Sweet Mail Stories

I haven't wrote an entry about some cool mail that I've gotten in a long time, so here it is. If you are interested, StarTiger is the website that I get all the addresses and find out who is a good signer. I highly recommend it. It costs an annual rate, but it is worth every penny in my opinion. I'll get right into the fun stuff, hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment with any questions.

Former UNC Tar Heels great and current Golden State Warrior Harrison Barnes did something that I haven't seen before with athletes that are currently playing. Soon after his season ended, Barnes posted THIS on his Facebook page. The day after I saw that post, I sent a 4x6 photo on it's way to California. About two weeks later, I came back to my mailbox to find the photo on the right inside. All I could say after getting that back was, "Wow." The fact that Barnes got a PO Box for the summer just so he could sign for his fans makes him one of the classiest players in the NBA today. If you want his autograph, make sure you follow the rules specifically, including a photo of you holding the item you want signed, but hurry, summer won't last forever and he easily has hundreds of requests.

Switching sports, I sent a request in spring training to Washington Nationals pitcher Ross Ohlendorf. After almost two months of waiting, I got the card returned signed. This card was very glossy when I got it, so I had to prepare it to get signed, and as you can see, it was worth it. Want to know how to prepare a card like this? Click HERE. This trick usually works for glossy and/or chrome cards and it is very helpful.


One of the great managers of all time, Jim Leyland, retired after the 2013 season. Since he is living in Pennsylvania, I figured I'd send him a card and see what happens. Over four months later, I was delighted to come back and find that he had signed my card beautifully. I rarely get Allen & Ginter cards signed, and getting this one back was extra gratifying. He will be in Cooperstown one day, but it's just a matter of when. With some mail successes, like this one, it takes a very long time, but in the end it is worth it. This is one of the longest waits I've ever had for an autograph that actually came back signed, not a return to sender or unsigned stuff.


A man more known for his nickname than playing ability, Bill Lee, signed two card for me from his home in Vermont. He has the nickname 'Spaceman' and was famous for throwing an eephus pitch, which is nothing more than an overhand lob pitch. I'm pretty sure I sent him three cards, but he only signed two of them. That's fine by me. He wrote 'Earth 2014' on one of the cards, which is an interesting inscription and one that I will likely never see again. He has been at the center of controversy for his opinions on many subjects. If you have time and want to learn a little more about him, click HERE or HERE.

Another former Red Sox, 1986 American League Championship Series MVP Marty Barrett signed four cards for me. Three of them are 1987 Topps. My dad collected a lot of those when he was a kid, and now I'm getting some of them signed.




That's it for this entry. I'll be attending one of the Mets games against Oakland this week. Thanks for reading and good luck graphing!

New York Rangers Hockey House 6/1/14

This entry was supposed to be about some recent mail successes I've had, but alas, you never know what is going to happen. I was in New York City for the Celebrate Israel Parade, and a little detour occurred on the way back.

After the parade, I took a taxi back to Penn Station. With no timetable for when I needed to get on the train, I decided to look around the Penn Station/Madison Square Garden area. After looking around for about 30 seconds, I saw the Rangerstown Hockey House, a playoff fan-fest type area for New York Rangers fans to get hyped for their Stanley Cup Playoffs run. It was a Sunday afternoon, there was no Rangers game happening that day, but the fun was still happening.

As you probably know, I am not a New York Rangers fan by any stretch of the imagination. The name of my other website should give you enough of a hint about that. However, as a hockey fan, I felt like I should check out what was happening inside. The line to get in was about 20 people deep and moving slowly because everyone entering had to sign a waiver. It pretty much said that if you hurt yourself inside, whether it be shooting a puck, tripping, or whatever, you couldn't sue the Rangers. Also, people had to go through security with a guard patting people down and using a metal detector. After all of that, you were given a Rangerstown necklace and led inside.

Once inside, there were many options of what you could do. Walking around, I noticed an older gentleman in a Rangers shirt standing around and taking photos with people. After asking a few people near me, I discovered it was Ron Greschner, a defenseman who played his entire 16 year NHL career with the Rangers. Since I wasn't really prepared with anything for him to sign, I handed him the necklace that I was given on the way in, and he signed it for me. You can see it toward the bottom of this entry. He was walking toward the door to leave as he was signing for people.

