All Star Week: Day Four

I shouldn't have cut the grass on Saturday morning. I was on my feet the rest of the day. Made it to the All Star Village at the Galleria early, so I hung out for a minute in the hotel lobby. Swanky.

Was assigned to manage the pin trading line, on the lower floor between Topps and the Official Store. Every hour from 130-530 a pin was given away. Lots of talking, answering questions, talking to fans. Lots of fun.

Since only 100 pins were given away, I'd try to count the people in line to warn the people who might not get a pin. Big mistake. The first hour I might've miscounted and some fans were unhappy. That was the only bad experience.

Saw a few members of the old bobblehead gang. Kristen and her husband. Bobblehead queen Katie Wood spent the day hanging around getting all 8 pins being given away.

My coworker Eric teaches special ed in Ringgold. We had fun talking baseball jerseys and other topics. After the 5:30 pins were given out, we were reassigned to the hitting cages outside in the parking lot. Poor Eric was put out in the sun shagging balls, but I was in the shade manning the line.
 

Since the Futures Game started at 4 pm the huge crowd finally started to thin out. By 7 it was really slow, so the production managers started sending people home. Exhausted, I volunteered to leave.

I'd seen a few fans walking around with these huge blue baseball gloves, given away by Geico, the sponsor of the Home Run Derby. I'd always wanted a huge mascot glove, so I spent 45 minutes in win to play the game to try to win one. I didn't. Won some cool sunglasses instead.

So at 8 pm I walked across 285 on the pedestrian bridge to the ballpark. The Futures Game had ended and there was a stream of fans pouring out into the Battery. I had a ticket, and made it inside to watch the last inning of the Celebrity Game. I was so thirsty that I bought a large All Star souvenir cup for $11.00. Actor Michael Kelly, a Braves fan, took some cuts.

So almost as soon as I'd gotten there, it was time to head back across the 285 bridge to my car. On the way home I stopped by RaceTrac for something more to drink. Got home at 930. I hadn't eaten, so I fixed a chicken quesadilla.
 

Sunday morning I got to eat some of Matthew's grits. Made it back to the FanFest for the 9 am opening, as a fan this time, not to work. Got a free bucket hat (that was too small). Also a snow cone and a pin - and a big blue glove!

Then I walked across 285 to the ballpark for the Sunday shift practicing stage pushing.