First and foremost I want to apologize for the lack of posts this week. We were experiencing technical difficulties which I assure you will not happen again.
Anyway , I just completed a small signing with the Captain Mark Messier. There is a bigger signing coming up in June which we are taking send ins for. I have been working on an amazing Rangers project for the past few months and Mark was the final player to sign the piece. You guys should check back tomorrow to see this new addition to our already incredible Rangers line. Also keep checking for new posts over this holiday weekend. Even though it's a holiday I am sure something exciting will come up. Have a great weekend.

I'd like to thank you all for your responses to the Met trivia question. The answer was Kevin McGlinchy. We will be doing a lot more of these contests in the coming weeks.
Last night we had an autograph appearance with New York Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca. Paul was one of the heroes in Friday's victory over the Yankees. It was his hit that set up David Wright to win the game off of Mariano Rivera. Lo Duca has been so clutch all season. Just like many other fans I was hesitant to embrace Paul as our catcher. After all, he replaced Mike Piazza, who is arguably the greatest Met of all-time. It did not take long for Lo Duca to win over the fans. Aside from being a great defensive catcher, Paul rarely strikes out and continues to get big hit after big hit.
The game ended later than expected yesterday (I am not going to talk about it. Let's pretend it never happened). Paul arrived at about 7 to a huge line of fans anxiously awaiting him. He had a great time talking with the public, especially the kids. There were even a few Dodger fans there. After the public appearance ended Lo Duca signed some awesome items for us in private including a photo of his game winning homerun against the Braves. That was the 1-0 game that Tom Glavine pitched a few weeks ago.
Lo Duca is really excited about playing here. He grew up rooting for the New York Mets so this truly is a dream come true for him. We talked a little bit about horse racing. Paul is huge fan of the sport and was pretty pumped up when I told him that we work with Ron Turcotte. I am still learning about racing so it is always educational for me to talk to a real enthusiast. Paul is a also a fan of The Sopranos. We talked about what may happen in tonight's episode. I won't know what goes down until tomorrow because I am heading over to Shea for game 3 of the Subway Series. Check back tomorrow for a recap of that as well as a preview of my next few weeks.

I am trying to come up with ways to make the blog more interactive and fun for you guys. So I have decided to ask a great Mets trivia question. The first correct reponse will get VIP'd at the Paul Lo Duca signing tomorrow. That will entitle you to be at the front of the line and you get a free signed 8x10 photo from Lo Duca. The second correct answer will receive a free unsigned 8x10 of Lo Duca. So, here is the question and good luck:

What pitcher did Robin Ventura hit the "grandslam single" off of in game 5 of the 1999 NLCS?

Email me at elevy@steinersports.com

A reoccurring theme of these posts have been the surprise signings that I do. Today was no different. New York Rangers legend Mike Richter paid us a visit for a small private autograph signing. Richter is one of the nicest guys to work with when doing an autograph signing. He now attends Yale where he is finishing his undergraduate studies. It's awesome anytime an athlete decides to finish school but to complete your requirements at Yale is truly incredible. While Mike is a student now, we all remember him for being our goalie for fourteen years. There were so many great Richter moments at the Garden. In my opinion (aside from the 94 cup) the retirement of Mike's number stands as his greatest achievement. It was a really special night. We actually have am amazing photo of Richter's number being raised at MSG. I know a lot of you have been asking about a possible Richter public appearance. Hopefully in the fall we can make that happen for you.
This weekend we have Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca signing at Last Licks in Huntington, Obviously I am pumped for this one. The guy has been so solid for us. He does all the little things right and handles the staff really well. We have some great photos including an image of Lo Duca's game winning home run against Atlanta from that classic 1-0 game.
Keep checking back for new posts as I am sure something special will come up later in the week.

Every once in a while an athlete comes along who becomes more than just a player. They become a celebrity. These are the people known by just their first or last name (or a nickname). These are the athletes who are recognizable outside of their sport. Dennis Rodman is one of those celebrities. I didn't realize just how big Rodman is until I had the privilage of walking through Roosevelt Field Mall with him.
Dennis had been in New York for a few days leading up to his appearance at Hall of Heroes. Friday he was on Howard Stern talking about the upcoming signing. Stern is another one of those individuals who has become bigger than their occuapation. I was amazed at how many people came out to the mall based on Stern's reccomendation. There was a huge mix of fans awaiting Dennis at the store. It was not our usual crowd. While we had some great unsigned photos for sale, many customers opted to bring their own unique items. I saw everything from books to wrestling figurines. Dennis wrestled for a little while in the WCW in the late 90's. I was actually a big fan back then. That is why Rodzilla and I posed for a photo doing the old "NWO 4 Life" sign.
Rodman is a really interesting guy. He just got back from a trip to the Philippines and has been all over the world on his ongoing "Bad Boy World Tour". The NBA is huge over there. Vince Carter visited the Philippines last summer and told me about the mobs of people awaiting him everywhere. One can only imagine the reception that the Worm got. He said it was crazy.
There was a customer who brought the NBA Top 50 Players book to be signed. Dennis immediately flipped to the back of the book and called me over to look. It turns out that he is the only player without a number. Techically that would make him number 51. Rodman was relatively young when the list came out but was too great a defensive force not to include him. His rebounding numbers are staggering. The guy was truly a machine and was named to the NBA All Defensive First Team seven times. That book would definitely be incomplete without the seven time rebounding champion.
We got some great product signed including Bulls jerseys and an unbelievable diving photo. Check the auction for some limited "Worm" inscription items. After signing for the public we made our way down to the basement to finish up with the basketballs. We needed four security guards to walk us down. I have been in that mall countless times with hundreds of athletes but have never walked around with someone as recognizable as Dennis. All we heard were cheers and cries of "Dennis!, heard you on Stern!" It was incredible. It took about fifteen minutes to complete the basketballs. Upon finishing the balls, the security guards each asked me if it was ok to take a photo with Rodman. That was another first for me. Dennis happily took pictures with them as a show of gratitude for shielding us from the excited mob of shoppers. We then parted ways and Rodman headed back to Manhattan where he was going to celebrate his birthday.

