bqaggie
Verified Trader,
My apologies that I have been busy lately where I didn't have time to share, but I've been wanting to show off a few more Dallas Cowboys player meet & greets! You can see in this previous thread from Hobby Insider that I've had a lot of recent success in adding to my helmet of almost 20 years. Please feel free to click the link and take a look. It's pretty awesome.
Anyway, the latter part of January, GTSM hosted a show in the Woodlands (north of Houston) in which some former Dallas Cowboys were in attendance to sign autographs. Bob Lilly, Bill Bates, Drew Pearson...as well as other Glory Days favorites. So I took Sabrina with me & had an absolute blast! Darren Woodson, who was recently up for NFL Hall of Fame & was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor was probably the most gracious in my recent experience. Not only did he offer up a free inscription on my helmet & really took his time on a great signature, but he also was gracious enough to answer a question that has been on my mind for a little while and had always wanted to ask a former Cowboy! Video is included below.
2015 Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor inductee & 3-Time Super Bowl Champion, Darren Woodson
Me asking Woody a question, as to which was harder to overcome out of halftime; Super Bowl XXVIII or Super Bowl XXX
3-Time Super Bowl Champion, Dixon Edwards
2-Time Super Bowl Champion, Alvin Harper
2-Time Super Bowl Champion, Kevin Williams
I don't really think this man needs an introduction, but just in case, he's 3-Time Super Bowl Champion & NFL's All-Time Leading Rusher, Emmitt Smith
Picture of Sabrina & I at the show
I ran into Steve Grad of Beckett (formerly of PSA/DNA & authenticator of choice on "Pawn Stars")
Sabrina was awesome enough to put together a little collage of our day:
Also, I picked up a cheap RC of our star LB Sean Lee
Now, fast-forward to about a week later, when Super Bowl XLI rolls into Houston. I caught wind that current Cowboys superstar RB Ezekiel Elliott would be in town and was doing his FIRST EVER public signing as a member of the Dallas Cowboys! All signings conducted previously where right before the draft when he was still technically an Ohio State Buckeye, and they were all done as Private Signings. This appearance would be limited to only 200 tickets, and they were selling out fast! So I ordered my ticket and took off school for a half-day in order to meet & greet Zeke! I went a little picture happy. The store was a madhouse, littered with fans & collectors alike, as well as some minor "celebrities." (Guy Fieri is a complete jackass!!) Some taking pictures, trying to catch a glimpse of Zeke & even some trying to bust in & get a free autograph. There were even a few people who had to be physically removed b/c they were upset when they found out that it cost money just to take a picture with him...and got even MORE upset when they found out the price of an autograph ticket. ($279) Then back to Guy Fieri. He came in about halfway through the signing...whether he was there WITH Zeke, or BECAUSE of him, I'm not 100% sure...but because he thinks he's a celebrity, he cut right up at the front of the line and got a few items signed completely free of charge "for his kids." Pisses me off that we all had to pay, but because he's a celebrity, he shot right up front for free & gets ink til his heart's content. Then, to top it off, when fans wanted to take pictures with Guy, he was of the "yeah, hurry up" mentality. Very rude & disrespectful to those few who knew who he was & wanted a picture with him.
I will say this...while Zeke was incredibly gracious and enjoyed his fans, I will never attend another signing in a mall where every gawking-*** member of the populace can bum rush the collectors who've paid their money to get an item signed, thinking they can get something free, then get upset to the point of getting thrown out. There was one unfortunate incident in which a guy got an authentic helmet signed, and as he was turning to leave the line, a "fan" who cared about nothing other than getting a free picture taken with Zeke, bumped into the man's helmet and promptly smeared the still-fresh and highly expensive signature. It was poorly managed and I just don't have any tolerance for it. This is why I will ALWAYS attend a sports memorabilia show, in which if you don't pay admission, you don't get admitted!! AGAIN, let me stress, this had NOTHING to do with Mr. Elliott AT ALL!! He was awesome, cordial and gracious...it was the company that hosted him, the store they had him in and how they ran it. Total piss-poor chaos.
But alas, here's the pictures I took of Ezekiel Elliott
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL & GORGEOUS penmanship from Ezekiel Elliott!! Prime example of why he's already my favorite player & person in the NFL. I couldn't be happier!!
I specifically wanted this picture signed b/c this was the Thursday Night NFL game in which the league allowed them to wear their own customized cleats, and since Zeke is a HUGE supporter of the SPCA & outspoken advocate for animal cruelty/abuse/neglect, (which is also very close to my heart as my wife & I continue to donate & support Jamie's Animal Rescue) he wore customized SPCA Puppy cleats that night. Dak wore cleats dedicated to his mother, who passed away due to Breast Cancer, and yes I plan on getting Dak Prescott's autograph to finish the photo off. Once it's done, I will get the photo professionally framed.
Lastly, if you happened to click the link at the top, you will see that I had a Super Bowl champions 16X20 that was signed by all of the players on the photo. I finally took it to CSD Framing of Dallas & got it professionally done, along with a dual-signed 16X20 of Tyler Seguin & Jamie Benn. Here's the final results of those photos.
So that's it. Hope you had a good time reading & viewing my photos from my Cowboys experience these past few weeks/months. I hope to continue to provide more photos and stories, as I continue to attend more shows in the future. I have promised Sabrina that the next time Emmitt Smith comes to Houston for a show, we're buying the MVP/VIP package that allows a backstage photo, personal meet & greet & the chance to ask him a question. I think that would be a lifelong memory to have. Comments are welcome and appreciated.
