My Return to Orioles Alumni Autographing

I've written about it a few times over the years, but the Orioles do something pretty awesome prior to every Monday and Thursday home game; they bring back three alumni players to meet fans and sign autographs on Eutaw Street. Due to some changed responsibilites with work, I wasn't able to make many (maybe any?) of the alumni signings last year, but I've already made it to one this season.

The Orioles don't typically announce who is signing beforehand, but a few people on collecting sites sometimes seem to get some insider info about who will be showing up. And I heard a few weeks back that John Stefero, who I needed to get a personalized upgrade of, would be in town. Also signing that night were Ken Dixon, and Chris Hoiles.

I tried to snap a few pictures of the former O's as I worked my way through the line but it was easier said then done, here is one of my first attempts, that shows Chris Hoiles being cool and standing up for a selfie with a fan. (Yes, that's definitely my first mention of the word selfie on my site.)

Here is a somewhat better shot of the three signers as I neared the front of the line. 

And here's the autograph I was after, it's always a good day for me when I can knock another personalized autograph off.

Chris Hoiles was awesome as always and signed three cards for Kalina and me. He was one of her favorite players and it's always easier to ask for her to help me out when he's involved.

I was able to snag signed postcards of Dixon and Stefero as well. As you can see in my pictures, the players generally have a pre-signed stack of them for people to grab, so I always try to not be too greedy. But when I have autographs sitting in front of me, it's hard to resist!

I only had the one card of Stefero's for him to sign, but I was just happy to get the personalized auto. Dixon signed these two cards of me, but I have to say that he always seems distracted at these signings and pays much more time talking to his former teammates than interacting with the fans. An autograph is an autograph, but a simple acknowledgement at these types of things are always nice.

I hope to be able to make at least a few more of these alumni signings throughout the season. I hope that you fellow collectors might be able to use them to improve your collections too.

Orioles Alumni Autographs

Tomorrow, I'm going to start my 2010 Orioles Autograph Year in Review, but today, I need to write about this, finally. I really dropped the ball on the O's Alumni posts towards the end of the year, partially becuase I missed a few signings, and one or two others only had players who were already in my collection. If you don't know what this is all about, for the past two seasons the Orioles have brought former players in for signings prior to every Monday and Thursday home game during the season. I think they're awesome and have really helped my collection out!

On Thursday August, 5, prior to the O's-White Sox game, the Orioles did an amazing job by bringing in TWO alumni who I didn't have in-person autographs from.; "Diamond" Jim Gentile and "Disco" Dan Ford both were lined up to sign that day, along with local guy, multiple time signer, Bill Swaggerty. 

 

Jim Gentile was big-time slugger in the early to mid 1960s', hitting 160 homers from '60-65 and was a three-time All-Star during that stretch.  He was an Oriole from 1960-63 after being traded to Baltimore from the Dodgers and would likely have had even better big league numbers if he hadn't been blocked by Gil Hodges during his 9 seasons in the Dodgers' system.  Roy Campanella gave him the nickname "Diamond" in 1956 when he described Jim as a "diamond in the rough".

Jim was in Baltimore since he was lined up to sign at the National; I lucked out and got him for free at the O's game instead.  His signature is amazing and you can easily read every letter of his name.

"Disco" Dan was a member of the Orioles 1983 World Series Champs and spent the last four years of his 11 season MLB career with the O's from '82-86.  He was one of the nicest guys that I have ever seen at an O's Alumni signing and shook hands and talked to nearly everyone who passed through the line.  I always like when players act like that; Dan seemed genuinely happy to appear at the signing.  His signature is pretty legible, maybe outside of the r in his last name. 

A few highlights of Dan's career include when he hit for the cycle on August 10, 1979 while playing for the Angels, receiving MVP votes in '79, and homering for the O's in game 3 of the '83 series. 

That's Dan in the foreground, with Bill Swaggerty just past him, and Jim Gentile hidden in the back

Bill pitched for the O's from 1983-86 and frequently appears at alumni signings and other local Orioles events.  His signature is pretty solid too, especially considering he has such a long last name.  

Monday's Orioles Alumni Autograph Series

Monday's game marked the return of the Orioles Alumni Autograph series to the MASN tent on Eutaw Street. The signings occur prior to every Monday and Thursday home game throughout the season. The alumni players normally sign from 5:30-6:30 and it's a great way to add some autographs of former O's to your collection. Two of the guys who signed at the tent last season, Mike Cuellar and Curt Motton, have passed away in the past year. Which is a good reminder that life can be short and the end can come unexpectedly, so it's probably a good idea to get these autographs while you still can. I hope that didn't come off as morbid, and I'm certainly not implying that death is around the corner for any of the signers!

Anyway, the three former O's who signed on Monday were Rick Krivda (who signed this orange uni card for me, suh-weet), Paul Blair and Tippy Martinez. Honestly, they were all good players, especially Blair and Tippy, but it was an uninspiring start to the alumni auto season. All of those guys signed last year and have been around at multiple O's events over the years. Selfishly, I have multiple autographs from all three of them and I was hoping for someone new to add to my collection.