I attended the Buffalo Bisons game Saturday at Coca-Cola Field to watch the new Buffalo Bisons, the Triple A affiliate of the New York Mets, take on the old Buffalo Bisons, now known as the Columbus Clippers. Good to see the Bisons win, which is a rarity these days.
But the main attraction wasn't on the field. The big draw Saturday was a visit by Darryl Strawberry. Strawberry bobbleheads were handed out to the first 4,000 through the Swan Street gate. An hour before game time, the line to enter stretched from the Swan Street entrance, around the front of the stadium and all the way to Exchange Street! Once inside, a second line quickly formed, and I'd estimate that at least 1,000 fans stood in line for an autograph from the former Mets star.
Bisons management did a good job of keeping the line moving at a steady pace. Autograph signings featuring former big league greats are frequent in Rochester. Let's hope we see more of them in Buffalo.
Speaking of autographs, a couple of weeks ago I met a local man who was selling parts of his impressive sports memorabilia collection. Most of what he was selling was out of my ballpark financially, but it was great just seeing the items that he had accumulated over the years.
Perhaps the smallest piece in the collection came with the greatest story. It was a golf ball autographed by a then up-and-coming star named Tiger Woods. What made it unusual was that he didn't cross the "T" in Tiger. Instead, he topped the "T" with an upward pointing arrow.
"I'm putting an arrow over the T because I'm soaring to the top," Tiger told the man, "and when I get there, I'm not signing autographs with an arrow anymore."
This gentleman wouldn't part with the unique golfball. Can't say as I blame him.
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