Some Problems

I have this device, that was given to me as a gift a few years ago. It shows live inning by inning scores and up to date standings. This is perfect if you are not going to be home and can’t follow your team. After yesterdays Mets game, I went to check the standings, and I saw this: 

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The score of the game (sadly) was correct. The standings…not so much. I was going to write a list of all the problems here, but there are just too many. Click on the picture, zoom in and see for yourself. The white mark next to the NL EA is something that I had to delete from the picture, my full name. I don’t need everyone knowing all my information. If you really want some of my information, click here. 
The Mets have been in a recent slump, capped off by their walk off wild pitch today. 
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more. 
Thanks for Reading,
Howie

May 8, 2010 @ Citi Field

I went to Citi Field on Saturday May 8 to see my Mets host the San Francisco Giants. My dad, who knows people, got front row seats behind the Giants dugout for a very, very discounted price. When I looked at the weather forecast for this day, I noticed that there was going to be some early morning rain, so I decided to sleep in a little. We got there at around 11 AM, and everything was soaked and the tarp was on the field. The only action I could find was down the right field line where some Mets were stretching. My dad stayed at our seats with the camera. The picture on the left is taken by my dad from the seats. The one on the right is from my phone.

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Shortly after that , Fernando Nieve started signing and I got him to sign a ball on the sweet spot with someone else’s black pen. That autograph, along with my others can be seen at the bottom of this entry.  This picture was taken by my dad from a long distance away.
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After that, I returned to my seats and noticed that Giants reliever Dan Runzler was having his photo taken, presumably for his next baseball card. 
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After that, when he was walking into the dugout, I asked him to sign a ball, and he did. I don’t have it on tape. But apparently I need to work on my pen throwing. Shortly after, another Giants reliever, Denny Bautista, had his picture taken by that same man. 
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After that, when he entered the dugout,  he was talking to someone he knew in spanish, and I asked him to sign the ball that Runzler had just signed, and he obliged. My dad got it all on tape and I put the video up on youtube. He dropped the pen even though I threw it right to him 

After that, things slowed down for a little while until Juan Uribe signed a ball for me at the dugout after the national anthem. He signed so quickly that my dad could not even take out the camera. That left me with 4 autographs at game time. Once the game began, my father and I were clearly visible on TV. This is a screen shot of Henry Blanco batting in the 2nd inning. I am circled in grey. My father is circled in purple. He wore the A’s hat so he could stand out in the crowd. 

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The game started with the Mets jumping off to an early lead. Jason Bay got a sacrifice fly off Todd Wellemeyer in the first. In the 2nd, Angel Pagan got a triple down the left field line past a diving Mark DeRosa. After 3 innings, the Mets were up 3-0. But let’s take a rewind to the bottom of the third inning. With 2 outs and David Wright on first after a walk, rookie Ike Davis stepped in to face Todd Wellemeyer. Why am I telling you about this? Keep on reading.IMG_5745.JPG
As you can see, the count went to 2-2. Ike rolled over on a pitch and hit a ground ball to Pablo Sandoval, commonly referred to as Kung Fu Panda, who threw the ball to Aubrey Huff at first base to end the inning. Huff jogged toward the dugout with the ball in his glove. I stood up and raised my arms and tried to get his attention. He reared back as he was going to throw the ball into the crowd. In the very blurry screen shot below you can see Huff, circled in blue, about to throw the ball over the dugout, while circled in the other blue circle, I am up and ready for the throw. 
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Huff threw the ball up, and it went right to me, and I made the easy one handed catch. The seat next to me was empty, and since I was in the middle of the row, there was no competition. Ball #1 was in the books, my first game ball. Some people only count live game balls, like foul balls or home run balls, as game balls. I think if the ball was used in the game, it counts as a game ball. I was pretty happy. I think the only reason Huff threw it to me was because I was wearing a Giants hat. You can see a close up picture of the ball below.
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After that, I didn’t really care what happened the rest of the day. But in between innings later in the game, I noticed someone in the dugout that I had not seen earlier in the day. It was Tim Lincecum. I was looking for him pre game but just never saw him. I took a bunch of pictures of him, but here is one of the best ones. 
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During the rest of the game, it was fun to see Ike Davis’ stats on the Jumbotron because I felt like I owned the groundout to 3rd base. 
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As you can see by the line score, the Mets blew a late inning lead, but the game went to extras, and for the second straight game, the Mets won it on their final at bat. This time, it was catcher Henry Blanco going yard just over the left field wall to send all the Mets fans at Citi Field into a frenzy. This is the first time in MLB history that a team has won back to back games thanks to walk off homers by catchers. On the way out, I noticed the Mets were selling game used batting helmets. $75 for a Lance Broadway “game used” batting helmet, I think not. By game worn I mean sitting on a shelf. 
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They had a whole mess of game worn stuff, and it was all really overpriced. 
Here are today’s autographs. 
      Fernando Nieve                                                                 Juan Uribe

