Autograph Adventures: New York Jets 2011

With the NFL preseason back in full swing and the regular season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to share one of my better autograph stories. I had the opportunity to attend the New York Jets game against the Sand Diego Chargers on October 23, 2011 at MetLife Stadium. I went to the game with my friend, who has Jets season tickets. The only reason I could go was because his parents couldn't go, and my father and I jumped at the opportunity to see a live NFL game.

The day of the game, we all arrived in New Jersey around 10am to tailgate. We threw around a football for a while, had some food and drinks, and also took some ridiculous pictures. Maybe if Revis was still on the Jets now, this picture would be more appropriate. Around 11, with not much food left, we all decided it would be a good time to head into the stadium. I wans't planning on getting autographs going into the day, but I always bring a sharpie with me just in case.

Here's a big tip for autograph collectors, especially sports collectors. When you are going to a game, always bring a pen and blank paper or something generic that you can get signed by anyone. You never know who you are going to run into at these games. 

I usually have my autograph book with me, but I decided to leave it at home for the game. Upon walking into the stadium, I was given a roster sheet with all the players for both teams listed on it in various orders. I quickly shoved it in my pocket without even thinking. We had tickets about 20 rows behind the end zone where the Jets tunnel was. Since there were players warming up, we decided to walk down to the front row to get a little closer to the action.


Within five minutes of getting down to the front row, we noticed a player signing autographs right in front of us. Before I even knew who it was, I got out my roster sheet and sharpie and got them signed. I figured out who it was by looking at the tattoo that he had on his right arm. It was Matt Slauson, current Chicago Bears guard. He signed for a few fans that were lined up along the wall, then went back to getting ready. HERE is a video I took of him signing.

As Slauson was signing, another Jet was also signing for everybody. After asking someone standing near me, I found out that it was Dustin Keller, one of my favorite players, as well as a favorite target of Mark Sanchez during his time as a Jet. I brought a blank white filler card, that you get in packs of cards sometimes, instead of a jersey or autograph card. I got Keller to sign that, as well as the lineup sheet. He wanted to personalize the white card, which I had no problem with. HERE is a video of my friend and I getting autographs of him. If there was anyone that wanted an autograph, Keller was more than happy to oblige. Keller easily signed for 40 people, and I wish him the best in his recovery after suffering a gruesome knee injury while playing for the Dolphins this preseason.

My friend was wearing a jersey of Sione Po'uha, the big defensive lineman for the Jets. When we saw him warming up right in front of us, we waved and made hand motions asking if he could come over and sign, as he was wearing headphones and couldn't hear us. See what happened next below.

To say the least, my friend was thrilled to get his jersey signed. I was just as thrilled to have gotten his autograph. In the video, you can hear me mention Po'uha's YouTube channel. I watched it during the NFL lockout, and it is always great to see what a player's personal life is like.

After Po'uha, another Jet came over to sign, and I had no idea who it was until after he signed. He quickly went down the line and signed for everybody. After looking at his signature, which you can see at the bottom of this entry, I discovered it was #94, Marcus Dixon.

When Dixon was done signing, rookie Muhammad Wilkerson was walking toward the tunnel after finishing his warm ups. Without even asking, Wilkerson walked right over to my friend and I and started signing. He signed for everyone down the line on his way into the locker room. Check him out in the video below.


Next, Jamaal Westerman came and signed for everyone very quickly. His signature is very small  and almost unrecognizable because there isn't a number on it. Luckily, someone near me identified him for me. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture or video of him. Joe McKnight was the next person to come over and sign, and he is pictured on the right. He also signed for everyone quickly before going into the locker room. Like Po'uha and a few other Jets, McKnight was wearing headphones and couldn't really be talked to. HERE is a video of him signing for my friend and I.

Unfortunately for me, Revis ran straight to the locker room without signing for anyone, so my jersey would remain unsigned. However, the other Jets cornerback, Antonio Cromartie, was kind enough to stop and sign for everyone. He stayed in one spot the whole time he signed. I had to reach out as far as I could, and I was lucky to get Cromartie to sign the other side of the blank white card Keller had signed earlier. Cromartie would be the last Jets player whose autograph I got. However, he would not be the last autograph I got.

Even though there were no more players left on the field, we didn't feel the need to go back to our regular seats quite yet. A random Jets employee, I don't exactly know who it is, started playing catch with fans near the tunnel and was slowly making his way towards us. See what happened by clicking play below. If anyone can tell me who that employee is, I would be very grateful. The ball had the word 'Jets' stitched into it, meaning it may have been one of the game balls that was used. It was great to touch a piece of the action, even if only for a few seconds.


