Cooperstown 2010...The Adventure Concludes..Everyday is a Great Day for Graphing!!!

I woke Sunday morning to a very cool breeze coming thru the tent...what a relief...not only was it not raining...but it was nice and cool too...it was 6:00 am..we had to all get up take the tent down and get everything packed into the car in hopes of getting a good spot at the golf course..the breeze had pretty much dried out the outside of the tent which was a very good thing...I woke the kids up and they quickly got dressed...we all worked together to get the tent down and packed..we got all the clothes packed into our bags...it took only like 20 minutes to get everything packed up...we drove up to the bathhouse and quickly got cleaned up and ready to go...it was only a little after 7...we drove into town and I got a call from Matt to tell me to get to the course there was really no one there...the kids got some stuff to eat at Stewart's...(hey worked a little yesterday not like I am superstitious or anything) and headed to the course...by the time we drove around and stuff we got to the course a little before 8...it had filled up a little more but was nowhere near as busy as it was Saturday...the list came for who was playing together and there was some very very good teams put together many signers were playing together...and they were pretty spread out...when they started we had Al Kaline and Fergie Jenkins playing together well they did not sign at our hole but did at the next we all ran up there and tried to fit in the crowd Theo got close but we struck out on the first two and I was already think crap here we go again....next was George Brett and Ozzie...again they skipped our hole and went to the next hole and again we struck out...but me being a Brett nut got the kids to go to the ninth hole which was a mess where you get autographs from the rain the past few days...if your foot got into the small pond that you now had to cross to get on the tiny two foot wide landing that was already packed with people you would be lost into "The Land that Time Forgot".....yes we struck out again...I was determined to get one of them so I left the kids and went hiking up to the 11th hole which was way up a big hill...I usually never do this but I had to get us going...by the time I got up there...I was sweaty...hot...and not in the best mood because it was packed up there I could not get close....so I hiked back down....we walked back to our original spot and no one had got anyone...well Paul Molitor came through with Robin Yount next and he did not disappoint....I managed to get my hand through and got Molitor on one of the balls....I would have liked to get Yount but he only signed a couple...I did forget earlier that when I went to park the car Theo had got Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons on a ball...I had never got an autograph of him before...way to go Theo.....It was now past 10 and we still had not had a great day thus far...we decided to head to the smaller parking lot in front of the 9th hole in hopes of getting Yount when he crossed the road...well they played the hole with only 6 of us there and they drove right by...Molitor did say "Good Morning" to Jenna remembering her from the day before...now even later and there were not many more chances left so Jenna waited for Robin to come back and Paul...and Theo and I went to try to get Al Kaline and Fergie as they had to play one last hole.....maybe we should have done this all weekend.....Jenna scored Robin....Theo Al Kaline and Fergie......Jenna also got a Fergie and I got Fergie as well...we were all so happy we finished HUGE!!!!!!.....Theo got the last Fergie auto and Fergie had a funny conversation with him...I am sure Theo will always remember that...we took some last pictures and packed up everything to head into town...Jenna asked if her and Theo had to walk up to the induction ceremony to get programs...Theo's feet were swollen and really hurting...I said they did not...they took the trolley into town...and I drove in....very hard to find a parking spot but after hunting for a bit...I found a spot on a little side street...surprisingly the car was not making any noise which I assumed was a good thing....I met up with the kids real quick and told them I should be back into town by 1:30 we could get the programs and Hall of Fame plaques stamped and canceled then we could go into the Hall for some looking around before heading home...so for the first time in all my years here I was going to hike up to the Induction Ceremony by myself...walking along the street and seeing all the kids selling lemonade and cookies put a smile on my face but it was a sad one...because the past six years Jenna walked up there with me...I remembered all the times we did it and how when she was younger would hold my hand...and rattle off names of all the Hall of Famers...I remembered how excited she was when we got there and the 1000's of people that were there...she would be wearing a HOF hat...a Reggie jersey...an induction T-shirt...covered in induction buttons and wearing a HOF ticket holder around her neck....I remember her seeing the deer herd that was always down by the river as we walked by...I thought about it...I had a smile on my face but I had tears in my eyes...my little girl was growing up...I only hope she remembers how much fun we always had and how much that really meant to me to be able to share the past 7 years with her in Cooperstown....well I got to the induction ceremony and quickly got a few programs...walked around for a bit and decided to head back to town to get the HOF postcards and go to the Hall with the kids....

