Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Signing Of The Year

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In 2011 I had a decent year in this hobby. I didn't attend that many events for a couple of reasons. For one it's always the same damn people signing over and over. The other reason is that I'm not as passionate as I used to be for this hobby. I only make trips to L.A. and Orange County if it's someone that I don't have.

My 3 favorite signings of 2011 were:
  1. 2011 L.A. Fit Expo.
  2. Jerry West book signing linked here.
  3. Elgin Baylor autograph signing linked here.
Not only was the Fit Expo my favorite event of the year but it was the best event I have ever been to. It was everything that I love in life combined into one event. Beautiful girls, fitness and autographs. I did a re-post of the event with nothing changed.

I attended the L.A. Fit Expo on Saturday. Many celebrity appearances were scheduled throughout the day. One person that I was interested in meeting was Chuck Liddell. The night before the event Chuck posted on his twitter page that he was not going to attend. That didn't keep me from attending though. I took advantage of the people that did show. I was able to obtain many autographs. This will be quick and simple.

MMA Referee Herb Dean. Herb signed multiple items and posed for pics.


UFC fighter Clay "The Carpenter" Guida.


I got to meet my favorite MMA fighter. "The California Kid" Urijah Faber signed multiple items for his fans.


Carmen Electra also made an appearance to at the expo. She signed multiple items. Staff wanted fans to do group pics to keep the line moving faster. So J.R. had to squeeze in.


R&B Musician Brian McKnight was walking around the Expo.


Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman made an appearance to sign autographs. All fans had to do was buy a $10 raffle ticket to get an autograph. All proceeds went to charity.


As I was waiting in line for Shawne Merriman I heard a small commotion. Jose Canseco tried to stay low key with a hat and dark sunglasses. People still noticed him.


UFC fighter Anthony "Rumble" Johnson signed autographs and posed for pics.


UFC Fighter Krzysztof Soszynski also signed autographs and posed for pics.


Jay Cutler the bodybuilder signed autographs for the fans. Don't mistake him with Jay Cutler the football player.


"The Godfather of Bodybuilding" Charles Glass handed out protein packs.


Fitness Icon Greg Plitt


Last but not least. The woman were out in full force. They were all very kind. Enjoy the pics. I know I will.







Many supplements were handed out. They included protein packets, protein bars, meal replacements, creatine, fat burners, nitric oxide and HGH (Human Growth Hormone). After I got home I emptied my bags on the table. It's over $100 worth of supplements. I buy most of this stuff at GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe. I got to stock up on supplements for free.

This was without a doubt the best event I have ever been to in my life. I landed over ten different autographs and took many pics with celebs. Not to mention over $100 worth of free supplements. It was really worth my $10 admission fee.

I would like to thank Herb Dean, Urijah Faber, Clay Guida, Jay Cutler, Shawne Merriman, Krzysztof Soszynski, Carmen Electra, Jose Canseco, Brian McKnight, Charles Glass, Anthony Johnson, and Greg Plitt. I would also like to thank all the supplement companies for all the free giveaways. Especially Optimum Nutrition and ABB Performance who handed out tons of free stuff. The Fit Expo was a great event. I hope to attend next year.


Email: myautographsignings@yahoo.com

Monday, December 19, 2011

Tim Brown Autograph Signing

Raiders legend Tim Brown made an appearance at L.A. Live to sign autographs. The event was sponsored by Verizon. At the event Verizon had many activities for fans at their "Verizon Training Ground". Some of the activities included a end zone dance and throwing the football at targets. I just went for the signing so I didn't bother with any of that.

I arrived about one hour before the signing and was surprised to see a small turnout. When Tim arrived he did a short interview with the Verizon people and then began to sign. Once I got my autograph I though about getting back in line but had to beat L.A. traffic.

Signing Recap:
  • People in line? Less than 100.
  • Items per person? One item with a chance to get back in line.
  • Free signing? Yes.
  • Giveaways? None that I knew of.

A bullshit rule was in place. The Verizon employees said that Tim would not sign any items with blue ink. Luckily for me I had items that had to be signed with black.


Photo mishap. I looked at one camera and Tim looked at another.


Here is Judy with Tim Brown. The last time she came to a signing with me in L.A. was over two years ago. She got my second item signed.


Thanks to Verizon and Tim Brown for this event.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Jeff Jaeger Autograph Signing

Former Raiders kicker Jeff Jaeger made an appearance at The Raider Image to sign autographs. Jeff was scheduled to meet with fans from 12-4 p.m. I arrived a couple of hours after the signing started and only a couple of people were in line. When I went to the front of the table I noticed his prices per autograph. He had 8X10's for $10 or two for $15 which included the autograph. It was very reasonable pricing.

Jeff was very friendly. He was greeting customers as they walked into the store.


Here is Jeff signing one of my items.


Below are both of my signed photos.



Signing Recap:
  • People in line? Only a few when I arrived.
  • Free signing? No.
  • Price per autograph? $10 or two for $15.
  • Which Raider Image location? Ontario.
  • Giveaways? None.

Thanks to The Raider Image and Jeff Jaeger for this event.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Jerry West Book Signing

Jerry West made an appearance at the Milken Institute in Santa Monica to sign copies and talk about his new book "West by West". Jerry was interviewed by sportscaster Jim Gray at this event. Jim asked Jerry many questions about his new book and his life on and off the court. Jerry discussed his relationships with Shaq, Kobe, Magic, Kareem and talked about the current NBA lockout.

