A White Bear Delights Post!

In my continued daily effort to show the more human side to Evan Gattis, which is what I strive for constantly, here are some recent interviews and confessions (Yes, even those!) from the man himself. Shout outs to Chirs Olds of Beckett Baseball for this one:

EVAN GATTIS HAS A COLLECTING CONFESSION

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
ORLANDO, Fla. | Evan Gattis might have one of the most-unique nicknames in MLB today, but El Oso Blanco has a couple of confessions that card collectors might relate to ā€” one more child-like and one that stings no matter how old you are.
PaniniRoadTripā€œYeah, I collected as a kid but not for value or anything like that.,ā€ said the Houston Astros catcher-outfielder. ā€œMy room was actually wallpapered ā€” I stapled cards to my walls. My entire room was completely covered in baseball cards. I loved it.ā€
Gattis was on hand during Day 3 of the the Panini America Spring Training Road Trip, a multi-date, multi-leg excursion that recently wrapped things up in Florida and heads to Arizona this weekend. He was signing Monday night in a Marriott conference room prepared for signings not long after he helped his Astros with a two-run homer in a high-scoring affair against his old team, the Atlanta Braves, in Kissimmee.
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ā€œIā€™ve actually gotten more into [collecting] now after being in the big leagues. I started looking up 1933 Goudeys and stuff like that,ā€ said Gattis, who signed with his left hand while his right wrist was wrapped due to injury.
A sore wrist wasnā€™t the only thing on his mind ā€” his second recent ailment came with baseball cards and this is the one that stings.
ā€œI have a confession, man,ā€ he said. ā€œI bought a Rogers Hornsby, a 1929 card, and I have misplaced it. No joke. So Iā€™m kind of like scared ā€” I really want a 1933 Goudey Mel Ott, the one where he looks so mean and everything, but I feel so bad.ā€
The 28-year-old hit .263 with 22 homers for Atlanta last season before a five-player deal in January. In two big-league seasons and just 213 total games, heā€™s hit 43 homers. His hot start in 2013 ā€” and the legend of El Oso Blanco from the Venezuelan Winter League where he hit a league-leading 16 homers  ā€” led to plenty of attention from fans and collectors. It was a crash course in arriving ā€” and one that was challenging at times when it came to autographs.
ā€œI think the Venezuelan League got me more prepared for attention like that. But I donā€™t think thereā€™s any way to prepare you for that,ā€ he said. ā€œI wish everybody could understand in our shoes. You can sign 200 autographs but to the 201st guy who you donā€™t youā€™re a jerk. You try to do the best you can but at the end of the day you also have a job to do.ā€
Gattis said he wasnā€™t much of an autograph chaser when he was younger ā€” and his hometown team wasnā€™t hot, so he was more of a fan of individual players.
ā€œI always liked to go see players and shake their hand and stuff. I liked the interaction just to make it more of a personal thing rather than being some superhuman,ā€ he said. ā€œMan, Iā€™m just a fan of players for whatever reason. I always liked Vladdy Guerrero ā€” no batting gloves and he could throw the crap out of it in the outfield. I just liked players. Growing up in Dallas, the Rangers were never good ā€” we just never really had a good team so we just liked players. ā€˜CC Sabathiaā€™s throwing today ā€” letā€™s go watch the Rangers lose against him.'ā€
Gattisā€™ first cards ā€” he presently has more than 760 ā€” didnā€™t arrive until 2012 when he was still in the minor leagues. His first autographed cards didnā€™t come until his first season with the Braves.
ā€œIt was weird. It was kind of a standard Rookie Card, you know, but itā€™s awesome,ā€ he said of his debut card. ā€œLittle kids go in their back yards and pretend like theyā€™re you.ā€
He began his MLB career with a franchise with a rich history and now moves to one with a potentially bright future. Gattis missed some chances to get autographs and trade memorabilia with his last team, but said itā€™s something he intends to do more with in the future.
ā€œThe more I am around it, the more I want to. I want to get jerseys signed by certain people I get to meet,ā€ he said. ā€œThings come up ā€” Hank Aaron with the Braves and stuff like that would be really cool to have. The more I am around it, the more I have gotten into it.ā€

 As well as Matt Thomas of Sports Talk 790 in Houston for this one:

Opening day is a week from today, and I can already feel the excitement that day is going to bring! Evan will most certainly be a huge part of that excitement!

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