talltorrec145
talltorrec145
i heard hawk is singing this tuesday from 6-8 somewhere, does anyone know where?
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CPD
2/19
Big bucks made on Buckeyes' bandwagon
OSU players get parting gifts from fans who buy autographs
Sunday, February 19, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
His mother would like him to wear a dress shirt. After all, A.J. Hawk will be making hundreds of new acquaintances in three hours this January evening.
The first people in line for his autograph at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, a Columbus suburb, showed up eight hours before he first cocked his right wrist, lowered his head and scrawled out his name for $25.
And that's just for the name. Any extras -- "2002 National Champs," "2005 Lombardi Winner," "To Wayne" -- those are an additional $15. Each.
But Hawk is a veteran. Thirteen Sharpie markers are laid out on the table -- black, blue, red, silver. He knows that after three hours, a dress shirt inevitably would be dotted with Sharpie ink, so he's in jeans, a black warm-up jacket and backward white cap. Those are the tips you pick up by the time you end your college football career.
For Ohio State senior football players, there are three distinct seasons each year. Regular season. Bowl season. Autograph season.
When the Buckeyes won the national title with their victory in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, what had been a smattering of signings morphed into a nearly statewide circuit of public and private autograph shows. Owners of memorabilia stores, online autograph retailers, agents, middlemen and players all know the deal and how to find each other.
"It's like a cycle," said Chris Cole, who set up signings for Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel, Nick Mangold, Josh Huston and other players this year. "It's a lot of the same people every year."
But not the same players. Underclassmen being paid for autographs would face NCAA sanctions. But no more eligibility, no problem. So the signings are fine for the seniors, and for juniors who have declared for the NFL draft, such as Santonio Holmes, Ashton Youboty and Glenville High graduate Donte Whitner.
"Going to Ohio State, the older guys talked about it," said senior offensive lineman Rob Sims, a Nordonia High School graduate. "The national championship [year] those guys were cleaning up. I'm sure a big player like A.J. could probably do one every day. I just go where I fit in and make as much as I can."
Over the course of their Buckeye careers, they all signed free autographs - after games, in restaurants, for strangers who gave a jersey to their aunt - enough that someone at a Hawk signing wondered aloud how there could be this many people who still didn't have his autograph.
But they were there, many fans sure to earn less this year than some of the most popular Buckeyes will make in autograph season.
No one in the autograph world is eager to discuss money. Ads for events aren't hard to find, but it's as if an unspoken stigma is attached to discussions about college kids and cash. And autograph dealers don't want the competition to know what they pay.
As a result, insiders said the money could vary greatly from event to event. Typically, players, based on their popularity, are paid a flat fee for an event. The stores charge for the autographs based on the fee they paid.
For example, one expert said that Hawk could be paid $5,000 for some events, sometimes less and sometimes more. As the most popular Buckeye, Hawk will turn down signing opportunities while he prepares for the NFL draft and his remaining OSU class work. But appearing at 10 to 20 events could earn Hawk upwards of $50,000.
Less-popular players, appearing at a handful of events, may pull in about $2,000 total.
Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel are to appear as a linebacker trio on March 3 at the Cleveland Auto Show. A show spokesman said they would be paid a total of about $10,000 for signing two hours of free autographs, with Hawk, the main draw, getting a larger chunk.
Johnny Campbell operates 15 sports stores in central Ohio, most of them under the name Cardboard Heroes. He estimated that he would do 10 to 25 hours of signings with each of the starters leaving the football team. Campbell said his stores use the events to draw customers but don't make much money.
He would not say what he pays.
But money changes hands quickly. During one three-minute stretch, Hawk signed four photos, three mini-helmets, two programs and a football. At $25 apiece, that's $250 in three minutes. At that pace, that's $5,000 worth of autographs in an hour, and $15,000 for a three-hour event.
Mike Guinto, 21, drove from Cleveland to be one of the first in line for Hawk in Dublin. He had a jersey, a football and three photos signed and had no trouble forking over the $125.