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          Dan Runzler                                                                      
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                                     Denny Bautista

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And finally, here is ball I snagged today, my 18th lifetime and first game ball. 

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As you can see, it is pretty rubbed up with mud and there is a distinct spot, right near the MLB logo, where Ike’s bat hit the ball. 
This is probably going to be my last game for some time because I am nearing the end of the school year. 
That is all for this entry. I hope you have enjoyed it. Feel free to comment.
Thanks for Reading, 
Howie

A Flashback by Turning Your Back

Once you enter the bedroom in my house, you don’t see something. When you turn your back after you enter my bedroom, you see a flashback into sports history and the evolution of ticket stubs. You see, like Todd Cook, I have saved all my tickets from the games I have went to. I put them up on a bulletin board, which is why many of the tickets you see below have holes in them. Scroll down to the bottom of this entry to see the bulletin board. If I tried to show you all of my tickets and describe each game, it would take 5 years, so here are some different tickets from different years. 

The oldest baseball ticket on that wall is from a doubleheader in 2002 when the Mets hosted the Diamondbacks. That is NOT my first game ever attended. That is for another story. Also, this ticket does not have a stub, unlike all of the newer ones.  
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Back in 2003, the ticket was the same. This was from when I used to write the score on the ticket. Apparently the Mets lost 6-3. It was fun when they had 12:30 starts. I would go with my day camp and sit in the nosebleed seats. Still, no stub on the ticket. 
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So, if you are keeping track. The tickets from 2002 and 2003 are the same. 
For some unknown reason, I could not find a ticket from 2004. So, I had to look one up on Google images, and I came up with this. It is unknown if it has a stub. 
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This ticket is different than the tickets listed above, and it is different than the ones you will see below.
 I am making the conclusion that this is the year the Mets changed the ticket design. 
The tickets in 2005, 2006, and 2007 are all the same. The one on the top is from my birthday in 2005. The one in the middle is from Lastings Milledge’s first MLB home run. Finally, the one on the bottom is from John Maine’s almost no hitter in 2007, the day before the Mets first collapse, which was 2 years after the first ticket. 
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The tickets from 2004-2007 are pretty much the same. 
The 2006 ticket has seen more light, and has faded more than the other ones. 
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Since 2008 was the final year at old Shea Stadium, the Mets commemorated it with their tickets for that year. This is a ticket from a ticket plan. The one underneath it is a typical box office ticket that I got from Zack Hample’s blog because I don’t have one.
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I personally think the Shea Stadium final year logo is one of the better logos in recent memory. Especially compared to the Citi Field inaugural year logo, which can be seen below. This is your typical box office ticket.. 
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The tickets below are both from ticket plans, one is from 2009 and one is from this season. IMG_5968.JPG
I have not found a 2010 regular generic ticket yet, but when I do, I will let you guys in on what it looks like. So, from 2003-2009 at least, generic box office tickets are the same with the blue and white stripes, although the logos inside change. I will leave you with a final picture of my bulletin board, which contains tickets from almost every professional sporting event that I have every gone to, with some exceptions.  
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The picture of K-Rod is part of my 2010 Mets calendar. Most of the tickets are not from baseball, but some are. Hopefully I will add to this board soon. 
Thanks for Reading- Howie 

April 9, 2010 @ Citi Field

I got to Citi Field yesterday. It was on such short notice, that by the time I found out I was going to the game, it was 3:45 and I had almost no chance of BP. My friend Danny took me to todays game and we got there at around 6. I finally got my picture with the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple. Of course the H in home run was not in the picture. 

