Miami Heat Lebron James Autograph Signing - August 2011

Palm Beach Autographs will be participating in a private signing with Miami Heat superstar, Lebron James. The signing is scheduled for late August. This is a unique opportunity to send you items in to have Lebron sign them.

All send-in items and pre-orders must be received by August 15, 2011. Pricing starts at $699.99.
 
If you choose to mail your own item to be signed by Lebron James, be sure to include a copy of your receipt and send it to:

Palm Beach Autographs
Attn: Dan Dodson
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Suite #3108
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Place your order for the Lebron James Autograph Signing.

Email: info@palmbeachautographs.com
Phone: (561) 775-7753

Charlie Ward & Chris Weinke Autograph Signing FSU Florida State Seminoles

Palm Beach Autographs will host a private signing with Florida State Seminoles Heisman Trophy winning quaterbacks, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. You may choose to send in items for Chris Weinke sign individually, or pre-order an item. NO SEND IN ITEMS FOR THE CHARLIE WARD AND CHRIS WEINKE COMBO AUTOGRAPH SIGNING. Pre-orders only.

All Chris Weinke send-in items and pre-orders must be received by August 10, 2011. Pricing starts at $30.00.
 
If you choose to mail your own item to be signed by Chris Weinke, be sure to include a copy of your receipt and send it to:

Palm Beach Autographs
Attn: Dan Dodson
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Suite #3108
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Pricing for the Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke Autograph combo starts at $50.00. Pre-orders due by August 10th.

Place your order for the Charlie Ward & Chris Weinke Autograph Signing or the Chris Weinke Individual Signing.

Email: info@palmbeachautographs.com
Phone: (561) 775-7753

Derrick Brooks Autograph Signing August 2011 Bucs/ FSU

Palm Beach Autographs will host a private signing with legendary Florida State Seminoles and Tampa Bay Bucs linebacker, Derrick Brooks. You can mail in your own item photo, mini helmet, full size helmet, or jersey, or you can pre-order an new item from Palm Beach. Derrick Brooks is an exclusive athlete of Palm Beach Autographs.

All send-in items and pre-orders must be received by August 10, 2011. Pricing starts at $60.00.

Each autographed item will come with the Official Derrick Brooks/ Palm Beach Autographs Hologram, a Certificate of Authenticity and a photo of Derrick at the signing.

If you choose to mail your own item to be signed, be sure to include a copy of your receipt and send it to:

Palm Beach Autographs
Attn: Dan Dodson
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Suite #3108
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Place your order for the Derrick Brooks Autograph Signing.

Email: info@palmbeachautographs.com
Phone: (561) 775-7753

Philadelphia Phillies trade for Hunter Pence - What about my Fantasy Baseball team?

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired outfielder, Hunter Pence. This ridiculously talented team just got a whole lot better, but that's not important. The important part is the guy who is leading my Fantasy Baseball League is a huge Phillies fan and I know he'll be asking me for a trade. He's been trying to get Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels from me all season, but I've been holding out.

Here are my outfielders right now: Hunter Pence, Josh Hamilton, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp. I also have Mitch Moreland, Daniel Murphy and Ty Wigginton who each play multiple positions. I could use some help at shortstop. All I've got is Jason Barlett and Jeff Keppinger. Bartlett is good for stolen bases and Keppinger hits into "The Gap" all the time and rarely strikes out, but I think I can convince him to trade me Cleveland Indians shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera for Pence.

Fair deal? Or should I hold on to Pence?

Philadelphia Eagles Sign Nnamdi Aomugha. Can TV announcers keep up?

Earlier today, the Philadelphia Eagles signed the biggest prize of the 2011 NFL Free Agents, Nnamdi Asomugha, to a 5 year, $60 million deal. He joins an already star-studded Eagles secondary that includes Asante Samuel and newly acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Adding Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie not only makes this one crazy, ridiculously talented secondary, but it's got to be the toughest names set of names in the history of the NFL. I can't wait to watch the TV annoucers try and keep up. Where is Tishimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka when you need him?

Check out the poll to the right for the toughest NFL names. Not my right, your right.

