First and foremost, congratulations to Brian from Huntington who won the VIP experience to the Melky Cabrera appearance next Saturday. The answer was Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson signed photograph. I enjoyed hearing from all of you. I am going to start getting a email list together of all the blog readers. I will periodically be sending out emails with some sales, contests and discounts on upcoming appearances. If you would like to be a part of this feel free to email me.
Anyway, tomorrow is our appearance at Hall of Heroes with Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson. Hope to see you all there. Then Sunday is opening night of the baseball season. I can't wait to see the Mets back in action. I have high hopes for this year. Anything short of the World Series will be a failure in my eyes. This is the year- you heard it here first on the blog. While some are concerned about the pitching staff I , on the other hand, have total confidence in Pelfrey, Maine and Perez. (Well Perez is a little scary but his upside is greater then the other two combined!). The lineup is going to be insane especially with David Wright batting second.
Between the baseball season beginning, a few more Allman Brothers shows and several private signings I should be pretty busy for the next week or so.
Check back daily for updates.

Thanks for all the email responses to the contest question from this morning. As of now I have yet to see the correct answer. The only hint I will give at this time is that it is not necessarily a Yankees item.
Good Luck!

Here is the first of many contests that I will be holding on the blog over the next few weeks. The sender of the first email response with the correct answer to the following question will receive a VIP experience to the Melky Cabrera appearance at Last Licks Armonk on Saturday April 7th. This will entitle the winner to a free autographed 8x10 Melky photograph of their choice, a photo with Melky as well as not having to wait on line. The question is:
-What do you think Steiner's best selling baseball item is?

I am looking forward to reading your answers.
Good Luck!

This has been somewhat of a quiet week for me. There are no signings until this Saturday when Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson will be appearing at Hall of Heroes. I have been using the time to brainstorm some fun new ideas for the blog as well as recover from possible hearing damage brought on by my front row ticket to The Allman Brothers two days ago. I literally stood a foot away from the speakers. (15 minute Southbound with horns...it was ridiculous.) Anyway, tomorrow I will be holding the first of many contests which will give you guys an opportunity to win VIP experiences at upcoming signings. Check back for details.

Earlier today I did a small private signing with former Eagles star Vince Papale. Vince's autobiography "Invincible" was the basis for last year's movie (of the same name). His story is truly remarkable and inspiring. Papale was great. We actually listened to the entire "Invincible" sountrack throughout the signing. The guy is really into Ted Nugent. Amazingly enough the last track came on with about twenty photos to go. I thought that was pretty cool. Vince could not get over the awesome photos that we were getting done. We have 6 different images in both 8x10 and 16x20. Aside from those incredible photos Papale also signed movie posters with the "Invincible" inscription and Eagles mini-helmets.
We even got a few footballs signed for the auction. After meeting Vince I am really looking forward to reading the book on my next trip.
There are no appearances this weekend but there are sure to be a few surprises in the days to come. Check back for updates.
Have a great weekend!

This has been a pretty quiet week for me. I am actually off until Friday but wanted to get you guys a preview of what we have coming up. On Friday we will be doing a private signing with former Eagles start Vince Papale. Papale's story was immortalized in the movie "Invincible". I recently saw the film and am really looking forward to meeting him. We have some awesome items that you can pre-order including autographed movie posters. Then next weekend we have two Yankee legends appearing at Hall of Heroes. Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson and "The Chairman of the Board" Whitey Ford will be signing in public from 12-1:30. It is always quite an event when either of these guys sign alone so it should be pretty great to have both icons appear together. It is definitely safe to say that something (or many things) will come up between now and then so keep checking back daily for updates.

Yesterday (a day removed from my triumphant return to New York) Charlie Weis came up to our office for both a private signing and a great event. Many were surprised that Coach was able to get to NY (due to the snow storm) but I really wasn't. He always struck me as the type who will never break an appointment or obligation. Up until then I was the only person at Steiner who had met Coach Weis. As you all know from my previous posts, Charlie and I get along great. I was pretty excited for everyone else to finally meet him. He did not disappoint. Not only was he awesome at the event's Q&A session but also in talking with everyone at our company. Before the event began Charlie signed some great items including Notre Dame mini helmets with the "Go Irish!" inscriptions, a new photo of Coach Weis standing with Brady Quinn and a few amazing web-exclusive pieces. I am already looking forward to my next trip to South Bend. I am hoping for good weather (for once).
Enjoy the weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day (Brendan)!
Check back throughout the week for updates.

