In my haste to watch the end of the Duke game I neglected to talk about the highlight of the day. Over the years I have seen a variety of unique items brought to a public appearance to be signed. Nothing I have witnessed prepared me for what I saw today. Reggie and I both were shocked. A customer came up with a few balls to sign and then lifted his arm. His arm was covered in a cool Yankees tattoo. He then asked Reggie to sign his arm directly under his existing tattoo. The fan was going to go straight from the appearance to get the signature tatooed onto his arm. Mr. October oblidged and signed the guys's arm in a thick blue marker.
It was pretty awesome...the only thing that would have made it cooler would have been four or five inscriptions under the signature.

It is 7:09 Sunday evening. I literally just returned home from our appearance with Reggie Jackson and Sparky Lyle at Last Licks in Massapequa. My day began at 7 this morning when I headed out to Long Island to unload my product and set up for the event. Not only were the 77 Cy winner and Mr. October slated to appear but also Ray Negron was set to be there to sign copies of his book "The Boy of Steel". Negron was there for a great cause. All the proceeds are to go to cancer research and to Bobby Murcer's charity organization. Sparky arrived at about 11 and began to sign private items for us including some awesome multi-inscription baseballs. Negron walked in shortly after and got a great reception from the crowd. The line of freezing fans wrapped around the side of the shopping center and each of them were frantically awaiting Reggie's arrival. I have noticed that Jackson always makes a big entrance. After exiting the car Mr. October walked the entire line to shake hands with and greet the excited fans. Over the past two years Reggie has really stepped his game up with our customers. Each of the last three appearances he has endeared himself more and more to them. He was nothing short of amazing today. He took photos with the fans and happily shared stories with everyone. We finished the public portion of the signing at about 2:30. Sparky left at that time and I then began working on our private items with Reggie. He stayed until after 4:00 to sign some incredible new product. We have two new images- one of Reggie in the A's locker room with Joe D and one of him with Billy Martin. I was able to get a few one of kind 16x20s of Reggie and Billy with inscriptions. Be sure to check the site tomorrow for these. After Jackson left I packed up the product, loaded up my car and headed home. I could not believe the traffic on the Northern State. (on a Sunday night in January?)
Despite my time spent in traffic it was a great weekend. We had two packed appearances and were able to get some sick new product (I am definitely running out of adjectives and am looking forward to checking out Clyde at the Knicks/Lakers game Tuesday. I need him to teach me a few new descriptive words.)
Wednesday I am flying out to South Bend for a private signing with Charlie Weis. Check back tomorrow for a preview and a few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl.

I just returned home from our appearance at Last Licks in Scarsdale with Cardinals greats Keith Hernandez, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith. Despite being a Met fan favorite Keith remains a St. Louis legend. It was there that he won the 1979 NL MVP. Overall it was an awesome signing. All three are extremely personable and seemed to really enjoy signing for the fans. Cardinals fans are like Red Sox fans and Grateful Dead fans- They are everywhere. Everytime we have a Cardinal appear they come right out of the woodwork regardless of the city we are in. Many fans shared their memories of seeing Ozzie and Brock tear up the Mets at Shea. It was very cool to see three athletes from basically three different eras of St. Louis baseball interact with one another. Lou does not sign often anymore so it was great to have him there both for the customers and to get some product for us. We were able to get incredible product from all three players. Lou signed some amazing photos including a new image of him sliding against the Mets. We did a new bunt photo with Ozzie that rivals any we have ever done with him. Last, but definitely not least, Hernandez signed an image of him sitting in a locker room doing crossword puzzles. Players always tell me about their pre-game rituals and this was one of Keith's. I did not realize, until Keith told me, that the photo was taken in Tidewater before a spring-training game. It is a really cool image that has his, Gooden's and Strawberry's jerseys hanging in the background. It has quickly become one of my all-time favorite shots.
Tomorrow at Last Licks in Massapequa we have Yankees legends Reggie Jackson and Sparky Lyle appearing from 12:00-1:30. Hope to see you there.
Check back Sunday night for a recap of the Lyle/Jackson appearance as well as more photos from today's Cardinals signing.

Here are some more great photos from this past weekend.

