My Recap of the Smurf Turf

BOISE STATE VS. FRESNO STATE RECAP

I recently took a trip out to Boise, Idaho about one week ago and was fortunate enough to see a Boise State vs. Fresno State football game! It was an incredible experience and I'll recap it for you. I'll rate each part from 1 to 10.

Pre-Game

An unique attribute about Boise State is that they have a different theme on what the fans should wear each home game. So this game, it was a orange out. We (meaning me, my dad, cousin and uncle) showed up about a hour early. I made the assumption that we wouldn't have very great seats, because my aunt said that they weren't going to be very good seats. On the contrary, they were great seats. In the beginning, Fresno State's offensive linemen gathered by the end zone to do O-Line drills. It was also neat to see them stretch also about half an hour prior to kickoff. My rate for the pre-game:
9.5/10

The Game

The Boise State-Fresno State rivalry is one of the biggest rivalries in the Mountain West Conference, with Boise State leading 12-5 all time. The rivalry looked like it would come to an end in 2013, when there was spectulation that Boise State would move to the Big East Conference. The game itself was controlled by Boise in the first half, then Fresno State picked up some steam in the second half, but Boise State won 37-27, regaining the Milk Can for the 2014 season. My rate for the game:

9/10

The Atmosphere and Food

The atmosphere at Albertsons Stadium was electrifying. I liked it especially since there was no alcohol served at the stadium. It prevented the fans from being stupid and making irrational decisions. I could tell some fans got drunk before the game and it showed. One guy tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Y'all seen my eyedrop? It looks like a waxing crescent. Let me know if y'all find it because my boys gonna win and I wanna see it." That was one example of a drunk fan. The food prices were very reasonable. You could get a meal for around $8 (at a Twins game that would buy you two beers). My rate for the atmosphere and food:

9/10

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would love to go back to see another game. It was a great experience and a plus that the Broncos won. My overall rate of the game would be a:

9.5/10

As part of my blog goals, I would love to get to 4,000 views by Thanksgiving (if possible). Please recommend to your friends, colleagues and who ever would be interested. Thank you for reading!

TEASER FOR NEXT TIME

My interview with.....?

Autograph Successes- #162,163,164,165 and 166 on the year- Carl Erskine and Rosell Herrera

I received two TTMs in the past couple of days.
-Carl Erskine, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher signed 4/4 from me with 5 inscriptions on each.
-Rosell Herrera, Colorado Rockies #6 prospect and World Team representative in the Futures Game.  I have about 13 of the Team World's autographs. Please comment below if you want to see more of my successes or anybody in particular.

Thanks!

End of Summer

As I start school tomorrow, I have a blog post just to say a few items of discussion.
1. I won't be blogging as much because I have school and I fall baseball coming up.
2. Yes folks, I have another interview lined up. I'm not going to reveal it, but here are two clues: It has something to do with kangaroos and a maple leaf. Hmm...

Please comment below if you want to see anything new with my blog or if you want to see anybody in particular interviewed. Let me know.

-Charlie

Padres vs. Twins In-Person Autograph Recap

I went to the Padres vs. Twins game today. It was an awesome day with the Padres coming on top in extras. Here is what I got:
Sorry for the hard to see autographs in the first picture
Tyson Ross was very nice and signed 2 8x12's for me and so did bullpen catcher Griffin Benedict.

Tyson Ross (lower right hand corner) and Griffin Benedict (left of the logo)

Selfie with Griffin Benedict

Ross and Benedict

Thanks for looking!

MLB Trade Deadline- Cespedes to the Sox

As you most of you know by now, the A's are going all in. They traded their best player and HR Derby champ, Yoenis Cespedes, to Boston for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes. Let's just pretend that this was the only trade of the day (we'll analyze the other trades later). In my opinion, I think Cespedes will thrive in Boston. In fact, I think he'll do even better Boston because of the shorter dimensions. Look below: Here is a couple of spray charts for Cespedes. This will provide a power bat to the desperate Sox lineup as he has hit more home runs then the three outfielders of the Sox combined (14 homeruns while Cespedes has 17). Graphs are courtesy to FanGraphs.

