This past Monday evening Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera appeared at Hall of Heroes. It was an incredible event. The signing was slated to begin at 6:00 PM. Fans began to line up as early as 2:30 in the afternoon. The line literally went from the store to outside of the mall. The two athletes arrived a little before 6:30 to an insane amount of cheers. These two young players have become so vital to the current Yankees lineup. Both can also flash some serious leather. People patiently waited up to five hours for their turn in line to come up. Many customers have already told me that it was well worth the wait to get an autograph from and shake hands with Robinson and Melky. They stayed until almost 9:30 signing for the fans. In fact I just received an email from the last person on line:

"Well, after literally 2.5 hours in traffic to travel only 2 miles - we finally got over the GWB - then onto Long Island...just in the nick of time. We were the LAST people on line and 5 hours after we left our house - my kids got to see the 2 yanks they had waited so long for! Thanks for another great night out."

It really was a great appearance. Check back later for an update on some upcoming Yankee signings.

Saturday was our appearance at Last Licks Massapequa with Paul LoDuca and Jose Valentin. The signing was awesome. Both guys arrived to a huge line of fans chanting "Let's Go Mets!". This is a pretty special team that they are a part of. I have been around Super Bowl teams and World Series teams for a few years now and there is a certain vibe around all of them. This team is no different. Valentin has played for a long time and says that this is, by far, the most fun he has ever had playing baseball. The appearance itself went great as both players shook hands and took photos with all the fans. I never thought LoDuca would become so popular, having taken over as catcher after Mike Piazza left, but he has become a true fan favorite. We got some incredible product signed including a Jose Valentin photo of the grandslam in Chicago.
Tonight we have Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano signing at Hall of Heroes. The appearance is from 6:00-7:30 and, thankfully, it is in the mall so we can all stay dry.
Check back later for a new update.

Tomorrow we have Paul LoDuca and Jose Valentin appearing at Last Licks in Massapequa. The Mets are so hot right now and these two are right in the middle of it all. LoDuca boasts one of the best averages in the league since the All-Star break and has been unbelievable behind the plate. Valentin has emerged as a serious candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. He has been incredible at second base as well as off the bench. He has had so many huge knocks for the Mets this season and looks like he has been playing second base his entire career.
I encourage all you Met fans to come out. The appearance begins at 11:00 tomorrow morning.
Check back tomorrow for a recap.

I just returned home from my trip to Atlanta. The signing went great. Hank came to see me several times over two days. He has so much going on and is so busy with his car dealerships that Aaron needs to spread a small signing out over a few days. It was great to see my friend and even better to rub it in about the demise of his Braves. I abused him for hours about the horrific team that he roots for. Hank did not even believe me that the Braves were actually 18.5 games behind the Mets. I ran out to grab a newspaper and highlighted the standings for him. He was shocked. I loved every minute of it. Overall it was a successful trip. I am already looking forward to our appearance with Hank in October. Hopefully the Mets are playing in the World Series at that point while Chipper Jones watches from his home.
Check back later for a preview of the upcoming weekend.

I just completed the first day of our signing with Hank Aaron down here in Georgia. Hank signed a good amount of product already including jerseys, bats and baseballs. We have a few more hours to sign today and then I am on my way back to New York this evening. I am having a difficult time posting photos from here at the hotel. Check back tomorrow for a complete recap of the trip including some great photos of the Home Run King.

Yesterday afternoon I returned home from my long weekend and got right back to business first thing this morning. Yankees legend Graig Nettles came up to our office early today for a private signing. Nettles added his autograph to some amazing 77-78 Yankees projects that we have been working on. Graig also signed some great new photos including one of a leaping catch in the World Series. I have to keep this post short as I need to start packing for my trip to Atlanta. I will be down there for two days with my friend, the Home Run King, Hank Aaron. I can't wait to get on him about his awful Braves.
Check back tomorrow for an update from Georgia.