Yesterday we had our appearance at Last Licks in Huntington with all four members of the 1961 Yankees infield. I have known Clete, Bobby and Moose for a few years but this was the first signing we have done with Tony Kubek. Tony fit right in as they were all great like always. I really enjoyed observing the interaction between the four. It was also great to see Clete who was nice enough to allow me to stay at his place up in Cooperstown two years ago. They definitely loved talking with and sharing memories with the fans. I was somewhat surprised at the turnout. There were a ton of excited customers waiting out in the cold. Mostly everyone was there to get a piece signed by all four guys but there were also many customers on line to get a Kubek autograph. Tony does not sign often so it was a great opportunity to complete a multi-signed piece. The guys got there early so we had plenty of time to get some items signed before the appearance began. I am extremely proud of the baseballs and bats that we got. I was able to get a limited number of balls signed by Clete, Bobby, Moose and Tony with Kubek on the sweetspot and inscribed "Yankees Infield 1961". Pretty much everything these guys sign comes out awesome. They all have incredible signatures.
We have plenty of exciting things going on this week including a private signing with Jorge Posada. Check back tomorrow for an update.

I always find myself and co-workers using the term "gets it". It can be loosely defined as the athlete/celebrity understanding that it is (and will always be) all about the fans. The appearer that "gets it" takes the time to talk with, shake hands, take photos with and relate to the customers. They do it out of a mutual love versus simply upholding an image. They are the ones that will stay until each and every last customer is satisfied and has an amazing lifelong memory (i.e. Tiki Barber,Mariano Rivera, and Joe Pepitone- first Pepi shout-out of 07! and certainly not the last)
Today we had a legendary appearance with the immortal Hulk Hogan. I knew from the moment he walked through the door that Hogan truly gets it. He is the exact same guy we see on VH1 and have seen for years in the WWE and WCW. He arrived this morning to one of the biggest crowds I have ever seen at the countless public appearance I have been a part of. Hulk sat down for his first ever public signing at about 12:30 in the afternoon and did not stop until 5:45. He shared stories with everyone about subjects ranging from "Hogan Knows Best" to his epic battles with the late, great Andre the Giant. Hulk seemed really touched that every customer had some sort of Hogan apparel on (ranging from the classic Hulkamania shirt to the black NWO shirt which, by the way, I need if anyone would like to send me one). The thing that stood out the most was how amazing Hogan was with kids, especially a few sick children that came out to see him. He told them all to stay in school and eat fruit- because if they don't he is going to find them and bodyslam them. It was awesome. The kids loved it.
Hogan came around the table to talk to and take photos with several sick children in wheelchairs. It was incredibly emotional especially when one of the father's thanked Hulk. Hulk's response was simply that it's so easy to do and means so much to the child. That is exactly what we mean by "getting it".
I want to end this post on that note rather than talk about product. Today was all about the fans and the memories. I was as much a fan as anyone as I have followed Hulk's career from the start. There was no bigger "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan fan than myself and I still have my fingers crossed for an NWO reunion - Wolfpack 4 Life...brother!.
Check back tomorrow for an update from our appearance with the 1961 Yankees infield and also more on the Hogan signing.

I just got home from Illinois (First ever Fogerty reference on the blog!) where we had a private signing with Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. First of all I want to start out by talking about the weather- it was so cold in Illinois (luckily I came prepared with all my long-sleeved Mets gear) and apparently the cold made it's way here to New York. I arrived at about midnight Monday evening/Tuesday morning to snow showers. I got up early this morning and began setting up all the equipment for Rex to sign. Grossman came at about 1:30 and knocked it all out by 3:00. He is an extremely quick signer with an awesome signature. Rex has definitely had an up and down season but the bottom line is he is one win away from being a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. He also has the highest QB rating for the playoffs out of the four left in contention. Grossman came up huge last week and I have a feeling he will again on Sunday. We talked a little about college sports- both football and basketball. His alma mater, Florida, is now the #1 team in NCAA hoops just a week removed from winning the national championship. Interestingly enough Rex went to school with David Lee who I did a signing with less than two days ago. The Gators program is quickly becoming a factory for producing pro athletes. After the signing I boxed up all the product and prepped it to be shipped back to New York. Thankfully I was able to catch an earlier flight back (otherwise I would not have landed until almost 1:00 AM with all the weather-related delays)
We got some amazing product signed including authentic white Bears jerseys. They look incredible with Rex's great signature.
It is now time for me to go get some sleep and rest up for a huge run of signings coming up (which, as you all know by now, includes an appearance with Hulk Hogan..brother!).
Check back tomorrow for a preview.

