Minnesota Sports Holiday Show Part 2: Rickey Young

Alongside Dave Osborn at the Minnesota Sports Holiday Show was another former Vikings running back, Rickey Young, who signed this 1981 Topps card.

Young played college football at Jackson State, but he wasn't the best running back on his team. That distinction went to Walter Payton. Still, Young managed to do well enough to make it to the NFL, being drafted in the 7th round (164th overall) of the 1975 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. After three years in San Diego, he was traded to the Vikings, and in his first year in Minnesota, Young led the league in receptions, with 88. Young retired after the 1983 season, capping off a 9-year NFL career.

Minnesota Sports Holiday Show Part 1: Dave Osborn

On Dec. 20th, I made a four-hour drive to the Minneapolis area for the First Annual Minnesota Sports Holiday Show. The even was being held at the Rosedale Mall in Roseville, MN and featured 13 autograph guests who have some association with the state of Minnesota. The biggest representation was for the Minnesota Vikings, who had 7 players represented at the event, including Dave Osborn, who signed this 1971 Topps card.

Osborn not only has Minnesota connections, but North Dakota ones as well, as he played college football for the University of North Dakota. He was selected by Minnesota in the 13th round (176th overall) of the 1965 NFL draft. He played sparingly his rookie year, but found his busiest season to be 1967, when he ran for 972 yards on 215 carries, including one for 73 yards. He played 11 years for the Vikings before playing his final season in 1976 for the Green Bay Packers.

Books Signed by Adam Carolla & Bryan Bishop

As a man with an Ipod and some free time on his hands, I have become a big fan of podcasts, and the king of on-line audio entertainment is Adam Carolla. Most people remember him from shows like "The Man Show," and "Loveline," but Carolla has found himself at the forefront of an emerging artform, with his podcast reaching millions daily.

Apart from broadcasting five days a week, Carolla also performs live shows, has his own brand of wine (Mangria), and has written three books, each of which has become a New York Times best seller. His most recent book, "President Me," focuses on things he would change about this country in order to make it (in his eyes) a better place.

Recently, Carolla was offering a deal to his listeners, which allowed them, for just $10, to get their hands on an autographed copy of his second book, "Not Taco Bell Material," as his publisher was looking to get rid of their remaining surplus. Not only would people get an autographed copy of NTBM, but he would also sign book jackets of "President Me," for anyone who sent them in, so naturally, I had to get in on that.

I also sent in a book jacket of "Shrinkage" by Carolla's co-host Bryan Bishop, and he was nice enough to sign that for me as well. "Shrinkage" is the story of "Bald Bryan," as he deals with battling an in-operable brain tumor, while beginning a marriage and new career, and is a humorous look at a serious subject, and as much of a Carolla fan as I am, this is the book out of the three that I would recommend above the others.

I was so happy to get my hands on these items, as I have been listening to the Adam Carolla Show since its debut in 2009. Hopefully, I can make it to Minneapolis the next time they come do a live show, as they seem to make it up to the area once or twice a year.

Vladimir Terasenko Autographed Puck

Vladimir Terasenko is currently one of the hottest players in the NHL, so when I had the opportunity to get my hands on an autograph of his at a very reasonable price, I jumped at the chance. Especially considering that the card companies have given up on him sending back his autographed cards to fill redemptions, his signature can be a bit tough to come by.

St. Louis Sports Collectors was conducting the signing, and while I was nowhere near that location, they did take orders, and were even able to provide the puck, which was perfect for me. Now, they didn't have the quickest turnaround time, but a couple weeks later, a white box showed up in my mailbox and I now have this great item in my collection.

Autographed 8x10s of Damian Jackson and Eric Plunk

It's amazing how sometimes you don't realize that some of your college buddies are into the same stuff as you until long after you both have graduated and moved on to completely different parts of the county. My friend Darrell, apparently is also an autograph collector, and even runs a small business called Halkman Sports, setting up private autograph signings with athletes and celebrities. A couple weeks ago, he traveled to San Diego for private signings with former MLB-ers Damian Jackson and Eric Plunk, and sent an 8x10 of each of them my way at a very reasonable price.

