bluemoose's IP thread

[bluemoose]

Hi team. Been lurking here for a while reading all your good stuff, and figured it’s about time I reveal myself. I’ve been doing IP regularly in and around WNY for about a year now (and sporadically before then elsewhere) – mostly AAA ball and NHL, but sometimes NFL and MLB. Basically, I do whatever I can now before I have major life responsibilities or have to move somewhere without nearby stadiums.

I really like cards. Like, base cards. Other than NHL combine photos, I can count on one hand the number of non-card items I've had signed in the last year. My MO is generally to get signed what I have from opening packs every now and then, buy some singles when I need to, and avoid Chrome at all costs.

With that said, I’m just going to launch into some rapid fire recaps from the last two weeks to get this thing started. And I’m going to do it BACKWARDS. Never done this before so bear with me lol



6/15: Columbus @ Rochester

Just postgame. Columbus was pretty good to me when they came through Buffalo, but Clevinger was up with the big club then…

Mike Clevinger 2/2
Michael Choice 1/1
Cody Anderson 1/1
Giovany Urshela 1/1
Kyle Crockett 1/1
Danny Santana 1/1
Logan Schafer 1/1
Eddie Rosario 1/1
Jorge Polanco 1/1
Chad Allen 2/2
Ross Detwiler 0/2 ("I signed before." "Oh, ok...sorry." *whoever he's with chuckles as I walk away*)




6/13-14: DURM @ Buffalo

Love the Bulls. As others have said, they are an excellent signing team. Also, Jared Sandberg is one of the more interactive managers you’ll see at this level and was giving it right back to a heckler mid-game.

1/1 Daniel Robertson
2/2 JP Arencibia
1/1 Dylan Floro
1/1 Danny Farquhar
1/1 Richie Shaffer
1/1 Blake Snell
3/3 Nick Franklin (after ignoring the night before, walks up to start signing postgame and opens with “anyone know what the gun laws are here?”)
1/1 Matt Dominguez
1/1 Drew Hutchison
0/1 Kyle Snyder ("can't right now guys")




6/4: LAA @ Pittsburgh *first post bonus recap*

I couldn’t resist trying my luck at Trout. Did pregame outside/inside and postgame. I had never done Pittsburgh before and it was not as much of a circus outside as I would’ve guessed – different story inside of course. All in all a good day by any measure…

Pregame outside
1/1 Cam Bedrosian
1/2 Kole Calhoun
1/1 Nick Tropeano
2/2 Hector Santiago
1/1 Ron Roenicke
Shoemaker and Weaver each signed a few, and Brendan Ryan got everyone who wanted him.



Postgame
1/1 Carlos Perez
1/2 Matt Shoemaker
1/1 Jung Ho Kang
2/2 Huston Street



Pregame inside
Oh whoops I forgot about this part Don’t think I’ve seen a wilder scene since trying (very unsuccessfully) for A-Rod on rehab in Trenton years ago. But my god was it worth it.

This is what it's all about. I joked to some Buffalo regulars the day before (while doing the NHL combine of all things) that if I got him I'd retire from doing this. Truth is, days like this get me excited about doing this more. And here I am, creating an account to share and read IP stories. So much for hanging 'em up.

Next up: trying Cleveland tomorrow. I have no idea what I’m doing, so it should be a good time.

Thanks for reading!

[dbacksfan4life]

Welcome to Blowout!

Awesome Trout!

[Mildud]

Welcome! Great job!

[grifnutz]

Crushing it already! Great gets!

[oucats02]

Great looking stuff!!!

Welcome to Blowout! There are a lot of good members here willing to help!!!

[bluemoose]

Originally Posted by oucats02

Great looking stuff!!!

Welcome to Blowout! There are a lot of good members here willing to help!!!

Originally Posted by grifnutz

Crushing it already! Great gets!

Originally Posted by Mildud

Welcome! Great job!

Originally Posted by dbacksfan4life

Welcome to Blowout!

Awesome Trout!

Thanks everyone for the kind words!

[bluemoose]

Made the trip to Cleveland yesterday for White Sox-Indians. Struck out trying to find the team hotel so I did player arrivals for Cleveland instead.