I just got home from our appearance at Last Licks in Thornwood with Knicks stars Nate Robinson, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman. I must admit that I did not know much about these guys before we booked them for this signing. My boy Anthony has been raving about D-Lee all season and I was aware that Nate won the last slam dunk contest- but that was about it. The past few weeks I have been watching the team closely and began to see how talented these players are. Lee is tearing up the league in rebounding while Nate and Renaldo are becoming huge fan favorites for the heart they show on the floor night after night. There is a really bright future for the franchise and these three have a lot to do with it. The athletes arrvived at around 3:00 and immediately began signing for the enthusiastic fans. Nate, along with most of the store, was a little pre-occupied with the Bears/Seahawks game. Robinson is from Seattle so his excitement was understandable. Once the line was finished the guys signed some items in private for us. We got some awesome new product including basketballs, jerseys and an incredible photo of Nate blocking Yao Ming.
Overall this was a great weekend. Just being around these old school and new blood Knicks these past two days has gotten me really fired up about the NBA. I am going to the Lakers/Knicks game in a few weeks (Yes, I am a Lakers fan- Derek Fisher .4 Seconds!!!) and am looking forward to seeing Clyde, Nate, D Lee and Renaldo that night.
Tomorrow I am flying out to Chicago for a private signing with the NFC Championship bound Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Despite his ups and downs this season Rex came up huge today on the biggest stage he has been on in his young career. I am extremely pumped for this trip as Chicago must be electric right now after today's big win.
Check back for updates from the windy city.

Earlier today we had our appearance at Last Licks in Armonk with Knicks legends Bernard King and Walt Frazier. My day actually began at our office where King and Frazier signed basketballs. The guys came up at about 10:30 and signed for about a half hour. We got some really cool balls done including five (yes 5!) inscription Bernard King balls commemorating his season as the league's scoring leader. Afterwards Bernard and Clyde spoke to the New Rochelle High School basketball team before we headed over to the store. That was, by far, the highlight of my day and, judging by the kids' reactions, their lives. It was so cool to see the guys talk fundamentals with the players. They preached defense and playing as a team. King and Frazier really enjoyed it as well.
We arrived at Last Licks at about 1:30 to a excited crowd. People always come out to see Clyde. Fans really seem to relate to him and feel a kinship with him after both watching him play and announce games. He comes off as and truly is very accessable to the fans versus other celebrities who present themselves as above the people. I was somewhat surprised to see how beloved Bernard was by the customers. He deserves every bit of the adoration as he had an amazing career highlighted by his 60 point game against the Nets Christmas day 1984. The guy was incredible. After signing for the public Clyde and King stayed for a few hours to sign some awesome new photos including an image of Bernard in front of the Garden wearing a crown. The new Frazier photos are nothing short of, to use a few Clyde adjectives, mesmerizing and electifying. We have two new pictures of Frazier that rival any we have ever had. You guys need to check these out.
Tomorrow our Knicks weekend concludes at Last Licks in Thornwood where we have Nate Robinson, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman appearing from 3:00- 4:30. Hope to see you there.
Check back tomorrow evening for a recap of the Lee, Robinson and Balkman signing as well as a preview of the upcoming week (which includes a trip to Chicago and Hulk Hogan).

Despite the devastating losses by the New York football teams on Sunday there is still a lot of exciting playoff football to look forward to. This is the time of year where we all pretty much adopt a new team to root for (because our teams just can't get it done). With that in mind I took a few minutes earlier to look at the teams still in the hunt for the Lombardi trophy and realized that we actually have some great items in inventory for each of these contenders. First we have some awesome Eagles product including Brian Westbrook and David Akers photos. These were the two guys that buried the Giants. Westbrook has emerged as a rushing monster since McNabb went down and, as we all know, it was Akers that cemented Sunday's win. We also have some cool Jeremiah Trotter photos. Then moving onto the Seahawks and Saints we have Matt Hasselbeck and Reggie Bush mini-helmets, as well as a few really sick Bush 8x10s. Then lastly for the NFC we have an amazing line of Rex Grossman product. Not only do we have great Bears items but we also Florida product including helmets, mini-helmets and photos. Florida is as hot as it will ever be right now after winning the National Championship last night. I could not believe how dominant they were in that game.
Then moving over to the AFC we have a very cool Antonio Gates 8x10. Many, including myself, see Gates and the Chargers going to the Super Bowl. We also have team signed 2005 Patriots helmets. A few of the names have changed but the one constant for New England is QB Tom Brady. If I were starting a team today I would want him as my QB over anyone in the league. Brady is a proven winner. These helmets include his signature. Last we have the Ravens and Colts. We offer aweseome dynasty collages for both teams.
It should be an extremely exciting three weeks of football (even without the Jets and Giants). I am looking forward to seeing how it unfolds because, for the first time I can remember, there is no dominant team left in the pack. It is going to be great.
Check back later for updates.