We met up back in town and went into the Hall together...I will never be bored there we checked out everything....the art room was beautiful....the Babe Ruth exhibit was very nice and Theo and Jenna wanted some pics there...we checked out the Negro League exhibit and the Jackie Robinson display...snapping pictures like crazy....we also wanted to go to the show at the Grandstand Theatre...this is a tradition for me and Jenna....again Jenna sat with Theo and I sat by myself....as the movie was playing I realized how much I missed my little girl....tear again....what is an old guy like me to do.....smile...deal with it....when it was done the guide took a picture of the three of us....I had to see the Phillie Phanatic display I love him!!!...We went into another room where they were playing non stop Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First"....Jenna and Theo watched and laughed through the whole thing...The trip through the Hall ended where it always does..."The Plaque" room.....just to know how many baseball legends have stood in this room is amazing....I know I had a great time in the Hall and I am pretty sure that the kids did as well...the trip was winding down....I only had to get my HOF postcards stamped it was almost 3:30 and I really wanted to get going soon so we did not get back to late...we got them stamped and John was there as well...it was good to see him again I gave him a hug and we promised to stay in touch if anything was going on...Jenna took a picture of us...when we were walking Jenna ran into Molly from MAB the company that brings in the players to sign at the Tunnecliff...Jenna asked Molly if it was OK to maybe work for her next year during Induction Weekend and Molly said "absolutely"...."WOW"....My daughter is growing up....she is getting my dream job!!!!...what a way to end the trip...we got back to the car and got everything set...I bought a bunch of stuff for the store...got it all loaded and we drove through town one last time.....

More memories added to my many years there.....we had a great day graphing....we went to the Hall together...Jenna got a job for next year for a few days.....Theo was really introduced to baseball and we all survived......

The kids slept most of the way home we stopped at McDonald's in Fair Haven for a quick bite and not long after we left....Theo was snoring again.......I looked out at the road head and I know a smiled.....

I am already thinking about next year....LYNN WILL BE COMING NO MATTER WHAT and..there truly is only one thing I want to add........THE CAR MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Cooperstown 2010 Day 4...More Reggie...Ice Cream for Molitor...Some Wade and Tony and a whole lot more.....

