CyberErik's Success Thread- just starting out, feedback and help welcome!

[cyberer]

Closed out my week of graphing (back to work now!) by graphing the mets last night and this morning.

Got there around arrival time missed the bus, no biggie- didn't miss anyone signing.

Most of the team ended up going out, Wright and Matz shortly after arrival said they would do it on the way back.

Harvey, Syndergaard and a few others left in the same car shortly thereafter. They all said no. Class acts those guys (more on that later).

Cespedes comes out later with his wife kids and a family friend or relative and gets into an SUV. We are thinking we are screwed on getting him. But it ends up taking some time to load his wife and kids into the car, and so he came over and did the crowd. Got him on a pretty sweet looking ROMLB sweet spot.



Travis Darnaud left and returned but didn't acknowledge us.

Matz and Wright came back together and started signing at the same time, so it took some maneuvering in the crowd but I was able to get both- Wright on a photofile image and Matz on a sweet spot ROMLB.





I elected to stay and wait on the pitchers in the car, so I ended up staying a few more hours. The car rolled in and no one signed. Went home and went to bed. Still a pretty epic first night haul.

Went back this morning, it was a bit choppier. I got there late so I missed Matz signing again.

The big snafu for the day happened for me pretty early on. Long story short I ended up with Harvey one on one in a shopping mall (after he walked out). I asked him to sign. He said no. I said I was a big fan and a medical student at the local school, showed him my ID, and said I couldn't go to the games because I work at night but I was trying to get him today. He said no, because he thinks what we are doing (graphing) is wrong. I kept pressing him, he kept putting me off rudely despite my pleading with him to just help me out and sign. I promised to keep it a secret if he did it bc we were 1 on 1. Finally I said, as a doctor, "I hope that you never have cancer and need my help as a doctor." Not my finest moment.

But all he heard was "I hope... cancer" and assumed that I was wishing that he got cancer. So he cursed me out loudly. Later when he came out again he kind of pointed at me to the coach he was with like can you believe this guy? It was a misunderstanding that I feel bad about it, but he is not a nice guy by any stretch of the imagination.

Oh well, that was the bad stuff out of the way for the day.

Shortly thereafter the racking started. Got Wright on a ROMLB (he paneled it as his usual)



Next was conforto, who I got on a pretty sweet-looking 8x10



Finally was neil walker, who I got on a 4x6.



I left after that even though some people were still there, the Harvey thing had me kind of rattled. Oh well, apologized and asked forgiveness from the big guy upstairs and try to do better next time.

Still a pretty epic 24 hours of graphing, what with Scherzer, Murphy, Wrightx2, Conforto, Walker, Matz, Cespedes, etc.

[CYmarlins]

Bummer about the whole Harvey thing, besides that you did great!

[cyberer]

Just an update- apparently the Mets didn't sign anything in Game 2 or Game 3 of the series after my snafu Game 1, and the players told the graphers that they shouldn't wish cancer on people.

I still feel bad about opening my mouth to say something mean in the first place, but I can't help that he misheard me and heard something worse.

Apparently Flacco did a free signing on Wednesday and Wayne Gretzky was in town racking on Wed-Thurs and I didn't hear about either, so karma already rewarded me badly. Oh well.

[T-Fig]

I still feel bad about opening my mouth to say something mean in the first place, but I can't help that he misheard me and heard something worse.

Dude, I don't usually comment on what other people do, but even if Harvey did mishear you, what you actually did say isn't any better. You essentially told him that even though you are a trained (or training to be an) oncologist, you would let him die of cancer since he wouldn't sign an autograph for you. Even if he heard you perfectly, he has every right to be angered by that. That's a crappy thing to say to someone, regardless of their actions

[lambeauleap87]

The big snafu for the day happened for me pretty early on. Long story short I ended up with Harvey one on one in a shopping mall (after he walked out). I asked him to sign. He said no. I said I was a big fan and a medical student at the local school, showed him my ID, and said I couldn't go to the games because I work at night but I was trying to get him today. He said no, because he thinks what we are doing (graphing) is wrong. I kept pressing him, he kept putting me off rudely despite my pleading with him to just help me out and sign. I promised to keep it a secret if he did it bc we were 1 on 1. Finally I said, as a doctor, "I hope that you never have cancer and need my help as a doctor." Not my finest moment.