Earlier today I did a small private signing with Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Henrik has been on quite a roll this past year starting with winning the gold medal for Sweden in the Olympics. He has become a leader on this current Rangers team who are right there behind the Devils for the Atlantic Division lead. Lundqvist is sure to take this team deep into the postseason and, hopefully, right to the Stanley Cup Finals. I have always enjoyed doing signings with Henrik because we both play guitar. We got to talk a little bit about that today (I have been playing a lot lately and love talking guitar even more than sports). We got some awesome new photos signed including a new image of Henrik in goal versus Atlanta.
As you all know there are no signings scheduled until the upcoming Knicks weekend at Last Licks. Keep checking back though because you never know what may come up..today was a perfect example of that. (Also at some point the NY football teams need to be addressed on the blog. Yesterday was brutal. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet)

Here, as promised, is a rundown of the next few weeks. On Saturday the 13th we have Knicks legends Walt Frazier and Bernard King appearing at Last Licks in Armonk. I love doing signings with Frazier. He knows so much about the NBA and really enjoys sharing that knowledge. Then the following day, keeping with the basketball theme, we have Knicks stars Nate Robinson, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman signing at Last Licks in Thornwood. The Knicks are starting to play some pretty good basketball. Since the Denver Nuggets incident the team seems to be completely revitalized. The recent success has a lot to do with the emergence of David Lee as a force to be reckoned with on the boards. He is now third in the NBA in rebounds and remains the league leader in offensive boards. There should be a nice turnout for that one. Then on the next Saturday, the 20th, the holy grail of public signings will be taking place at Hall of Heroes. The immortal Hulk Hogan is appearing from 1:00- 2:30. I was/somewhat still am a big wrestling fan. I followed it religiously during Hogan's NWO days in WCW and am still keeping tabs on what is going on in the WWE. Hulk really trancends wrestling. He has become bigger than the WWE and it is quite rare to have such a big icon signing for the public. Then on Sunday the 21st we have the entire 1961 Yankees infield appearing at Last Licks in Huntington. I have become pretty tight with Moose Skowron, Bobby Richardson and Clete Boyer over the years. I even stayed at Clete's apartment up in Cooperstown last summer. I am looking forward to meeting Tony Kubek for the first time. It should be a good one.
So there we have the next two weeks of appearances. In between now and then there are sure to be a few private signings so keep checking back for daily updates.

I was back at our office for less than two hours this morning before beginning a marathon signing with Robinson Cano. Cano had a monster year in 2006 and is already looking forward to '07. He finished the season just shy of a batting title (.342 !) and is sure to win numerous hitting crowns in the years to come. Again I cannot say enough about how excited I am about having Robinson as a Steiner Exclusive. I have really enjoyed watching him grow as a player as I had first met him when he got called up to the majors. We started the signing at about 9:30 this morning and did not finish until about 3:00 in the afternoon. During that time we had both breakfast and lunch. I could not believe how late it was when it was finally over. The reason it took so long is that we got some great new product signed with inscriptions. Robinson signed special web-exclusive balls with all of his incredible 2006 statistics inscribed on each baseball. It is going to be so cool to see how we build an amazing product line around the star second-baseman.
So that was it- my first signing of 2007 (on my first day back). This is going to be the sickest year yet so keep reading the blog to follow my travels. We have a ton of great signings coming up in January plus the Super Bowl soon after that. Who knows where I may end up between now and then?
Check back tomorrow for a preview of the next few weeks, which just happens to include an appearance with the immortal Hulk Hogan (NWO 4 Life, brother!- I can't recall the last time I was this excited about an appearance. It is going to be awesome!)

I, and the blog, are back from our eleven day vacation. I had the best time hanging out at home, seeing friends, going to concerts and staying far away from sports.
Before we get back to business I want to give a quick shout out to everyone that was in attendance New Years Eve at the Beacon for three legendary sets of Gov't Mule. The entire run was tremendous but nothing topped that last night (especially the Dub Side of The Mule set with Toots and the Maytals!) I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did.
Now lets get the year started: Today I am jumping right back in to where I left off in 2006- doing signings. Over the break I was extremely happy to learn that we have added Robinson Cano to our long list of exclusive athletes. Today is our first signing with Robinson since he became a Steiner Exclusive. I have known Cano since he broke in as a rookie and have known about him even longer (Bucky Dent and Don Mattingly raved about him before he became a force in the Yankee lineup). I am looking forward to us building an amazing product line around the superstar.
Check back later for a recap of the Cano signing.