After Greschner signed for me, I saw a line for a signing with a former Ranger had been roped off. I then walked over the rope, making me last in line for the signing. After convincing the security guard I was in line the whole time, she let me wait in line for Pete Stemkowski. After about 5 minutes of waiting, I approached Stemkowski. He was signing photos that were free and given to pretty much anybody. I asked if I could get two of the photos signed, and he didn't even think before signing two and handing them to me. I asked the person next to me in line if he could take a photo of Stemkowski and I, and he said he would. You can see that on the right as well as the photos below. He also signed the necklace that Greschner had just signed. I thanked him, then went on my way

Stemkowski left later on, and I went to explore the rest of the house. I walked around for about five minutes, then saw the Prince of Wales Trophy on a table. People were taking pictures with it. The Rangers had just won the trophy a few days earlier, and the fans were able to be a part of the celebration. Click HERE to see what the Rangers did when they received the trophy. That's right, none of them laid a finger on it, as Doc Emrick mentioned. After a surprisingly short wait in line, I handed my camera to the woman who was taking all the photos and stood next to the trophy. After taking one picture not touching the trophy, she was about to take another one. I figured I might as well touch the trophy and see if anyone notices for the second picture. Nobody cared, and I might have just jinxed the Stanley Cup Finals for the New York Rangers. Only time will prove the superstition right or wrong.

Walking around the house some more, I saw another former Ranger was sitting at the table Stemkowski was at minutes earlier. It turned out to be former All-Star, Brian Mullen, who played for both the Islanders and Rangers, among other teams, in his career. After another short wait in line, I approached him. He mentioned something about my New York Mets shirt, and I said that they have been stinking pretty badly lately. I was actually wearing the shirt I had caught at the game eight days prior. I asked for two photos again, and he personalized one for my friend who is a big Rangers fan. He added his signature to the necklace. I also took a picture with him. Then, I shook his hand, thanked him, and went to look around again.  Here is the photo he signed that I kept for myself, and the necklace that Greschner, Stemkowski, and Mullen signed. If you were wondering, the signed photos are about 6x9 inches, an unusual size, but a good one.












That was all I got on the necklace, but it wan't all I got on the day. While I was exploring the back of the hockey house, I saw a face that I actually recognized. MSG network's Ron Duguay, a former Ranger known for his awesome hair. He was doing a question and answer session when I first entered, and now he was sitting in the corner, eating lunch and getting ready to leave. When he emerged, he stopped to sign autographs for a couple other people. He signed an autograph card for me. After that, I took a picture with him, took a picture of him with other fans, and he left. I always keep an autograph card with me, and this is exactly why. I guess I could have gotten him to sign the necklace, but the card was more accessible. He's still got the hair.

I left soon after Duguay, as I had to get on the LIRR. I didn't plan on getting a single autograph, and I ended up having a fun time. Even though it's the Rangers, I respect them. The event was very well organized, and enjoyable for all, even an Islander fan like me.

Diamondbacks @ Mets 5/24/14 at Citi Field

After going on Tuesday to see the Mets play the Dodgers, I was back at Citi Field again on Saturday to see the Mets play the Diamondbacks. I went with my friend, and we got to Citi Field at about 1:45 for the 4:10 game. There was a giveaway of a David Wright canvas print, and I wanted to make sure to show up early to try and get it.

I had gotten tickets at a good price for the section behind the visitors dugout. Once the gates opened at 2:10, I was given the canvas print and went directly down to the visitors dugout. Within two minutes of getting behind the dugout, someone in a Diamondbacks hat, I don't know who, started walking toward the dugout holding a ball in his hand. I asked if he could toss it up to me, and he responded by taking two steps into the dugout and tossing the ball to me. The ball was brand new as if it was fresh out of the box. The only mark on it was a small blue patch from where the ball hit the dugout roof when the person threw it to me. I wish I knew who grew it to me or took a picture of him, but I honestly don't have a clue. After the Mets finished batting practice, the Diamondbacks elected to take infield practice instead of batting practice. The photo on the right was my view for most of that practice.

