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...

Checking out the Super Bowl Boulevard! Great Success!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I've been in the midst of a break from the hobby, with most of my time dedicated towards cleaning my desks up, sorting cards, and devoting time towards my girlfriend. However, once in a while I still like to do a thing or two involved with my favorite hobby, and I was shocked the other day when my Dad told me we were going to check out the Super Bowl Boulevard! We headed down to Manhattan on Friday for the day after I wrapped up all of my midterms, and we didn't realize that we were in for quite the treat!

In case you didn't know, the Super Bowl Boulevard was held throughout the past week between 34th Street and 47th Street, taking up Broadway and much more. While it was a huge event, most of the features were all crammed together, leaving a few other parts of the experience far away. It was a great day for the NFL to host such a large event, supplying fans with great opportunities for all ages, but it certainly had its glitches along the way. The spacing was the biggest problem, with so many people crammed together, some in line to get to see the Lombardi Trophy up close; some to slide on the large toboggan float; and others to get autographs from the players announced on the lineup. On Friday, we expected to see Redskins WR Pierre Garcon, Panthers LB Luke Kuechly, Colts WR Reggie Wayne, Eagles QB Nick Foles, and legendary Rams RB Marshall Faulk. All five of these stars were scheduled to sign outside at the Autograph stage at different times throughout the day, so originally we planned to keep going through the same line all day long.

However, there were rumors that it would be smart to see what was going on at some of the other local stores, many of which hosted players as well that may have went under the radar. Unfortunately in the Big Apple, nothing goes under the radar, but we did end up finding out about a signing at 3:00 at Macy's! When we got to Macy's, which is on 34th street and was considered at one of the ends of the Boulevard, we were pleased to see FOX Sports reporter Erin Andrews posing with fans. The cost to meet Andrews was $50 spent at the NFL Shop which was occupying the entire 4th floor of the building. It wasn't worth $50 to me to meet Andrews, but it was easily worth $50 to meet the 3:00 guest!

In order to meet the 3:00 guest, we had to hang around Macy's, because he was only to sign for the first 100 people in line and a crowd was already gathering. It was noon when we got there. So yes, we had to wait 3 hours to meet this player, but even for the very short amount of time with him, it was still easily worth the time and money! We bought a special edition mini helmet for this year's Super Bowl in hopes to get it signed at some point during the day, along with a rack pack of Panini Rookies & Stars and a commemorative Super Bowl card set. We were 9th in line to meet this legend, and we took our 3 hours in line to get to know the people around us who were also patiently waiting for the event to begin. Eventually he arrived, and I swear it felt like the President of the United States had just entered Macy's. Fans gathered around the sides hoping for a free autograph (which they didn't get much to my approval), and he was chock full of security surrounding him during the whole event.

Dad and I approached the man and shook his hand and told him how much of a pleasure it was to meet him, and he signed an 8x10 for us that contained the NFL Shop and Macy's logos. I wasn't crazy about the picture at first because of that reason but then I remembered I didn't want to meet him to make a profit, and the logos will remind me of the time I spent 3 hours at Macy's on a cold winter day with my Dad. I think if you add up all the time I've spent in my life in Macy's, it still wouldn't equal three hours! It wasn't an easy wait, but to come home knowing I met Emmitt Smith and got his autograph was enough to make my year!

Emmitt Smith has been regarded by many people as the greatest running back of all time, or at least in the conversation with Walter Payton and Barry Sanders! He owns the NFL record for most career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and was part of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty throughout the 1990's! I barely missed the boat on Emmitt's career, as he was just wrapping his career up with the Arizona Cardinals. I went back and watched a lot of highlights of his career after I met him and began to understand why he left such a large mark on the game.

Nothing about this photo really stands out other than it being of Emmitt Smith and featuring his autograph. The picture isn't incredible and the logos certainly get in the way, but it's still a Smith autograph and it comes with a story I think I'm going to love telling in the future! When it comes down to it, this is a hobby of mine after all, and although it can get expensive, moments like these will always be in my possession and I could never try to sell something that carries a personal value like this.

