My Favorite PC Cards: Chad Pennington

When I first restarted collecting cards back in 2003, I knew I would be collecting players that I admired. I knew I would start a Tino Martinez PC at some point and had ideas on a Roberto Clemente. On the Jets, I like Wayne Chrebet and he was also a player I wanted to collect, but I didn't start a Chrebet PC right away.

My favorite position in football is Quarterback. It's the glamour position in the game and I have seen some great QB's in my time as a fan. Montana, Moon, Bradshaw, Elway, Kelly, Manning and yes, even Brady (hacking) are just some of the greats I have seen play and just enhanced my love of the position.

As a Jets fan, I have seen some good QB's play under center for my team. When I first started watching the Jets, Richard Todd was the teams QB and he took us within a game of the Super Bowl back in 1983 before the Dolphins ground crew and AJ Duhe took us out. Then there was Ken O'Brien, who I don't feel gets the due he deserves just because he was in that heralded draft of 1983. The same draft that had quarterbacks like John Elway and Jim Kelly. The Jets, drafted Ken O'Brien at pick number 24. 3 picks later, the Miami Dolphins picked Dan Marino. O'Brien was still a good quarterback, made 2 Pro Bowls in 1985 and 1991, was the highest rated QB in the NFL in 1985 and was the first QB to pass for more than 400 yards in a game, which he did against the Seattle Seahawks in 1986. We also had Vinny Testeverde who also bought the Jets within a game of the Super Bowl in 1998, even leading the game at halftime. But no one was stopping John Elway and the Denver Broncos, who were on their way to win their second straight Super Bowl. I still hold a grudge against Denver for that one.

But in the 2002 season, the Jets were 1-4 and Coach Herman Edwards decided to start a young player from Marshal University named Chad Pennington. Pennington lead the Jets to a 9-7 record, winning the AFC East Title throwing for 3,120 yards, 22 touchdowns, 6 INT's and had rating of 104.2, a Jets record. He then lead the Jets to a victory over Peyton Manning and  the Indianapolis Colts 41-0. From that season on, I had a new favorite player and since I had just restarted collecting cards, I thought why not collect Pennington, so over the years I picked up a lot of Pennington cards, even sacrificing an Aaron Rodgers autograph card to get a Pennington autograph into my collection. Ok, maybe I could have gotten more for that, but I didn't care. I wanted that Pennington autograph.

When the Jets released Pennington in favor of Brett Farve, he signed with Miami and led them to the AFC East Title. As happy as I was for Pennington, I couldn't root for him due to my hatred of Miami and my Pennington collecting stopped that season.

Just recently, I was looking at my Pennington cards and wondered if maybe it was time to re-start the Pennington collection. My collection has some really nice cards and I would love to add more to it. But before I do, I'd like to show off some of my favorite Pennington cards in my collection:

I grabbed this 2006 Donruss Threads card off eBay for a whopping $4.00. I just love the lettering on the piece of the football in this card.

I love patch cards and this card has a piece of Pennington's name plate off his road jersey.

I just love this card for the picture alone. In a game against the Texans, Pennington scrambled for a first down and decided to let Houston know.

Probably my favorite Pennington card. I love this piece of game used helmet and love that you can see the T and S of the JETS logo.

Simple, but I love this card.

I have always been a big fan of these Upper Deck Sweet Spot Signature cards. I was thrilled to see that there was a Pennington card and added it to my Pennington collection.

My very first Pennington autograph. Of course it was going to make my list.

Looking over my Pennington collection reminded me just how much fun I had hunting down cards on eBay, card shows and trading for them with other collectors. I really wanted to be THE Pennington collector and try to get every Pennington card ever made. I obviously fell way short of that goal, but I loved the pursuit.

I have been a Jets fan since the 1980 season and have seen a lot of great Jets, but Pennington is my favorite. He may not had the greatest arm, but when he played and was healthy, the Jets won. I often wonder had he stayed healthy where he would be among the the Jet QB's in Jet history. I believe he would have been right under Joe Namath as an all time great Jet quarterback. He had the smarts and I really think he could have won a title here. I would love to see him come back here as a coach a I think he would do very well. But whatever he decides to do, I will always be a Chad Pennington fan.