Saturday July 23rd

When I woke up Saturday morning it looked like it would be a good day weather wise..thank god!!! Theo's shoes were drenched still as well as mine and I was getting a little sick of the poncho's. I got the kids up and we all changed good thing about taking showers the night before..just had to throw on my blue underwear and the rest of my clothes and away we went. The car was still making noise but with a break in the weather there was nothing I could really do about it at this time...there were autograph's to get. We decided to change our luck a little and decided not to stop at Sunoco but at Stewart's..Jenna and Theo ran in and got a Bagel..and some drinks and of course Ike and Mike's which are very essential to autograph hunting. We headed up the road toward the third hole and there was a decent size crowd but nothing like past years. I left the kids off and drove to the trolley stop. I loaded up with baseball's and Theo had the rest of them and headed down to the hole. To my surprise my friend John was parking too..I had not seen him since last year...we gave each other a big hug and walked down to hole 3 together...Jenna and Theo were there with our other friend Matt...this was Matt's third year he is 18 and he has collected some great stuff over the past three years...John has a great collection too and is a mountain of information last year Jenna and I each got Roger Clemens because Rogers son was playing in a Little League tournament at Cooperstown Dreams Park..we all said our Hello's and caught up on the past year. About 7:40 John got a great idea he wanted to run to the store and get a case of beer for Wade Boggs so maybe we could get him to sign for us..Wade likes beer....alot!!!!...so John drove off to get the beer...he returned with "Miller Lite"..The first group of golfers came through and it was Rollie Fingers and Frank Robinson....they did not sign...the Ozzie Smith he signed a few but we could not really get near him...Theo made a great effort but even with his long arms could not get him...Paul Molitor was next and Jenna asked him if he would like some ice cream later when he was signing in town......he said mint chocolate chip....SCORE!!!!!!...Jenna finds the back of the net....Paul signed a ball for her...George Brett came next...we offered him a beer...but he jokingly said..."your looking for Wade"...haha...Wade was next...he was happy to sign he is always happy to sign...he is one of the best signers in Cooperstown or anywhere...he tries to sign as many as he can....why to go John.....great call...Wade loves BEER!!!!! and his fans....after a little longer guess what???? RAIN!!!! unbelievable....during the rain we all thought about the many new people at the golf course that we had never seen in the past....mainly some bone headed dealers who hired some families and dorks to jump on people and get autographs no matter what the cost...including one dad who threatened his adorable little like 6 year old daughter to get an autograph or he would not feed her...what a friggin moron....or another who's daughter broke her nail and her dad said I am not a barbie fixer....now don't get me wrong I am an autograph hound...I have many many friends that are as well...but to threaten your kid or someone else for that matter because you did not get an autograph that is stupid work more hours at your job....there is not as much money in getting autographs as everyone thinks...yes....do sell some of them but at the same time think of how much money a weekend like this cost not just in dollars but time as well....anyway when the rain stopped and we were done taking pictures of each other in the rain...the next two golfers came...the newest Hall of Famer Andre Dawson and bonus future Hall of Fame in my book anyway Tim Raines....Jenna and I had gotten many autograph's of Andre Dawson over the years so we went after Tim Raines....and we got him the last ball he signed at our hole...with the sun coming out and the humidity rising it was a good time for the golf course part of the day to end...it was not a great day but we did not get shut out...

