Super Bowl week is hitting Dallas. I've been to two Super Bowl weeks (only to the game once) and the NFL Experience is awesome.
The card shows are cool and so is the NFL Experience. If you're in the Dallas area, definitely check it out and bring the following in your backpack:
I've said here numerous times that I will not pay Emmitt's outrageous price demands for his autograph, but the emotions are now moving to the Hall of Fame blog.
Emmitt's individual prices on a full size helmet go for: $299 plus $189 for an inscription. The Hall of Fame is also selling a $500 super ticket that gets you an autograph of everyone going into the HOF this year. However, that $500 will only get you an autograph on a flat item for Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.
I'm a huge Dallas fan and Emmitt was one of my favorites, but I won't pay this amount.
Maybe he would sign this transcript though:
NFL has CXL their EXP.
I've gone to two NFL Experiences and both have been great times. There are a ton of games, free autographs, cool interactive experiences with players, and Topps hosts a huge card show in the middle of it all.
Unfortunately, fans headed to south Florida won't be experiencing any of that this year. As previously announced last May, the NFL canceled the event for this year's Super Bowl. I believe it's the first time in 18 years they will not have it. There is usually still a ton of events around the host city, cook-offs, fireworks, parades and parties.
I think the cancellation is due to the economic impacts of the corporate sponsors (although the league has laid-off several people this year). It's a huge expense for Samsung, Direct TV and others.
Hopefully the league will add it back next year when the Super Bowl is in Jerry's World.
Last week I blogged about a handicapped fan (Butch Franklin) who's memorabilia and autograph collection was stolen from his apartment. At the time, the Dallas Cowboys said they were working on something to replace his items and fortunately, they came through.
Say it ain't so! Mounted Memories is once again running the autograph session at the Football Hall of Fame this summer.
Their shows web site has "Canton Induction Weekend" listed as an "upcoming signing." Mounted Memories has run the autograph shows the last 4 years and in the process, has priced out the average collector.
The football HOF previously had "tent sessions" where you could you buy one ticket and get multiple autographs of Hall of Famers in the tents. Since MountedMemories was outsourced as the autograph vendor, the tent sessions have ended and prices have spiked. Fortunately, some Canton malls have autograph sessions throughout the weekend with prices for the average collector. Two years ago, Art Donovan was signing at one of the malls where he signed my 1952 Dallas Texans helmet. He was awesome and worth the $25!
Hopefully, the local malls will come through again with some great guests.
No more NFL Super Bowl Experience?! Fans in south Florida (home of his year's big game) must be upset over this.
The Beckett Blog reported this week the Super Bowl Experience for XLIV (44 if you're not Roman) has been canceled!
I've been to two of the SB Experiences and they are awesome. The Topps Card show is good, the autograph pavilion is run like a 3-ring circus most of the time, but the autographs are free, and there is so much to do there. I have picked up quite a few autographs at the shows including Todd McFarlane, Larry Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, and Archie Manning (pictured here in Arizona).
I emailed the NFL on Tuesday to get confirmation that the card show and Experience was canceled. I'll add to this post once I get a reply.
This is my Bullet Bob Hayes rookie card - 1966 Philadelphia #58.
I made a quest a few years ago to collect the rookie cards of Ring of Honor Cowboys - one of my favorites is the original #22 for the Dallas Cowboys.
Bullet Bob won two Gold Medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and tied the 100m world record of 10.0 seconds. The time is even more remarkable because he did it wearing someone else's shoes! His were left in the hotel room.
Hayes was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round of the '64 draft and immediately paid dividends helping Dallas to their first Super Bowl victory.
Based on stats, Hayes doesn't have the numbers compared to modern day or even wide receivers in the '90s. But his biggest contribution is the ripple effect his speed created across the NFL landscape. No one on defense could keep up with Hayes, so they invented a new defense - the zone.
Hayes' numbers are good - he was a 3x all-pro and led the league in touchdowns before "the zone" was invented. In my opinion, if NFL Hall of Fame criteria is based on a player's impact on the field, then Bullet Bob Hayes belongs in Canton.
On August 27, 2008 he was named as one of two senior candidates for the 2009 Hall of Fame election. Hayes passed away in 2002.
Yes - this card and profile on Bob Hayes is part of my quest to reach the Wax Heaven - Heavenly Seven summit.
In Las Vegas, there is a money line on whether or not the Detroit Lions will get a win this season.
This should be the new Donovan McNabb card.
Did Jerry Jones make a fatal mistake that could set the franchise back 5-10 years?
On the 133 year anniversary of the founding of Brigham Young University, here are the top 5 quarterbacks in the football program's history:
Want own a piece of Texas Stadium - or the entire endzone!?
Everyone wants to celebrate what a great teammate Shawne is by risking his career to play through torn knee ligaments.
I talked to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH and they confirmed the induction ceremony aka "HOF Weekend" is the first FULL weekend in August.
To them, that means Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Since Friday is July 31, they moved the entire HOF weekend to August 7 - 9.
The National Sports Collectors Convention is still scheduled to begin July 29.
I'm not sure how much of a controversy it was really going to be anyway. The HOF's Mounted Memories shows seem to be going down hill and here's a list of who was at last year's National in Chicago.
Thanks to a heads-up message board posting on Signings.com for asking the question. I'm glad I called the HOF this morning!
I think it's more about the area shows in Canton than the HOF. There are a lot of great shows at local malls in Canton that have great autograph guests. Last year I was all over the highway between Cleveland and some of the Canton malls. Fortunately, I live in Ohio, so depending on the autograph guests, I can possibly make both weekends.
I wonder how back-to-back weekends in NE Ohio will affect out of town collectors and the ability to secure autograph guests.
Posts
All Comments
