HeadlineSports.net

Babe Ruth Autographs!

2009-11-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

"Nice!" is the only expression that comes to mind for this Ruth/Gehrig cut.

There will never again be a duo like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They were a deadly combination as Yankee teammates but they weren't the best of friends off the field. Which is why it's a rare occasion to see both signatures on paper.

Here at 1213 Boyles, we always have authentic autographs of Mantle, DiMaggio, and Ted Williams on hand. But I have never seen a situation where we have so many Ruths, Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, etc. all at one time.

If you're in the market for one, we're the guys to call.

If interested call the office toll-free 1-877-218-3894 or email Kent ksports1966@aol.com. He's the resident expert on all things autographed by Babe Ruth.

October26, 2009 -- Shaquille Oneal & Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

2009-10-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

Who's ready for basketball season?

When I made my Tuesday visit to SI Vault this week, I noticed that this week's issue was the annual NBA Preview. What's different is that there's only one issue instead of the three regional issues that they printed.

They must be cutting back due to the economy.

No need to call around this time, there's only issue to worry about.

The Road Home -- BUC-EE'S

2009-08-04T22:18:00.001-07:00

Day 6 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-08-02T05:12:00.001-07:00

The Fat Entourage

Day 5 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-07-31T17:00:00.001-07:00

Hard day for the rookie.

Mo's turn in the back of the Suburban.

Day 4 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-07-30T16:48:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-07-30T16:43:00.001-07:00

Day 2 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-07-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Day 1 - 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention -- Cleveland, Ohio

2009-07-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

POP UPS

2009-06-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the annoying Casalemedia and Revenue.net popup ads that appeared on our site over the weekend. Looks like our website was hacked. It seemed to be kind of widespread as other websites were victims also. I just figured out how to get it off. If you are having other problems with access or other annoyances, please give us a call or email and let us know.

Site Improvements

2009-01-07T16:47:00.001-08:00

I added AOL Instant messenger links on the front page. So if you have a question or need help for the website, just click the link and chat with me.

O.K. The USPS rate quote conflicts are still going on so I turned it off and implemented a table rate that mirrors the rates offered by USPS. Even though it doesn't say it in the checkout page, "Table Rate (Best Method)" is USPS.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

2009-01-02T23:26:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Mine was not bad considering the circumstances.

On December 9th, USPS's rate quote system went down for thousands of ecommerce sites like ours. And now our hosting provider and USPS are at a standstill. USPS rate quote can't be activated until USPS provides some IP numbers. I've made sure that it's not any problem on our end so that leaves me sitting in the middle begging for the two parties to talk to each other. In essence, USPS rate quote has been DOWN FOR THE ENTIRE CHRISTMAS SEASON! And it's still not working. AAARRGH!

So if you tried to buy something on HeadlineSports.net, the only choice you had for shipping was FedEx. FedEx is a bit more expensive but is great for domestic express deliveries. However, for our Canadian customers, FedEx sucks! They charge Canadians a hidden $75 brokerage fee when it arrives at your door.

I apologize for any inconveniences if there were any due to this glitch. If there were any problems, please contact us so we can get your order fixed. Your satisfaction is my pleasure. In the meantime, I shall cross my fingers and wait

Adam

Babe Ruth Autographed Baseballs

2008-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wanna impress your friends? How about adding a "Holy Grail" to your collection. Sure, you can get yourself a T206 Honus Wagner ... yeah, right. Or you can get a Babe Ruth autographed baseball. No ... seriously! I'm talking about a genuine Babe Ruth signed baseball. Because compared to the T206, they're not hard to find, they're relatively inexpensive, and an autographed Ruth ball carries just as much prestige. And everyone knows Babe Ruth. Even people who aren't sports fans.

This particular one sat on my desk for about a day and is one of my favorites. It has Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Fox, and Connie Mack on the panels, but Babe Ruth nice and bold on the sweet spot. We used to see one every once in a while, but I've never seen so many in one place at one time. Whenever one arrives, we would all clamor around to get a glimpse of it before it's sold. Kent makes sure that they're PSA/DNA or JSA authenticated before they are allowed to sell so if you're in the market, give Kent a call. 713-672-2793

October 20, 2008 - Colt McCoy, Texas Longhorns (University of Texas)

2008-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Longhorns be the Sooners and Colt McCoy is on the cover of SI. I'm not an authority but I think he might be pretty good. :P

A couple of years ago when he started as a skinny freshman, he was a boy amongst men. Look at him now. He is almost single handedly leading the Texas Longhorns atop the AP poll -- number one in the nation for two weeks in a row.

Even if they don't get an opportunity to play in the national championship game, beating the OU Sooners is good enough. It's that big of a deal.

Octubre, 2008 - Luis Castillo, San Diego Chargers (SI Latino)

2008-10-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get more information on SI Latino issues. We carry a couple of issues on the website, but they resemble more like commemorative issues.

The October 2008 issue that I recently found features Luis Castillo and is a supplemental that is stuffed in local Spanish newspapers. I've heard that they release regional issues as well so there may be multiple covers every month - American football in the West and Soccer or International Football in the East.

I'm going to try to broaden our stock of SI Latino issues. If there's a different cover in your area, let me know who it is.

October 13, 2008 - Manny Ramirez & Marian Hossa - Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Redwings

2008-10-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Two Covers this week.

1988, as I remember, was a very good year. The A's - with their power-hitting duo of Canseco & McGwire was the team to dethrone and the Los Angeles Dodgers was the team that did it. First they beat the Mets, and then Kirk Gibson hit that massive ninth-inning home run in game one. Oh, the memories. Twenty years later, Manny Mania is going to try to bring the glory back to Dodger blue. The Manny issue is available in the West and South.