My days are so unpredictable. It always amazes me that , out of nowhere, I end up going somewhere cool or meeting an athlete (which is why you should always check the blog for new posts). Today was no different. We had a surprise visitor at our office. It was none other than former NY Jets running back Freeman McNeil. McNeil put up great numbers as a Jet but had even more incredible stats at UCLA. At UCLA Freeman ran for 100 plus yards in 17 games while also earning a spot on the 1980 All American team. It was very interesting talking college sports with him.
Saturday we have Dennis Rodman appearing at Hall of Heroes at 4:30. It's going to be great. You guys should come check it out.

I just finished a private autograph signing with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Eli is really excited about the upcoming season. He is already back in the area and working out at the practice facility with most of his teammates. Manning is also looking forward to the first game against his brother Peyton Manning and the Colts. That is sure to be a classic. With the addition of LaVar Arrington and a solid draft the Giants should to be the favorite to win the NFC East. We got some great new photos signed including a side view of Eli calling a play in the shadows. It is hard to explain the image but I assure you it is really cool.
This Saturday we have NBA legend Dennis Rodman signing at Hall of Heroes. We have some amazing photos of the Worm's acrobatic rebounds. This should be another great appearance. Keep checking back for updates.

Today was a typical Long Island Saturday for me. It began early in the morning at Hall of Heroes where I set-up for our autograph signing with New York Rangers icon Stephane Matteau. Who can forget Matteau's game winning goal against the Devils in 1994? The classic call of "Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!" has become such a big part of the team's history. There was a long line of Rangers faithful waiting for Stephane. Each and every one of them thanked him for that important moment. We got some great photos signed including an image of the on ice celebration of that goal. Stephane had a great time and even did some shopping at the store. He picked up one of our great KISS pieces. Matteau is a big fan of the group.
After the appearance I hopped in the car and headed towards Last Licks in Massapequa. New York Mets relievers Jorge Julio and Billy Wagner were slated to sign after the game. It is always a little crazy when current athletes appear after a game. They usually arrive about an hour and a half after the game but fans start lining up right at the conclusion. Jorge and Billy arrived at about 6 to over three hundred fans cheering them on. Julio had just closed out the victory to notch his first save as a Met(his first save in 2 years). Each fan congratulated him on the accomplishment. I have been watching him closely. The guy has great stuff and, when his location is there, is virtually unhittable. He is going to play a huge role in the Mets success this year. Wagner was unbelivable with the fans. I have done thousands of these appearances and have never seen a current athlete endear himself to the customers like he did. Billy asked each kid if they had seen the game and praised Jorge's efforts. He even appeased a few local high school students by granting them interviews for their school papers. Billy told me how he actually grew up an Atlanta Braves fan. I gave him a free pass on that one because it was the only team he could watch on televion in Virginia. I was amazed by how small Wagner is. It's incredible that such a little guy can throw 100 miles an hour. The appearance went great. I would like to thank metsblog.com for advertising this autograph signing. It's a really great site. You guys should check it out. We have a lot more Mets events happening this year (including Paul LoDuca in two weeks) so keep checking the upcoming signings.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and let's get the brooms out at 1:10 tomorrow for the Mets/Braves game.

We had a surprise visitor to our offices this afternoon. It was none other than the soon to be crowned MVP Jaromir Jagr. As you all know I have done quite a few autograph signings with Jaromir Jagr this season. He had such an amazing year and, desite the first round loss, is really excited about next year. We got a great new photo of Jagr's Rangers record breaking goal against the Bruins. It is awesome.
Saturday we have Rangers legend Stephane Matteau signing at Hall of Heroes. We all remember his game winning goal against the Devils in 1994. That was one of the great moments in New York sports history.
Later on Saturday we have Mets closer Billy Wagner and reliever Jorge Julio signing at Last Licks in Massapequa. They will be arriving at the store shortly after the game ends. It will be a lot of fun. I am so pumped to meet Wagner. As of now there are no signings tomorrow but you never know what may come up.

I just completed our first autograph signing with Devils star Brian Gionta. The guy has had an unbelievable regular season this year and is carrying that with him into the playoffs. He absolutely kills the Rangers. I did not realize, until today, that Brian is a product of Boston College. I spent a lot of time up there visiting friends throughout college and that gave us a lot to discuss. We talked about the famous "Eagles Deli" which is also a favorite of Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. We got some great product signed including an awesome photo of Brian jumping in front of Rangers goalie Kevin Weekes. Gio is now gearing up for the second round of the playoffs. The Devils are playing at such a high level right now that I would not be surprised to see them back in the Finals.
We have some great appearances coming up this weekend so check back tomorrow for a preview.