2 Nascar Champions in 2 Weekends! Part 2 of 2

Hope you enjoyed the first part of this story, about meeting the 1989 Winston Cup Champion, Rusty Wallace. Let's finish up the Nascar story, with the telling of part 2.

2 Nascar Champions in 2 Weekends! Part 2 of 2; Matt Kenseth

In 2000, a Nascar rookie was on the scene that won the famous Coca-Cola 600 race. The Coke 600 is the longest race on the Nascar schedule, at 600 miles in race length. So, when a rookie won the race...he turned a few heads. In fact, that race was the only Coke 600, to be won by a rookie.













That rookie went on to win Nascar's 'Rookie of the Year' honours, finishing 14th in Cup points. That year, his rookie year, Matt Kenseth participating in 34 races and became a serious threat to win every race afterwards, for Rousch Racing.

Only three years later, Kenseth was on top of the Nascar world.

In 2003, the DeWalt Power Tools sponsored driver won only 1 race...Las Vegas. However, his fantastic performances in other races; 11 top fives and a series-high 25 top-10 finishes, caused Matt Kenseth to remain 1st for 33 consecutive weeks in overall points, and setting a new modern-era record for most weeks at No. 1. The previous mark was 30 weeks, set by the late Dale Earnhardt during his first title season of 1980.

Matt Kenseth won the 2003 Nascar-Winston Cup Championship. It was DeWalt/Roush Racing first Champion also. For his efforts that year, he won $9.4 million in race winnings.

In 2009, Kenseth finally won the 'big race'. February 16, 2009 was the date of the "Great American Race", and Kenseth was hoping for a good day. Kenseth, who went winless in 2008, participated in his 10th Daytona 500. The Daytona 500, which is the most popular race on the Nascar schedule, is the most desirable win for all drivers. On lap 146, Matt Kenseth took the lead from Elliott Sadler, and didn't look back. On lap 152, the cars came into pit road under the red flag; Kenseth remained in his car while other drivers stayed in theirs and others exited their cars, during the rain. At 6:49p.m. EST, sixteen minutes after the start of the red flag, NASCAR officials decided to call the race declaring Kenseth the winner.

"It's going to be really wet out here because I'm crying like a baby," said Kenseth moments after the race was declared. "I tell you what, after last year, winning a race means a lot to me," Kenseth later said!












With that said, when a Champion like Kenseth comes to my area for an autograph appearance...I take notice.

...And that's what happened.

While I getting things ready for the Wallace signing, I found out that Matt Kenseth was going to be appearing at the Canadian Motorsports Expo, situated at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

I went to the CME last year, to meet my all-time favourite driver...Canadian legend; Jacques Villeneuve. I felt it was a nicely ran event, and I enjoyed meeting JV at the CME. I got an 16x20 signed by Canada's greatest driver, that day. It's one of my absolute favourite autographs.

So, after my good experience at the CME last year, I decided to go back again this year to meet Matt Kenseth, and check out what the Expo had to offer.

Normally, I talk about the 'big hunt' to find something to get signed, around this point...but I already was set in the department! A few years ago, when 2-time Daytona 500 winner; Michael Waltrip came to a local NAPA store, Corinna got a diecast and more importantly...a panoramic print of the Daytona International Speedway signed by Waltrip. We picked up the print at the Nascar store in Woodbridge, Ontario...and thought it would nice to collect a few Daytona winners on it. Little did we know, how difficult this project would be.

Like I mentioned, in part 1, Nascar drivers don't really come to Canada often...especially former Daytona 500 winners! So, when Kenseth announced that he was coming to the CME...I knew excatly what I getting signed!

However, I did want a diecast signed also...for my small collection of signed cars. I found a seller in Brampton, Ontario on craigslist.ca, thanks to a Spawn.com board member who pointed me in the right direction. This was a special diecast...it was the 2003 Championship edition of Kenseth. After agreeing on a price, the deal was done.

The CME was scheduled to happen the weekend after the racing event in London, which worked out nicely for me. 2 champs, in 2 weekends. (Title drop!)

After picking up the Kenseth diecast the night before, the Saturday arrived. I decided to bring my son, Joshua, along to see the Expo. He enjoyed meeting Doug Gilmour (see 'Killer' entry, for that story), and seems to be enjoying autographing. I told him that often Nascar drivers show up to signing with their own photos, called 'Hero Cards', and sign them for fans...for free. He got excited at the prospect of a free signed picture.

After driving to the International Centre, which is across from Toronto's Pearson airport, we got a good parking spot...which could be a problem sometimes. Once we bought our tickets for the Canadian Motorsports Expo, we entered the show around 12:30pm. The signing was scheduled to begin at 2:30pm, but the CME greeter told us that people had already started lining up for Kenseth's signing. Two hours early?! I kind of dismissed it, as Josh and I walked in and started looking at all the cool race cars on display.














We saw Porsches, Audis, Outlaws, Dirt track races, classic races, go-karts, and a 2010 Corvette ZR1. Paul Tracy's Player's Indy car was also on display.














But the highlight of the CME's cars were the two Nascar show-cars on display.

CME had superstar drivers, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr's show-cars on display. Gordon's Dupont 24 and Dale Jr's Amp Energy 88 were really popular, as alot of people were getting photos with the stock cars. Hendrick racing had brought the cars to the CME, and were also handed out (unsigned) 'Hero Cards' of Gordon and Dale Jr to those who visited the show-cars.














Josh and I spent some time looking at these cars, and took some pictures with them. Josh also collected the pictures that were handed out, by Hendrick Racing.















After looking at some other displays, we made our way to the back of the CME, where the Q&A/autograph pavillion was located. We immediately saw the line-up. It was pretty early to line up for Kenseth's autograph, but judging by the amount of people still walking around in Kenseth/DeWalt gear, I decided to bite the bullet...and get in line.

It turned out to be a good move.

