RIP Dick Williams

Today is a sad day for The Casual Fan.  Dick Williams passed away today at the age of 82 in Las Vegas.  He won the World Series with the A's in 1972-1973 and quit the A's after the World Series due to Charlie Finley's public ridicule of Mike Andrews.  He managed several clubs, but I remember him the most from his tenure here in San Diego.  He taught the Padres to play as a team. Alan Wiggins stole 70 bases and Tony Gwynn stole 51.  With vets like Garvey, Nettles, and Templeton, combined with youth like McReynolds, Martinez and Kennedy, the Padres could hit and play solid defense and fundamentally sound baseball.  They had good pitching, and a closer in Goose Gossage.  He led the Padres to their first World Series against what was one of the greatest teams that ever got to the show in the Detroit Tigers.  Managing the 1985 All-Star team, he led the National League to a 6-1 win and Lamaar Hoyt was the All-Star MVP (the only Padre to ever win the award). He was let go in the spring of 1986 due to differences with Ballard Smith and Jack McKeon.

I tip my hat to my favorite all-time manager.  Baseball has truly lost a legend.

Kansas City Royals-Petco Park June 27-June 29th

The Kansas City Royals were a dominant team when I was a kid, and it sad now to see them as a team that can't keep their star players. With that said, I can say that they were a wonderful team for the fans. Pitchers Kyle Davies, Bruce Chen, Louis Coleman, Jeff Francis, Felipe Paulino, and Blake Wood took time to sign during the 3 day visit.  I saw Joakim Soria Wednesday and he said he would sign after he warmed up, but the Padres had the Boys and Girls Clubs walk on the field before the game, preventing Joakim from coming back over (although it didn't stop Kyle Davies from breaking through the kids and coming over).  The position players who signed were Eric Hosmer, Chris Getz, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur.  Former 2B and current Royal announcer Frank White signed a few autographs.

Of all the players I have met, Jeff Francoeur was one I will never forget.  He walked onto the field Wednesday and saw an older lady, who he quickly ran up to and hugged.  He put his leg up, and she pulled his pants leg up and felt his calf!  He then gave her a hug, signed a jersey and walked over to where we were standing.  I asked him about the lady he was talking to and he said it was his grandma who took the train from Los Angeles to San Diego to see him play.  He was so happy that she came to see him and it was great to see how happy it made him.  He stood for 10 minutes taking pictures, signing autographs, talking to fans and generally being an all around nice guy.  He told me he collected cards as a kid and that his favorite player was Dale Murphy.  He was the epitome of what The Casual Fan looks for in a player: A guy who looks like he's enjoying the game as well as the fans who come to see the game.

One last shout out goes to a mascot...The Friar.  A young boy with the Boys And Girls Club came down to the rail with the head of the group he was with.  It was this young boys first baseball game.  He stood on the rail asking for players to come over, but by this time, they were all warming up and getting ready for the game.  The Padres mascot came by and took a picture with the young boy and was told it was his first baseball game.  The Friar picked up the boy, and took him on the field and had him wave to the fans and then walked him out to Kansas City 3B Mike Moustakas, who then shook the  young boys hand and give him a baseball.  It was all I could do to not start crying seeing the joy on this boys face and to know that this young boy will never forget it.  I hope @SDPadres reads this so that they'll know that the kindness that The Friar showed this young boy.

Washington Nationals-Petco Park June 2nd-4th

The Washington Nationals are a young team managed by veteran manager Jim Riggleman (who recently stepped down as their manager).  Each night, we entered early, and were treated to some very classy players.  Danny Espinosa signed each night, taking time to talk to fans.  The biggest surprise was veteran catcher (and future Hall of Fame) catcher Ivan Rodriguez sitting down for 20 minutes Saturday night signing anything anyone brought to him.  He used an usher to organize a line and took time with each person who came to him.  Jayson Werth signed a couple of baseballs as did Drew Storen.  The only guy who ignored the fans was Tyler Clippard.  Overall, the team was wonderful and to be able walk up to a future Hall of Famer was great.

