Ottis "O.J." Anderson (10/19/13)

Ottis "O.J." Anderson, New York Giants Super Bowl XXV MVP

Ottis Anderson was the New York Giants Running Back from 1986-1992. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants and was the Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl XXV (25). He's 1 of 27 players in NFL history with 10,000+ rushing yards. He currently ranks #25 all-time with 10,273 rushing yards.

Ottis was signing autographs at the Stop & Shop in Emerson, NJ. This was the second autograph signing I attended for Ottis. I met him last year at the Stop & Shop in Wayne, NJ.

I arrived about 15 minutes before his scheduled time, which is pretty late if you ask me. I usually try to show up at least an hour early. Luckily, there was only a few people there when I arrived and I was the 7th person in line. My goal was to have Ottis sign my Super Bowl XXV football and inscribe it with his Super Bowl MVP inscription. Last year he denied the same request, because he only inscribes that when it's an item signed by all the New York Giants Super Bowl MVPs (Phil Simms & Eli Manning).

Ottis was very good with all the fans. It was a 2 item per person limit, but he was signing everything you brought for him. If you had more than 2 items for him to sign, he politely asked you to make a donation to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. 

Once it was my turn to meet with Ottis, I asked him if he can add his Super Bowl MVP inscription to the autograph. He then got up and made an announcement to everyone. He said he never signs his MVP inscription unless it's an item with all the other Giants Super Bowl MVPs, but he was going to make an exception. Ottis told us if we purchase a pink Emerson Police hat, which all the proceeds go to breast cancer research, he would sign his MVP inscription. This was amazing! I purchased the hat for $25, which all went to a great cause.

Ottis Anderson signed my Super Bowl XXV football and added the inscriptions: #24 NY Giants SB XXV MVP.

This was awesome! He even posed for a picture with me, while still holding the ball. Ottis is the man! 

Below are some pictures from last year's signing with Ottis.

A signed Giants mini helmet inscribed with SB XXV Champs and a photo with Ottis holding my autographed mini helmet.

Two signed 8x10 photos of Ottis Anderson.

He also signed two New York Giants flyers. One of them was personalized to me.

I will forever be an Ottis Anderson fan. He's truly one of the nicest athletes you can possibly meet. Thank you Stop & Shop of Emerson, NJ for a great experience! Stop & Shop also provided a nice lunch to everyone who was there for the signing. 

Thank you Ottis for adding your Super Bowl MVP inscription. I now have 5 Super Bowl footballs signed by 5 Super Bowl MVPs and 42 more to go!

Len Dawson Super Bowl III (3) MVP

Fred Biletnikoff, Super Bowl XI (11) MVP

Randy White, Super Bowl XII (12) MVP

Jim Plunkett, Super Bowl XV (15) MVP

Ottis Anderson, Super Bowl XXV (25) MVP

Gene Michael, Bruce Sutter, Dale Murphy, & Pedro Guerrero (08/18/13)

Gene Michael, New York Yankees Shortstop/Manager/GM
Bruce Sutter, St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee 2006
Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves NL MVP 1982-83
Pedro Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers World Series MVP 1981

JP's Sports & Rock Solid Promotions (JPSR) had an autograph signing at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. Gene Michael, Bruce Sutter, Dale Murphy, and Pedro Guerrero were the four autographs on my list to obtain at this show.

Gene Michael played for the Yankees from 1968-1974. He was an assistant coach on the 1978 World Series Yankees team. Gene was also the Yankees Manager from 1981-1982 and General Manager from 1980-81 and 1990-1995.

Gene took my baseball and asked me what do I want him to sign. I asked him to add his nickname, Stick, as part of his autograph. After he was done signing the ball, he asked me if it was OK for him to add an inscription. I told him to inscribe anything he wants. Inscriptions always increase the value of an autograph. Gene is a very nice guy and a pleasure to meet.

Gene Michael signed my Official Rawlings Major League Baseball and inscribed his nick name, Stick, along with his General Manager inscription, GM 80-81, 90-96. I'm not sure why he ended his inscription with 96 instead of 95, because he was only GM until the end of 1995 season.

 

Bruce Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 as a St. Louis Cardinal. He was a 6-time All-Star, World Series Champion 1982, and National League Cy Young Award winner in 1979. His jersey number 42 is retired by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Adding a Hall of Famer to my autograph collection is always good. It was nice meeting a great former player.

Bruce signed my Official Rawlings Major League Baseball and added his Hall of Fame inscription, H.O.F. 2006.

Dale Murphy was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1982 and 1983. He was a 7-time All-Star, 5-time Gold Glove Award winner, and 4-time Silver Slugger Award winner. His jersey number 3 is retired by the Atlanta Braves.

I had a great and funny experience with Dale Murphy. When I got to his table late in the day he was signing multiple baseballs for an autograph dealer. I handed him my Gold Glove baseball and asked him to inscribe 5x Gold Glove on it. After he signed his name, he liked how his signature came out and asked me what type of pen was it. I told him it was a Uni-Ball Jetstream pen. He then went to sign his inscription and accidentally put NL MVP 82, 83. Dale was signing all those baseballs on the table with NL MVP 82, 83 and he totally forgot. He was upset with himself and apologized to me. He quickly asked one of his friends to find him a new Gold Glove ball. Luckily, his friend found one and we swapped baseballs. We both laughed it off and before he signed the new ball he kept repeating 5x Gold Glove. It was very funny. Dale is super cool guy and fan friendly.

Dale Murphy signed my Official Rawlings Gold Glove Award Baseball and inscribed, 5x Gold Glove.

Pedro Guerrero was a 5-time All-Star, World Series MVP/Champion 1981, and Silver Slugger Award 1982 winner.

Adding Pedro Guerrero to my collection is so important. I'm collecting autographs from all the World Series MVPs from 1978 to present on each year's Rawlings World Series baseball. Pedro Guerrero was one of three World Series MVPs in 1981. Ron Cey and Steve Yeager were the other two MVPs. When I got to his table we both communicated in Spanish. He was very upbeat and friendly. It was great meeting another World Series MVP.

Pedro Guerrero signed my Official Rawlings 1981 World Series Baseball and inscribed, WS MVP 1981

Here's a photo of the four baseballs I got signed today.

I had a great time at this JPRS autograph signing. The show was very organized and all the former players that I met were fan friendly. I'm looking forward to the next show.

Chase Headley (07/28/13)

Chase Headley, San Diego Padres Third Baseman

I was in Arizona for a baseball tournament and attended a Diamondbacks game. This was my first time at Chase Field. The Arizona Diamondbacks played against the San Diego Padres. I showed up early to catch the batting practice and try to get autograph.

Here's a picture of the front of the stadium. It was a very hot day (103 degrees) and luckily the stadium has a retractable roof, which was closed for the game. I had a field level seat, located down the right field line. I was sitting about 15 rows away from the field on the San Diego Padres side. Since I showed up early, I moved down and hung around by the wall.

Several minutes before game time the San Diego Padres starters came out to warm up. Once I saw Chase Headley come out, my goal was to obtain his autograph. I watched him warm up and as soon as he finished I called his name. He looked right at me and came over.

I told Chase I was from the New York area and we've been hearing rumors about him getting traded to the New York Yankees. He laughed and said he's been hearing a lot of rumors.

Chase Headley signed my Rawlings Official Major League baseball.

Here's the view of the game from my seat. The San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0. Chase hit a triple in the first inning and shortly after scored the only run of the game. It was a great game, but the highlight was Chase taking some time to sign autographs for the fans. I will forever be a Chase Headley fan. Thanks, Chase!.