We were about 50th in line, and in the span in 15 minutes...another 100 people lined up. After 30 minutes, he entire line had about 400 people. At that point, we were still an hour away from the beginning of the Kenseth appearance. People in line were told how the signing was to happen. The first 100 people or so, were going to be brought into the Q&A area, where they could sit down and watch Kenseth's interview. Afterwards, we would then be first to get Kenseth's autograph, going to the stage area...row by row.

I was relieved to hear, that we were going to sit down for abit! After that bit of good news, the Michelin man walked by. I got Josh to pose for a picture...even though he didn't want to!














Just before the line was to move into the Q&A area, I decided to check out the length of the line. When I stood at the front of the line, I couldn't see the back! Walking along the line, I was stunned to see how people were here. There must of been 1000 people waiting for their chance to meet the Daytona 500 winner!














Finally, our time came to move into the seated area. Once we were sitted, in the 4th row, Josh and I got our stuff ready. Josh wanted to get the special diecast signed, leaving me with the Daytona print to get autographed. I then noticed that the emcee of the CME, lifted a box onto the signing table, and started pulling out hundreds of 'Hero Cards'. I pointed this out to Josh, and he got pretty excited at the chance of getting a free signed picture for his own collection. I was kind of excited too...I enjoy getting free autographed pictures!

After sitting for about 10 minutes, Matt Kenseth was introduced. He got a nice round of applause from those in attendance! He was intereviewed for a few mintues, which he discussed becoming a team owner, and what it was like having his son drive for him. He also talked about racing his son, and being very thankful to beat him! He ended the interview by talking about his first time in 10 years being with a different sponsor. His longtime sponsor, DeWalt Power Tools, are leaving Nascar, and Crown Royal is stepping up as Kenseth's new sponsor. He also added, that he was getting a new crew, which he was excited about. I wish him luck...in purple, instead of black and yellow!














Soon after, the signing began.

The emcee spoke that since there was an incredible amount of people, there would be only one autograph per person (If I've only had a dollar for everytime I've heard that statement), and that no posed pictures will happen...so everyone could get an autograph. Fine by me.

Josh was concerned at this point, for getting a free 'Hero Card'. I told him, that those were giveaways, and all he had to do was ask nicely for one. He smiled at the prospect, again.

After the first three rows went up, it was showtime for Joshua and I. Josh had the diecast carefully in his hands, and I had the print unrolled, as we climbed the stage to meet the new Crown Royal driver.


















Josh handed the diecast to Kenseth's helper, and asked for a picture...as the stack of 'Hero Cards' were in front of him. The helper said sure, and put a picture with the diecast, in front of Matt Kenseth. Kenseth noticed my 11 year old son, and asked how he was doing?














For the second time, in as many signings, Josh was star-struck! Josh didn't (or perhaps couldn't) respond, as Matt Kenseth picked up a silver Sharpie and beautifully autographed the number 17 DeWalt diecast.






















Quickly, Kenseth switched Sharpies, picking up a black one, and signed the 'Hero Card' for Josh. I hope Josh said thank you, but I'm not sure...it was my turn.



























Kenseth's helper wanted to take my Daytona 500 print from me, but I wasn't having that! The print, itself, is a large photo that has to be unrolled properly...and I had the spot that I wanted Kenseth to sign rolled open. I didn't want to hand it off, losing the spot...right beside Michael Waltrip's autograph. She, the helper, decided not to rock the boat, as I placed the print directly in front of Kenseth. Since, he already had the black Sharpie in his hand, he went directly beside Waltrip's autograph, and signed a beauty for me!














I congratulated him on the Daytona win, and asked for a 'Hero Card'. "Thanks alot, sure!" he replied. He signed the picture for me, as I wished him well for the upcoming Nascar season. We shook hands, then I collected my things and my son. He said "Thanks" again, as Josh and I departed the stage area. He was really cool to meet and greet.









Josh and I stopped at a table set off to the side of the stage, and properly put away our autographed items. As I rolled up the print, and Josh put the diecast in it's box, I asked Josh, if he heard the Nascar champion ask him how he doing. Josh slowly looked at me stunned..."He asked me something, Dad?!".

That's my boy.

This concludes this two-parter, hope you enjoyed it!














See you soon,
Chris

2 Nascar Champions in 2 Weekends! Part 1 of 2

Welcome back!

Time for a shift in the traditional sports that I've been blogging about lately, time for Nascar!

2 Nascar Champions in 2 Weekends! Part 1 of 2; Rusty Wallace












One day, while playing Mafia Wars on Facebook, I noticed an advertisement on the side of the screen saying something about meeting Rusty Wallace in London, Ontario.

I clicked on the ad, after finishing up on FB, and it took me to a website for the "CPT Racing Experience". After checking it out, I realized that it was basically a racing expo for South-western Ontario. Many tracks, drivers, speed products, and sponsors were scheduled to be on display over the weekend. The highlight of the weekend was that 2 Nascar drivers were going to be at the Western Fair Agriplex for a Q&A and autograph session. The drivers scheduled to appear were Ken Schrader and the 1989 Nascar Champion Rusty Wallace. Schrader was to appear on Sunday, with Rusty on Saturday.

I've met other Nascar drivers before, and enjoyed getting Diecast cars autographed. There is quite a large autograph movement that collect autographed 1:24 Nascar cars. And from what I understand, drivers have no problem signing their 1:24 scaled cars; this is because they make good money from each car sold! Not only that, but in comparison to the 'big 4' sports (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) Nascar drivers are some of the nicest celebrities going, and seem always to have time for their fans.


















On any given weekend across North America, I can guarantee that there is a Nascar driver(s) autograph signing going on...for free. Nascar and their drivers, always give back to their fans.

Living in Ontario, I don't always have access to these signings. But, when drivers are in travelling distance...I usually try to make an effort to go. My wife, Corinna and I, have collected a few drivers lately including, two-time Daytona 500 winner; Michael Waltrip, former rookie of the year; Kasey Kahne, and Nascar race-winner; David Reutimann. All of which, were very friendly and great signers!

