Montgomery Biscuits Game/Autographs: What I did and who I got

A week before preparing to leave for Harvard, I was in Montgomery, Alabama with my family. We stayed with cousins, and found time to go to a Montgomery Biscuits game. I was also able to check out a card shop and visit the man cave of a friend who owns this sports memorabilia site, which you should really check out sometime.

First, the Biscuits game. I don't think I ever sat down for more than a few minutes. The ballpark is laid out so that my doing that was perfectly okay, too. There are basically no outfield seats, so you can hang out there as long as you want. Here's a photo from the Biscuits' website giving you an idea of the park layout:

When players weren't busy you know, playing, I went after them to ask for autos, or was recruiting my relatives to help me accomplish this. Here were some of the signatures I got:

Austin Hubbard was one of the Biscuits' relievers warming up that night. I caught him talking to some other fans and he tried signing an old ball, then said, "Let me just replace this one." The result was the official MiLB ball above.

Yes, that's John Kruk's biography in the background.

Two visiting pitchers with the Jacksonville Suns, Grant Dayton and Scott McGough, signed a panel on the same ball. Dayton is actually an Auburn alumnus, and worked out with Tim Hudson in the offseason. I didn't get the chance to ask him what he thought about Huddy's injury/hopeful return, though.

So why is this ball in the nice case (purchased at the Biscuit Basket team store)? Biscuits RF Todd Glaesmann made a catch near the wall in an early inning of the second game we saw. He flipped the ball up into the outfield, where only a handful of people were standing. And my brother caught it! This is the same ball, and though not evident in the photo, the pitch had some movement, as the ball is scarred in multiple places. After the game, my bro and uncle got the ball signed by Glaesmann. Pretty sweet!

The rest of the second game, I watched prospect Enny Romero (the only 40-man roster member on the Biscuits) pitch a good game against the Suns. We sat behind home plate, and once a Romero pitch flashed "100 mph" on the scoreboard. The relief pitcher with the radar gun, however, informed me it was only 96. Still some gas. I also chatted some with an A's scout (who told me he scouted Paul Konerko back in the day).

One prospect the Biscuits reliever with the radar gun mentioned was Kyle Hendricks, a Dartmouth alum. At last check, Hendricks was in Triple A with the Cubs affiliate. Might want to keep an eye on the guy-he went 10-3 with the Smokies. 

Where better to close than with my last autograph? On the ball from Austin Hubbard, I got 1B Cameron Seitzer, who was signing for a bunch of little kids on his way to the locker room. 

All in all, it was a great trip. Next post, I'll cover where I went the next day. Look for a quickie review of Capitol City Comics and sports memorabilia lessons from a seller.