 Yoenis Cespedes' average home run was about 382.8 feet in O.co Coliseum. Cespedes will do even better within the hitter friendly confines of Fenway.

Now let's analyze the Athletics side of the deal. Acquiring Lester and Gomes will certainly help the A's already bolstered starting rotation and Gomes will be #5 or #6 in starting lineup with big shoes to fill in Cespedes.  WINNER: Athletics. They strengthen their rotation and get Gomes, but Gomes' WAR (Wins Above Replacemnent) is -0.8 and I'm not sure if the Athletics can afford Lester's high salary if they sign him to a long term deal. More to come on this hectic day..

My 5th Interview with Jordan Ribera

As of now on my 5th interview, the interview process for me just seems to get easier with each interview. Jordan Ribera, a former College World Series champion, was kind enough to give me an interview as a member of the Modesto Nuts.  Here's the recap of the interview:

Question #1
Who are some of the toughest pitchers you've faced so far this year?

Answer: The lefty Wandy Peralta from the Bakersfield Blaze, Bryce Bandilla and Matt Lujan from the San Jose Giants.  Peralta works quick, he has a good two seam fastball that has good movement on it. Bandilla has great accuracy and he can throw 95-97 mph on his fastball.  Lujan has a great curve ball and really fools hitters with his off-speed pitches.

Question #2
What are some of your biggest fears when you are up to the plate?

Answer: Getting hit in the head with a fastball.

Question #3
When and where was your first professional home run?

Answer: I was with the Tri-City Dust Devils vs. Boise Hawks  in Boise. It was a 3-1 fastball, and it hit the top of the fence and bounced off the top of the wall and went off. 

Question #4
How do you change your approach against a side-arm or submarine pitcher?

Answer: It's completely different; the ball tails and it sinks.

Question #5
What are some of your baseball related "pet-peeves"?

Answer: When a pitcher works too fast and when you don't have time to get out off the box. It's also frustrating when you can't step out and break the pitcher's rhythm.

Question #6
When is the biggest stereotype about minor leaguers that common fans perceive?

Answer: The financial aspects of the minor leagues. I make about $1,100 a month so it's not much to live on. FUN FACT: I did the calculations and let's say that there are 30 days a month. A typical minor league team has about 1-2 days off a month.  An average minor league baseball player at the Class A advanced level makes about $12.64-$13.09 a game. That's not much to live on.

Question #7
Interesting facts about you are....?

Answer: I'm a great cook and I like anything that includes a board (wakeboard, surfboard, skateboard, etc.)

Question #8
What was your favorite professional team growing up?

Answer: The Cincinnati Reds.

Question #9
What are your individual goals?

Answer: To finish strong, improve power numbers and to continue to play better.

Question #10
What is the coolest name in minor league baseball besides your own?

Answer: The El Paso Chihuahuas.

Question #11
When do you believe you'll be contributing in the Majors?

Answer: I hope to be contributing in 2 1/2 years.

Question #12
What do you plan to do after baseball?

Answer: Coach or get into real estate. Real Estate has always been something I've wanted to do.

Question #13
Were you a dual or single sport athlete growing up?

Answer: I was a dual sport athlete. I was actually recruited by Fresno State to play football instead of baseball.  If I did play football, I would've been a middle linebacker.

Question #14
How was it like playing at Fresno State?

Answer: It was an enthralling experience. I won the College World Series when I was a freshman. I equally enjoyed playing under Mike Batesole , the manager for the Bulldogs.

Question #15
How did it feel to be Western Athletic Conference player of the year?

Answer: It was a honor and I felt that all the hard work paid off. 

Recap of All-Star Weekend

I want to first say thank you to everyone for 2,000 views.  This is a big milestone for me and I appreciate everyone who viewed my blog. I will recap the All-Star Weekend day-by-day. Here we go:

Friday- Fanfest Day #1

My friend and I arrived at Fanfest around 9:00 when the gates opened and my first reaction was WOW. It was a baseball fan's dream. For being the opening Fanfest day, it was surprisingly slow. As soon as you walked in, there was a giant baseball with signatures on the ball ranging from Ted Williams to Tony Oliva. There was lots of game-used memorabilia there and even a Jackie Robinson signed jersey.  Around 11:15, my friend and I decided to jump into the Juan Berenguer autograph line. Only about 15-20 people were there so it was very easy to get his autograph.

