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gracecollector
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I had a post in December on how I got invited to attend LaSalle High School's 26th annual Baseball Stag fundraiser in Cincinnati on Jan. 20th, since Mark Grace was the guest speaker. Ken Barlag, the school's director, sent me a VIP ticket for free, which included a steak dinner, open bar, excellent appetizers, a meet-and-greet with Grace, and an autographed ball. Couldn't turn that down so I made the 730 mile round trip from Chicago to Cincy on Wed. and Thurs.
The stag was excellent. There were 550-600 guys in attendance. Reds announcer Chris Welsh was master of ceremonies. Tim Nehring, the ex-Red Sox pitcher and a LaSalle grad, told some jokes. Zach Duke was there, as well as some Reds front-office guys. Grace told several of his classic stories, including the Sutcliffe fireworks story, the Maddux boner story, and the day in 1991 when he "sharted" his pants on the field and had to have Jim Riggleman start a fight with the umpire so he had time to change. He also said McGwire's steroid story was bulls**t, and praised Andre Dawson and his HOF induction.
Grace remembered me and we actually got to talk for 10 minutes or so, and I stood around listening while he talked to others before the dinner began. He was very friendly and in a great mood. He signed anything anybody asked him to, including my "Cubs Guy" license plate (crappy photo I just took outside in the dark).
Other items from the event besides the license plate auto, including the show program, ticket, and auto ball. I saw the autographed HOF plaque artwork I created on the silent auction table, and asked the guy running it where he got it. He said he found some Mark Grace website, and when I explained that it was mine, he gave me an extra auto'd copy he had. I also took the Coors beer bottle that Grace drank (you can see it on the podium photo), which makes me a bit of a stalker.
Thursday morning I took a walk downtown and checked out the new Reds stadium from the outside.
Then I checked out the Cincinnati Art Museum, which includes this Andy Warhol.
Had a great time, the event exceeded my expectations, and Grace was great as always. If you get a chance to hear Grace talk, don't pass it up!
The stag was excellent. There were 550-600 guys in attendance. Reds announcer Chris Welsh was master of ceremonies. Tim Nehring, the ex-Red Sox pitcher and a LaSalle grad, told some jokes. Zach Duke was there, as well as some Reds front-office guys. Grace told several of his classic stories, including the Sutcliffe fireworks story, the Maddux boner story, and the day in 1991 when he "sharted" his pants on the field and had to have Jim Riggleman start a fight with the umpire so he had time to change. He also said McGwire's steroid story was bulls**t, and praised Andre Dawson and his HOF induction.
Grace remembered me and we actually got to talk for 10 minutes or so, and I stood around listening while he talked to others before the dinner began. He was very friendly and in a great mood. He signed anything anybody asked him to, including my "Cubs Guy" license plate (crappy photo I just took outside in the dark).
Other items from the event besides the license plate auto, including the show program, ticket, and auto ball. I saw the autographed HOF plaque artwork I created on the silent auction table, and asked the guy running it where he got it. He said he found some Mark Grace website, and when I explained that it was mine, he gave me an extra auto'd copy he had. I also took the Coors beer bottle that Grace drank (you can see it on the podium photo), which makes me a bit of a stalker.
Thursday morning I took a walk downtown and checked out the new Reds stadium from the outside.
Then I checked out the Cincinnati Art Museum, which includes this Andy Warhol.
Had a great time, the event exceeded my expectations, and Grace was great as always. If you get a chance to hear Grace talk, don't pass it up!
