I've been here at the ballpark since 1990, which made this the 34th season in a row that I've done the signs out here.

I used to do a lot more signage, but over the years it's been more and more vinyl signage has been taking over, which I really don't mind because it's the little stuff, I like the big stuff.

I like big, I like colorful.

You know, the small signage is more like penmanship.

I enjoyed stuff like just do do more freely, more where the spirit carries me.

It's a skill that not many other people have.

And I think even if you look at 20 years ago, there were not as many sign painters as there are obviously today.

And then now there are very, very few, if any at all.

I know a couple of people that still hand paint signs.

There's somebody around.

Every now and then I'll see a wall sign somewhere, but I try to stick to large walls signs things of that nature.

Just like the number of sign painters, the number of ballparks that have hand-painted signs, or we may be the only one in the country.

I think that there are lots of ballparks who have things that are places in the ballpark that may be painted, but not the outfield fence.

A lot of that has changed to digital.

We have always made our commitment to Ruben as long as we're able to have an outfield fence made of wood, that it's his job.

I'm really good at it.

I'm very specialized, you know, and I've done pretty much every aspect of the sign business, but I enjoy that, that part of work.

So I kind of seek it out.

Im one of the last guys that does big stuff on buildings and I like that that Aslin Finch, three different people all said there's a Spanish guy, New Yorker named Ruben, and if he's still alive, you know he can do that, but I'm not going to touch it, you know, And they've got this side of their building that you can see from the highway.

So it's their own big giant personal billboard.

And that thing's got to be 25 feet high and 35 feet long.

And I painted that.

Ruben is special.

He's a unique guy that has a unique skill set.

And he's also really charismatic.

I went to the High School of Art and Design in New York City, graduated in 75, and then I went to sweep the floors in a sign shop and I just never left.

So I just started painting for different companies and, you know, just learning, you know, going from to the young, you know, clear eyed, bushy tailed apprentice all the way up to the old grizzled old timer.

Right.

With a grouchy attitude.

And so that's where I'm at now and enjoying every minute of it, too.

So I've never had a real job.

You know, most people I mean, when I was a kid, I would get spanked for scribbling on the walls, you know, Now we get well paid for painting on walls.

Look at me.

Lucky me.

Opening night.

with your Spokane Indians.

And the fence is his background.

I mean, it really is.

And look the fence is 40, 50 years old as well.

And so when he sees the boards at our place, he knows just enough how to put new boards up and cut and replace.

And we never have to worry about that.

So what I'll do is I'll come out here and I'll, I'll white out the sign out, scrape the old paint, and then I'll white it out.

Just put a coat of whitewash on it and let that dry.

Then I come out here at night with an ancient overhead transparency projector.

So all you old people remember those from school.

I'll set that on the grass and project directly on to the fence, which saves a ton of time.

And then I come back in the morning the next day with paint and brushes, and I hold the artwork in one hand and I just brush away till I'm done.

So easy.

There's usually one or two signs a year that I'll hand him the artwork and I say, Hey, just do the best you can, right?

Because we print out the artwork off of a computer and it can be pretty sophisticated, right?

Some are easier than others.

And there was one this year that I remember looking at him and I said, Hey, to see what you can do.

And my expectations were, you know, let's just see what happens.

And they were bamboo shoots behind this logo for froyo earth.

And it turned out like it was printed on paper.

You know, you can only do it if you love it.

It's not one of those 9 to 5 punch a clock and hate your job type of jobs.

I mean, there are individual signs that I wasn't really happy about, but basically I yeah, I'm blessed.

I love what I do.

I you know, I've never done anything else.

Like, I sometimes joke is that I've never had a real job.

You know, I don't want to compare Ruben to a Picasso or to a Van Gogh or whatever, but they but they're special, right?

They're really unique.

And they have a talent that not many people have.

And he is a true artist and he can paint not just replicate things, but he can create new things as well.

(Crowd cheering a goal) Well, Bobby Bret, you know, the owner of the Spokane Indians, also owns the hockey team in town, Spokane Chiefs.

And so each time they put a new sheet of ice in for the hockey team, there are sponsor logos that go in the ice and then the big chief's logo.

So he does that as well.

So I'm actually the ice painter, you know, I've been doing that since the new building, which is 1996.

It's actually, it's a water base paint that freezes.

It doesn't dry.

It freezes in, you know, And there I make patterns, you know, and and just take a big brush and paint as fast as you can, you know.

And it's pretty cool.

It's a pretty exciting process.

Look, Ruben became part of our family.

He was here with his wife.

His children have grown up at the ballpark.

He's been just a consistent part of of being here with the Indians for this long.

I love it when a plan comes together.

I plan to work to 67.

And when I go, I'm taking the ballpark with me.

All right, So how cool is that?