After getting the ball from the Diamondbacks coach, I watched Brandon McCarthy have a catch with one of the Diamondbacks bullpen catchers down the line. After he finished playing catch, he signed for a few fans near the tarp down the line. When he got to the dugout, I asked if he could sign for me. He said sure, and I tossed him the ball I had just gotten. He quickly signed it and tossed it back to me. I figured I'd get the ball from the Diamondbacks coach signed by the Diamondbacks. His signature is on the right.

After McCarthy, I just missed Henry Blanco and a couple other Diamondbacks who I couldn't recognize. One of the other people to stop was utility player Cliff Pennington. He stood on the dugout steps and signed for me and about five other people before going to the clubhouse to get ready for the game.

Closer to game time, I noticed someone signing on the other end of the dugout. When I ran over there, I saw it was one of the best hitters in baseball, Paul Goldschmidt. He signed for some of the Diamondbacks fans that were in the Delta club near home plate, and he also stopped at the dugout to sign for a few people there. He signed my ball with someone else's pen. Someone tossed him one of the David Wright canvas prints to sign, and he said, "What do you want me to do with this? It's David Wright." When the person said he didn't have anything else, Goldschmidt signed it on the bottom corner and tossed it back to the guy. I got a short video of him signing, which you can see below. Goldschmidt and Pennington signed the same ball McCarthy signed earlier. Goldschmidt's signature is on the bottom of the photo on the right.


That was all the action I saw until the 5th inning. Since it was raining for most of the game, I was wearing my rain coat. With my glove on my left hand, I held my umbrella in my right for most of the game while the rain was coming down. Many people fled for cover, but my friend and I waited out the storm. There were no delays or stoppages in the game. After the fifth inning ended, the Pepsi Party Patrol started throwing and shooting t-shirts into the crowd with Mr. Met. I had run down the aisle to try and get a third out ball, but didn't get one. Once the t-shirts were being thrown into the crowd, I stayed and watched. As one the people with the t-shirt gun was launching them into the upper deck, and one of the girls was handing the shirts to him to shoot. Out of nowhere, the girl reached into the bag and threw one into the crowd as hard as she could. I held up my wide open glove, and to my surprise, I caught the shirt. There were people standing behind me who flinched as it came, but I snagged it perfectly in my glove and held it up. After walking back to my seat, I took the photo on the left. As you may notice, the shirt is tied up with a balloon, not rubber bands as I originally thought. That was the first time I had caught a t-shirt at a Mets game. When I got home, I took the photos of the shirt that you can see below. I'm not a big fan of the design, but a free shirt is better than no shirt.

Back

Front

Shortly after that, the game got interesting as the Mets tried and failed to get back into the game. Here are a few action shots I took of Eric Young Jr. on the base paths. He dove back on a pickoff throw on the photo on the left. Then he took off and stole second as you can see on the photo on the right.

As per usual, the Mets left many runners in scoring position, and ended up falling to the Diamondbacks 3-2 on a rainy day from Citi Field. You may remember I got a ball on Tuesday from umpire Larry Vanover. HERE is a video of that snag that I took. I figured I'd try and get another ball, this time from umpire Jim Reynolds. Take a look at what happened next, from the other side of the tunnel this time.

Yeah, I got another ball from the umpire. Reynolds gave away a bunch of baseballs, and actually gave a few to the people standing next to me, the Cooks. I said hi and made a quick introduction with them, but I had a train to catch, so I left soon after that, grabbing a canvas print someone had left on the floor on my way out. Here are the two balls I snagged at the game. I got one of them signed as I mentioned earlier. The ball from Jim Reynolds is on the right.

Sweet Spots

The baseballs I snagged

That's all I have from Citi Field. I hope to be back again soon. I should have another entry about some cool autographs I have gotten in the mail recently up soon. Thanks for reading. Follow me on twitter if you want to HERE.

Dodgers @ Mets 5/20/14 at Citi Field

It's good to be home. It was time for my first game of the year. I went to Citi Field on Tuesday night for the Mets game against the Dodgers. After purchasing a ticket on StubHub the day of the game, I was off to Flushing.