It is a little past midnight here in Tampa. I am definitely having a weird X-Files moment right now as it was exactly a week ago (almost to the minute) that I posted the Andy Pettitte blog. Anyway I finally finished all my work here in Tampa. Johnny Damon came here to sign right after tonight's game. I have always enjoyed working with Johnny. I still vividly remember the first signing we ever did with him (up in Boston the day of the parade in 2004). While he has changed teams and signed a huge contract, Damon remains as down to earth a celebrity as you will ever meet. The guy is awesome. We spent most of this signing discussing wrestling (both TNA and WWE). We are both way psyched for Wrestlemania and are big fans of Batista. Anyway, Johnny signed some great items including 6 (yes 6!) new Yankees images in both 8x10 and 16x20. They are sure to become staple items in our already amazing Johnny Damon Exclusive Collection. Once the signing was complete I spent about 45 minutes boxing up all the product to ship back to New York. I am flying back first thing in the morning and am really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. Earlier today I did the math- I have been on the road 12 of the last 15 days.
On Friday we have the Charlie Weis event at our office and then, on Saturday, I am flying (again) to Chicago for the day. I will be doing signings with Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning. Check back for updates.

I just completed our first private signing with future Yankees ace Philip Hughes. Hughes is sure to be in the rotation by the end of the season and for many years to come. His minor league numbers over the past two seasons have been incredible. Hughes seems way ahead of schedule in his development into a major league starter. Anyway, Phil also has an awesome, consistent signature (which is not always the case with the younger players). He signed a nice mix of product including MLB baseballs, replica jerseys and black leather baseballs. This is sure to be the first of many blog postings about Hughes.
Tomorrow is my final day in Tampa. I have a quite a day ahead of me as I will be spending the majority of it bagging baseballs and boxing product. Then, after tomorrow night's exhibition game, I will be doing a large private signing with Johnny Damon.
Check back for a recap.

Earlier today I did a small private signing with the great Mariano Rivera. This signing was not totally planned, but with me in town for a few days, we decided to give Mo a call. Rivera, as always, obliged and came by my hotel for about an hour to sign. This was the first time I have seen him since the week of that great public appearance last December. Mo seems incredibly excited about the upcoming season and the Yankees chances of getting that elusive 27th championship. We were able to re-up on the classic "Enter Sandman" photo (in all 3 sizes). That has become such a staple piece of our inventory and a necessity for any Yankee collector. After Mo left I got right back to boxing up product and prepping it to ship back to New York (which I spent most of the day doing). I am so glad that, for once, I am stationary in one spot for a few days and don't have to rush anywhere. The weather down here is awesome and I am looking forward to spending some time outside of the hotel's conference room tomorrow afternoon. Before my short break I will be doing a private signing with future Yankees star (and Steiner Exclusive) Philip Hughes. Check back for a recap.

Early this morning I flew down (again) to Tampa. This time I will be down here for a lot longer than the 16 hours I spent in Florida last Wednesday/Thursday. Today was the first of quite a few Yankees signings that will take place this week. Derek Jeter signed for a few hours late this afternoon after today's exhibition game. The signing went great (as it always does with Jeter). Derek was nervously awaiting Michigan's fate as a possible participant in the NCAA tournament. I, on the other hand, was anxiously excited about where Maryland would wind up. If there is ever such a thing as a good loss, the first round departure from the ACC tournament may just have been one for the Terps. It would have been almost inconcievable to win 14 in a row to end the season with a national championship. Anyway Jeter signed a variety of items ranging from jerseys, photos, baseballs and bats. We were able to acquire commemorative bats from each of the Yankees' four recent championships. Derek signed a limited number of these. They are very unique pieces that truly are a must-have for any avid Jeter collector. In the next few days I will be conducting private signing with a few Yankees including Philip Hughes and Johnny Damon.
Check back daily for updates.

Here is, as promised, a quick overview of my upcoming week. First and foremost I am heading down to the Beacon Theatre in about an hour to catch Bob Weir and Ratdog. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a few Dylan covers as well as a guest spot by Warren Haynes. Then on Sunday I am flying back out to Tampa for a few days of Yankees signings. On Sunday (a few hours after I land) I will be doing a private signing with Derek Jeter. We have an incredible new 16x20 photo that rivals any we have done with Derek in the past. I am really looking forward to seeing how great it looks signed. Then on Tuesday I will be doing a small signing with the young phenom Philip Hughes. Hughes seems to be the real deal so it makes sense, for any collector, to get him now. My last signing of this Tampa run will be on Wednesday with Johnny Damon. This is the makeup date from the weather-related postponement from last week. I am then flying back to New York on Thursday right in time for Friday's Charlie Weis event.
Check back daily for updates from Florida.

It is now midnight here in Tampa where I have just completed our private signing with Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. I flew in this afternoon straight from Phoenix and immediately began to set up for the signing. Andy pitched the first few innings of tonight's exhibition game and then headed over here to sign. Surprisingly enough this was the first time I have worked with Pettitte. We talked a little about the 2000 World Series (mostly Game 5- which still haunts me). He seems really excited about being back in New York. He brings winning veteran leadership to an already formidable pitching staff. We got some awesome product signed including a great action photo of Andy pitching on the road in 2001 as well as authentic jerseys and baseballs. I apologize for this not being the greatest of the blog entries. I am wiped out and jetlagged like crazy (I was going to wait and post this tomorrow but I figured I would keep it honest and do it now). In a few hours I am, finally, flying back to New York. I will be home for two and a half days before heading down to Tampa again on Sunday.
Check back for a preview of next week's signings.