I spoke to Corinna about the London event, and the wanting to meet Rusty Wallace on the Saturday. She said that it was great coincidence that we had a very important (and personal) appointment on that very Saturday, in London! Our appt was for 11:30am, and the Wallace signing was scheduled to start at 12:30pm. It didn't seem to be a problem. For days, I searched for an Wallace diecast car, and couldn't find one.

Finally, after searching Kijiji.ca, I found someone who was selling a few Nascar diecasts. So, I sent him a message, asking if he had a Rusty Wallace and if it was still available, and he got got back to quickly that he did have one left. So, I went to Kitchener to meet him, and to buy the car.



























After picking up the 2005 Retro version MGD car of Rusty Wallace, Corinna and I made plans for the Saturday.












I had to work Saturday morning, then travel to London for our important personal appointment, and then go to the Race-car show. When the Saturday came around, Corinna dropped me off at work. When the time came for me to leave, I ran out of work with a couple of coffees, and met her outside!

We drove to London (enjoying our coffees), from Cambridge (where I work), and traffic was surprisingly light...and we made our appointment on time. Afterwards, we left for the Fairgrounds, where the show was taking place.

We arrived at the Western Fairground of London, 10 minutes later, and the parking lot was jammed full! We had to park a good 5 minute walk away! Once we paid and got inside of the Race-car show; we saw alot of cool stuff.

There were potential sponsors, race tracks, amateur drivers, vendors, and other racing stuff all on display. Lucas Oil had a large display, talking about their product, and the drivers and races they sponsors. Delaware Race Track, from Ontario, had a display showing the races they coming up for the season. Even Mighigan Speedway, came up to promote the Nascar races they had for this new year. There were many new and old race cars on display. Some were former Nascar cars, funny cars, outlaws, and exotics. I'm not much of a car guy, but some of them really cool to see!

At the end of the hall, was the stage and autograph area. Corinna and I went and got in for Rusty Wallace's autograph, and we were about 40th in line. He still has alot of loyal fans, as there were a large amount of people wearing Rusty's clothing. There were Miller Lite jackets, MGD jackets, hats, and Rusty t-shirts. People had photos, cut-outs, die-cats, and even car parts! Everybody around, seemed to have purchased something with Rusty Wallace's name on it!

We stood in line, and waited for Rusty to arrive and the Q&A period to begin. After waiting for abit, Rusty Wallace came out and took to the stage, to a thunderous ovation!

Many questions were standard Q&A type questions..."Where is your favourite track?", "What was your favourite win?", and "Who do you like this year?". One question was; "What advice do you have to new, young drivers trying to make it?". I thought he'd say something like "Try your hardest, or never give up" or some standard type of answer. But I was wrong.














He replied; "Always smile, always talk to every single person in the room, always have time for fans. You never know who you're dealing with...could be a potential sponsor. And those people who are quiet, never get a second chance...so always speak up, and to everyone".


















I thought that this was excellent advice. He didn't bother to talk about racing itself...just what it takes to get to race professionally. I really respected his answer.

At this point, Rusty cut off the Q&A himself, and said he wanted to meet all these nice people, and start signing some autographs! He said this, with his southern accent, that made everyone smile.

He exited the stage, to his left, where a table was set up for the signing, and started meeting people right away!


















He was very friendly, smiling, and chatted with people, while he signed. I have to admit, some of those Nascar jackets that people were getting signed, looked incredible with his awesome signature on it! Both Corinna and I were a little jealous of these people and there signed items!

When it finally our turn, Corinna stood off to side to take pictures (for this blog!) of my chance to meet Rusty Wallace. When I approached him, I took out my diecast car, and said; "Hello Rusty, how are you?". "I'm good, how are you?" the former Winston Cup Champion replied. "Great! When you sign these do you prefer to sign the windshield or the hood?" I asked, handed him my car. He looked at it for a second, just checking it out, then looked at me, and said; "I like to sign the windshield". He picked up his silver Sharpie, and did just that.














Rusty Wallace signed my diecast across the windshield, and added his famous number 2 to his autograph. I thanked him for his autograph, and shook his hand. "You're welcome!" Rusty said, shaking my hand. Cool thing was, he seemed incredibly genuine.
















I walked towards Corinna, smiling, and showed her the signed car which she thought was awesome. We checked the car out, for a few more seconds, then she showed me the photographs she took. All good stuff. She's quite the shutterbug!
























We left after checking out the rest of the event, and headed back to Guelph.

It was a good day.

Chris

PS- Hope you enjoyed my first blog on a Nascar driver. I will blog the second part of this entry very soon. Want a hint on who the Nascar driver is? Okay...think DeWalt.

Killer

I've posted about a few great athletes lately in my blog...(most recently) Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, and Ilya Kovalchuk. But this blog edition, will focus on a true Toronto Maple Leaf icon; The Killer...Doug Gilmour.

Killer

Normally, I talk about my subject's acomplishments...but in this case, I won't. Most people who read my blog are based in Ontario, are Leafs fans, and know something about hockey. In the case of Doug Gilmour, if you don't know who he is...or how he capitivated an entire city in the 90's...stop right now and google him!

In a previous blog entry, I wrote about how easy it was to recieve autographs in Guelph's Sleeman Centre. The one drawback about getting autographs there, is that most autographs are from OHL players...not NHL'ers or other hockey superstars.

Most OHL coaches are former NHL players, but rarely are former star players.

Last season, the Kingston Frontenacs changed all that. Desperate for major change, Kingston hired one of there most famous sons as new head coach of the franchise...Doug Gilmour.













Gilmour, who retired in 2003, was an assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, took the head coaching job of the Frontenacs, on November 17, 2008.

He has quietly turned the struggling team around. As I write this, the Fronts are currently sitting third in their division, 1 game below .500, and are in a playoff position. Not bad considering that in his 1st season with the team, they won only 13 games. In his 2nd season, they've already reached 17 wins!

