Tag Archives: score 2012

NFL

Johnson, Derrick (2) ‘DJ’

udi08 der johnsonCards: Upper Deck Icons 2008, Score 2009, Score 2012, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2012
Acquired: IP 12/6/2014, Total Athlete ATX Grand Opening
See Also: Derrick Johnson

Got a tip from a fellow collector (Nathanlg) about Derrick tweeting about a grand opening he was appearing at in Austin. Nathan and I go way, way back, however we hadn’t spoken in some 20 years, but we had been kicking the can for sometime about covering an autograph event together, since we are both avid collectors. We hit the Total Athlete grand opening a few minutes after it started. I was really surprised that the location was the former maintenance hangar of the Pflugerville Municipal Airport.  For many, many years, I’d drive by the airport on Howard Lane when I was younger. I don’t think it’d ever strike me that I’d ever go there one day for an autograph signing. Makes me think again about how small the world is physically, spatially, and socially.

Derrick was not only in attendance, – the whole building wasdors12 der johnson decked out inside with amazing full size banners of him. The facility itself specialized in resistance training. It had a few weights, but the majority of it was built towards strength and conditioning, with half of the surface covered in synthetic turf. There were a few local vendors there, and a few former UT personalities showed up including Lee Jackson, Brian Orapko, and Tim Crowder.   I even ran into a former San Antonio Talon who is a trainer there. Again- small world.

It took me a while to get around to Derrick with Nathan. I think we both didn’t want to just walk in and crash his grand opening for autographs right off the bat. While Nathan had this really nice custom replica UT helmet he made signed, I was able to slip in afterwards for a few signatures on these cards. I brought up the 2005 draft with him and how he was almost a member of the Houston Texans, not once, but twice. He almost sounded like he had a chip on his shoulder about it, and recited to me with a chuckle, how the Texans took Travis Johnson instead. I lamented to him about what could’ve been the combination of Derrick Johnson and De’Meco Ryans the Texans might have had. He grabbed all 4sco09 der johnson cards out of my hand and signed each one without blinking an eye. It was very nice of him.

Score 2009 is one of my favorite sets of the past ten years or so. I really like the distinctive design and splatter art effect. It’s just very stylish. I do go out of my way to get cards autographed from this set when the opportunity presents itself, so I was really pleased to get this one. The rest are a mishmosh of different cards from different sets that I had acquired or wanted to study. I do like this Upper Deck Icons card. Again, a really well thought out design. I like how the figure breaks the plane of the design, and the red streaks slice up the metallic border.

On the other hand, the 2012 sets are a really bad let down. I thought that the Donruss Rookies & Stars 2012 set would be as good as their 2011 and 2010 offerings but sadly it evolved into this flat and boring design. I should’ve just trusted my instincts since there was no preview of the card on the outside of the box. Likewise, Score went the same direction with their 2012 offering which I yawned at.
sco12 der johnsonIt’s just so- boxy. Very trite.

After the 2013 season, Johnson engineered another ProBowl appearance. He earned Defensive Player of the Game Honors for Team Rice notching 9 tackles and a pass block. Derrick afterwards was off to a fast start during Week 1 in 2014, if not for a torn Achilles he suffered against the Tennessee Titans, eraisng his entire campaign. In 10 seasons playing inside at linebacker with the Chiefs, Johnson’s 981 tackles rank third in team history.

 

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood “Freakwood” (3)

ud90 jeffiressco13 jeffires

flr90 jeffirespac92 jeffires


pset90 jeffiresCard: GameDay 1992, Upper Deck Team MVP 1992, Score 2012, Pro Set 1990, Playoff 1993, Fleer 1990 Update, Pacific 1992.

Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event, Fan Fest 2013
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Haywood Jeffires (2) 