I arrived right on time for the gates to open, and saw Zack Hample waiting patiently for the gates to open as well. He was about 15 people ahead of me in line, and when the stadium opened, he went to left field as I went to my usual spot down the third base line. 

Within 10 minutes of going to my spot, a few balls got hit toward one of the Mets coaches that was hitting fungos back to the bucket. He tossed one to a gloveless fan near me. So, when the next ball was hit over to him, I asked if he could toss it up. He looked at me, and threw a perfect strike right to my glove. I thanked him, and he went back to fielding the balls and I went to a different spot down the line. I later found out that it was Tom Goodwin, the Mets first base coach. I took the photo of him on the right after he threw me the ball. 

One of the highlights of batting practice was watching Yasiel Puig hit. He was hitting bombs into the second deck in left field seemingly on every other pitch. He easily hit at least five up there, and the two or three people up there got many chances to catch some home runs. I moved down toward the dugout near the tarp to try and get some autographs. 

Many people signed, but I was in an unlucky spot. Puig, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Van Slyke, and Don Mattingly all signed for people at the dugout, which I wan't able to get to. Carl Crawford and Dee Gordon signed for people about 10 feet to my left. When getting autographs, 10 feet might as well be 10 miles because I was stuck in a mob of people and I couldn't move an inch. 

Both Crawford and Gordon were signing in the five minutes right before the national anthem. At about 7:05, after the anthem was played, Matt Kemp finished warming up in left field and walked over to the mob of people wanting his autograph. He signed for about three minutes, signing for as many people as he could. I walked over to where he was, and got my hand in with the mob of people within arm's reach of Kemp. He took my baseball and signed it on the sweet spot quickly before handing it back to me. I took two photos of him signing, then he ran back as the Mets took the field to start the game. You can see the ball he signed at the bottom of this entry. I am happy to say I emerged from the mob with all of my limbs intact.

That was all for before the game. The game itself was an interesting one. The nine inning game took over four hours. It was one of the longest, if not the longest nine inning game in Mets history. The Mets lost 9-4, and there were a lot of runs, pitching changes, and runners left on base to go around. Here are some pictures I took of Yasiel Puig and Brian Wilson. I think they are pretty good pictures.

For the whole game, I was about five rows behind the ball boy on the third base side. I didn't end up getting a ball from him, but I saw him give balls to a bunch of different people, mostly kids. As the four hour marathon game was winding to a close, I went toward the dugout where the umpires walk down the tunnel. I had gotten a few balls there like THIS game last year. At about 11:20 p.m. the game ended and home plate Larry Vanover walked toward the tunnel with the rest of his crew. See what happened next below.

Yeah, he gave me a ball. Good thing I was on the left side of the tunnel farther way from the dugout. That ball justified me staying for the entire game. I had considered leaving, but figured I would stick it out and see if I could get a ball after. After I got the ball, I ran as fast as I could to catch the LIRR back to Long Island, and made it home shortly after midnight.

Here are the two baseballs I got at the game. The Larry Vanover ball is the one on the right, and it is rubbed up with mud, ready for game use. If the last pitch of the game was a foul ball, he probably would have given the ball I got to the pitcher.

Here is the Matt Kemp signed ball. Not the greatest signature ever, but better than others that I have gotten throughout they years. This is all I have for now. I may be back at Citi Field again soon. Good luck graphing! 

St. John's IceCaps @ Albany Devils 4/25/14

For the first time in my life, I attended a playoff hockey game. The Islanders haven't helped my cause, so I went to the Albany Devils game instead. They were hosting the St. John's IceCaps, AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, in game 1 of the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

The game itself was a very exciting. St. John's got on the board early off of an Albany turnover. The crowd at Times Union Center was large, as the upper deck was open to fans for the playoffs, unlike the regular season.

I had heard on twitter that New Jersey Devils President and General Manager, Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello, was at the game. At the first intermission, I went looking for him. After walking around the upper level, I spotted an older man wearing a suit sitting in the front row. After a quick google image search confirmed that it was Lamoriello. I went up to him. He was sitting in the front row by himself, and I asked if he could sign something for me. Once he said yes, I handed him a puck and silver sharpie. He signed it nicely, writing out every letter of his name and adding the Hall of Fame inscription that I asked for. I shook his hand, thanked him, then took a blurry picture of him as I left the upper level. When I got back from the game, I scanned the puck and you can see both below.

