2017 Bronx Baseball Bonanza Signing Recap!

Hey everyone, Drew back here for the first time in well, too long. I can't believe how long its been. I usually begin each post talking about how long its been, but this post gap crushes any of the previous ones. I've been around, as many of you have seen me on Twitter and Instagram amidst my absence. But to the rest of you, I hope you had a wonderful Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/etc., and New Year! 

I have quite a bit to share with you all, and I really don't know how I'm going to do it. I haven't put time towards the blog in any way, but I decided to renew it anyway in January in hopes that I would end up posting again. Hopefully I can try to take the next few months to give you some sort of idea as to where I've been. Similar to Michael Jordan, I took some time to explore some new ventures, realized they weren't quite as appealing (not drugs, I swear), and returned to what I thoroughly enjoy. Yeah, I just compared myself to MJ, have at me.

First; however, I wish to share this past weekend's adventures in New Jersey. Dad and I made the trip for the third consecutive year to the Hilton Doubletree Hotel in Fort Lee, where MAB Celebrity organized another fantastic Yankees autograph show. The lineup was stacked as usual, with 12 players from the 1977 World Series team in attendance on Saturday (and Ralph Macchio!). I used some of my Christmas funds to add some desperately needed names to my Mona Lisa; the Mickey Mantle 16x20 I've previously showed off.

If you've read this blog in the past, you may know about my affection for Roy White, former Yankees left fielder from 1965-1979. I met him at a local Holiday Inn card show when I was probably only 8 or 9, and he was the first player I ever met. I was probably the most excited kid in the world all throughout that day; knowing I had an autograph of a former big leaguer, and better yet, a Yankee. 

I've since met him several other times over the years at various shows, and he's always been very soft spoken but kind and courteous. The last time I met him, he signed an 8x10 copy of the picture of he and I (see here). This time, I finally had him sign the project I've been working on for about 5 years now. Dad brought up that I have pictures with him that really show me growing up, and White seemed bummed that I didn't have them on me to show him. I certainly plan on meeting him once more just to show him those. He's as classy as they come.

Next, we had an unexpectedly bizarre experience with "Louisiana Lightning" himself, Ron Guidry. Guidry is not a frequent signer in the Northeast. I believe he still lives in Louisiana, which is part of why I've never had the chance to meet him. 

Anyway, before we went up to shake his hand, we stopped at our good vendor friend Joe's table to catch up. He wanted to enhance our moment with Guidry, so he pulled out an old check of Guidry's from a box for me to give to him. The check emerged inside a lot of memorabilia Joe had purchased in the past, and it contained Guidry's Social Security number on it. It probably wasn't a good thing that his check was floating around, although Joe wouldn't have done anything to harm Mr. Guidry or his family.

Dad and I eventually got through the crowd and up to Guidry, and I told him exactly what Joe wanted me to tell him. He took the check, glanced at it, and then turned to his son, befuddled by the odd surprise. His son looked at the writing on the back of the check, and noticed it was his mother's, and they both grew concerned that their personal information could've been in anyone's hands. They were both appreciative of us and of Joe for giving it back to him, and he awarded me with being able to fit his signature into a noticeable gap on my Mantle project. 

At that point, Dad and I wondered just how this could get any better. Several minutes later, we found out exactly how when we met one of the three perfect Yankees pitchers, David Cone! I've always been a big fan of Cone, especially because I've grown up listening to him contribute to a lot of YES Network content. I was a toddler during the 1990's dynasty run, but watching highlights of those teams certainly helped me become the baseball fan I am now.

When I passed my picture over for to Cone to sign, he said "wow, that's impressive, it looks like you've put a lot of effort into this". I thanked him for the compliment, and told him his signature would make it even better. He responded by saying he was honored to have his name on my picture, and thanked me. And when we gathered around the table for a picture, he picked up my project and showed it off for the shot, as you see above. 

The final player I had a ticket for was the best one, in my opinion, with no disrespect to the greats who came before. Don Mattingly, for the first time in a long time, was back to do a local signing. It hasn't been ideal for the former Yankee captain and MVP to make the journey north for signings considering he's been managing in Los Angeles and Miami since 2011. I actually met him once back in 2010 in White Plains when I was only 13, and I frankly don't remember much from it.