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I like what they did with that. It is better than last year when it was in a corner behind the bullpens. Like I said, I got there at around 6 and had tickets in section 113, which is right behind the Mets dugout. I stayed there and tried to get one of the Nationals to throw me a ball, and it failed. Then I went into the corner near the dugout and got Alex Cora’s autograph. Here is a short video of him signing that I posted on Youtube. I got him on a card and a ball, which can be seen below. 

                   After getting Cora. The weather took a rapid spike. It got cold and windy fast. So, Danny and I went to our seats 5 rows behind the Mets dugout. To make a long story short, I tried for 3rd out balls and tried to get Razor Shines, the Mets first base coach, to toss the first baseman’s warm up ball to us, but it never happened. During the game, it was so cold and windy that I needed gloves.  The Mets won 8-2 behind Mike Pelfrey’s solid outing and 2 homers by each Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas.  After the game, I stopped at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. 

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Here are today’s Alex Cora autographs. 
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Sadly, I wont be at another game for quite some time. I have gotten some TTM autographs. HERE is a link to my YouTube account. Feel free to watch whatever you want.            Thanks for Reading,
                       Howie
Also, the Mets only win when I go to the games.That is actually true now. (2-5) I think I need more tickets for more games. 

April 5, 2010 @ Citi Field *Opening Day*

I went to Mets Opening Day on Monday at Citi Field. I had a great time, so let us get right to it. 

My father and I arrived at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda gate at around 10 AM. We were right at the front of the line and that was a good thing. I also was armed with a new yellow t-shirt. 
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That is correct. I got the Happy Youngster t-shirt.  It is a long story, and a special thanks to the Happy Youngster himself for the shirt. (The link above goes to his blog.) As soon as the gates opened at 10:30, I was off and running into the stadium. I chose to take the stairs rather than the escalator, and even though I tripped like 5 times wile running up the stairs, it was a good idea. 
I was running in the concourse down the third base line and I saw a security guard standing on the field holding a ball, I sprinted down the steps and asked him for the ball, and he tossed it straight into my glove, and within 2 minutes of me running into the stadium, BALL #1 was in the books. It was also a Citi Field commemorative ball from last season. Ball #1 is shown below. 
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It was the first ball given to a fan during the 2010 regular season  at Citi Field and the first Citi Field commemorative ball that I have ever snagged. On my mygameballs.com page, I counted it as a found ball because I found the security guard holding the ball. Literally a minute after I got this ball the person standing next to me noticed Nate Robertson of the Marlins was walking back to the dugout, and we asked Nate to sign, and he said sure. I got him to sign a separate ball that I had brought to get signed. He even signed  it on the sweet spot. Thanks Nate!
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Then I settled down in a good spot in the front row right behind where the Marlins started playing catch, but first during the end of Mets batting practice, Luis Castillo, hit a hard foul ball down the line bounced foul on the field then went into the stands and hit me in the thigh. I said, “Ouch.” as I bent down and picked up BALL #2, also a Citi Field commemorative ball. Here is that ball: 
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You could say I was a little happy. 
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During this time, I got so unlucky that I don’t even want to share the details on the blog. My bad luck changed when Anibal Sanchez threw me BALL #3. It was pretty much brand new, except for a small green mark on the sweet spot. After  he threw me the ball, Jose Veras, a reliever on the Marlins, started signing, and I got him to sign the ball Sanchez just gave me. 
Here is a picture of him signing:
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If you can see me, I am in the teal Marlins hat. Here is ball #3, which was signed by Veras. verassignedball3.JPG
Then, after with a quick photo with the 3 balls, we were off to the seats for the game.
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The game went great. The Mets won 7-1 behind David Wright’s 2 run homer and Johan’s solid outing.
See you next time from Citi Field
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Thanks for reading- Howie

