Here are some more great photos from the Magic Johnson appearance.

I just returned home from our appearance at Hall of Heroes with Lakers icon Magic Johnson. The signing went great due to both the hard work and preparation of the stores's staff (special thanks to Steve, Alec, Jerber, Paul, Leonard and Pookie) and, of course, Magic's unbelievable demeanor with his fans. I have said in the past that there are few athletes that truly understand that it is, in fact, all about the fans. Johnson's name is definitely on that list. He was so personable with everyone and literally asked each customer where and in what color do they want their items signed. I have never seen an athlete consistently ask those questions. It was awesome. Before the appearance began Magic signed some amazing new items for us in private. During that time I was able to talk to Johnson for a little while. That was a huge thrill for me as I have been a big Lakers fan since the late 80's. We talked a little about the '90 team which lost in the finals to the Bulls. We also spoke about this year's team which is starting to climb out of their 0-2 hole to the Suns. We both agree that with Farmar running the point and Odom establishing himself early (and of course Kobe getting his!) LA has a good chance of tying the series up tomorrow at Staples.
Anyway, we were able to get a hold of some incredible photos for Magic to sign including two of him against the Bulls in the finals. Johnson also signed a few different images of himself with Larry Bird as well as two shots of Magic with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Both Larry and Kareem will be signing these photos soon so be sure to check the site for images.
Overall it was one of the most enjoyable signings I have done in a long time. I have definitely become desensitized to meeting and working with all these athletes (not to say that I don't feel extremely lucky and happy to be in the position that I am) but every once in a while I do one with a player that even I am in awe of. This was one of those as I grew up idolizing Magic. As a side note- Magic signed my old Grateful Dead Great Western Forum cap (2/12/89- Gimme Some Lovin' with Spencer Davis!). I can't wait to show it off at summer shows!
This should be another exciting week for us so keep checking back for updates. Have a great weekend. Go Lakers!

Early this morning I did a large (I always say small. This one was far from small) private signing with Red Sox current pitcher and icon Curt Schilling. The Sox are in town to play the Yankees so we did the signing at the team's hotel. I always marvel at how fast a signer Schilling is. I have never (and you guys know I do a ton of signings) seen anyone come close to Curt in that department. It almost took more time to get the product up to the 16th floor and back into the car than it did for Schilling to complete everything (Hotel elevators and rooms are not meant for cases of baseballs and boxes of jerseys to be brought in and out of. It is the nature of the business but it is always a battle) We got some incredible product signed including replica jerseys, mlb baseballs and a few black leather balls with the "04 WS Champs" inscription.
Tomorrow is our appearance at Hall of Heroes with one of my personal idols Magic Johnson. Magic rarely signs in public so it should be quite an event. The appearance is from 11:00-12:30. Hope to see you all there!
Check back tomorrow night for a recap.

Before I begin this post I would like to thank Dietz for filling in yesterday. While he may not be the best blog-writer he really has done an outstanding job with these contests and will continue to have them in the months to come. With that said-I am back and ready to fill you in on the past two days. Here we go:

Yesterday morning I got on the first flight out of LaGuardia to Chicago's Midway airport. The purpose of my quick trip to Illinois was to do a private signing with our newest exclusive Mark Buehrle. Upon landing at Midway I caught a shuttle over to a hotel in Willowbrook. Willowbrook is about twenty minutes out of Chicago and is close to where Buehrle lives. While this was to be the first signing with Mark as a Steiner exclusive it certainly was not the first time we have worked with him. I first met Buehrle right after the White Sox won the AL pennant in 2005. He then signed again for us after the World Series. I was still surprised though that Mark did, in fact, remember me. (Even though I work with a ton of athletes I am always shocked that the guys remember me as they meet so many people each day). I immediately congratulated Buehrle on pitching the no-hitter. I explained to him that the Mets have never had a no-hitter and that is always on my mind when I watch games. We even went through the list of former Mets that have pitched one for another team (Ryan, Leiter, Doc, Cone......we all know the roster) The funny thing about Mark's no-hitter night was that John Maine had one going into the seventh. I was furious when he lost it and immediately changed channels and discovered that Buerhle had taken one into the 8th (and was still pitching lights out).
Anyway, it took Mark a lot more time to sign these balls versus my last encounter with him. Each of these were inscribed "No hitter 4/18/07". They came out great. I am already looking forward to our next signing with him as we will be accepting send-ins for that one. That will give you guys an opportunity to add Mark to any no-hitter multi-signed pieces that you may have. After the conclusion of the signing it took about an hour to box up all the product to ship back to New York. I then caught a cab to the airport and , to my dismay, saw that all the flights were delayed or cancelled. I am not sure if it is my bad luck or just law of averages that my travel is such an ordeal sometimes. I finally landed back in New York late last night and arrived home around midnight. I went straight to sleep as I had wake up at 6 to start getting ready for today's Curt Schilling signing.
Check back late for a recap.