The latest notable thing that happened before the game was something that I never would have expected to happen. Someone else was making his way down the line, signing for fans and taking pictures. Immediately, I recognized him from TV. It was none other than Jimmy Fallon. He was signing footballs and any other stuff people had on them. When he came toward me, well, just watch the video.

I got all the Jets to sign the Jets side of the roster sheet. I got Jimmy to sign the Chargers side of the sheet. Toward the end of the video, I ask for a picture with him, and he was kind enough to oblige. Here is the result. His face is priceless. It was totally unexpected, and everyone was thrilled to see him. Jimmy's face was shown on the scoreboards throughout the game to pump up the crowd. It seemed to work as the Jets went on to beat the Chargers 27-21. Plaxico Burress caught three touchdowns and Kyle Wilson made his first career interception.


Here are all the autographs I got at this game.

Dustin Keller

Antonio Cromartie

Various New York Jets

Jimmy Fallon

Thanks for reading. Good luck graphing. I will have a great entry up by the end of the week. I am going to a few baseball games and am hoping to get some cool stuff. 

More Mail and a Special Delivery

The mail just keeps coming in as my summer rolls on. I also got something very special and unique, which you can see at the end of this entry.


Current Arizona Diamondback and former Oakland A's pitcher, Brad Ziegler, signed the card I sent.

Former New York Mets first baseman and current Seattle Mariners bullpen catcher, Jason Phillips, signed all of my cards. I mailed them to the care of the Mariners in Seattle and they came back quite quickly.



Current Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter signed my cards from when he was the manager of the Texas Rangers. I mailed these straight to Camden Yards and was not disappointed. If you want to get a better view of any of the autographs, feel free to click on any of the pictures posted on this entry.




The last autograph I got in the mail for this entry is Rob Blake. Blake is a former Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings great who played in six all star games, as well as a Stanley Cup Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist.

Lastly, the unique item I got. I entered a contest from Autograph University for a Phil Jackson signed book. A few days after entering, I received an email from AutographU's founder, Matt Raymond, saying that I was the winner of the contest. Shortly thereafter, the book arrived in the mail. I am now the proud owner of a signed first edition of Phil Jackson's newest book, Eleven Rings. Special thanks to Matt and AutographU for everything and I highly recommend their website for autograph collecting advice.





That's all for now. Best of luck graphing and have a great summer!

Early Summer Mail Successes

I haven't made one of these mail success stories yet, so I figured that now would be a great time to share  my recent mail successes.

One of the most legendary NFL punters ever, Ray Guy, signed a card and a 4x6 photo for me with a few inscriptions. 

Another NFL legend, Bob Lilly, also signed an old card and 4x6 photo for me. He didn't write the Hall of Fame inscription like I asked, but I'll take it. 

Future Hall of Fame hopeful and current ESPN NFL analyst, Jason Taylor signed one of the two cards I sent him. I was shocked to see this come back.

Harry Carson, the last football player in this entry, signed my photo. His website has its own autograph policy, which you can see HERE. It includes his address.

Mark Eichhorn, former Toronto Blue Jay and World Series champion, signed three 1987 Topps cards for me. 

Former MLB All-Star Danny Tartabull, signed two 1987 Topps and a 1989 Upper Deck. 

A former New York Islander who is still a Long Island resident, Alexei Zhitnik, signed my four cards. He has a small smiley face in his signature, which is always a good thing. 

Johan "Moose" Hedberg, now a free agent goalie, signed my card and picture.

The last person for this entry, ESPN analyst and former coach Dick Vitale signed my photo and added a signed contact card of his own. 

 Best of luck graphing! I hope everyone is having a great summer! Thanks for reading!

Autograph Adventures: David Tyree

This story goes back to last week, June 8. I went to a local Sports Authority to look for a new pair of sneakers. After buying a pair that I liked,  I noticed a sign on the way out that caught my attention. I later called the Sports Authority to confirm the date and time, and they even told me that it was a free signing. If you don't remember David Tyree, click HERE and watch a video that should jog your memory. That helmet catch would prove to be the last one Tyree ever made in the NFL. He later played for the Baltimore Ravens, appearing on mostly special teams. Tyree's career ended after he signed a one day contract with the Giants to retire with the team that he won a Super Bowl with.



Now, fast forward to the day of the signing. As you can see on the flyer, the signing was scheduled to start at 1pm. I arrived around noon to be about sixth in line. On the right, you can see what it looked like at the front of the line. I had brought a 5x7 photo with me to get signed, and since I was with my father, there was one more autograph to be had. The Sports Authority had set up a rack of Giants mini-helmets and Giants footballs, but I ended up settling with a NFL Autograph Mini Football.