Apology and a Long Winter

Before I say anything, I would like to apologize for not blogging pretty much all winter. It was baseball’s off season, and I guess I took an offseason also. The winter was long, and baseball is finally almost back. I wish José Reyes’ injury was an April Fools joke, but it sadly is not. But since I had a long time away from the blog, my mail stack grew larger, and I will share that with you guys now. 

Former Brave and Pirate, Sid Bream, who is most notably known for a play simple known as “The Slide”, signed my cards. For those of you who don’t know what “The Slide” is, click HERE.
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Former 3 time all star pitcher, Dan Plesac, signed a card. 

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Met Legend and 1969 Miracle Met, Bud Harrelson, signed 2 cards, and one of the cards is from the Long Island Ducks team set. 
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A man whose birthday is in less than 2 weeks, Woodie Fryman, signed a card in black pen, making the signature pretty hard to see. 
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1980 World Champion Philadelphia Phillie Del Unser signed all 3 of my cards. 
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A man who has been in baseball for over half a century, Don Zimmer, signed all my cards, my index card, and even personalized one of the cards. I appreciate him for that. 
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You have to remember Jon Lieber, he signed all 3 of my cards. 
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(Is my scanner really that bad that I missed the top of all the cards?)
During spring training, I wrote to a couple current players, no superstars, just a few pitchers. 
Orioles starter, Koji Uehara, signed a card. He either signed it or scribbled on it and wrote 19.
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Ryan Rowland-Smith, Mariners reliever, signed a card. 
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Lastly, White Sox pitcher John Danks signed a card. 
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That is all for the ttm cards. I will be at Citi Field for Mets Opening Day on Monday. 
Thanks for Reading. 
Howie

FREE AUTOGRAPHS

Okay, the title may be a bit off what I am trying to say. The website where I get all of my addresses for TTM autos, such as these and these, is giving away free subscriptions for a week. All you have to do is follow these directions: 

 • Go to http://www.startiger.com

 • Click on “Join Now”

 • Enter the coupon code (The code is FREE-DFLB-27EE.) in the coupon code field

 • Enter your valid e-mail address and click on “Next”

 • Select your username and password on the following page and click on “Next”.

 ENJOY YOUR FREE WEEK!!!!!

And also, if you are brand new to autograph collecting and have no idea how to do a get a TTM autograph, click right HERE and watch this short video on what to do. Also, the coupon is only good until January 30, 2010 and you can only get one week. 

Happy Holidays To Everybody! 

TTM Autos

I have not written an entry about my TTM autos in a long time, and I have gotten so many back, so, here it goes. 

Bobby Thigpen, former White Sox pitcher, signed my card. 

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A former pitcher for the Angels and Tigers, Frank Tannana, signed all of my cards with some religious inscription. 
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Current Cardinals manager, Tony LaRussa, signed 2 cards, one of them from the 80s. It is weird how he looks almost the same 20 years later. 
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See what
I’m saying?
1998 AL Rookie of the Year, Ben Grieve, signed 2 cards. I think that this is the first autograph I have where the person is signing autographs on the card. 
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Former All Star, Gold Glove Winner, and MVP, Andre Dawson, signed a card. 
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Former Brooklyn Dodgers Pitcher and World Series Champion, Carl Erskine, signed a card. 
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Jason Marquis, current Rockies pitcher, signed my card. 
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Former pitcher for the Cubs and Pirates, Rick Reuschel, signed 4 cards. 
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That’s all for now, thanks for reading. 