The last time I met Killer, was back in 2005, when he did a small autograph signing at a hockey store opening. About 15 people showed up, to the non-publicized event. I had a team photo signed by him, and an 8x10 that I had personalized to my friend (and eventual best-man at my wedding) Chris...as a birthday present. Gilmour was really cool about signing the birthday gift for Chris, I was abit nervous about asking him personalize the photo for someone birthday. He inscribed it; "To Chris, Happy Birthday, Doug Gimour #93". I was pleased with it, and Chris was incredibly happy with it! Chris still has the photo today, framed and hung above his computer. I'm not really sure if I could ever top that Birthday gift!

At that signing, I had a picture taken with Gilmour and hoped to get it signed one day.














When Gilmour became the coach of the Fronts, I knew that I would have a chance to get it signed. Kingston has to play Guelph, in Guelph, once a season. I just had to hope for the game to be played when I wasn't working.

When the 2009/10 OHL scheduled was announced this summer, I immediately checked for the Kingston in Guelph game. December 13th was the scheduled game...a Sunday. I mentioned it to Corinna, who had little interest. "If we're not going to the game...I'm not going autographing!" is what she said, as the date approached. I really didn't want to go to the game, as the Bills were playing the Chiefs...and I love the Bills. But my son, overheard the conversation, and spoke about it afterwards.

"Hey Dad, did Doug Gilmour ever play for Team Canada?" Josh asked. "Yes, he has...a few times, in fact he helped coach Team Canada at the Spengler Cup recently" I answered. "Could I go with you to get his autograph, I have a Team Canada puck he could sign?" he asked. Could I say no?!

The morning of the game(s), Josh and I got ready for the signing. I recently picked up Gilmour's McFarlane figure to get signed, along with the photo of us to get signed. Josh had his puck, and brought along my camera to take photos of our encounter...for my blog!















With a blue and silver Sharpie, with headed to the Sleeman Centre to beat the team bus, so we could meet Gilmour before the game. We got there in decent time, and did beat the bus. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones with the idea.

There was a group, possibly a family, of about 5 people waiting for Killer too. They had jerseys and photos that I could see. This didn't bother me, as I know Gilmour is a good signer and would probably sign everything everybody had...as long as there wasn't alot of people.

At this point, I had a small talk with my son. I told Josh, that I wanted him to take pictures of Gilmour signing my photo and his puck, so that I could use them for my blog. "No problem dad!" he smiled, proud to be in charge of taking pictures. I also told him, that after Gilmour signed for me, I would take the camera and take a picture of Josh getting his autograph and a posed picture with Douggy. He was good with this.

Josh was going to get the McFarlane signed for me, with the blue Sharpie. I was going to get the photo and puck autographed, with the silver Sharpie.

While waiting, we got to talking with two guys, who were waiting for Killer too. both were named Mark. The elder Mark, was there to get a couple of cards signed by Douggy, while the younger Mark, was hoping to get a jersey and hockey stick signed. We all chatted about Gilmour, the Guelph Storm, and how late the Kingston bus was getting! We all found out that the team stayed in Guelph that previous night, and was currently at a team lunch. That was abit relieving, as I worried about Gilmour already being inside the dressing room!

After chatting for a few minutes, the younger Mark asked if we could take his picture with Gilmour, and email it to him afterwards...not a problem was my reponse. We also chatted about other signings, and of course...this blog!

After waiting for a half hour, there was about 15 people waiting for Gilmour...when the team bus arrived. I told Josh that we would get him last...that way Josh to take photos of Gilmour signing for me, and then I could take a picture of Gilmour and Josh, and the picture for Mark.

Gilmour came in, saw the people waiting for him, and told everyone that he'll back out in a few minutes. He wanted to drop off his briefcase and coat. The entire team walked by, and nobody asked for an autograph...strange. We all wanted Killer's signature.

We he returned to the foyer area of the Sleeman Centre, everybody was lined up nicely. He signed for everybody there, I'm not sure if he signed every single item, but he did sign multiple things for people. He was signing incredibly fast, and tore the line in record time. When it was my turn, I handed the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs my silver Sharpie, and proudly displayed the photo of him and I, with the Team Canada puck sitting on top of it. While he signed the photo, I realized something...a flash didn't occur.














Gilmour then signed Josh's puck, without a flash again. I thanked him for his time, while Mark stepped in for his two items to get signed. When I turned to Josh, he was literally on my hip, with stars in his eyes!

Josh failed to take pictures of Gilmour signing for me, because he got star-struck!

It's all good!

















I quickly spoke to Josh, and he snapped out of it. I took the camera from him, placed my signed items on the floor, and told josh to ask Gilmour to sign for him. It's a good thing Josh spoke up...Gilmour was leaving.

When Douggy heard Josh's request, he bascially ran back to Josh...apologizing that he missed my son!


















He signed, with blue Sharpie, the McFarlane figure's base and agreed to a pose for a quick picture with Josh.


















After his posing with Josh, I got Mark (who was waiting patiently nearby) to stand with Gilmour, and have a picture with him. After I took their picture, Doug Gilmour was gone.















In about 3 minutes, he signed for everybody, took a few pictures, and had gone inside the Sleeman Centre to prepare his team for the game...and all his fans outside, were very happy and pleased!

After getting Mark's email address, Josh and I left to go home. On the way home, Josh and I had a little talk about getting 'star-struck'!














Later that afternoon, after the Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs 16-10, I checked the Guelph/Kingston game. Frontenacs beat the Storm 5-3.

Way to go Killer.


















PS- Thanks for reading! Happy New Year to all! If you enjoy reading my blog, please leave a message or consider following it by submitting your email. It'll send you a direct link everytime I post a new blog!

~C

T.O. in T.O.

Merry Christmas all!

This is just a quick posting to wish everyone the best of the holiday season!

Sorry about the delay with postings lately.

But I do, have a little something to share, to hold everyone over to next couple blogs!

My awesome wife took some time last week to travel to Toronto's Eaton Centre, to meet a true superstar...for me! (stupid work getting in the way!)

Corinna got the chance to meet 'n greet with football great Terrell Owens!














T.O. and my wife apparently chatted briefly about Twitter, while he signed our Dallas Cowboys jersey. (No, I didn't have a Bills one...the Cowboys one was on sale! Go Bills!)



















