Monday, July 12, 2004
HoustonChronicle.com - Focus on Fans: Baseball loversflock to FanFestBy KEVIN MORAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
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The John Hancock All-Star FanFest is one way for Houstonians to experience Major League Baseball's All-Star events. Here's a look at what the fans are saying and doing:
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Houstonian Chuck Hanovitch was one of many adult fans who gazed wistfully at the thousands of old baseball cards for sale at the FanFest. Like many others who collected Topps baseball cards and chewed wads of gum that came with them in the 1950s and 1960s, Hanovitch's boyhood card collection is long gone.
"Mother threw them all away," said Hanovitch, a passionate baseball fan who was 12 years old when he attended the 1968 All-Star Game at the Astrodome.
"Willie Mays scored the only run in a 1-0 game on a ground-ball, double play," Hanovitch said, describing the action as if it happened this week.
FanFest revived a lot of great memories, Hanovitch said.
"To me, baseball is fun," he said. "It's fun to watch a game with your kids. You played as a child and you can relive it through your kids."
Karl Wullf's "kid," Kathy Beauchamp, is an adult Houstonian with her own kids now.
The All-Star Game gave Beauchamp and the rest of her family a chance to play a great trick on Wulff, an Orange, Calif., resident.
A friend of Beauchamp's who has Astros season tickets gave her the chance to purchase All-Star tickets.
"Dad was the first person I thought of," Beauchamp said as she and her dad strolled around FanFest Monday. "Mom and I set up this elaborate plot to get them here and he thought they were flying out to care for my kids while I went on a business trip to Dallas."
Beauchamp arrived in Houston on Friday and it wasn't until Sunday that his daughter revealed the surprise.
"Isn't that great?" said Beauchamp, beaming ear-to-ear at the prospect of attending Tuesday's game. "She got me the ticket for Father's Day."
John Killen, 9, of Winona, Minn., was just as excited as Beauchamp Monday.
"We're here for the Major League All-Star baseball game," Killen proclaimed proudly as he and his father, also named John Killen, strolled around FanFest Monday. "My dad got tickets from his company."
Young John said he's in Houston to "get autographs from Mets players," particularly his hero, Mike Piazza.
"He's going to play first base this year," John said of Piazza.
Getting to see FanFest and then go to the game Tuesday offered about as good a week as the young Minnesotan could imagine.
"It's real cool," he said.
San Francisco lawyer Marty Glick was in town with his 21-year-old son for the game but was strolling FanFest on his own Monday.
A veteran of a half-dozen or so All-Star games, Glick said he has some old baseball cards but he wasn't buying any at FanFest.
"I just like to look at them," he said.
Glick said he's glad there's something at stake when the two leagues put their best players into action every July now.
The league that wins the All-Star game gives its World Series contender the right to play the first games of the series at home.
"I like that they're playing for something that matters," said Glick. "The (All-Star) managers are a little more careful with the lineups."
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Among the thousands attending today's FanFest was Houstonian Steven Newman, 35, who stood in line to test his baseball pitching speed and get a free package of Upper Deck baseball cards.
"I saw a 12-year-old pitch faster than I did," Newman said. "I gotta get in the gym."
Like many who entered the sprawling event in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Newman said he was astonished at the scope of FanFest.
"I said 'Holy Cow! Look at this place,' when I walked in here," Newman said. "It's amazing."
Newman and a friend were strolling the exhibit hall, viewing a huge variety of baseball memorabilia and related products.
Some of the longest lines were at the "Baseball Legends" booth, where fans could get free autographs of true legends of the sport.
"I'm in line to get Harmon Killebrew's signature right now," said Harry Cooper, of Coffee Lake, Tx., near Tyler. "He's a great one to get."
Cooper had already spent half the day in the autograph line, going through each time the former players on hand changed. Besides Killebrew's, Cooper had gathered signatures of former Astro Orlando Palmeiro(cq) and Astros catcher Raul Chavez.
"I'm waiting to get Goose Gossage and Fergie Jenkins," Cooper said.
While Cooper qualified as a die-hard adult fan, 14-year-old Andy Firestone of Los Angeles certainly equaled most adults in the hall in baseball fervor.
"This is my seventh (FanFest) in a row," Firestone said as he took a break from a baseball video game. "My first one was in Cleveland."
Firestone said he, a brother and other relatives planned to see Tuesday's game.