A Super Jet Addition

Anytime I go to a flea market, I always find at least one item to come home with me. The flea market I attended this past weekend, I found two things. The Yankees Baseline Bopper I showed in my last post and I managed to find something I've wanted for a long time that is related to the New York Jets Super Bowl III team. It's not in the best shape, but I actually really don't care, since I didn't pay all that much for it. In fact, I bought it from the same table I bought the Bopper from.

This is the record album chronicling the 1968 New York Jets season, a season in which they upset the Baltimore Colts 17-6 to win the franchise's only Super Bowl, which happened two years before I was born. Figures they would win a Super Bowl when I'm not even alive to see it. I just hope they win another before God tells me my table is ready.

Now, I don't own a turntable, but I am guessing this record has play by play highlights of the 1968 Jets season from their radio broadcast team from WABC radio.It has the voices of Merle Harmon, who was the Jets main radio voice at the time and also narrated their season highlights videos, and Sam DeLuca, who played three seasons with the Jets and was on the IR during the championship season and would provide color commentary for years after his playing days were over.  It was pretty cool to know what radio station was the Jets broadcast home during that championship season. I'm a nerd for details like that.

The back of the album cover has a brief synopsis of the 1968 season as well as the 1968 schedule and results. It also has a picture of the championship team as well as a picture of the coach, Weeb Ewbank. Now, as I said before, the album cover is not in the best shape and if you look at the lower left corner you can see some crinkling of that corner as well as a chip p that same side of the album. It gets much worse on top though.

As you can see, the top of the album cover is split all the way across it. Too be honest, I didn't even realize that until after I walked out of the flea market and got into my buddy's car. If I had noticed it, I may have haggled a bit or not even bought it at all. I am a bit disappointed in myself. I always look carefully at a piece before buying it and I failed to do so with this. I guess I was too excited that I actually found this record at a great deal and didn't even give it once over.

The record itself looks like it's in pretty decent condition. I did look it over once I got home and I could not find a scratch on the record at all. Now, I come from an age where I actually used to play records before CD's became the norm. I know from experience that just because you don't see a scratch doesn't mean it's not there. Since I don't have a turntable, I doubt I will even play this record.

Even though the cover is in worse shape than I initially thought, I am still really happy to own it. I was going to put it on my Jets shelf, next to my Joe Namath puzzle, I think I will take my buddy Kerry's advice and frame this and hang it up when I get things situated. Hopefully, I can locate a CD copy of this record as I would love to listen to the radio broadcast highlights of the '68 season. Hopefully, us Jets fans don't have to wait much longer for the Lombardi Trophy to come back to the Green and White and maybe we can get another highlight CD to listen to over and over again.

Vintage New York Jets Mailday

If there is one team that rivals the Yankees for my affections, it's the New York Jets. While most of the people I know are Giants fans, I have loved Gang Green since I first watched them play at Shea Stadium back in 1980. I have gone through my ups and downs with this team (mostly down), but I have never rooted for any other football team save the 2 years when I followed my then best friend and rooted for the Steelers.

When I restarted collecting cards, I knew I wanted to have a Jets collection as well and started to hunt down different cards to fill my binder with. My Jets collection is not as large as my Yankees one is, but I am very pleased with the collection have amassed thus far. I grabbed cards through trades, eBay, card shows and from the kindness of strangers.

My collection is not just cards. I have figures, bobbleheads, autographs, books, pins and a vintage pennant in my Jets collection. As long as it has the Jets logo on it, I will always try to find a way to add it to my collection. There are things I would love to add to my Jets collection like vintage yearbooks, programs and cards, but I know I will have the opportunity to add them to my collection at some point.

Thanks to Mark over at Mark's Ephemera, I was able to add two pieces to my Jets collection, and they were two pieces I have been wanting to pick up for quite some time.

Mark's Ephemera has quickly become one of my favorite blogs to read and I never miss a post of his. One particular blog post was about the old Sunoco football stamps. I mentioned in the comments section that I have been wanting to pick up the Jets stamps from those sets. Mark reached out to me via email and offered me a packet of Jets stamps and another vintage item I have been wanting for a while. After a few emails, I got a package from him in the mail. When I opened the package, I saw this first:

A packet of the 1972 Sunoco NFL Stamps. I just love, love the lithography on the envelope. As tempted as I am to tear it open and check out the stamps, I made a decision to keep it as is. I do not want to ruin the packet, thus ruin the lithography. It will stay as is for me to admire whenever I want.