Hi everyone, Dietz here with an update. Since our autograph liaison Eric is currently in Chicago with our newest exclusive Mark Buehrle doing a signing I wanted to inform you guys about the private signing that we just conducted here in the office with the “Godfather of Skateboarding” himself, Mr. Tony Hawk. Like many of you I’m sure, I grew up watching Tony attempt some of the most ridiculously dangerous stunts and tricks on a board while also playing his incredibly addicting video games. To this day I can recall him hitting the 900 on national TV.

Just like yesterday and last week, we ran an e-mail out to our entire customer base yesterday asking them to send in their questions for the skateboarding legend. The catch was if your question was selected to ask Tony you would win a FREE signed 8x10 photograph. Tony was extremely receptive to answer the questions I had for him and was very approachable and personal. Thank you again to everyone that participated in the giveaway and congratulations to the lucky 5 winners. These last few Q&A’s have had such a great response we are definitely going to continue these in the months to come, so keep checking those inboxes! Without any further ado here is the small Q&A I conducted with Tony Hawk:


Q. What are your thoughts on the new breed of skateboarders out there that seem to try to injure themselves more often that not by attempting to try tricks that are overly outrageous? Back in your day, it was all about performance and perfection. Now it's all about extremes. – Jonathan
A. The notion now is you have to be excessively daring or outgoing by doing bigger stunts. That is just the nature of the sport these days and a better way of getting noticed. I only endorse it though if I truly believe that the skater has the talent and ability to do those kinds of things.

Q. I am seven years old and live in Spotsylvania, VA, I came to see Tony at Six Flags last summer. I would like to know what is the most difficult trick that Tony has learned to do and how long it took him to learn it? - Randy H.
A. Either the Kickflip McTwist or the Kickflip 540. I had to test those for a very long time and I’ve only nailed them twice and I really don’t want to try them anymore. (laughs)

Q. What special moment in your career, would you consider the defining moment that made all the broken bones and bruises worth it all? – JC from Staten Island
A. It would have to be the 900 for me because it was the trick that took the longest pursuit to finally do. The fact that it was on national TV sort of crossed the boundary from people seeing skateboarding as just a novelty.

Q. Are you involved in the engineering and design aspect of skateboards? - Marc V.
A. Absolutely...each pro on our team picks their own shape and graphic on their board and I mostly oversee and have input on it. When it comes to that though we like to let the pros represent themselves however they want.

Q. How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to be a professional skater? - Mark W.
A. At the time I made the decision I was real young so they were extremely supportive. I was at the top of the amateur ranks and the only time they really showed any kind of concern was when I was nearing the end of High School. But they were still confident that I could pursue it because by the time I had graduated I had already bought my own house.

I just completed a small private signing with former Knicks guard Allan Houston. You may also know Allan from his recent work as a commentator on ESPN. He is doing an unbelievable job over there. Anyway, we ran another cool contest where you guys had the opportunity to email questions to ask Houston. Here are the details from Dietz who ran than Q&A session.


Q. When you got into the NBA, what was your reaction when you saw players you looked up to when you where younger? Did you ask them for autographs? – William H. Uniondale, NY

A. I never asked but I did have the ultimate respect for the players that I was used to watching on TV. Joe (Dumars) and Isiah (Thomas) were two guys that took Lindsey (Hunter) and myself under their wing and really taught us work ethic and how to become a professional about things. They set the tone for the rest of my playing career and even at the tail end of their careers when I was just a rookie they were still putting in the time to make themselves better as a player.

