I just completed a private signing with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. This was Tony's first visit to our office and he was in awe of the operation. He jokingly said that, by me being his only contact here up to this point, he assumed it was small-time. He loved it and even began picking out gifts for friends. Anyway, as I have said in the past, really enjoy doing signings with LaRussa. He is such a National League guy and, obviously, NL ball is my favorite topic of discussion (other than the Grateful Dead). We spoke about last night's dramatic Mets victory over his Cardinals. I was quite impressed with Mike Maroth's performance against us. He is extremely difficult to run on and that takes an important part of our game away. Despite the strong outing by Maroth the Mets won the game with a walk-off homerun (courtesy of Shawn Green). It is so rare that a player hits a homerun fair after just hitting one foul. I made sure to bring that up midway through the signing. We also talked about the upcoming All-Star Game where Tony will be managing the NL team. Throughout our hour long baseball conversation LaRussa signed some unbelievable product including inscription baseballs and an amazing new image from the 06 World Series.
We pretty much have at least a signing a day for the rest of the week so keep checking back for updates.
Lets Go Mets!

Yesterday was our appearance at Last Licks Huntington with Jets Quarterback (and the NFL's 2006 Comeback Player of the Year) Chad Pennington. The proceeds from the public portion of the event were all to go to Chad's 1st and 10 Foundation. I have known Pennington since he first broke into the league and giving back to the community has always been important to him. Not only were the ticket sales going towards his foundation but all other sales from the day were going towards the Huntington Manor Fire Department. With that in mind there were a ton of local fireman at the appearance. There was even a fire truck parked right outside the store. Chad took the time to talk to all the firefighters and took photos with all of them. There was a really strong crowd on hand for the event. Chad had not done a public appearance in quite some time and he appeased all his patient fans by standing up for photos with practically everyone. Once the line ended all the firemen came in to have Pennington sign their hats. At the end of the line of firefighters was our very own SS who was carrying a novelty plastic hat. I had never seen Chad laugh so hard as when the plastic hat was placed on the table.
Not only was a ton of money raised for charity but we were also able to get some incredible product signed. Pennington signed NFL footballs and a few new amazing photos including an awesome triple-exposure shot.
We have a lot going on this week so keep checking back daily for updates.
Have a great weekend!

My second day in Tampa began with a very interesting breakfast at the Hyatt. I had the honor of joining Duke Snider, Don Zimmer, Johnny Podres and MC for about an hour. All the guys (including Duke who signed later in the day) were in town for Don Zimmer bobblehead night at Tropicana Field (not to mention a Sha Na Na concert immediately following the game). The Rays were playing the Dodgers so it was befitting that the old Brooklyn teammates were to be reunited for the event. It was great to hear the guys reminisce about the old days and discuss the state of today's game. Zim is still in baseball as he maintains a role with the Rays' front office.
After breakfast Duke and I headed to a conference room where he began signing. Snider, as we all know, has an incredible signature. You can read every letter and most of the baseballs that he signed includes the HOF 80 inscription. Duke finally finished the signing at about 5:00. Luckily, I was able to box up most of the items as he signed so it did not take me long to get out of there. I caught an 8:00 flight back to LaGuardia and eventually stepped in my front door at about midnight. I went straight to sleep as I had to wake up early to make it out to Huntington for Saturday's Chad Pennington appearance.
Check back for a recap.

I just completed day 1 of my two day Tampa trip. My day began at 5:00 AM where I hobbled (still walking on one good wheel) to my car and headed over to the airport. The airport experience was actually the easiest one I have had in years. I was helped into a wheelchair and then was able to pre-board the flight before it got crowded. Anyway, upon landing in Tampa I went straight to the hotel to begin setting up for the afternoon signing with Yankees phenom Phil Hughes. After about an hour of prepping product I took a short break for lunch. My man MC picked me up at the hotel and we headed over to Big John's Alabama BBQ in Hillsborough. The reason I mention this is that Hillsborough is the area where Doc Gooden and Gary Sheffield are from- that and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. If any of you are down here for spring training next year you need to check it out.
Hughes arrived at about 4:15 and knocked out the signing in no time. His ankle is getting stronger by the day and is hopefully just a few weeks ago from a few quick rehab starts (before rejoining the Yankees) Once Phil comes back the Yankees will have a five man rotation that rivals any in the majors. We got some awesome product signed including two strong photos, black leather baseballs and replica jerseys.
After Phil left I began bagging up baseballs and prepping all the items to ship back to New York. That process took about an hour at which point I locked up and called it a night. Tomorrow I will be doing a small private signing with Dodgers legend Duke Snider. Check back for a recap.

