MLB All Star FanFest

I went MLB All Star FanFest yesterday. I kept checking online and HR Derby tickets weren't going down in price. It didn't seem to matter though because Petco Park looked like it was at capacity on TV.

As I've written before, I went to the HR Derby in Anaheim but didn't go to the FanFest at the Anaheim Convention Center. I read that it was geared towards kids and that lines were long for autographs.

I figured I should go now because I don't know when MLB will hold another All Star Game in Southern California. The most recent All Star Game held at Dodger Stadium was in 1980. I think they're due for one.

Next to all the hotels and near the convention center were these signs on the ground. Some of them were promoting FanFest, the HR Derby, or the All Star Game. Media was staked out at hotels covering the event. I think I got into a live shot of Sports Net broadcast while walking to the convention center.

I paid $40 to enter Fanfest. This was Monday and there were thousands of fans representing each team, going around to each attraction, waiting in line to get a picture or autograph, or buying merchandise.

This is the World's Largest Baseball. It has signatures from all different people from baseball. You could take picture of the front of it next to a MLB legend. I didn't want to wait in line. You can see a few signatures on the right near the seams.

Major attractions had an archway like this. I did think it was a tad bit disorganized. I thought there could have been a bit more signage pointing out where different attractions were.

It's interesting that not every MLB team has the same number of affiliates. I didn't check to see it the caps were on sale but they probably were. It seemed like everything was on sale at this place.

 

There were sections dedicated to baseball in San Diego. Of course Tony Gwynn was a huge part of it.

There were displays commemorating the past All Star Games in San Diego.

They had a section where fans could take pictures with these stand ins.

There was a huge section dedicated to the Negro League.

There was a HOF section with a smattering of artifacts from the past.

There was a trophy section with the different trophies handed out to players at the end of season. The Roberto Clemente award is on the left and the Silver Slugger on the right. You could take a picture with the World Series trophy but the line was long for it.

I took a picture of a replica World Series trophy.


So there was a lot to see and do. There were many vendors at FanFest. Majestic Athletic, NewEra, Mitchell & Ness, and many other companies were selling merchandise. I bought an All Star Game program for $15 and this:

This is a Padres All Star Game Surfboard figure. I paid $30 for it. I'm sure it will be 50% after the All Star Game is over. Oddly enough I couldn't find this online, so it might be exclusive to San Diego only.

Bank of America was giving away these if you're a customer:

Tony Gwynn minted coins.

If I could do this again, I would have tried to go early when it opened. If you like baseball, it definitely worth it just to see the history of it.