My good friend, Jesse, got this signed photo of James Worthy for me recently when he and his Paw Paw Benny met Worthy at a signing at Dick's Sporting Goods.
Worthy (b. 1961) played in the NBA from 1982 to 1994 for the Lakers. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 Draft out of UNC, where he won the NCAA Championship in 1982. He was a 7-time All Star (1986 to 1992) and NBA Champion in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Thank you so much for the signed photo Jesse and Paw Paw Benny!
The lineup for the Chantilly Show didn't leave me with many options of guys I was really willing to spend money on this close to the National. I was really still in recovery (financially) from the National, but when I saw that I could meet Mike Tyson for $150, I figured I would go ahead and add him to my wall of signed 8 x 10s. This was especially because Tyson wasn't signing trading cards (and I didn't want to break up my 2006 Allen and Ginter set, or replace his card, which turns out is a fairly pricy short print). So, I got this 8 x 10 from Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch Out and had it signed.
It wasn't Tyson's fault, but the experience wasn't all that great. His photo op line went way past the allotted time, so when it came time for him to sign, we were all rushed and herded through at breakneck speed. I was only able to get a "Thanks Mike" out, to which he looked up and smiled, before I was shooed away.
Still, I got a signed photo, and I can still say that I met the legendary Mike Tyson. In the end, the photo looks great on my wall anyway.
My buddy, Jet, was strapped for cash recently, so he made me a proposal for a deal involving some nice vintage cards and a sweet 8x10 signed photo. One of the vintage cards was on my Top 10 Wishlist, so after hearing the price he was looking for, I jumped on the deal.
The above Orlando Cepeda RC is in decent shape, but by no means mint. That's ok, though, because this card will be well taken care of, and Jet knew it was going to a good home. This is the first item I have been able to knock off of my Top Ten Wishlist, so that was nice.
Jet also had this Bob Feller signed 8x10. Although I tend to shy away from 8x10s, I love Feller, and figured at the price in which Jet was selling at, I went ahead and added it to the deal. I wish this was a "high leg kick" auto, but this photo is still really nice. I like the old Indians uniform, and also love the sepia photo.
Thanks so much for the deal, Jet! I really appreciate it.
I have found a TTM signer who might be as prolific as the late Virgil Trucks. I sent the above baseball card and $5.00 to Frank Thomas (no, the other one) and got it back signed. The signed 1956 Topps wasn't the end of the process, however, because Mr. Thomas also included the below card of his own (also signed) and a lengthy note.
Mr. Thomas's note discussed some of his career accomplishments and explained that he had some photos for sale for a nominal fee that would also come signed. Since Mr. Thomas took the time to write me the full letter, I wrote him back thanking him for signing my card and expressing interest in his order form for the signed photos.
He sent me another lengthy letter back, along with his photo order form, so I decided to buy several of the photos he offered. I made the purchase because he uses the money to support a children's charity, and also because he was so nice to write me full length letters and signed my items.
I was very pleased with how the photos turned out. I ordered smaller copies of a few, like the Mets one shown above.
I also wanted some 8x10s for my wall, so I ordered the above Cubs photo and the below Astros photo so I can frame them and put them beside some of the other 8x10s that I have.
Mr. Thomas was really awesome to sign all of this stuff for me. His letters are also really cool. His handwriting is a little tough to decipher at points, but the general context is there. I did, in my last letter to him (when ordering the photos), thank him for everything he has done. I told him that it reminded me of the great Mr. Trucks, and I explained that Mr. Trucks and I had corresponded quite a bit before his passing. In the letter that accompanied the photos, Mr. Thomas wrote this about Mr. Trucks:
Virgil Trucks was a great friend of mine. After my playing days were over, he got me involved in going on cruises. If he couldn't make the one he was supposed to be on, he would call me and ask me to pitch in for him. One great man. Yes, he was like me, William, in answering his mail, which a lot of players didn't do.
Frank Thomas (b. 1929) played in the majors from 1951 to 1966 for the Pirates, Reds, Cubs, Braves, Mets, Phillies and Astros. He had 1,671 hits, 286 home runs and a .266 batting average. He finished 4th in the 1958 NL MVP voting and was a 3-time All Star. He never played in the playoffs or World Series and oddly enough, even with his career accomplishments, didn't appear on the Hall of Fame ballot.
