Phil Jackson (05/21/13)

Phil Jackson, Power Forward
2 NBA Championships, New York Knicks (1970, 1973)

Phil Jackson played for the New York Knicks from 1967-1978 and won two NBA
championships

Michael Jordan and Bulls Coach Phil Jackson
6 NBA Championships, Chicago Bulls (1991-1993, 1996-1998)

Phil coached Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.

Kobe Bryant and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson
5 NBA Championships, Los Angeles Lakers (2000-2002, 2009-2010)

He also coached Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships.

Phil Jackson holds the NBA record for the most combined championships (13) as a player and a head coach. Phil was in New York signing copies of his new book Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success at Barnes & Noble.

I noticed Phil was signing all his books with a regular pen. As always, I came prepared with my blue sharpie. I didn't have a lot of time to interact with Phil, but he was nice enough to switch pens and sign my book with a blue sharpie.

 

This was my third book signing at the Barnes & Noble, Fifth Avenue in New York. It was another good experience and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Tom Coughlin & Cal Ripken Jr. (03/06/13)

Tom Coughlin and Cal Ripken Jr. had a book signing on the same day. This was the first time I attended two book signings in one day. Thankfully, Tom's signing was in the afternoon and Cal's signing was in the evening.

(Left) Tom Coughlin, NFL New York Giants Head Coach
(Right) Cal Ripken Jr, MLB Hall of Fame Inductee 2007

Tom Coughlin was signing his new book Earn the Right to Win: How Success in Any Field Starts with Superior Preparation at Barnes & Noble, Fifth Ave in New York. Tom coached the New York Giants to two Super Bowl championships (Super Bowl XLII & XLVI). He was very friendly and interactive with his fans. He told me he liked my Giants sweatshirt, which was pretty cool.

Tom signed the book with my blue sharpie. Unfortunately, they did not allow posed photography at this event, so I wasn't able to take a picture with him.

Later in the evening I headed over to Barnes & Noble in Clifton, NJ for Cal Ripken Jr.'s book signing. Cal Ripken Jr. was a 19-time MLB All-Star, 1982 Rookie of the Year, 1983/1991 American League MVP, 1983 World Series Champion, and 2007 MLB Hall of Fame Inductee. He was signing his new book Wild Pitch. It's the third book of the Cal Ripken Jr.'s All-Stars series for youth readers. Luckily, I was able to find his previous two books, Super-sized Slugger and Hothead, to get signed as well. Cal was also very friendly and spoke with everyone. He even took pictures with each person in front of a really nice back drop.

Cal signed all three books with my blue sharpie. I asked him to please inscribe "HOF 2007" with his autograph and he was happy to do so. I really appreciated that. Cal Ripken Jr. is the man!

It was a great signing day. I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Coughlin and Cal Ripken Jr. As always, Barnes & Noble did a great job hosting each event.

Bernie Parent (02/16/13)

My first hockey autograph is former Philadelphia Flyers Goalie and Hall of Famer Bernie Parent. I'm not a big fan of hockey, but I appreciate great players. Watching some highlights and hearing stories about Bernie from my uncle, who idolized him growing up, convinced me that his autograph would be nice to add to my collection.

Bernie Parent, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee 1984

Bernie was signing autographs at Barb's Harley-Davidson in Mount Ephraim, NJ. My uncle and I left really early and we were actually the first ones there. The employees at Barb's Harley-Davidson were super nice! We called them a few days before the event to make sure everything was on schedule. They made sure we would be taken care of since we were driving really far for this event.

Bernie arrived earlier than his scheduled time and after greeting the employees at Barb's they introduced him to us. He came over to speak with us and started signing our stuff, which was really nice of him. Barb's Harley-Davidson did an amazing job for this signing. After the signing they had a nice lunch spread for everyone. Thank you, Barb's Harley-Davidson, for hosting a great event!

Bernie signed my Philadelphia Flyers hockey puck and inscribed it with HOF 84.

I did meet Bernie a few months ago at a book signing in Ridgewood, NJ, but I didn't bring any hockey memorabilia for him to sign. He was signing his new book Unmasked: Bernie Parent and the Broad Street Bullies. He was really cool then and also took a picture with me.

Mike Piazza (02/11/13)

Mike Piazza was in town signing his new book Long Shot at Barnes & Noble, Fifth Ave in New York. As a die-hard Mets fan, this is one event I had to attend.

When I arrived at the store to buy my book I noticed the line was forming outside in the rain! After I purchased my copy I made my way to the back of the line. Little did I know, the line went around the entire block!

There must have been over 250 people at this signing. The Barnes & Noble store sold out all the copies of Long Shot. I was lucky enough to buy one of the last copies available.

Mike arrived on time and the line moved really quick. We were all told we couldn't take pictures with Mike or use our cameras once we were in front of the table. Luckily, I was able to take a few pictures before they asked me to put my camera away.

As always, I came prepared with my blue sharpie and politely asked Mike to sign my book with it. He was really cool about it and didn't give me any problems. I also asked him to add his jersey number, 31, to the autograph and he did!

The signing was very quick and well-organized. Mike was great with all of his fans. Once again, Barnes & Noble hosted another great book signing.

Terry Francona (01/23/13)

Terry Francona, 2-time World Series Champion Manager, signed copies of his new book Francona: The Red Sox Years at Barnes & Nobles, Citigroup Center in New York. The signing was scheduled to start at 12:30 pm, which meant I needed to take a day off from work if I wanted to meet Terry and get his autograph. I ended up requesting the day off.

Going into New York City through the Lincoln Tunnel was not bad at all. There was hardly any traffic and I found street parking one block away from Barnes & Nobles. I arrived at the signing around 11:30 am and there was about 100 people in front of me. I guess there are a lot of Boston Red Sox fans in New York after all.

As the time was getting closer to 12:30 pm, there was at least 150 people behind me. Thankfully, the Barnes & Nobles staff made sure the line kept moving smoothly. Terry arrived on time and began signing quickly.

Once I got closer, I made sure to have my blue sharpie ready to hand it to him. I always use a blue sharpie for book signings because the autograph stands out a lot better than a black sharpie. I was also hoping that Terry would inscribe my book with "2004 & 2007 WSC" (World Series Champions).

As soon as I approached Terry, he was very nice and didn't give me any problems with my requests. He inscribed the book with "04 & 07 CHAMPS," which is just as good as the inscription I wanted. It was a good time and a great experience to meet Terry Francona. The Barnes & Nobles, Citigroup Center staff did an excellent job hosting a very organized book signing.