Wil Nieves (08/30/14)

Wil Nieves, Philadelphia Phillies Catcher

Wil Nieves, Puerto Rico native, is the back up catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nieves has played 11 MLB seasons for the Padres, Yankees, Nationals, Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Phillies.

I went to Citi Field today to watch the New York Mets against the Philadelphia Phillies. Citi Field had a nice promotion for today's game. The first 20,000 fans received a Curtis Granderson bobblehead. I arrived early to the game to try and get Cole Hammels' autograph for my World Series MVP collection. The Phillies were taking batting practice and most of the pitchers were in the outfield shagging fly balls. Unfortunately, Cole Hammels did not come over to sign autographs.

Wil Nieves was the only Philadelphia Phillies player who came over during batting practice to sign autographs. It was awesome to meet a fellow countryman. He signed a baseball for me right on the sweet spot and inscribed his jersey number.

Wil Nieves signing autographs at Citi Field.

Here's a picture of Wil Nieve handing me back the signed baseball.

Wil Nieves signed Rawlings official MLB baseball.

The view from my seat during the national anthem.

Curtis Granderson New York Mets bobblehead.

The Mets ended up losing to the Phillies 2-7, but I was happy I got to meet Wil Nieves and add his autograph to my collection.

Darryl Strawberry (07/12/14)

Darryl Strawberry, 1983 Rookie of the Year
New York Mets Hall of Fame Inductee 2010 

Darryl Strawberry is a 8-time MLB All-Star (1984-1991) and 4-time World Series Champion (1986, 1996, 1998, 1999). He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1983. In 2010, Darryl was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Darryl was signing autographs at the Sports Authority in Paramus, NJ. This would be my second time meeting him. I previously met him at Mendham Books for a Brandon Steiner book signing on September 9, 2012. As always, Darryl was a great guy. He signed any type of item and took pictures with everyone who asked.

Darryl Strawberry signed Rawlings official MLB baseball.

Darryl Strawberry signed Rawlings Big Stick bat. This is the first autograph bat in my collection.

Darryl Strawberry signed New York Mets helmet with several other players from the 1986 World Series championship team.

Darryl Strawberry poses for a picture with me.

Here are some pictures of the autographs I obtained on September 9, 2012 at the Brandon Steiner book signing.

Darryl Strawberry signed book Straw: Finding My Way.

Brandon Steiner signed book You Gotta Have Balls: How a Kid from Brooklyn Started From Scratch, Bought Yankee Stadium, and Created a Sports Empire.

Darryl Strawberry signed photos promoting Brandon Steiner's new book. There were two photos of Darryl in a Mets and Yankees uniform. I asked him if I could please have two signed photos and he signed both of them.

 

Darryl Strawberry and Brandon Steiner pose for a picture with me.

Jason Grilli (05/26/14)

Jason Grilli, Pittsburgh Pirates Closer
2013 MLB All-Star

Today, I went to Citi Field with my friends Tom and Jack to watch the New York Mets take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I arrived early with hopes of obtaining a couple of autographs before the game. Once I got into the stadium all of the New York Mets players finished warming up. I decided to go down the left field line, where the Pirates were warming up, to try and get an autograph.

Jason Grilli came out of the Pirates dugout and was the coolest guy on the field. He waved to everyone and said he would sign autographs after his warm-up. My friend Tom, who is a huge Pirates fan, got his attention when he yelled out "Jason, Seton Hall brother!" Jason smiled and pointed right at him and said, "You already know." Seton Hall was the college that Jason attended.

Here's a picture of Jason and some of his teammates.

Jason kept his word and came over to sign autographs. He literally went down the line and signed autographs for everyone. Jason signed my baseball right on the sweet spot.

Jason Grilli signed Rawlings official MLB baseball.

Here's a picture of Jason signing Tom's Pirates hat.

The next player that I really wanted to get was 2011 1st overall draft pick, Gerrit Cole. Cole was the last Pirates player to finish his workout. Unfortunately, he was only signing a couple of autographs. He had to rush back to get ready for the game. Here's a picture of Gerrit Cole signing autographs.