Today there was article about me and the blog in our local Westchester newspaper. There was a reporter that came to our office to interview Billy Wagner a few weeks ago and, for some crazy reason, he ended up interviewing me as well. It came out pretty strong. I figured I would post it here for those of you who aren't in the area. Here it is:

After Saturday's Mets/Yankees game we had a public appearance with Yankees star (and Steiner Exclusive) Robinson Cano. As we all know the game ended pretty late. That was due to both the rain delay and the almost-comeback by the Mets in the 9th. Cano finally arrived at the store at about 7:15. Most people on line were understanding of the situation and greeted Robinson with handshakes and applause. Cano had an really strong game on Saturday with both his glove and bat. When an athlete appears after a game it usually makes for a better experience if the team wins (and if the appearer contributes to the victory). I have done appearances with guys that have lost the game for their team that day and it is somewhat of an awkward time for the fans. While the turnout was not as big as I would have liked it did make it a lot easier time-wise for Robinson to take photos with everyone.
We have a lot going on this week including a trip down to Tampa and a Chad Pennington appearance. Check back daily for updates.

First of all I would like to explain the lack of posts these past few days. Thursday afternoon I broke my foot in a terrible schmelting accident- actually I am just a clutz and dropped an extremely heavy item on my foot. I was walking and accidently knocked over a standing tube carrying rolled-up tarp from Shea Stadium. It fell right on the top of my left foot. I guess Vince Coleman and I now have something in common.
Anyway, despite my bad foot, I made it out to the Derek Jeter signing on Friday. I had plenty of help as I can't move very well. This was the easiest Jeter signing I have ever done because everyone else moved along the product. I got to sit back and talk with Derek while he signed. We spoke a lot about interleague play. Jeter has had unbelievable career numbers again the National League (it's not just the Mets). Despite his success in those series he is looking forward to getting back to AL baseball. (I agree- can't wait to start beating up on the Marlins again)
This signing gave us an opporunity to re-up on some of our staple Jeter items- both old and new. Derek signed game model bats, gloves and more of that new incredible "Leap" 16x20 photograph.
Once the signing ended I headed back to the office and then home where I would stay with my foot up until heading out to Huntington for Saturday's Robinson Cano appearance.

I just returned from Whitey Ford's home where I did a private signing with The Chairman of the Board. I always enjoy going to Ford's house. He has so many awesome photos and a ton of great signed memorabilia. As always Whitey shared some incredible stories with me (most involving Mantle). The story of the day was, by far, about a baseball that a group of astronauts took into space with them. Whitey had become friendly with one of them in the early '90s and the entire crew signed a ball that had travelled over 5 million miles into space. Ford has it framed up with a certificate and letter from the crew. Aside from all of Whitey's amazing memorabilia are the trophies and plaques he has been honored with over the years. As you can see from the photos he has the '61 Cy Young Award hanging up (very cool). Anyway we got some really strong product signed including MLB baseballs and a few HOF '74 inscription baseballs.
We have a lot going on in the next few days so keep checking back for updates.