Then I saw this tucked in behind it:

A 1971 Topps Pin Up of Joe Willie Namath! I knew Mark was sending this over, but I was still floored when I saw it. Namath is one of my all time favorites, despite my never seeing him actually play. But I have seen enough video to know that the man had an absolute cannon for an arm. I love this mini pin up. It just screams 1970's with the color scheme to the fact that Topps couldn't show the players in their helmets. It's a thing of beauty.

After watching that awesome Namath HBO special I have started a Namath PC (like I need another player to collect). It's pretty small at this point, mostly recent product. Namath's cards can get pretty pricey, so for now I will add what I can here and there and anything helps. I also have the new Namath McFarlane and a couple Namath books, even a vintage Namath picture book that I assume a 5 year old read back in the day. I will look to add more Namath to my PC and show off what I do add right here.

I want to thank Mark for the awesome mailday. I have to return the favor and I hope to soon. In the meantime, if you haven't had the chance to read Mark's Ephemera, do so right here: http://marksephemera.blogspot.com/. Check it out, it's a great read.

Stickers? I Went Ga Ga For Them

Over on one of my new favorite blogs, Mark's Ephemera, Mark showed off a haul of 1972 Sunoco NFL Stickers. These were stickers you could only get from the gas station, Sunoco. I was way too young to be able to collect these stickers, so I was never able to get them. I have always wanted to collect the Jets set, but I haven't gotten around to it just yet.

Now, about 9 years later, Topps released a set of stickers that I and every baseball fan I knew my age not only collected, but went absolutely nuts over.

I remember when the album and the stickers first hit the stands. I was in my third year of collecting baseball cards and I loved it. In fact, I remember how much I was enjoying picking up packs of cards and gnawing on the gum that came with the packs. One day, my mom and I went to the local newspaper stand. While my mom was picking up some lottery tickets, I wandered over the comics section. I was, as I still am to this day, a fanatical Spider-Man and Batman fan, so I was looking for the new issues. I remember spinning the rack one half spin when I saw a large yellow book. There was a picture of George Brett on the cover and it read Topps Baseball Sticker Album. Intrigued, I picked up the album and bought it to my mom. Knowing my obsession with baseball, she was more than happy to pick up the album for me. That and I'm sure the 25 cents cover price had something to do with it. Plus, a pack of 4 stickers were 15 cents and that pretty much sealed the deal. I remember walking out with the album and about 2.00 worth of stickers.

One of 262 stickers in that inaugural set. 

That summer, I bought pack after pack after pack of the stickers, trying to complete the Yankees page, then the set of 262 stickers. I would buy the packs, trade the stickers and even got some as gifts, but I don't think I ever completed the set. But it started me on a love affair with sports stickers that would last the next few seasons.

Later that year, I picked up Topps released 1 more sticker album that I picked up and also attempted to complete my team first, then the set.

The football album, Jets first, of course.

The obsession continued over the next few years. I even added a new sport to collect in 1982.

The 1982 Baseball Album with Gary Carter on the cover

Football

And Hockey. See Mike Bossy on the lower right hand corner? I didn't rest until I had a Bossy sticker and I did get him. I only wish I didn't stick it on the Islanders page. It would look pretty sweet in my Bossy Binder right now.

Fleer got into the sticker album biz as well.

I did not collect the Fleer stickers as passionately as I did the Topps stickers though. I don't even know how long Fleer lasted with them.

My sister even got into the sticker album craze.

I continued to collect the stickers and the albums for the next few years, but eventually, my passion for stickers and albums waned and I stopped completely.

A couple of years ago, I saw that Topps and Panini (who made the stickers for Topps in the 80's) started to produce stickers and albums again. I looked them over and they seem nice. But they did not reignite the interest I had for them that I once had in 1981. I may start to pick up the stickers again. Heck, I may even go on eBay and pick up the old albums and sticker sets. But even if I never get back into the sticker game, I will never forget the feeling if excitement I had when I first saw that yellow album on that spinner rack.