Barring a surprise signing in the next two days (which is always possible) this will be my last post until early next week. I am away for a long weekend and will not be at the Mets appearance on Saturday. I encourage you all to come out to see Darling, Straw, Keith, Orosco and Carter. I am definitely sorry to miss this one. It should be a pretty special day.
One thing that I do want to talk about is an important online charity auction we are having. It is for the Jerome Wagner Youth Residence for Boys. We, along with Family Services of Westchester, will help renovate two homes in White Plains, New York and provide teens with every opportunity possible to encourage their healthy development and future well-being. All of the proceeds from this auction will go to helping this great cause. There are some unbelievable items to bid on including an on-field experience at Shea Stadium.
Keep sending me feedback. I am really enjoying hearing from you all. Expect my next post from Atlanta next week.

Thanks again to all of you for your photos and emails from Saturday's Chien-Ming Wang appearance. Here are a few more images (Special thanks to Jerry in NJ)
Check back for a new post later. It definitely time to turn our attention back to the Mets.

Here are a few more photos from the Chien-Ming Wang appearance. I will continue to post these for the next day or so as they get emailed to me.

We have a very exciting few weeks coming up to end this great summer. This Saturday at Last Licks in Huntington there will be five players from the 1986 Mets appearing. Jesse Orosco, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry will all be signing at the store from 11:30-1:00. They are all great guys. It should be a lot of fun.
Then next week I am heading back to Georgia for a few days for a private signing with my friend Hank Aaron. I always look forward to seeing my buddy but this time I am a little more excited than usual. I can't wait to get on him about the already finished Braves. He has been killing me for years about the Mets. It is my turn.
On Saturday August 26th current Mets stars Paul LoDuca and Jose Valentin are appearing at Last Licks in Massapequa. LoDuca has been the hottest hitter in baseball since the All-Star break and Valentin has been so clutch all year. Did anyone else see that play he made against the Nats yesterday? Valentin looks like he has been playing second base his entire career.
So that gets us to the last week in August.
Check back later for some more Wang images and maybe a surprise or two. Keep the emails coming.

Saturday evening Chien-Ming Wang appeared at Last Licks in Thornwood. It was an unbelievable event. Wang arrived to a crowd of 400 plus people eagerly awaiting an autograph and a handshake from the star. Many of the people travelled all the way from Taiwan just to be at this signing.
I have had so many posts about Wang these past few weeks so, instead of me saying the same things over and over again, I invite anyone that was at the appearance to email me your thoughts and photos. I will post them all here on the blog.
Check back later for some more Chien-Ming Wang photos and some of your emails on the event.

Tomorrow, after the Yankee game, Chien-Ming Wang will be signing at Last Licks in Thornwood. As you all know, I have spent a lot of time with Wang these past few weeks. He is such a good guy and has become, arguably, the best pitcher in the American League. It takes a lot for a Yankee to win me over but Chien definitely has. Hope to see you all there.
Here are a few more photos from the past week. Check out the blog tomorrow evening for a recap of the Wang appearance.

We had a surprise visitor to our office today. It was none other than "The Duke of Flatbush" Duke Snider. Snider came up (courtesy of MC) to sign some baseballs and do a great interview for our "Memories of the Game" program on the YES Network. Duke was an eight time All-Star and led the Brooklyn Dodgers to victory in the 1955 World Series. I have been looking at Snider's stats and am completely blown away by them. He batted over .300 seven times and hit 40 plus homeruns five times. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980. While researching Duke I came across alot of information on the fabled Ebbets Field. In 2009 the Mets new stadium will be up and running and is modeled after the old Brooklyn ballpark. I am one of the few that will actually miss Shea Stadium but am extremely excited about the new park. It will be a true throwback to the days when the Duke owned the city.
Check back tomorrow for some new photos and a preview of the upcoming weekend.

