The 2015 Queens Baseball Convention

Posted by on 19 January 2015

Collectors have an increased presence the second time around

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since a bunch of bloggers and fans did what the Mets wouldn’t do – put on a fanfest to brighten up the dark days of winter. The 2014 Queens Baseball Convention was a huge success, so of course there were high hopes for a follow-up. That came on a cold and icy Saturday at City Field. Well, in the bar around back at least. Lessons were learned from last year and things ran more smoothly. But with so much going on, there was a lot to miss. Many questions remain about what will come next, but it is a near certainty that this event will continue in 2016 and beyond.

Lessons Learned

The first problem most people encountered last year was just getting in the door and out of the cold. The narrow gauntlet of vendors to the left of the entrance was the only way in, but it didn’t take long for the first arrivals to clog the area. This time around, a wider section was left clear and vendors stretched out to either side of the entrance and up around part of the bar area. The bar section could get a bit tight, but there was no problem getting everyone inside this time. New seating layouts in the panel areas (and no tables in the bar-adjacent area) also improved accessibility and the view from the back. It was still difficult to get into the back room, but everything else was easy to move around in.

Speaking of the panel area next to the bar, one big problem from last year was just hearing what was being said. This year, there was a full sound system to make sure everyone could be heard. Except for anyone you happened to be talking to nearby. With that space, there’s really no perfect solution, but this was a definite improvement. Also an improvement was the food situation. Last year, there was a limited amount of food available for a short time with a long line. This year’s concession stand was open for the full length of the event with short lines and plenty of food.

These may seem like minor issues, but for an event with hundreds of people and over a dozen different events, minor issues have a way of escalating into major problems. With more space for the things that matter instead of the fun and games stuff that was underutilized last year, it made it easier to enjoy the event’s main content.

Vendors

This year’s vendors weren’t all that much different from last year’s, but with more space, it was easier to see what everyone had to offer. Cards and collectables were more prominently featured, undoubtedly helped by having QBC15 and the White Plains Card show on separate weekends. I’m not sure these vendors had the right products with them for this crowd. Unopened baseball card boxes, autographed baseballs starting at $45, and a bin filled with assorted pins, many without backings, doesn’t seem like a particularly good fit. I’m pretty sure I had more Mets team sets with me than any of the vendors. In this environment, you can’t count on more than quick impulse buys unless you have a good draw. I imagine this will improve over time.

Some of the best tables were in an area you might have missed up by the bar. Augie’s Panoramas was back with some great shots of Shea Stadium and Citi Field.

Next was Metro Baseball Magazine, where I spent entirely too much time talking cards and prospects with Nick Diunte. And then came something really special.

Like many people, I initially thought that this great display of Mets cards was a vendor table. It came as a pleasant surprise though to find that Tom Vereline had brought his collection to display for anyone who cared to stop by and flip through some binders or look over some autograph displays. With Mets cards from 1962 to the present and plenty of interesting autographs and memorabilia cards, there was a lot to talk about. Those orange border 2008 autographs in particular caught my eye; I’ve never seen those before and would love to get my hands on some.

How cool would it be to have an entire section of collectors at next year’s QBC? Probably no way to make it work, but Tom’s table was a great addition to the event this year.

Q&As

Oh right, there were Q&A sessions too. I sort of forgot about that for a while at the start, costing me a chance to get more than one step into the room for Mookie Wilson’s session. From what I saw though, it was a great talk.  Next was Mookie’s autograph session, which I also missed. The line ended up getting cut off after half an hour and Mookie was still signing autographs more than hour later when the next autograph session was scheduled to begin.

I did get onto the next line, but it meant skipping the Wally Backman Q&A session, which I couldn’t get a clear view of anyway. Worse, I also missed Adam Rubin’s Q&A, which sounded like it was amazing. Rubin gets a lot of criticism on Twitter, but he does a great job and must have lots of great info to share as the longest-tenured Mets beat writer.