"We come to FanFest mainly to collect the cards," Firestone said. "My most valuable card is a 1960s Andy Koufax card. It's probably worth about $400."
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The John Hancock All-Star FanFest is one way for Houstonians to experience Major League Baseball's All-Star events. Here's a look at what the fans are saying and doing:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Houstonian Chuck Hanovitch was one of many adult fans who gazed wistfully at the thousands of old baseball cards for sale at the FanFest. Like many others who collected Topps baseball cards and chewed wads of gum that came with them in the 1950s and 1960s, Hanovitch's boyhood card collection is long gone.
"Mother threw them all away," said Hanovitch, a passionate baseball fan who was 12 years old when he attended the 1968 All-Star Game at the Astrodome.
"Willie Mays scored the only run in a 1-0 game on a ground-ball, double play," Hanovitch said, describing the action as if it happened this week.
FanFest revived a lot of great memories, Hanovitch said.
"To me, baseball is fun," he said. "It's fun to watch a game with your kids. You played as a child and you can relive it through your kids."
Karl Wullf's "kid," Kathy Beauchamp, is an adult Houstonian with her own kids now.
The All-Star Game gave Beauchamp and the rest of her family a chance to play a great trick on Wulff, an Orange, Calif., resident.
A friend of Beauchamp's who has Astros season tickets gave her the chance to purchase All-Star tickets.
"Dad was the first person I thought of," Beauchamp said as she and her dad strolled around FanFest Monday. "Mom and I set up this elaborate plot to get them here and he thought they were flying out to care for my kids while I went on a business trip to Dallas."
Beauchamp arrived in Houston on Friday and it wasn't until Sunday that his daughter revealed the surprise.
"Isn't that great?" said Beauchamp, beaming ear-to-ear at the prospect of attending Tuesday's game. "She got me the ticket for Father's Day."
John Killen, 9, of Winona, Minn., was just as excited as Beauchamp Monday.
"We're here for the Major League All-Star baseball game," Killen proclaimed proudly as he and his father, also named John Killen, strolled around FanFest Monday. "My dad got tickets from his company."
Young John said he's in Houston to "get autographs from Mets players," particularly his hero, Mike Piazza.
"He's going to play first base this year," John said of Piazza.
Getting to see FanFest and then go to the game Tuesday offered about as good a week as the young Minnesotan could imagine.
"It's real cool," he said.
San Francisco lawyer Marty Glick was in town with his 21-year-old son for the game but was strolling FanFest on his own Monday.
A veteran of a half-dozen or so All-Star games, Glick said he has some old baseball cards but he wasn't buying any at FanFest.
"I just like to look at them," he said.
Glick said he's glad there's something at stake when the two leagues put their best players into action every July now.
The league that wins the All-Star game gives its World Series contender the right to play the first games of the series at home.
"I like that they're playing for something that matters," said Glick. "The (All-Star) managers are a little more careful with the lineups."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Among the thousands attending today's FanFest was Houstonian Steven Newman, 35, who stood in line to test his baseball pitching speed and get a free package of Upper Deck baseball cards.
"I saw a 12-year-old pitch faster than I did," Newman said. "I gotta get in the gym."
Like many who entered the sprawling event in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Newman said he was astonished at the scope of FanFest.
"I said 'Holy Cow! Look at this place,' when I walked in here," Newman said. "It's amazing."
Newman and a friend were strolling the exhibit hall, viewing a huge variety of baseball memorabilia and related products.
Some of the longest lines were at the "Baseball Legends" booth, where fans could get free autographs of true legends of the sport.
"I'm in line to get Harmon Killebrew's signature right now," said Harry Cooper, of Coffee Lake, Tx., near Tyler. "He's a great one to get."
Cooper had already spent half the day in the autograph line, going through each time the former players on hand changed. Besides Killebrew's, Cooper had gathered signatures of former Astro Orlando Palmeiro(cq) and Astros catcher Raul Chavez.
"I'm waiting to get Goose Gossage and Fergie Jenkins," Cooper said.
While Cooper qualified as a die-hard adult fan, 14-year-old Andy Firestone of Los Angeles certainly equaled most adults in the hall in baseball fervor.
"This is my seventh (FanFest) in a row," Firestone said as he took a break from a baseball video game. "My first one was in Cleveland."
Firestone said he, a brother and other relatives planned to see Tuesday's game.
"We come to FanFest mainly to collect the cards," Firestone said. "My most valuable card is a 1960s Andy Koufax card. It's probably worth about $400."