After we ordered our 8x10 print of our photo taken with Emmitt, we rushed out of Macy's to see if we could catch Marshall Faulk in time for his signing. We arrived on time for the signing, but the line was already way down the block and Faulk wasn't even there yet. We later found out he was 35 minutes late to the signing and only could stay until the signing was scheduled to be over, so he only signed for about 25 minutes. We knew a lot of stars were out in the city that we could've hunted down, but we were exhausted and starving from our wait at Macy's so we took one last look through the crowds and then headed over to TGI Friday's for dinner. We went home after a great meal, and although I didn't come home with a mountain of autographs, I got one great one that I didn't previously have and am now so proud to own!

While last night's game wasn't the best Super Bowl by any means, it was really cool to have my home state partially host the big game! Tickets for the game were far too expensive for me, but getting to see and hear some of the Super Bowl atmosphere throughout the city all day was an experience I'll never forget! 

Thank you so much Dad for taking me and spoiling me to death as always! I can't thank you enough for everything you've given and done for me! 

See Ya!

Meeting a New York Black Yankee

Hey guys, Drew back here! Four legendary players in a row, I mean could this day get any better? Unfortunately, we didn't get any major autographs in person that day, but we did get to meet a few former Negro League players! Robert Scott and Pedro Sierra were hanging out outside of a collectibles store signing autographs for anyone willing to give them a little cash. Coincidentally, I had met Mr. Sierra just a few weeks prior at Fanfest, and I had him sign an index card for me then. I passed on him since I already had his autograph, but I gave Scott $20 to sign a cheaper quality baseball William lended me to put towards my collection..

Scott was a really funny guy. In fact, we had originally walked over to their autograph table when we realized we left the cheaper balls in the car. Rather than settling and getting them on ROMLB's, we told them we'd be right back with our stuff. We came back 5-10 minutes later, and they were reluctant to still sign for us. Scott sarcastically told me he wanted $100 as he signed the ball, and I told him I didn't have that kind of money on me. He then followed by asking for $20 instead, and I told him I'd do that, and he said "see how I worked some money out of you?" He was an entertaining and genuinely nice man, and he loaded the ball with inscriptions!

The autograph reads "Robert Scott, New York Black Yankees 1946-1950"! With further research, I learned that the Black Yankees were formed in Harlem in 1938, and while they weren't a very successful team, they were still an important part of Negro League history. Scott has a card in the 2010 Allen & Ginter set, one of the many cards the product has released remembering former Negro League players.

Thanks Mr. Scott for adding a unique touch to the already awesome day! See Ya!

Somewhere in America Ralph Kiner is Still Signin'

Hey guys, Drew back here. Disregard the Jay-Z reference in the title if that isn't what you're into. Anyway, as you may have seen on William's blog (if you're actually following this saga), the next person on our list to meet was Pirates legend Ralph Kiner! I didn't intend on meeting Kiner in Cooperstown, as I already had a few years back at a White Plains Show. However, that didn't stop me from joining William, Adam, and Chris to meet the now 90 year old man.

Ralph had quite the line piling up outside of the CVS he was signing at that day. Quite a few people wanted his autograph, but the biggest problem was how slow the line was moving. Watching him sign autographs was like watching grass grow, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Somehow, William found a way to the front of the line, because we had to go meet Roberto Alomar (see on his blog here), and supposedly we were in a rush.

Mr. Kiner was as nice as always to us, and he sure did take his sweet time signing the two baseballs we presented him with. But, it was worth every bit to get to see him again, as this could very easily be his last trip to Cooperstown. I gave him a lot of credit for making the trip in the first place!