I originally mailed to Mr. Thomas on April 18 and got the cards back on May 2, for a 14-day TAT. I sent off for the photos on May 20 and got those back today (May 26) for a 6-day TAT.
Mr. Thomas is also offering signed 8x10s that I still intend to purchase. One of which shows all of his baseball cards and the other shows him and three other Braves players who made history on June 18, 1961. He, along with Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron and Joe Adcock hit 4 home runs in succession against the Reds. A pretty huge feat in the annals of baseball history. I want to spend the $20 on that one real soon.
My good friend, Sam, told me that he was still working on another part of a Christmas gift for me when he sent the first bit of it back in December. He even told me what he was working on; he was sending an 8x10 to Nolan Reimold TTM to try to get it signed and inscribed to me for Christmas. Funny thing was, when I was at Fan Fest, I got Nolan to sign a ball for Sam, inscribed "To Sam, Merry Christmas", without knowing that Sam was working on this TTM.
The package with the signed photo came today. I was still amazed by Sam's generosity, even though he told me a month ago that this was coming. The photo looks great, and I will get it framed this weekend.
Sam, wasn't done, however. He said he had picked up a surprise and would include it with the Nolan photo. When the Nolan got here today, it was in a page protector and some cars stock that served as protection. I had shown my wife the Nolan photo, and as I was taking it out of the protector, I told her "You know, Sam said he was sending something else, I wonder if he forgot to put it in the package." Then, as I got the photo out of the page protector, I noticed there was another photo behind it.
This awesome black and white 8x10 signed by friend of this blog, Mr. Virgil Trucks. I had tears in my eyes as I studied this photo that I had never seen of him before. Clearly taken in Spring Training of 1958, this was something I definitely wasn't expecting from Sam.
I once was really hard on Sam. He had asked me to find a bunch of cards for him, which I did. I spent hours of several days going through boxes of cards, pulling out guys he said he was looking for. He would message me as I was halfway through and ask for additional guys. I had to stop a coupld times and go through the same boxes again and again. Finally, I had him a stack of cards, then when he said he wanted them all, I named a modest price. He balked, and walked away from the deal. I was upset and didn't talk to him for a while after that. Sam, would message me a few months later, asking if I had cards of a certain player, to which I jumped on him because he made me go through those boxes of cards for hours, just for him to kill the deal. I overreacted, and was rude to a kid. That was something I swore I wouldn't do. He apologized, and I apologized. I felt terrible that I jumped all over this kid, all about some cards.
Since then, Sam and I have become really good friends. I have helped him grow his collection. I made him a really cool photo book from Shutterfly that he could use for his trips to Spring Training. He keeps telling me that my blowing up on him wasn't a big deal, but I still regret it to this day. He has been very generous over the last couple of years that we have been friends, and now he goes above and beyond to get me something he thought I would enjoy for Christmas. Sam is a really good guy, and I am happy to call him my friend. Thank you so much for working so hard on getting these photos for me. I appreciate it, and I will love having them hanging on my wall. Thank you, little buddy. You're a great guy!
Our second paid autograph signing at the 2015 National was with my favorite Oriole, Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. Yes, I love Cal Ripken, but I do believe that Brooks is my favorite Oriole of all time. I had met him once before, in 2009 at the "Evening With Brooks" in Baltimore. I was so star struck then, I wasn't able to get but a few words out. This time, I said a lot more to him, thankfully.
My son, Chris, got to meet Brooks as well. When I was buying up autograph vouchers, I made sure to get Brooks, and I really wanted Chris to meet him. He was gracious as always when he met us, and chatted a bit with Chris. Chris was wearing his uniform shirt from this season. He played on the Orioles and his uniform number that was randomly assigned to him was 5. Brooks's number.
When I got up there, he paused and looked over my picture. I told him it was from the Evening With Brooks, and how much I enjoyed meeting him then. I told him he was my favorite, and how much it meant to me when he yelled back "I love you, too" when I yelled out "We love you, Brooks!" during the 2013 Hall of Fame parade. I then asked him if I could get another picture, which he happily obliged.
Here is what I had signed. He signed the photo: "William, my best. Thanks for your support. Brooks Robinson HOF 83.