Former NY Yankees Pitcher, Hideki Irabu, found dead

ESPN has reported that former New York Yankees pitcher, Hideki Irabu, has been found dead in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. He was found yesterday at 4:25pm PDT. Read the full article here.

Before coming to the United States, Hideki Irabu was a star pitcher for the Lotte Orions; a Japanese professional baseball team. His contract was purchased by the San Diego Padres in 1997, however, he was traded to the New York Yankees shortly thereafter. He arrived in New York amid a ton of publicity. The Yankees expected Irabu and his 98 MPH fastball to light up opposing teams batters for years, but Irabu was traded to the Expos after just three seasons. He later played for the Texas Rangers as a closer in 2002, which was his final MLB season.

NFL Lockout Is Over - Check out the CBA Details

Early today, the NFL Owners and the NFL Players Association agreed on a new, 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement. Commissioner, Roger Goodell, was finally able to say the words we've been waiting for, "Football's back and that's the great news for everybody."

Sports Illustrated  received a summary of the new 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement. To be completely honest, I can't really make heads or tails of some of this stuff, but some of key highlights include:

• Keeping the regular season to 16 games (at least through 2013)
• All Draft Picks receive mandatory 4-year contacts, with 1st Rounders having a 5th year club option
• Rookie spending starts at $874 million in 2011 and increases with cap
• Savings from rookie compensation system are estimated to save $25 million in 2012, $50 million in 2013 and $100 million in 2014. The savings is expected to increase each year there after, with savings spent on the NFL Legacy Fund, the Veteran Performance Pool or any other purpose the NFLPA believes appropriate

Check out the summary here. See who is now an unrestricted Free Agent.

Fantasy Football Draft Party - Best place to have one.

So it looks like were very close to the end of the NFL lockout. If you didn't read my last post about the Best Fantasy Football Tips, check out the article here. It's a different site, but I wrote the article.

Now you've got all your stat sheets ready and you're ready for Full-Contact Fantasy Football!!! If you're looking for a place to host a Fantasy Football Draft Party, look no further than Buffalo Wild Wings.

Last year, was the first year we had a draft party and on a whim, just kind of picked Buffalo Wild Wings and it paid off. Turns out they LOVE draft parties. They have a free draft kit that includes a draft board, player stickers, plenty of koozies, plenty of $10 coupons and even a Championship Banner for your league! I'm not 100% sure on the number of koozies and coupons that were in the kit last year, but there was about 8-9 people in our party and we had plenty to spare.

The atmosphere is real casual and plenty of draft parties were going on at other tables. They have free Wi-Fi throughout the restaurant and plenty of electrical outlets to plug your laptops in. Don't forget to bring a power strip so everyone can plug in. You might need to bring an extension cord as well; better safe than sorry. The food is good and they have about million different types of BBQ sauces.That's where we'll be again come the last weekend in August.

**Updated - 8/26/2011 - We had our 2011 Fantasy Football Draft there again this year. It was another great time. They were out of the full draft kits, but we still got the koozies and 2x $10 coupons.

NFL Lockout almost over - Time for Fantasy Football Tips!

NFL players and owners appear to be very close to ending the 2011 NFL Player Lockout. That means, you've got to start thinking about who your going to draft in your Fantasy Football League.

I wrote this article titled Best Fantasy Football Tips in 2010. Instead of copying and pasting it on my blog, I decided to just provide the link. Check it our here. Whether you're brand new to Fantasy Football or your a season veteran, the article is very informative and worth the read.


Shop NFL Collectibles and Memorabilia - Merchandise for all 32 teams. Free Shipping within the 48 contiguous United States

2011 32nd Annual National Sports Collectors Convention

It's that time of year again. The 32nd Annual National Sports Collectors Convention will take place in Chicago, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center starting on Wednesday, August 3rd, and going through through Sunday, August 7th.

If you plan on going to the event, you'll need to purchase tickets, which you can purchase here. There are different levels of ticket prices, from $18.00 general admission up to $279.00 for the All-Access VIP Package, so you'll want to look at each package to determine which one suits your needs. The prices will be higher if you purchase at the show.

