Saturday, March 16, 2013

Happy Birthday Blake and A4A


Today is the 2 year anniversary of when we started Autographs 4 Alopecia.  It is also Blake's 12th birthday!  Happy Birthday Blake...proud of you!


Blake in the final season at Yankee Stadium

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

A Night of Hope with Jamie Moyer

Last week my mom surprised my dad with a ticket to go see former Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer speak at a banquet for Hope International.  Jamie is from the Philadelphia area and came back to help the Phillies win the World Series in 2008.  Last season, Jamie became the oldest pitcher to win a game when he won for the Rockies at the age of 49. 



My dad went with my Uncle Rick and they said it was really cool.  Jamie spoke about his foundation, The Moyer Foundation, and the work they do with their camps.  The have lots of camps throughout the country that are free for kids who have lost a loved one and kids that deal with addicted parents.

Jamie stuck around afterwards to sign autographs and take pictures.  Dad said he talked to everyone and was one of the classiest guys in baseball.  It was cool to be able to get his autograph because we never got it at any Phillies games.  Jamie would come out before each game and sign autographs for fans for about 20 minutes...I don't know if there are any Major League players that do that anymore, so Thanks Jamie!  So our first autographs for 2013 are in and they couldn't be from a nicer guy!

Jamie Moyer with our dad and Uncle Rick





Today's Autographs: 4
2013 Autographs: 4
2013 My donation: $.20

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Top 20 in 2013 Part 2

Yesterday was part 1 of our Top 20 in 2013 and today will will look at part 2.  These players are some of our favorites and we are hoping to add their autograph to our collection this season.  Look here for the first 10.  So here they are...#11 through #20 in alphabetical order.


JACK CRAWFORD
 
 
Jack is a defensive end and just finished his rookie year with the Oakland Raiders.  He was drafted in the 5th round after 4 seasons at Penn State.  One of the cool things about Jack is that he too has Alopecia Areata.  He got alopecia when he was 7 and has had it ever since.  He would be awesome to meet someday!
 
 
JOSH HAMILTON
 
 
Josh has always been one of our favorites and is the example that we deserve second chances.  We loved watching him whenever the Rangers were on and hope to catch an Angels game in Baltimore this season.  One of our favorite nights was watching him in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium!
 
JOSH LINDBLOM
 
 
 
Josh is one we follow on Twitter and we were excited when he got traded to the Phillies last season.  Unfortunately his stay here wasn't long as he was traded to the Rangers in the off season.  Josh does a lot of charity work through his foundation, The Josh Lindblom Foundation.  We're hoping to meet Josh in Baltimore and try to get an autograph.
 
 
KEVIN DURANT
 
 
 
Our favorite basketball player and we loved his movie Thunderstruck.  We love watching him play when they are on TV and hope to be able to go to a Thunder game sometime. He is a great teammate and role model!
 
 
KIRK COUSINS
 
 
 
As an Eagles fan it is tough to like anything about the Redskins, but Kirk Cousins makes it easier.  He had a great speech at the 2011 Big Ten kickoff luncheon and is a great guy to follow on Twitter.  We've never been to an NFL game but the Redskins would be fun to watch.
 
 
LARRY FITZGERALD
 
 
 
Larry is one of the best football players on and off the field.  He is awesome to follow on Twitter because he is always giving away tickets, autographs, and interacting with fans.  We've entered a few of his contests and one of these days we could win one! He is always donating to charities and helping kids whenever he can through his website, www.larryfitgerald11.com.
 
 
 
MIKE TROUT
 
 
Mike made a huge splash in his rookie year last year taking home the AL Rookie of the Year and finishing 2nd in the AL MVP vote!  He is so much fun to watch because he is always giving it 100%.  He will be a great one for years to come.
 
 
 
TIM TEBOW
 
 
Tim is a great role model and a great football player.  We've loved watching him since college and hope he gets another chance to start in the NFL.  Through his foundation, The Tim Tebow Foundation,  he is always looking out for kids with life threatening illness and bringing them to games with him.  Tim is always looking to make a difference in the life of someone. 
 
 
 
TOMMY JOSEPH
 
 
We love catchers.  Tommy Joseph will be the Phillies opening day catcher soon and is one of the Phillies top prospects.  Minor League baseball is so much fun for fans because you have a better chance of meeting the starts of tomorrow.  Whether he is at Reading or Lehigh Valley, we hope to get this future All Stars autograph this year.
 