It wasn't an easy year for Mattingly, as he lost his ace, Jose Fernandez, in the tragic boating accident back in September. However, he was in good spirits on Saturday, and we really enjoyed getting to talk to him for a little while. I wished him good luck in Miami next year, and we gave our condolences to him for the tough loss. He really seemed to appreciate what we told him, which was a satisfying feeling for sure considering he's one of our all time favorite players.

Here is an update on my Mantle project as it currently stands. With the additions of White, Guidry, Cone, and Mattingly, I now have 62 total autographs gracing the photo. I won the picture in a door prize at a White Plains card show with 29 signatures already on it, and have since added 33 of my own. Four Yankees captains and 8 Hall of Famers (including Tim Raines, who finally got his call to the Hall) are among the many gathered around "The Mick". I don't believe I'll be able to fit many more signatures, but there are a few guys I've saved some room for.

If you look closely, you can see Mattingly's small autograph to the right and above Dave Winfield. I wanted to make sure the two former sluggers would be close to one another. You can also find Cone's signature right above Don Larsen. Because Mattingly signed so small, I have enough room to try and get David Wells too to complete the perfect game trio!

On this picture, you can see White's signature to the right of Goose Gossage's and below Bucky Dent's. Also, you can see the small space Ron Guidry squeezed into between Rickey Henderson and Goose.

Once again, this show was a major hit for Dad and I. We've had some great experiences with Yankees past and present greats through MAB, but I do wish the room was bigger. There are multiple vendors inside the already small room, and people end up crushing each other trying to get towards the front of the pack to meet the people they bought tickets for. The show organizer kept telling people to make room for others, but the only way we could was by getting in the way of the vendors and their tables.

In addition, there was a point where Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, David Cone, Luis Severino, and Willie Randolph were all signing. If you're going to hold a show in such a tiny room for a large audience, I wouldn't suggest putting all the headliners at the same time. If they were spaced out, perhaps it wouldn't have felt so cluttered and uncomfortable. If I didn't have to go to this show, I probably wouldn't, but the lineups have been so good I can never resist. Luckily, the players made up for any of the issues and were as respectful and classy as can be.

I do have one more thing from this day to share with you guys, but I'll make a separate post of it. Don't worry, I won't be disappearing for 3 months again, at least for now I can assure you.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! Spread the word baby, because...

The Conclusion of Pinstripe Pandemonium

Hey guys, Drew back here! I spent my Friday night at Madison Square Garden seeing Jack White with my Dad, and let me just say that he's as talented as it gets. In today's era of music, he is still keeping old fashioned rock and roll alive, and he does a phenomenal job live. If you guys want to hear last night's show, click here! Pandora is playing the show repeatedly over the next few days, which is a pretty unique idea; as Jack seems to be full of those. It's safe to say I'll be adding his 2015 Topps card to my collection as soon as possible.

Anyway, getting back to the conclusion of another amazing day. I originally had arrangements to meet Ron Guidry, and he apparently cancelled far prior to the actual show. Same with Reggie Jackson. I'm not quite sure what the deal was with that, because there was absolutely nothing on MAB's website to suggest that they wouldn't be appearing. However, I did decide to get one more guy on my picture before I wrapped it up for the day.

Former Yankee hero Jim Leyritz became the 56th name on my Mickey Mantle photo last Sunday! We already met Leyritz at MLB Fanfest about a year and a half ago, and we were both impressed by how nice he was. He has had a lot of legal troubles over the past few years, but it appears that he's gotten everything together.

Leyritz was no different from the first experience we had with him; very friendly. I had him sign my picture towards the top of the left side, a part in which I didn't believe I'd add to. It came out great, I think.

The ink looks a little dry on his signature, but I think that's because of the area he signed it. He has a beautiful autograph though, and I'm proud to add the guy who made a name for himself hitting home runs in key moments for the Yankees in their late '90's dynasty. 