Q. You won a state championship in high school, you are the all-time leading scorer with the University of Tennessee, went to the NBA Finals with the Knicks and won the Gold in 2000 for the US -- with all of these lifetime achievements, what would be the crowning achievement of your entire basketball career, what are you most proud of? - Matt from Poughkeepsie, NY

A. I can’t really pick just one of those. Each one has had a different impact on my life at that specific time. The State Championship I can say is the one and only real championship I’ve ever won. The Gold medal was a global achievement and playing in the NBA Finals is something I will always cherish because that is the pinnacle of playing your sport.

Q. Given your near perfect jump shot, was there a player that you, as a kid, patterned your game after, and, in particular, used as a model for your shot? - Howard from NY

A: George Gervin. My friend and I back in middle school, before they came out with replica jerseys, went to the store and bought blank black and white tank tops and had Gervin’s number printed on the back.


We got some amazing product signed including photos of the classic game winning shot against the Heat. Allan even inscribed a few 16x20s with both the date and "The Shot"! That basket ranks up there with any of the greatest Knicks moments.
Tomorrow morning I am on the first flight out to Chicago where I am doing a signing with our newest exclusive (and the most recent player to pitch a no-hitter) Mark Buerhle. Check back for updates from Illinois.

We have a ton of great signings coming up in the next few days so, with that in mind, here is a quick preview. Tomorrow we will be doing a small private signing with Knicks legend Alan Houston. Then on Thursday we are doing signings with both Vincent Pastore and Tony Hawk. Also on Thursday I am flying to Chicago for a private signing with Steiner's newest exclusive Mark Buehrle. Buehrle will be autographing some amazing no-hitter product so be sure to check the site for images. Then on Friday I will be back in New York for a signing with Curt Schilling. On Saturday we have Lakers icon Magic Johnson appearing at Hall of Heroes. As a huge Lakers fan I am really looking forward to this one.

We just started another contest (similar to the Michael Strahan one from last week). Here are the details. Good luck!

Former NY Knicks star guard, Allan Houston and former Sopranos cast member,
Vincent Pastore, will be signing within the next two days! This is your chance to
find out what they collect. We will choose the three unique questions and each
person will receive a FREE signed 8x10 photograph from either Allan Houston or
Vincent Pastore.

Send your question to steiner_sports@steinersports.com

When sending us your question please specify which person you would like to ask
the question to. Also be sure to include your name and where you are from!

To see which questions were chosen and to view the answers, simply go to:
Eric “The Autograph Handler’s” Blog on April 26th at 4:00pm ET. If your question
is there - YOU WILL RECEIVE A FREE 8X10 PHOTO!

My day began at Last Licks Scarsdale where we were having an appearance with Yogi Berra and Joe Pepitone. I was not working at the appearance but decided to stop by anyway to see my boy Yogi. I had not seen Berra in quite some time so it was great to sit down and talk with him for a few minutes. Unfortunately Pepi had not yet arrived so I was unable to see him. Overall I heard the appearance was a great success, as it always is with those two guys.

After my Scarsdale walk-thru I headed home to monitor the Mets. We had John Maine and Moises Alou signing at Last Licks Thornwood after the game so , in what is becoming a Saturday afternoon ritual for me, I watched the game at home until the 6th inning. I then drove over to the store to begin setting up for the appearance. After Joe Smith sat down Andruw Jones and the Mets cruised to victory (led by the two best players in the league Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran) people began to line up for the signing. While it was far from the biggest crowd we have had there were some really enthusiastic Mets fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of Maine and Alou. The privileged few on line were entertained by, none other than, Mr. Met as they patiently waited. The guys finally walked in at about 6:15. They may be professional ballplayers but even they have to sit in traffic like the rest of us. There was a kid in the store that was shocked that the players don't get a police escort so that they don't have to wait in traffic. I thought that was pretty funny.


Anyway, both Moises and John were unbelievable with the people. I was really looking forward to meeting Maine who is quickly becoming my favorite pitcher on this strong staff. We talked a little about his almost no-hitter the other night and about growing up as a Mets fan. After the public portion of the event both Moises and John signed items in private for us. Moises signed an incredible photo of him in St. Louis during the opening series this season. The image has an amazing looking sky as the backdrop. Maine signed baseballs as well as two new photos. We were also able to get some sick game-used pieces signed by both guys.
I enjoyed this signing as much as any in recent memory. It is always great to see that the players you root for are as nice as you would hope they would be.