After I got back to my seat, the Devils began their second period charge. They got a power play and got their chance to tie the game. See what happened below.


Unfortunately for Albany, the visitors would win the game on a long range goal in the final minute of regulation. The game would end with a 2-1 IceCaps final score. Here are some pictures I took after the go-ahead goal got past Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid.

After the game, a slight drizzle began to fall and I went to my usual spot out back. Surprisingly, there was no team bus for the IceCaps. I learned that all the players would be walking to their hotel which is just a few blocks away. I got a few autographs from players on the IceCaps walking to the hotel. I was mainly staying under an overpass to not get rained on. A few of the IceCaps said they liked my photo. Here is the photo I got signed with a list of everyone that signed it.

44-Julian Melchiori 1-Tyler Beskorowany 19-Kyle MacKinnon 30-Eric Comrie

32-Cody Lampl 27-Will O'Neill 6-Josh Morissey 7-Kris Fredheim

14-Eric O'Dell 34-JC Lipon 17-Jerome Samson 10-Andrew Gordon

25-Blair Riley 18-Ben Chariot

That's all I have for now. I hope Albany wins so they play another home game here at the Times Union Center. Thanks for reading. Good luck Graphing. 

Springfield Falcons @ Albany Devils 4/19/14

For their last game of the regular season, the Albany Devils hosted the Springfield Falcons. I had already met many of the Falcons back in December. After the game, I was at my usual spot by the back door near the bus. 

I only had some stuff for a few of the Falcons, and they started coming out quickly after the game. There were a bunch of people outside in the back, and it made me wonder where those people were back in December when it was freezing out. 

The first Falcon out that I had something for was Tim Erixon, a former New York Ranger who was a part of the Rick Nash trade in 2012. He was very nice, signing everything for everybody. He signed the 4x6 photo I had. I'm pretty sure he signed six or seven cards for one of the other people that was there. I got a good photo of him signing for one of the other people that wanted his autograph.

The next person whose autograph I wanted was goalie Mike McKenna, a former Albany Devil. He came out, and signed for people who asked. He even stood and talked to the fans outside for a good 15 minutes. One person was wearing a McKenna jersey, and he seemed very happy to see someone was wearing his jersey. He signed that fan's jersey and signed everything for anyone else that wanted, including my photo. I also took a good picture of McKenna, in the backwards blue cap, signing for another person.

The last Falcon autograph I got was Dana Tyrell. As soon as he left the building, he walked far away from everyone to make a phone call. When he walked back to the bus, he signed very quickly. He only signed one item per person, good thing I only had one photo. It seemed like he made an effort to sign some cards for people as sloppily as he could. I thanked him for the autograph, and then he boarded the bus, which soon drove away.

I did get a couple autographs from the Devils, but I didn't have much for most of the team. The main person I was hoping to see was Jon Merrill. I printed out a picture from his first NHL goal, which was actually an overtime winner as well. He added the inscription that I asked for. He will most likely be with New Jersey for next season, but since New Jersey didn't make the NHL playoffs, he was back in Albany. He signed for the mob of Devils fans that assembled in the warm spring weather, then ducked into the parking garage and left.




The last autograph on the day that I got was of Tim Sestito. I had taken a picture with him back in January. I printed it out, and when he came out the door. He signed for everyone, including myself. I wished him good luck in the playoffs, and he went to his car and drove away.

That's it for now. I will be going to one of the Albany Devils playoff games this weekend. Thanks for reading! Good luck graphing! 

Islanders Clean-Out Day 4/14/14

After the New York Islanders finished their 2013-14 campaign on April 13 in Buffalo, it was time for them to clean out their lockers and go home for the offseason. I had heard some rumblings on twitter that cleanout day would be on Monday, April 14. Since I was home and had nothing to do, I drove to the Coliseum bright and early.