I try to get Freakwood’s autograph whenever I can. I think he understands how elusive he is in the TTM world, and this allows him to charge a few bucks whenever he does show up. He used to be an immense rarity out there signing but over the past few years has been making his way around to conventions more and more. I still have a few more cards of his I’d love to get signed, and whether or not it’s at the 610 Fan Fest or through a paid signing like the Fiterman event, he’s still an Oiler legend in my book. I even had a jersey of his. I always felt like Jeffires has never gotten his due, from leading the AFC in receptions from 1990 to 1992, to helping the Oilers make the playoffs 7 seasons in a row, I think that people always talked down poff93 jeffiresabout the team and players on that offense
because they played in the Run ‘N Shoot. The Oilers after the 1993 season imploded, and while Jeffires somehow made the Probowl that season, his numbers were clearly in the decline. Over the years he had a friendly rivalry with Ernest Givins, and by 1995, only trailed him in receptions on the career list for the Oilers. For the 3rd consecutive season, he was placed on waivers as the team worked to put him under the salary cap, but with new signee Willie Davis receiving a big contract to play with the team- Jeffires decided to entertain suitors. Kansas City, Jacksonville, and New Orleans all made a play for the former Oiler, but in the end he’d finish his career in New Orleans. Jeffires suffered a season ending knee injury that year, and then was placed on waivers by the team. He ended up on the Bears but did not make the roster of the 1996 team. He has fond memories of playing for the Oilers, and doesn’t hold any hard feelings towards the fans, and it’s certainly odd for me when I see cards of Jeffires in a New Orleans outfit. I remember at the time it made me particularly sore, since he was one of my favorite players, so I can certainly relate to those fans who chagrin at Favre in a Jets jersey, Simpson in a 49er uniform, or Namath putting on a Rams helmet.
gday92 jeffiresJeffires was a late addition to the 2013 Fan Fest- So late that he was not advertised on 610’s website. The people at Clutch City Promotions though were kind enough to fill us in on the Texas Autograph Club boards of his attendance, so I was sure to pull from my collection the remainder of what I had. Fan Fest was low key this year as there was no way they could top the names from last year. This allowed for easy access to many players, and in case of Jeffries, have 4 or 5 micro conversations about football. We talked about a wide range of topics. The first was his wear. At every event he always wears a turtleneck or long sleeve shirt. His handlers laughed for a second as he told me that he thinks it’s just a thing between him and the other members of the Astrodome club because of its porous condition, it was a hard place to play. He loved the Pacific 92 card, since it showcased him in Warren’s biggest game- a 527 yard masterful performance against the Chiefs. Jeffires did not like the departure of the Oilers from Houston. He and many of the veteran members of the HOUSTON Oilers really felt that the league screwed up by letting the team leave Houston. He also felt that the team records should’ve stayed in Houston and cited the example of the Browns. This surprised me as I have always maintained that sentiment. We also discussed Drew Hill in those conversations, and Jeffires told me, “That he lived a great life.” Haywood and I also briefly discussed his impersonator, – something that he was unaware of.

jeffiresBy the end of the day I had acquired 6 more autographs of Jeffires to which I was at a point where I believe that if he ever sees me again at a convention, he may just recognize me. I got every card that I had hoped to get signed, plus nearly every ‘scrub’ card that I had left in reserve. With these autographs, Jeffires moves probably near the top of my list of autographs from a single player in my collection. There are some incredible cards in this group, including the Team MVP card from Upper Deck’s 1992 release. Absolutely beautiful art. As mentioned previously the Pacific 1992 card is a nice one, not only because of its significance but also because of the dynamic pose caught in the shot. The Gameday card was an incredible shot as well, but more so because of its verticle design. Score in its 2012 set did a re-release of some of their 1990 players in that year’s design.

Although Jeffires was on the phone from time to time during the event, he was good to his fans, always stopped what he was doing, and waited until the short conversation was over before signing the card, talking to the fan, flashing a smile or taking a photograph and moving on.

 

 

NFL

Shipley, Jordan

sco12 shipleyCard: Score 2012
Acquired: 2/2/13, IP Sam’s Club Austin

Jordan Shipley was an outstanding receiver for the University of Texas football program. At the time of his graduation he was the school’s all-time leader in receptions with 248, second in yards with 3,191, and second in touchdowns with 33. A two time All-American catching passes from Colt McCoy, Shipley also demonstrated versatility on special teams holding on FGs and returning punts and kickoffs.  (Jordan played 6 years at UT, losing 2 to medical redshirt.)

Shipley was taken in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals were set with starters Chad OchoCinco (Johnson) and Terrell Owens, so he spent a significant amount of his time on the bench behind them. Thankfully with Carson Palmer under center at the time, there was plenty to go around. Jordan finished 2010 ranked 3rd among rookies with 52 receptions for 600 yards (11.5 YPC) and 3 touchdowns. Things were looking up going into 2011, but in week 2 he suffered a terrible kneemem shipley injury that required him to miss the entire season and a good portion of the 2012 preseason. Inexplicably he’d be cut by the Bengals, and was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers briefly. Soon there after Shipley was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and finished 2012 with 23 receptions for 244 yards, 10.6 YPC, and a touchdown. In early 2013, the Jaguars rewarded him by resigning him as an exclusive rights free agent.

I heard about the Jordan Shipley signing at Sam’s Club through the Texas Autograph Club boards. Surprisingly there was very little traffic for Jordan at the store, so he had no problem signing the Score card plus the Tyson’s card. I was a bit disappointed that I only had one of him, but hear that he’s always found signing things around Austin, so I will try to get back to him again. We talked briefly about his grizzled beard, if he’d sign with the Texans who needed a good slot presence, had a good laugh, and took a photo before I was out the door. Overall it was a pretty good experience and I hope he gets to prove himself with the Jaguars- just not when playing against the Texans.