"He deserves it," Guinto said.
The money is nothing compared with the $30 million contract Hawk can expect as a top 10 pick in April's NFL draft. And not everyone makes that much. A memorabilia dealer said safety Donte Whitner was paid $1,000 for a private signing this year. One insider said other players make $150 per hour for signing. When tight end Ryan Hamby and fullback Brandon Schnittker signed at the same Dublin store where Hawk's signature cost $25, the line at the start was only 10 minutes long, and $5 got you both signatures.
It's all about what the market bears. In other states, it's different.
Officials at the University of Michigan, at Penn State, at Notre Dame, at Texas and at Southern California said that no equivalent organized autograph frenzy exists for those popular programs.
But from Toledo to Zanesville and Strongsville to Dayton, the Buckeyes leaving Columbus are hot. When spring practice starts in March, the new edition of the Buckeyes will catch the fancy of fans.
But for the three months from the end of their bowl to the start of spring practice, "it's like the Buckeye World Tour," said Kevin Schlosser, who operates the Web site www.theosustore.com and books players for private and public signings. "How old baseball teams used to do barnstorming, this is kind of what the atmosphere becomes for the Ohio State players."
At private signings, players churn through stacks of photos or souvenirs, personalizing some to satisfy the requests Schlosser takes over the Internet. He said 40 percent of his business comes from out-of-staters.
It's at the public signings where the players hear the thank yous and say their farewells to Buckeye Nation. They are also working out for the NFL combine and some of them are still in classes. But most of them find time for at least one show per week, some hitting three shows in a weekend. The money is a perk.
"I have to pay the rent," said senior Nate Salley, whose expenses aren't paid by his scholarship since he isn't taking classes this quarter.
"I'm glad we have great fans and they're helping us out a lot right now."
The people are perks too - a little boy wanting to arm-wrestle defensive end Mike Kudla, a little girl flexing for a photo while scrunching up her nose to make her A.J. Hawk face.
"It's amazing," Kudla said after a two-hour signing last week. "People get to see you without your helmet on, and it makes them so happy."
It's just another season in a Buckeye year that seemingly never ends.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4748
2/19
Big bucks made on Buckeyes' bandwagon
OSU players get parting gifts from fans who buy autographs
Sunday, February 19, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
His mother would like him to wear a dress shirt. After all, A.J. Hawk will be making hundreds of new acquaintances in three hours this January evening.
The first people in line for his autograph at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, a Columbus suburb, showed up eight hours before he first cocked his right wrist, lowered his head and scrawled out his name for $25.
And that's just for the name. Any extras -- "2002 National Champs," "2005 Lombardi Winner," "To Wayne" -- those are an additional $15. Each.
But Hawk is a veteran. Thirteen Sharpie markers are laid out on the table -- black, blue, red, silver. He knows that after three hours, a dress shirt inevitably would be dotted with Sharpie ink, so he's in jeans, a black warm-up jacket and backward white cap. Those are the tips you pick up by the time you end your college football career.
For Ohio State senior football players, there are three distinct seasons each year. Regular season. Bowl season. Autograph season.
When the Buckeyes won the national title with their victory in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, what had been a smattering of signings morphed into a nearly statewide circuit of public and private autograph shows. Owners of memorabilia stores, online autograph retailers, agents, middlemen and players all know the deal and how to find each other.
"It's like a cycle," said Chris Cole, who set up signings for Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel, Nick Mangold, Josh Huston and other players this year. "It's a lot of the same people every year."
But not the same players. Underclassmen being paid for autographs would face NCAA sanctions. But no more eligibility, no problem. So the signings are fine for the seniors, and for juniors who have declared for the NFL draft, such as Santonio Holmes, Ashton Youboty and Glenville High graduate Donte Whitner.
"Going to Ohio State, the older guys talked about it," said senior offensive lineman Rob Sims, a Nordonia High School graduate. "The national championship [year] those guys were cleaning up. I'm sure a big player like A.J. could probably do one every day. I just go where I fit in and make as much as I can."
