Tuesday, November 1, 2011

World Series...A True Fall Classic

WOW! What a series! When we first started Autographs 4 Alopecia in the spring, we never knew how many autographs we would have of the World Series teams...after all, we are nowhere near Saint Louis or Texas! I told you earlier how my friend Roni grew up with Mike Napoli. She told him what we are doing and he sent us some cards and his catchers mask! Early in the season, we were sent some cards from Dave who manages Roger Dean Stadium, the spring training home of the Cardinals. Little did we know when we got them that some of them would be playing in the World Series!

There was also an alopecia areata connection with both teams...When Dave sent us the cards, he informed us that his daughter had alopecia areata and they wanted to help the cause. The Rangers connection is pitching coach Mike Maddux. His daughter also has alopecia and they've been involved in supporting NAAF. Autographs from both teams, alopecia areata connections with both teams, so who were we cheering for?

We were cheering for the Rangers. It was fun getting Mike Napoli's mask out and it would have been really cool for him to win the MVP! It was also fun looking back at the autographs we got from both teams. Congrats to the Cardinals on an unbelievable run to the title. As a baseball fan you had to love that! So we ended up with autogrpahs from 4 Cardinals...Mark McGwire, Adam Wainwright, Jason Motte, and Daniel Descalso...and 1 Ranger...Mike Napoli!







Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Lancaster Barnstormers Kid Reporter Blake Glass Is One Of The Most Awesome 10 Year Olds In America

While I didn't write the headline, I did think it was pretty cool. We were surprised to see this story show up on our facebook page, written by Ben Lipson of Top Prospect Alert. Thanks Ben for helping us raise awareness for alopecia areata. You can follow on Ben on twitter @MinorLeagueBlog and check out this story and lots of other great baseball related stories here... http://www.topprospectalert.com/

The independent Atlantic League team the Lancaster Barnstormers has made a production out of two brothers Blake and Gavin Glass who ask Barnstormers players probing questions such as Who Looks At Themselves In The Mirror The Most and What Is The Best Pickup Line To Use On A Girl. The videos are pretty funny and the players, which include former big leaguers T.J. Beam, Fernando Seguignol, Jonah Bayliss, and Butch Hobson, as well as many minor league veterans you might recognize, are all great sports and offer some pretty humorous responses to the questions.
In addition to being awesome kid reporters, Blake Glass and his brother are also apparently awesome kids. Our friend
Jason Bristol sent us the link to THIS STORY he did on Blake, the older of the two boys. It turns out that Blake has a condition called Alopecia areata which causes him not to have hair on any part of his body. He turned his autograph collecting passion into a fundraiser, donating a nickle out of his allowance for every autograph to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation through his project Autographs 4 Alopecia. In the first video below you can watch the story on the project and below that you can view some of his and Gavin’s awesome work as the Barnstormers Kid Reporters. You can visit Blake’s website Autographs4Alopecia.com and Like Autographs 4 Alopecia On Facebook. The two brothers are also holding a Silent Auction at tonight’s Barnstormers Game to raise money for the foundation. If you use twitter or facebook, be sure to retweet or share this story via the buttons above and help spread the word about these young men and their Autographs 4 Alopecia cause.

UPDATE: The brothers raised $726 during their auction.


CBS 21 Sports with Jason Bristol




Gavin talking football!



Blake getting advice on the ladies!





Gavin asking who spends the most time looking in the mirror...


Blake asking about the players favorite Christmas present...


Gavin reporting on the messiest and funniest guy in the clubhouse


Blake reporting on the players favorite cartoons


Blake talking to the players about dogs


Gavin talking to the players about pre game rituals

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

MVP...Tommy Everidge!

One of our favorite players is Tommy Everidge. This was Tommys first season in Lancaster and he was quite impressive! Tommy always had time to talk to us, sign autographs, and help us by signing some things for our silent auction. Tommy spent some time with the Oakland A's back in 2009 and we could see why! He was at or near the top in many offensive numbers as well as setting a few records. In the end, he was named the 2011 Atlantic League MVP! Congrats Tommy!



Here is a portion from the press release:

Everidge finished the season with league-leading marks of 41 doubles and 28 home runs. He also topped the circuit with 160 hits, 285 total bases and was second in runs scored and RBI, losing out of a share in the latter with Bridgeport getting a play-in game. His .319 average was sixth best in the league.The total of 69 extra-base hits set a new league record, topping Brian Becker (Nashua, 2005) by one, despite having only 125 games on the schedule. Everidge started in all 125 for Lancaster.Both the doubles and home runs totals were Barnstormers franchise records. He also established new club highs during the year by scoring a run in 12 consecutive games and driving in a run in eight straight. His biggest month was August when he hit .394 with 36 RBI in 27 games and was selected as the Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Tommy was always great with us and even continued to support us after this classic video where he was voted messiest and funniest guy in the clubhouse!



After this season, Tommy does not belong in Lancaster! He deserves another shot in spring training with an affiliated club. He would be a great 1B/DH option for a lot of clubs!

Monday, October 24, 2011

HAIR!

Sorry for the lack of updates...We have had a major computer problem at home and we need to get a new one. But...I mentioned that there was a big announcement coming and...I have some hair! I've had a little bit of growth over the summer and right now have the most hair since I had some when I was 6. How long will it stay? How much will I get? Will it fall out again? With alopecia areata there are no answers which is why I'm doing what I can to raise money and awareness so we can help find a cure!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Saying Goodbye!



Goodbyes are never easy. One of the toughest parts of the baseball season is saying goodbye. When the final pitch is thrown, the players pack up their stuff and head in all different directions. Some will go on to play fall ball, winter ball, play golf, go fishing, spend time with family, and start getting ready for next season. Some will decide to call it a career.

One of the players that I know is retiring is Tim McNab. Tim spent 9 seasons in the Mets organization and the last 2 here in Lancaster. Known as Nabber, he was always willing to participate in our kid reports, sign LOTS of autographs, and just talk to us. Tim was supportive of what we were doing this season and was always seen in the bullpen wearing the NAAF band.


We have 17 autographed cards from Tim over 2 seasons. Mostly Barnstormer ones, but also ones from the St. Lucie Mets and the New Orleans Zephers.


On the day that Jason Bristol did our news story, he also did one on Tim that you can check out here:



You can get to know Tim a little better by watching this interview with Lisa Winston in 2010:



Thanks Tim for the last 2 seasons! You will be missed! Good luck in the next phase of your life and take care of Miss Roni!

P.S. If you decide to return to baseball, that would be ok too!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Season of Success!

With the season coming to an end we will be sending in our donation to NAAF. I'm amazed at the donations we received. Many people donated money, autographs, and time, and other memorabilia. Thank you so much! We couldn't have done it without you. Some have emailed and said they would match the donation that I am making. Well, here it is...


$60.25

It's not too late. If you would like to donate you can send to us at:


Blake and Gavin Glass
509 Rutledge Ave
Lancaster, PA 17601


or


National Alopecia Areata Foundation

14 Mitchell Boulevard

San Rafael, CA 94903

Checks can be made payable to NAAF with Autographs 4 Alopecia in the memo line. We will be sending the payments to NAAF at the end of the World Series marking the official end of the baseball season. We will be doing more updates recapping the first season so continue to check back. It's been a fun ride and there will be a couple of BIG announcements this week on Autographs 4 Alopecia! Also, we will announce the total raised after all donations have come in. Stay tuned...

Midland Redskins


We received another cool package in the mail! My dad's cousin Peg contacted the Midland Redskins from Cincinnati. I have never heard of them before but after getting the package and reading up on them, they have had some big names play for them. They are an amateur team in Cincinnati where high school players can play during the summer.

In the box was an Indians mug, hats and shirts of the Redskins, team yearbooks, 2 watches, and 2 KC Royals hats. There were balls signed by Eric Hosmer, Brett Anderson, and Cameron Maybin.

Also it was cool to see that Vince Harrison played for them in 1997. Vince was just named the Atlantic League Championship Series MVP for the York Revolution!

We are looking forward to making a trip to Cincinnati next summer to visit family. We'll definitely check out a Redskins game while we're there!





Today's Autographs: 8
Season autographs: 1205
YTD $ raised for Alopecia Areata: $60.25

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Game 50: Game 4 of the Atlantic League Championship Series

Last Saturday night we headed across the river to catch our final game of the 2011 season. It was game 4 of the Atlantic League Championship Series between the York Revolution and the Long Island Ducks. If you live anywhere in the north east you know that it has been a WET September/October. This scene greeted us way too much at the end of the season. Tonight was no different...more rain! During the rain delay we were able to get a few autographs from York players that were hanging out. One was series MVP Vince Harrison. He has been super nice to us the last year or so he has been in the league. Vince was walking around with his brother Josh Harrison who was a rookie this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was pretty cool to meet Josh and get a picture and autograph.

With the rain not letting up we knew they probably wouldn't get the game in so we headed down by the Ducks clubhouse to say goodbye to our friend Tom Pennino. If you remember, Tom gave us a team signed bat earlier in the season (during a rain delay) and didn't even know about our cause. He even made it in the news story that Jason Bristol did on CBS21. Tom didn't like that Gavin was wearing a York hat so he gave him his road hat from this season. He also got it signed by some guys that were still around. The game did get postponed but we were able to see some of our friends one last time this season. York did go on to win the championship on Sunday for back to back titles. So while we didn't catch a game, we had fun hanging out at the ballpark for one last time in 2011!


Pittsburgh Pirates Josh Harrison





Today's Autographs: 14
Season autographs: 1197
YTD $ raised for Alopecia Areata: $59.85

Game 49: Game 5 of the Atlantic League Division Series

The Barnstormers came back from down 0-2 to force a 5th and deciding game with the cross town rival York Revolution. It was definitely a pitchers match up with the game tied at 1 heading into the 9th inning. York went on to score 4 in the top of the 10th only to have Lancaster come back and score 3 in the bottom half. In a game for the ages, York won and is heading to the Championship series to face the Long Island Ducks. There is no tomorrow for 1 of the teams in an elimination game so we wanted to make sure to get the autographs I still needed from the Barnstormers. They handed out Code Red posters and we were able to get most of the team to sign. Gavin worked on the poster and I worked on my rally towel. It was a good night for autographs, but it was sad to know that we won't see some of these guys until next season.






Today's Autographs:28
Season autographs: 1183
YTD $ raised for Alopecia Areata: $59.15

Grammy and Poppy Thomas

One of our faithful followers on our blog and on our facebook is Grammy and Poppy Thomas. Now they are our cousins grandparents but we still call them grammy and poppy. They recently sent us a check for $50 to donate to NAAF. Thanks so much for following along and helping out in our cause. We really appreciate it! See you soon!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hand delivered from Iowa!

My cousin Aaron and Bria came to visit a couple of weeks ago from Iowa and brought us a pretty cool surprise. One of my favorite players in all of baseball is Matt Murton. He is Aaron's cousin on the other side of the family and we got to watch him play for the first time in 2005 when he was with the Cubs. He is a now tearing up over in Japan and even broke Ichiro's single season hit record in 2010. Aaron and Bria brought us this Matt Murton Tigers shirt signed. It is really awesome! They live close to the Iowa Cubs and also brought us a 2011 Iowa Cubs autographed ball. In addition to the ball and shirt, they donated $20 as well...which is a big deal since they are expecting their first baby!

Thank Aaron, Bria, and baby C!






Today's Autographs: 15
Season autographs: 1155
YTD $ raised for Alopecia Areata: $57.75

Thursday, September 29, 2011

First Pitches...STRIKES!

Sunday the 18th was the final game of the regular season for the Barnstormers. They finished up their season against the Road Warriors and one last tune up before the playoffs started. I always love fan appreciation day because of all the giveaways, but don't like that it means it is the end of the season. As the kid reporters, Gavin and I were invited to throw out the first pitches and we both threw strikes (from the mound). It was an awesome year kid reporting and I hope we can do it next year.

So, what was your favorite report that I did? How about Gavin? Let us know by leaving a comment here or on our facebook page.



Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Games 46, 47, and 48

The end of the season has been a wet one! Game 46 we traveled to York to see our friends on the Bridgeport Bluefish one last time for the season. There was rain coming and the tarp was covered when we got there. We ended up just hanging out and talking to Luis Lopez for a while. He is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet! He has been so kind to our family and has really been a good friend to us. We also got to talk to Antonio Alfonseca and I got him to sign a ball and card for a friend of ours that is getting married. Lots of Bluefish were wearing the NAAF bands and stopped by to say hi. The game ended up getting rained out but that's ok because it was more fun hanging with them during the rain delay.

Games 47 and 48 were the final 2 games of the regular season for the Barnstormers and they were playing the Road Warriors. I'm sure the Road Warriors were ready to be done as they have spent the entire season traveling. It would have been cool to have the Barnstormers let them be the home team, let them pick their walk up music, and have the crowd cheer for them as they really have no fans because they have no home. We do know several guys that play for them that are former Barnstormers. Josh Johnson is their catcher and he signed a bat for me to auction off...Thanks Josh! So the regular season is over for all of minor league baseball. On to the playoff updates shortly!



Luis Lopez with Kyle








Today's Autographs: 24
Season autographs: 1140
YTD $ raised for Alopecia Areata: $57.00

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Raising Awareness with the Barnstormers

Saturday night was our big silent auction to raise awareness for alopecia areata. It was our first time doing an event like this and was a lot of work...but a lot of fun! We auctioned off some autographed photos, bat, jersey, and some balls that we got during the season or were donated to us. It was game 3 of the playoffs between the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution. Since York is only about 30 minutes from Lancaster, we knew there would be some Revs fans there as well. The Revolution also donated a few autographed items for us to sell as well.

Due to the rain out on Friday, a couple of guys that were scheduled to sign autographs could not make the Saturday game. We did have Eric Ackerman who is the only player to win a championship with Lancaster (06) and York (10). He signed autographs and talked to the fans before heading back to the mound to throw out the first pitch. We got to hand out the NAAF awareness bands, talk to people about our cause, and meet Carla. She has alopecia areata and has never met anyone else that has it. I hope we were able to provide a little support for her and spread the word around Lancaster and York.

So, now the big question...How much did we raise? $726! A huge thank you to the Barnstormers for letting us have our auction there and for their items. We also want to thank the Revolution, Josh Johnson, Sandy Keyes, Tommy Everidge, Beth Cardwell Photography, Aaron Herr, and Coach Cummings for their donation of auction items. Last I would like to thank my entire family for helping out and making the night a huge success!

Check out the photos below and back to updating the autographs tomorrow!



The boys with Eric Ackerman




Blake and Carla



Eric Ackermans first pitch...notice the alopecia areata band on the right hand!





The boys with Sandy Keyes winner of the autographed 8x10 Barnstormer kid reporter photo

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Silent Auction and Autograph Booth

I do have a couple of autograph posts to catch up on, but we have been very busy planning our silent auction to be held at tomorrow nights Lancaster Barnstormers vs York Revolution playoff game. When the gates open at 6:00 on Friday night, our first silent auction will begin. This will be a great night to raise money for the National Alopecia Areat Foundation. We have been working hard all season and have had a blast doing it. There will be a table with brochures and the popular NAAF baseball bands, a silent auction table, and we will be having a pre game autograph session with several former Barnstormers. Looking forward to a great night and hope the rain holds off! Here are some of the items that will be auctioned off, there will be a few last minute additions for any Revolution fans in the house!

*Lancaster Barnstormers Team Signed Ball
*Lancaster Barnstormers First Pitch for any game in 2012
*Inning in the Radio booth with Dave Collins in 2012
*Suite Night for 20 people in the 2012 season (food and beverage not included)
*Exclusive meet and greet with the team in 2012 – includes watching batting practice on the field and behind the scenes tour
* Cal Ripken Jr signed baseball
*Matt Watson signed 2010 game used A's jersey
*J.D. Durbin signed 2007 game used Twins jersey
*Tommy Everidge 8x10 signed A's photos
*TJ Beam 8x10 signed Yankees photo
*Brandon Jones 8x10 signed Braves photos
* $150 gift certificate to Beth Cardwell Photography


Confirmed autograph guests are:

Denny Harriger 2006




Eric Ackerman 2005-2010




Kevin Wilson 2005

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Team Up for Alopecia Areata

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation announced that they would use baseball as a platform to raise awareness during September, which is awareness month. Friday, September 23, the Lancaster Barnstormers and Autographs 4 Alopecia have teamed up for an awareness night during the first home playoff game in 5 years! We will be having a silent auction, table with brochures and wrist bands, and scoreboard messages during the game. Thank you to the Barnstormers for helping us raise awareness in the Lancaster and York fan bases. Game time is set for 7:00!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Our Buddies!

One of the cool things the Barnstormers booster club does is the secret buddy program. This was our first year for it and you get little gift bags of goodies for your "buddy" during each home stand during the season. We actually ended up with 3 buddies this year. Our first was Jerome Williams. After starting 6-0 for the Barnstormers he was signed by the Angels and sent to AAA. If you follow baseball at all you know where he is now. After getting called back up to the majors for the first time in 4 years, he is now 3-0 with the Angels and in the middle of a pennant race. Last week he pitched a 1 hitter for his 3rd win! Way to go Jerome!



Once he left the team, we were assigned Adam Calderone. He has spent most of his career in the Blue Jays organization between AA and AAA. Late in the season he was put on the inactive list so he could go home and be with his wife who was having their first baby. Congrats Adam!



Our third buddy is Yaibel Tamayo. He has mostly played in the independent leagues and is a really nice guy. At the end of the season while the players are eating their post game meal, you get to meet your buddy so they can see who has been behind the gifts. Even though we knew Jerome and Adam we were not allowed to tell them they were our buddy. It was pretty cool when we finally got to meet Yaibel. Go Yaibel!