Blake Griffin 2012 LA Auto Show Appearance

The last couple of years the Los Angeles Auto Show has had some great athlete appearances, so I was looking forward to this year's convention. The 2012 show opened Friday and they got off to a nice start. Like last year, Kia Motors brought in their big spokesman Clippers forward Blake Griffin for an autograph session. Blake was scheduled to appear from 3-5.

I arrived at the Convention Center at at 1:00 and there weren't many people in line. We were told one autograph per person and he would not be signing outside items. I kind of expected this, so I didn't bring anything in. At 2:00 wristbands were handed out, so I decided to check out some of the cars while Mrs.Bobble held our spot in line. 

After checking out some new cars I got back in line. Blake arrived right at 3:00 and started signing and taking pics right away. As usual, Blake was very nice and talked with everyone for a few moments. This year's 8x10 was very nice too. Much more impressive than last year's picture. 

I had a great time at the Convention Center. Blake Griffin and KIA were awesome. And even though I didn't get to see all the cars at the show, I would get another chance a couple days later, along with another autograph opportunity.

Player Appearance: Blake Griffin

Last Saturday I went on a journey that landed me not one, not two, but three autographs. That first auto was from Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and I had to drive 150 miles away to San Diego to get it. I got the next two in Downtown LA on my way home. LA Clippers All-Star Forward Blake Griffin and Skateboarder Rob Dyrdek both were signing at the Los Angeles Auto show at the Convention Center.

Tony Gwynn's appearance was scheduled for 9:00 am and my friends and I were at the front of the line. Tony began signing right away so we were able to leave San Diego at 9:30. We still had a chance to get to LA for the 1:00pm Blake Griffin appearance. While on the freeway heading home, we were getting updates from my buddy Alex who was already at the Convention Center waiting in line for Griffin. He told us there were only 10 people in line. Things were looking good.

It took us about two and a half hours to get to the Convention Center. When we arrived, we were about twentieth in line and it was an hour before the signing. The four of us got wristbands and we were told Blake wouldn't sign any outside items but he would take a picture with us. Kia Motors was giving away 8x10 pictures for him to sign, plus certificates of authenticity from Panini.

Once 1:00 rolled around, we were told Blake was running late. He finally showed up at 1:15 and started signing right away. When I got to the front of the line he signed the Kia picture for me and posed for a pic. He asked me if I was having a good time at the auto show and I moved on.

While we there we saw Jesse from Los Angeles Inspiration, and he informed us that Skateboarder and "Fantasy Factory" star Rob Dyrdek was signing at the Chevy booth. We all headed over there and got that auto as well.

Overall I'd say I had a great day. I got one HOFers auto, one NBA superstar's auto and a third auto from a pretty famous skateboarder. Not bad if you ask me.

Player Appearance: Tony Gwynn

Yesterday I had one of those rare days where I went from one location to another and got more than one autograph. I actually was able to get three autographs yesterday.  The first one I got was 150 miles away in San Diego from Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The other two, Clippers Forward Blake Griffin and Skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, were at the Los Angeles Auto Show. I'll share my experience with Mr. Gwynn today and move onto Griffin and Dyrdek later.

Former San Diego Padres All-Star and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn made an appearance yesterday at El Cajon  Ford. He was scheduled to meet fans and sign autographs from 9-10:00 am. 

I made my 150 mile journey from the San Fernando Valley down to El Cajon with three friends early Saturday morning. It took us about 2 hours to get down there. Surprisingly, there were only two other people waiting in line when we arrived.

While we were there, my buddy Alex was giving me updates from the Los Angeles Convention Center where Blake Griffin was scheduled to sign at 1:00pm. That too was a surprisingly short line.