Earlier today I did a private signing with former Giants great Tiki Barber. Tiki has always been one of my favorite athletes to do signings with. He is such a smart guy so there is always interesting conversation when he is around. Barber seems to really be enjoying his work on "The Today Show" and is already looking forward to appearing on "Football Night In America" once the season begins.
As I am sure you have noticed we have recently been running these great contests where you guys are able to email in questions for the athletes. We did one of these with Tiki so here is my boy Dietz with his strong recap of the short interview:

Hi everyone Dietz here again with an update on the Tiki Barber giveaway. I just sat down with Tiki in our conference room while he was signing the commemorative 10,000 career rushing yard footballs which look extremely strong. I have had the pleasure of meeting Tiki before and cannot express how approachable and personable Tiki is. He is by far one of the classiest athletes I have met so far in my time here at Steiner. I am happy to say that we received over 300 questions for Tiki and as I sit here writing this entry I am continuing to get more (sorry to those who sent in their questions late!) Without any further ado here are the five questions that were selected to ask Tiki.


What memorabilia did you keep from your last game?
Glenn – Smithtown, NY

I kept my shoes. My jersey went to the Hall of Fame.


You have a rather unique signature (with your jersey number in the "B" in Barber), be honest...did/do you practice your signature?
- Bryan

(laughs) Yes I do but I no longer put the 21 inside the B. Incidentally I started doing that to protect my signature to keep other players from signing over it.


Which stadiums in the NFL did you find it harder to play in due to field conditions, unruly fans, crowd noise, locker room conditions, etc.?
SLSD [shawls@frontiernet.net]
Jerry - Shawano, WI

The Old Vet had to be the worst. The field was in terrible condition and the locker room was really bad. The new Qwest field in Seattle has to be the loudest field because of all of the acoustics which makes it really difficult to play in. Also I never really enjoyed playing on Oakland’s field as well.

What inspired you to write children's books?
Sabrina - Stony Point, NY

My love of reading and the desire to promote it with my two boys. It’s a way for me to tell my stories from my childhood.

What was the first item you ever autographed?
bigej2@aim.com

Oh wow…probably either a High School program or a Junior High yearbook. Everybody signed those back in the day and I don’t really remember having yearbooks in Elementary school.

If your question is listed above please check your email as I have probably e-mailed you already asking for your shipping address. After I collect all 5 shipping addresses the signed Tiki Barber 8x10s will ship immediately. Once again thanks to all that participated in the promotion and hope you all will continue to take part in these giveaways!




Tiki signed some amazing new product including some white-panel footballs with an incredible Tiki Barber 10,000 Yard Club logo on it. He even signed a small quantity of these with the 10,449 inscription. This is sure to be just the first of many exciting new items commemorating Tiki's unbelievable career. I feel that we, as Giants fans, may have taken him for granted. He truly became one of the elite players in the NFL over the past few years and will be severely missed this year. I doubt any Giants player will ever eclipse the records that he had set over his illustrious career.
Tomorrow I will be doing a private signing with The Chairman of the Board Whitey Ford. Check back for a recap.

Yesterday morning I had the privilage of doing signings with two Yankee legends. The first was with former outfielder and long-time team broadcaster Bobby Murcer. Earlier this year Bobby survived a frightening bout with cancer. He thankfully, is back in good health and just returned to work for the YES network. I have done several signings with Murcer in the past and was so happy to see him doing well and in good spirits. Since Bobby's return to the booth the Yankees are 8-1 in games he has done. (I nicely asked him to take the weekend off as the Mets are playing three at Yankee Stadium). Anyway Bobby signed some incredible product including jerseys, MLB baseballs, black-leather baseball and two unbelievable photos.
As we were at the tail-end of the signing Joe Torre walked in. He immediately came over to Bobby to embrace him. While I am far from a Yankee fan it was great to see first hand the comraderie and mutual respect that exists in the Yankee family. Once Bobby finished signing I jumped right in with Joe. Torre has done an incredible job so far this year. This was the first season in recent memory that his club has had to endure such adversity. It seems that they have overcome it and are really starting to roll. Yesterday was Joe's first signing of the 2007 season. This gave us a nice opportunity to get some new game-used items signed. Joe signed some really strong '07 pieces including baseballs and jerseys.
Later today Giants icon (now that he is retired we can start using the word) Tiki Barber will be coming up for a private signing.
Check back for a recap.