After that, we walked for about 15 minutes, then I got a notification on my phone that said this:

BREAKING NEWS: 2 Time NBA Champion LeBron James Says He Will Sign With Cleveland.

Wow. That was awesome. After that, we walked over and saw these guys:

Ferguson Jenkins and I.

Mudcat Grant, Luis Tiant and I just hanging out.

 Anyway, then we went to Tim Laudner line to get his autograph (because like I said, not a lot of people were there) and I got this:

Corey Koskie also signed for me (picture not shown).We didn't do anything notable until about 2:00 when I saw that Jose Berrios was going to sign. Awesome! One catch: he would only sign programs... OK then. I was in line and Berrios showed up about 10 minutes late, but it was still a thrill to see him. 

Day 1 recap is over. It was an awesome day, could you top that? 

Saturday- Fanfest Day #2

It was pretty much the same day for Day 2. Except there were a lot more people there. At about 10:55 we went in line for the Fred Lynn signing, at noon.  By 11:15, there was a line  around the corner and they started asking for your name. Once I got up there, I got this:

He was awesome, then the best two autographs of the day happened in 45 minutes. Jack Morris was finishing his Q&A session with the fans, and I said- "Mr. Morris, can you please sign my baseball?" He did the hand motion saying "Toss the ball champ" and I threw him the ball with my fine tip blue Sharpie. That was a pretty sweet autograph for a guy that should be in the Hall of Fame. Then, my friend and I took a lunch break (Orlando Cepeda's auto line was filling up at noon for a 3:00 session) and then went back to the Q&A session and I didn't recgonize who Mr. Morris and the woman were interviewing. I asked the guy next to me, "Hey, who are they interviewing? Juan Marichal?" "Nope, Orlando Cepeda." I immediately got my pen and ball out and got to the front of the borders/handrails and waited for Mr. Cepeda to finish his Q&A session. He ran a couple minutes late and then Armed Forces media interviewed him and then he came. He signed for a guy on my left with two old SI covers, then this happened:

WOW. I saved about 2 hours from waiting in line. That was probably my favorite autograph. My friend and I walked around until I saw that Kris Bryant was signing at 3:00. Someone was already waiting in line at 11:30. I popped in line around 1:55 and by the time it was 2:15 there were about 75 people in line. By 2:35, they only let people have one item signed. Here's what I got:

Done with Day 2 Recap. Last, but not least, Futures Game.

Sunday- Futures and Celebrity Softball Game

I went with my friend, Wilson, to the Futures and Day #1 of Fanfest. I was excited to see 15 former 1st round picks play.  We arrived around 1:50ish (gates open 2:00, first pitch- 4:00). We ran down the U.S. side and the autograph crowds were two to three people deep. I tried for a spot and Alex Meyer came over. He signed for the guy next to me and for Wilson, then said "I gotta go guys, I'll get ya later." Darn!  Here are some pics before I begin my next story:

The World team has their backs to the camera and U.S. team is on the opposite side.

After we took the pictures, Wilson and I went to the World side and waited over there when there was less of a crowd. The side eventually got busy, then 10-12 guys came out from the World team and just started signing for everyone. Here's what I got (feel free to comment below if I incorrectly identify any of the signatures):

Top to bottom; (Domingo German and Dalton Pompey)

(Francisco Lindor, Enny Romero, Javier Baez and Gabriel Guerrero)

(Steven Moya, Luis Severino and Tayron Guerrero)

(Alfonso Alcantara and Maikel Franco)

That's all the autographs I got. Out of the autographs I got (12), 11 of them (Tayron Guerrero didn't make the cut) are Top 20 Prospects  in their respective organizations. In MLB's Top 100 Prospects, (2) are in the Top 10 (Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor) (3) in the Top 20 (Baez, Lindor and Franco). Maikel Franco, Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez are all #1 prospects in the Cubs, Phillies and Indians organizations.  Pretty good autographs! Anyway, here are some edits/pictures that I took:

That's my recap from All Star Weekend-None of this is for trade or for sale. Feel free to comment below!