Sunday, June 3, 2012

Nolan Ryan 1st Pitch Angels vs Rangers 6-1-12

 I got a tip from my friend Benson that Nolan Ryan was going to throw out the first pitch today at the Angels vs Rangers Game. Normally I don't attend games on the weekdays due to work since I cannot get to the stadium early or on time but I had to make an exception today since I really wanted Nolan Ryan's autograph. I drove to the stadium straight after work and arrived at the stadium about 20 minutes before the first pitch. As soon as I arrived near the Rangers dugout I saw a crowd surrounding Derek Holland who was signing for fans. Derek signed my 2012 Topps Heritage card.



Not a bad start to the day. Then I ran into my friend Matt who had a gift for me.


Thanks for the Ron Artest jersey card Matt.

Afterwards we went over directly behind the Rangers dugout so we can get prime positioning for Nolan Ryan's autograph. Nolan was chatting it up on the field with friends and family.


We were hoping that Nolan would sign before throwing out the first pitch but he never did. Here is a picture of Nolan throwing out the first pitch to Clyde Wright.



It looks like Nolan can still pitch even at his age right now. He can still throw heat and I was impressed. Nolan never signed and we spent the entire game near the luxury suites waiting outside for him. Nolan ended up leaving the stadium through the underground exit thus we weren't able to get his autograph. Nonetheless it was fun trying to graph Nolan even though we didn't succeed. On a positive note the Angels did beat the Texas Rangers after they rallied from a two run deficit and won the game 4-2. Mike Trout had another phenomenal game with two critical hits and 3 RBIs. Trout is the future so lookout everyone.

After the game we decided to graph in front of the home plate gates. Thanks to Benson, who hooked me up with the Topps 87 Gary Pettis card, I was able to get his autograph. Thanks again Benson.


The next person to walk out was Dave Anderson. Since I didn't have a Dave Anderson card I asked him if he could sign one of my Rangers World Series Team Cards. He asked me where I wanted him to sign so I told him he can sign wherever meaning either card. He proceeded by signing on the sheet between the two cards instead of signing on the World Series team card thus I had to correct him. I guess I should be more clear next time. You can see the letter "D" he wrote out before I had to correct him in the picture below.




The last person to walk out was Coach Ron Washington. Ron is usually the last person to walk out and he signed my 2012 Topps Heritage Card.




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