We were a little tired a little wet and starting to get a little warm as well....so I we walked back up to the cars with John and we set out mapping out the rest of our day...the kids had something they wanted to get signed by Reggie very badly...Jenna had to get ice cream for him as well as Paul Molitor...and I wanted to go behind the Tunicliffe and see what we could score as well as getting a key spot for the Hall of Famers parade that started at 6 pm....it was to be a new format so we did not know what to expect..we were lucky enough to find a parking place in town that does not happen very often that late in the morning but we got lucky...we walked around to dry out a bit and Jenna knew that Paul Molitor was done signing at 1:30. So we were hungry and dried out from the heat so we got the one picnic table behind "Danny's" delicatessen which is right in the back parking lot of the Tunicliffe...I got a couple of Dog's, Jenna got a Dog too, Theo had one of "Danny's famous grilled burgers...we sat and ate...we watched the Hall of Famers coming and going....Rod Carew, Ryne Sandberg, Bruce Sutter, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, people trying to get autographs or pics with the players...we knew they would not sign so we just enjoyed the moment..after we finished and actually threw our garbage in the trash...many people just throw it in "Danny's" boxes...does not make him happy Jenna and Theo went to get Paul Molitor his ice cream...I stayed and watched more players come and go..Matt showed up to hang out with us...he was going in a bit to get Rickey Henderson to sign his Hall of Fame plaque...I think it was like 85.00...OMG!!!!....a car pulled up and two best hitters of the 80's got out of the car....Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn......well I knew they would not sign but...I had to go for the pic...like I said before Wade is great with the fans...Tony on the other hand can be a little tricky...you have to really know how to approach him....so I went right after Wade to use him on Tony..." I gave Matt the camera and said get ready this has to be quick...I yelled "Hey Wade can I get a picture of you me and "Mr." Gwynn..." as I am saying this I am stepping between the two of them...Wade says "if it is Ok with Tony" as we all turn towards the camera Tony says "well your here aren't you...you might as well take the picture"....hahahaha...SCORE!!!!!...pic with two of my favorite players...Jenna and Theo returned with Paul Molitor's ice cream and I told them of my score and they thought it was very cool....after a bit they came back out...Jenna said Paul was very happy and if there was not a line they could have talked more but it was very busy...she got a picture of the two of them but the flash did not go off....so now we were not only waiting for Reggie to come but for Paul to leave so we could get another pic of Jenna and Paul....Reggie showed up with Dave Winfield and they took him right in...like I said it was very busy with people wanting to get stuff signed...Saturday usually is..so we waited about another half an hour or so and the crowd was getting bigger...Paul came out and was very happy to get his pic with Jenna....he thanked her again and said he would see her at the parade tonight or at the golf course tomorrow...she does not know how lucky she is that these Hall of Famers always remember her....I would love that....so next it was time for Reggie's ice cream...chocolate mint...Jenna and Theo went to get it and when they returned they walked through the back door with whatever they had bought the night before....keep in mind Jenna has NEVER asked Reggie to sign anything...many people have asked her to bring stuff but she does not want to break the trust Reggie has in her...but she was going to ask him to do something this time....they came back a few minutes later with the bag they had brought in...Theo and Jenna both had smiles on their faces..they gave me the bag and said "Open it"...I did with excitement and inside was this really cool Mickey Mouse Yankees 2010 Fanfest Statue....and on the box in blue sharpie it said "Thanks Dad"..."To Pat"..."July 23rd 2010"......."Reggie Jackson"..."Mr. October"...not gonna lie I had to fight the tears back....it meant so much to me that the kids thought to do something that for me....I will never will even think about selling that piece it is one of the highlights of my collection now...but I also realized that Jenna still had not get her jersey signed I asked her why...she said that the statue was more important..they wanted to do that for me...a little more time passed and finally Jenna and Theo went back inside with my friend Brian...they went in to watch for a while longer...about 30 minutes they came out and Jenna had a huge smile on her face...Theo got his picture with Reggie and Reggie signed her jersey...he had realized he had not signed it and basically wrote a book on the back of it...."SCORE"...again....well it was now like 4:30 and we had to find a spot at the parade..Matt was back with us after scoring his Rickey Henderson but we had not seen or heard from John...so we found a spot right across the entrance to the Hall....we usually stoop on the front rail to the left on the sidewalk as you walked in but this year it was reserved for the VIP's and families...good they get all the auto's they want they stay in the same hotel's...we had been in the spot well me 14 years and Jenna for 6 and we were not real happy about it...but what can you do fight the Hall....John showed up with his friend Tiffany and we all waited to see what this parade would be like...in past years the players arrived on Trolleys with their families and friends..we all talked and complained a little but it was not raining so we knew we would have shots at autograph's especially since it was so early...they parade was starting at 6 and usually the Hall of Famers did not go in til 9 in past years...the parade started with a nice jazz band and military and then the players all arrived one at a time on the backs of pickup trucks....the oldest player first in the Hall of Fame class of his induction year..Casey at the Bat...but wait he did not do the poem...WTH....Bob Feller, Gaylord Perry, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, Carlton Fisk, George Brett, Rollie Fingers, Fergie Jenkins, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Ryne Sandberg, Reggie Jackson, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Whitey Herzog, Doug Harvey, Joe Morgan, Tony Gwynn, Andre Dawson, Sparky Anderson, Bruce Sutter, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Goose Gossage, Bill Mazeroski, Al Kaline, Robin Yount, Gary Carter, Don Sutton, Jim Bunning, Dennis Eckersley.........WILLIE MAYS............and.........the first time I have ever saw him at the parade in Cooperstown.......my most favorite player of all-time HANK AARON!!!!!!!! I was in awe....Jenna and Theo were as well....John and Matt were to could he come sign?????????????????? No but just to see him was incredible....a few players signed on the way in....Gwynn, Molitor, Winfield, Morgan, Brett of course Wade....but none our way...we were a little bummed when the parade ended that we did not get anyone but you do what you can do...we decided we were going to wait for the players to leave...many of the 1000's of people left so the chances were very good....Theo was very tired and sore from all the walking so him and Jenna went and sat for a bit.....after like 20 minutes guess what.....??????? RAIN!!!!! timing could not have been worse it was right when the players were leaving...many rushed to their rides a few signed but none across the street....it was turning into a bummer night after a very good day....and Theo had not got anyone yet...a few more players came out but nothing happened....then Phil Niekro came out...he came right across the street....Theo got up and used his long arms.......in the pile he came out with a signed ball....he was beaming....we took a nice pic....the last auto of the night would belong to Theo.....but the night was not done yet...