Earlier today Julio Franco came up to our office. Julio has played a huge role in the Mets success this season both on and off the field. He has led by example and is teaching the young stars how to play the game the right way. I recently read a quote from Omar Minaya which stated that, as long as he is working in baseball, Minaya will always have a job for two people- Rickey Henderson and Julio Franco. That is because of the knowledge they have to pass on to the younger players. Not only has Franco been a clubhouse leader but he has also had many key knocks and stolen bases.
It seems that every time he comes up he breaks his own record for being the oldest player to.... Julio will continue to break his own records for a few more years as he told me that he wants to play until he is 50. After spending some time with him I truly believe that he will be a major asset to the Mets for at least two more seasons.
We got some cool items signed including a special web exclusive 8x10 photo. We have sold a photo for years of Don Mattingly tagging out Julio Franco. Franco added his name to a few of these to make them dual signed. It is awesome. We also got mlb baseballs and a few batting helmets signed. Julio has an unbelievable signature. He takes the time to write out every letter of his name which is rare these days.
Check back later for an recap of tomorrow's Duke Snider signing.

I found out late Friday that I was going to Chicago Monday to do a few Yankees signings. I quickly prepped the product and shipped everything out to the office of CSMG. I was meeting up with Randy Johnson and , my new best friend, Chien-Ming Wang. I joked with Wang that, in the past month, I have seen him more than anyone else including family and friends. Ironically he is also signing at Last Licks in Thornwood, NY this Saturday. Anyway, I arrived in Chicago at about 10:00 Monday morning. (I love the time difference, even if it is just an hour) I headed over to their office where my precious boxes had just arrived. I set up for the signings and waited for the Big Unit.
Randy walked in at about 12:30. We had a lot to talk about as I have not seen Johnson since spring training. Despite the up and down year that the Unit is having he is closing in on 4500 strikouts. That is an incredible plateau to hit as a pitcher. We talked a little bit about music which has always been a common ground for Randy and myself. Johnson signed baseballs as well as a limited number of balls with the "Big Unit" inscription. The guy is a first ballot Hall Of Famer so no collection is complete without a Randy Johnson ball.
Shortly after Randy finished Chien showed up. I told him about my experiences in Staten Island a day earlier. Last week the Staten Island Yankees retired Wang's number. He actually went to that ceremony directly from our last signing. We compared directions to the stadium and shared nightmare traffic stories. I also made sure to poke fun at the bobblehead which was given away that night in Staten Island. It really looks nothing like him. I feel like I blog about Wang every week so there really isn't much more to say about his season. He has become the most consistent pitcher on the Yankees staff. I have been trying to watch him pitch more (don't tell anyone that I have been watching Yankees games) and I can now see what makes him so good. It's his slider. He has the nastiest slider I have seen all year. That is why he gets all those great groundball outs.
Anyway, Wang finished in about an hour and we parted ways. I then began to bag each baseball. After a few hours of baseball bagging I taped up each box and set them up to be picked up by UPS the next day.
I flew back this afternoon and am gearing up for another stretch of signings. It should be an exciting week with Julio Franco signing tomorrow and Wang appearing on Saturday.

One Sunday August 6th, I headed out to Staten Island to meet up with Red Sox icon Jim Rice. We had a public appearance at the Staten Island Yankees stadium followed by Jim throwing out the first pitch of their afternoon game against a Red Sox minor league team. I have always enjoyed talking baseball with Rice. He has so much knowledge and it all comes from playing ball in what is arguably the golden age of the game. Jim played against and with all the greats. We talked about how different the game is now. Rice was amazed by how nice the Staten Island stadium is. He joked about how easy it must be for minor league players now. When he was in the minors they played in front of no one in bad ballparks.
The appearance itself was great. There were so many Yankees fans that came out to meet Jim. Almost every fan gave Rice their support in saying that he belongs in Cooperstown. After looking at his numbers I agree. He was a league MVP and six time batting champ. The guy dominated his era. I don't know how he is not in the Hall of Fame.
After the public signing we walked onto the field where there was a nice video tribute to Jim. Jim then threw out the first pitch and took a few photos with the players. There wasn't a player on the field who didn't want to shake hands with the legend. One we left the field we headed to a few corporate suites where Rice met some fans and took a few photos. After the last suite I drove Jim back to the airport and went straight home to pack for Chicago.
Check back later for a recap of my Chicago trip.