Brooks is probably the most approachable Hall of Famer that there is. The two times that I met him, he was amazing, and I have always heard stories about how awesome he is with fans. As you can see, Brooks has aged over the last 6 years. He has battled various health issues of late, but seems to be a lot better than he has been the last couple of years. I attended the Evening With Brooks in 2009, and then I was at the game where the Camden Yards sculpture of Brooks was unveiled and dedicated. He means the world to the Orioles franchise, and to Oriole fans everywhere. It was always said that "They named a candy bar after Reggie Jackson in New York, but in Baltimore, they named their kids after Brooks Robinson."
I am so very thankful that I got the opportunity to meet Brooks again. I'm also very glad that Chris got to meet him as well. To close, here is the video of Chris and Brooks. Thanks for reading!
A late addition to the autograph lineup, I was so excited that Hulk Hogan had been added. My son, Chris, is a huge wrestling fan, as I was at that age. Chris was promised $100 if he passed his EOGs (end of grade testing), so when I saw that Hogan was added to the signing list, I thought Chris may want to upgrade. I called him; well I called my mom, since Chris was staying there for a week this summer, and I asked Chris if he wanted to get to meet Hogan. There was complete silence on the phone. I asked him again and he said, "Yeah, of course I want to. I'm so excited I might die." So, I bought a voucher for Chris, and one for myself. I also bought a photo op for Chris, just to be sure my nervousness didn't result in a crappy, shaky photo.
I ordered a few 8 x 10s to get signed, and the original ones were damaged in the mail. Instead of risking them not getting here in time, I decided not to fight the company I ordered them from, and just re-sent my order. I'm glad I did, because the second batch came in without any damage, and I was all set to go.
In the days leading up to the National, Hogan met some controversy in the mews based on some comments he made a few years back. I'm not going to get into that here on my blog, but the comments were very unfortunate, and I'm certain Hogan now regrets them. We all have made mistakes in our lives, and as the great Buck Showalter says "We all hope that our lives aren't judged by our worst mistakes."
In addition to the recent controversy, on Friday, Hogan lost one of his best friends when former wrestler and fellow WWE Hall of Famer, Rowdy Roddy Piper passed away unexpectedly, due to a heart attack. Ric Flair, who was also scheduled to be at the National on Saturday canceled his appearance. I spent the few days leading up to the National fully expecting Hogan to do the same.
Not only did Hogan live up to his commitment to all of us who bought autograph vouchers, he also was very courteous and gracious to all of us who showed him support on Saturday. The first thing he said when he stepped out from behind the curtain for the photo ops was thanks you to all of us for our support, and that he loved us all. How many times have we gone to autograph signing, only to have the celebrity or athlete just toss our items back to us with nothing more than a grunt. Some don't even say thank you.
I spoke to Hogan, after filming Chris getting his auto, and told him that I was a huge fan of his growing up. My brothers and I all looked up to him; we practiced the "Immortal Legdrop" on each other on our trampoline. We watched WWF/WWE every chance we got. He said thank you. I then told him that I had been thinking about him during this rough time in his life, and that I still looked up to him and loved him. He responded by looking up at me, looking me in the eyes and said "Thank you, Brother. I love you, too. I really appreciate your support." Then, he shook my hand and signed my photo - "To William, my brother. Hulk Hogan."
As we were walking past him, he grabbed Chris by the arm and said "Hey big man, do you know what your most important job is?" Chris said, "What?" Hogan then looked at me and said "Take care of this guy. That's your job." I teared up (I ended up letting a few tears loose as we walked back to meet up with Max and Andrew). Here is a guy that I saw on TV so much during my childhood. Most of those guys have died young, but Hogan is still around. He is still honoring his commitments to the fans that made him so popular. Yes he has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons lately, but I am a firm believer that we shouldn't be judged by our mistakes. We should be judged by our actions. This man took the time out of his life and schedule and allowed a father and son to share a memory. Something my son will remember for the rest of his life, as will I. I have lost respect for many a celebrity after meeting them in person, but Hulk Hogan gained so much more that I ever could have imagined.
The photos are already framed, and are about to be put on the wall, once I complete this blog post. Chris is still in disbelief that he met Hogan. I am, too.
So, I close this entry with the video that I shot of Hogan signing for Chris. I hope that people learn to forgive him for the things he said. I also hope that if by chance Hogan ever were to read this, that he knows that he really impacted my son and I during those brief minutes at the show. Thanks, Hulk.