We decided I was going to get a slice of pizza the kids were not hungry they had eaten earlier...they stayed with me and we talked about the day we had had...we were pretty satisfied considering all the rain we were doing very well...after I ate Jenna and Theo decided to go for a walk they had worked hard I walked around for a bit...I saw Matt and his mom and he told me there was something going on at the restaurant behind the VFW were the card show was it was still raining but I decided to check it out.

I found that the owner of the Cubbies was having a private party for Andre Dawson there...I called the kids and Matt and we went to the back....then rain was thundering down now but we stood out of the rain and waited and watched. There was an old man from Chicago on a scooter that was a huge Cubbies fan with his friends they got him an umbrella and the owner brought in some baseballs to get signed for him and his friends..after a bit Andre Dawson came out to talk to the man on the scooter it really was a nice moment...and oh yeah the rain stopped...well that only meant open season....me, Matt, Jenna and Theo were not the only ones that knew about this party that Tom Rickerts was throwing...every collector in town was there now....in the party was Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandeberg, Tim Raines, Bruce Sutter, Billy Williams, Jim Bunning, Reggie and Dave Winfield showed up...I am pretty sure Bob Costas was there....and my second biggest surprise of the night........"Mr. Cub" himself...ERNIE BANKS.....I had never seen him in person before...holy s*&^.....well things got a little nutty when the players started to leave...I would like to say we got them all but we only managed to get the Cubbies owner Tom Rickerts...but Theo shoke Ernie Banks hand me just seeing him was awesome...my friend Jerrod did get Ernie Banks...one of the very few that did....the party broke up...the kids were very very tired so it was time to call it a night....we drove back in silence all of us thinking about our success of the day...we celebrated with McFlurries...we drove up to the campsite...I left the kids at the bathhouse so they could shower I wanted one more shot at the golf course in the morning...I went to the tent and dried up a little water and laid out the sleeping bags...there was a great breeze blowing so I opened up the whole tent...I did not even bring in the radio....I was very tired the kids came back and fell asleep before their heads hit the pillow....I laid there and listened to the breeze it was a beautiful cool breeze...I thought about the fun we had so far...I thought about my friends I have shared my adventures in Cooperstown with....I thought about how I wish all my friends and family could share these memories with me especially Lynn and Justin...I thought and thought and drifted off to sleep......I am sure I was smiling.....

Cooperstown 2010 Day 1 and 2 Gary, Reggie, and a whole lot fo rain...

Thursday July 22nd 2010.

Before I start I want to apologize for any spelling or grammer mistakes I may make I am terrible at this and I am sure my wife Lynn will crucify me when she reads this but...what can I say......sorry honey....you did not marry I genius...

This day will start unlike the last 366 days before it. Because 366 days ago Jenna and I left after hockey camp and headed to Cooperstown for Induction Weekend. This year I awoke earlier to start getting the car packed. Jenna, Theo and I had slept out in the tent on Sunday night to make sure it was all aired out having been in storage for the last couple of years. It had been hanging in the garage for the past few days drying because of the rain we had on Monday morning. It was now dryed out and ready. I rolled the tent up and packed it away in the trunk along with the sleeping bags and the two small bags we would be bringing with us. The plan was to be on the road by noon. We had to pick up Theo at work study in Winooski before we could go so I got a bunch of stuff done for the store and even found the mailman so I could get my 2009 Hanley Ramirez All Star jersey to wear in Cooperstown.

We got to Winooski at 11:30 and Theo came right out, you could feel the excitement. I know I was pretty excited, Jenna had the feeling and Theo being his first time was excited but unsure as to what to expect.

We quickly grabbed sandwiches at Subway and then hit Route 7 to 22A the Route 4 into Whitehall and so on thru Fort Ann, Lake George, Balston Spa, Amsterdam, Conojaharie and then Cooperstown.