Card Show

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Today I attended a card show. I usually went to these a lot when I was a little younger. This was the first time I’ve been to a card show in years. My father and I got there at about 12:30 pm and we immediately went to the back of the gym where former Mets Jack Fisher, Davey Johnson, Bruce Berenyi, Ron Darling, George Foster, Keith Hernandez and Kevin Elster were signing autographs. They all, cost a certain amount of money, except for Jack Fischer who was free with your paid admission. I bought 8×10 photographs of Foster and Fischer. How it worked was you would buy a card that entitles you to get 1 autograph from that player. You would give it to a person sitting next to the player then get the autograph. They gave you a card of Fischer with your admission. How the signing worked was there was 1 large table where all the players were sitting and signing. I went to George Foster first, but the  line for him was so short and I thought he wasn’t there yet. It turns out that the line for a former MVP, World Series Champion, and All-Star, was well, no one. I just walked straight up to him and got him to personalize the photo I had just bought and I got a (slightly blurry) picture with him. 

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It was surprising to see him decked out in Reds gear at a New York card show. 
Then we waited on line to get Jack Fisher. Thanks to a quick read on wikipedia earlier in the day, I found out that he was the Mets pitcher in the first ever game at old Shea Stadium, so I brought a Shea Stadium commemorative baseball with me and got him to sign it and an 8×10 with some inscriptions that I asked him to do. My father took a video of him signing, and you can check it out HERE. That is a good trivia question to stump your friend. Who threw the first pitch ever at Shea? Jack Fisher

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After that, we browsed the rows and rows of dealers. Recently, I was denied in the mail by Jeff Reardon, he returned my cards back unsigned, so when I saw a signed 8×10 of him as a Met for only $1, there was no way I could refuse, so I grabbed a dollar from my pocket, handed it to the dealer, said thanks, and walked away with this Jeff Reardon autograph:

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So, we looked around at the many dealers, saw some interesting stuff. Didn’t buy anything though except for a box of Topps Ticket To Stardom Baseball which contained 20 packs of 12 cards each and in one of the first packs my dad opened up, he saw this:
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Pretty nice. On the back it was numbered 338/489. Now here is the reason why the box is called Ticket to Stardom. 
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If you can’t tell, those are actual tickets from games in 2008. After that, we noticed the line for Davey Johnson, manager of the 1986 Mets, was small. So we bought a picture and a card needed for an autograph, and got on line. There was only one problem, we were on the line for Bruce Berenyi, and we didn’t realize that until we saw Davey Johnson get up to leave, so we ran over to him right before he was going to walk out the door, and got him to personalize an 8×10 for me. Here is a proof shot taken by my dad along with the photo itself. 
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That was it for the card show. Very successful. 

The Many Ways To Lose a Baseball Game

First off, today, September 30, is my birthday. So, happy birthday to me. Also, today is the 2 year anniversary of the Mets first collapse. While on the topic of bad Mets losses, lets take a look at some of the worst: 

June 12, Mets leading their first ever game at New Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez hits a pop-up to Luis Castillo…
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Nothing else need be said. 
August 4, Johan Santana pitched 8 strong innings against the Cardinals, then handed the ball to Francisco Rodriguez and the bullpen, who promptly allowed 7 runs over the next 2 innings, capped off by a grand slam from this guy: 
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Mets lose 12-5. 
19 short days later, on August 23, the Phillies paid a visit to Citi Field, down 9-7 in the bottom of the 9th, with runners on first and second, Jeff Francoeur hits a line drive up the middle when shortstop Eric Bruntlett caught the ball, stepped on second, and then tagged Daniel Murphy going to second to end the game. 
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September 18, with the Mets coming back in the bottom of the 9th inning, and the tying and winning runs in scoring position, Jeff Francoeur hit a hard ground ball back off pitcher Mike MacDougal’s glove, then he picked it  up and threw out Francoeur to end the game.
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Today, against the Nationals again, K-Rod was handed a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, then with the bases loaded, Justin Maxwell, hit his first major league grand slam, a walk off job to beat the Mets 7-4. He also got a celebratory pie in the face. 
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This season could not get that much worse. 
Thanks For Reading- Howie
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