L. Piccola
Micheal Bertram 2 cards
Gorkys Hernandez 4 cards
Jordan Newton 13 cards
James Skeleton 1 program cover
Tom Brookens 16 cards ("I will only get the top page of your cards. Sorry kid, I don't got time to sign all these cards.") (He proceeded to do 8 cards for me and my friend helped me get the other 8 cards he did.)
Ray Burris 1 card ("GET YOUR CARD OUT AND READY AND PICK YOUR CARD; I AM ONLY SIGNING ONE CARD. My reason for this is that a fat guy here at this park earlier in the year throughout an earlier series we had here kept bringing a page of 5 cards for me to sign. The first game of the series, I did 5 cards for him. The next game, I did 5 more cards for him. Then the next game, I told him that I was done signing for him. The other incident I had was over in Beloit where a guy had pages of cards for me to sign. After when I told him that I was only signing one, I found out that he was using a bunch of little kids and kept handing his cards out to the little kids around him and then they called me over and I found out. Me: "So how many did you end up signing for him?" Ray: "I only signed one card for him." "If you want to get autographs, please don't use little kids to get autographs for you." "I am not mad at any of you or accusing any of you of using little kids, but its wrong.")
Peoria Chiefs!!!
Jeremy Papelbon 13 cards
and..................................
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Ryne Sandberg 1 Sports Illustrated Cover, 1 OMLB BASEBALL, 1 card!!!!!!! (Once the bus pulled up to the park and the door opened, Sandberg was the first one off the bus and CAME RIGHT OVER TO SIGN WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!! I also asked for a picture and I got a picture with him no problem!!!) (Me: "Thanks alot Ryne and congrats on making it into the Hall of Fame!!!" Ryne: "Thanks kid I really do appreciate that!!!")
That is all I have to share result wise for my first ever game down in West Michigan!!!
Ryne Sandberg has to be the nicest Hall of Fame baseball player that I have ever met!!! When he signed down in West Michigan yesterday, he was changing pens when being asked and no one had to call him over. When he was the first one off the bus, he signed for everybody and some got 2-3 items done out of him. Inside the park, he signed around 75-100 autographs before the game and he signed outside the dugout near the home plate side. Post game by the bus, he signed for half the crowd. Ryne Sandberg is a class act Hall of Fame baseball player!!! With all he has been through, its nice to know that a hall of famer does not forget the fans that make him famous!!! I have to give props to this guy!!!
Ray Burris apparently was ruined by a guy in Beloit,WI trying to use little kids so he can get all his cards signed. I know for a fact now that Burris does not sign for little kids and that he is getting tired of being asked to sign the cards. Heads up to anyone else seeing Burris this year that reguardless of what you do, he is only signing one card. If anyone that graphs in Beloit,WI knows more of this story, I would like to know out of curiosity since that it almost cost me this guy yesterday. I am sure Burris might be on his way to not signing for good once its all said and done.
Tom Brookens reminds me of the former Chillicothe Paints manager from last year Glenn Wilson. This guy is hyper and seems to be on the go. Honestly, he must drink alot of caffenine before he conducts pregame warmups with the players as during warmups down there yesterday, he was running all over the place telling players where to stand and go since that everything seemed out of place to him. Reguardless, he is still a nice guy but you got to get him when he is not so busy with pregame stuff.
Alright I think I covered it all from this experience. Thanks for looking!!!
Next up for me: FL: Beach Bums vs. Southern Illinois Miners on 8/2 or 8/4
A-Baseball: West Michigan White Caps vs. Peoria Chiefs featuring Ryne Sandberg!!! 7/30/07
West Michigan White Caps
Computer Printout Sheet(s)
Duane Below
Kelvin D. Cedano
Audy Ciriaco
Santo Deleon
Dan Fyvie (He remembered me from Traverse City when the Kalamazoo Kings were up here earlier in the year. I was shocked he did but anyhow, he got me a ball this time around and mentioned he was glad to get out of there. Nice to see they don't forget their Frontier League fans that they have signed for!!! It was nice to run into this guy again!!!)
Jeff Gerbe
Phil Napolitan
Jonah Nickerson
Zachary L. Piccola
Micheal Bertram 2 cards
Gorkys Hernandez 4 cards
Jordan Newton 13 cards
James Skeleton 1 program cover
Tom Brookens 16 cards ("I will only get the top page of your cards. Sorry kid, I don't got time to sign all these cards.") (He proceeded to do 8 cards for me and my friend helped me get the other 8 cards he did.)
Ray Burris 1 card ("GET YOUR CARD OUT AND READY AND PICK YOUR CARD; I AM ONLY SIGNING ONE CARD. My reason for this is that a fat guy here at this park earlier in the year throughout an earlier series we had here kept bringing a page of 5 cards for me to sign. The first game of the series, I did 5 cards for him. The next game, I did 5 more cards for him. Then the next game, I told him that I was done signing for him. The other incident I had was over in Beloit where a guy had pages of cards for me to sign. After when I told him that I was only signing one, I found out that he was using a bunch of little kids and kept handing his cards out to the little kids around him and then they called me over and I found out. Me: "So how many did you end up signing for him?" Ray: "I only signed one card for him." "If you want to get autographs, please don't use little kids to get autographs for you." "I am not mad at any of you or accusing any of you of using little kids, but its wrong.")
Peoria Chiefs!!!
Jeremy Papelbon 13 cards
and..................................
......................................................................
....................................................................................
......................................................................
.......................................
Ryne Sandberg 1 Sports Illustrated Cover, 1 OMLB BASEBALL, 1 card!!!!!!! (Once the bus pulled up to the park and the door opened, Sandberg was the first one off the bus and CAME RIGHT OVER TO SIGN WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!! I also asked for a picture and I got a picture with him no problem!!!) (Me: "Thanks alot Ryne and congrats on making it into the Hall of Fame!!!" Ryne: "Thanks kid I really do appreciate that!!!")
That is all I have to share result wise for my first ever game down in West Michigan!!!
Ryne Sandberg has to be the nicest Hall of Fame baseball player that I have ever met!!! When he signed down in West Michigan yesterday, he was changing pens when being asked and no one had to call him over. When he was the first one off the bus, he signed for everybody and some got 2-3 items done out of him. Inside the park, he signed around 75-100 autographs before the game and he signed outside the dugout near the home plate side. Post game by the bus, he signed for half the crowd. Ryne Sandberg is a class act Hall of Fame baseball player!!! With all he has been through, its nice to know that a hall of famer does not forget the fans that make him famous!!! I have to give props to this guy!!!
Ray Burris apparently was ruined by a guy in Beloit,WI trying to use little kids so he can get all his cards signed. I know for a fact now that Burris does not sign for little kids and that he is getting tired of being asked to sign the cards. Heads up to anyone else seeing Burris this year that reguardless of what you do, he is only signing one card. If anyone that graphs in Beloit,WI knows more of this story, I would like to know out of curiosity since that it almost cost me this guy yesterday. I am sure Burris might be on his way to not signing for good once its all said and done.
Tom Brookens reminds me of the former Chillicothe Paints manager from last year Glenn Wilson. This guy is hyper and seems to be on the go. Honestly, he must drink alot of caffenine before he conducts pregame warmups with the players as during warmups down there yesterday, he was running all over the place telling players where to stand and go since that everything seemed out of place to him. Reguardless, he is still a nice guy but you got to get him when he is not so busy with pregame stuff.
Alright I think I covered it all from this experience. Thanks for looking!!!
Next up for me: FL: Beach Bums vs. Southern Illinois Miners on 8/2 or 8/4