My weekend began Saturday at Hall of Heroes where we had Yankees legends Whitey Ford and Moose Skowron appearing. Whitey had a wedding later that day and arrived tuxedo in hand. He immediately handed me the tuxedo and told me not to let him forget it. The guy is awesome. I have said it so many times but I cannot reiterate enough how much I like Whitey. As always there was a good crowd there to greet the Chairman of the Board. People always talk about baseball records that will never be broken. I think Whitey may have one of those with his 33 2/3 consecutive scoreless World Series innings. That is one of the most incredible stats I have ever heard. Moose was teammate of Whitey's for several of those postseasons. As predicted there were plenty of multi signed Yankees pieces for Skowron to sign. He does not sign very often so a ton of customers were able to finally complete some of their favorite projects. We got a great new photo dual signed by Moose and Whitey. I think it's a must-have for any old time Yankees fan.
After walking Skowron, Ford and Whitey's tuxedo out I headed over to Last Licks in Scarsdale for appearance # 2 of the day.
Jose Reyes, fresh off a big game and a new contract, arrived to a huge crowd at Last Licks. He has become an absolute superstar. I still remember our first appearance with him. It was at Hall of Heroes two years ago and it was Reyes and Ty Wigginton. There was a decent turnout but nothing like it is now. In fact I seem to remember Wiggie outselling Jose. Well, that was two years ago and now Reyes is, by far, the most exciting player in the game.
It was so hot in the store that day. There were so many people coming in and out that we were unable to keep the door closed to let the air conditioning really work.
Reyes was sweating like crazy so I made a quick phone call and ten minutes later my mother came to bring Jose a towel and a few waters. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, the appearance went great. Reyes took the time to take photos and shake hands with everyone. There were a lot of young kids bringing gifts for him such as drawings and baseball cards. (By the way , as I am writing this, Jose just stole second.) We got some amazing (no pun intended) product signed including game used baseballs and bases. (Jose just stole third. It's sick how good this guy is)
Keep checking over the next twenty four hours. I have many more entries to catch up on. Hopefully I can get the blog current before the Julio Franco signing tomorrow. I am really looking forward to that one.

I apologize for the inactivity on the blog these past few days. While the blog has been inactive I certainly have been busy. I have done six signings in the past three days which made it quite difficult for me to update the site. These signings include a great appearance with Jose Reyes and a surprise trip to Chicago. Keep checking back as I am going to try to get caught up tonight.

I went a different route than the rest of you when coming up with my Top Ten. I decided to include only games and moments that I have seen live (on television and in person). I even give an explanation of what makes them so special to me. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free, as always, to email me comments.