She said he was very nice, and friendly. Not like media makes him out be!














After she got home, I sent a brief message to T.O. about Corinna meeting him and thanking him for signing our jersey.

To my surprise, Terrell Owens responded!

terrellowens@cold_chris I remember her! She ws sweet! U're welcome

7:27 PM Dec 18th from UberTwitter in reply to cold_chris

What can I say?!

A special thanks to my super/fantastic/awesome wife, for this supergift!

Again...Merry Christmas all!

Chris

PS- I'm finishing up two entries, and WILL have them posted during the next week! I'm on vacation, with lots of free time now! ;)

Twitter-graphing!

Please be sure to read the 'PS' section, when you're finished!

Twitter-graphing!














I the past few years, the Buffalo Bills have gone from a team that I followed, to becoming my favourite team. While the Leafs may be number one in my heart, the Bills are now my '1B'! This may have to do with the fact that Corinna and I are season ticket holders, to the Bills.

If you've never been to a Bills game...or an NFL game in general, you're truly missing out on something great! The atmosphere in truly incredible! The tailgating, the vendors, the game...just the whole spectacle!

The love that Buffalo has for their Bills, isn't like anything I've ever scene in a sports setting before. Personally, I suggest catching the Bills playing the Miami Dolphins. That is one heck of rivalry game! Much like the Leafs and Habs rivalry, except 10 time louder! Remember, the Bills' stadium can hold over 73,000 people...so when the Bills make a great play, it gets REAL loud!

Over the past few years, I've had the chance to meet a couple of 'former' Bills and get their autographs. I've recieved Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas' autographs on a full size Bills helmet. It's actually one of my favourite autographed pieces, proudly displayed in my glass case, located in my basement. I hope to get other Hall of Fame Bills on the helmet on it one day. Bruce Smith is on the top of that particular list.

As a Bills season ticket holder, I have to admit that it did kind of bother me to watch the likes of Trent Edwards, Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans, and (now) Terrell 'T.O.' Owens, and not ever try to get their autographs. In fact...I have no current Bills autographs.

Why, you ask? Simple...I live in Canada.

Trying to get current Buffalo Bills' autographs isn't difficult at all...if you live in Buffalo and the Western New York state area. In fact, there are signings every week. The Bills are very 'out and about' in their community. The hard part for me, is the fact I reside in Guelph, Ontario. Guelph is less than 2 hours driving time away from Buffalo...which isn't all that bad to meet my favourite team.

The tough part is two fold.

First, the border crossing. Getting into the States isn't that difficult, the line-up to get in...is. There always seems to be a half-hour wait for us, regardless of time of day! Returning to Canada, hasn't always been easy either. You can always bet on an extra hour of travel time, in dealing with the border crossings. But, hey...everyone has a job to do, and border security is a tough one.

The second (and most important) fact, is that the autographs signings are during the week. Most of these Bills appearances occur Monday to Thursday, from 5ish to 7ish. That is incredibly difficult for me, as I work shift-work. When I'm on the 'days' rotation, I finish at 4:30pm. So, if there was a signing to happen in Buffalo at 7pm, I would have 2.5 hours to make it. Is is possible? Mathematically, the answer is yes. However, the truth is with distance, border crossing, and (most importantly) traffic, it's EXTREMLY difficult to pull off. Because of the difficulty, I always dismiss Bills signings...regardless of who's signing.

By the way...99 of 100 times, those signings are free. Which makes it all the more frustrating as an autograph collector, to be missing out on meeting my favourite team's players (for free)!

Earlier this year, after Terrell Owens signed with the Bills, I heard that a few of the Bills post messages on Twitter for their fans. I found this information out on buffalobills.com. Owens was a very active person on Twitter, the Bills website mentioned, and that was enough for me to create a profile on Twitter! After I created a profile, I began to follow a few Buffalo Bills...including the superstar, T.O.! Kawika Mitchell, James Hardy, and Aaron Maybin, all had profiles and were available to communicate with. A few former Bills, even have accounts including Darryl Talley, and Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas. Thomas is incredibly active, and seems to respond to every question posed to him by fans. Including a few of mine! Thanks Thurman!

After getting a few responses from Terrell Owens, about his signing habits and his television show...more and more Bills players and Bills organizational profiles started to pop-up on Twitter...all with appearance information! Donte Whitner, former first round pick, posted a couple of his signings. As did, the previously mentioned, Terrell Owens. The only problem was this...I was finding out about these appearances, the day of the event...often 2 or 3 hours in advance! That is just not possible for me, as travelling and scheduling interferes with my personal life too much.

One day, while reading Terrell Owens' posts, I noticed he followed Lee Evans. Lee Evans is the other star receiver on the Bills team, and has been a fan favourite since he was drafted in the 1st round, back in 2004. He is one of most productive Bills of all time, and has set a few Bills records. So, when I saw that Evans was availble to follow, on Twitter, I did just that.

After adding him to my following list, I sent him a message.

On October 24th, 2009 I sent this message to Lee Evans' profile; 83, do you have any autograph signings coming up?. Plain, simple, and to the point!

After that message, the next day there was no response from Lee Evans. In fact, a few days passed, so I forgot about it.

On November 2nd, 2009, at 11:07pm to be exact, I was reminded that I sent a message to Evans.

Lee Evans responded directly to me, about his next upcoming signing!

This is what he said; I have an appearance coming up on Nov 10th from 11am-1pm in Williamsville at a Sprint store. I'll def tweet & blog the location.

I was both suprised and jubilant! I quickly told my wife, Corinna, that Lee Evans sent me a direct message on Twitter, about a signing! Afterwards, I began to think about the signing more. My first thought was; it's a morning signing session...what shift am I on? When I checked the 10th, I saw it was a Tuesday...and that I was afternoons. I started work that day at 5:45pm, so the trip could be possible. The only draw back, was the fact it was a Tuesday. You see, I would work the day before from 5:45pm until 3:15am (Tuesday morning), leaving me without decent sleep if I were to consider this trip.