I sent an email to my friend (and friend of the blog) Mr. Don McNair last week letting him know that Virgil Trucks had passed away. Mr. McNair's father, Eric McNair, and Mr. Trucks played on the 1941 Tigers together and both had been members of the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics organization in their careers. Mr. McNair (Don) had met Mr. Trucks during an Athletics Alumni luncheon a while back and conversed at times. On one of those occasions, Mr. Trucks sent Mr. McNair a signed photo. Well, when I mentioned to Mr. McNair that Mr. Trucks had passed, I made a comment about how I wanted to get a nice photo of him to put on my wall in my 'man cave.' Mr. McNair responded and said "Don't buy one. I have one, signed, that I will put in the mail to you!" The photo arrived today.
I'm so lucky that I have been able to interact with some really nice folks during the life of this blog. It makes the collecting experience that much more fun and rewarding. I think, aside from Mr. Trucks, I have conversed with Mr. McNair the most about the hobby and the history of the game. I really wish there were more folks like them so that the rich history of the game could be passed along so easily.
Thank you again for the photo, Mr. McNair, it is definitely in good hands!
One of the coolest things Mr. McNair showed me was in a briefcase he brought with him to dinner. Inside the briefcase was an album that was given to Eric McNair when he was a member of the 1934 barnstorming team that toured Japan right before World War II.
The team featured players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty O'Doul, Earl Averill, Eric McNair and were managed by the legendary Connie Mack. One of the players, catcher Moe Berg, was even spying on the Japanese for the US government. This story was featured in the book The Catcher Was a Spy.
Also in the album was some other autographs, one of which was this index card of Hall of Famer, Lefty Grove. The coolest thing in the briefcase, though, was this framed paper signed by members of the 1934 barnstorming team. Click on the photo if you can see the signatures, but Ruth, Mack, Foxx, Gehrig are all clear and legible. All of these autographs are real, no copies here!
Pretty darn amazing, if you ask me. Below is a photo of the team and Mr. Mack. Lots of great players on that team. I plan on reading the book about Moe Berg after I finish Eight Men Out.
So, these posts have been the highlights of my meeting with Mr. Don McNair, son of former big leaguer Eric McNair. I met up with Mr. McNair's son Eric, III (grandson of Eric McNair) the next day for lunch. He is also a really nice guy who turned me toward something really cool while I was in Birmingham, AL, so look for a post on that coming soon!
Well, one plus that can be found in my plight of the missing Red Backs is that I'm bound to uncover some hidden gems in my collection and resurrect an old blog theme. I'm not sure if any of you missed the feature, but it looks like I will be attempting to bring it back. Who knows. Anyway, while I was checking the drawers of my china cabinet, I came across this autograph that my good friend Mike picked up for me back in 2003. Yeah, this isn't baseball related, but as many of you know, I really enjoy wrestling.
This autograph is of former WWE Champion and crowd favorite, Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero (b. 1967 - d. 2005) was a member of the famous Guerrero wrestling family and gained fame while wrestling in Mexico and Japan before heading to the now defunct WCW. He wrestled in WWE from 2000 until his death in 2005. Guerrero was known as a villain, but his charisma and wrestling skills won him the respect of wrestling fans around the world.
He had battled addiction throughout the final years of his life, but toward the end, he cleaned himself up and became a born again Christian. It appeared that he had turned his life around until his nephew Chavo Guerrero found him unresponsive in a Minneapolis Minnesota hotel room. When paramedics arrived on the scene, he was pronounced dead. I remember that as being one of the saddest days I had ever experienced as a wrestling fan.
I still watch the Youtube video from the next night's Monday Night Raw where WWE Superstars paid tribute to Guerrero with a 10-bell salute. Here is the link to the tribute, in case anyone was curious.
Yeah, this post ended up being kind of a downer. Sorry about that. I thought it was really cool that I found this auto while I was looking for something I had misplaced. I have kept this locked away in a drawer so it wouldn't get lost (and thankfully, it hasn't), but now that I look at it and I think about how much my friend Mike means to me (he had a birthday yesterday), I think I'm going to the store and am picking up a frame for it so I can hang it on the wall in the man cave. This autograph deserves to be displayed proudly (away from sunlight, of course) and not locked away in a drawer so no one can see it, so now, it will no longer be 'Hidden in my Collection.'
I was able to knock off another Brooks Robinson letter patch recently after letting the set sit for 3 years or so. This one, the letter E, came with a nice bonus as well, a signed Brooks Robinson picture.