1. 10/25/86 - Game 6 - This is probably in everyone's top ten who isn't named Herlihy(You guys probably won't get that one). I don't think there is a person alive who doesn't remember where they were when the baseball went through Bill Buckner's legs. I was watching the game at my uncle's house while my parents were at Shea rooting on the soon to be World Champions. There really isn't much to say about that night that hasn't been said already. That date will forever live in infamy. Here are a few personal notes on that night- My pin number in college included the numbers 10 25 86. It was easy to remember and I am sure I am one of thousands who chose those fateful numbers. Also, in college I had a cat named Mookie. It's funny that I now am close with both Mookie and Bill. I love talking baseball with Mookie. The guy bleeds blue and orange and is as knowlegable a baseball man as there is. Buckner is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. You should all go and check out his career numbers. He was an amazing ballplayer who had over 2700 hits.
2. 1/21/91- Super Bowl XXV- This was probably the greatest of all forty Super Bowls (again Herlihy would disagree). It will always be remembered for the Scott Norwood missed field goal (Laces out!) but who can forget the play of the vaunted Giants defense, O.J. Anderson and the always clutch Matt Bahr. That guy must have had ice in his veins (The NFC championship game of the 1990 season is definitely #11 on this list.) Along with Adam Vinatieri he is one of the biggest big game kickers of all time. O.J. had the game of his life carrying the football 21 times for 102 yards on his way to winning the MVP.
3. Gatti/Ward Trilogy- For those of you who don't know I am a huge boxing guy. I love the sweet science and there is no fighter I love more than the ultimate blood and guts warrior Arturo "Thunder" Gatti. I was in attendance at all three of these epic bouts. The first one took place at Mohegan Sun and was not even sold out. I ended up sitting with a bunch of Mickey Ward fans and was completely taking my life in my own hands by rooting for my man Gatti. Round 9 is arguably the greatest round in the history of the science. Who can forget Jim Lampley saying that he told us it could have been the fight of the year...who knew it might just be the fight of the century. By the way it was a total robbery. Despite the theft Arturo made up for it with victories in bouts two and three and even came back from a broken hand in the middle of the third fight. This will go down in boxing history as one of the greatest trilogies of all time (up there with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier) cementing Gatti's legacy as boxing's human highlight reel.... Gatti rules!
4. 9/21/01- Mets v. Braves- This is another event I was in attendance for. I was literally sitting in the row behind the visitor's dugout when Mike Piazza hit a dramatic two run home run off Steve Karsay in the eighth inning. This was the first major event in New York after September 11th. I have been to countless sporting events and concerts but have never been around such positive energy and sheer joy as I was that evening. It was one of many epic homeruns that Piazza hit at Shea Stadium but it is undoubtably the most special.
5. Maryland 2002 National Champs- As you all may know I am an alumni of the University of Maryland at College Park. Through all of my years there we were a perenial Sweet 16 team that couldn't quite get past the hump. In 2001 Steve Francis played there and even with the soon to be NBA superstar the Terrapins could not win it all. Then in 2002 we did it. Led by Steve Blake at the point the Terps rode Juan Dixon all the way to the National Championship. Dixon had one of the all time greatest tournament performances by averaging 25.8 points and earning the honor of the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. It was a magical run and , unfortunately, is probably the Terps last for a while.
6. 1/25/87- Super Bowl XXI- Phil Simms put on the greatest showing by a quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl. Simms completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards. He set records for conscutive completions as well as completion percentage. It was incredible. Those are the kind of performances that other people's players have..never ours, never mine. That is what made it so incredible. Finally, my guy was setting records and winning the biggest game. It was absolutely awesome.
7. 10/17/99- I was a student a Maryland in the fall of 99. I had watched my Mets enter the playoffs for the first time since 1988 only to fall 3-1 to the hated (now hated even more) Atlanta Braves. Despite the deficit I truly felt that we had a shot. We had a potent lineup where everyone hit over .300 except for Rey Ordonez. (I may have gotten more hits on this page in the past hour than Ordonez had in his whole career). Once we won game four to cut the lead to 3-1 I became really superstitious. I made everyone that was at my house for game four come back to watch game 5. Not only did they have to come back but I forced them all to sit in the same seats. You may laugh but it worked. On that rainy night at Shea, in the 15th inning, Robin Ventura came through with a grand slam to win the game. It will forever be known as the grand slam single because Ventura never made it past first base. His teammates ended up mobbing him as he ran the bases. It was an unforgettable Mets moment for me and the seven people I made come back and watch all 15 innings in my small living room in College Park, Maryland....let's forget that Game 6 ever happened as that would be in my top 3 worst sports moments.
8. 1/14/01- NFC championship game- Giants 40, Vikings 0. I was at this game. Not only was I in attendance but I camped out in a blizzard to get tickets to it. As a Giants fan I was still haunted by the 1997 playoff collapse to Minnesota. This definitely redeemed that terrible loss. It was amazing. The Giants kept scoring and scoring and scoring and....you get the picture. Kerry Collins threw five touchdown passes in that game. The media staff at Giants Stadium ran out of songs to play during scoring drives. They must have played "Twist and Shout" four times during the first half alone. The best part of the game came at the conclusion when the late Wellington Mara was presented with the NFC championship trophy on the field. I seriously considered travelling to Tampa for the Super Bowl...I am so glad I didn't go. It would have been a long flight home.
9. 10/7/00-This was the third game of the 2000 NLCS between the Mets and Giants. I was sitting about twenty rows behind homeplate with all of the Giant's wives and kids. I remember that none other than Sandy Koufax was actually sitting a few rows in front of me. The game started at 4 or 5 (It was a weird time for a playoff game) and the Yankees game started at 7 or 8. In the fourth inning Koufax and his friends left to get to Yankee Stadium. He missed out on one of the greatest Shea moments ever. The game ended in the thirteen inning when Benny Agbayani hit a walk off home run to put the Mets up 2-1 in the series. It was probably the loudest I have ever heard Shea Stadium. People were chanting "Benny, Benny!" all the way to the Whitestone Bridge. You could literally hear it in your car on the highway. It was awesome.
10. 5/30/91- I was huge Lakers fan throughout middle school and high school. I still am but am not as into basketball as I once was. The 90-91 season was a strange one. Kareen and Riley were gone. Showtime was basically over and Vlade Divac became the main man. That is what made L.A.'s run to the Finals that year so incredible. I still remember exactly where I was when the Lakers beat Portland to advance to the NBA finals to face Michael Jordan and the Bulls. It was Memorial Day weekend and I was at my father's friends house in New Jersey. I was such a huge Magic Johnson fan and was so into every second of that game. The game ended 91-90 and concluded with, what I still believe is, the smartest play in NBA history. L.A. had the lead and possession with a few seconds remaining. The entire Portland team swarmed Magic as he stood to inbound the ball. I guess Johnson noticed that there were no Trailblazers down the court so, instead of inbounding the rock, he simply rolled the ball down the court and let the clock run out. The Lakers then went on to lose to the Bulls who went on to start their own dynasty. Even with the Finals loss the Western Conference victory will always be an unbelievable memory for me.