 
CODY AND TYLER ZELLER
 
 
 
Because they are brothers, they count as 1 pick.  Two of the NCAA's best players are brothers playing for Indiana and North Carolina.  It must be tough for their parents to cheer when they play each other.  The Zellers brothers have been featured in Sports Spectrum magazine and their faith plays a big part in their life.  Tyler is now in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers and this could be the year Cody wins a National Championship!
 
 
 
So there you have it...out top 20.  While we realize we will not get them all or meet any of them, it is fun to dream about getting some of the biggest stars.  Let's see how many we end up with by December 31, 2013!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Top 20 in 2013 Part 1

One of the new things this year is we are going to feature 20 autographs we would like to get during this year.  It can be a signed ball, card, bat, glove, batting gloves, helmet...anything really.  We were going to do 13 in '13 but couldn't narrow it down from some of our favorites.   So today we will look at the first 10 and the second 10 on Wednesday.

These are some of our favorites and in order to qualify we can't have their autograph yet (with 1 exception).  So here they are...in alphabetical order...our Top 20 for 2013 part 1.

 
AARON CRAFT

 
 
Aaron is the awesome point guard for Ohio State and a big reason why they have been in the top rankings the past few years.  He is also involved in Athletes in Action and was featured in the Sports Spectrum magazine.
 
 
ADAM GREENBERG
 
 
Ok, this is our exception.  We know Adam and have lots of cards signed of him but can't wait to get his Topps 2013 card signed from his One At Bat with the Marlins.  Adam has always been nice to us and great to talk to.  Hopefully we'll get to see him playing in Camden Yards this season!
 
 
 
BEN REVERE
 
 
 
Ben is the speedy new center fielder for the Phillies.  He's young, fast, and should patrol center field for the Phillies for years to come.  He is also great to follow on Twitter where he is always interacting with the fans and sharing about his faith.  We can't wait for the chance to meet him at a Phillies game this season!
 
 
BLAKE GRIFFIN
 
 
 
Blake has always been one of our favorite players since his college days.  He has some awesome dunks and shares the same initials and birthday as me :) 
 
 
BRYCE HARPER
 
 
Bryce has been a target of ours since he came up in the Nationals minor leagues.  We almost got him when he was in Harrisburg but just missed.   Do you think we can get him?  Well, that's a clown question, bro!
 
 
CAEL SANDERSON
 
 
Since Gavin really got into wrestling this year, we put Cael on our list.  He is the head coach at Penn State and has the best wrestling program in the country.  He won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics and is the only undefeated 4x NCAA champion! 
 
 
CHUCK PAGANO
 
 
 
Chuck is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and was in the news in 2012 because of his battle with cancer.  Many of the Colts team and fans shaved their heads in support of #chuckstrong.  He was able to come back and coach the Colts in the playoffs after taking time off for treatment.
 
 
CLAYTON KERSHAW
 
 
Clayton is a Cy Young winning pitcher for the LA Dodgers and is probably a better person off the field.  Clayton has helped build a home in Africa for children called Hopes Home.  He and his wife travel to Africa and minister to the children there during the off season.  Check out Kershaw's Challenge and follow his exciting efforts to help children. 
 
 
DAVID AKERS
 
 
Long time Eagles kicker still calls the Philadelphia area home.  He has been one of the best kickers in football and tied the record this past season with a 63 yard field goal. We were cheering for the 49ers in the Superbowl just so he could win a championship.  He is also very generous with what God has given him and helping others through David Akers Ministries.
 
 
JEREMY LIN
 
 
Linsanity has moved to Houston but Jeremy is still on of our favorites.  We love his story and how he was able to lead the Knicks last season and the Rockets this season.  Jeremy is also great on Twitter always giving credit to his teammates and to God.  His foundation, the Jeremy Lin Foundation, helps develop kids into leaders and gives them hope.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Back for 2013

There hasn't been much going on over the winter for autographs but we have been very busy. Gavin wrestled for the first time this season for our school district, Manheim Township, and I am playing Upward basketball again this winter. I am on the Crimson Tide which should make Adam Godwin, Butch Hobson, and Dave Collins all happy! We are preparing for our Little League baseball season which will be starting up the first week of April.


 
 
 
 


This season we will again be doing our donations again for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. We have some big ideas and are hoping to get to some new ball parks this summer. We have our first autographs for the 2013 season and can't wait to report it.

Also on Monday we will reveal our Top 20 in '13! We will feature 20 autographs we would like to get during the upcoming year.

Stay tuned in for what we hope will be a fun year!