Panels

But before I spent more than an hour waiting on line for Wally Backman’s autograph, I wandered around watching and mostly missing some of the many other panel sessions. First up was a panel that went through the highs and lows of Mets history decade by decade. I’m pretty sure these guys could have filled all 7 hours if the schedule didn’t limit them to just one.

One shockingly civil panel was the Mets Executives panel moderated by Mets Police’s own Shannon Shark. Shannon is known for his criticism of the team’s front office, so this was a bit unexpected. Everyone was very respectful though and the executives came off looking like reasonable people trying their best to give fans a great experience. I’m not sure about how well they’re doing, but the executives on the panel seemed to be genuinely trying. As you might expect, none of the more prominent front office personnel were in attendance.

Back on the other side of the wall, Heather Quinlan was talking about ’86 Mets: The Movie. If you’ve ever wondered about how a production like this comes together, from funding to securing interviews and more, this panel had you covered. It should be interesting to see how the finished documentary comes out.

Next up: Meaningful Games. What does it mean to play meaningful games in September and should we be happy with that? Shannon Shark and Jason Fry debated the subject with Greg Prince caught in the middle.

And here’s where I missed everything while waiting in the autograph line. Adam Rubin, Mr. Met, and a presentation about Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson all came and went while I was on line.

But we’re not done yet, not even close. I ran out of steam writing this recap a while ago, but QBC15 kept going with Paul Lukas and gang back for a second round of Mets uniform discussion. This time around, we learned why the Frank Cashen memorial patch wasn’t in a proper bow tie shape and other memorial patch trivia. And presumably some other things in the 55 minutes I didn’t see. At least I was able to get in far enough to see the entire panel area this time.

As the sun went down and the neon lights on the wall sent my white balance straight to hell, a distinguished panel of experts set out to reveal the identity of the greatest baseball movie of all time. Based on length of discussion, that distinction goes to Sharknado 2: The One With Citi Field. I’m just going to assume that Maggie is expressing her excitement for the inevitable sequel in this photo.

After that, it was on to more serious matters with the State of the Mets. Elsewhere, Shannon Shark and co. were busy debating which jersey numbers should be retired. I’m not sure the party deck is big enough for all that they settled on…

Special Events

QBC15 wasn’t all people sitting around talking about stuff. After closing out last year’s schedule, the Mazzy Awards were moved up to an early spot, hosted this year by Josh Lewin. The big winner was Jacob deGrom, with the part of “Jacob deGrom” played by wrestler Curt Hawkins in a wig. Shannon seems positively giddy to see his silly little awards enjoyed by a large audience.

This was a parade of people wearing jerseys (left), not people from Jersey (right)

The jersey parade was also back this year with each jersey critiqued by Shannon Shark himself. Any jersey with glaring inauthenticities or the black alternate sleeve logo was soundly mocked and disqualified from being named winner (which went to a 1986 George Foster home jersey). Good thing I decided against the R.A. Dickey All-Star jersey and went with my cursed 2012 batting practice jersey instead. Shannon still wasn’t pleased with my choice, but maybe the experience could do something about that pesky curse. We’ll find out in a few months…

Closing things out this year was the presentation of the Gil Hodges Unforgettable Fire Award to Ed “The Glider” Charles, Elder Statesman and Poet Laureate of the 1969 Mets. Ed shared some great stories from his baseball career, including tales of Gil Hodges managing and Satchel Paige pitching. Nothing I can say could possibly capture this great moment, so here’s what presenter Greg Prince had to say.

And that’s it for the second time around for the Queens Baseball Convention. It may still not be as big as some of the team-sponsored winter fanfests, but it was a great time for Mets fans to come together and hopefully spend a few hours not griping about the team’s shortstop situation. For what it’s worth, the conductor on my train out of the city thinks that Dilson Herrera is the best option for shortstop. Hey, at least people are talking about the Mets. Now if they could just avoid announcing silly stadium upgrades right after division rivals add star players…

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