This is somewhat of an historic post as it is the first one I am writing on an airplane (I was going to wait until I arrived home - like always- but, unfortunately, the guy sitting next to me just woke me up so I figured this is as good a time as any to write this). Anyway, this leg of my ongoing long, strange trip began Friday afternoon. I was slated to fly to St. Louis where we had Tony LaRussa and Yadier Molina scheduled for public appearances on Saturday. This trip's cast was myself and CC from my office (as always the names will be abbreviated to protect the innocent and no it is not Cedric Ceballos) We received a phone call from American Airlines mid-afternoon which contained some bad news. All the flights out of LaGuardia and JFK were cancelled due to both bad weather and an air-traffic control problem. Thankfully (at least we thought so at the time) we were able to secure a flight out of Westchester County Airport to Washington, D.C. and then a connecting flight to Missouri. This was only the second time I have flown out of Westchester (hard to believe but true) and was shocked at the absolute mess I witnessed upon entering the small airport. There were long lines everywhere. People were yelling. Flights were getting canceled and delayed. A local newstation was interviewing irate customers. It was crazy. Luckily we did board the flight to D.C.. It was a really small airplane and , about midway through the ride, we experienced some of the worst turbulence ever. The plane was bobbing up and down for close to ten minutes as we flew through a lightning storm. Obviously we did land in D.C. and finally boarded the flight to St. Louis. When all was said and done we landed in Missouri at around midnight and arrived at the hotel about a half hour later. Now onto Saturday-
I awoke to the sound of an alarm clock at 6:00 AM. Double C and I headed straight over to the location of the appearance and began setting up. Tony LaRussa arrived at 8:30. This gave him an hour and a half to sign in private before the public portion began. I talked to Tony for over an hour about National League baseball. It amazed me that he knew everything that was going on in the league (really both leagues). When I called him out on it he simply stated that he was a fan just like me. I thought that was awesome. We revisited the painful game 7 from last year's NLCS (It felt good to talk about it as I haven't in quite some time). We also spoke about current Mets pitcher Jorge Sosa (6-1..strong!) and how the Cardinals actually let him go before the season began (They could sure use him right now!). We also talked about the upcoming All-Star Game where LaRussa is managing the NL team. He is a big National League guy and I could tell he really wants this one. Once Tony finished the private items he went out to the public. LaRussa was so great with the fans. Everyone on line thanked him for last year. I could tell within two minutes that these were different fans than we are used to. They are way too positive about everything (at least for my taste as a New Yorker) but truly seem to love their Cards.
Yadi arrived at about 10:15. He was scheduled to sign for the public from 11-12:30. Molina had a cast on his hand as he is still rehabbing. He is a few weeks away from returning to action. Yadi knocked out the private items in about 45 minutes and headed straight out to the public. I could not believe how long the line was. He really may be the most popular Cardinal aside from Albert Pujols. Just like LaRussa he was incredibly nice to everyone. He went out of his way to take photos with a few sick children that weren't able to get around to the other side of the table. I talked to him a little about his kind nature (most athletes get bored of taking photos with fans after the first few). He said that was the way he was brought up and that his brothers are the same way. Eventually Yadi and I spoke about his Game 7 homerun. Molina should be returning to the lineup for the series at Shea at the end of this month. I told him that I can't be seen at Shea talking to him. He will be booed like no other player has this season (with the exception of maybe Scott Schoeneweis?) I won't boo him though. As much as it pains me to say it I do really like Yadi. He plays the game the right way and is a stand up guy. Anyway, once the line was finished Molina stuck around for about twenty minutes just in case any customers were running late.
Once the show was over it took about an hour to box up the product to ship back to New York. We were hoping to catch an earlier flight back as ours was not taking off until 7:20. Unfortunately there were no flights so we got to spend five hours in beautiful Lambert Airport (not the first time I have spent five hours in an airport and certainly not the last). Finally, after a brutal afternoon in St. Louis, we took off on time. I immediately fell asleep on the plane and was awoken minutes later. That leads me to this very moment as I am completing this entry.
While it was far from a pleasurable trip it was quite productive and I really enjoyed hanging out with Tony and Yadi. We were also able to get some amazing product signed along the way including black-leather baseballs and 2006 World Series balls.
We have another exciting week coming up which includes private signings with Vincent LeCavalier, Joe Torre, Tiki Barber, Bryan Trottier, Tony Hawk, Robinson Cano and Gary Carter. There are sure to be a few more added as the days go on. Enjoy "The Sopranos" tomorrow and have a great weekend!
Check back daily for updates.