The Dilemma

Yeah, I see you. The guy who is a huge baseball card collector. Maybe your a player collector. Maybe your a team collector or even a set collector. The point I'm trying to make is you collect sports cards, just like I do.

Here is where we differ, and believe me, I wish it wasn't so. I see you on different card forums or posting on your blog pictures of how well kept your collection is. You either have them in binders by either year or brand; in boxes with rows. You obviously know what you have and what you need. You have a want list, a trade list and maybe even a holy grail list posted somewhere so someone, anyone, can read it and offer you what you need.

You have pictures of your man cave as well. Pictures of your signed baseballs, framed jersey, bobbleheads in cases, game used equipment and other goodies adorn your room. Your cave may be painted in the colors of your favorite team or there may be a bar somewhere in there with a large HDTV and a comfy sofa to sit in to watch your teams play.

Me? I look at those pictures and just drool all over my keyboard.

Where I currently live, I do not have the room to display all my stuff. I have 2 shelves up. My Yankee bobbleheads are on one shelf (and I've just about run out of room to display anymore) and my Yankees signed baseball PC is up on the shelf above it.

That's it.

Not that I mind. It is what it is for the moment. I have no doubt in my mind that one day I too will have a sanctuary where I can display my memorabilia, watch sports and drink beer. No, no. That's not what's bothering me.

Here is what is bothering me and has been for a long time.

That my friends is boxes upon boxes of sports cards...with a Dirt Devil thrown in between a couple of boxes. Btw, there are even more boxes that are not pictured above.

I didn't mean for this problem to arise. It just happened. I get cards from my team collectors or through trades and I will put the cards in boxes for safe keeping, until I have time to go through them and put them in the monster boxes I have waiting. Once I have them in their monster boxes, I plan to put the base cards into binders and keep the secondary releases in the monster boxes.

For example, I have monster boxes for Yankees Topps, Yankees Donruss, Yankees Upper Deck, Yankees Fleer, Yankees Panini and a box for just everything else. I also have monster boxes for my Jets, Knicks, Islanders and Devils cards. Once I have everything in the proper boxes, I would then take the main Topps release and put them in 9 pocket pages and stick them in binders. I would leave sets like Allan and Ginter, Turkey Red, etc in the boxes. I'm debating to have a Topps Heritage binder also.

Sounds like a good plan, right? Well, try and go through full box after full box and see just how far you go before you go mad.

See that? That's what I have to look forward to. Hours and hours of cardboard to sort through. This is something I never should have let get out of hand.

Now, it may seem like I'm complaining,,, OK, I am complaining a bit. But to be honest, I do love to spend a Sunday afternoon shifting through the boxes and organizing them. I may have a game on or music playing in the background as I do. Maybe have a drink while I work. I try to make it as relaxing a task as I possibly can.

I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. But, it needs to get organized. I too, would like to know just what I have, what I need and what I can trade. I am pretty sure that once I get everything organized, I will see that I have a pretty awesome collection, one that I can be proud to show off. I just need to figure out a game plan to get me to where I need to be.

Hey, I'm open to suggestions. Also, any quick and easy storage options you may have would be appreciated as well. If you have a blog post where you showed off your organized collection, I want to see that too.

I may also post a blog of any interesting cards I find in any box I work on. That way, I will be motivated to not only get my cards in order, but to continue to regularly post blogs here. I know I have been slacking and I apologize for that.

So, go ahead. Continue to post those pictures of your sweet collection. Show off how well organized your cards are. Let me know how many 1959 Topps cards you have. One day soon, I too will have my cards in tip top shape and will be able to tell you just how many of those 1959 Topps cards I need for my Yankees PC. That day will come and when it does, I will just add more cards to the collection because I will know exactly where to put them.

New Card Haul: 2013 Topps Archive Football. My Target Finally Does Something Right!

I have to say that the Target I shop at stinks. It's full of the rudest people you will ever meet and they usually don't have anything  I'm ever looking for. I can't tell you how many time I went in there looking for a blaster of cards or a toy for my non sports collection. Heck, sometimes they don't even have the dog food I am looking for.

