nodakfan17

I had a brief bout with depression two years. I don't know your personal circumstances, but I can sympathize to a degree. My wife was an angel (still is). In the long run, it strengthened our marriage. Best of luck.

From a pure economic standpoint, I can see where the addition of 10 bobbleheads every year really dilutes the current market. Plus, if you're attempting to collect every Brewers-affiliated bobblehead (bless your heart), I can easily see where this gets exhausting. However, from a pure entertainment standpoint, isn't it kind of fun to pick and choose the ones you want? America loves choices.

That's kind of an odd configuration. How did you wind up with that pair of seats?

Sorry to hear of your casualty, Turbo.

Thanks for that great recap, Turbo! I contemplated staying for the auction, but my brother had a cold and was starting to feel the heat. Not knowing how long the auction would last, we opted to head home. He had been a good sport about sticking it out for autographs. I hoped the bidding would start at $50 and that I would be able to snag a lesser-known player's jersey, but it sounds like the bidding started North of there (which is great, considering the cause). That's too bad about Tyler Linehan. At 244 pounds, it looks like he's the biggest player on the roster. I wonder if his jersey received so little attention because it wouldn't fit many people? Personally, I would not have bought many of these jerseys with the intent to display them. Instead, I'd rather wear one to future Timber Rattler games. If the price is right, they'd be a lot neater than most of the garb the team store sells. I really wish I had a North Pole Reindeer jersey. Those are sharp. Prior to this season, I had not attended a Timber Rattler game since I was child (shortly after they were christened the Rattlers). My (now) wife and I moved back to the area from North Dakota in 2010, but I had been getting my baseball fix from the Green Bay Bullfrogs ever since. One particularly cold winter night, I purchased the Bobblehead 10-Pack on a whim and today I could not be happier with that decision . I'll probably continue to make an annual pilgrimage to Miller Park, but from now on, most of my baseball dollars will be going to Appleton.

When I was a TA, I use to remove Sharpie from white boards all of the time. The trick was to trace the Sharpie writing with a dry erase marker, then wipe the board clean. Why don't you practice removing Sharpie from a photo with a similar finish? Too funny - I was expecting Medeiros to personalize for me on Sunday, but he did not. He's signed three times for me this summer, but only personalized once. I think he pegged me for an Ebayer that time - I was wearing a solid color polo shirt and gave him an OMLB. The other two times, I've worn team colors and used unofficial balls.

Did anyone bid on jerseys yesterday afternoon? I passed, but I'd like to know for how much they sold. The lines for Autograph Sunday were the shortest I've seen all season (this was my 4th time). I got nice clean signatures of Nathan Kirby, Kodi Medeiros, and Tucker Neuhaus on unofficial balls. Kirby and Medeiros were stationed right next to each other. After I met Kirby, I was surprised to see that the Medeiros line was relatively short, so I jumped in his line (even though I have tried him at two previous games). Neuhaus was just a few spots down from Medeiros, so I tried him for the first time all season. At that point, I was limited by the number of balls with fresh signatures that I could carry, so I called it a day - a pretty decent one, at that. I was fortunate to go 3 for 3 on the signatures. It seems that roughly half of my autographs come out off-centered or smudged (a common hazard when writing on a convex surface). Usually, adding one top prospect autograph to my collection is a win.

Thanks for the tip on the practice rounds. I have a pair of colleagues who have told me that the practice rounds are the way to go, based on their own experiences in 2004 and 2010. I would have suspected that there would be fewer people too, but I think they most enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. I wish photos would have been permitted on Friday. I completely understand why they should not be allowed at the tee or on the green. Like anything else, I'm sure the privilege has been abused and that's why it's outlawed.