William accidentally bought 2 autograph tickets, although he already had a signed ball of Kiner's. He wanted his son to have one also, but then bought another ticket by mistake. I ended up buying the ball off of him, because I figured now would be a good time to add him to my signed baseball collection! It came out pretty awesome, and I commend Mr. Kiner for being so great to us baseball fans.

See Ya!

HOF Weekend: Meeting Johnny Bench!

Hey guys, Drew back here! It was just past noon last Saturday and it was already one of the best days of the year. I mean, seriously, how many days in your life do you get to say you shook hands with 2 All Time record holders in Major League Baseball history? Rose and Rickey made Day 1 incredibly successful, but it wasn't even over yet. I also got to meet one of the best (Yogi beats him in my opinion) catchers ever!

Johnny Bench was also signing at the same hotel Henderson signed at. The signing was held by MAB Celebrity Services at the Tunnicliffe Inn, which just so happened to be the very inn I stayed at when I went to Cooperstown for the first time 4 years ago. It was empty when I was there as a 12 year old, however this go round the likes of Eddie Murray, Rickey Henderson, Orlando Cepeda, Wade Boggs, Joe Morgan, Roberto Alomar, and Bench (among many others) were all seated signing autographs! 

Johnny Bench. Wow. 14 time All Star. 10 time Gold Glove recipient. And some may say he was the best catcher in the history of the sport. A few years ago he actually gave a speech at my mom's hospital about some sort of Hip Replacement, and my mom's boss was able to get his autograph for me there! Now, several years later, I finally got to shake his hand. He was very personable with all of the fans, but as always, I really didn't have much to say. I had a bad case of being starstruck most of that day, so could you blame me? Unfortunately, the picture I got with Mr. Bench the first time through came out horribly due to the back lighting of the window. I noticed that before we left, and I asked his handler if we could take one more picture.

And I'm so very glad I did that. Bench was fine with it although it obviously wasn't what either of us wanted to do. But it was for the best and I'm so glad I went back to re-do it.

I got his autograph on a baseball, with the Hall of Fame inscription and everything! It wasn't very cheap, but I'd like to say it was worth every penny.

Thanks so much Mr. Bench! See Ya!

Meeting "The Greatest of All Time"

Hey guys, Drew back here! Following our visit with the hit king, we went to grab lunch before catching up with the stolen base king! Cooperstown offered several signings featuring a good majority of the players on hand. William's intention was to meet guys he needed signed balls of, while mine was to meet who I believed were the best guys in town. And how could I meet the best without meeting "The Greatest" himself, 2009 Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Henderson!

Rickey is now 54 years old, but he still looks like he could hit a ball out of the park! He played what some people say was too long of a career, but during his prime he was undoubtedly the greatest leadoff hitter the game has ever seen. He was a hitting machine with a knack for hitting home runs, and everyone knows he is the premier base stealer through baseball history. Getting to shake hands with a hand that has met 1,406 bases successfully was a true honor.

Since I already bought a signed ball of his for a steal back in January, I decided to have the ex-Yankee place his name amongst the other 42 signers on my Mickey Mantle 16x20! I saved a nice spot for him to sign nearby Goose Gossage, and now in that general vicinity you can find Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Goose, Bobby Richardson, and Rickey! Not too bad!

I told Rickey "I know you know this, but you're the best", which certainly lightened the mood. He wasn't overly personable with me, but I'm sure he's heard that a billion times. Some autograph signers will only open up if the fan gives them a reason to. He was definitely in a good mood, and it was an overall pleasant experience, although I didn't draw too much from it. 

As I mentioned before, Henderson is now the 43rd autograph on my Mantle photo! There is still plenty of room for new names, and I hope to add a few more to it before the summer concludes! He was the only autograph I got on the picture during the trip, but certainly wasn't a bad one. 

To hear William's experience, click here!

Thanks Rickey! See Ya!

Leading Off- Shaking Hands with the Hit King!

