Official Piratefest 2009 Thread

[Bigfan5]

I have 3 pirates cards on the front page of my bucket and the first three people who send me a pm will get one each. You can specify who you want and if two people pick the same card the first person in gets it.

Good luck.

 

[pghbuccos]

Agreed. I was actually hoping to hit the Morris/Parker group last year, and ended up getting Bay. I'm hoping the crowd will be smaller this year after the disastrous second half, as well as having some of the bigger draws like Wilson and Bay not there this year.

If you do hit the Drabek group, any chance you could try and get an extra signed postcard for me of Karstens? He's one of the few guys I don't have, and might end up missing him due to the lines.

I will definitely try to get you a Karstens postcard if I get through the line. I am hoping for a low turnout as well but I have a feeling the crowds will still be large because there is really nothing else going on sports wise in the city with the NHL All Star break and no football games.

 

[subject to change]

That's what I'm worried about too. I think the Super Bowl hype will make the crowd larger than it would have been otherwise.

I think the real wild card for me will be who they have signing in the MVP section. If they have Karstens or Parker in there Friday night, it'll make things a lot less hectic for me Saturday.

Either way it should be a fun week. I'm really looking forward to the Caravan tomorrow.

 

[robboshow]

Mark,

Just to let you know, I got the Russell auto for you. I will get it in the mail soon.

Rob

 

[robboshow]

FWIW, I was able to chat with John Russell at the caravan yesterday for a few minutes while the line was backed up. Regarding Andrew McCutchen, he said that he may my play CF with McLouth moving to LF but he needs to take better routes to the ball in CF. I asked him if he thought McCutchen would be up around June. He said that he has a chance to make the team in the spring provided he controls the strike zone and takes those better routes.

 

[subject to change]

Thanks Rob, I really appreciate it. I always enjoy the Caravan events, since they allow a little more personal and less rushed experience with the players.

Interesting comments on McCutchen. I'm interested to see how the added muscle impacts his game. I think we'll see Cutch in the bigs soon, assuming Pearce or Morgan don't get off to a hot start. Probably something along the lines of what the Rays did with Longo last year, waiting long enough to push his arbitration eligibility back a year.

 

[subject to change]

A bump, since the weekend kicks off tomorrow. I'll be going Fri and Sat. Hope everyone that's going has a good time!

 

[Guest]

Dumb question, but I want to be prepared. What players do you guys think will be "walking around" tomorrow? Most of the time some of the guys come and just walk around and do those game things on the stage. In other words, whose cards should I bring just in case? :lol:

 

[subject to change]

They're usually pretty efficient about keeping the players busy, so I wouldn't expect any current players not on the autograph lineup to be in attendance, except for Pearce. He's scheduled to be on the Caravan the week after Piratefest, so I'm bringing a card or two just in case.

Other than that, Wehner and Walk will both be in attendance, and you can usually catch them walking around. Steve Blass is currently at fantasy camp in Bradenton, so I doubt he'll be in attendance.

It's always a good idea to keep a some cards and a sharpie on you at all times, cause you never know who you'll run into. Last year Ian Snell literally walked into me as he was on his way to one of the Q&A sessions, and was nice enough to sign a card for me.

 

[pghbuccos]

I am now going Sunday instead of Saturday because my friend has to work Saturday. I am shooting for Grabow, McCutchen and Jay Bell.

 

[subject to change]

Sorry to hear that you'll be missing out on Drabek. If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to get a couple autographs for you, though I'm sure it's no substitute for the chance to meet him.

On the positive side, I think Sunday actually has the best autograph groupings, and hopefully some smaller crowds than Saturday.

Has anybody ever gone on a Sunday? If so, how big does the crowd tend to be? I've always gone Fri and/or Sat, but I'm thinking about just going for a few hours myself Sunday if I'm not able to get Karstens or Sanchez earlier in the weekend. Is the crowd similar to the Friday turnout?

 

[pghbuccos]

Mark if you could grab me a Drabek postcard I would appreciate it if not it's ok. yeah I think Sunday does seem like a good day. as for the crowds on Sunday I have only gone once on a Sunday and it was 2 years ago for Bay and it snowed about 4 inches and the crowd was still pretty big but not as bad as Saturday's. so I would say without the snow it would have been as crowded as a Saturday.

 

[subject to change]

Shouldn't be a problem...I'm probably only planning on getting an 8X10 signed, since I already have quite a few cards signed that I got signed TTM. If still happen to hit Karstens on Sunday can grab an extra postcard for me, I'd really appreciate it. If not, no biggie.

I'm thinking the Super Bowl hype may bring out a pretty large crowd for Piratefest, though I'm hoping the lack of Bay, Wilson, Nady, etc. may keep some people from attending. It's really frustrating trying to plan out what groups I want to hit this weekend without knowing who will be in the MVP section... Best case scenario, I could leave Friday having everyone I wanted to get during the entire weekend if LaRoche and Karstens sign in the MVP section, and Saturday is a far less stressful day. Worst case, I end up going back Sunday for a couple of hours and my girlfriend considers me certifiably insane.

 

[Guest]

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