Over the course of their Buckeye careers, they all signed free autographs - after games, in restaurants, for strangers who gave a jersey to their aunt - enough that someone at a Hawk signing wondered aloud how there could be this many people who still didn't have his autograph.
But they were there, many fans sure to earn less this year than some of the most popular Buckeyes will make in autograph season.
No one in the autograph world is eager to discuss money. Ads for events aren't hard to find, but it's as if an unspoken stigma is attached to discussions about college kids and cash. And autograph dealers don't want the competition to know what they pay.
As a result, insiders said the money could vary greatly from event to event. Typically, players, based on their popularity, are paid a flat fee for an event. The stores charge for the autographs based on the fee they paid.
For example, one expert said that Hawk could be paid $5,000 for some events, sometimes less and sometimes more. As the most popular Buckeye, Hawk will turn down signing opportunities while he prepares for the NFL draft and his remaining OSU class work. But appearing at 10 to 20 events could earn Hawk upwards of $50,000.
Less-popular players, appearing at a handful of events, may pull in about $2,000 total.
Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel are to appear as a linebacker trio on March 3 at the Cleveland Auto Show. A show spokesman said they would be paid a total of about $10,000 for signing two hours of free autographs, with Hawk, the main draw, getting a larger chunk.
Johnny Campbell operates 15 sports stores in central Ohio, most of them under the name Cardboard Heroes. He estimated that he would do 10 to 25 hours of signings with each of the starters leaving the football team. Campbell said his stores use the events to draw customers but don't make much money.
He would not say what he pays.
But money changes hands quickly. During one three-minute stretch, Hawk signed four photos, three mini-helmets, two programs and a football. At $25 apiece, that's $250 in three minutes. At that pace, that's $5,000 worth of autographs in an hour, and $15,000 for a three-hour event.
Mike Guinto, 21, drove from Cleveland to be one of the first in line for Hawk in Dublin. He had a jersey, a football and three photos signed and had no trouble forking over the $125.
"He deserves it," Guinto said.
The money is nothing compared with the $30 million contract Hawk can expect as a top 10 pick in April's NFL draft. And not everyone makes that much. A memorabilia dealer said safety Donte Whitner was paid $1,000 for a private signing this year. One insider said other players make $150 per hour for signing. When tight end Ryan Hamby and fullback Brandon Schnittker signed at the same Dublin store where Hawk's signature cost $25, the line at the start was only 10 minutes long, and $5 got you both signatures.
It's all about what the market bears. In other states, it's different.
Officials at the University of Michigan, at Penn State, at Notre Dame, at Texas and at Southern California said that no equivalent organized autograph frenzy exists for those popular programs.
But from Toledo to Zanesville and Strongsville to Dayton, the Buckeyes leaving Columbus are hot. When spring practice starts in March, the new edition of the Buckeyes will catch the fancy of fans.
But for the three months from the end of their bowl to the start of spring practice, "it's like the Buckeye World Tour," said Kevin Schlosser, who operates the Web site www.theosustore.com and books players for private and public signings. "How old baseball teams used to do barnstorming, this is kind of what the atmosphere becomes for the Ohio State players."
At private signings, players churn through stacks of photos or souvenirs, personalizing some to satisfy the requests Schlosser takes over the Internet. He said 40 percent of his business comes from out-of-staters.
It's at the public signings where the players hear the thank yous and say their farewells to Buckeye Nation. They are also working out for the NFL combine and some of them are still in classes. But most of them find time for at least one show per week, some hitting three shows in a weekend. The money is a perk.
"I have to pay the rent," said senior Nate Salley, whose expenses aren't paid by his scholarship since he isn't taking classes this quarter.
"I'm glad we have great fans and they're helping us out a lot right now."
The people are perks too - a little boy wanting to arm-wrestle defensive end Mike Kudla, a little girl flexing for a photo while scrunching up her nose to make her A.J. Hawk face.
