A funny story from yesterday's game

The only thing this really has to do with the Braves is the fact that it took place at yesterday's game versus the Phillies.  But hey, at least it's still related to the sport of baseball here.

I've said that in my Top-5 favorite players, among them is Chan Ho Park.  I was a fan of his when he emerged in Los Angeles, winced when he signed the fated 5 yr/$65M contract, argued to be among the worst in history, with the Rangers, watched him hobble through mediocrity in Texas, before being shipped back to the National League, where he had cameos with the Padres and again with the Dodgers, and Pujols-forbid, he was also a Met for a year.

But worst of all, in 2009, he signed of with all the teams in MLB, the Philadelphia Phillies.  It does sadden me greatly.

However, allegiances and fandom can exceed even team affiliation, and that is how I found myself trolling the left-field corner wall (the visitor's side) during batting practice the other day.  I've already gotten a baseball signed by Park, and I don't collect baseball cards, but it occurred to me that I should try to get a photograph signed.

The combined thought of "Chan Ho Park" and "photograph" could only result in one thing for me, which ended up being the (in)famous photograph of Chan Ho Park, then of the Los Angeles Dodgers, delivering a scissor-kick to the Anaheim Angels' Tim Belcher.  So I blew it up a little bit, and printed it out, and took it to the game with me; what's the worst that could happen, he'd ignore me, or refuse to sign it?  It couldn't hurt to see what would happen.

To get to the point, I waited, and then Park showed up, and since I'm pretty much the only Chan Ho Park fan in the state of Georgia, he easily found me calling out for him, and I asked him to sign a photograph.  He first said that he didn't sign things "there," meaning the foul territory at the left-field wall; I've heard him explain to kids that it's for his and the others players' safety, which makes some sense.  But I've also seen him sign things in the exact same spot, so I held pat.

As expected, he came back, and asked to see the photo.  I turned it to where he could see it, and he immediately said that "I'm not going to sign it . . . but I would like to see it."  Mortified, I handed him the photo, to which he examined carefully while walking back into the outfield with the other pitchers, who had begun to shag flies.  Cliff Lee, who was kind of watching this transpire, must have felt bad about the confiscation of my photograph, because he threw a ball my way - not a bad consolation prize, but I've got tons of baseballs already.

Much to my amusement, Park began taking the photograph to all of the other pitchers; Cole Hamels, Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson, (and for some reason Eric Bruntlett was hanging out with the pitchers), Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge, and were clearly having some amused animated discussion over the memory.  Park patted his legs a few times, whatever that might've meant from my vantage point.  I soon saw him asking kids in the outfield stands for something, and I eventually saw a sharpie being tossed to him.  I knew he was going to sign it at that point, so I was quite pleased.

On his way back, he also showed the photo off to the trainers, and also Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee, who were kind of off on their own.

"I signed it for you . . . but can you read it?"  Park said to me, handing me back the photograph.

"Better hope I don't do this to you!"

I laughed greatly right then and there, and Park went off to finish the rest of his warming up.  He's really sarcastic to old snarks like myself, but I know how much he really values his fans.  Almost every game I've seen him, he plays catch with the kids, and he doesn't really smile, but he signs a lot of things for a lot longer than some other players do.  I think I'm going to laminate and then frame this sucker, and/or try to make one of those "photograph plus baseball" display cases or something.  And I think I'm going to try and get more photographs of players in fights signed by one or both involved parties, going on.