The most odd question that Jim Gray asked Jerry during the interview was what he thought about the current scandal going on at Penn State. Jerry answered the question even though It had nothing to do with the book. The funniest moment came when Jerry made a joke about him not getting royalties from "The Logo". The interview lasted about one hour and was very entertaining.

I probably would of attended this event just for Jim Gray. Jim has been in broadcasting from the time that I was in diapers. He has done television and radio broadcasts for the Super Bowl, World Series and NBA Finals to name a few. He also recently interviewed Barack Obama.

During the interview someone from the audience passed out. Jim Gray called for a short recess so the person could get help. During the break Jim and Jerry talked to audience members.


After the interview Jerry went to a table and signed autographs for the fans.


Here I am with "The Logo".


After the event Jim mingled with people in the audience. To be honest I was more excited to meet Jim Gray than Jerry West.


Here is a short video of the signing.




Event Recap:
  • People in line? Less than 100.
  • Free signing? Free with the purchase of the book.
  • Price of the book? $30.58 with tax.
  • Outside items? Jerry signed every outside item that fans had. Someone I know had 3 jerseys signed.



Thanks to the Milken Institute, Jim Gray and Jerry West for this event.


Email:
myautographsignings@yahoo.com

Monday, November 7, 2011

Lester Hayes Autograph Signing

"Lester The Molester" Hayes made appearances over the weekend at a Kmart in Indio. Lester would sign autographs with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children's Hospital. I knew it would be an easy autograph so I decided to take the trip. It was the first time I had ever been out to the desert for a signing.

When I arrived at Kmart "Lester The Molester " was all alone. It gave me the opportunity to talk to him for about ten minutes. We talked about football and his charity. He mentioned he wasn't very happy with the current play of a Raider's defensive back but didn't want to give any names. I then got my items signed and headed home. I love events like this. No camping out or waiting in long lines.

Signing Recap:
  • People in line? Zero.
  • Free signing? No. Prices ranged from $5-$50 depending on the item.
  • Giveaways? None.
  • Which Kmart location? Indio, CA.

Lester had a huge setup of photos, cards, plaques and jerseys.


Here are Lester's plaques that were for sale.


Lester wore his Super Bowl XV and XVlll rings.
He let me take a close up picture of his bling bling.


Thanks to Lester Hayes and Kmart for this appearance.


Email: myautographsignings@yahoo.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Georges St. Pierre Autograph Signing

Georges St. Pierre made an appearance in Seal Beach to sign autographs. The event took place at a Affliction clothing store. GSP is one of the biggest names in MMA and I have never heard of him making appearances in So Cal. So when I heard about this event from a friend I knew I had to attend.

When I arrived in the morning there was only one person in line. It was a little surprising since I expected a huge turnout. A couple of hours later the Affliction store opened and fans were allowed to go inside to look around and make purchases. I thought about getting a shirt until I seen the $50-$60 price tag. Shortly after that GSP arrived to meet with fans.

Fans were then sent inside the store in small groups to meet GSP. A chair was set up next to him where fans had the chance sit down and get their items signed. It reminded me of the time when I met Pete Rose in Las Vegas about three years ago. This signing was an actual meet and greet. We were not rushed at all. I got my two items signed, a posed photo and got the hell out of there.

Signing Recap:
  • People in line? I would guess less than 200 people.
  • Items per person? 2 items.
  • Giveaways? None.
  • Which Affliction location? Seal Beach.
  • Free signing? Yes.

It seems as if I have new grandparents. I see them often at signings and even carpooled with them to this event. Here is my new grandpa getting his items signed by GSP.


Here is my new grandma with GSP.


Below is a video from the GSP signing that I found on You Tube. A fan goes home very disappointed and someone I know gets his autograph at 4:08. Check it out.



Thanks to Affliction in Seal Beach and GSP for this event.


Email: myautographsignings@yahoo.com

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Ozzy Osbourne Book Signing

On Friday I attended a event featuring rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy was scheduled to sign copies of his new book "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" at Barnes & Noble in Riverside. I was a little hesitant on attending because my thing is sports autographs. I don't care much for music or celebrity autographs. At the same time Ozzy is a legend and to be signing autographs in my area made this event a must.

I arrived at Barnes & Noble about 7:30 in the morning and noticed hundreds of fans already in line. I was told many fans had camped out overnight. Numbered wristbands were then distributed at 9:00 a.m. by employees. Once you were given a wristband you were pretty much guaranteed an autograph. After getting a wristband fans were told to come back later in the day for the book signing which would start at 7:00 p.m.

These were the event guidelines for the book signing. (click to enlarge)


I arrived about 5:30 in the afternoon and this was the crowd outside of the store. Shortly before 7 p.m. fans were let inside the store to make line.


This was the scene inside with the first couple of hundred fans. Fans were anxious for Ozzy to show up. A no flash photography rule was in place.


Here is Ozzy signing copies of his book. This was the closest fans were allowed to take pictures.


Ozzy talking with a fan.


This was a different set up that I'm used to. Fans were required to hand the book to a handler. That handler would then hand it to a security guard who would give it to another handler who would then hand the book to Ozzy. Ozzy would sign the book then slide it over to the security guard on his right who would then hand the signed book back to the fan. Confusing? Watch the video below.


Signing Recap:

People in line? Over 400 people.
Free signing? No, purchase of the book was necessary.
Price of the book? $23.26 with tax.
Books per person? Ozzy would sign up to 3 books per person.
Outside items? No outside memorabilia was allowed.
Which Barnes & Noble location? Riverside.

Thanks to Ozzy Osbourne and Barnes & Noble for this well planned and organized event.