So, when I went in for some household items recently, I didn't expect to find anything in the sports card section except a messed up Yugioh section and workman's cart blocking the sports cards. You can imagine my utter shock when not only was the Yugioh cards cleaned up and there was no large cart in the aisle, but there was actually new products for my greedy, selfish, misery self to grab at. And best of all, there was no one around, so the cards were mine, all mine! Mwhahahahahahaha!

After picking myself off the ground, wipping the tears from my eyes and pinching myself a dozen times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I grabbed a blaster of 2013 Topps Archive Football and a rack pack of 2012-13 Panini Past And Present Basketball (which I will discuss in a later blog) as well as my Gillette body wash and razors and left with the goods.

Once I got home I tore open the blaster and as soon as I opened the first pack of cards, I knew I was going to love this product and have fun with this break. I love the way these cards look. They sport either the 1959, 1976, 1985 or 1986 Topps card design and without the gloss that the newer cards usually have on them. These cards will be great for autographing, either through the mail or in person. Topps mixed todays players with players from NFL's past which will look great once the set is completed. Unfortunately, Topps through in a bunch of short prints and variations, so if your a completest, you will have a lot of work ahead of you finishing this set.

So, what did I get? Take a look:

Right off the bat, I love that 1000 Yards insert. Somewhere, I have a Wesley Walker 1000 yard insert like this one in my Jets PC.

Another insert from my childhood, the Super Action card. I remember having a Terry Bradshaw Super Action from 1981 Topps that I tresured. Before I became a Jets fan in 1980, I followed my best friend at the time and was a Steelers fan and Bradshaw was my favorite. Seeing that insert bought back some memories.

Love that picture of Josh Freeman in the old school creamsicle Bucs uni. Fits with the theme of the set. Also dig the gold parallel card as well.

Love that Patrick Willis commercial for Visa rewards.

Another blast from my childhood when I saw this Bradshaw card. I don't collect Bradshaw, but if I did, this card would be a sweet addition. I also dig that Jim Brown 1968 Stand Up card. I initally thought it was a sticker, but after looking at the checklist, I found I was wrong.

Any Jets?

I was a bit shocked. I never get any Jets when I break open packs or blasters. When I saw I pulled 4 Jets cards for my PC, I went and played Lotto (I lost).

I had a lot of fun opening this product and I know I will be picking up more blasters. I will also chase after all the Jets cards. Stephen Hill has a couple of autographs. Al Toon, Wayne Chrebet, Wesley Walker and Vinny Testeverde are included in the Fan Favorites autograph checklist. Darrelle Revis and Stephen Hill have relics in the 1962 Relics set. I can definitely see myself going to eBay to try to get those cards.

I won't try to complete the set. I will either trade or use the cards i get for autographs. But, I will recommend this set for collectors my age and older. Collectors who grew up buying cards that had no gloss unless they were a part of a special set. Collectors, like me, who remember buying cards just to get your favorite teams and players, not for the questionable game used equipment cards or shiny inserts. Getting gum was the pull of the pack. Collectors like me will enjoy this product because it will most likely bring back a ton of memories of opening packs of cards similar to these and had fun doing so. That's what collecting should be all about and I'm glad there are products like this that helps remind me why I started collecting cards in the first place.

Mail day Of Two Players Who No Longer Play In NY

Ah, the mail day. Nothing makes me happier than opening my mail box and finding a package other than bills. As of late, I haven't been able to add anything new to my various card collections, but a few days ago, over on Sports Cards Forum, I was offered a deal that I just could not say no to. The price was right and the cards have found a home in two of my card collections.

First up is a 2010-11 Panini Donruss David Lee Production Line Game Used card. As of late, I have been trying to stay away from picking up game used cards as the rumors have it that some of these cards aren't exactly game used. Uniform collectors are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief over this, but that means I may possibly have a ton of cards that may or may not be utter garbage. I tend to think that they are actual game used jerseys unless otherwise noted. Maybe that makes me gullible, but I don't care. Ignorance can be bliss. This card is numbered to 399.