Anyway, the latter part of January, GTSM hosted a show in the Woodlands (north of Houston) in which some former Dallas Cowboys were in attendance to sign autographs. Bob Lilly, Bill Bates, Drew Pearson...as well as other Glory Days favorites. So I took Sabrina with me & had an absolute blast! Darren Woodson, who was recently up for NFL Hall of Fame & was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor was probably the most gracious in my recent experience. Not only did he offer up a free inscription on my helmet & really took his time on a great signature, but he also was gracious enough to answer a question that has been on my mind for a little while and had always wanted to ask a former Cowboy! Video is included below.
2015 Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor inductee & 3-Time Super Bowl Champion, Darren Woodson
Me asking Woody a question, as to which was harder to overcome out of halftime; Super Bowl XXVIII or Super Bowl XXX
3-Time Super Bowl Champion, Dixon Edwards
2-Time Super Bowl Champion, Alvin Harper
2-Time Super Bowl Champion, Kevin Williams
I don't really think this man needs an introduction, but just in case, he's 3-Time Super Bowl Champion & NFL's All-Time Leading Rusher, Emmitt Smith
Picture of Sabrina & I at the show
I ran into Steve Grad of Beckett (formerly of PSA/DNA & authenticator of choice on "Pawn Stars")
Sabrina was awesome enough to put together a little collage of our day:
Also, I picked up a cheap RC of our star LB Sean Lee
Now, fast-forward to about a week later, when Super Bowl XLI rolls into Houston. I caught wind that current Cowboys superstar RB Ezekiel Elliott would be in town and was doing his FIRST EVER public signing as a member of the Dallas Cowboys! All signings conducted previously where right before the draft when he was still technically an Ohio State Buckeye, and they were all done as Private Signings. This appearance would be limited to only 200 tickets, and they were selling out fast! So I ordered my ticket and took off school for a half-day in order to meet & greet Zeke! I went a little picture happy. The store was a madhouse, littered with fans & collectors alike, as well as some minor "celebrities." (Guy Fieri is a complete jackass!!) Some taking pictures, trying to catch a glimpse of Zeke & even some trying to bust in & get a free autograph. There were even a few people who had to be physically removed b/c they were upset when they found out that it cost money just to take a picture with him...and got even MORE upset when they found out the price of an autograph ticket. ($279) Then back to Guy Fieri. He came in about halfway through the signing...whether he was there WITH Zeke, or BECAUSE of him, I'm not 100% sure...but because he thinks he's a celebrity, he cut right up at the front of the line and got a few items signed completely free of charge "for his kids." Pisses me off that we all had to pay, but because he's a celebrity, he shot right up front for free & gets ink til his heart's content. Then, to top it off, when fans wanted to take pictures with Guy, he was of the "yeah, hurry up" mentality. Very rude & disrespectful to those few who knew who he was & wanted a picture with him.
I will say this...while Zeke was incredibly gracious and enjoyed his fans, I will never attend another signing in a mall where every gawking-*** member of the populace can bum rush the collectors who've paid their money to get an item signed, thinking they can get something free, then get upset to the point of getting thrown out. There was one unfortunate incident in which a guy got an authentic helmet signed, and as he was turning to leave the line, a "fan" who cared about nothing other than getting a free picture taken with Zeke, bumped into the man's helmet and promptly smeared the still-fresh and highly expensive signature. It was poorly managed and I just don't have any tolerance for it. This is why I will ALWAYS attend a sports memorabilia show, in which if you don't pay admission, you don't get admitted!! AGAIN, let me stress, this had NOTHING to do with Mr. Elliott AT ALL!! He was awesome, cordial and gracious...it was the company that hosted him, the store they had him in and how they ran it. Total piss-poor chaos.
But alas, here's the pictures I took of Ezekiel Elliott
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL & GORGEOUS penmanship from Ezekiel Elliott!! Prime example of why he's already my favorite player & person in the NFL. I couldn't be happier!!
I specifically wanted this picture signed b/c this was the Thursday Night NFL game in which the league allowed them to wear their own customized cleats, and since Zeke is a HUGE supporter of the SPCA & outspoken advocate for animal cruelty/abuse/neglect, (which is also very close to my heart as my wife & I continue to donate & support Jamie's Animal Rescue) he wore customized SPCA Puppy cleats that night. Dak wore cleats dedicated to his mother, who passed away due to Breast Cancer, and yes I plan on getting Dak Prescott's autograph to finish the photo off. Once it's done, I will get the photo professionally framed.
Lastly, if you happened to click the link at the top, you will see that I had a Super Bowl champions 16X20 that was signed by all of the players on the photo. I finally took it to CSD Framing of Dallas & got it professionally done, along with a dual-signed 16X20 of Tyler Seguin & Jamie Benn. Here's the final results of those photos.
So that's it. Hope you had a good time reading & viewing my photos from my Cowboys experience these past few weeks/months. I hope to continue to provide more photos and stories, as I continue to attend more shows in the future. I have promised Sabrina that the next time Emmitt Smith comes to Houston for a show, we're buying the MVP/VIP package that allows a backstage photo, personal meet & greet & the chance to ask him a question. I think that would be a lifelong memory to have. Comments are welcome and appreciated.
