Former Yankee Captain Signed Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here! We're about to take on (hopefully) the remainder of this horrible snow storm the next few days, and I just get more and more excited for baseball season the more this continues. I've went out to my Target twice now, and have come up empty as far as 2015 Topps goes, but hopefully I'll be able to get a few packs sometime next week. So far, everything I've seen looks super impressive! Anyway, at the Pinstripe Pandemonium show, I was able to also meet up with my buddy Michael, who is prominent on Instagram mostly and is beginning to run his own website. Michael is a young kid who can wheel and deal autographs like nobody I've ever seen at his age, and he had something I was interested in at the show that I was able to purchase off of him.

He was able to hook me up with this really nice Graig Nettles signed ball! I met Nettles once and had him sign my Mantle picture, but I wasn't particularly impressed with him and I haven't heard the best stories about him as a signer. However, he was a great player, and deserves to have a spot in my Yankees collection; and I think this ball will help do the trick! It was actually taken out of one of those TriStar baseball boxes, and Michael didn't really want it, so I was able to take it off his hands for a good price.

I'll always think of Nettles for his defensive prowess, but he was an above average offensive player too! He would've won more than his 2 Gold Gloves if he didn't play at the same time as Brooks Robinson, but Yankee fans remember him for his ability to make flashy plays at the hot corner. I played third base for a while in high school, and let me tell you, it's not easy. He was also named the 11th Yankees captain in franchise history in 1982, and with this ball I now own a signed baseball of their 11th-14th captains (Nettles, Randolph, Guidry, Mattingly)! I'd like to get a Jeter ball once his prices settle down a little, but that may be as far as I can go back, because Munson balls are hard to come by and don't run cheap at all. I thought it was particularly cool to have that streak of 4 players in a row though, and I'm glad I was able to make this deal with Michael.

Thanks for the help and great business Michael! See Ya!

The Giambino!

Hey guys, Drew back here! The "Snowpocalypse" arrived about a week late up here in the Northeast, but nonetheless it arrived at full force yesterday. I picked up this 8x10 at the Pinstripe Pandemonium show for only $10, and while he wasn't my favorite Yankee by any sense of the term, I had no problem placing this in my autograph binder:

Jason Giambi was loaded with controversy in his 7 year tenure in the Bronx; mostly revolving around his steroid admission. He joined the team just after their late 90's-early 2000's run, and left just before their 2009 title. He did slug over 200 home runs in that time, but I was never much of a fan. I've actually gained respect for him as time has gone on though, and I think that may have been because he came out openly and honestly about his steroid use and apologized. I try to believe in the good of people, and I think he was a good guy just caught up with the wrong people in the wrong era of baseball. Either way, Giambi was a prominent figure during a controversial era of baseball, and I wanted this piece more for history's sake than anything else.

The picture doesn't have a COA, but I've worked with the seller plenty of times before and I trust each and every one of his autographs to be real. He does a lot of local signings, and I know Giambi has done some stuff locally of late, so that's really all the confirmation I needed. Plus, who would fake a picture you're selling for $10?

I don't know if any of you noticed, but I recently upgraded my new blog logo and page setup! I'm trying to condense all of my sidebar material and make the blog easier and more efficient to maneuver around for all of you. I thought my logo was a little huge, so I decided to make things more simple. Let me know what you think!

Anyway, that's all I have for now, I'm looking forward to taking a run out to Target one of these days this week to get myself a little bit of 2015 Topps when it hits stores, as I'm excited to see how it all comes out! It's almost time to mail out Spring Training TTM's, and I'm gearing up for a big day at the post office.

See Ya!

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!

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!