FanFest 2013

Today was AMAZING!  I love FanFest, and this year was even better than I could have hoped or wished for.

It was nice to see so many fans out to support the boys and so many players.  I’m still riding the high of last season and can’t wait for April 1st.  I need a fast forward button!  I got there early, 8:15 early, and quickly realized that I:  a- didn’t have a warm enough jacket for as cold as it was and b- there was a massive amount of people there.  As usual, I was rolling solo at the event, so I’ve learned to make friends with people quickly, and had a good time talking baseball with the group of guys behind me in line.

Something cool the A’s did was to hand out autograph voucher cards to everybody as they came in for various autograph times throughout the day.  I was lucky enough to get the slot when Coco Crisp was one of the guys signing, but his line was limited to the first 200 in line and I was #204.  Frickity Frack!  I was able to score autographs from Sal Bando and Eric Sogard so it’s all good.

As usual you could have your picture taken professionally with a player, but it seems that was what everybody wanted as the line started well over an hour before the first player was scheduled to appear, and was always freakishly long.  However, the secret spot to go was just downstairs.  Right by the Coaches Corner, which is always a blast on its own, was Player Meet & Greet.  There was a person that would use your camera or phone to take a picture of you and a player.  There was never too long of line, and you got to listen in on the Coaches Corner while you waited (score!).  Needless to say, the volunteers down there got to know me quickly as I got three photos.   Oh, while waiting in line, I was talking with the people in front of me and they asked if I would take a picture with them.  I was so honored!

Me with Grant Green at FanFest 2013

According to Grant, I have a pretty name.  Big thanks to my mommy for picking it.

Me with Seth Smith at FanFest 2013

Me with Josh Donaldson at FanFest 2013

Josh was too funny with my shirt, hence our laughing faces.  This is our conversation:
Josh: Chicks dig diamonds?
Me: Yup and I dig baseball diamonds.
Josh: Oh good cause that’s the only diamond I can afford.

I’m pretty stoked about the next two things.  They were right next to each other, so it was a two birds one stone kind of thing for me.  I got my picture taken with….. the World Series Trophies!!! Oh, and Curt Young was there too.  I love Curt- he’s an amazingly amazing pitching coach (thank god it didn’t work out with Boston in 2011), but I really was more excited about the trophies.  The other thing was the Comcast SportsNet Bay Area Sportscaster Experience.  I posted about this right after I did it because I was far too excited to wait to tell everybody.  It was a blast, and I wish that was my actual job.  I can’t wait for the video to come!!

Me with Curt Young and the World Series Trophies

The best thing to cap off an amazing day was the Q&A session with some of the relief pitchers.  Sean Doolittle, Pat Neshek, Even Scribner, and All-Star pitcher Ryan Cook (oh I got an autograph from him too!).  Those guys are crazy funny.  I very much enjoyed when Cook stated if he wasn’t a baseball player he would be a “country recording superstar” to which he gave us a little demo after some heckling from Doolittle and the fans.  It was also funny watching Chris Young try to Bernie Lean- Josh Reddick had to give him some pointers.

Sean Doolittle, Evan Scribner, Pat Neshek and Ryan Cook

It was a great day, and it was wonderful to see so many people out to support the A’s!

Great to see so many people showing love to the Green and Gold

Me and Stomper! After all these years, I finally got a picture with him.

A’s FanFest

Hey A’s Fans!

The big day is almost here.  Hard to believe that the Oakland Athletics annual FanFest is on Sunday.  If you are in the Bay Area this weekend and like baseball (especially the A’s), then this is a must.

I remember the way I found out about FanFest.  In February 2002, my mom, sister and I were in the bay for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.  We were in line checking our bags late Sunday morning when I looked at the guy next to us in line.  I noticed the luggage tag on his bag had a green and yellow 6 and Oakland Athletics on it along with the name Adam Piatt.  I quickly nudge my sister to take a look and we both were instantly intrigued.  Once we got through airport security (ah the good ol’ days when it only took like 5 minutes) we quickly found a Oakland A’s magazine to look up the player.  As luck would have it, he was flying out of the gate next to ours on his way to Phoenix as well for Spring Training.  I went up to him and got an autograph from him.  He asked if I had been at FanFest the day before and I had no clue what he was talking about.  Naturally, I did research once we got back home and realized that I was missing out on the coolest thing ever.

My first FanFest was 2004, and was even better than I could have thought.  I got to talk to my favorite players and hang out at the ballpark.  I do my best to make it every year and I’m very excited for this year.  There are several players scheduled to be there including Coco Crisp, AL Right Field Gold Glove winner Josh Reddick, newest additions Chris Young and Hiroyuki Nakajima, as well as AL Manager of the Year Bob Melvin, and past greats Sal Bando, Bill North and Ray Fosse.  You have the option to take your picture with the A’s World Series trophies along side players from the teams.  Something I’m pretty excited about is the Comcast SportsNet SportsCaster Experience where you can read an A’s highlight on camera while hosting SportsNet Central.

Me and Dennis Eckersley at FanFest 2007

See you Sunday!