Finally, I was able to add a Darrelle Revis autograph to my Jets collection. I felt like I was Revis Island as getting a Revis autograph proved to be very elusive. I had one one on ebay a few months back only to be stiffed by the seller. Other attempts to add a Revis autograph to my collection proved to be futile. I was able to get the Revis card from the same guy who sold me the Lee card. Originally, he asked me to look through his Photobucket to look at Knicks cards and I had settled on the Lee and a Patrick Ewing game used card. I found the Revis while looking through his football bucket. At the time, it was going to be sold to someone else, but that person dropped out, leaving Darrelle all to this die hard Jets fan. Unfortunately, the Ewing could not be found, but that's OK, I can finally leave Revis Island like Revis left the Jets. Too bad I have to finally get Revis after he is traded. I still think that's a bad move by the Jets. By the way, this card is numbered to 10.

 It's been a while since I was able to add some really cool cards and I am very happy I was able to add these to my Jets and David Lee collections. Money has been tight and may be even tighter this summer, so my card additions might be slim for the season. But between trades and the members of my baseball card group, I still should be able to add some cool cards to my various collections. I also have the Yankees bobble-head give-a-ways to attend this summer, so there should be some new goodies added to the Sports Room and I cannot wait.

What Would I Spend $1,600.00 On?

One thing I love to do is to search the internet and find new blogs to read. I came across a blog called Drop The Gloves. There is a bat around blog where you are asked one question: How Would You Spend $1,600 For Cards On eBay? Here is the link to the blog: http://www.fightstrap.com/blog/2013/04/19/marathon-bombers-boston-and-a-contest/

 Admittedly, I had a hard whittling down the list I came up with. I came up with so many cool cards. Cards I have always wanted to add to my PC's, but after playing around with the list a bit, I was able to come up with 3 cards I would kill to have in my collections. They cover teams and players I collect, both vintage and modern. Here are the three cards I chose

1-2010-11 Mike Bossy UD The Cup Base Patch Parallel # 1/10-Buy It Now-149.99

I have autographs and game used cards in my Bossy PC. But I do not have a patch card in my collection. The one I chose has a gorgeous three color patch from what was the home uniform. Back when I first started watching hockey many, many moons ago, the whites were the home and the colored were the road unis. I miss those days.

2-2008 UD Premier Bat Barrel Mark Texieira-Buy It Now $449.99

I know. For that price, I could probably own a whole Teixeira game used bat. But since we are just spending our theoretical $1,600.00 on cards, this would be one card I would absolutely love to own. I'm betting this was a piece of a bat used from his days as a Texas Ranger, but I do not care. I have always wanted to own a bat barrel card and the chance to own one from one of my favorite players would be too good to pass up.

3-1965 Topps Joe Namath Rookie PSA 4.5-Buy It Now $990.00 

The number one card I have to buy before any other would be a 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie card, the card to own from the 1960's. Originally, I was looking for a raw card as I generally do not collect slabbed cards. But the ones I saw were not in great shape, not that a grade 4.5 is. But this one looks better than the others and at the Buy It Now price, I could still pick up the other 2 cards for my collection. This card would be the centerpiece of my New York Jets PC.

So, there you have it. the 3 cards I would pick up if I could spend $1,600.00 on cards on eBay. I'm sure I probably could have gotten more if I played around some more, but if we are talking quality, then I don't think I could have picked a better 3 cards to add to my collection. Maybe one day, I will be able to. But for now, I will drool over these pictures. 

My 5 Most Wanted Autographs

As an autograph collector, I think I have built up a pretty good autograph collection. I have been able to get some personal favorites added to my collection from in person appearances like Carmelo Anthony, Joe Namath, Chad Pennington, Roddy Piper and Martin Brodeur. Others I got either through the mail ( like Harry Gallatin, Charles Oakley) or certified on sports cards (Babe Ruth, Walt Frazier).

As a collector of Yankees, Knicks, Jets, Devils and Islanders, there are many players I am still looking to add to my collections. My goal is to collect as many players who have played for these teams. My only rule is the picture/card I get signed has to have the player in the uniform of the team I collect. I have had a few people ask me if I was interested in Travis Hafner or Kevin Youklis autographs in Red Sox or Indian uni's. I turn them down as they aren't in Yankee uni's. If there aren't any autos in those uni's, I might get them in college or minor league unis instead.

As most collectors, I do have a list of players I am really after. These are players I don't have in my collection on anything. They are also tough autographs to get either due to lack of appearances or price range. For this blog entry, I dwindled the list down to 5 players that I would really love to have. The 5 players are in no particular order.