But when we got to Balston Spa something went wrong. The air conditioner on the car went dead then we kept hearing this loud whining from what we were told by a mechanic in Conojoharie as the water pump going...he also told me he had one customer all day..was probably a good idea not to have him put the car on the rack after he told me it could cost like 700.00 to fix it the car was running and not leaking so we decided to press on...the noise got louder every time I touched the brakes but the brakes felt fine. So we kept on driving. Being late Friday afternoon there really was no other option. Soon we did not think of the noise on the car because we soon saw the out edges of Lake Ostego which lead us right into Cooperstown..man did it look beautiful. We had taken our time driving but still made very good time. We approached the Golf Course where we would be spending most of our weekend during the day chasing Hall of Famers for autographs.

As we were driving by we noticed a crowd of people gathered at the third hole which is right by the road into Cooperstown and I pulled over to see what was going on. Gary Carter was signing autographs for the few fans that were there. I grabbed a baseball for all three of us and a bat.

We each got a ball signed and the bat signed as well. Not a bad way to start the trip and really a very good autograph for Theo to get for his first one.

Not wanting to tempt fate we continued into town and parked right in front of the Hall of Fame. I cannot even describe the feelings I got when I got out of the car. That little town is my most favorite town in the whole world. The first thing we did was get Jenna's membership stuff and card. Jenna has been a Hall of Fame supporter for the last 6 years and she has been there 7 times. She got her Hall of Fame hardcover yearbook and pins and a beautiful Satchel Paige litho. I decided we do a sustaining membership this year. Having Theo with us and me planning on going back a few more times this year made the most sense.

We were all hungry so we decided that we go eat at Fu Kin' Jon's Chinese around the corner from the Hall of Fame. Jenna and I have eaten dinner there our first night in Cooperstown for the past 7 years and I had been doing it with my friends long before that.

We had chicken, pork fried rice, egg rolls etc...we were stuffed. After we decided to walk around town a little bit and hopefully get a glimpse of some Hall of Famers walking around, but there were none. I talked to the kids and said you know maybe we should go build the tent and then hit the hay early so we would be rested for the first day at the golf course on friday.

After all we scored Gary Carter and we had not even tried yet.

We drove up to Beaver Valley Campground. It is a really nice campground with baseball fields and everything. We got a spot on the pond this year. It was beautiful and to top it off no Canadian Geese around which meant no poop anywhere.

There was no one in our area yet so we set up the tent which really only took like 15 minutes...not bad because 5 years ago when I first did this it took me an hour by myself.

The tent looked great and the front opened right to the pond.

After we were set up we all went up to the bathhouse for showers so we could get an early sleep.

They finally got new quarter machines that you did not have to twist to get the water going. Theo showered first because I wanted to get pictures loaded into the computer from the first day.

After we showered we went back and got set up for sleep.

I tuned the Yankees game on the radio ARod had hit homerun 599. Yipee!!!!! I listened to the end of that game. The kids fell asleep I had texted Lynn to let her know we made it safely..then tuned in the Mets game and drifted off to sleep.....

Friday July 23rd

Jenna woke me up around 6 am Friday morning and said we gotta get to the golf course she was right showering the night before certainly saves time in the morning except when you have a teenage daughter that has to make sure she looks ok to go autograph hunting.

But we survived the first night it had rained a little and we heard a moose in the morning across the pond somewhere crashing through the trees.

The car still making noise we headed towards town with our fingers crossed that the car would make it....we stopped at the Sunoco station so the kids could get drinks and the dinned on yummy Zebra Cakes and Mike and Ikes...there are certain things you have to have when you are autograph hunting and for us that is what we need...the weather did not look great for the golf course but we parked at the Trolley stop at the top of the golf course and trudge down to a spot by the third hole. I saw many people I had seen over my years coming here. There are guys that get here as early as Wednesday and set up little camps on the walls so they will have prime spots for the whole weekend...they usually get wet do not shower much and get real cranky when they do not get the autograph they want because the player decides he does not want to go down a line but stands in one spot.

