2023 National Paid Signer - David Justice

The last paid signer for me at the National was David Justice.  He was a last minute addition to the show and also a last minute pickup for me.  I had this 1994 Collectors Choice checklist put aside in case I saw a signing with Justice pop up, so I went ahead and got it signed.

Justice (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1989 to 2002 for the Braves, Indians, Yankees and A's.  He had 1,571 hits, 305 home runs and a .279 batting average.  He was the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year and a three-time All Star (1993, 1994 and 1997).  His best MVP finish was 3rd in 1993.  He won the World Series in 1995 with the Braves and 2000 with the Yankees.  He was the 2000 ALCS MVP. Justice appeared on the 2008 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.2% of the vote.

I had heard that Justice could be standoffish when meeting him, but he was actually really nice.  The guy photo bombing in the back had hijacked the line; talking (loudly) with Justice while we went through the line. We weren't really able to get a word in, and I think Dave realized that. He shook my hand hard and clapped his arm around me for the photo.  He is a big dude.  I'm really glad I went ahead and added the voucher to my list, as it was a good experience meeting him.