Post Falls Boy Wins Baseball Card Contest Jake Bonwell’S Ivan Rodriguez Drawing Chosen From More Than 800 Entries

When most kids buy a package of baseball cards, they hope to get a few of their favorite players. When 11-year-old Jake Bonwell of Post Falls opens a pack, he knows there’s a chance he’ll get one of his.

Bonwell entered Upper Deck’s national “Draw Your Own Trading Card Contest” last year and won. It was a call for all baseball enthusiasts to showcase their artistic ability. More than 800 contestants submitted entries.

“We received creative entries from collectors ranging in age from 5 to 79,” said Keri Stockhomn, Upper Deck’s baseball product manager. “They were all quite good and really show the entrants passion for sports and trading cards.”

“The winners cards are placed in one of six packs,” said Upper Deck’s marketing director Sabrina Brookfield. “He (Bonwell) showed quite a bit of creativity and originality with his drawing and that is what we were looking for.”

It was a no-brainer for Bonwell. He is as comfortable holding a sketch pad as he is pitching a baseball.

“He has always loved to draw,” said Holly Bonwell, Jake’s mother.

“His kindergarten teacher told us that she knew how to keep his attention by incorporating drawing into the lesson. In fact he used to get into trouble because he was drawing all the time instead of paying attention.”

Instead of trying to keep Jake from drawing, the Bonwells sent him to art class. Jake proudly displays some of his earliest drawings of birds and wild animals,but it was baseball players he liked to sketch the most.

“Some kids love the game and some kids love the game,” said Holly. “Jake lives and breathes baseball. It’s always been a part of his life.”

“I play baseball all the time,” said Jake. “If I am not playing in a league, I am playing with friends or playing by myself.”

When Jake and his father, John, discussed entering the contest, they put a little extra thought into who Jake was to sketch.

“We felt there would be a lot of drawings of Ken Griffey Jr. or Alex Rodriguez,” said John. “We wanted to pick someone that may not get a lot of recognition.”

Jake chose Texas Rangers catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, one of the game’s best.

Although Jake’s favorite player, Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones was first considered, Jake chose Rodriguez for another reason.

“I was playing catcher at the time,” said Jake. “I wanted to draw someone in full gear.”

It was almost a year after they entered that the Bonwells learned Jake had won.

There was no big announcement, no congratulating call, just a simple bell.

“I went to answer the door and found this package on our doorstep from Upper Deck,” said Jake. “I brought it in and showed Dad.”

“I had a pretty good idea it had to do with the contest,” said John. “But I wasn’t sure exactly what.”

Inside the box was a case of factory sealed cards, a CD-Rom of Alex Rodriguez and a letter stating Jake was a winner.

“It was a pretty exciting day here,” said John. “We called all the relatives and friends about it.”

Jake’s enthusiasm is so infectious, John put a mound and a home plate in their back yard, including a batter’s box. John, who works at the Coeur d’Alene Golf Course as the grounds crew supervisor, didn’t care too much for the game until a few years ago, when “Jake and I bought a pack of baseball cards and it just kind of grew from there.”

Grew? That would be an understatement. The Bonwells house is filled with baseball memorabilia as the hobby became an obsession. They have accumulated roughly 20,000 cards and assorted other collectibles.

Since their collection began, Jake and John also try to collect signatures from some of the big names of the game. Their collection includes autographed cards from Cal Ripken Jr., a signed baseball from Reggie Jackson, a Tommie Agee bat, and a prized pair of batting gloves from Jones.

“What I appreciate is that these players take the time to do this,” said John. “Any more, there is so much bad press about players that for these things to happen is pretty special.”

It is also pretty cost-effective.

“I just send them a card or the item to have signed and a self-addressed stamped envelope,” said Jake. “Then I just wait. Sometimes it takes a couple of months or longer, but it is worth it. It really only costs about the price of postage. I am going to send Ivan his card, and I hope he signs it.”

Jake also is a pretty impressive player. He has numerous trophies for his play, including a recent contest with Toys R Us Diamond Skills, where contestants are judged on their overall baseball ability. Jake won the batting contest and was third overall for his age bracket.

He also is leading his Little League team, the Cubs, with his pitching. On June 10, he struck out seven of the nine players he faced in three innings of work. In Jake’s world, he is confident that his face will be a baseball card one of these days.

“It would be cool,” said Jake. “If it ever happened, I would make sure I would sign every card sent to me.”

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