If he started signing at 11am, I'd have to be on the road for 9ish...leaving me with about 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

Gut check time...do I come home and sleep normally or do I come home, sleep for abit and make a road trip...and hope for a hour or so nap afterwards?

This was simply, I signing I wanted to do. So, I talked to my better half about it. Corinna was a little concerned about the lack of sleep, but realized it was cool opportunity to meet a great player. We both agree that the fact that Lee Evans told me personally about this signing, was the icing on the cake!

After I made up my mind that I was going, I had a week to find something to get signed.

Here we go faithful readers...another 'what to get signed' story within the story!

I decided early that I wanted a Bills mini-helmet to get signed, the only tough part about that idea was the limited amount of Bills merchandise available in Canada. I called a few stores in the local area, searching for a mini-helmet. I called Framed Memories in Cambridge, On, a place that I knew carried mini's...but they had no Bills' helmets. I called a few other places...to find a store, here in Guelph that had one.

When I asked how much they wanted for the helmet, I was shocked. The reply was $40 dollars. I thanked him for his time...in which he commented "That's what they go for, you know!". I finished the call, and turned to Corinna and mentioned the price. She laughed and said; "You're better off picking one up in Buffalo for $20US, when you go down...'cause you're just going to get ripped off here (in Canada)!".

She was right (as per the norm), and that's what I decided to do. I would get close to the signing location, and search for a sports and/or collectables store. If you know Buffalo & WNY at all, there are plenty of Bills souvenir stores!

On November 6th, 2009, Lee Evans posted a message on Twitter, for all his followers (this time); I will be signing autographs Tuesday, November 10 from 11:00-1:00PM at the sprint store 7974 Transit Road Williamsville NY. Aright, with that update, I finally had an exact location, so I could figure out the travel time and distance.

After plugging in the info into mapquest.ca, I saw that it was about 2 hours to the Sprint store. I checked for sports stores in the immediate area, finding a 'Dick's Super Sports Store' across the street from the Evans' signing spot. After checking online prices, I was happy to find that they sold Bills' mini-helmets for $24.99USD. After a quick conversion, I figured it would cost about $27 and change in Canadian. I laughed to myself, at the idea of buying the same helmet for $40 here in Guelph!

I was secretly hoping that the Sprint store would be giving away free 8x10's of Lee Evans. I've read online, that many Bills appearances include free photos for fans. Some signings even have free jerseys for the first 10 people in line! This is something the Bills franchise does, to keep their fans happy and interested in their team and players!

Ever heard of the Leafs or Canadiens doing that?!

When the Tuesday morning alarm clock went off...I was in bad shape. Having put in a hard night's work, making the Corolla and Matrix, I was pretty tired. I opened my eyes, turned off the alarm clock, and began to contemplate the whole idea again. I was awake on just a couple of hours of sleep, and not in good shape to begin this adventure.

Corinna, who was walking out the door for work, asked if I was going to able to do this? I put my feet on the floor, looked at her, and said; "Let's go Bills!" We both laughed, as I headed for the shower. After showering et al, I was on the road about 9am. Traffic was pretty good, as my GPS guided me towards New York state. I arrived at the Queenston-Lewiston border bridge, to find the line-ups about 5 cars deep.

When I got to the American border guard, I was bound to tell him the truth about my trip. No cheesy excuses like...I want to see the Falls from America or something! After declaring that I was Canadian, he asked where and why I entering the states? "I'm going to Williamsville to meet Lee Evans of the Buffalo Bills, sir". Instantly, he smiled. "You're not playing hooking are you?" I laughed, "No, just a hardcore Bills fan!". After a few more border patrol-type questions, I was on my way.

I got in Williamsville around 10:50am, and started searching for 'Dick's Sports'. When I arrived at sports store, I looked across the road...and saw the Sprint store. I was a little suprised to see, just a few vehicles in the parking lot. I felt a moment of panic, thinking that Evans cancelled or something, but quickly refocused to the task at hand.

I walked into the giant retailer, and realized that 'Dick's' is huge!

*insert laughter here

I saw their large Bills section, full of jerseys, shirts, and other items, and headed for it. I quickly spotted the mini-helmets, grabbed one, and headed to the check-out. After buying my mini-helmet (finally) I walked back to the Highlander, realizing how nice it was outside on this November day. It must of been 18 degrees out...just beautiful! I got in the Highlander, and drove across the street to meet number 83.

When I pulled up in front of the store, I spotted a huge vehicle that just separated itself from the 4 or 5 other cars in the lot. I parked in front of a huge Escalade, 'pimped right the heck out!'. It was really cool to see! Of course, I knew that this was Lee's truck...so I put it in park, right in front of it! I like being close to greatness, you know!














I reached for my mini-helmet, and took it out of it's box and casing. I then prepared my camera, and got the tool that's the most important item to any autograph collector...my Sharpie! I chose my silver sharpie, figuring it would look the nicest of the colour scheme of the Bills' mini-helmet. With my mini-helmet, silver Sharpie, and camera, I left my truck and walked for the Sprint store's door.

When I opened that door, it was about 11:20am, and I saw something that I've never seen before at an autograph signing. Twenty minutes (or so) into this signing...

NOBODY WAS HERE.

I stepped into the store and 25 or so feet away was, the Buffalo Bills star wide-reciever Lee Evans...sitting behing a table, doing nothing but texting on his phone!

I was kind of stunned!

One thought ran through my mind...this signing was not advertised properly, or at all!

I slowly walked into the store, and I guess since nobody should up for the signing...an employee got up from behing their desk to help me! I lifted my mini-helmet, to let them know why I was here. He smiled and sat back down.

I approached Lee, and he noticed me coming.

He put his phone down, and said hello to me.

"Hi Lee, my name is Chris, and I just wanted to say thanks for responding to me on Twitter about this signing!"

"Oh, was that you?! No problem!" He answered.

"I just came down from Toronto, to meet you..." I was saying, when he spoke up.