Then the waiting began. From what I've seen, athletes aren't usually to these signings. 1pm came and went. Then at around 1:15, a person from Sports Authority said Tyree would be there in 20 minutes. 20 minutes later, and there was still no sign of Tyree. Eventually it was 2pm, and people in line were starting to get restless. Finally, at long last, David Tyree came in the store around 2:20 pm. With his son sitting on his lap, he started signing away for everyone. I approached him about five minutes into the signing. He had black and silver sharpies on the table, so I brought my own blue sharpie, as black tends to fade quicker than blue. I gave him the ball first, and asked him to inscribe it with the year that he won the Super Bowl, and he signed it perfectly. I asked to take a photo with him when he finished signing my photo, and the result was the photo you can see on the top part of this paragraph. His eyes are closed, but I guess that makes it more worthwhile, as it is a hilarious experience. Before leaving, I took a video of him signing which you can see below.


Here are photos of the two autographs I got from David Tyree.





That's all for this autograph adventure. Thanks for reading. Happy Fathers Day! Good luck graphing!

Cardinals @ Mets 6/11/13 at Citi Field

 Last night, June 11, I went to Citi Field for the Mets game against the St. Louis Cardinals. As you can see on my ticket, there is no price as these were complimentary tickets. It was Citi Tuesdays, and I was lucky to get two free tickets.


After taking the train, we arrived at Citi Field about 20 minutes before the gates were going to open. There was already a short line forming in front of the bag check tables, but I decided to start another line. I went right behind another one of the bag check tables, and was first in line. About 10 minutes later, security started to tell people toward the back of the original line that there were indeed two lines, with me at the front of the second one.

When the gates opened, I raced down toward to the first row on the first base side of the field. I was going to try to get some autographs from the Mets today. I was the first one to get down toward where veteran pitcher LaTroy Hawkins was shagging balls during batting practice. Once he fielded a ball, I asked him if he could toss one up. He looked in my direction, and launched it in my direction from about 40-60 feet away.
I moved a few steps to my left, and made the easy one handed catch. Ball #1 was in the books, and you can see it on the left. Hawkins is circled in yellow in the photo on the left, which I took after moving to a better spot for autographs. Feel free to click on that picture, or any other ones in this entry to get a better look, even though some may be out of focus. Unfortunately for me, that would be the only thing I got during Mets batting practice. When they left the field, nobody stopped to sign, and then the Cardinals took over the field.

After the Cardinals took the field, I ran over to the third base side. Within five minutes of getting to my new spot down the third base line, someone yelled, "Heads up!" I looked up and around to see a line drive come flying into the seats, over the heads of several people that ducked to avoid getting hit. The ball bounced off a seat back about five rows directly behind me, popped up straight into the air, and I barely had to move from my spot while making the one hand catch with my back facing the field. I was actually sitting on the ledge between the stands and the field when I made the catch, and I had to push myself back up to avoid falling backwards onto the field. People actually applauded that catch, which surprised me. Maybe it was because it went straight into the glove, no bobble. I then asked who hit the ball, and a person decked out in Cardinals gear told me that it was probably Jon Jay, so I'll go with what he told me. That would be ball #2 on the day. I took the picture of the ball from the spot where I caught it, and this one is more in focus.

After trying, with no success, to get a toss-up from every single Cardinal that fielded a ball, left handed Matt Adams stepped into the cage. A few swings in, he hit a screaming line drive hooking toward the foul line. The ball hit the warning track dirt in fair territory, and was curving into the stands. Again, the girls standing next to me hit the deck to protect their faces. I saw the ball coming toward me, so I instinctively stuck out my glove, and watched the ball come flying right into my glove. When I tried to squeeze it shut, the ball popped out for a split second. However I got it back in my glove before it could fall to the dirt or any other fans could get their hands on it. Ball #3 was safely in my glove when I checked to see if it was still there. I took another, slightly out of focus, picture with ball #3 facing the infield where I caught it. That would be the last ball I got on the day. I got two balls during the Cardinals portion of BP in literally the exact same spot. I guess that it was the luck of the redbirds.

A few minutes later, most of the Cardinals left the field without signing any autographs. To my surprise, Shelby Miller emerged from the dugout and came over to the corner near the tarp and started signing for the fans. I tried my best to get into the scrum, but I was stuck in the third row, well out of Miller's arm reach. I slowly inched my way closer toward where Miller was signing, but I still wasn't close enough. Someone in the first row was offering to help get autographs for people that were further away. I handed him my ball and pen. No more than a minute later, I could see Miller signing my ball on the sweet spot with the pen I had just given the helpful person in the front row. I got the ball back, thanked the guy in the front for helping me out, then took the video of Miller signing that you can see below. You can see the signed ball at the bottom of this entry.


