My 2012 Texas Rangers Big Glove project

[thenavarro]

Thought I would share mine and my daughter's (Maven) 2012 Texas Rangers autograph projects. She and I share a season ticket package with another family, and we love to spend time up at Rangers ballpark. She's a great 8 year old, and is a lot of fun to take to games.

Last year on this board, I saw a member that had a big baseball glove, and thought it would make a neat autograph project to get my favorite team on, so I bought one to get signed this year. My daughter has a favorite Rangers hat, and she wanted to do her own autograph project, so she collects them on her hat, while I get them on my glove. This hobby is infinitely more
fun, when you can share it with your kid, when you both genuinely enjoy it.

The Rangers seem to enjoy their fans, and the organization as a whole is very fan and family friendly. The players have been really nice to my daughter, and some of them like goofing around with the big glove. Very cool year so far. Hopefully they go one strike farther this year and actually WIN the World Series instead of "just" getting there.


Here's my daughter and Manager Ron Washington

Me posing in the Rangers dugout using my big glove to cover my big gut,

Me and Yu LOL, he's the guy to the right of my head warming up

The glove and Maven's hat hanging out by the game towels

A random shot from inside the park

During one game, my boyhood idol, former Rangers catcher Jim Sundberg was visiting a couple that sits a couple rows behind us, and we waited for him to finish his visit and as he was leaving, asked to get a photo with him, and he signed my old school Rangers hat as well. We chatted a minute and he was a neat guy.

Maven's hat as it now stands, it's running out of room to sign and Josh signed it inside of Yu's big curve in his first name (at least he didn't write over Yu)


Autographs that I have on my big glove

Gary Pettis, 1st base coach
David Murphy
Colby Lewis
Ron Washington, Manager
Brandon Snyder
Koji Uehara
Mark Lowe
Yu Darvish
Joe Nathan (was the 1st to sign and I got it in silver. Decided to go with black sharpie and have since erased the silver and he resigned in black)
Alberto Gonzalez
Mike Adams
Yoshi Tateyama
Scott Coolbaugh, Hitting Coach
Robbie Ross
Scott Feldman
Adrian Beltre
Leonys Martin
Tanner Scheppers
Craig Gentry
Martin Perez
Justin Grimm
Matt Harrison
Neftali Feliz
Josh Hamilton
Roy Oswalt
Michael Kirkman
Micheal Young
Mitch Moreland
Jackie Moore, Bench Coach
Mike Maddux
Yorvit Torrealba
Derek Holland
Alexi Ogando
Andy Hawkins, Bullpen Coach

34 down and 8 players and 1 coach to go, I still need:

Elvis Andrus (real friendly, willl throw you baseballs, jokes, etc, doesn't sign too much)
Ian Kinsler (relatively tough to get)
Nelson Cruz (signs a lot, just haven't been in the right place at the right time yet)
Mike Napoli (signs a lot, just haven't been in the right place at the right time yet)
Geovanny Soto (early indications are that he signs easily, but only been on the team a few days now)
Ryan Dempster (early indications are that he signs easily, but only been on the team a few days now)
Mike Olt (signs a lot, but just came up from minors)
Louis Martinez (in minors now, might have to make a 2 and a half hour drive to get him, but I'm a complete freak, so if I have to, I will)
3rd base coach, Dave Anderson (I need to famillarize myself with what he looks like, haven't tried to get him yet)

[7nohitter]

Mike,

What an great endeavor with your daughter! What do the players say about the glove? Are you planning to get #34??

VERY COOL!

[thenavarro]

Originally Posted by 7nohitter

Mike,

What an great endeavor with your daughter! What do the players say about the glove? Are you planning to get #34??

VERY COOL!

Thanks. A lot of them will put the glove on and hold it up above their head for some reason. Some of them will say it's nice to see something "different", a couple have asked where to get one, some say nothing, some will ask if I can catch with it, some will say that would make a great knuckleball glove, wow that's big, they'll name another player on the team and say "he needs that", and other assorted stuff.

I do hope to get Nolan as well. I believe he's been a big part of their success in helping attract talent and in the attitude they display on the field and throughout the organization. I would have gotten him last Saturday, as he rode by me in a golf cart on the way to a presentation he was giving. I knew he'd be back the same way when the presentation was over, but rather then wait on him there, I went to get Josh Hamilton on my daughter's hat. Sure enough, when I got back to the previous spot, I heard he signed on the way back for the two people that stayed there.

If I have to, in order to finish my project, I'll go up very early one day late in the season and catch him at the front door to the offices. He doesn't use the tunnel like the players do, and he's fairly friendly they say to the few that wait at the office complex (but he doesn't like to see the same people there day after day). That will be a good way for me and my daughter to get a photo with him and get our items done.

Mike

[thenavarro]

Had a good time last night at the game. It was the celebration to honor some of the better Rangers over the last 40 years and it was well done. Maven was auditioning for Wizard of Oz, so it was just me going today Only one autograph, but it was a good one. NOLAN RYAN I got to see some of my old favorites such as Charlie Hough, Rafael Palmeiro, Ruben Sierra, Pudge Rodriguez, Buddy Bell, Jim Sundberg, etc, etc, etc.

As usual, the Rangers administration is very fan friendly, and they had free signings with the alumni before the game. I decided to pass on the others and made sure I was in Nolan's line in time. Afterall, it won't be a complete team glove, without the team President (helps that he is a HOF'er as well)

Here's a video of Nolan signing my glove and his classic Texas drawl. After he signs it and hands it back, you can hear him say something along the lines of you gotta be mighty strong to use a glove that big or something like that. I'm the voice you hear say "knuckleball glove" and indicating that we were about to meet the great Nolan Ryan, LOL.

http://s867.photobucket.com/albums/a...nolanvideo.mp4


Here's the sig, it's a little shaky, but it's Nolan:



Of course, I had to celebrate with a great dinner, that's fries smothered with chili, barbecue briscuit, grilled onions, cheese, and jalapeno's, and a hot dog for an appetizer:



The Rangers played the game in their old school 1976 Powder Blue throwback jerseys (which I loved and bought one for myself, and a tshirt for Maven), and pulled out the win in the ninth with a walk off single from the newest Ranger Mike Olt. Great night.

[mr2686]

OMG Mike, if you eat that stuff everytime you get your glove autographed, it will be around a lot longer then you will
All kidding aside, that is a great project and I'm glad you were able to get Ryan on it. Just out of curiosity, how do the fans treat Palmeiro? Any roid backlash?

[thenavarro]

Originally Posted by mr2686

OMG Mike, if you eat that stuff everytime you get your glove autographed, it will be around a lot longer then you will
All kidding aside, that is a great project and I'm glad you were able to get Ryan on it. Just out of curiosity, how do the fans treat Palmeiro? Any roid backlash?

LOL, I still haven't had the 2 ft long hot dog yet, "The Boomstick!", but want to put one away before the year is over. Maybe that will be a good celebratory dog if the Rangers make the Series again.

Palmeiro got a great reception. Every ex-Ranger though would get a good reception here , with the possible exceptions of AROID, CJ Wilson, and not sure how Canseco would go over. Juan, Pudge, and Raffy are Rangers baseball icons irregardless of any steroid tainting, and they were all good to the fans and community when they were here.

Mike