Late yesterday we had yet another Soprano come up for a small private signing. Jason Cerbone (Jackie Jr.) signed that classic image of him being shot in both 8x10 and 16x20. Here are a few more great images from yesterday's festivities.

Yesterday we did private signings with two recently deceased Sopranos characters. Steve Schirripa (Bobby Bacala) and Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) came up to our office at about 11:00 and signed for about an hour. I have not always been a big fan of the show but over the past three seasons have really gotten into it. When the show first came out I was in school at Maryland (Go Terps!) and on Sunday nights my house was divided by people who watched Sopranos and people who watched The X-Files. I was part of the group that watched X-Files. (the best show ever...the truth is out there) Recently I have been catching up on the old Sopranos episodes and cannot wait to see the finale on Sunday. Anyway, both guys were awesome. Schirripa is hysterical. He is probably the funniest person to ever take a seat in our conference room. (I am not sure if any of you have seen his bits on The Tonight Show - if you haven't check them out online.) After Steve and Michael finished signing they toured our warehouse and fell in the love with the place. They could not get over all the great product that we have and both went home with a few strong items for themselves. The coolest thing about the whole experience was that (when the signing was complete) both Michael and Steve took the time to take photos with practically everyone in my office. Most of the time athletes are in and out and, unfortunately, my co-workers are sometimes disappointed that they aren't able to meet the them. It showed me a lot about Schirripa and Imperioli that they hung out and talked with everyone. Aside from all that we did get some great product signed including two amazing images of both guys (in 8x10 and 16x20). My favorite (by far) is the photo of Steve in the train conductor's hat. Overall it was one of my most enjoyable signings in quite some time. I am so used to spending time with athletes so it always refreshing to work with actors or wrestlers. Unfortunately neither guy would divulge any information about the final episode so I will just have to wait and see what happens like everyone else.
Tonight I am flying out to St. Louis for signings with both Yadier Molina (my arch-nemesis from October) and Tony LaRussa. Check back for an update from Missouri.
Have a great weekend!

Earlier today Billy Wagner (The Sandman) came up to our office to complete yesterday's signing. Even though it was in a loss Billy was great again last night. Wagner, despite giving up one hit, pitched a strong scoreless 9th inning and was hitting 96 on the radar gun. While yesterday's signing was comprised of mostly baseballs and game-used items, today's session was focused mainly on photos. Billy signed two incredible new images including a great close-up shot of him pitching at Shea. It is sure to become one of the staple pieces of our Billy Wagner Collection.
Tomorrow we have Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa coming up for a small private signing. We were able to find some really amazing images for the guys to sign.
Check back tomorrow for a recap.

A few hours ago Billy Wagner came up to our office for a private signing. Billy has been having a really strong season. He is a perfect 13 for 13 in save opportunities and boasts an impressive 1.50 ERA. I am pretty sure that by season's end he will be in the conversation for NL Cy Young. I did not realize until today that Wagner is a huge Duke basketball fan. We spoke a little about ACC hoops and how Maryland (despite their recent struggles) has dominated Duke and Carolina the past few years (just ask John Gilchrist!). Anyway, we got some awesome product signed including black-leather baseballs, game-used balls and pinstripe jerseys. Billy is somewhat of a collector himself so he really takes the time with each autograph as he understands how much the quality matters. Speaking of quality- hats off to Oliver Perez for 5 straight quality starts this season(not to mention 3 runs or less in 10 of his 11 starts...Strong! I can't believe some of my co-workers actually dropped him from their fantasy teams - Weak!)
Tomorrow Wagner will be stopping by again for part two of our private signing.
Check back for a recap.