The night was capped by running into a legendary manager/scout named Dave Garcia.  Formerly a manager for the Indians and Angels, he is now a scout for the Chicago Cubs.  He sits down during batting practice talking to friends and fans and answering questions.  As he walked off, I walked over and asked him to sign my ball.  I asked for him to sign the sweet spot and he did.  He said he was sorry his signature wasn't clear, but I told him I loved it and it was just fine.

It was a wonderful 4 game weekend, even though the Padres lost 3 of 4.  We got to see Anthony Rizzo's debut and got his autograph and saw how organized he is (read Rizzo's Rules below).  Best part of baseball is spending time with your friends and I'm blessed to have been there with my kids as well as my best friend Rebecca.

Gotta love baseball :-)

Rizzomania and Rizzos Rules for Autographs

I was able to attend the first 4 games of Anthony Rizzo's career against the Washington Nationals.  During those 4 days, he was very poised on and off the field.  When it came to signing autographs he has a system, which I am calling Rizzos Rules.  The rules are as follows:

1) Be polite when asking for an autograph.  No pushing or shoving and if there is, he won't sign for the person that does either.
2) One autograph per person, no exceptions.
3) Will sign for kids before he'll sign for adults.
4) Will sign on the sweet spot of the baseball ONLY if the ball is personalized to you.
5) Will NOT sign a blank piece of paper.

As a fan, I loved watching how organized he was and the fact with all the hoopla surrounding his first games here, that he would take time to sign.  I understand players not wanting what they sign sold on EBAY or to card collectors, so personalizing is excellent! The Casual Fan loves Rizzos Rules and I would hope more players would take a few minutes of their time to remember the people who pay their salaries.

Houston Astros-Petco Park June 3rd

We arrived about 5:30 for the game and walked over to the Astros dugout.  I came with a friend who wanted to get a Hunter Pence autograph.  As we watched the Astros practice they were all business, but they took time out for the fans in the stands.  Carlos Lee was asked but has to run to batting practice, and didn't come back to sign.  He did spend some time with someone he knew in the stands.  J.R. Towels signed for several fans above the dugout.  Clint Barmes walked over and stated signing.  One kid asked him who he was and he politely said, "I'm Clint Barmes" and laughed.  Brett Wallace walked over next and signed for a couple of minutes, including for a young man who attends the same high school Brett attended.  Soon, Hunter Pence walked over and looked like he didn't want to stop, but he did.  He stood and signed for everyone above the dugout.  After he signed my ball, I asked him how the batting cages he owns in Houston are doing.  He smiled and said, "they are going well" and he smiled and thanked me for asking him about them.  No sooner had Hunter finished than Michael Bourne started signing and signed for everyone as well.  I was really surprised that so many Astros signed for the fans and how polite they all were.

Overall, The Casual Fan was impressed with the attitude of the players toward the kids.  Would like to give a special shout out to Hunter Pence @HunterPence9 for signing my friends ball.  He had been in the hospital for 3 days and wasn't feeling 100%, but you made him feel a lot better after signing.  I hope that your batting cages continue to be a success.

St. Louis Cardinals-May 24th

From Dizzy Dean to Joe Medwick, to Stan Musial to Bob Gibson, from Willie McGee to Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals have a rich legacy.  Their fans love good baseball and for the most part, are the friendliest fans I have come across.  Getting there early, we stood above the Cardinal dugout and watched them warm up.  No fewer than 7 players and coaches took time to sign autographs and talk to fans.  Jon Jay, Ryan Theriot, Dave Duncan, Jake Westbrook, Tony LaRussa, Skip Schumaker and Miguel Batista signed autographs and talked to fans.  Miguel Batista spent about 5 minutes signing for a line of kids and talking to everyone that came over.  Albert Pujols didn't sign, but said hi to the fans.  The only players who blew off the fans were Jamie Garcia and Yadier Molina.  Garcia looked at a fan who asked for an autograph and shook his head indicating no, and walked off.

Overall, the Cardinals were wonderful and have a 2 thumbs up from The Casual Fan.  A special thanks goes out to @JonJayU for signing for the kids.