That would be the only autograph I got on the day. Miller has been great this year, and he actually writes out every letter of his name, which you don't see too often. I finally met my friend, who had unsuccessfully tried to snag a home run during batting practice, and he took the picture below.
The game was pretty bad from a Mets perspective as Jeremy Hefner imploded in the fifth inning, allowing five runs. Michael Wacha got his first career MLB win, leading the Cardinals past the New York Mets 9-2.


Shelby Miller signed ball:

Today's Baseballs:                                                        And the sweet spots:

That's all for another game at Citi Field. Thanks for Reading! Good luck Graphing! 

Signature Stars: Ken Morrow

Morrow (#3) defends the net.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

From the moment Ken Morrow started playing hockey, he was a champion. In 1976, he was drafted by the New York Islanders. Before he could play his first NHL game, he got a chance to try out for the United States Olympic team. After a rigorous tryout under legendary coach Herb Brooks, Morrow had made the team. That team would go on to upset the heavily favored Soviet Union in a game later known as the Miracle on Ice. That was voted to be the greatest moment in American sports history. The US would later go on to win the gold medal against Finland a few days later. Morrow was a solid defenseman for the United States throughout those 1980 Olympics, stopping the opposition in it's tracks and making big hits when he needed to. He was even on the ice for the final shift of the Soviet Union game. You could see that shift HERE, if you didn't click on the words 'Miracle on Ice' above.

Shortly after leaving Lake Placid, Morrow was thrown into the Islanders lineup. Even though Morrow was never known to be a goal scorer, he scored THIS goal to win a key game in the first round en route to the Islanders first Stanley Cup win. That made Morrow the first player ever to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same season. Morrow went on to play on all four Islanders Stanley Cup teams, scoring THIS goal to finish off the Oilers in the last game of the fourth Stanley Cup win. Morrow eventually retired due to injuries in 1989. In recent years, he has been one of the head scouts for the Islanders. 

Back in 2009, when I was first getting into autographs in the mail, I sent Ken four cards, he sent them back signed in a few weeks, and he personalized one like I asked. He wrote something very unique on the card that he personalized. Believe in miracles. I hadn't asked for those specific words, but they came out great. If you are wondering, I have thousands of cards from all four sports, spanning over many years and decades, all throughout my house. All I have to do is look, and I'll find cards of just about any athlete that I'm looking for. 

Now fast forward to December 2011, the Islanders were set to induct Morrow to their Hall of Fame on New Years Eve. A couple days prior, the Islanders were hosting the Calgary Flames. I had tickets for that game as it was during my winter vacation from school. Prior to the game, the Islanders said that Morrow would be doing at singing at that game. I was thrilled, as I had a special puck that I wanted him to sign. The signing was going to take place during the second intermission of the game. I arrived about halfway through the second period, as I didn't want to wait on line for too long. If you are going to a signing, be sure to show up early for whatever you are going to. To my surprise, Morrow was already there signing away. While waiting on line, I took a video of Ken signing which you can see HERE. Shortly after I stopped filming, I approach Ken, and he signed the puck with the inscription that I asked for. I shook his hand, thanked him, then left and went back to my seat as the line grew several hundred people deep. 

That would be the last time I saw Morrow for a while. Then, this past December 8, I was at an Albany Devils game with my friend. The Devils were playing the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Isles AHL affiliate. As we were walking around the concourse during the intermission, the door to the bathroom opened. The person that walked out was, you guessed it, Ken Morrow. I said, "Ken?" He looked at me, confirming that it was in fact who I thought it was. My friend and I approached him, and I asked if I could take a picture with him. He said sure, and you can see the picture we took HERE. After taking the picture, my friend asked Morrow to sign his ticket, and Morrow obliged. He signed a page in my autograph book as well, and then I asked him a question I had thought about for a while. "Who would win in a game; your 1980 Olympic team USA that won the Gold, or your 1980 Islanders that won the Stanley Cup?" To paraphrase, Morrow said that the Islanders would probably win because they had more talent. He also added that neither legendary coach, Herb Brooks or Al Arbour, would be out-coached. My friend and I thanked him for his time, and we went our separate ways. Morrow was there scouting for the Islanders during the lockout. There were no NHL games, so Morrow was in Albany to look at many of the Islanders prospects.

Lastly, a few weeks ago, I sent Morrow the picture he took with me in Albany as well as a picture from his Islanders playing days to the same address I sent the cards to years earlier. A few weeks later, I looked in the mailbox and got both back signed. He personalized the picture with the same inscription he made on one of my cards back in 2009. The signed picture of him playing can be seen in the second paragraph of this entry.

Ken Morrow is a legend in the world of hockey, and he is a legend in fan interaction. He is a great person, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Ken is a mail legend, as well as a great person to meet live. That makes him a signature star.