I also went to the PGA Championship yesterday (Friday). I consider myself a casual golf fan. I don't golf myself, but I'll usually turn on CBS on Sunday afternoons prior to football season. That being said, I'd probably rate my fan experience as a B-minus. There was nowhere to hide from the heat unless you had club or suite access. My $100 grounds pass afforded no such luxuries. I thought that the food and beverage selection was ample and priced no worse than Lambeau Field, but there was no place to eat lunch except for a small section of picnic tables that were directly in the sun. I ate lunch at 11 am to ensure a seat. From 7 am - 9 am, I sat in the grand stands on the 11th green. This was probably my best viewing experience. Once I surrendered that seat, it would have been nearly impossible to reclaim another seat in the grand stands on a different hole. The first golfers teed off at 6:45 am, but by 8 am, the course was packed. It wasn't all bad - I parked for free in the North lot and took a shuttle to the course. There was no wait on my way to or from the course. I was able to board a shuttle immediately, which left within 5 minutes each time. As expected, the course was beautiful. I enjoyed the time that I spent exploring Whistling Straights. I was also able to see nearly every golfer that I had hoped to see (including several up close at the 11th green). The highlight of my day was watching John Daly tee off on 2 and then proceed to light up a cigarette as he walked down the fairway. I would definitely like to go to the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straights, but would hesitate to pay full price for passes to the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills. Instead, I might opt for attending a practice round at 1/2 the cost (and presumably 1/2 the crowd).

Last Autograph Sunday on the 16th - anyone else going to be there? I'd like to get Nathan Kirby and try again for a clean Carlos Leal signature. If there's time, I'll try Medeiros. I have the ticket stub from his first Single-A start that I'd like to get signed. He pitched 6 scoreless innings that night. I noticed in an email that I received from the Timber Rattlers earlier this week that there will be two jersey auctions on Sunday - the regular Brewer Sunday jerseys and the special edition Dora the Explorer jerseys that they will be wearing on Sunday. I might bring a few extra bucks to the ballpark - does anyone know at what price the silent auction bids usually begin?

You beat me to it! Kind of a neat after thought - Biloxi should be well-positioned for a run at the Southern League title with the addition of 3 Top 30 prospects.

I was wondering that myself. I think there's a chance he slots at #1 ahead of Arcia, although it's probably close with those two. I also think Santana and Hader easily move into the top 10, maybe top 5, in the system given the levels they are playing at. If all the prospects keep good momentum the farm system will look much healthier going into 2016. Wow, the prospect watch on MLB.com update quickly. As of 9:37 CST, they had them ranked as follows: 1. Orlando Arcia 2. Brett Phillips 3. Trent Clark 4. Domingo Santana 5. Tyrone Taylor 6. Gilbert Lara 7. Clint Coulter 8. Devin Williams 9. Jorge Lopez 10. Kodi Medeiros 11. Monte Harrison 12. Jake Gatewood 13. Nathan Kirby 14. Josh Hader 15. Tyler Wagner 16. Taylor Williams 17. Michael Reed 18. Yadiel Rivera 19. Demi Orimoloye 20. Marcos Diplan 21. Victor Roache 22. Kyle Wren 23. Miguel Diaz 24. David Goforth 25. Tyler Cravy 26. David Denson 27. Adrian Houser 28. Hobbs Johnson 29. Brandon Woodruff 30. Cody Ponce

I missed it too. It is typical to have so many of the current year's draft picks in Low A? I'm glancing at yesterday's program and noticing a number of 2015 picks: - Cody Ponce (2) - Blake Allemand (5) - Eric Handhold (6) - Jon Perrin (27) + Kirby (who is not yet on the roster) By comparison, the Clinton Lumber Kings had zero 2015 picks on yesterday's roster.

Neat - I was probably about 20th in line for Kodi Meideros. My 10-pack seats are near first base, so after the last out, it takes me a while to make my way over to the autograph tent. When Kodi last signed for me on Opening Day, he did not personalize. The last few months must have really tested his patience (and who could blame him?). As he was flipping the baseball around to find the sweet spot, I think he noticed that it was an OMLB and then asked to personalize (figuring it was more likely to end up on eBay). As I mentioned earlier, I had intended this one to be a gift. Every other signed ball I've obtained this season has been on the same unofficial ball from Dick's. If the signature is clean, I put the ball in a cube. If the signature is poor (or the player doesn't advance past Appleton), I recycle the ball and use it as an actual baseball. If I were paying money for an autograph, I would want for the signature to be to my liking, but since Autographs Sundays are free with admission, I'm content with whatever signatures I can obtain.