Jason Grilli is a very nice guy. I was happy to meet him and add an MLB All-Star to my autograph collection. This was my first time attempting to get autographs at Citi Field. If one arrives early, there's a good chance of obtaining at least one autograph. Citi Field does a great job allowing fans to go down to field level before the game begins.

Dwight "Doc" Gooden (05/03/14)

Dwight "Doc" Gooden, New York Mets Pitcher 1984-1994
New York Mets Hall of Fame Inductee 2010

Dwight "Doc" Gooden was a 4-time MLB All-Star (1984-1986, 1988) and 3-time World Series Champion (1986, 1996, 2000) with the New York Mets and Yankees. He was the 1984 National League Rookie of the Year. In 1985, Doc lead the National League in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts, which earned him the Triple Crown for pitchers and Cy Young Award. Dwight also pitched a no-hitter on May 14, 1996 while playing for the Yankees. On August 1, 2010, the New York Mets inducted him into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Doc was signing autographs at the Shop Rite in Little Falls, NJ. My goal was to get him to sign a baseball with an inscription and a couple of 5x7 photos. Doc was very friendly with the fans. He took pictures with everyone who asked. When I greeted him I asked if he can inscribe "86 W.S. Champs" on the baseball, but he said he wasn't doing inscriptions. I couldn't complain, since the signing was free. I was happy I got another sweet spot autograph. It's the second Doc Gooden baseball in my collection.

Dwight Gooden signed Rawlings Official MLB baseball.

Dwight Gooden signed 5x7 photos.

Dwight Gooden poses for a photo with me.

Here's a picture of my New York Mets helmet that I'm filling up with signatures of players from the 1986 World Series team. Doc signed this for me at a signing on June 6, 2010.

Overall, the signing was a success. It was interesting going to a signing at a supermarket, but everything was organized. Shop Rite did a great job hosting this event.

Bucky Dent & Mookie Wilson (04/26/14)

Bucky Dent, New York Yankees 1978 World Series MVP
Mookie Wilson, New York Mets 1986 World Series Champion

Bucky Dent and Mookie Wilson were signing autographs at the Nielsen dealership in East Hanover, NJ. This was my second autograph signing today. I had to rush over from the GT Sports Marketing autograph show in Somerset and made it with about 40 minutes left. Luckily for me, the line wasn't too long.

I met Bucky Dent before at a MAB Celebrity Services signing. I asked Bucky if he could inscribe "1978 W.S. MVP" on my baseball, but he denied my request. He did inscribe his #20 to the autograph. I noticed the dealership provided 8x10 pictures of him hitting the big home run in 1978 and asked if he could sign one for me. He signed the photo and inscribed the date he hit that home run. I also took a picture with him.

Bucky Dent signed Rawlings Official MLB baseball.

Bucky Dent signed 8x10 photo.

Bucky Dent poses for a photo with me.

Here's a picture of the 1978 World Series baseball with his "1978 W.S. MVP" inscription that he signed for me on December 2, 2012 at a MAB Celebrity Services signing.

Mookie Wilson was next. He's such a great guy. I asked Mookie if he could inscribe "86 W.S. Champs" on my baseball and he said yes. I also had a 8x10 photo of him from when he hit the ground ball to Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He signed the photo and also inscribed the date that it happened.

Mookie Wilson signed Rawlings Official MLB baseball with the "86 W.S. Champs" inscription.

Mookie Wilson signed 8x10 photo.

Mookie Wilson poses for a photo with me.

Here's a picture of my New York Mets helmet that I'm starting to fill up with players from the 1986 World Series team. Mookie signed this for me on December 2, 2012 at a MAB Celebrity Services signing.

It was my second time at the Nielsen dealership and once again it was a successful event. I enjoy going to their events. It's always organized and I've always managed to get an autograph without a problem. I'm looking forward to their next event.