We have a lot going on in the next ten days so keep checking back daily for updates.

Earlier today we did a small private signing with Giants star Michael Strahan. As I have said in the past, Michael is one of the nicest athletes ever. He took the time to talk with and take photos with practically everyone in our office. Being that Strahan is so personable we actually ran a contest where customers emailed questions for him to answer. The winners receive a free signed 8x10 photo. The contest was emailed to our entire customer base (If you did not receive this email and would like to participate in things like this please contact me) Anyway the whole thing was the brainchild of our web department so, instead of me explaining it you, here it is -courtesy of Dietz.


“Yesterday we sent out an e-mail reaching out to our entire customer base asking them to come up with questions they’d like to ask Michael Strahan, defensive end of the New York Giants. The catch was, if your question was selected, you would receive a free Strahan signed 8x10. The response we had was nearly overwhelming as I came into the office today to over 400 questions for Michael waiting in my inbox! Once I sifted through every one of the questions it was then time to choose the lucky 5 questions that would be asked. Today was my first time meeting Mike and I must say his off the field persona is nothing short of spectacular. Strahan was extremely receptive to answer any questions I had for him. Thanks again to everyone that participated in this promotion and I strongly encourage you to please keep checking your e-mail boxes as there will without a doubt be more offers just like this on the way within the upcoming weeks considering the constant flow of athletes we have come into our office!”

A lot of us have dreamed of being professional athletes. I am curious what you think are the single best and worst things about playing in the NFL that most fans wouldn't think about or realize.- Caleb, from Wallis, TX
The best is the access to things outside the NFL for instance being able to have VIP treatment wherever you go; being able to get into a crowded restaurant, front row seats to shows/games. The worst is we basically have to work 6 months straight which takes a lot of time away from being with our families.

Do you remember the first time somebody asked you for your autograph? Please tell us the story. – Sully from North Hampton, NH
Yes, when I was 7 years old. I was playing D-End for the Falcons in North Carolina and some kid walked up to me after the game and asked me for it. I was so little then I don’t even know if I could write in cursive!

Besides your current teammates, who is the one guy that you would like or would have liked to play along side of? - Steve from Glen Cove NY
I’d have to say Bruce Smith or Reggie White…one of those two.

After you broke the record for the most sacks in a single season did you collect or keep anything in particular to commemorate the moment against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers? – Jared from Poughkeepsie, NY
Well my uniform from the game is in Canton, Ohio at the Hall of Fame and I have the football. But you wouldn’t believe it, someone actually stole my shoes right out of my locker! I am still waiting to see if they pop up on EBay or somewhere else.

What's the strangest thing you ever signed? Ed from Pt. Pleasant, NJ
A dude’s arm…and then later found out he went to the tattoo parlor and got the signature tattooed on his arm.

After the brief interview Michael finished the signing in less than an hour. We got two awesome new images signed including a new celebration photo. It is one of the best Strahan pieces we have ever done. There will be a lot going on in the next week so keep checking back for updates.

I just got home from our appearance with Endy Chavez, Billy Wagner and David Newhan at Last Licks Huntington. First of all I really wish the appearance was after a win but , I guess, that's baseball. Endy did have a great game though (double and triple). Anyway the guys arrived at about 5:45 to a pretty big line. While I knew there would be a huge crowd there for Wagner I was somewhat surprised by the incredible reception that Endy got. He has become not only a fan favorite but somewhat of a cult hero for that Game 7 catch in the NLCS last year. I remember Tony LaRussa telling me after the World Series that Endy's catch was the greatest he has ever seen and that, had the Mets won, it would already be in the history books as the all-time best. There were also many on hand to welcome Newhan to New York. I have a feeling that, by season's end, he will play a huge role in the team repeating as NL East champs. Wagner, as always, was amazing. He remains one of my favorite players to do a public appearance with. Billy is incredibly friendly with the fans and seems to truly enjoy talking to them. After the public portion concluded we were able to get some awesome product signed. Newhan signed MLB baseballs and a few 8x10 photos. Wagner signed some sick game used product including balls and champagne bottles. Endy signed the catch photo as well as new wide angle image of the catch. I like the wide-angle even more than the original shot. It is sure to become a best seller. We finally finished at about 8:45 and I immediately began boxing up my product. I eventually left the store at about 9:30 and am really looking forward to my day off on Sunday. (I think Billy, Endy and David are also looking at a day off tomorrow with that big storm coming)
This should be another busy week so check back daily for updates.