"Toronto?...Toronto?...I think I have another appearance in Toronto next Monday!" He said.

My heart sank. You mean...I just travelled to another country, spent this all time, and am missing out on sleep for this...and you're going to be in my neck of the woods! I thought all this, in that nano-second, as I handed him my mini-helmet and silver Sharpie. I quickly got over it.

I decided that I was going to ask him to inscribe it, with his autograph and with something extra. I was hoping that he would add 'first round pick 2004' or '265 yards vs Houston' or just a simple 'Go Bills!'. So I asked him, as he signed my mini-helmet.

"Would you mind adding 'first round pick 2004?'?" I asked.

He looked at me strange, as if he didn't understand what I was asking him.

"You were a first rounder, right?". "Yes..." Lee Evans said. "Okay, would you mind putting down '265 yards vs Houston' instead then?".

Same look.

He then kind looked at the mini-helmet, and then said; "I'm sorry man, but I can't do that".

I quickly sensed that he doesn't like adding inscriptions, which is fine. I felt bad for asking, though.


























I then asked if it was okay, if I got a photo with him. He stood up, saying sure!

One of the Sprint employees, came over to take our picture when I asked Lee the obvious question...

"Bro, where is everyone?!" I questioned about the lack of fans.

"No clue!" He laughed.

The Sprint employee who was about to take our picture, spoke up; "They're all working!"

Right. Working. Try lack of advertising!

Lee Evans and I smiled for the camera, and click...our picture was taken.


















I shook his hand, and thanked him for his time.

As I began to leave, I took one close look at the table that Lee Evans was signing at, to see if there was any freebies for fans. Nothing, just some undistributed flyers of the event!

I walked towards the door, still shocked that nobody was here, so I decided to take a picture at the whole scene...to prove that nobody was here for this star-NFL player! In fact, I took two. A close up of Lee,














and a pulled back picture...of where a line should be!














I walked out to my truck, taking one final look at that sweet Escalade. I put my stuff away, and headed for home.

I got about 3 lights away, when I noticed Dave and Adam's Card World on my right. I immediately turned into the parking lot.

Dave and Adam's Card World has the reputation of being the best sportscard in North America. Their prices are untouchable in the world of collectables...it's just too bad that they don't have a Canadian location. After parking, I walked into the store, hoping for a Lee Evans 8x10...or a greatly discounted Evans jersey!

The place is stacked with Bills and Sabres apparel. I quickly walked around checking out things. Jerseys, shirts, signed stuff...it was all there. I was impressed. I noticed some Bills mini-helmets, and I got mad! Here are Dave and Adam's, they were $20.00...5 bucks cheaper than Dick's! Argh!

I couldn't spot any 8x10's, so I went to the counter to ask for some help. That's when I noticed a customer purchasing a big load of 8x10's. And of course, you can guess who that player was pictured in those 8x10's right?!

Yup, this guy was buying a stack of Lee Evans 8x10 photos!

I got the attention of a young employee, and asked him to point me in the direction of the Bills unsigned 8x10's. He led the way, and asked who I was looking for? I told him Lee Evans, and he quickly opened their Bills photo binder turning to the Evans section of photos. There were two photos left, so I took them both. One for my son, and one for my collecton of 8x10's, I figured. I went back to the counter, and made small chat with the two employees. I told them that Evans was signing just down the street, for free. They didn't seem all that surprised, as they explained that they get people coming in all the time, for unannounced signings all the time! The staff, who worked that day, were very helpful and I hope to return soon.

I left Dave and Adam's, and headed back to the Sprint store for one final time. When I arrived, the guy who picked a stack of Evans 8x10's was there, getting all his photos signed. He was getting some personalized and some just signed. When he finished, I stepped up again. I greeted Lee again, and asked him if it was okay to get my 2 photos signed? He said sure, and I asked him to personalize one to my son, which he did kindly. He signed the second one...adding a "Go Bills!" notation for me. I thanked him again for his time, and left the store.











This time, when I got in my truck...I really headed for home this time.

I flipped on AM550, listened to Bills talk all the ride home.

Go Bills!

Chris













PS #1; I did make it work...on time, and worked just fine that day.

PS #2; My article 'Going to the Hall' about Larry Walker's induction into the Canadian baseball hall of fame, was published! The September edition of 'Insider's Edge' features a 3 page spread of my adventure! How cool is that?!

PS #3; The next blog will be entitled; "My Magnificent Weekend". I should have it done in abit, and you can probably guess who the celebrity is!

Pressing the easy button!

Guelph's Sleeman Centre, is the easiest place on Earth for autographs. This story will help you understand why.

Pressing the easy button!











As you probably read in my previous blog entry, "22 in 15", I'm trying to gather a few autographed photos for Corinna's work. Her work is going to be holding an auction to raise money for 'The United Way', a wonderful charity that addresses community issues and problems. I love to help out...by donating autographed items, as they've done well in past auctions at her work.

In the previous blog entry, I've gathered 2 autographed photos to donate. Former Toronto Maple Leafs, Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina, autographed individual photos that I'm donating. You see, most people at Corinna's work are Leaf fans and love to see Toronto Maple Leaf autographed 8x10's! My only fear is this...the two signed photos I'm donating, are 'former' Leaf players...and I'm afraid her co-workers won't bid often or very high because they're not Leafs anymore.

So I figured...I'll give more.

Let's get to the adventure, shall we?

After the Thrashers signings, which was incredible to be a part of, Corinna and I talked about trying to get some current Leafs or 'superstar' players autographs to donate to the auction. We talked about some upcoming signings, but most of them were pretty expensive. We wanted to keep a tight budget for this, as we already have 2 items to donate.

Then we started to talk about the Guelph Storm. Was there any players on the OHL's Guelph Storm team, that the common hockey fan would bid money on? Sadly, we both came up with nobody. There are great players with the Storm, but they're not household names...yet. Then it hit me.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had recently sent down their 2009 1st round pick, Nazem Kadri, to the London Knights (of the OHL). There has been some controversy about the move sending the 19 year old down to the juniors, as the Leafs have been simply terrible during their first 10 games. Some journalists, commentators, and fans, wanted the Leafs to give Kadri a chance, saying that it couldn't hurt giving the 7th overall pick some ice team...on this bad team. Most of those nay-sayers had a point, as the Leafs gave rookie Luke Schenn a chance last season...which turned out to be good move, as Schenn was solid in his rookie campaign.