And now... here is the updated full Mickey Mantle picture:

As you can see, there isn't much room left. I'm going to attempt to add 4 or 5 more signatures on it, but I'm not quite sure how just yet. From here on, I'm going to only add star names to the photo; such as Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Ron Guidry, or possibly Paul O'Neill. I have some ideas as to how to finish off the project, but I've got some time to sort it all out. I'm surprised how much I've been able to add in such a small portion of time, but then again, it hasn't been cheap. I'm not even going to try to add up each cost, but when it's all said and done it'll be my prized possession, and it'll all be worth every penny.

We finished our day by getting to meet Lee Smith for the third time in a few years. We didn't have any intentions of getting a ticket for him after already adding multiple autographs of his over the years (including on the picture above). But we were supposed to get a free autograph ticket for Charlie Hayes alongside our Tino Martinez ticket, and Hayes missed his flight that morning and didn't make the show. They reciprocated us with a free Smith ticket, and we decided to make good use of it, although we had to wait another hour for him.

Mr. Smith was great as always with us, and he made the autograph worth the wait.

We got a baseball at the show to have signed, and Smith inscribed his number and save total for free. It looks great in person, and while he is just on the cusp of being in my new Hall of Fame display, I have plenty of great places to display it. I don't need a whole lot else of Smith's from here on, but I really hope he can find a way into the Hall. Maybe he doesn't have the legacy of some players, but he is right there in my opinion with Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, and others of his era.

Doc Gooden was signing next to Smith, but as we walked by my Dad called him out and thanked him for all the wonderful experiences he's given us in the past when we've met him. He appreciated the compliment, and I was actually able to get a quick picture with him. Awesome.

I have a few more quick items to display from the show, but that was it as far as meeting the players went. It was an amazing day, and I'm really lucky to be able to share so many special days with my dad. I also got to meet Frankie of My Life in the Sports Card Hobby. Please, everyone do yourselves a favor and check it out if you haven't already. He's a smart young kid with a ton of promise in our hobby, and he's only in 7th grade! The emotion and passion he puts into his posts makes him seem much more mature and older, and it was great meeting him and his mother.

Thank you to everyone that helped make last Sunday so special! See Ya!

Mantle 16x20 Project: Star of my Infant Years

Hey guys, Drew back here. We now continue with the Pinstripe Pandemonium recap, today featuring a Yankees great in the late 1990's. He played 7 full years in the Bronx, averaging great home run and RBI totals while manning 1st base, initially replacing Don Mattingly at the position. He was a starter on all 4 World Series winning teams in the '90's, and was a prominent role in each of the four. Ladies and gentleman, Tino Martinez!

Tino easily impressed me the most among the players I met that day. His charisma and charm could be felt across the room, and you could tell he loves being recognized as a fan favorite on such a classic dynasty team. Just before he entered the signing "stage", I caught him walking in and said "Hey Tino!" He said "Hi, nice to meet you," and shook my hand. Also, the couple before us in line brought their baby up to him, and he posed for photos with it and was really sweet towards it. It was a nice moment to watch, without question.

When we got up to meet him, I shook his hand and said thank you for all the memories. My dad remembers watching him fondly and loved getting the chance to talk him up and make him feel great. Tino, after signing my photo, asked me if I had Mickey Mantle's autograph on my picture. I told him that I don't but wished I did, and he said oh well, but the picture is so nice, and I thanked him for the compliment. He was really kind hearted from what I could tell, and it makes me believe that those rumors about him causing issues in the Marlins clubhouse weren't as true as some have proclaimed. I was worried that I would end up spending all this money but wind up with no pictures with the players, but it turned out that every player I met allowed pictures. MAB introduced professional photo op costs for every player on the lineup, and I think they would've cracked down on more people had the show not been as hectic as it was, with players coming and going by the minute. I really lucked out though, and I love how this picture came out with Tino!

At the time Tino was signing, several other great players were also available, including former closer John Wetteland. He seemed to make a great impression on everyone, and even posed for a picture outside of the autograph room with my dad later on in the day. I wish I could've added him to my picture too, but didn't think there was enough room for him to sign.