Well, if anyone ever wonders why people (fans and players alike) hate autographers, this is a shining example of why. That's both awful and sad. I've always enjoyed your thread, but that's just pathetic.

[ajcorleone]

Love your thread but sad to say that is wayyyyyy more than a snafu. So people cannot wonder why athletes act they way they do towards graphers.

[cyberer]

Just seeing these comments now. I don't disagree with any of you- I said in my post I feel bad and regret it, and asked God for forgiveness.

I will say the point that I was trying to make was that I would NOT let him die of cancer as an oncologist, which makes it all the more effed up that he's being such a jerk about an autograph. I understand that wasn't how it came out and that it's a bad thing to say regardless.

I wasn't looking for validation from you guys I know it sucks and I agree with (most of) the criticism. I appreciate you liking my thread which most of you acknowledged, just trying to move on from this. I believe in sharing it all- the good the bad and the ugly...

On to happier stuff.

My wife and I decided to go to a Trump rally yesterday, in West Chester PA. We got there really really early, waited in line with some really nice people- some frat boys, a recent alum of West Chester University, a working class couple. I really didn't see the "Trump supporters are ignorant redneck" type people that the media portrays.

There were some protestors there, maybe a few hundred, but nothing too crazy happend outside while I was looking. They looked to be well-organized- many showed up in a bus with anti-trump stuff all over the sides of it.

We were 10th in line, and when we got in we had our choice of spots. My wife and I got a great spot front and center in the middle in front of the stage. We thought we were in great shape.

But, as the minutes passed, I noticed something. In front of us was a guard rail, then about a 4 foot space, then another guardrail. If Trump was to sign on the inner guardrail, I realized that I would not be able to reach him.

My wife and I also noticed that the area to the right of the stage only had a single guardrail, with no double guardrail or space in the middle. We decided it was best to go over there to get the graph at the single guardrail.

When we got to the side rail we saw there were no spots on the front row. I was able to beg some college-aged kids to take a half step sideways and make room for my wife on the rail so she could see, and I stood behind her.

Sure enough, right after that, the old spot where we were they started filing in the VIP people into that "space" between the guard rails. Had we stayed there we would have been 3rd row, and behind 2 guard rails i.e. no chance at Trump. Good thing we moved. Grapher instincts.

We waited for many hours as the arena filled in around us. To his credit, Trump came on at 4:00 sharp for a 4:00 rally. Got a selfie from our spot by the stage right as he went on



The speech went the better part of an hour. I have been supporting Kasich so I am not a Trump-y, but I thought the rally was mostly rational and normal. Only 1 or 2 protestors had to be (roughly) escorted out by secret service. I really didn't see the hate and ignorance that the media portrays, and this is coming from a neutral party.

He entered the stage from the opposite side from us, so we weren't sure if he was going to exit the stage that way or come towards us. When he finished his speech I saw his body language indicate that he was turning towards us, I knew we were set.

He took a sharpie from the secret service and started signing to my wife's right and working his way down. I tried to reach to my right to get into his signing area. The secret service moved my item and said that he would get to me next he promises. I said ok, especially since that guy was directing him where to go. Right before he got to my wife, someone threw a rubber ball at him from the audience. He looked annoyed, and scribbled a sig on my wife's sign. She thinks him being annoyed influenced the graph. Oh well.




A few people later he took my photo. I pointed where I wanted him to sign it, and that broke his quick scribble routine and he actually took his time with it and gave me a decent signature (for his standards).



I got a good D-Trump. The only better one has a full Donald.

He also shook my hand, his left hand with my right hand (he didn't want to put down the sharpie in his right hand). Pretty cool stuff.

Still not 100% sure what I think about Trump, but even still this has to rank above my best and most exciting graphs!

[pzero]

I really didn't see the "Trump supporters are ignorant redneck" type people that the media portrays.

I really didn't see the hate and ignorance that the media portrays, and this is coming from a neutral party.

Now you know the truth. Glad you had a great experience at his rally.

[awz50]

Gotta say that cancer comment, whether you intended it to come out one way or another was just plain awful.

[cyberer]

Look, I'm a cancer survivor myself (8 years out), I understand the horrible nature of a comment that can be interpreted as me wishing cancer on someone else. I have had to live with this for over a week now. I'm really just trying to move on.