It is 12:15 A.M.. I just returned home from our Tom Seaver signing at Last Licks in Scarsdale. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to post this but I was inspired by the Mets/Padres game. Mike Piazza's name was just announced. In about 9 years Mike will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Right now there is just one Met enshrined in Cooperstown. That player is none other than The Franchise, Tom Seaver. Tom is extremely proud of his membership to that exclusive club. I have never seen him without his HOF ring and jacket. Seaver actually has the highest voting percentage of any Hall of Famer. He received 425 out of 430 votes (98.84%) and was inducted in 1992. We may only have one hall of famer (to date) but no other member has ever gotten more votes.
I always love going to our Scarsdale store. It was our first ice cream store. It maintains the feel of a neighborhood ice cream parlour while staying cutting edge with all our great new product. This was Seaver's first signing at one of our Westchester stores. Immediately upon entering the store Tom Terrific began to serve ice cream for all the kids. They all had such a great time joking around with the Franchise. It is easy to see how much Seaver enjoys spending time with kids.
Tom signed for the public until about 9:30. After the appearance we signed some incredible new product including an amazing new photo of the 1969 Mets ticker tape parade. This photo is dated and includes the inscription '69 WS Champs. It is really a great piece. We concluded the signing at about 11:00. As I walked Tom out of the store we saw a group of teenagers hanging outside. Seaver ended up talking with them for a while and even showed them a few pitching tricks. After Tom got in the car I could hear one of the kids boast "He shook my hand!". It's a testament to Tom's legendary stature that a 14 year old kid (who never saw him play) would be that affected by a simple handshake.
Tomorrow is another exciting day for me. Check back Saturday night for a recap.