We got to the third hole and some of my old friends were there but no John or Matt...they must have been coming in later. It was eight o'clock and it was getting darker and there was a drizzle...an autograph collectors worst nightmare...if you are gonna rain....rain do not mess with starting then letting up...well it started and did not let up...one person playing golf and it was not Wade Boggs....the clouds opened up and for the first time in my years coming here there was a very very hard steady rain falling. So the three of us hiked back to the car and drove into town. I had bought us poncho's thank god because we needed them. We walked around and saw some Hall of Famers doing signings outside stores under tents of course and there were other former players signing as well including Bill Buckner, Bert Campanaris, Dwight Gooden and others. We walked around in our ponchos and the pouring rain for a bit then decided to have an early lunch at the pizza place. Jenna got a veggie slice, Theo a ham and cheese calzone and I got a meat and peppers Stromboli. They were good even at 10:30 in the morning.

When we finished the rain had not let up but it had gotten worse. We went into the Cooperstown Bat Company for a few minutes and in their back showroom on the walls were well over 7,000 little league baseball pins from all over the place. Probably one of the coolest collections of pins I had ever seen. We went back outside and you got it pouring now...so I said why not go over to Doubleday Field and see if "Play Ball With Ozzie (Smith)" was still going to happen....this event is put on by the Hall and what happens is people pay an incredible amount of money to go out on the field and turn two double plays withe Ozzie Smith, Paul Molitor and Bruce Sutter as well as get pointers and stuff...well the field was tarp ed but they decided they would have a Q & A for the people that spent all this money right in the grandstand...so with nothing else to do we decided to stay and hopefully score a few auto's after.

With no PA system we really only sat there with other fans and watched this Q & A session and never heard a question or answer but I did show the kids that I could chew 25 pieces of Double Bubble gum at once....

There was a man in the group at the Q & A his name was Masanao Saijo from Japan. He has been coming to Cooperstown for over 16 years and has done the Ozzie Smith event every year they have had it. I wanted to meet him after and maybe trade with him through the mail.

When everything was done we all hurried outside and believe it or not the rain stopped so with only about 30 of us there we hoped that Sutter, Molitor and Ozzie would sign...but they pulled their cars inside so they would not have to be bothered...but Ozzie did come out and sign and he signed what seemed for everyone but us...what a bummer..things were not looking good...when things are not looking good you turn to Jenna to make things brighten up..Jenna buys ice cream for Reggie Jackson each year we come to Cooperstown..it is a truly great story how it all began but I will save that for another day. We walked over to the Tuncliff Inn but first I had to leave some autographs I had to get authenticated with Jim Spence Authentication...they certify autographs. I had a Connie Mack, Frankie Frisch, Joe Medwick and a Moe Berg which is very rare that I needed to get authenticated..the show is great the dealers have all been doing it for many years and it was a chance to see some of my old friends I used to do the shows with. I stooped doing the shows once Jenna showed she really liked coming and I did not want to miss any of her adventures her anymore.

I said hi to all my old friends and learned that a dear friend of mine and Jenna's had passed away..her name was Lori Ellis from Boston who was a wicked Red Sox fan and next year was going to bring her granddaughter to Cooperstown for Jenna to bring around like her Goddaughter had done with Jenna her first year there.

After we had said our hello's we headed to the Tuncliff to see if Reggie was there yet and to get Mr. Saijo address he was staying at the Tuncliff...we exchanged address's and posed for a picture turns out he is a monster hockey fan as well.......Reggie's flight was late...we decided to stay behind the Tuncliff and watch the players come back and fourth from their signings...Jenna really wanted to get Reggie ice cream today because up til now it had been a washout of sorts. I had a really nice Sports Illustrated of Reggie in 1969 I wanted to get signed so I bought a ticket....when Reggie arrived in the back of the Tuncliff he got out of the car and spotted Jenna right away. He said hi to her and asked how she was doing..Jenna asked him if he would like ice cream today and her said sure.....the flavor was Coffee...Jenna was excited...Theo was like wow....and I was like Jenna he just got in there and people are waiting to get stuff signed so lets wait a little bit we have over an hour...so we went back to the car so she could change into her Yankees Reggie jersey. I got my Sports Illustrated and a couple of other Reggie items I had for Jenna just in case...we waited about a half hour and went into the ice cream shop across from the Tuncliff...Jenna had to run over to the show to use the bathroom and Theo and I got something from the ice cream shop Theo a Strawberry shake...me a orange ice cream soda which I downed. Jenna came back and it was pouring again..go figure so we waited a bit and after Theo and I pleading with Jenna to take her jersey off in case Reggie wanted to sign it for her so it would not get wet she finally did.