Yesterday was our appearance at Last Licks Scarsdale with Mets legends Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. The evening was a total success. Tom and Jerry (which became a running joke during the signing due to the cartoon) arrived to a rather large crowd for a Friday evening. Many of the proceeds from the appearance were to go to the Scarsdale Little League so much of the community came out to support it. Both men were incredible with the public. They took photos with and shared stories with practically everyone. Tom, as he has been the past few years, was in a great mood. He really has turned over a new leaf over the past 3-4 years and I urge anyone that has heard otherwise to come out to the next appearance. Seaver is awesome. He loves talking with fans, especially kids. After the public ended both guys signed some items in private. This gave us an opportunity to have that classic Seaver/Koosman/Nolan Ryan 16x20 signed. It has become a staple piece of our inventory and a must-have for any Mets fan. Nolan will be signing these soon so check the site in about two weeks to order one.
Another reason Tom and Jerry were in town was to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of Scarsdale Little League's 2007 season. While I was not at the field yesterday morning I heard it was unbelievable. They signed autographs for the kids and both could not thank us enough for inviting them to be a part of the event. It is always refreshing to get a thank you from an athlete.
Tomorrow night is our appearance at Last Licks Huntington with Endy "The Greatest Catch Ever" Chavez, Billy Wagner and David Newhan.
Check back for a recap.

Here is a quick preview of the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow evening we have Mets legends Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman appearing at Last Licks Scarsdale. While we all know Tom's incredible resume, Koosman remains one of the most underrated pitchers in major league history (222 wins, 3.36 ERA). Both men played huge roles in the magical seasons of 1969 and 1973. It should be a lot of fun. Then on Saturday, in keeping with the Mets theme (everyday should have a Mets theme), we have Endy Chavez, David Newhan and Billy Wagner signing at Last Licks Huntington. You should all come out to shake the hand of the man who had arguably the greatest catch in postseason history. Personally I am really looking forward to finally getting a signed "Endy Catch" photo. The signing will take place shortly after Saturday's win over the Nationals. Hope to see you all there!
Check back throughout the weekend for updates.

I just returned home from my journey to Boise, Idaho where I did a large private signing with Bill Buckner. Before I get into the whole trip I am going to fill you all in on everything that went on from the Saturday night thru my flights (there is no direct flight from NYC to Idaho) to Boise. Sunday morning (day after the Cano/Melky appearance) I woke up to the news that Yankees legend Bernie Williams sat in with The Allman Brothers for one song Saturday night. I was pretty pumped to hear that as I have always had more fun talking guitar than baseball with Bernie. I have since heard the show and am looking forward to getting Bernie a copy. Hopefully that was only the first of many collaborations. Then Sunday night I headed over to the Beacon for the final Allman's show of this historic run. The Brothers were joined by reclusive legend Johnny Winter for several songs including Ray Charles' "Blackjack". I did not think it could get any better until they later called up Ravi Coltrane to play sax on "In a Silent Way" (One of the top five Miles Davis tracks ever!). All in all it was a very special night.

That brings me to Monday which happened to be opening day at Shea Stadium. I am sure many of you have similar parking horror stories to mine. I ended up having to park in Lot E which is way past the tennis center. It was , and will be, well worth the inconvience. The Mets appear to be ahead of schedule in building Citi Field. It will be so awesome to finally have a beautiful new ballpark in 2009. I will miss Shea though. There will always be something special about it- remember Game 6 was played there (and nowhere else!). Much to the displeasure of Jimmy Rollins, BH and the city of Philadelphia the Mets had a serious rally in the 8th inning and Billy Wagner (who happens to be appearing at Last Licks Huntington this Saturday) closed the door in the 9th. The final score was 11-5 and, to tell you the truth, I never doubted the team for a second.