Mr. Gwynn arrived about 15 minutes early and started signing right at 9:00. I had heard some horror stories about Tony being snappy at past events. When I got to the signing table he was very friendly, autographing my baseball and was even joking around. But sure enough, the guy behind me got him upset. The gentleman behind me had a picture of Tony in a San Diego State basketball uniform and Tony wanted to know where he got it. The guy said he bought it from someone in line and before you knew it, Tony was out of his seat wondering who the guy was. After this person was pointed out, Tony made it clear he didn't want any of his pictures sold there because it was theft. The General Manager at the dealership even announced it over the loudspeaker. The whole ordeal had us all laughing.

When we left the Ford dealership, I got another update from Alex at the Convention Center, and there were just five people there in line. Maybe we had a chance to get Blake Griffin's auto too? So we got on the freeway and hauled ass to Downtown LA. As I already mentioned, we did get Blake's autograph, but I'll save that for another day.

Player Appearance: Blake Griffin

Los Angeles Clippers Forward, and 2010-2011 Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin made an appearance in Century City yesterday. This was one of many events held for the grand opening of the newest Microsoft Store.

Blake Griffin was scheduled to appear from 5-7 pm. He was there promoting Kinect for XBox 360, so they were giving some of the people in line the opportunity to play Kinect with Blake. I arrived very early, 6 hours early! I was expecting a huge line when I got there, but I was wrong, I was only the third person there. The Facebook page for the event said there would be no lining up before 1pm, but people started trickling in, so the event staff formed a line at 11:30. The first fifty people or so were given numbered cards, not wristbands. Fans with numbered cards would get the chance to play Kinect with Griffin.

The event was at an outdoor mall, and it got hotter and hotter as the day went on. The Microsoft staff was on top of it though, passing out water to everyone and setting up umbrellas for us to sit under. They also handed out tons of swag, including t-shirts that most of us used to cover our heads. There were also raffles being held for the people in line. Prizes included XBox 360 games and XBox Live subscriptions.

By the time five o'clock came, there were hundreds of people in line. Blake arrived just a few minutes late, but when he walked up to the Microsoft Store, the crowd went crazy. Before letting us in, we were told he wouldn't sign any outside memorabilia and that no photography was allowed. I was kind of bummed because I brought a basketball from the 2010-2011 All-Star game in Los Angeles to get signed, and of course I wanted to take tons of pictures.

Once the line started moving, they took us in groups of ten. We were told to put our cameras and phones away. When I got to the front of the line, security took my bag, asked me my name and asked me if I wanted to play Kinect with Blake. I told them I did want to play Kinect, so security introduced me to Mr. Griffin, he shook my hand, signed a promotional picture, then took a picture with me. I was rushed out of there without getting the opportunity to play Kinect! On the way out, Panini handed everyone a certificate of authenticity, which I thought was a very good idea, since they wouldn't let us get anything else signed.

At the end of the day, I was very happy with the autograph, although I would have been happier with my ball signed. The entire event went smoothly. Thanks to Blake Griffin and the Microsoft Store for everything! Also thanks to Alejandro for the event info. It was great seeing everyone yesterday. I had a great time hanging out with Alejandro, Tom and Gabriel.

Bobblehead News

Before I get into the news, I want to congratulate Format on winning tonight's Don Mattingly bobblehead contest. That's two in a row for Format. These contests are getting very interesting, I'm getting answers to my trivia questions in a matter of seconds. For those who didn't win, we'll be giving away another bobblehead very soon.

It's been a while since I posted bobblehead news. Here's a couple of tidbits from the world of bobbleheads:

Summer Bobble Slam Plan. For those Dodger fans interested in the getting the remaining four bobbleheads, the team is offering a new mini plan, the Summer Bobble Slam Plan. You'll get the four games that include all of this year's remaining bobbleheads. Hong-Chih Kuo's patented fist pump, Andre Ethier in the "throwbacks"...a salute to "Fernandomania"...and a tribute to "the Duke"...All starting at just $15 a seat!  Sounds like a good deal to me.

66ers to give away Beltre bobbles. This Saturday(June 11), the Inland Empire 66ers, Single-A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels, will be giving away Adrian Beltre Big Head bobbleheads. This bobblehead will be given away to the first 1,500 fans in attendance. Oh yeah, it's also Star Wars Night at the stadium.

