Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles

[BaltOrioles]

Happy Father's Day to everyone

In the fall of 2013, I entered the Topps Make Your Pro Debut Contest for the fun of it. I never expected to win, but entered mostly because the sponsoring team that year was the Orioles affiliate, the Aberdeen Ironbirds. In January 2014, I was notified that I was a finalist and after on line fan voting ended up winning.

Six years ago today, I made my debut with the Ironbirds. It was the thrill of a lifetime for an Orioles fan. I can't say enough about the Ironbirds and the welcome they gave me, my family and friends that attended the game. I did everything that the players did that day, from warm ups, batting practice, meals and just hanging around getting to know a few guys. The Ironbirds even had a press conference where I signed my contract. Dylan Bundy was on a rehab assignment and one of my teammates. He's actually a very cool guy. The player in the locker beside me was Hector Veloz. He made me feel a part of the team from the beginning. Aberdeen is a short season team and many of the players were making their debuts, too. Most of the players on that team didn't last very long, but one player to make it to the Orioles is Stevie Wilkerson. I still say hi to him each spring training. He is a nice kid and hope him success in his career.

Matt Merullo was the manager and was great. He introduced me to the team and treated me like one of the guys. After the game, we had a nice talk about baseball in his office. His final words were, I'm glad you had a great time, because I'm afraid we're going to have to let you go. Cut after one game..

I could go on and on, but really appreciate everyone that made it possible, my family, friends, Topps and the Ironbirds.

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The winning essay

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Signing my contract

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Batting practice

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Pre Game Activities - Signing autographs, throwing out the first pitch and delivering the lineup card

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Enjoying the game from the dugout - The Ironbirds lost 2-1 in 10 innings

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The dugout lineup card signed by all my teammates including Dylan Bundy, Stevie Wilkerson and manager Matt Merullo.

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