That bring us to 4:00 AM Tuesday morning when my alarm clock went off. After getting dressed I drove over to LaGuardia to catch a flight out to Minnesota. (As I said earlier there are no direct flights from New York to Idaho. Anyone surprised?)
After changing planes in Minneapolis I finally touched down at about noon at Boise Airport. There is no much to say about Idaho. Boise is surrounded by mountains and there is not much to do. I wish there was more to say but that is about it. It is, appropriately given the situation, as far away as one can get from Shea Stadium, Game 6 and Red Sox Nation. Once I landed I walked (everything is pretty much in walking distance) to the hotel and began to set up for our marathon signing.
Bill arrived at about 3:00 (Mountain Time!) and went right to work. I have known Buckner for a long time and have always enjoyed talking to him. He knows so much about baseball. Bill had an incredible 22 year career in the major leagues and, over that time, put up amazing numbers including 2715 hits. It truly is a shame that such a great career has been marred by one mishap. Anway, Buckner signed for about three hours. This signing gave us an opportunity to re-up on the Buckner/Wilson photo which happens to be Steiner's best seller. After Bill left it took about two hours to prep the product to ship back to New York.
I woke up at 6:00 this morning to walk (I am still amazed that I was able to walk to the airport) to the airport to catch the first flight out to civilization. Anyway, to make a long story short, I finally landed in New York at 5:30. Befittingly enough I ended up in some serious Shea Stadium traffic on my way home.

We have a lot going on this weekend so check back tomorrow for a preview.

Yesterday was our appearance at Last Licks Armonk with Yankees stars Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano. The Yankees had a huge win (huge as far as April wins are concerned) yesterday afternoon and Cano was the guy that started the rally in the bottom of the 9th. Melky and Robinson arrived at about 6:15 to a raucous crowd that was really excited about Arod's game winning grand-slam. We got through the line in about an hour. I was surprised to see almost just as many fans there to see Melky as there were to see Cano. Cabrera has really become a fan favorite in his short major league career. After the public portion of the signing both guys signed items in private. Cano signed game model bats for us (both black and ash) and Melky signed bats, jerseys and more of that classic catch photo from last season. We also were able to acquire an amazing photo of Robinson and Cabrera that is now dual signed by both guys. It is sure to become a staple in our growing Cano Exclusive collection. Overall it was a very successful event. I am already forward to our next appearance with Cano.

I am about to head down to the Beacon for the final Allman Brothers show of this legendary run. Then tomorrow I will be at Shea for opening day against Philadelphia (Jimmy Rollins should have kept his mouth shut. He is going to hear it all season in Flushing!) Then on Tuesday morning I am flying out to Idaho for a private signing with Bill Buckner. It should be another busy week so check back daily for updates.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Last Friday morning (a few hours removed from the Ovechkin trip) I drove out to Robinson Cano's home for a small private signing. Robinson did a public appearance for us yesterday (I will get into that one later) so we agreed to get the bulk of my private items signed before the event. It was good to see Cano, who still remains one of my favorite people. While waiting for Robinson I got to meet Yankees backup catcher Will Nieves. I have a feeling Nieves is going to be huge for the Yankees this year. He ended up beating out my boy, Mets legend, Todd Pratt for the roster spot by showing how well he can handle the staff. Anyway, Robinson signed some awesome new photos as well as jerseys. Cano is now wearing number 24 so, for anyone with a #22 jersey, it is time to upgrade. We started some great dual signed Jeter/Cano 16x20s that will be completed soon when Derek signs. Robinson and I parted ways at about 2:00 when I drove back to our office and he headed over to Yankee Stadium for their game against the Orioles.
Check back later for a recap of Saturday's appearance with Cano and Melky Cabrera.