I now only need 4 letters to complete the set, so here's to hoping I can finish this in my lifetime. Maybe the upcoming national card show will have a vendor who has these among his wares.
The autographed photo was a nice bonus. It wasn't authenticated, but it looks just like every other Brooks autograph I've seen, so I'm content with it. I didn't need a bonus to get the letter patch, but I can see why someone would feel the need to include it. Otherwise, what is someone going to do with a card with a giant E on it?
Christopher got a real treat today when he had the opportunity to meet his favorite wrestler, Sheamus, at the Carolina Ale House in Cary, NC. Sheamus was doing an appearance to promote this weekend's Over The Limit Pay Per View. Last year, my good friend Mike got Chris a photo autographed and recorded a video greeting from Sheamus to Chris on his phone.
We were the first in line to meet Sheamus, and as he came in the room, he immediately walked up to Chris, said hello and shook his hand. He then called us over to his table where he spoke with Chris and signed an autograph for him. I told Sheamus how much Chris loved to watch him and how much we all appreciated his video message to Chris last year (to which Sheamus said that he remembered).
I offered up a baseball for him to sign (since I have former World Champions Harley Race and Chris Jericho) and Sheamus looked really apprehensive. He felt bad because he hadn't had much experience signing baseballs, but I assured him that any effort was ok with me. He also told me that since he was born in Ireland, he had never even seen a baseball until he came over to the States a few years ago.
In all, the signature turned out fine. I really like it. He also signed one of their standard autograph pictures for me as well.
Here is the one he signed for Chris. Chris was so excited to meet his favorite wrestler. He talks about and emulates Sheamus all the time, so this was a really cool thing for him to be able to do, at 6 years old! He has already met a number of 'famous people.' I'm glad, as a father, to be able to help my son experience some of these things.
I admit, I'm not the biggest football fan. I mean, I used to be. When my younger brother played college ball, I would go to many a game. Even before that, when my older brother (we were in the same grade) played high school ball, I went to almost every one of his games (except for the one Mom and I got lost going to).
I casually follow the Carolina Panthers because of the 11 years I lived in Charlotte, but other than that, I don't follow it like I do baseball. I know of some of the legends of the game, but until I read Drew's post on him, I had no idea who Chuck Bednarik was.
I thought the photo Drew got back from him TTM was amazing, though and during one of our Skype chats, I asked him if he could hook me up with a Bednarik photo that I could try to get signed TTM as well. Well, Drew sent me one a little while later in a really nice package of stuff, so I was able to send to Mr. Bednarik and request an autograph.
As you can see above, he signed the photo and filled it with inscriptions. In this game, he laid out Frank Gifford (this was 1960) and caused Gifford to miss the next 18 months due to injuries sustained from the hit. Wow.
Bednarik (born in 1925) played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
I posted a few months ago about how my buddy Mike came through and got me a signed baseball and book from Chris Jericho. Well, talking about coming through in the clutch, Mike did something AMAZING for my son.
My son, Christopher, has been a fan of WWE's Sheamus for a while now. I'm not sure why, since Sheamus has played a pretty bad guy in his 2+ years on the show. I think maybe it is because he is very identifiable. I mean, he is snow white with fire red hair. I never really cared for the guy until Chris started liking him. When this year's Royal Rumble match came around, I found myself cheering when Sheamus' music hit and he came out. I was also disappointed to see him get eliminated later in the match, and even more sad to see Chris' face. He started crying and hid under the cushions to our couch for a good 5 minutes. We bought this picture at the January card show in hopes of getting it signed at Wrestlemania, but Sheamus was one of the few wrestlers we DIDN'T meet. We were a little disappointed, but maybe a week after, Mike called and said that Sheamus was doing a signing in Tampa and that he was going to try and go. Knowing that Chris loved Sheamus, Mike said that he would try to bring someone along with him in case Sheamus was signing one item per person and make sure that Chris was able to get something. I told Mike about the photo we had bought, so we mailed it on to Tampa.
A day before the signing, Mike called and said that he had wrecked his truck and probably wasn't going to make it to the signing. I was more concerned that my friend had been in an accident than his ability to make it to an autograph signing.
Mike called me that next day and told me to check his Facebook page, so I logged on and saw... Pictures of him with Sheamus. He said that he burned up the phones all night after he got off the phone with me and all morning of the signing and was able to talk a friend into driving him to the venue. He was able to meet Sheamus and talk to him for a good bit. Sheamus was signing everything put in front of him, so he signed Chris' picture and the below picture for me.