Too funny - I asked Kodi to sign an OMLB on the sweet spot today and he asked for my name so that he could personalize it. I was hoping to give the ball to my brother-in-law for Christmas, but he caught me off guard. I've never used OMLBs for Timber Rattler autographs, but I've had an extra one since the last time I went to Brewers On Deck (around 2008). I had hoped to put it to good use as a gift. Now I've got a nice-looking Medeiros OMLB I spent a lot of time waiting in the Medeiros line, but picked up Carlos Leal and Cody Ponce afterwards - both on unofficial balls that I get in bulk from Dick's for $1.50 each. The Cody Ponce signature was centered and clean (great looking sig/ball). The Carlos Leal signature was a bit off-center, but still presentable. I have one nice-looking Medeiros signature from Opening Day, so I'll probably skip the line during the next (and final) Autograph Sunday and try to pick up a few extra balls.

In past years, it has been exactly the same. After the auto session, then the players wander over to the picnic area to grab a bite to eat, and be annoyed by fans who want them to sign things, even though they just had a designated time to do so. Thanks, Turbo. I was hoping for a thinner autograph crowd at the STH picnic, but I'll just roll the dice with the Autograph Sunday line. I wouldn't want to pester the players when they are trying to eat, especially after they just finished an autograph session.

Admittedly, that would make it more difficult for me to accept Favre. However, as history played itself out, the Packers defeat Favre twice in 2010 and win a Super Bowl (thus proving Ted Thompson correct). I still cringe when I see highlights of Favre wearing purple, but I'm over it.

I never understood the angle that Favre somehow got revenge on the Packers by beating them twice in 2009. The Packers beat Favre and the Vikings twice in 2010 in route to a Super Bowl. 2 wins, 2 losses, 0 Super Bowls - he really stuck it to the Packers, I guess (sarcasm). Most Brett Favre apologists seem to conveniently forget the Clay Matthews aspect too. I had to listen to their whining on local radio for 3 years until they finally went silent after February 6th, 2010. And in assessing crimes to sport - order Rose / Braun however you'd like. The Favre retirement saga was a little petty, but loving your sport is not a crime. If anything, it was good for the NFL as it gave us 3 more years to watch Brett Favre.

I received a free pair of tickets to the Season Holder Picnic on Sunday, August 16th. Has anyone attended in past years? Are the post-game autograph opportunities similar to the typical Autograph Sundays?

Great recap. Thanks for sharing.

I hope that you also collect University of Nebraska football autographs If I were Monte Harrison, it would be very difficult for me to continue living the Minor League Baseball lifestyle when I could very easily take what is left of my $1.8 million signing bonus and live like a rock star in Lincoln for 4 years. In all seriousness, I think that Autograph Sundays are pretty neat. I've gone twice this season. I've noticed that some fans will hold places in the longer lines for their friends while their friends work through the shorter lines. Sometimes it's parents saving a spot for their kids, but more often than not, it's teens and adults running this charade.

Do you think that Wisconsin's unique "tailgate culture" could sustain the Brewers through a pair of lean years? I travel from Green Bay a few times every season because attending Brewer games is fun. I look back on the last 10 years and I can only think of a few instances where I have been motivated to attend an extra game because of the performance of the team.

I picked up the Mike Fiers bobblehead this afternoon in Appleton ... 3 for 3 on attendance so far this year. It was a fun game to watch live (despite the score). Kodi Medeiros was the SP and Scooter Gennett played the entire game at 2B. I was able to get both Jake Gatewood and Monte Harrison to sign balls after the game as part of the regular Sunday Autograph session. Scooter also came up to the concourse to sign after the game, which was pretty neat of him since I doubt that he was under any obligation to do so. Edit 5/4: 1) It's easy to see why Monte Harrison was a four-star football recruit for Nebraska. He has an impressive frame. I hope that he doesn't get frustrated after another year or two in the minors and decide to play football like Brent Brewer. 2) When I entered Fox Cities Stadium on Sunday, I saw a large sign that read "No Buying, Selling, or Trading of Bobbleheads." I wonder if they have had issues with bobble gypsies recently?

I tried the Grilled Cheese Bacon Cheeseburger last weekend. At $10, it was a pretty decent value (double the size of a standard ballpark brat or hamburger). My only complaint - the cheese in the grilled cheese was processed. I would have preferred fresh off the block cheddar.

One nice thing to come out of Scooter's DL stint - Fans in Appleton get to see him suit up for the Timber Rattlers this weekend! Scooter Gennett to Rehab with Timber Rattlers beginning on Friday (5/1)