I just returned to my hotel in Phoenix from doing the Steve Nash signing at U.S. Airways Center. Nash is playing at such a high level right now (even for him) and is possibly on his way to both a championship and a third MVP award. I had met Steve briefly last summer during a small signing in New York. I was quite surprised that he totally remembered me. We talked throughout the signing about the NBA and college hoops. It is incredible how much someone can learn about the game from just spending a few minutes with Nash. I recently heard a quote from a basketball analyst which stated that Steve may be (statistically) the most efficient player to ever wear an NBA uniform. We got some awesome product signed including jerseys (both authentic and replica) and a few different photos. This signing gave us an opportunity to build an incredible product line around a player that undoubtably deserves an amazing array of product donning his signature. After Steve left I spent a few hours boxing up the product and prepping it to ship back to New York. I then decided to walk back to the hotel so I could check out some of downtown Phoenix (and listen to the entire Velvet Underground album Loaded as I saw the sites). It is a pretty cool city.
Tomorrow morning I am on the first flight to Tampa where I am doing a small private signing with Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte.
Check back Wednesday night for a recap.

Earlier today I made my exodus from the mountains of Colorado to the desert of Arizona. I am now getting ready for tomorrow's private signing with Steve Nash. I am actually considering heading over to the arena tonight to check out "Monday Night Raw". Ever since the Hulk Hogan signing I have been back on wrestling in a big way. Here are a few cool photos I have taken (other than the Melo ones) so far on this trip. It is ridiculous how different the climate is in Phoenix versus Denver.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of the Nash signing.

Yesterday I flew out to Denver for a private signing with Nuggets superstar (and Steiner Exclusive) Carmelo Anthony. I touched down in Colorado at about 6:00 PM (Mountain Time). I then caught a cab to my hotel which is right in downtown Denver. The ride from the airport was unbelievable. The sun was setting and the mountains looked amazing in the horizon as we drove towards the city. It was very cool. This morning, despite my attempts to sleep in, I awoke at 5:30 AM. I always have a difficult time adjusting to Mountain or Pacific time. It's crazy how two-three hours can throw someone off that much. My early rise did give me a chance to walk around and check out downtown Denver. It really is an awesome city- nothing like I thought it would be. I envisioned something closer to what you see on South Park.
At 11:00 I headed over to the Pepsi Center to set up for the signing with Carmelo. He arrived shortly after practice and we went right to work on the photos, jerseys and basketballs. Melo was great. We talked a little about the NBA and college hoops. I was quick to remind him of Syracuse's current problems and, of course, Maryland's seven game winning streak. Anthony is an incredibly fast signer. We got through all the product in no time and, as usual, I was left with quite a mess to clean up. All the pieces came out spectacular. Melo does have a good signature which is somewhat surprising, considering the sigs that most of his peers have. We got three different Nuggets jerseys and Syracuse jerseys signed as well as the basketballs and some great photos. My favorite photos is, by far, the dunk image from this year's All-Star Game. After Melo left it took about two hours to box up and prep the product to be shipped. I just got back to the hotel and am about to start packing my stuff up for tommorrow's flight to Phoenix. I will be in Arizona for a day and a half for a private signing with 2 Time MVP Steve Nash.
Check back for updates.

Yesterday I completed our two day signing with Peyton Manning. I was shocked to see Peyton , just a few hours removed from the signing, sitting in the stands at the Tennessee basketball game on ESPN Tuesday night. Anyway he made it back from the game and began to sign at about 12:30. Yesterday we did most of the equipment items and all of the customer's send-in pieces. There were so many cool send in items ranging from Super Bowl ticket stubs to Sports Illustrated magazines. Peyton signed until around four and that is when the fun began. From four to close to eight I prepped and packaged all of our product to ship back to New York. Once I finished I called a taxi to pick me up at the secluded country club where the signings took place. The location is kind of in the woods in the middle of nowhere. I waited outside (since the place was closed) in the cold for hours. The taxi did not arrive until 10:15 despite my constant phone calls to "Yellow Cab of Indianapolis" which, going forward, will be forever banned by the blog. Luckily I made it back to the hotel to catch the last few minutes of Maryland's dismantling of Duke. My Terps are, by far, the hottest team in the nation after beating Duke and NC in consecutive games. I flew back to New York early this morning and am now preparing for my Saturday trip to Denver for our private signing with Carmelo Anthony.
Check back for updates... and never use "Yellow Cab of Indianapolis".