Blake Griffin Rookie of the Year bobblehead. Any Clippers fans out there? Forever Collectibles has made a Blake Griffin NBA Rookie of the Year Trophy bobblehead. Clarks Toys is taking preorders on them. They're $24.99 and will ship September 11. Message to Donald T. Sterling: Blake Griffin SGA!

The Mets Bobblehead Curse. Since 2002, nearly every player who has been commemorated with a bobblehead sponsored by Gold’s Horseradish has already been injured, gotten injured or ended up performing poorly. The list of players hit with the horseradish curse includes Mike Piazza, John Franco, Kaz Matsui, Pedro Martinez, Paul LoDuca, Francisco Rodriguez, Johan Santana and Jason Bay. The streak will continue in 2011, as July 19th's bobblehead recipient, Ike Davis, hit the Disabled List this week.

Pearl Jam bobblehead. This past Friday, the Seattle Mariners gave away bobbleheads of Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. The limited edition bobbleheads were given away with the purchase of tickets that helped raise funds for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.  I wish I had one of these in my collection. I checked on ebay, and they're not selling cheaply.

NBA All-Star Jam Session: Day 3

Today I attended the NBA All-Star Jam at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, George Gervin, John Starks, Mitch Ritchmond, Detlef Schrempf, and Ron Harper were all scheduled to appear.

I arrived at 10:00 a.m. with one goal: to get Blake Griffin's autograph.  The first thing I did was buy a 2010-2011 All Star ball, then I headed to the line. When we got to the signing area, Russell Westbrook was there signing. I decided to jump in line and get Russell's autograph. The line moved smoothly. Russell was cranking out the signatures. Once I got to the front of the line, Russell signed, then I went directly to the line forming for Blake Griffin.

Russell Westbrook

Let me say how unorganized the whole event was. No one knew where to go. But everyone started getting in this line that had begun forming. By the time Westbrook finished signing, there were hundreds of people in a line waiting for Blake Griffin. No one knew if this was the official line for the signing. It turned out to be the official Blake Griffin line, but in the end it didn't matter. They had us move forward, counting us as we walked to the front. I was number 70 in line. I thought I was in good shape. Blake was scheduled to appear at 12:00.

Noon finally came, and no Griffin. 12:30, no Griffin. 12:45, no Griffin. Finally at 12:55, Griffin showed up. The crowd went crazy. The MC asked him a couple of questions, then brought him over to THE car he jumped over in the Slam Dunk contest. Blake signed the car, then headed over to the signing table. They started letting people in in groups of ten. After about 15 minutes, they decided to stop the signing. I was three people shy of getting his autograph. I can't begin to tell you how pissed I was.I wasn't the only one. There were hundreds of angry people behind me. I don't want to blame Blake Griffin for this, I know he is probably getting pulled in a million directions. I blame his PR people. They really fucked the whole thing up.

The picture they gave us.

Blake Griffin

The hood Griffin jumped over in the dunk contest

After Griffin left, the people working the event handed us a picture of him in the dunk contest and sent us on our way. I was so angry, I couldn't think straight. After walking around for a while, I decided to go to the John Starks line. While waiting for Griffin, I missed out on the George Gervin, Ron Harper, Detlef Schrempf, and the Mitch Richmond signings, so I figured I might as well get something before I left.

John Starks was scheduled to appear at 3:00, and he showed up on time. I was a huge Starks fan growing up, so this was a nice consolation prize. I forgot to bring something for Starks to sign, luckily he had some All-Star postcards at the table.

John Starks

I'm happy I got a chance to meet Russell Westbrook and John Starks today. I'm also upset I didn't meet Blake Griffin. He was probably the most popular player this All-Star weekend, so they should have known there would be many people trying to get his autograph. I really feel let down, but I also know there are no guarantees at these things.