Miguel Cabrera

On Saturday, November 21, 2020 I was attending my son's 10U  travel ball tournament at Braden River Park in Bradenton, Florida. During the first of two games, I decided to move my car to a closer parking space in between innings. While in the car, I spotted a guy that looked like Miguel Cabrera unpacking the back of his SUV. I thought it can't be him, until I saw the rosary tattoo on his right arm, which confirmed that it really was the Detroit Tigers superstar and Triple Crown winner!  As soon as my son's game ended, I told him that he was here! My son's excitement matched mine! We walked the little league complex, along with my son's entire team. We found Miggy a short while later as he was throwing some BP to a group of kids, which I later discovered was his son's travel team from Miami. As soon as he was finished, he saw us standing by and called us all over! He took pictures with everybody and was as kind as could be. After all the pictures were taken, I shook his hand and thanked him, and also casually asked, "Will you be here tomorrow?" He said yes. I followed up my question by asking, "Would it be ok if I bring a picture for you to sign?" He again agreed! That night, I printed out two 8x10 pictures, one for my son and one for me. The next morning, we arrived at the ball park around 10:30am. My wife had told me his son's team would be playing on Field 3 at 10:30. I walked over with my son to confirm he was there and as promised, there he was! My son and I walked back to the parking lot and waited for my brother to arrive. About 10 minutes later, my brother was there with our buddy Eric who is also an avid autograph collector. The 4 of us walked over to Miguel as he was sitting by himself close to the visiting dugout on the third base line. He was kind enough to sign an 8x10 picture for my son and I, a baseball card for my brother and a giant oversized picture for Eric!

 

Rick Barry

 I met NBA Hall of Famer, Rick Barry on the morning of November 7, 2020 in the Legacy Golf Club parking lot in Bradenton, Florida. Mr. Barry was attending the 2020 Clint Hurdle Sport Celebrity Scramble. He was kind enough to sign and personalize an 8x10 picture for me! I absolutely love that he wrote, "Happy Hooping" and "HOF 1987".  Due to the global pandemic, COVID19, it's been a tough year for many. It was nice to have a slight moment of normalcy and get my feet wet by obtaining his autograph in person.