Earlier in the week I did a small private signing with "The Captain" Derek Jeter. Jeter is having an incredible season batting over .350 while leading the injury depleted Yankees back to the top of the AL East. We talked a little bit about the upcoming roadtrip which will include five games at Fenway Park. It should be quite an exciting final two months of the regular season. We got a few great new items signed including a commemorative 2000th hit photo. Also take a look at some of the awesome game used Yankees - Steiner items that were recently signed.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of Whitey Ford, Moose Skowron and Jose Reyes. Hope to see you there.

I have a very busy weekend ahead of me. Saturday morning we have Whitey Ford and Moose Skowron signing at Hall of Heroes. Moose doen't sign very often so I recommend coming out if you need him on any of your multi-signed pieces. We also have a great photo of Moose and Whitey together in the Yankees locker room.
Later that day I will be heading over to Last Licks in Scarsdale where Jose Reyes is appearing after Saturday's game. It is always a big event every time Jose signs.
Then on Sunday I am going to Staten Island with Red Sox legend Jim Rice. He will be signing autographs for the public before the S.I. Yankees game and then will throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The Staten Island stadium is unbelievable. If any of you have the time you should definitely go check it out.
I will be posting my Top Ten Sports Moments as well as a few surprises in the next day or so....so keep checking back for updates.

Thank you all for your feedback. Here is a list of your top ten moments.

10. Derek Jeter flip vs. Oakland
9. Derek Jeter dive in the stands vs. Boston
8. 1980 USA hockey
7. '69 Mets winning World Series
6. Roger Maris' 61'st
5. Hank Aaron's 715th
4. '69 Jets winning the Super Bowl
3. Cal Ripken 2131
2. 2004 Red Sox
1. Game 6- 1986 World Series


I loved reading your emails. The demographics of who had what was really interesting. All the younger blog readers had Jeter at the top of their list while the older ones had the '69 New York teams. Game 6 was far and away the top choice for greatest moment on this poll. There were also some great moments that you guys emailed me that did not make the top 10. These included Aaron Boone's walkoff homerun against Tim Wakefield in the 2003 ALCS and Joe Carter's walkoff World Series homerun. Check back later for my Top Ten which I think you all will find very interesting. I will also be posting a preview of the upcoming weekend... as well as a few surprises.