Lessons of Spring Training
“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” – Rogers Hornsby Puddles of melted snow. The sounds of birds chirping and carefree children playing outside. This means only one thing to us at Build Our Ballpark – spring training season. We resonate with the quote from Rogers Hornsby, even after the record-breaking mild winter Iowa experienced these past couple months. For spring represents a fresh renewal in our spirits here at Build Our Ballpark. We get to witness first hand the joy baseball brings to both...
Read MoreThings We Do For Love – And Autographs
This is the first post in the series “The Art of the Autograph” You’d think someone my age would be ashamed at some of the tactics I’ve employed to obtain autographs. There’s no shame when you’ve secured a great signature – none. I’ve crawled under bleachers, stuck my hand through a hole in an outfield fence (a groundskeeper promptly chased me out of the area – after 3 autographs), talked grandkids into helping me (players universally sign for kids and pretty girls), and walked onto a Cincinnati Red‘s team bus as they were leaving their hotel heading to the ballpark (I was almost put to...
Read MoreTales of a Misspent Youth
This is the second post in the series “The Art of the Autograph.” I am a kid again when asking for an autograph from anyone wearing a Major League uniform – from the stars to the youngster just brought up from the Minors for a “cup of coffee.” For a half century I’ve been a collector. I’ve watched promising rookies develop into stars, and I’ve watched them retire – some gracefully, some not. But I have their autographs as a part of their history and mine. The collection officially started in 1962 when I met the “Yankee Clipper,” Joe...
Read MoreSpring Training: The Best Six Weeks of the Year
Spring Training. This very special six weeks of the year has been instrumental in building my baseball collection, and has provided me so many wonderful experiences. Always a little sad to see my time at spring training come to an end – I sure do love these spring games – it serves as a harbinger to the wonderful season to come. Autographs totaled at 43, having slowed a bit the last few days, but have some very valuable ones to add to the collection. Slim crowds early in the 6-week spring training session made for great autograph opportunities. I continue to be in awe of the new facilities...
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