Mike told Sheamus about how this 5-year old boy in NC was his biggest fan and that he cried and crawled under the couch cusions after his elimination from the Royal Rumble. Sheamus told Mike that he felt like doing the same.Finally, in one of the coolest acts I have seen, Mike filmed a short video message from Sheamus to my son... Just awesome. After all of this, I don't care how bad of a character he plays on WWE TV, I will always be a fan of Sheamus. Also, this is now twice that Mike has come through in a totally awesome way for me. I know he says that I have done plenty for him over the years, but I'm starting to feel like I owe him big time for all of this. He's a good man and I'm glad, more than anything, that he wasn't hurt when he wrecked his truck. Thanks a lot Mike, you made Chris very happy.
Switching gears for a bit (see what I did there?), I thought I'd post something I found while getting all the pictures I intend on hanging on the wall in my new 'man cave' together.
I used to watch the movie 'Heart Like a Wheel' every chance I could get when I was little. The movie came out when I was 3 and it was the only drag racing movie I had ever heard of, so it worked for me on a few levels. Since my dad drag raced, I was around it my whole life. I became a HUGE Shirley Muldowney fan because of the movie. Being the first woman to ascend the professional ranks in drag racing was a tremendous feat, and she was the perfect woman to do it. She has always had the type of 'Take no Sh*t off of anyone' attitude that served her well in being able to send the boys home on raceday.
Something else about Shirley is that she has always been very accommodating to her many fans around the world. When I was 10 years old, having seen the movie probably a billion times, my mom found me a way that I could write Shirley a letter. I wish I could remember what I said in the letter. Probably that my dad also drag raced, I loved the movie, etc. I also included my 5th grade school picture and a card of my dad's racecar.
Shirley was racing exclusively on the NHRA circuit at that time, so I didn't have a chance to see her race in person, since we were in IHRA territory. I had always longed to go to a race and watch her, but at that time, I didn't have the chance.
Fast forward 5 years (1995), I'm walking along the pits at Bristol Dragway for the 1995 Spring Nationals with my cousin's girlfriend. As we are walking, a top fuel dragster was being rolled out of its transporter. As the car rolls out and I see the name on the car, I flip out and run straight back to our pits and scream at my mom 'MOM OH MY GOD SHIRLEY IS HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE...' (Yeah Im a dork). She had decided to try the IHRA tour that year, so made a (then) rare trip out east.
Later on that day when I calmed down, I went up to Shirley to meet her in person. She was sitting at the end of her transporter signing autographs for the people who came by and I was the last one there for that moment. This meant I didn't have anyone waiting behind me so I could talk as long as she allowed. So, I nervously approached the woman I had only read about and seen on TV and told her 'Hello, Ms. Muldowney, I'm a big fan, I loved your movie and I wrote you a letter when I was 10...' She stopped me right there and said 'Your name is William and you sent me a school picture.' I was floored. This awesome lady REMEMBERED me! She REMEMBERED MY NAME! How awesome is that? I will never forget that as long as I live. She is and will always be one of my sports heroes.
I hope you all enjoyed this story, as I enjoyed re-telling it. Please leave me some comments and let me know what you think.
We bought this picture at the January card show in hopes of getting it signed at Wrestlemania, but Sheamus was one of the few wrestlers we DIDN'T meet. We were a little disappointed, but maybe a week after, Mike called and said that Sheamus was doing a signing in Tampa and that he was going to try and go. Knowing that Chris loved Sheamus, Mike said that he would try to bring someone along with him in case Sheamus was signing one item per person and make sure that Chris was able to get something. I told Mike about the photo we had bought, so we mailed it on to Tampa.
Finally, in one of the coolest acts I have seen, Mike filmed a short video message from Sheamus to my son... Just awesome. After all of this, I don't care how bad of a character he plays on WWE TV, I will always be a fan of Sheamus. Also, this is now twice that Mike has come through in a totally awesome way for me. I know he says that I have done plenty for him over the years, but I'm starting to feel like I owe him big time for all of this. He's a good man and I'm glad, more than anything, that he wasn't hurt when he wrecked his truck. Thanks a lot Mike, you made Chris very happy.
Switching gears for a bit (see what I did there?), I thought I'd post something I found while getting all the pictures I intend on hanging on the wall in my new 'man cave' together.