The best part about Nassau Coliseum is there is virtually no security near any of the entrances. I don't think I could have walked into the locker room, but I was able to park anywhere I wanted and find where the players were leaving. After parking in the wrong spot, I realized my mistake and made it to the right spot at about 8:45 a.m.

As soon as I parked my car, I saw a person in a striped shirt walking toward the parking lot. Before he could get there, the three or four fans waiting stopped him. Before I could think, I grabbed my stuff and locked the door. I was soon told that the person near me was goalie Evgeni Nabokov. After fumbling through my bag to get my stuff for him, I approached him. I had a few cards and a picture of Nabokov. But it wasn't just any picture.

It was a meme that I won a Steiner Sports Meme Contest with. Yes, I made it myself. As a prize, I got $50 in Steiner gift cards, which I still haven't used, and a framed copy of the meme. I decided to bring the framed copy of the meme with me in case I saw Nabby. I handed it to him with the sharpie and he instantly smirked. I told him I won a contest with that, and I asked if he could write 'I'm focused' on it. "They'd get me in trouble for that," Nabokov said. He signed the cards as well and I got a picture of him signing for another fan before he got into his car and drove away.









Shortly after Nabokov left, I found out that veterans Eric Boulton and Radek Martinek had left before I got to the Coliseum. However, when I was talking to the other people there, defenseman Travis Hamonic walked out the door. The door he walked out of is under the white banner in the photo on the right. He stopped and signed for someone else, then he signed his page in my Islanders yearbook in silver. I didn't print out any pictures or bring too many big items with me, as I have met most of the players already and didn't have too much notice before going to this. After he signed, he took a picture with me and went to his car.

After Hamonic, a few more fans showed up. The next two players, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen, came out at the same time. They both signed their photos in the yearbook for me. I didn't get a picture of Frans, who bolted out as fast as he could.














But as Bailey was leaving, he ran into Justin Johnson, 32. Johnson, who beat up Buffalo's John Scott the day before, had just made his NHL debut a few days earlier. The two of them talked for a few minutes. Johnson didn't say whether or not he would be back next year, but he gave Bailey a hug on his way into the Coliseum. Bailey left in a hurry after that and Johnson went inside to finish whatever he had to. The goodbye was sad to watch, as there is a chance Johnson won't play in the NHL next season, if ever again.

 The next player to walk out the door was injured defenseman Brian Strait. He came out wearing a cast on his left wrist, which he hurt during the season. He was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh before last season, and scored his first NHL goal during the playoffs against those Penguins last May. He signed his page in the yearbook for me, then took a picture with me. By the look of the picture, he could use some deodorant.

 Ryan Strome was the next person to come out the door. If you don't remember or haven't heard, I almost got into some trouble for reporting a Ryan Strome injury in January. But that has long since passed. He signed his page in the yearbook and took a picture with me like many of the other players. A lot of the girls there liked him, and someone commented on his Toronto Blue Jays hat. His signature has definitely changed from the first time I met him in November. It's getting sloppier by the month.

As Strome was leaving, Calvin de Haan and Cal Clutterbuck walked out the door at the same time. I met de Haan the same time I met Strome back in November and I already had a picture with him, so I went over to Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck was nice, and he signed my yearbook in silver with someone else's silver marker, and de Haan did the same.

I went to take a picture with  Clutterbuck after, and I couldn't find anyone to take it, so I took a selfie with my digital camera. I think it came out well. You can see de Haan taking a picture with a fan in the background of the photo on the left. I learned that Clutterbuck has a lot of tattoos, which you can't see under his jersey during games.

The Islanders just kept coming out, as defensemen Matt Donovan and Lubomir Visnovsky walked out the door within a few seconds of each other. Donovan had already signed my yearbook in Albany back in December, so I didn't need anything else from him. Visnovsky was carrying his bag of equipment, so when he stopped to sign for someone else I approached him with the yearbook. He signed the yearbook quickly. I ruffled through my bag and took out a puck which he also signed with his unique signature. After that, I asked him if he would be ready for next year. "I hope so," Visnovsky said.

