I spent a lot of time this week preparing for future appearances. I did catch the Allman Brothers at the Beacon. The highlight of my week was definitely a 27 minute "Mountain Jam" to open up the second set Monday night. My weekend really started Friday morning when I began loading up a 15 foot box truck for our Saturday appearance with Giants' legends Phil Simms and Mark Bavaro. The truck was packed with Giants helmets and mini helmets, Notre Dame helmets and mini helmets, footballs and jerseys.
My alarm went off at 5:00 A.M. Saturday morning. I went back to our offices to pick up the truck and drove out to our Huntington Last Licks store. I arrived at about 7:00 and with the help of Lenny and store manager Steve Siporin the truck was unloaded pretty fast. Phil arrived at about 10. He had a ton to sign and wanted to get through it before the public began. After talking football with him I understand now why he is so successful as a commentator. Simms really understands the game and doesn't just have a quarterback's perspective. I learned a lot just in the few hours we spent together.
Mark arrived a little later. We had some unbelievable photos for him to sign. Aside from being the greatest tight end in Giants history (love Shockey though), Mark was a star player at Notre Dame. You guys should check out all the amazing Notre Dame pieces that we have. Bavaro signed some different ND images and they came out great. He really gets into talking about Fighting Irish football. I never got the whole Notre Dame thing until last October during the World Series. Joe Buck mentioned that the White Sox have the famous "Play Like A Champion" sign hanging in their locker room. After hearing that and spending time with the White Sox it hit me that the Notre Dame aura really transcends more than just a college football team. Mark signed some great Giants and Notre Dame product.
Both guys were amazing with the customers. They took the time to talk with everyone on line. The public did not start until 12 but Phil signed for everyone waiting out in the cold at 10:00 when he arrived. That is the kind of guy he is.
The high point for me was putting on Bavaro's Super Bowl 21 ring. It was really cool. It's interesting to see how the rings have progressed over the years. I did a team signing with the Patriots last year. Their rings were four times the size of the 1986 ones. Even if they were ten times the size there is still nothing more special than winning one in New York.
After the signing we loaded the truck back up. I was back on the road about 4:30 and back at our warehouse at 6. It was a long day and a ton of work but it is was awesome. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we have Jaromir Jagr and Petr Prucha signing at our Last Licks store in Thornwood. It should be another great day.