You may think you're seeing things, but yes, John Smoltz was indeed a signer at the Pinstripe Pandemonium show. Shortly after Smoltz, Randy, and Pedro were inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month, MAB locked up Smoltz to a contract. They used his recent induction to their advantage, and had him appear at this show. Some people I talked to said they didn't both with him yet because his price is far too high compared to other players of his type. I actually paid $50 less to meet him in White Plains a few years ago, so I could definitely vouch for that statement. Either way, high price or low price, we all yelled out Congratulations to John as he entered the room, and it was a pretty cool moment. May be pricy now, but still a very nice guy and it was nice to see him.

Oh, right, back to Tino. Just before I came up to him I changed my mind on the dead set position I originally wanted him to sign, and had him sign alongside some of the others from his era: Doc Gooden, Charlie Hayes, Ruben Sierra, and Jeff Nelson. I thought it would be a nice spot for his signature towards the end of Mantles left thigh, and I believe I was right! He has a gorgeous signature, and with the number inscription to beat, you really couldn't top what he did for my Dad and I. With this he became the 55th player to sign my picture.

Thank you so much Tino for such an enjoyable day. I never realized how much of a class act he is, and I hope to get the chance to see him back in baseball, forgiven by all down the road. It isn't fair that he was exposed that way in front of a really lazy, bad Marlins team, and I hope the story didn't change people's opinions on the man. Who knows, maybe this one can help reverse those opinions.

See Ya!

The Perfect Addition to my Mantle Project!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I have officially survived #Snowpocalypse2015, as online idiots may refer to those six inches of snow as. I love how every time some sort of disaster is expected nothing ever ends up happening. Anyway, we now continue my recap of my Pinstripe Pandemonium experience with a meet and greet with perhaps the most perfect man alive.

I've been recently beginning to rule out the fact that I could meet Don Larsen, until one day when his name showed up on MAB's website. Don is now 85 years old, and he isn't getting younger. I ordered my Larsen tickets in advance prior to the show to make sure that if he was there that I wouldn't miss out. However, last weekend we faced a relatively big snow storm, and 7 players cancelled from Saturday's lineup; most of whom were elderly players from Larsen's era. But Larsen still made it on Saturday and Sunday, and apparently when asked why he still wanted to go to the show even with the storm Larsen said something to the likes of "These fans are paying their money to come and meet me. So I'm going to go and meet them." You really have to love hearing things like that, especially to counter the fact that we also were under the same roof as Mr. 4 fingers himself, Jose Canseco.

Sure enough, I was fortunate enough to receive a chance to shake the hand that released the ball for 27 consecutive outs in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Larsen still is the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the World Series, and to be honest he may always have that legendary achievement kept to himself. With all the media, pressure, and noise in today's ballparks, I would be shocked if anyone could ever match such a feat. There wasn't much else to Don's career, but man if I'd want to be known for one particular moment, there is nothing sweeter than having one unique day with the greatest franchise in sports.

Mr. Larsen kindly obliged to sign my Mickey Mantle 16x20 directly next to his battery mate and Hall of Fame teammate Yogi Berra in the lower center area of the picture. I would've liked him to have placed it a little further in to fill in the open space, but beggars really can't be choosers. He was an extremely friendly man, and seemed to have much more energy than I would've ever believed. It was a true honor to get to say that I had a moment to share with someone as etched into Yankee lore as he is. He is the first pitcher to have throw a perfect game that I've gotten to meet thus far in my life, and what a way to kick off that list.

Thank you so much Don Larsen for the kindness displayed throughout the day and for the beautiful signature. He marks the 54th autograph on the project. We have a few more special moments to share from a magical day filled with pinstripe pride. Stay tuned for more!

See Ya!

Mantle 16x20 Project: Rock Raines Edition

Hey guys, Drew back here. It turns out that my Tuesday class has already been cancelled all in part to a large snow storm heading through the Tri State area over the course of the next day. To all of you facing this storm tomorrow, be safe, because it certainly doesn't sound pretty. Fortunately, my Dad and I squeezed the Pinstripe Pandemonium show just in time before the storm yesterday, so I've got a whole lot to write about over the course of the next few days. At this show I was able to add 4 big names to my Mickey Mantle project. The first of which was one of the most prolific stolen base threats of all time, one whose veteran leadership helped guide the Yankees to their 1996 and '98 World Series championships. 