Damian Jackson had an 11-year career in the majors, with eight different teams. His longest stay with any franchise was with the San Diego Padres, where he played from 1999-2001, and then again in 2004. I was very fortunate that a photo was available of him in a Chicago Cubs uniform, as he played only seven games for them in the 2004 season, before being traded to the Kansas City Royals.

Eric Plunk spent 14 years in the majors, with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers. One thing Plunk is notable for is being traded for Rickey Henderson...twice. The first time came in 1984 as a minor leaguer when he and four others were sent from the Yankees to the A's, and the second time came in 1989, when he was sent back to the Yankees with two others for Henderson. He also pitched in two World Series games, in 1988 with Oakland and 1997 with Cleveland.

I'm very happy to be adding these to my collection. I know they aren't the biggest names, but for $15 shipped, I just couldn't resist a deal! If anyone else is interested in checking out what else is coming up for private signings, visit www.halkmansports.com/.

Jason Zucker Autographed Puck

Now that I'm starting to get more into the autographed memorabilia game, my radar has become more finely tuned to pick up on various opportunities in my area. One such opportunity came last Saturday, when Jason Zucker was doing a signing at AME Sports in Roseville, MN.  There were two problems, though. For one, Roseville is a suburb of Minneapolis, and about a four-hour drive, and not only that, but I had to work that day anyway. Luckily, they were willing to process orders through the mail, provided that you sent your item in, and included the $10 autograph fee, as well as return shipping. I had a Wild puck in my possession already, so I sent it in, along with the required fees & return postage, and today, I received it in the mail.

The puck is one of the official game ones (not game-used, though), which gives is a decent amount of black space. Zucker used either a silver paint pen or a silver Sharpie, which stands out great on top of the background. Also, he may not have a legible signature, but it is distinctive, and he did manage to fill the space with it.

I first visited AME Sports last spring, when my wife & I were on our way back home from the Wild/Penguins game. I purchased a few puck cases then, but this is my first autograph purchase from them. Their customer service was great. I did most of my correspondence through their Facebook page, and all of my questions were answered promptly. I also liked the fact that the price you pay by sending your stuff through the mail is the exact same as you would pay if you were there in person.

I'll be heading up to AME on the 20th of this month for their 1st Annual Minnesota Sports Holiday Show, where they have Minnesota athletes from hockey, baseball, football, basketball, and boxing. There will definitely be a major haul for me to show of at the end of that day, and I will certainly be posting the photos as soon as I am able to.

Brandon Tripp Game Used Bat

The Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks had their annual Christmas Sale Thursday, where they began selling tickets for the season opener, so naturally, I had to stop by and see if anything caught my eye. I did end up buying two tickets, and was even able to get them right on the front row, which should be really cool.

In addition to the typical souvenir shop goods, the Redhawks also sell certain game used items at a pretty decent price. The most common items are bats, balls, and jerseys, but for the first time yesterday, I actually saw a game used batting helmet for sale. I was very tempted to purchase it and get it autographed this season, but the problem was, it was smothered in pine tar and dirt, to the point where you couldn't really see the logo, and there wasn't any clear space on the brim for the signature. If it's still there when the season begins, maybe I'll end up picking it up, but I decided to pass on it for now.

What I did end up purchasing, though, was a bat. Last year, I ended up purchasing a cracked bat of Nic Jackson at the season opener and set out on a mission to get it signed, which I did. This year, my goal will be for outfielder Brandon Tripp, of whom I picked up a cracked, yet very much intact, bat. Tripp came to the Redhawks during the 2014 season in a trade with the St. Paul Saints, hitting .263, with 42 hits, 5 home runs and 25 RBIs.

The autograph will actually be a pretty easy task. The Redhawks usually have some sort of gimmick every game, corresponding to the particular day that a game is played. One of those days has post-game autograph signings, so I'll have the perfect opportunity, along with plenty of photos to share.