If there’s no Snagg’n there’s always Tagg’n

4/27/09                                          Padres vs Rockies

                       Ranter’s dictionary: Tagg’n = Getting baseballs autographed.

Monday’s game was straight up cold. I was hoping for batting practice but the field was empty other than a few Padres playing catch and doing sprints.

 

While I was standing there thinking about what I should do next I ran into Joy aka LUVMYROXX and her husband Jim.

This time I was able to take a picture and talk for a little bit.

Really nice folks and it was an honor to meet you both.

Thanks Joy for reading the Rant and being a regular commentor.

I have to say anyone brave enough to attend Monday’s game is a hardcore Rockies fan because it was quite nipply.

It was seriously overcast, the temperature was in the 40′s and a cold gusty wind was hitting us at times. 

Great snowbarding weather but it can make watching a baseball game live a bit uncomfortable, especially when those wind gusts hit…brrrr 
So after saying hey to some of the fellas in the first row I grabbed my backpack and headed over to the Rockies dugout to see what I could see.

When I arrived I saw Huston Street walking back to the dugout and before I could even ask he walked over to sign for a small group of fans. I quickly dug out a baseball and slipped into the group.

One thing I have noticed is that if you just hand a player a baseball they will usually not sign on the sweet spot. For me this is true 9 out of 10 times. Robert has been giving me sheet about not asking them to sign on the sweet spot.

He told me “just ask them to sign it on the sweet spot, they will”. So today I tried it.

I handed Huston Street the pen and baseball and asked “Huston will you please sign my ball on the sweet spot?”.

<——He looked at me with this look  and said, “No, I’m not going to do that, you get it where you get it.

I about crapped my pants. You see the first time I ask I get slammed hard.

Naa I’m totally kidding, Huston Street is a great guy and will sign for anyone.

 Here’s why it’s hard for me a to ask a player to sign on the sweet spot. I feel fortunate to just be getting a players autograph, so to be specific on what I want seems a tad rude.

But in reality unless it’s a World Series ball it needs to be signed on the sweet spot.

Its the perfect place for it….See what I mean.
                                                      Thank you Huston !

With luck like this in the first few minutes I figured I’d stay put there and see what unfolds.

              So from a Hagger’s point of view the cold dreary day was getting better

 Robert came over and was demonstrating to me the fine art of removing the word “PRACTICE” from a baseball.

 It requires some very light sanding with fine sandpaper and then hitting it with a white eraser.
 

Neat stuff. Always pay attention to your elders, they are full of usefull information. 

I knew the next player to come out would be Chris Iannetta. 

I hopped in line and he signed the baseball Robert was fixing up for me.

 I used a batting practice ball because Chris was signing in sharpie and I decided to work on a Team signed baseball mostly because I had only brought one new baseball and one used one.

Huston Street had autographed my new baseball so the only ball I had left was the one Robert fixed up for me.

The next guy out of the dugout was Bob Apodaca.

Bob looked like he was on a mission but when the older fella standing beside me called out his name Bob turned and walked over and started chatting and signing.

         Nice guy, thank you Bob.

No batting practice today but I’ve snagged three autographs. Not bad eh !. It gets better my friends.

                                              Here are the players warming up.
                                                          Mr. Helton

 

 

 

 

 

When Todd finished warming up he walked almost all the way to the dugout then he turned turned and walked over to my group.

I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never been able to get Todd’s autograph at Coors Field before and here he was two feet from me. 

 

 

 

 

It was at that point I really wished I had a new baseball for him to sign. Oh well my team baseball was starting to look pretty good now especially with this this guys autograph on it  
Look at the menacing sky in the background. My team ball is getting some character now. 

As Clint Barmes was walking off the field he stopped and spent a few minutes signing for everyone.

Here he is signing my team ball–>

  When he looked up at me I said, “Clint you tossed me the first batting practice ball of spring training this year”. He looked up at me and said “Yeah I remember you”.

Clint brotha, you don’t know how cool it was to hear you say that.

I’ve always liked Clint Barmes but now not only will the Rant be extra pro-Helton but it will be extra pro-Barmes.  I take special notice when someone takes notice/remembers me.

     Thanks for the autograph Clint. Good luck this season, the Rant has got your back.

I managed to get one more autograph but not a picture. Ryan Spilborghs signed the team baseball underneath Clint Barmes.

Spilly was working his way down the line signing with this head down and just before he got to me the guy beside me mentioned something about Robert catching his home run ball the night before.

 I then asked Spilly if he had watched the video of it. Spilly said “Yeah I looked at it”. Then I said that I was the guy right behind Robert chasing it. He still didn’t look up. When he got to me he took my baseball, signed it, handed it back to me, stopped slowly, raised his head enough to see my face and acknowledge it, then he moved on down the line.

It wasn’t scary, but it wasn’t a “Cool man, better luck next time” kind of glance either. No worries Spilly, I’m a big fan and I’m glad you’re a part of this team.

      We know a lot of the same people so I hope you get used to my face brotha :)

Some notes on this game. Dexter Fowler is amazingly fast.He stole five of the eight bases that were stolen in this game. 

Tulo was benched?

Rockies get the win over the Padres 12-7.

I didn’t make it much past the fifth inning. I was cold tired, and had to get up for work at 3am. Had I stayed I’d have been in position to snag a ground rule double.  

Let me just say that is not the first time that has happened to me and will surely not be the last. I think of it as the ghosts of baseball past teasing me for leaving my seat or going home early.  

It will someday happen to you if you attend enough games. Eventually you’ll need to eat, drink or pee  Precicly at the point that you cannot see your seat is when the baseball will land in your area.

                         Hagg’n totals for this game

1 Point for showing up.

12 Points for six autographs. Huston Street, Bob Apodaca, Todd Helton, Chris Iannetta, Clint Barmes, and Ryan Spilborghs. I couldn’t eat another brat this game.

                                                      Total points = 13

                                 Two wins in a row, I’m digg’n this. Go Rockies…D