Willie Mays Tells Mets - Let Me Sign Autographs

Willie Mays is so concerned about lack of attendance at Citi Field that he wants to have an autograph session (for him) on the field.

According to the NY Daily News, Mays said, "I'd like to come back and do a show there, 'like an autograph session, help myself, help the Mets."

Thanks to Willie for "offering" his services for a price at Citi Field. I think this could be a good idea if:
- Willie's autograph prices come down to reality
- Fans get a tour of the ballpark including, dugout, locker room, around the outfield, bullpen, etc.
- Add some other Mets greats to the line up.

But let's be honest.  Is really Mays really going to sit in the October chill at Citi Field to sign autographs? I think we're looking at next season.

PBS Baseball Tenth Inning By Ken Burns - 9/28

Ken Burns unveils the Tenth Inning on PBS Tuesday, 9/28. This is a two-part follow-up to his baseball documentary.

I really enjoyed the original baseball documentary he did 20 years ago and I'm looking forward to seeing how he documents events following the '94 strike and the steroid era.

You can follow the Tenth Inning here and on facebook, twitter, and foursquare.

I would have liked a promotion baseball card set to come out with this.

When Football Players Had Off-Season Jobs

The backs of vintage cards bring more than the stats.

I picked up this 1952 Bowman Large card of Dallas Texan Brad "Whitie" Ecklund. The best part of his card was the listing of his four years in the Marines seeing action at Okinawa.

I really thought it the last two sentences of the card were interesting:
"Works as a salesman during the off-season. Plans career in coaching and selling."

Sounds like the first steps to product endorsements?

My Vince Coleman Autograph Request

Former Met and friend of firecrackers, Vince Coleman, is signing autographs.

Vince is signing at the Mounted Memories November 21 show in Chicago, IL.

What are the chances Vince signs a firecracker for me?

If you don't remember Vince's little problem . . .

eBay Auction for Dana White to Tweet You

Twitchange is a celebrity twitter auction that is raising money for aHomeinHaiti.org.

You can bid to have Eva Longoria, Dana White, Jim Rome, Pierre Garcon, and others follow you on twitter for at least 90 days and retweet one of your tweets.

The auction raises money to build the Miriam Center, a home for children with cerebral palsy, severe autism and other disabilities.

How long until TriStar, Mounted Memories and others start selling tweets and followers at card and memorabilia shows?

2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame List

The Hall of Fame announced it's preliminary list for the 2011 Class. Some of the first time notables include:
- Deion Sanders
- Jerome Bettis
- Marshall Faulk
- Curtis Martin
- Jimmy Smith, 
- Willie Roaf
- Dick Vermeil 

Out of that group, I see Deion and Marshall being first ballot HOFers. I think Bettis and Roaf will eventually get in, but it may not be on the first ballot. 

More...

Reds Missed an Opportunity

The Reds could take a page from the Toronto Blue Jays marketing department.

Last week I blogged about #twittertuesdays at a Blue Jays game. It was a great experience for my family. We were able to meet people, get involved in the game and I could have conversations with other fans cheering for the Blue Jays. (I'm still a Mets fan, but I like to cheer for the home team when I'm at a new stadium.)

September 11 was Pete Rose #4192 celebration day at the Reds game. For the first time in over 20 years, Pete was allowed on the home field of the Cincinnati Reds. It was a great video tribute and it was amazing to see Pete on the field.

But the Reds really missed out on an opportunity to socialize with their customers. They didn't have a hashtag for the event. I twittered from touring the Reds Hall of Fame, from my seats, the concessions and after the ceremony. Using the tweet-see app, I could see hundreds of other people doing the same thing.

Instead of promoting a hashtag, like #4192, and following the conversation. The Reds marketing arm did they same thing they always do at a game: Send their pretty spokesperson to the vending areas to talk about great hotdogs for $10 and a 10% discount on hats at the gift shop. Really? Yes, really.

What they should have done:

• Promote and follow a hashtag - #4192 is just an example. 
• Get stories from people who came to see Pete on the field. I sat next to someone who drove to the game from Iowa to see Pete. 
• Use twitpics of people in their Rose jerseys on the jumbo screen. 
• Create an online petition to send to Bud Selig for Pete to be reinstated. 
• Even talk about the cool Pete Rose print give-away at the Reds HOF. 

They missed an opportunity to connect, engage and turn their customers into evangelists.

Pete Rose 25 Year Anniversary - Free Print

I attended the Pete Rose 4192 celebration on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010. Everyone who went through the Reds Hall of Fame received a free print.

The picture has Pete's swing from Sept. 11, 1985. I have the picture of Pete on first base with Steve Garvey, but I didn't have one with the swing. It's a pretty nice print I'll get signed some day. One in ten given-away at the Reds Hall of Fame were already signed - I wasn't lucky enough to win one of those.