Zach McAllister 1/1
Yan Gomes 1/2
Tommy Hunter 1/2
Bryan Shaw 2/2
Tom Gorzelanny 1/1
Jeff Manship 1/1 team card

Progressive Field doesn't allow access to the sidelines until an hour before the game so it looked like there would be an hour of dead time after gates opened. Then Chris Sale came out to throw a bullpen session and naturally I got my hopes up. He didn't sign of course, but I did manage to toss a card down to bullpen coach Bobby Thigpen while the rest of the Sale crowd watched like I was an insane person.

Most of the crowd was on the home side during warmups, so trying for Chicago was easier/less competitive than most MLB games I've done. I've heard that Lindor always signs before home games so that may be why.

Results from inside:
Bobby Thigpen 1/1
Avisail Garcia 1/1
Brett Lawrie 1/1
Todd Frazier 1/1

(Frazier is awesome. Signed for everyone and was fairly chatty too. I got him TTM last year but this was my first time getting him IP and he only solidified his spot near the top of my list of favorite players. Garcia was also very nice, signing from the anthem almost until first pitch. Only guy I missed was Nate Jones who was signing down by the dugout.)

Really disappointed with my postgame effort. I missed out on Brantley and Cody Allen (both signed for the same one kid) because I was too slow. Lindor signed two on the way out but cut it off just before me I did manage to get Trevor Bauer before I took off, so that was cool.

PHOTOS (apologies for the poor quality)



Maybe it was just the hype of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland was fun. Home players are accessible and crowds aren't bad. Didn't get any of my top targets but it was still a good day, and I got to watch live baseball at a Major League ballpark which is its own success. I'm sure I'll be back for more later this summer.

Next up: Louisville @ Buffalo for a 4 game series

[bluemoose]

Louisville @ Buffalo:

Brandon Allen 1/1
Robert Stephenson 2/3, 1/1
Seth Mejias-Brean 2/2
Jordan Pacheco 1/1
Steve Delabar 1/1
Donald Lutz 1/1
Amir Garrett 2/2
Scott Schebler 1/1
Jumbo Diaz 2/2
Delino DeShields 1/1
Domonic Brown 1/1, 1/1
Melky Mesa 1/1
Pat Venditte 1/1

Never saw Lorenzen or Jody Davis over three nights, and Ted Power and Keyvius Sampson both declined. Winker went out with family yesterday and said he'd sign "tomorrow" but we didn't see him postgame today. Oh well.

Had a cool unexpected success tonight. Prospects and teams have started arriving for the NHL Draft this weekend and I crossed paths with Carolina Hurricanes scout, 3-time Stanley Cup champion, and 500 goal scorer Joe Nieuwendyk on my way to the stadium for postgame. Really nice guy, and getting him 2/2 was a great way to kick off draft week. Really hoping to continue this luck into the weekend and land my white whale of hockey, Marty Brodeur!

[oucats02]

Amir Garrett is the man. Easily my favorite Reds prospect.

[bluemoose]

As those of you who follow hockey know the NHL Draft took place in Buffalo Friday and Saturday. Coaches, GMs, scouts, player development personnel, and completely unaffiliated individuals were all in town for the event and meetings, so the city was crawling with former players (and prospects) as early as Wednesday. It was a really unique IP experience because you never knew who you were going to run into walking down the street or outside a given hotel. I also had the opportunity to go to Day 2 of the draft yesterday. Several coaches and former players were walking around the concourse, and Hurricanes rookie Noah Hanifin was doing a free signing for Upper Deck, so I got him on a promotional 5x7 Young Guns card UD was giving out. A lot of folks were waiting on the lower concourse for almost the duration of the event hoping to catch the draft picks exiting the floor in their new teams' jerseys and hats. From what I saw, every one of the kids was extremely gracious and happy to sign anything in front of them.