Tim "Rock" Raines was the first player I met on Sunday! I recently discussed Rock's case for the Hall of Fame when I revealed my 2015 ballot, and I easily voted him as one of my 10 inductees. Had it not been for Rickey Henderson, Raines would be calling Cooperstown home, but instead rode in the shadows and also faced drug issues right in the height of his career. However, since then Raines has been fully clean and recovered, and he was friendly to me when I got to step up and meet him.

It completely slipped my mind to wish Raines the best of luck on the ballot, which comes out of nerves without a doubt, but I do really hope he makes a final push and gets in. The former Expo was dominant during his prime; and despite his career possibly lasting a little too long, I believe he has the credentials to sit in a lower tier of hitters in the Hall along with guys like Jim Rice and Andre Dawson. One thing I noticed was that he was quite small for a baseball player, but maybe that size difference helped him steal more bases. He's probably one of the first players I've met that I can say I'm taller than!

This autograph show was loaded with star studded talent, and it was so difficult to pick and choose who and what I needed to get most. Wade Boggs and Mike Pagliarulo surrounded Raines on each side respectively, and the place just felt like a red carpet event all day.

My original idea was to put Raines alongside Rickey Henderson towards the bottom of my Mantle 16x20 project, but I then decided to let him shine in his own light as he deserves, and instead filled the top right corner of the photo with speed. Raines is above Mickey Rivers and Willie Randolph, and he signed it beautifully in blue sharpie. I love the way it came out, and while I wouldn't have also minded to have a ball signed too; I'll be able to get that taken care of soon (and hopefully with a Hall of Fame inscription)!

I'll be back tomorrow with more to report from a fantastic day of graphing! Again, everyone in the Northeast, be careful!

See Ya!

Autograph of a Star-Lord!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Today was easily one of my best hobby related days in a while. My dad and I attended MAB Celebrity's Pinstripe Pandemonium autograph show in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and I came home with a nice group of autographs and pictures! I will have plenty to share over the next few weeks to showcase this memorable day, but we're going to start on a bit of a fun note. Along with the autographs I obtained in person, I also bought a few signed items some of the vendors had for sale. The second I saw this signed 8x10, I knew I had to add it to my collection.

None other than Parks & Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt! Pratt has been perhaps the breakout actor of 2014 with his role in Galaxy as Peter Quill aka Star-lord, however it was his performance as Andy Dwyer in Parks that really made me a fan of his. My girlfriend Victoria and I watched it all summer together, as I mentioned recently when I showcased my Nick Offerman TTM autograph. It became one of my favorite comedy shows, and it serves as a nice bridge show between crazy horrors and dramas.

Everything I've seen of Chris Pratt has been positive, as I've heard many who can vouch for saying he's a great guy. When recently asked if his rise to stardom tempted him to leave Parks & Rec before their final season, he replied "I would never f------ leave this show. I've been doing this business for 15 years. I realize that the things that really matter are the relationships you have while you're doing them. I could hope that I could have the good fortune of finding another group of people like this, but I don't expect I ever will." It's awfully nice to hear things like this in Hollywood, where these kinds of stories don't usually show themselves in public.

I bought this off of a dealer who exclusively sold celebrity autographs. He told me he worked in the same building as Sirius XM Radio, and he often comes across stars and is able to get all sorts of autographs. The picture is not certified, but the guy had an absolutely enormous stock of signed photos, and I believe in the good of mankind and that he wouldn't be a complete scammer. The picture is of Pratt wearing a "Mouserat" shirt, the name of his fictional Parks & Rec band, and is signed in blue sharpie.

Again, if you haven't checked out Parks & Recreation, I highly recommend it. Between Offerman, Pratt, Amy Poehler, and numerous other great actors, it's one of the best shows on television.

Fun fact on Pratt: He played Scott Hatteberg in Moneyball!

More to come from the Pinstripe Pandemonium! See Ya!