TWO WINTER TRIPS TO IOWA
Every January I look forward to the
weekend when I can go to Des Moines to attend the Iowa Cub fanfest.
It's a nice combination of Hall of Famers that one has to pay for
and free autograph guests that make attending the event even more
worthwhile. This year's Hall of Famers were worth the trip. Tony
Gwynn was the headliner. I thought $40 an autograph was a bit
steep, until a friend of mine from Ohio contacted me and asked if
he could send me some money and a couple of items to get signed.
He said that the asking price for a Gwynn signature was $100 at a
Tri-Star event. Mike Schmidt was signing for $35 dollars a pop,
and Orland Cepeda, Robin Roberts and Ferguson Jenkins were asking
$25 a signature.
I left Friday for the two day
event. When I got to Des Moines my heart plummeted down to my
toes. I discovered that of course I'd remembered everything I
wished to have signed, but I forgot the autograph tickets in a cup
in our china cabinet at home. Home, at that point, was
three and a half hours way. Fortunately with today's technology,
the I-Cubs were able to verify my order, cancel my tickets
and print me new ones. This worked out fine except that I lost my
good numbers and had to wait till the end of each
autograph session. This was no problem, except in the case of
Tony Gwynn. He'd scheduled his appearance tight, and
had a plane to catch. He ceased signing autographs two persons
AFTER me.
I had Tony sign a Hall of Fame
plaque postcard, and a Baseball America with him and his son on
the cover. Tony Jr. had already signed it. Mike Schmidt
signed a Hall of Fame plaque and a gold insert 92 Classic best
minor league card portraying him in a Reading uniform.
Fergie signed a jersey card for me, Robin Roberts a 61 Topps
repring, and Orlando Cepeda a 70 Topps (my favorite set.)
Orlando Cepeda was a bargain, as I read in Harvey Meisleman's list
that he charges $40 to sign by mail. Robin Roberts
signs for $10 according to the same list, which I can vouch for
personally, having recently sent him 3 cards and a check
for $30. I had a little disposable money to spend on autographs.
This year I won the town's "pick 'em" football pool,
and did well on a "pick 'em Bowl pool. $400 fell into my lap like
manna from the heavens. Off the subject a bit, I
also ordered 2 signatures from Johnny Bench at $40 per (a HOF
plaque and a 70 Topps) and 6 Jerry Koosman at $10 per
(including 3 different 70 Topps) with this windfall.
Tommy Frazier, the former
Cornhusker quarterback, was signing at one of the dealer booths
for $10. I got 2 cards of his signed. The free autographs included
former Cub, Red and Ranger Larry Biitner, who was a very
accommodating signer, Jon Gilmore, an Iowa City kid who was
drafted in the 1st round by the Braves in 2007, and Cub prospect
Jake Fox, Tampa Bay prospect Jeremy Hellickson, I-Cubs
manager Pat Listach and coaches Mike Mason and Von Joshua, Dodger
prospect Zach Hammes and Capitols pitcher Joel
Hanrahan. Former major leaguer Nate Teut was there as well, as
were former
Kansas City Monarchs "Baby" Bell and Schoolboy Johnson. A nice
mix of autograph guests.
I bought a few items, but not
much, since I'd had to purchase the HOF guests autographs. Picked
up HOF plaque postcards signed by Rube Marquard and
Sparky Anderson, a Just Minors dual autograph card signed by two
players who both made an impression in the State
of Iowa (Jeff Clement and Brandon Wood), an 8x10 and a card signed
by former Twin John Castino who has been
unrepsonsive to my mail requests.
The following weekend I went to
the Burlington Bees winter banquet and fundraiser. Saturday night
at "Fun City." That's a misnomer if I've ever heard
one. Incorporate the clamor and clang of a video arcade with the
desperate faces of eldery people (the "greediest
generation") flocking to the casino in the complex, and the
atmosphere of a shopping mall, and you get the picture. I'm
anti-casino. I feel that it's a cleverly disguised tax that too
often preys upon people who can't afford to play, yet do, in the hope of
scoring it big. That's enough of a rant though. Just had to get
it out of my system.
This was $50 a ticket. It was a
fund-raiser. The meal was good though. Prime rib and Veal Parmesean, and enough choices on the dessert table to
satisfy even my Nancy. I donated three bobbleheads and a Bruce
Sutter autograph that I'd gotten and matted and framed along
with a photo of him signing it. It went for $100. The
bobbleheads maybe netted them about $75 more. All I bought at the
silent auction was 2 Idaho Chakars card sets and a 1975 Bees set,
the trio raked in with a $30 bid.
Al Hrabosky was the guest
speaker. As a Cardinal fan, I enjoy his good natured bashing of
the little bears. As Hrabosky said, "we have Cardinal fans here
tonight, Kansas City Royals fans, and born losers." Hrabosky, known during his
playing time as the "Mad Hugarian," was a ballplayer for fifteen
years, and he has been a
broadcaster for the Cardinal
organization for the past twenty four. A notorious "free spirit
and character," he was free with his opinions Saturday evening as well. He
laid the blame for the steriod problem in the sport at the feet of
the player's union. "That's their constituency who is
using them"...."the testing's a joke." He was very enthusiastic
about the Scott Rolen trade that has brought Troy Glaus to the
Redbirds, but agreed that starting pitching still remains a need
for this year's team. I asked him as a former ballplayer, if
he thought that there were any glaring omissions the recent Hall
of Fame balloting. He responded that he thought that the
Hall has been watered down of late, but he did speak highly of his
former catcher Ted Simmons. He thought that it was a sad
omission by the voters to at least have given him recocnition on
5% of the ballots in order to keep his name under
consiferation. When questioned after his speech, he wondered
whether Gary Carter belonged in Cooperstown. He used him as an
example. I'm sure he had other players in mind as well. I'll put
in a plug again for the player that I most feel has been unjustly
overlooked, a player who won 283 games and setting the standard
for fielding in his position until Maddux re-defined it. Jim Kaat,
of course.
Al Hrabosky was kind enough to
sign 2 cards for both my wife and I, adding his nickname below
each signature. The Bees had their largest turnout yet for
their winter fundraiser, and a lot of people had a good time. I
did, despite the venue where it was held.
Quick quiz.......Since no one
cared to venture a guess as to how my fantasy team would do, this
one's easier.
Of the following players...Clayton
Kershaw, Kasey Kiker, Drew Stubbs and Ron Romanczyk, which player
shares his last name with a Confederate General. The first
person to get back to me with the correct answer gets their choice
of the following..
Either cards I've gotten signed by
Clayton Kershaw and Kasey Kiker, or jersey cards I've gotten
signed by Ron Romanczyk and Drew Stubbs. The second person to
give me a correct answer will get the two cards left. Please
e-mail Rich Hanson at
dnhanson@maplecity.com with
the correct answer, and not Stu.
Well, I've rambled on long enough.
Good luck and have fun with the hobby. I always try to.
Congratulations to John, Vince and Joe O'Meara and Zach
Catour.
The answer was KERSHAW.