In terms of quality this is the best I've ever done with hockey. I finished up with 8 hall of famers, the #1 overall pick, and my all time favorite player. Here's the haul:

Joe Nieuwendyk 2/2
Luke Kunin 1/1 (#15 pick)
Auston Matthews 1/1 (randomly spotted him wandering aimlessly near some popular bars and restaurants Thursday night)
Phil Housley 1/3, 1/1, 1/1
Rob Blake 2/2
Bobby Clarke 1/1
Steve Sullivan 1/1
Ron Hextall 1/1
Dominik Hasek 1/1 (did a free signing at the fanfest on Friday)
Christian Ruuttu 1/1
Kjell Samuelsson 1/1
Ron Francis 1/1
Daniel Alfredsson 1/1
Joe Sakic 1/1
Patrick Roy 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 1/1 (trying to get Roy has been a SAGA to say the least going back to when the Avs were here in February, but the misses make the gets that much sweeter!)
Dale Hunter 1/1
Dave Tippett 1/1
Noah Hanifin 1/1
Martin Brodeur 1/1

THRILLED to get Marty. It doesn't look great but I don't care. He was irritated and didn't have to do it, but he did and I'm thankful.


6 new additions to my 2013-14 O-Pee-Chee set!





*Billy Mays voice* But wait there's more!

After an already great week, I decided to take a shot at Miguel Sano rehabbing in Rochester today. He wouldn't do it for the three of us outside pregame but I did manage to get both of the Louisville guys I missed when they were in Buffalo. Came back for postgame after a round of golf to find a crowd of ~30 outside and heard that Sano said on the field that he'd sign after. Meanwhile, Stephenson was super chill and signed multiples from what I could see. (SIDE NOTE: it was pointed out that he kind of looks a lot like Allen Craig and I can't unsee it now). Sano, who was the very last guy out, was true to his word and did 1 per. Very excited to cap off a great week with this success!

Ted Power 0/1 (will only sign inside I guess?)
Jesse Winker 1/1
Keyvius Sampson 1/1
Robert Stephenson 1/1 (on a Reds mini helmet...came out horribly)
Adam Brett Walker 1/1
Miguel Sano 1/1



Thanks for reading!

[BLawson87]

Solid stuff so far! I know when I was first getting big back into collecting, my collection blew up in a matter of just a few months! You're off to a great start keep it up!

[RelicCollector]

The Roy looks great! Congrats on the great week!

[bluemoose]

Originally Posted by BLawson87

Solid stuff so far! I know when I was first getting big back into collecting, my collection blew up in a matter of just a few months! You're off to a great start keep it up!

Thanks! I think we can all agree, running out of space to store things = a good problem to have!

Originally Posted by RelicCollector

The Roy looks great! Congrats on the great week!

Thanks!

[bluemoose]

Last minute decision to go for PawSox @ Rochester postgame last night...

Kennys Vargas 1/1
Tommy Field 1/1
Jose Berrios 1/1 team card (must've thought I was getting other sigs on it)
Justin Maxwell 2/2
Ryan Hanigan 2/2
Joe Kelly 1/1
Brock Holt 1/1

Surprised the rehabbing Sox were so cool - they each signed for everyone in a crowd of probably 50. Allen Craig, who won't even look at you in Buffalo, apparently signed for everyone too (got there just too late). Nothing from Sano, Castillo, and Elias. Owens snuck out another exit.

[lambeauleap87]

A little late to the party, but Roy AND Brodeur in the same weekend?! Wow!

[tribetown]

WOW! Some very nice stuff.

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk

[bluemoose]

Originally Posted by lambeauleap87

A little late to the party, but Roy AND Brodeur in the same weekend?! Wow!

Thanks! I think I may have peaked with those two haha

Originally Posted by tribetown

WOW! Some very nice stuff.

Thanks! Good luck with those Hens!

[bluemoose]

Scranton @ Buffalo

Went to the games on Thursday and Saturday, and Judge only signed Friday ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Happy with the results nonetheless!

James Pazos 0/1 will never so much as look at a fan
Mark Montgomery 1/1
Vinny Pestano 3/3
Donovan Solano 2/2
Nick Goody 2/2
Ben Gamel 1/1 team card
Chasen Shreve 1/1
Luis Severino 1/1, 1/1
Ike Davis 3/3, 1/1
Gary Sanchez 1/2, 1/1
Cesar Puello 1/1
Phil Coke 1/1
Domonic Brown 1/1
Dalton Pompey 1/1
Franklin Morales 1/1
Tim Raines 1/1

Swisher of course did not make the trip and opted out of his deal with the Yankees yesterday. Best of luck to Nick and his family!