As usual, they will have a ton of Hall of Fame that will be signing autographs. This years lineup includes:

Boxers:

Mike Tyson - Youngest boxer to win WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles

Football Players

Bart Starr - Green Bay Packers HOF QB
Daryle Lamonica - Oakland Raiders All-Pro QB
Dave Casper - Oakland Raiders HOF TE
Donnie Shell - Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro DB
Gary Beban - UCLA Bruins 1967 Heisman Winner QB
Gale Sayers - Chicago Bears HOF RB
Jack Ham - Pittsburgh Steelers HOF
Jay Novacek - Dallas Cowboys All-Pro TE
Jim Brown - Cleveland Browns HOF
Jim Taylor - Green Bay Packers HOF
Joe Montana - San Francisco 49ers HOF
John Elway - Denver Broncos HOF
John Riggins - Washington Redskins HOF
John Stallworth - Pittsburgh Steelers HOF
Mel Blount - Pittsburgh Steelers HOF
Paul Hornung - Green Bay Packers HOF
Randy White - Dallas Cowboys HOF
Roger Staubach - Dallas Cowboys HOF
Ted Hendricks - Baltimore Colts/ Oakland Raiders HOF
Willie Brown - Oakland Raiders HOF


Baseball Players


Bert Blyleven - Minnesota Twins Class of 2011 Baseball HOF
Bo Jackson - Kansas City Royals All-Star OF/ Oakland Raiders All-Pro RB
Brooks Robinson - Baltimore Orioles HOF
Cal Ripken, Jr - Baltimore Orioles HOF
Carlton Fisk - Chicago White Sox/ Boston Red Sox HOF
Darryl Strawberry - NY Mets/ NY Yankees/ LA Dodgers All-Star OF
Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds/ Baltimore Orioles HOF
Gary Sheffield - Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, NY Yankees All-Star OF
Gaylord Perry - San Francisco Giants HOF
Goose Gossage - NY Yankees HOF
Joe Morgan - Cincinnati Reds HOF
Johnny Bench - Cincinnati Reds HOF
Juan Nieves - Milwaukee Brewers (2nd youngest pitcher in MLB history to throw no hitter)
Matt Garza - Tampa Bay Rays/ Chicago Cubs Star Pitcher
Orlando Cepeda - San Francisco Giants HOF
Paul Molitor - Milwaukee Brewers/ Minnesota Twins HOF
Rafael Palmeiro - Rangers/ Cubs/ Orioles All-Star 1B
Randy Johnson - Seattle Mariners/ Arizona Diamondbacks/ NY Yankees 5x Cy Young Winner
Reggie Jackson - Oakland A's/ NY Yankees HOF
Rickey Henderson - Oaklans A's NY Yankees HOF
Roberto Alomar - Blue Jays/ Orioles/ Indians HOF
Robin Yount - Milwaukee Brewers HOF
Tony Perez - Cincinnati Reds HOF
Tony Gwynn - San Diego Padres HOF
Wade Boggs - Boston Red Sox/ NY Yankees/ Tampa Bay Devil Rays HOF


There are plenty of others as well!

Need directions? Try Google Maps. The address for the convention center is:

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
phone: 847-692-2220

Where will Derek Jeter be on the All-Time hits list once he retires

As of this post, Derek Jeter stands at 3,005 career hits, good enough for 27th on the Major League Baseball's All-Time hits list, however, he can easily pass seven more players by the end of the season. If he gets 51 more hits this year, he'll pass Al Kaline, Wade Boggs, Raphael Palmeiro, Lou Brock, Rod Carew, Rickey Henderson and Cragi Biggio to break the top 20 at 3,061 hits. From the looks of things, Jeter still has a lot of baseball left in him. He is certainly capable of getting 150 hits for a few more seasons.

If Jeter gets 150 in 2012, that will put him at 3,211 career hits, passing Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Robin Yount, Paul Waner, George Brett and Cal Ripken, Jr. Another 150 in 2013, will put him at 3,361 hits, good enough for ninth All-time, passing Nap Lajoie, Eddie Murray, Willie Mays, Eddie Collins and Paul Molitor. There's a good chance that he will be able to crack the Top Ten List, but after that is anyone's guess right now. Personally, I think he'll end up somewhere around 3,600 hits and be the baseball's #5 All-Time hits leader. Good luck Derek!