Batting Practice on the Field

 So many times I have been to games and seen fans on the field getting autographs and wondered how they did it.  On Monday, May 23rd, I found out..  I was offered as a season ticket holder the opportunity to watch batting practice ON the field.  It was incredible to watch up close and hear the crack of the bat, and the chatter of the players.  I brought my kids to the game hoping they would have a chance to get an autograph of their favorite player: Albert Pujols.  We found out that while you're on the field, you can't ask the players to sigh, you have to wait and see if they'll walk over.  My kids left very disappointed as not 1 player even stopped over to say hi.  Several players talked in front of us, but kept their backs to us the whole time.  The ushers made a point to remind people, "no talking" and were constantly moving people down who got there early, giving better spots to people who were late!  All in all, no Albert (and he's a class guy), and not even a hi from any players.

If offered the opportunity to do it again, I would turn it down.  To get there early and be moved to the worst spots in the line was what bothered me the most.  People who take the time to get there early should be rewarded with better spots in the line, not moved down to accommodate those who got there late.

Hard Work+Talent=Ichiro

I attended 2 of the 3 games the Mariners played while in San Diego.  I've never seen Ichiro close up at practice and I decided to get there early and watch him.  There were about 10 people from the Japanese press there following him and keeping track of how he is doing.  Ichiro didn't sign autographs at all, but he didn't appear to be a jerk, he really honestly seemed focused on getting ready to play.  He took BP for about 10 minutes hitting at least 5 balls into the right field seats, displaying that he can drop the shoulder and turn on the inside pitch (the very thing Ted Williams told Tony Gwynn to do late in Tony's career).  When he was done with batting practice, he walked in, grabbed his glove and ran out to right field.  For 15 minutes, he practiced running in and scooping ground balls and tracking down flies. It was very impressive to see a 10 year veteran out there practicing like a young player playing for a starting spot.

The next time you get a chance, watch Ichiro prepare for a game.  It may not seem that exciting, but it explains why he has has a stellar career. The Casual Fan was impressed.

Seattle Mariners-Petco Park May 20th

After arriving at Petco on Friday,  my friend Rebecca had mentioned that we should go down to the bullpen area and see if Felix Hernandez was on his throw day.  I honestly didn't think he would be, so we decided to walk over to the leftfield line to try and catch some foul balls.  We looked over at their bullpen and there he was getting ready to throw.  We walked back and sat down as close as we could get to the bullpen and watched him throw for 15 minutes.  When he was done, he walked over to where we were sitting and started signing!  Rebecca was able to get a ball signed and told Felix how he was on her fantasy team and got her a ton of points.  I told him I had him for 2 years, and now he get a ton of points against me!  He laughed and kept signing for about 5 minutes.  As he walked off I thanked him for his time and he smiled and walked off.

We decided to stay where we were at and watch batting practice.  Ichiro worked on fielding grounders in the outfield for about 15 minutes before running in to the dugout.

It was amazing to me that one of the best pitchers in baseball took as much time as he did to sign.  He signed for almost every kid that was there.  The Casual Fan was impressed and would like to thank @therealkingFelix for spending time with the fans.

Milwaukee Brewers-Petco Park May 19th

Arrived around 5PM and walked over to the Brewers dugout.  I decided to wear my 1969 Seattle Pilots jersey to the game (The Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970). Trevor Hoffman came out to chat with a couple of Brewer team mates and some fans he invited to the game.  Met a lady whose husband coached Ryan Braun in little league and she was there to say hi after not seeing him for years.  The Brewers barely acknowledged the fans that they were there to see them.  Craig Counsell and Jonathan Lucroy were the only players who signed for the fans.  As for Ryan Braun, he ignored the lady who was waiting for him.  He was more concerned about getting in the dugout than saying hi.  I felt so bad for the lady.

Overall impression of the Brewers that night was very poor and The Casual Fan was not impressed.  Not very fan friendly at all.  @JohnAxford, please take note of this.