Photos:





Thinking about trying for the Tigers in Cleveland tomorrow. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has experience doing visiting teams outside the stadium in Cleveland.

Thanks!

[Pompaa19]

Nice Severino's!

[tribetown]

No idea about your question, but I know Lindor will sign.

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk

[lambeauleap87]

No access to visiting teams in Cleveland unless you're doing the hotel or get guys who don't take the team bus. Nice haul today, though!

[bluemoose]

7/8 - Lehigh Valley @ Buffalo

Andrew Knapp 1/2
Phil Klein 1/1 (completed dual)
Elvis Araujo 1/1
Darnell Sweeney 2/2
David Lough 1/2
Taylor Featherston 1/1
Nick Williams 1/3
Jake Thompson 2/3
Colton Murray 1/1
Ben Lively 2/2
James Russell 3/3
Dalton Pompey 1/1

Crawford seems pretty impossible at this point. He signed for two kids each day apparently.




I also went off to Pittsburgh yesterday to see family and was able to do a little bit of pregame for the Cubs. Just missed Bryant but didn't totally strike out.




Thanks for the read and thanks to those who offered advice about Cleveland. Didn't happen last week but I'll give it a shot later this season!

[bluemoose]

Norfolk @ Buffalo (inside pregame and postgame 7/18 and postgame 7/19)

Norfolk is a very good signing team. Everyone who was asked signed.

Scott McGough 1/1
Tyler Wilson 1/1
David Hale 1/1
Christian Walker 1/1
Trey Mancini 2/2 (very nice guy, was looking to sign more)
Mike Yastrzemski 2/3
LJ Hoes 1/2, 1/1
Dariel Alvarez 1/2, 1/1
Jose Hernandez 1/1
Casey Kotchman 1/1
Ryan Goins 4/4
Chris Colabello 2/2 ("Heck of a shot today Chris" "Well if you close your eyes and swing you get lucky sometimes"....*sees someones Colabello jersey* "I thought you guys would've burned those")






Thanks for looking. Big, big weekend ahead with Joey Bats coming to town on rehab...

[bluemoose]

This past weekend we had Gwinnett in Buffalo, but more importantly Jose Bautista was on a three game rehab stint with the Bisons. Went to the Friday and Sunday games + pregame outside Saturday and Sunday and postgame outside all three days. Normally I would be by the visitor's dugout but the focus was solely on Jose. It helped that Gwinnett's roster is pretty weak with no top 10 organizational prospects and only three in the top 30, so there wasn't much to miss on the other side of the field.

I'll keep the story short. He didn't touch a pen all weekend, anywhere. We had heard he signed a decent amount his one game in Dunedin so this was obviously disappointing. He also went 1 for 11 including a few GIDPs in very close games (got swept in a 4 game series by one of the worst teams in the league). The crowd booed him pretty hard a few times for not running hard at key moments, which I'm sure didn't help his signing mood. But at least we got an article in the paper about how much he loves Buffalo fans

Still managed to get a few G-Braves between BP on Friday, hotel after Jose ignored Saturday morning, and catching a few guys who walked after Friday's game. It was also team autograph day Sunday and I finished off what little Bisons stuff I still had. Guys who did not participate in team autograph day: Goins, Loup, Kotchman, Sanchez, Copeland, and Bautista. Colabello did participate and is an absolute champ for signing as often as he does.

Emilio Bonifacio 1/1
Rio Ruiz 1/3
Omar Infante 1/1
Matt Marksberry 2/2
Hector Olivera 1/1
Aaron Blair 1/1
Reid Brignac 2/2
Casey Kelly 1/1
Roberto Hernandez 1/1
Scott Diamond 1/1
Matt Tuiasosopo 1/2
Jesus Montero 2/2
Domonic Brown 1/1, 2/3
Alexi Casilla 1/1
Chris Colabello 1/1, 1/1
Danny Barnes 1/1
Bobby Korecky 1/1 (2014 AAA ASG program)
Wilmer Font 2/2
Casey Lawrence 2/2

Despite the disappointment, I'm really happy about the Infante and I don't have a good reason why.

Attachment 340684

[tribetown]

Nice! I feel weird giving Roberto a Fausto Carmona card. I have a feeling he will rip my face off. Do you think it will be alright? Heading to a game this Friday.

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk