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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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