Earlier this week, I received an e-mail from the Tampa Bay Rays regarding an autograph event with fan favorite Sam Fuld. Since I am an avid Rays fan and autograph seeker, I donned my Rays gear, grabbed a baseball bat, and headed to Tyrone Mall, where Sam was signing.

The event started at noon and was scheduled to last for an hour. I arrived at the mall at about 11:40am. The Rays’ outfielder was signing in Sears. I only had to wander around the department store for a minute or so until I saw a line in the boys department. To help pass the time, the Rays Street Team passed out entry forms to win various autographed Rays memorabilia. Transitions Adaptive Lenses sponsored this event so a representative from that company was passing out entry forms to win a free pair of glasses from Transitions. And, of course, the most lovable Seadog around was there to greet the fans.

The line began next to the Up escalator, but progressively spread throughout the store. A little after 12pm, a man proclaimed to the eager fans, “Sam Fuld, everyone!” as they rode the escalator up to where Sam would be signing. The crowd cheered and Sam waved graciously. I think some of the early birds were already lined up on the second level, as I was shocked to see how many people were already up there when, finally, it was my turn to ride the escalator up. It was good to see such a strong turnout on a Wednesday afternoon.

While waiting in line, I got a nice tour of electronics and home goods. Soon enough, I could finally see the table where Sam was signing, in the Sears Optical Center.

The line moved very quickly those last few steps to Sam. The people in front of me came and went and before I knew it, Sam was signing my bat. He was signing with a blue Sharpie, but saw that the rest of the autographs on my bat were in black Sharpie, so he changed markers. No remarkable conversation went on between us, but he does have striking blue eyes, which I never noticed before.

Upon leaving the autograph zone, I was given a Rays cup filled with goodies. Also, since you weren’t allowed to take a picture with Sam using your own camera, the nice people at Sears took a complimentary photo of you leaving the table.

I’ve been to a number of similar events put on by the Rays and they are all fun. If you enjoy baseball, there are plenty of people to chat with, plus, you have the opportunity of scoring a pretty sweet autograph!

Stay tuned to the Community Calendar section of the Rays website to find out about future events like this one: http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/community/calendar.jsp?partnerId=ed-6272997-345246950

I’ve written another Rays-related post about the Hancock Bank Club. If you’d like to experience that virtually, continue reading here: https://bandksaturdays.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/bandk-eat-and-cheer-in-the-hancock-bank-club/

Go Rays!