This is going to be a different kind of blog entry than we are all used to. I just found about the untimely passing of Clete Boyer. I actually knew Clete pretty well (better than most athletes I am friendly with). I saw Boyer about three weeks ago. I was wearing a Mets shirt to a Yankees appearance (which is not that abnormal for me) and Clete was messing with me all day about it (offering to buy me a Yankees shirt). He was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. So, with that in mind, I figured I would share my favorite Clete Boyer story. Three summers ago I was sent up to Cooperstown to do a ton of signings during the induction week. It was a short-notice thing so it was impossible to get a hotel room. Clete had an apartment right on Main Street. He used it during the summer and usually stayed for close to three months up there signing autographs each day. Anyway, Clete was nice enough to let me stay with him for close to four days. Not only did he let me stay there but he also allowed us to conduct the signings at his apartment. It was a completely self-less gesture and really showed what kind of a person Clete was. It was also incredible to see the amount of respect that each of the hall of famers that came to sign gave him. I had a lot of fun that weekend hanging out with Boyer who shared some amazing Mantle stories with me (not the ones you see on televison or in "*61"). While my Clete story isn't as good as any of his Mantle ones I figured I would share it with you all out of respect to one of the greatest Yankees and nicest people I have ever met.

I finally arrived back at Huntington at about 3:00. After spending some time setting up I was then able to catch the end of the Mets game (a win- of course!) It was great to see three of the four athletes( that would soon be appearing at the store) contribute to the victory. The game ended at about 4:10 and the seemingly endless line began to grow even more. Unfortunately the guys did not show up until about 6:30 (to no fault of their own) Some people began to become a little bit agitated but what you guys need to understand is that the players have a routine after each game that takes at least an hour. All the pitchers ice their arms for a while and the position players may have meetings or other obligations in the training room or clubhouse. Whenever we have players appearing after a game it is a safe bet that they will arrive anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours after the completion on the game. Aside from all that it was that Long Island traffic (see the previous blog entry) that delayed the appearance even longer. Anyway, once the guys finally arrived everything was awesome. All four guys took photos with everyone and took the time to talk to each customer. I had a feeling that Ramon Castro and Joe Smith would both have huge lines (and I was right). In the short time he has been with the club Joe Smith has become a big fan favorite (and deservedly so). Castro has long been a cult hero here in New York. He is, by far, the best backup catcher in the game. Once the public portion of the day was complete I was able to get some strong product signed by the guys. Ramon, Joe and Pedro signed some great photos as well as MLB baseballs. Lo Duca and Feliciano also signed a few incredible game used pieces including baseballs and batting helmets (Note: A game-used batting helmet from a relief pitcher is a rare, rare item...a must have for a serious Mets game-used collector). Anyway, I finally left the store at about 10:00 PM and headed right back into traffic. This time it was on the Northern State...and then the Clearview. It is definitely good to be back in Westchester.
We have another exciting week coming up so keep checking back for updates.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Let's Go Mets!

I want to start this blog off by letting you all know how down I am on Long Island in the summer. I never mind driving out there for appearances during the fall and winter but after Memorial Day it is the worst (probably due to the insane traffic brought about by people going to and from the beach) My distaste for Island traffic was a big theme of today's travels. Early on this beautiful Saturday I headed out to Last Licks Huntington for our appearance with WWE superstars Batista and Michelle McCool. It took me quite a long time to get out there and, once I dropped my product off, I then drove over to Last Licks Massapequa to start prepping my items for this evening's Mets appearance. After unloading in 'Pequa I then headed BACK over to Huntington (needless to say there was way too much traffic involved) When I arrived back at Huntington there was a raucous line of fans awaiting the arrival of Batista and Michelle. It is a very different crowd than we are used to. As a wrestling fan myself I was loving it. Both Batista and Michelle were extremely gracious to all their fans (which I love to see) While I was not able to stay very long at the appearance I did stick around to get photos with both stars.
After leaving Huntington I braved my way back down 135 towards Massapequa for our appearance with Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Castro, Pedro Feliciano and Joe Smith.
Check back later for a recap.