1-Bill Bradley

Former Senator Bradley is not really in the public eye these days. He works for an investment firm and writes political books. He was a key piece on the 2 NBA Championship Knicks teams as well as a Rhodes Scholar. I collect autographs from those championship teams and not having a Bradley auto is a glaring hole in my collection. His certified card autos are pricey. I had a shot at getting him at an appearance at Barnes N Noble last year at a political discussion for his latest book. There was no mention regarding autographs so I didn't go and I regret that move. If there is another appearance  I will not blow it. I do have a TTM request out there, but so far it hasn't been returned. Would love to get him on a basketball or 8x10.

2-Bernie Williams

Here's the thing about Bernie, I got him TTM, or so I think. There is a huge rumor that the TTM autos are ghost signed by a member of his family. Based on that, I will assume that I do not have a Bernie autograph in my Yankees collection. He has made sporadic signings in this area, but the prices on them were too rich for my blood. His certified card autos usually finish over 100.00, so I am obviously bargain hunting when it comes to Bernie. A Bernie signed baseball would be most desirable, but I would take a certified card autograph for the Yankees PC.

3-Billy Smith

Billy Smith was the goalie on the championship teams during the 80's. Known for his temper and his wacking at opposing players who got too close to the net, Smith was also the first goalie credited with a goal. Smith is not a real expensive autograph like the first two players on my list. I just haven't been able to pick up one up. The few times I bid on cards on eBay, I always got outbid. Smith has appeared in one card show out on Long Island and I was not able to make it out there. Would love a puck, 8x10 or certified card auto.

4-Scott Stevens

The hard hitting former captain of the New Jersey Devils, who led the team to 3 Stanley Cups has been a hard autograph for me to get. Just like Smith, I always seem to get outbid on eBay for his autographs. A few years ago, he appeared at a Devils Draft Party and I was on his line, only for it to be cut off bout 10 people in front of me. He is an Assistant Coach with the Devils, but I haven't seen a success for him TTM. Would love to add his autograph to my 2002 Stanley Cup piece that I already have Brodeur on, but a signed jersey or puck would be awesome for the Sports Room.

5-Freeman McNeil

Probably the hardest player on this list to add to the collection as I don't remember seeing a certified card or Freeman appearing anywhere. A 3 time Pro Bowler and a member of the Jets Ring Of Honor, he is an autograph I really want to add to my Jets collection. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for anything. A mini helmet or 8x10 is what I would love to add .

The year is still young and I am determined to find these autographs either at signings, eBay or anywhere else. As the collection continues to grow, these autographs are pretty important to my team collections and I hope they can be added without breaking the bank.

My First Visit To Met Life Stadium

I have been a Jets fan since the 1980 season. Dispite being a Jets fan for so long, I have only been to about 4 games. 1 at Shea Stadium and the other 3 at Giants Stadium, including the final game there. So whenever I get a chance to go to a Jets game I leap at the opportnity. One of my bosses at work gave me the owner of the company's seats for today's game against the San Diego Chargers. Would have liked to have seen a win today, especially since I have yet to see a Jets home loss, but alas, today was the day that streak ended. But enough with the unpleasent stuff. On to the pictures.

The view from my seats

Holiday Greetings from the Jets

Yes, The Sexy Geek wanted to have his picture taken

Game On!



I got autographs from former Jets Tony Richardson and Ken O'Brien.

 

I love that helmet card. I'm going to see if I can find those and use them for TTM'ing.

I was also able to go home with a free Snoopy doll, which will go with the Snoopy bobbleheads I have, a banner, foam finger and t-shirt. I was also able to add a new bobblehead SGA to my collection. They give you a card and you take it to any participating P.C. Richards and you get this:

Ok, I didn't get just 1 card. I got a bunch and walked away with 3 Muhammed Wilkinson bobbleheads. Actually, 4. My buddy gave his. I'm keping one and trading the other 3. Looking for Yankee, Jets, Knicks and Islanders bobbles as well as baseball HOF'ers.

I had a great time at the game. The stadium is beautiful and I hope I can go back and see multiple games over the next few years. It's a great place to watch a football game plus the food is pretty good too. If you can get to watch a game at Met Life Stadium, I would highly reccomend it.