"It's amazing," Kudla said after a two-hour signing last week. "People get to see you without your helmet on, and it makes them so happy."
It's just another season in a Buckeye year that seemingly never ends.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4748
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tyrus
F***ing Catalina Wine-Mixer
We were talking about this earlier in this thread. Talks a little about JT and Hawk and what they have done for Baylee and her family.
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060220/NEWS01/602200301/1002
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060220/NEWS01/602200301/1002
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Just when I think I couldn't possibly respect a guy like A.J. Hawk or Coach Tressel and the program that he runs any more than I already do...the pride I have in calling Coach T "our" Coach, and players like A.J. Buckeyes swells more and more.
Always great to hear these types of thigs since we are unlikely to find them as headliners on ESPN or in Sports Illustrated.
Great Read. GO BUCKS! :osu:
Always great to hear these types of thigs since we are unlikely to find them as headliners on ESPN or in Sports Illustrated.
Great Read. GO BUCKS! :osu:
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buff2506
BUCKEYE LUVIN
autograph signings
Thanks for your continued support tyrus. Now if we can get AJ's help to be some kind of spokesman for the UMDF we will be all set. AJ has been seen sporting the green UMDF bracelet and he would be our perfect choice for a spokesman for our energy lacking disease's foundation. A warrior on the field and a class act off. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Thanks for your continued support tyrus. Now if we can get AJ's help to be some kind of spokesman for the UMDF we will be all set. AJ has been seen sporting the green UMDF bracelet and he would be our perfect choice for a spokesman for our energy lacking disease's foundation. A warrior on the field and a class act off. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
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talltorrec145
talltorrec145
talking about aj and class act, after the michigan game, there was a crowd waiting for him outside, as expected, and he took this kid aside who i believe has down syndrome im not sure but is mentally handicapped, talked to him for 5-10 minutes before talking to anyone else, and i couldnt believe what a class act he was, he is a true example of what players should be like
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Detroit News
2/21
<!-- end Title --> Buckeyes learn to earn: sign names for big bucks
<!-- OAS AD '300x250_1' begin --><script language="JavaScript"> <!-- OAS_AD('300x250_1'); //--> &nbs</script>The 13 markers lined up next to A.J. Hawk during a recent appearance at a suburban Columbus, Ohio, mall were a testament to a perk that comes to Ohio State football players leaving their alma mater -- and their college eligibility -- behind.
Autograph signings, which have boomed since the Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship, can earn popular senior players thousands of dollars after the season ends, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported.
Underclassmen who get paid for autographs face NCAA sanctions. But players who are graduating or have declared for the NFL draft are free to tour a nearly statewide circuit of public and private autograph shows. Fans are charged as much as $25 for Hawk's signature.
2/21
<!-- end Title --> Buckeyes learn to earn: sign names for big bucks
<!-- OAS AD '300x250_1' begin --><script language="JavaScript"> <!-- OAS_AD('300x250_1'); //--> &nbs</script>The 13 markers lined up next to A.J. Hawk during a recent appearance at a suburban Columbus, Ohio, mall were a testament to a perk that comes to Ohio State football players leaving their alma mater -- and their college eligibility -- behind.
Autograph signings, which have boomed since the Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship, can earn popular senior players thousands of dollars after the season ends, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported.
Underclassmen who get paid for autographs face NCAA sanctions. But players who are graduating or have declared for the NFL draft are free to tour a nearly statewide circuit of public and private autograph shows. Fans are charged as much as $25 for Hawk's signature.
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talltorrec145
talltorrec145
tressel and six players are signing this saturday at nationwide at 5, i dont know the details though....
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you're right, it does sound stupid. He has signed thousands of free autographs, did some at that walmart signing, and will surely continue to do so in the pros. That being said, nothing wrong with making a little money signing autographs.
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talltorrec145
talltorrec145
ya im going, im leaving right now, no way i turn down tressel and 6 starting players autographs for free
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