She bought Reggie a huge dish of Coffee ice cream and we ran across the street. The line had pretty much died down and we waited a few minutes and we were all face to face with Reggie.

Jenna introduced us...he talked to us for about 20 minutes while he ate his ice cream...he talked to Jenna about school and me about our family...he said how much he enjoys seeing Jenna every year and how he remembers how little she was when she first got him ice cream. He signed my Sports Illustrated and another as well and Jenna's Hall of Fame plaque too. I told him he did not have too. but he said anything for Jenna...after he signed he had to get back to signing 6 dozen baseballs for a dealer but he stood up for a photo with all of us....it was a pretty exciting moment for Theo I think and all of us for that matter...Jenna asked him if he wanted ice cream on Saturday and he said sure he said chocolate mint...we started to walk out and Jenna looked at me funny and then I realized she did not get her jersey signed...she was a little upset and Theo and I told her to go back he would do it for sure but she did not want to because she had never asked him for an autograph before.

We waited for the rain to stop and we left Jenna knowing she would see Reggie tomorrow.

I was nervous and wanted to get my autographs and find out if they had passed testing. We went back into the show and I got them back....the all passed....sweet...the day was definitely getting better.

Outside we ran into my friend Brian who is the Gm for The Vermont Mountainers and he had been doing some interviews and we exchanged a few stories of the day so far..there were two former Negro League players next to us on the street Mr. Robert Scott and Mr. Pedro Sierra..the kids were tired so they sat on the bench while I talked to them for a bit..it is great talking to the old Negro League players they have such great stories...Mr. Scott even was excited to show me a Negor League Encyclopedia that was signed by over 40 former Negro League players an amazing piece...I could have talked forever..

We walked around a little more after that and ran into our friend Jerrod from New York. He has been collecting autographs forever...he and some of his friends joined us for dinner at TJ's....we were starving..we had not eaten since the morning and had been walking most of the day...I got Lasagna and Cesar salad, Jenna stuffed shells and a salad and Theo got Salisbury Steak...man were they fast 15 minutes salads and everything...my salad was huge but when the plates came out I thought the kids eyes would pop out of their sockets..Jenna had 4 of the biggest stuffed shells ever....Theo had a small cow on his plates with an enormous serving of mashed potatoes and I had a lasagna not a piece but what looked like a whole lasagna...needless to say none of us finished...that included Jerrod's friends it was unbelievable how big the portions were...after dinner we split up for a while the kids wanted to go the Ostego Hotel to try to get autograph's I wanted to walk around town for a while...the kids also said they wanted to shop for something at one of the stores.

So I went for a walk and saw some people I had met in the past and walked around with them for a while I saw Bill Buckener, Bill Madlock and daryl Strawberry but they would not sign... I got a call from Jenna a little while later that Reggie was in the same store as her and Theo, Reggie had asked Theo if it was ok to give her a hug....Theo said "sure"...when Reggie was done he went across the street to a very nice Italian restaurant for dinner a huge crowd gathered around the entrance....the kids got what they had went into buy but would not show it to me...they walked up to the hotel and I walked around for an hour or so...Reggie came out of the restaurant and went back across the street to the store he was in before but before he went he decided to sign autographs....this was a shock to many but he signed for at least 30 minutes I even waited patiently and got a ball signed my first Reggie on my own...I took a beating but it was worth it....it was getting late and one of my friends Matt had seen Jenna and Theo and we made plans to meet at the golf course Saturday Am and he said John was on his way to town.

It was starting to rain again so I called Jenna and Theo and we decided to have another somewhat early night. We drove back to the camp and we were pretty happy with the day even with the rain we had done OK....and we were well feed..we got back and the tent was still standing but there was water inside..Jenna and Theo went in and used everything but our towels to dry it up...we went up to the bathhouse and showered and fell asleep right away it looked to be clearing out I saw stars as I listened to the Mets game and fell asleep.......