Arizona Diamondbacks-May 7th-Petco Park

Walked in early to try to get balls during batting practice, but had no luck getting a ball.  The Diamondbacks took the field and started warming up.  Charles Nagy, their pitching coach, took time to chat with several of his high school friends who came to see him.  He picked up about 6 balls and gave then to all the kids there and signed them for the kids.  The players appeared to be very serious, which I think is a reflection of their manager Kirk Gibson.  Anyone who remembers Kirk during his playing days knows he was a hard-nosed player who took the game very seriously.

The interesting thing about the D-Backs was how the coaching staff was.  Kirk Gibson spent about 5 minutes signing autographs and talking to fans.  Don Baylor took time to sign for an older gentleman who brought some of Don's baseball cards from the 70's to the game.  The one player who took time to sign and chat with fans was Miguel Montero.  He spent about 5 minutes going along the dugout interacting with all the D-Back fans there.

The last mention was the sighting of RallySally.  She's a fan we met in Arizona last year who talked about getting into the games late and not getting charged for her seat.  She had taken the time (and I'm sure paid) to get into Petco to watch her D-Backs.

Overall, team was great.  

MLB and Drunk Driving

In the last week we have seen the arrest of Derek Lowe and Shin-Soo-Choo for DUI, but no punishment for either player.  So, what is Major League's Baseball stance on drunk driving?  I go to games and see warning to fans about drinking responsibly, but that doesn't apply to players?  Major League Baseball will go out of it's way to suspend a player for using performance enhancing drugs, but drinking and driving is no big deal?  If I had a choice, I'd prefer a player juiced on the field to one wasted on the highways.

As the Casual Fan, I'm calling on MLB to suspend both players without pay and donate their salaries to M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).  It's time for MLB to man up before one of their players kills someone on the road.

Pittsburgh Pirates-May 2nd and 3rd-Petco Park

Got to the ballpark early for both games.  This was a team that seemed to really enjoy the game of baseball.  Andrew McCutchen signed autographs for kids both days after batting practice.  Kevin Correa took time to say hi to a Padre fan and sign a Padre jersey.  Dave Veras, Charlie Morton, Daniel Moscos also signed autographs for fans who asked them.  The overall attitude of the team was top notch and while there weren't a lot of Pirate fans there, they were treated to a classy group of guys.

A final shout out goes to Jeff Karstens, @karstens27 on Twitter, who tossed me a ball when I didn't even ask for one.

Atlanta Braves 4/25-4/26 2011-Petco Park

Arrived both days at the park around 5PM.  My best friend wanted to get Dan Uggla's autograph on a ball since she has him on her Fantasy Baseball Team.  My son and his best friend stood right above the dugout for 30 minutes each day.  Other than Freddie Freeman talking to friends and family, the Atlanta Braves ignored all of their fans.  @JasonHeyward ignored all the kids as they asked for his autograph.  The attitude the team displayed both days was completely classless.

Cincinnati Reds 4/12/2011-Petco Park

We arrived at the ballpark at 5PM and walked over to the Reds dugout.  I was hoping to get Ardolis Chapman's autograph that night.  Came with a friend who is a huge Reds fan.  He wore a t-shirt that said, "In Dusty We Trusty" which got an immediate thumbs up from Dusty Baker and all the Reds coaches.  The Reds were consistently acknowledging their fans either by waving and smiling with the lone exception of Joey Votto.  The 2010 MVP gave dirty looks to the fans and walked off.  Chris Heisey signed autographs for 5 minutes,  Jonny Gomes tossed a pair of batting gloves in the stands, Joe Morgan waved to the crowd before taking off.  Ardolis Chapman did sign autographs...after the game from his bullpen seat!  Overall, the Reds loved their fans being there.

The Casual Fan

I’ve been a fan since I was 6 years old.  My first autograph was from Padres pitcher Bill Grief.  I’ve grown up collecting autographs, but also watching how players react to fans who ask them for autographs.  Over the years, I’ve seen a change in the attitude of players.  Fans now appear to be more of annoyance to them.  Players tend to keep their heads down, walk off, and sometimes curse the very people who pay their salaries.  I don’t expect to always get an autograph, but a smile and a wave would be nice.  I understand that fans can cross the line with remarks and requests, but I am choosing to write about how I see players act toward the fans, because, after all, I am….The Casual Fan.