Personally, I like the move send Kadri to London. Why? Simple...there is no need to expose Kadri to this type of losing, this early in his career. Send him to juniors, and let him dominate the OHL, and hopefully gain a spot on Team Canada for the World Junior Tournament. There is no need to rush Kadri, let him enjoy his final season as a junior...and give him a solid shot of making the Leafs next season.

As I write this, Kadri has 8 goals in 13 games! He's off to a great start!

Back to the story. After talking about trying to get Nazem Kadri's autograph, for a second time (see my 'Future of the Franchise' adventure for my 1st encounter with him), this time for a charitable donation...we decided that this was the road to go...for charity.

You see, the London Knights play (my hometown) Guelph Storm multiple times during the season...and Guelph is INCREDIBLY easy to collect autographs in. Guelph's Sleeman Centre, home of the Guelph Storm, has easy access for friends, family, and fans of the Storm to meet the players. It's also the same way for visiting teams.

Outside the arena, where the visiting team bus arrives and parks, is a set of doors that leads into the Sleeman Centre's foyer. On the opposite side of these foyer doors, about 30 feet, is another set of doors that leads into the visiting team's dressing room. The Guelph Storm's dressing room is also through these doors, just further down a corrider.

So, with that said, any player that arrives at the Sleeman Centre has to walk through the foyer to get to their dressing room...passing by friends, family, and fans. This is the only way in! Which means, if you want autographs...just wait in the foyer, the player you want...and the player WILL WALK BY YOU!

Cool eh?

Corinna and I have got ALOT of hockey players here.

Here's a few big names; Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, John Tavares, Corey Perry, Rob Schremp, Dan Paille, Dan Girardi, and my personal favourite, Ryan Callahan (pictured with me).














...And they all sign. More importanly, they're all very nice! Except John Tavares...he's not very nice, but he did sign.

So, Corinna and I decided that we would attempt getting Nazem Kadri at the Sleeman Centre, when the Knights came to town next.

The Knights were playing the Storm on November 1st, 2009 at 2pm, and after a couple weeks of waiting the day came.

I had already printed off two cool 8x10 photos at Wal-mart, that I found off of Google. The picture showed Kadri, on draft day, in a Leafs jersey pointing a stick at the camera, with stats about the prospect going around the sides of the image. I really liked it, when I saw it. So after spending less than 9 dollars, I had two photos to get signed. One for me, one for charity.














Game day arrived. I gathered up some necessary items...the photos, a binder to keep them in, a bag for storage, a camera (so you can see what happens!), and the single most important item of all...a silver Sharpie.

Corinna and I hopped in the Highlander and drove 4 minutes (yes, 4 minutes), to the Sleeman Centre around 11:50am for the 2pm game. We hoped to beat the team bus to the arena, that way we could catch Kadri as he arrived in from London, Ontario.

No such luck this time.

(I seem to be having bad luck with team buses this year)

After parking and entering the foyer area, we saw that the bus had arrived before us. That meant that the players were already inside their dressing room.

But, we didn't panic.

The visiting players, with no decent room to warm up before putting their equipment on, often come out of the dressing room and do some stretching in the foyer area.

This is what we were banking on, for Kadri to do.

After waiting for about 5 minutes, two Knights come out and went for a jog outside. Kadri wasn't one of them. 2 or 3 minutes later, another player came out and went for a run. He wasn't Kadri either.

A few minutes later, the London Knights head coach came out. Dale Hunter, a former NHL player, came out of the dressing room heading for the team bus. As a Storm fan, I'm not too fond of 'Hunter hockey'...the rough and tumble style of the London Knights. However, I did like the 'tough guy' hockey that Dale Hunter played, when he was in the NHL. I told Corinna to take our photo, and she got our camera ready as I approached the Memorial Cup winning coach.

"Dale, can I get a picture with you?" I asked him. He seemed surprised to be asked that, but he froze in his tracks and said yes. We stood together and posed for a photo, while I mentioned that I liked his play when he was with the Capitals. Afterwards, I thanked him for his time.


















After our time with Dale Hunter, a few of the players who left earlier...returned, and went into the dressing room.

I started to wonder if we were going to see Kadri before the game.

After thinking that...I switched into overdrive.

Out of nowhere, the dressing room doors opened fast...and Nazem Kadri come out very fast.

I looked at Corinna for a milli-second, our eye contact proved to me that she knew who that was.

I spoke immediately.

"Nazem..." I began, as he looked towards me...about to start a jog. "...Can I get your autograph?".

He stopped suddenly, and walked towards me and spoke..."Sure!".

I brought out my binder, from my bag, that I had the 2 8x10's in. I opened the binder, exposing the two photos, and reached in my pocket for my trusty silver Sharpie. I pulled the cap from the marker, and handed it to the first round pick of the Leafs.
















I didn't say a word about getting both items signed by him. I didn't have to explain that one was for my personal collection, but the second...and more importantly, was for a charitable auction to help the wonderful 'United Way". I didn't speak about any of that.

He signed both, without any hesitation.

...And seemed happy to do!
















After he placed his autograph on both 8x10's, I asked him for a picture with him, which he agreed to do.

I quickly placed my stuff in corner, and stood beside Nazem Kadri. He put his around me, and did the same...as Corinna took our picture together.


















After the picture, I thanked him for the autographs and for his time...which he smiled at and mentioned "No problem".


















He went for his run, and I walked towards Corinna.

"Just like that, we're done" I said smiling. She laughed and looked at her watch, "Not even 20 minutes!" she responded.

We walked towards the Highlander, and I said; "Man...Guelph is the best place on Earth for autographs!"

She laughed and said; "It's just so easy here!"

It is.