Tsuyoshi Wada (08/18/14)

Tsuyoshi Wada, Chicago Cubs Pitcher

Tsuyoshi Wada is a starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. In Japan, he was a 4-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star and Pacific League Rookie of the Year in 2003. Wada also played for the Japanese national team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Today, I had tickets to watch the New York Mets take on the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. I arrived early to the stadium and the Cubs players were on the field warming up. After they were done warming up, Tsuyoshi Wada came over to sign autographs. He was really cool and signed items for everyone. He signed my baseball right on the sweet spot and added his jersey number to his signature.

 Tsuyoshi Wada signing autographs.

Tsuyoshi Wada signed Rawlings official MLB baseball.

The view of the game from my seat.

The New York Mets lost 1-4, but it was a great day for baseball game. It was a pleasure meeting Tsuyoshi Wada. I wish more players would take as much time as he does to greet fans.

Jason Grilli (05/26/14)

Jason Grilli, Pittsburgh Pirates Closer
2013 MLB All-Star

Today, I went to Citi Field with my friends Tom and Jack to watch the New York Mets take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I arrived early with hopes of obtaining a couple of autographs before the game. Once I got into the stadium all of the New York Mets players finished warming up. I decided to go down the left field line, where the Pirates were warming up, to try and get an autograph.

Jason Grilli came out of the Pirates dugout and was the coolest guy on the field. He waved to everyone and said he would sign autographs after his warm-up. My friend Tom, who is a huge Pirates fan, got his attention when he yelled out "Jason, Seton Hall brother!" Jason smiled and pointed right at him and said, "You already know." Seton Hall was the college that Jason attended.

Here's a picture of Jason and some of his teammates.

Jason kept his word and came over to sign autographs. He literally went down the line and signed autographs for everyone. Jason signed my baseball right on the sweet spot.

Jason Grilli signed Rawlings official MLB baseball.

Here's a picture of Jason signing Tom's Pirates hat.

The next player that I really wanted to get was 2011 1st overall draft pick, Gerrit Cole. Cole was the last Pirates player to finish his workout. Unfortunately, he was only signing a couple of autographs. He had to rush back to get ready for the game. Here's a picture of Gerrit Cole signing autographs.

Jason Grilli is a very nice guy. I was happy to meet him and add an MLB All-Star to my autograph collection. This was my first time attempting to get autographs at Citi Field. If one arrives early, there's a good chance of obtaining at least one autograph. Citi Field does a great job allowing fans to go down to field level before the game begins.

Dwight "Doc" Gooden (05/03/14)

Dwight "Doc" Gooden, New York Mets Pitcher 1984-1994
New York Mets Hall of Fame Inductee 2010

Dwight "Doc" Gooden was a 4-time MLB All-Star (1984-1986, 1988) and 3-time World Series Champion (1986, 1996, 2000) with the New York Mets and Yankees. He was the 1984 National League Rookie of the Year. In 1985, Doc lead the National League in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts, which earned him the Triple Crown for pitchers and Cy Young Award. Dwight also pitched a no-hitter on May 14, 1996 while playing for the Yankees. On August 1, 2010, the New York Mets inducted him into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Doc was signing autographs at the Shop Rite in Little Falls, NJ. My goal was to get him to sign a baseball with an inscription and a couple of 5x7 photos. Doc was very friendly with the fans. He took pictures with everyone who asked. When I greeted him I asked if he can inscribe "86 W.S. Champs" on the baseball, but he said he wasn't doing inscriptions. I couldn't complain, since the signing was free. I was happy I got another sweet spot autograph. It's the second Doc Gooden baseball in my collection.

Dwight Gooden signed Rawlings Official MLB baseball.

Dwight Gooden signed 5x7 photos.

Dwight Gooden poses for a photo with me.

Here's a picture of my New York Mets helmet that I'm filling up with signatures of players from the 1986 World Series team. Doc signed this for me at a signing on June 6, 2010.

Overall, the signing was a success. It was interesting going to a signing at a supermarket, but everything was organized. Shop Rite did a great job hosting this event.