Hey guys, Drew back here (and back on my regular blog)! Tonight I thought would be a nice time to begin the recap of my trip up to Cooperstown with William and his family, along with my dad! Like I said on William's blog yesterday, we all had a great time and experienced memories that we may not ever forget. And the trip started off with a bang.

After William bought a few signed balls immediately after we got in town, I decided to match him, and when I heard Pete Rose was signing at a store down the street, I knew where my first expense would take place at. Rose wasn't doing many of his classic inscriptions, however even that wasn't enough to keep me from meeting the man who I believe deserves a second chance at the Hall of Fame far more than any of the men involved in the Biogenesis/PED scandals.

According to many fans I've heard from, he normally comes up to Cooperstown on Induction Weekend to sign autographs. With all of the support he's gotten from fans, I'm sure he does very well financially for the few days he's signing. He was all over town during the weekend, and we went to 2 restaurants that people had said he attended that weekend. We learned that Pete has some good taste in food!

As usual, I didn't have much to say to the man, but my Dad did, saying that he made him a baseball fan. I didn't grow up watching Pete like my Dad did, but from everything I've read and seen about him over the years, I believe I would've became a baseball fan watching him too! I understand that his "crime" was a very big deal, and I think MLB did the right thing in its time, but I think it's about time Bud Selig lets this guy do his thing again. I believe he's paid his dues.

Who knows if he actually cares if he gets let back in or not though? I mean, he seems to be doing a great job selling "Bring Pete to Cooperstown" merchandise, and I'm sure he's not short on money. AND he's dating an ex-Playboy model who is 40 years younger than him! Life is good! I regret not asking Pete if I could have her autograph too!

I ended up getting this picture from the signing signed by Rose, and he inscribed it very nicely too (Drew + Joe, My Best Wishes, Pete Rose, Hit King"! It only costed $5 more than any regular flat autograph to get the picture taken and printed, and then signed. While that was a really awesome addition to my collection, William's son Chris wound up stealing the show! While the picture was being developed, Chris snuck a ball to Pete and got it signed free of charge. You can read more about that here.

After getting to meet Pete, I am even more in favor of getting him into the Hall of Fame. He never impacted the game with his actions, and always gave his all. He fought for every victory he could have, and in the long run, he got a little carried away. I'm all in favor of seeing him being reinstated by Selig, who hasn't exactly been winning many fans over of late with the relatively "easy" penalties he's been handing out.

I'll be back with more to show off tomorrow! See Ya!

Matthew Berry Book Signing Results!

Hey guys, Drew back here! My birthday was quite the eventful one this year, and I was able to cap it off with a very exciting local event (for me, at least). My friend Schuyler's (of the blog Schuyler's Stuff) parents own a bookstore in town, and they were able to have ESPN Fantasy Baseball Analyst Matthew Berry on hand for a book signing! Berry, otherwise known as TMR (The Talented Mr. Roto), recently released a book named "Fantasy Life", which is all about stories he's come across through his 30 years of playing and covering fantasy sports. He's been a huge part of making fantasy a household game, and he says that 13% of Americans play some sort of fantasy! 

I've been running a fantasy baseball league for 4 years straight now with kids from my high school, and we were stoked when we heard about him being in town. It's rare for anything relatively cool to go in where I'm at, so we tried to all meet up for the event. Unfortunately, only half the league was able to come, but we had a great time asking him questions about his experiences in fantasy along with some sleeper tips. Most of the others on hand wanted to know about football since the season is approaching, but there were a few baseball questions we were able to sneak in. He was a very friendly guy, and he picked on us all at some point, but in a genuinely nice way. It was an enjoyable experience, and worth every dollar. Here's a short clip from the hour and a half long Q&A session!

After the questions were finally answered, we all got our books signed! He added our awesome "#BeatVinny" inscription in all of our books, which has been our league motto throughout the 2013 season. Vinny has won our league two years in a row and we were begging for something to change. Vinny couldn't make it to this event as he was away on vacation, however Berry signed in his set aside book "#BeatYourself".

