Sunday, April 28, 2013

AMAZING experience at the D-Backs game! Behind the scenes, Batting Practice, and Autographs galore!

After the Diamondbacks Fan Fest in January I emailed the Diamondbacks and thanked them for a great time! I also explained how we had bought autograph tickets for Jason Kubel, but when we got there he was already gone. I explained how while we were disappointed, the staff went out of their way to get us some additional autographs.

The Vice President of Marketing, Karina Bohn, responded to my email and thanked me for the positive feedback and apologized for us not getting to meet Kubel. She invited us to a game of our choice including an opportunity to go on the field during batting practice.

So, yesterday my family and I (minus the baby - big thanks to my mother-in-law) went to the Diamondbacks game. We met Karina at 2 o'clock in what is called the WOW Lobby. She took us upstairs for a behind the scenes look at the offices of the staff of the D-Backs. She took us into a conference room that was just amazing. Take a look at the pictures below.

In the first picture you can see bats from the 2013 Opening Day lineup. On the other side are autographed baseballs by each player on the 2013 25 man roster. In between are Randy Johnson's and Brandon Webb's CY Young Awards. The second picture shows various awards, pictures, and memorabilia from the Diamondbacks over the years. Pretty cool stuff!


















Then we got to go out on the field for batting practice. When we first got out there the roof was open so they had us off to the side in the shade. We were just standing there and Luis Gonzalez walked over and asked my boys if they had gotten a baseball yet. He told them to come with him. As they were walking, Willie Bloomquist walked by and gave my oldest son a baseball that he had been using to play catch with. Gonzalez gave my other son a ball. The ball my son got from Gonzo was brand new. Here they are with their baseballs!

















They closed the roof and then had us move down directly behind home plate while they continued batting practice. Wade Miley was taking a few practice swings near home plate and he came saw my boys holding their baseballs. He looked at them and squared to bunt and indicated that he wanted them to throw the ball. My oldest threw his ball. Miley caught it and threw it back. Then he turned to my other son and had him throw his ball to him as well and then threw it back. It's not every day that you get to play catch with a Major League Baseball player.



After they were done batting several players came over and signed autographs. Here's what we got!

Miguel Montero signed 2 8 x 10's and a ticket from a D-Backs Brewers game were he and Mark Reynolds, Adam LaRoche, and Stephen Drew hit back to back to back to back home runs. I got Reynolds to sign the ticket during Spring Training so now I just need Drew and LaRoche. He also signed my boys baseballs.




Paul Goldschmidt signed 2 8 x 10's and my sons baseballs and took a picture with them. 



A.J. Pollock signed these three cards for us and my sons baseballs. He also took a picture with them. 

Aaron Hill signed 2 8 x 10's and my sons baseballs and took a picture wit
h my boys.



Heath Bell signed a card for me and my sons baseballs. 


Patrick Corbin signed a card and my sons baseballs.


Adam Eaton signed his Rookie Card for me and my sons baseballs. 

 We also got Gonzo to sign a couple of cards.



 Here are the baseballs that my boys got signed.

Baseball #1


Alfredo Marte
Paul Goldschmidt
Aaron Hill


Adam Eaton
Heath Bell
Patrick Corbin


A.J. Pollock

Baseball #2


Miguel Montero
Alfredo Marte
Paul Goldschmidt


A.J. Pollock
Adam Eaton
Heath Bell


Aaron Hill
Patrick Corbin

After Batting Practice was over Karina took us back up and got us some Wade Miley Garden Gnomes.



Then we went and found our seats. Here's our view. The tickets were also provided by Karina. The D-Backs ended up winning the game 3-2 in extra innings! This was an amazing experience and something that my boys and I will never forget! Big thanks to Karina Bohn and the Arizona Diamondbacks!

12 comments:

  1. Holy moly! What a dream day at the park!

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  2. It makes me wonder how many other organizations would go out of their way to make things "right" with their fans. Sounds/looks like you guys had an AWESOME time!

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  3. What an awesome experience for the family. My sister and her family live in Scottsdale and are huge Diamondback fans. My nephew would die of envy if he saw this post.

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  4. Wow.....simply wow! What an awesome time!

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  5. Almost makes me root for the D'Backs. Congrats on a great time!

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  6. That's a wonderful story. Qudos to the Diamondbacks organization for making this happen.

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  7. Incredible! A classy organization that has created memories for those 2 boys for a lifetime.

    Thank you for sharing!!

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  8. UN. BE. LIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    What an incredible memory for your family! This story made my day.

    Thanks for sharing! Much respect for the D'Backs organization after reading this tale....

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  9. Great Stuff man Wish we had that here in Miami with The Marlins. Speaking as a kid who grew up in a ballpark that is a truely an unforgettable young experience for your 2 young boys. The D-Backs look like they know how to treat their fans.

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  10. Wow! What an incredible day! Congrats!

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