What’s NOT In The Fireproof?  An Epilogue

I made it through the fireproof and showed off some of my favorite pieces.  You got to see Hank, Hershel, Smoltz, Jordan, Bird and even Mickey Mantle.  Those are treasures that I hold near and dear to my heart.  But I mentioned before that everything I have that’s extra special couldn’t necessarily fit in the box of intense heat protection.  There remain items that are in harms way for the time being and they aren’t throw away pieces by any stretch.  In fact, one of the pieces rivals “The Mick” as it relates to sports history royalty.  For now, they are in a Rubbermaid box, stowed away from the sunlight and elements.  That is the best I can do.

But on the heels of sifting through some of my favorite items, I had to take another look, cracking the seal on the fireproof-less box.  I’ve selected the 6 best items remaining that would have certainly been included in the series had they been actually in the box.  One was obtained in person, a couple purchased from Steiner, one from the local bookstore, an eBay purchase and a silent auction win.  I obtain items when opportunities arise.  These are in no particular order other than once again saving the best for last.Ronda Rousey Autographed Book – Rowdy is a polarizing figure and people seem to either love her or hate her.  Count me in the camp that loves her.  She brought women’s UFC to the big time and was as big of a draw as most of the men.  She also had a great Hardee’s commercial that I enjoyed watching.  I like her brash confidence, even when it backfires.  This was a sweet find as the autograph book section is usually made up of Guy Fieri and Kathy Griffin items.  This one was a must get and I have it wrapped in plastic and tucked away.  I tried to grab a Tebow book when it came out but I never found one locally.  I guess you can’t win em all!Dale Murphy Autographed Steiner Baseball – While this would technically fit in the fireproof, it won’t along with the other items.  This was one of the Steiner purchases and is a must own for a Braves fan.  The Murph was all we had to cheer for during the brutal 80’s but he was a star and a great team leader.  One of my dream items would be the light saber poster autographed and I may break down and pick one up one day.  But for now, this ball will more than suffice.  Murph has a very smooth autograph and this ball is signed very well.  Every now and again Steiner will run a 2 for 1 or $49 special and I’ll go and peruse the list.  Most of it is comprised of Mets or Yankees players but there will occasionally be an 80’s star like André Dawson or Dale Murphy.  Of course, Murph was a no brainer.  There are 4 people who ARE the Braves to me: Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, John Smoltz and Dale Murphy.  Thankfully, I have an auto of all of them so I consider myself lucky.Charley Trippi Chicago Cardinals PSA Autographed Jersey HOF Inscription – This will be the first in a run of 3 UGA legends for this post.  At UGA, Trippi led the Dawgs to a 1943 Rose Bowl victory and was the game’s MVP.  In 1946, after a stint serving in World War II, he received the Maxwell Award for being the nation’s most outstanding college football player along with being named SEC player of the year and a unanimous 1st Team All American.  He was later drafted by the Chicago Cardinals after considering professional baseball as a career.  He would retire with the most yards of total offense in NFL history at the time.  He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  So it’s safe to say that Mr. Trippi was an all around stud!  Big timer at UGA, a veteran of World War II and the most yards in The NFL as of his retirement.  This is really a cool piece to own!Todd Gurley 18X24 Autographed Poster with Inscription – TG3 is an all timer at UGA!  He is a very recent player of course but he is a legend in Red and Black and an all around solid dude from all I can tell.  We met him at a signing event just before the draft and he could not have been more pleasant and welcoming of the Bulldog Nation that came out to see him.  There are several players I have met in the past that were just there to do their jobs and go home but Gurley seemed legitimately happy to shake hands and sign autographs.  I’ve told the story before about how he remember my daughters name even though he met her and got the name 2 hours earlier.  He signed 2 helmets and this awesome poster that I bought the day of the event.  TG3 was our superman and this poster was a classic image from his time in Athens.  This will be the first thing that goes up on the wall in my eventual man cave!Hines Ward NFL Authentic Autographed Football with Inscription – This is the other Steiner piece I have and it was a birthday gift from my awesome wife.  Though I have the signed card from in the fireproof, this was my first Hines autograph.  Again, I love his autograph and this one even has the “SB XL MVP” Inscription so it’s that much sweeter.  I know people in Pittsburgh love Hines Ward but people in Georgia love him as a hometown hero.  This is a full size ball and the auto is huge which makes this an awesome sight in real life.  I won’t open it until I get that aforementioned man cave up and going and can properly display this beauty.Muhammed Ali Autographed Boxing Glove – I won this piece in a silent auction charity event about 6-7 years ago.  I was dead set on winning this the moment I laid eyes on it and it remains the only item I’ve ever won at a silent auction.  Ali was truly the greatest and trumps all of modern day athletes in cultural and athletic importance.  He’s on my Sports Mount Rushmore with Mickey, Jordan, Gretzky and Walter Payton. I don’t even remember anything else from the event that night.  It was a quail hunt that had celebrities and athletes like Ryan Klesko, Frank Stallone, John Schuerholz and Heath Shuler but I didn’t even pursue an auto from any of those guys once I had my Ali.  I took it to my truck and just stared at it for a while before driving home.  Klesko could’ve come up to me and asked if I wanted his World Series ring and I probably would’ve never rolled down the window.  I have to find the proper display and protection for this one as it should be stowed away like The Mick!

So this really does conclude the show and tell Series about my most meaningful pieces.  That’s not to say that there won’t be more adds in the future but as of now, there isn’t really much I can show you that would top the last few posts.  This series is going to be hard to top but I’ll come up with something to start on next.  Until then, best of luck to you on your quest for those awesome PC items!!

J-Dub