I'm really glad I decided to go to this event, because Berry really was an awesome guy! If you're a fantasy nut like I am, be sure to pick up "Fantasy Life"! I just started it myself and so far it's pretty hilarious! Also, thanks to Schuyler and his parents for holding the event; it was a blast!

See Ya!

Three More for the Mantle Project! Part 2!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Phew, my AP exam is in the books, and it feels like a gigantic weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Although I still have plenty of finals and state exams to take, the biggest and baddest of them all is all wrapped up forever. So with that said, it's time for me to wrap up the May 5th White Plains Card Show I went to. I didn't buy a whole lot at the show, but I did add 3 names to my Mickey Mantle 16x20 photo project! One of them just happened to be one of the few living Yankee Hall of Famers, and the other was a phenomenal defensive player who contributed to their 1970's back to back World Series championships! I'm talking about Goose Gossage and Graig Nettles! Take a look at my encounter with the great Goose along with Golden Glove Graig:

Goose was as personable as he was the first time we got to meet him last January, and you can never complain with the signature he gives. Dad got to show him the turkey he shot the day before the show, which he seemed fairly impressed with! He always gets excited when he gets to meet guys known for being avid hunters, because he's as passionate with that hobby as I am with this one.

If you see in the video, I was sort of shoved away from Gossage to get Nettles, although my dad kept talking to Goose. I've heard some horror stories with Nettles in the past in terms of him being sort of crabby in person, however he seemed pretty high spirited and kind that day! Coming from a fellow third baseman, meeting him was really a special thing to me, just because I know how difficult some of those plays can be. He perfected almost every single one of them throughout his great career, so I have an awful lot of respect for him!

Goose signed the picture towards the bottom right corner, but despite the location of the signature; his perfect penmanship will stick out pretty easily! Nettles picked a random spot, but that was fine with me, as his signature is also very neat. I really wish more current players took the time to sign like some of these older guys. I mean, just look at that above photo. All 5 full signatures in the picture are completely flawless! THOSE are signatures, not this or this. I'm glad my rule is that the player had to start his Yankee tenure before the turn of the century, because that may keep those ugly looking signatures off of the photo!

41 signatures done, and a whole lot more to go. I already know of two Hall of Fame players I'm going to have sign the picture over the summer, and possibly more! All the more reasons to keep drewscards on your feeds and bookmarks! Stay tuned, this summer is going to be a blast!

See Ya!

Three More for the Mantle Project! Part 1

Hey guys, Drew back here! As I mentioned in my last post, while I haven't been very active in the blogging world of late, I've certainly still been involved in the hobby. I attended the White Plains card show last Sunday, mainly to add players to my signed Mickey Mantle photo I've been working on! I got to meet 3 players that day (2 of which I'd met previously), and added autograph #39, 40, and 41 to the picture! 

First up was Tommy John, who I'd met back in April 2011 as well, but was relatively unimpressed with. Back in 2011, he signed a Yankees custom I made of him in between signing 8x10 after 8x10 for the JP's Sports company, so we didn't really get to say much. However, I had a funny feeling that I was just unlucky that day, and there was more to the man with his own surgery than I thought. Sure enough, I was right! The cool thing was, my friend Matt and I were toying with my mom's nice camera, and we found out how to take pictures while recording. Fortunately, we got our whole conversation recorded, and I posted it on YouTube for you guys to watch! Check it out, and make sure to turn your volume up!

Yeah, simply put, Tommy John is an awesome guy. Between the story about him and Al Rosen, the priest comments, and his opinion on Jim Coates; I could not have been better entertained, and this experience completely made up for the last one! 

John signed directly below Lee Smith on the right hand side, and officially become the 39th autograph in the project; the 10th that I acquired since I won it!

Be sure to be on the lookout for the next few players I got the chance to meet! Have a good one guys, and See Ya!