Robinson Cano Home Run Derby Champion Collectible Framed Photo

Congratulations to the 2011 MLB All Star Game Home Run Derby Champion, Robinson Cano. He is the third NY Yankee to win the contest (Tino Martinez and Jason Giambi were the other two). With Jeter getting his 3,000th hit and Cano winning the Derby, it's been a pretty good month to be a New York Yankee. You can commemorate Cano's accomplishment with this framed collectible photo mint, directly from The Highland Mint.

Check it out - NY Yankees Robinson Cano Home Run Derby Photo Mint

Womens World Cup Soccer Championship Game

The 2011 Women's USA Soccer team is one win away from a third World Cup Championship. They have played well and deserve to be were they are right now. They came out out the Group Round (Round 1) with wins over Korea DPR and Columbia, but lost to Sweden. They followed that up with an incredible wins against Brazil and France. Now their in the World Cup Final against Japan. Good luck ladies!

NY Yankees Derek Jeter 3000 hits autographed baseballs, jerseys, photos, collectibles and memorabilia

Congratulations to Derek Jeter on his dramatic entry into the 3,000 hits club! On July 9th, 2011, Derek became the 28th member of the club, the first player as a New York Yankee and also on the second player to enter the club on a home run! New collectibles and memorabilia are now available to commemorate Jeter's historic accomplishment. Check them out in our Yankees Memorabilia and Collections Section. There are six items available right now, and more may come later. New Derek Jeter "DJ3K" autographed baseballs, photos and authentic NY Yankees jerseys  from Steiner Sports just added.

 

NY Yankees Derek Jeter Autographed 3000 "DJ3K" Baseball - Steiner Sports

NY Yankees Derek Jeter Autographed 3000 "DJ3K" Authentic Jersey - Steiner Sports

NY Yankees Derek Jeter Autographed 3000 "DJ3K" Collage Photo - Steiner Sports

The Top Prospects for each MLB Team

Check out this link I found on MLB.com. It allows you to track the progress of baseball's Top Prospects. You can see who Top 50 in all of baseball, the Top 10 by team and the Top 10 by position.

Some players, like the Washington Nationals Top Prospect, Bryce Harper (#2 overall) where highly touted and have stayed their, while others, like the Phillies Domonic Brown where drafted low (20th round, 607th overall but is now the #3 overall) made their way to the top of the class. What about your team's top pick from a few years ago? See if he's still on the list.

2011 MLB Prospect Watch

Shop Collectibles and Memorabilia for all 32 MLB Teams

Joey Chestnut wins 5th consecutive Hotdog Eating contest

Would you eat 62 hotdogs in 10 minutes for $10,000? That's what 5x Fourth of July hotdog eating champion, Joey Chestnut did on July 4th, on Coney Island. His biggest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, was banned from the competition, a while back for refusing to sign a contract with Major League Eating, but that didn't stop Kobayashi from showing up anyway, with a shirt that read, "Free Kobi," rushing the stage, and getting arrested. Competitive Eating at it's finest. Wish I could have seen this!

Derek Jeter Closing on on 3,000 hits

Derek Jeter has been sitting on 2,994 hits since he went on the disabled list on June 13th. He's finishing up a rehab stint in Trenton and is scheduled to return to the Yankees lineup on Monday, July 4th, vs. the Cleveland Indians. Assuming he does return this week, he should break the 3,000 this week. The Yankees start the week with a three game series in Cleveland, Monday, July 4th - Wednesday, July 6th. They follow that with a four game homestand against their AL East Rival, the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, July 7th - Sunday, July 10th. If you're looking to be apart of one of the most historical moments in NY Yankees history, act now. Tickets are still available for most games.

**Update - Jeter went 2 for 6 on Tuesday, July 5th. He needs four more to reach 3,000 hits.**


Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees Tickets - Monday, July 4th

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees Tickets- Tuesday, July 5th

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees Tickets - Wednesday, July 6th

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Friday, July 8th

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Saturday, July 9th

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Sunday, July 10th

Shop NY Yankees Collectibles, Memorabilia, Gifts and Merchandise. 

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