Kyle Okposo came out after the two defensemen, and he signed for everyone very quickly. I put four cards and my yearbook out on my clipboard for him, and he signed all of them in under 10 seconds. I had to rush to take a picture of him signing for a little kid, and the black string you see in the picture is the string from my camera. He signed really quickly and went to his car, gone for the season. 

John Persson was next out of the Coliseum. He said he was headed back to Bridgeport, and he actually played in the Sound Tigers game that night. But before he could go to Bridgeport, he stopped and signed for everyone, including me. He signed his part in the prospects page of the yearbook for me, then was on his way back to the minor leagues. 

Then a person who shares the same birthday as me walked out the door. That person is none other than Colin McDonald. He signed my yearbook, then signed for some other people as you can see below. I also took a picture with Colin before he left. He seemed happy that someone had the same birthday as him. 

After Colin, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson walked out of together. I met Anders Lee every time he and the Sound Tigers came to Albany this season. While a few people went over to Anders, I went over to Brock. After he signed my yearbook, I tried to find someone to take a picture of Brock and I, but everyone was preoccupied. So, I took another selfie. This one also turned out well, if I do say so myself. Instead of getting an autograph from Lee, I told him I had met him a few times in Albany and thanked him for his time. After that, Lee and Nelson realized they forgot something in the Coliseum and went back inside.

Shortly after that, Justin Johnson emerged again, and I didn't need his autograph. Instead, I took a picture with him and told him he did a great job in his fight the day before. I hope he ends up somewhere, he is a great team player and good person.

One of the other Islander tough guys, Matt Martin, emerged into the daylight after Johnson had left. Martin walked over and started signing for everyone. While he was signing, music started playing from someone's phone. Quickly after checking his pockets, Martin realized his phone was ringing. He hung it up and put it back in his pocket very quickly after. As a bunch of girls clamored over Martin and his awesomeness, he signed his page in the yearbook and a program for me. I also took a picture with him, but not until after all the girls there took photos with their crush. 

The people from
Bridgeport
kept coming out the door. Mike Halmo was next, and he was as nice as everyone else. Like everyone else, he signed my yearbook and took a photo of me. I took a brief video of him signing, and you can see that HERE. In the video, someone gave Halmo a few tickets from the game he scored his first NHL goal in, which is a nice souvenir. He was on Bridgeport's top line for most of the season, playing with Lee and Strome, but they all got separated when they were in the NHL. While Halmo was signing, Brett Gallant also came out and signed, but I didn't get a picture of him. I got him on his section of the yearbook.





Earlier in the day, Thomas Hickey and Scott Mayfield left the Coliseum and said they would be back in 20 minutes. About 40 minutes after they left, they were back. I immediately went to Hickey, who was the only Islander to play in all 82 games this season, and thanked him for staying health as he signed the yearbook. Mayfield then signed the yearbook and the two of them went back into the Coliseum after signing for everybody and taking many pictures, including the one I took with Hickey.

The last two people out the door were Johan Sundstrom and Kevin Czuczman (pronounced Church-man). I quickly approached Czuczman, who was walking away, and got him to sign a random page in the yearbook that had an Islanders logo. I'm pretty sure it was an ad for physical therapy. He was signed by the Isles straight out of college in March, and didn't have a page in the yearbook. I wonder how he started signing his name as a kid and ended up with the signature that you see on the right.

Sundstrom had sustained a concussion late in the season, and he said he would be back playing for Bridgeport as soon as he could when I asked how he was feeling. He signed his part in the yearbook.  After that, I shook his hand and took a picture with him as he signed for all of the other fans that assembled. There were about 20 people outside the Coliseum at the peak of the day.










After Sundstrom, the only people that I could think of that weren't out yet were Michael Grabner, Matt Carkner, and captain John Tavares, I heard that those three had parked their cars in the underground parking garage, which is not accessible to anyone but the players and Islanders staff. All of the other players were parked in the same lot as me near the side door.

I didn't want to wait hours for those people to show up, since I had already met Tavares and Grabner. At about 11:45, I went to my car, took the picture below, and drove home, ending a good day of graphing my favorite team. If you have any good stories of meeting the Islanders, share them below. I'd love to hear them in the comments. Thanks for reading! Good luck graphing.

See you next year Nassau Coliseum!