Early Thursday morning I hopped in my car and, along with fellow Mets fanatic DV, headed down to Washington D.C. for our private signing with Captial's superstar Alex Ovechkin. It was vital to leave before 6:00 AM as to avoid rush hour traffic in all four states. Leaving early also gave me a chance to drive thru College Park, Maryland where I went to college. I had not been to CP since 2000 and was shocked by how different it looked. I was happy to see that my old building (4216 Knox Rd) was, very much, still intact. We finally arrived at Ovechkin's home in Arlington, Virginia at about noon. After getting set up it only took Alex about a half hour to knock out the signing. He is incredibly fast. He seems extremely humble (considering that he is the second coming of Gretzky) and is looking forward to heading home this week once the season ends. We talked a little baseball as I am far from a hockey expert. Ovechkin follows the Nationals but I think he would make a great Mets fan (check out the orange shirt!) . We got some incredible product signed including pucks, jerseys, and several different photos. While we hit no traffic driving down, the trip back home was quite the opposite. We stopped in College Park for dinner and then sat in crazy traffic in Baltimore and Delaware. I finally arrived home at about 10:30 that night. I went straight to sleep so I could rest up for the next two days of signings.
Check back later for recaps of both Friday and Saturday.

Here is a quick preview of the next few days. Early tomorrow morning I am driving down to D.C. for a private signing with Alexander Ovechkin. We have some unbelievable photos to get signed so be sure to check the site for images. Then on Friday I am doing a small signing with Yankees star Robinson Cano. That leads us into Saturday when Robinson and Melky Cabrera are appearing at Last Licks in Armonk after the game. It should be an awesome event. Hope to see you all there! Then on Monday I am heading to Shea Stadium for Opening Day against the Phillies. The Mets defense has been rock solid so far and, as per the guru Rick Peterson, superb defense makes good pitching great. He is absolutely right and it has showed in these past two games. After Monday's game I am flying out to Idaho for a special private signing. I will get more into depth on that one as we get closer.
Check back tomorrow for an update from our nation's capital.

Yesterday was our appearance at Hall of Heroes with Yankees legends Reggie Jackson and Whitey Ford. This was my first trip to the store in quite some time. For any of you that live close to Roosevelt Field Mall you should really go check it out. They have all of our newest product on display there.

Anyway. Whitey arrived at about 11:00. I had not seen him since a signing we did at his home early last fall. Ford has always been one of my favorites. Reggie came in at about 11:30. It was awesome to watch the interaction between the two guys. It is not often that we book two players from different eras so it was pretty cool to see. Both Reggie and Whitey were unbelievable with the public (as always). The line would be held up for five to ten minutes at a time while they spoke to each fan. After the public portion ended the guys signed some spectacular items in private. Whitey signed a few web exclusive replica jerseys with some great inscriptions. Reggie also signed a few jerseys including one very special one. I was able to get a ten inscription (yes- 10!) jersey which will be on auction shortly. The thing is sick.
Ford finished about an hour before Jackson and went straight to the airport to catch a flight back to Ft. Lauderdale. Reggie finally finished at about 3:15. The best thing about Reggie is that he truly cares about the product. Some guys just sign their name and don't always care about where the best spot to sign is or which pen to use. Mr. October, on the other hand, takes his time and will always offer a suggestion about how an item should be signed. The only other athlete that really comes close in that category is Cal Ripken Jr. I recall being down in Baltimore with Cal a few years ago spending hours trying out different color pens on the simplest of photos.

After Reggie finished signing we went for ice cream before he headed home. I thought that was pretty cool as I never really had an opportunity to talk to him for an extended period of time (until yesterday). The guy has a ton of knowledge about baseball as well as business. He is, suprisingly enough, slowly creeping up to the top of my list of favorite athletes to work with.

We are now less then two and a half hours away from the start of the 2007 baseball season. As a clinically insane Mets fan I am beyond pumped right now for tonight's game. I have never been this excited about baseball beginning but will try to keep the Mets talk to a minimum (for at least the first few weeks). April is way too early to start going crazy over this stuff. Anyway , for the final time, I would like to reiterate my predition that the Mets will, in fact, win the World Series (It's all happening).

Now that I got that out of the way it is time for a quick preview of the upcoming week. On Thursday I am heading down to Washington D.C. for a private signing with Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin is one of the top three players in the league (the order is debateable but he is in the coversation for who's #1) and a must-have for any avid hockey collector. The on Saturday we have our appearance at Last Licks in Armonk with Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera. I will get more into depth about that one later in the week. I will also have the privilege of attending a few more Allmans shows along the way !
Check back daily for updates. Enjoy the game tonight!