Incidently, Marian Hossa is on the 2008 Hockey Preview, a regional East Coast cover. Down here in our hockey depraved sector of the country, I've never heard of him. He must be pretty good.

September 29, 2008 - Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs

2008-09-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

It'd be cool to see the Cubs finally win after over 100 years. As good a team that they have -- and they should be free of Steve Bartman -- I doubt that it'll happen this year. But it's not like they need a World Series win. They pack the house for every game, win or lose, and Wrigley Field is a fricken palace despite it's lack of modern amenities. But still, congrats to the Chicago Cubs for another SI Cover this year. If I were a Chicagoan, I'd be a Cubs fan.

Ike, You Suck!

2008-09-22T16:34:00.001-07:00

To those of you who have checked up on us during the past few days: Thank you for your words of kindness. Yes, we are all okay. Our homes have suffered broken windows, fallen fences, and missing shingles. There was a little bit of water damage to the office here in our downtown Houston warehouse (as a result, we'll be remodeling the office...woohoo!). But that is nothing compared to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike to our friends in Galveston and around the gulf coast.

I personally experienced four days without power, telephone service, and running water. It felt more like 1908 than 2008. The water gradually started to trickle on Sunday and I was lucky enough to get power activated on Tuesday which is better than the rest of Houston. As I'm typing this, half of the city is still out of power.

On the bright side, it was kind of nice. I got into the routine of waking up at dawn, and going to bed a lot earlier than normal. With the internet down, no TV to watch, and the telephone not ringing, I was able to get a lot of chores done.

But now, after a bit of clean-up, things are getting back to normal - at least for us. The power is back; the phones are working; FedEx and USPS are on the roads again; and I am caught up on the package logjam (I apologize for the slight delay if you made your order during the hurricane weekend).

So give us a call. We're back in business.

September 22, 2008 - Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris & Yankee Stadium

2008-09-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Yankee Stadium won't be around next year. The current Yankee Stadium doesn't look old. As a matter of fact, it's only thirty two years old. Compared to the shimmering glare of all the new baseball palaces sprouting up around America, the space age cookie-cutter renovations that they made to the stadium in 1976 has become dated. Yes, it was a different time, but had George Steinbrenner done a better job with the redesign of the stadium, maybe hallowed Yankee Stadium wouldn't have to be torn down.
Yeah, there's a new one next door and it looks pretty good. It's got the molding along the top and the exterior looks like the original Yankee Stadium. The interior looks very much like the modern one. But will it be the same? Will baseball fans accept this stadium as the pinnacle of the pasttime?

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Category 2? Category 3? I don't know. All I know is I have to apologize to a couple customers tonight. We couldn't get your urgent overnight packages shipped because the FedEx and UPS in Houston decided to suspend their operations due to the oncoming Hurricane Ike. And looking at the weather updates, I think we should do the same. So it's time to batten down the hatches; board up the windows; stock up on bottled water and non-perishables. From the looks of it, we could be out of the office for a few days. Please accept our apologies if we are out of contact for a short time.

September 15, 2008 - Brett Favre, New York Jets

2008-09-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

Retired? Whatever...

Although I think the majority of Cheeseheads would rather see him wearing the green and yellow than forest and white. On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers didn't look too shabby Monday night.

Add to that, Peyton looking rusty; Tom Brady out for the season; and Vince needing a nap, it's starting out to be an interesting NFL season.

Any cover with Brett sells fast so pick some up at your local Newsstand, or look us up. We'll be carrying both the subscription and the newsstand editions.

September 8, 2008 - Glen Coffee, Alabama Crimson Tide

2008-09-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Give David Bergman the Pulitzer. His photograph of Glen Coffee breaking through Clemson's defense in last weekend's college football opener makes for one of the coolest SI covers this year. Good luck to the Tide on the resurgence of their football program.

August 11, 2008 College Preview Regional Fold-Out Covers

2008-09-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Five fold-out regional covers for this year's College Football Preview, and we have them all in decent quantity.

August 18, 2008 & August 25, 2008 - Michael Phelps 2008 Beijing Olympics

2008-08-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

He Did It! Eight Gold Medals!

I don't care that he can swim like a dolphin. All I want to know is, how can I get away with eating twelve thousand calories a day.

I'm seeing brisk sales of all Michael Phelps issues. We're almost out of stock on all of them. Word has it, that he's already signed an exclusive autograph deal with the fine people at STEINER Sports.

2008 National Sports Collectors Convention

2008-08-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well, another National has come and gone. I initially planned to write updates during the trip, but we were so extremely busy at booth 655, I hardly had time to walk around.

This year, in conjunction with The Edgeman, and The History Of The Game, we had a massive booth: 100 ft long, 50 ft wide. Outside of the autograph signing area, it was one of the busiest sections of the Stephens Center.

We spent seven hours putting the booth together on the first Monday. This is what it looked like every night before we retired back to the hotel - completely draped in olive drab.

Booth 655 unveiled. An impressive collection of Mickey Mantle, DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and other investment grade autographed items - all PSA/DNA or JSA authenticated. THOTG obtains their inventory in quantity from sources such as Online Authentics, Tri-Star, Steiner, and official autograph agents. They buy surplus items signed at private signings and pass on the savings.

The bargain baseball bins were a hit. Where else could you fish out a Rafael Furcal or Mariano Duncan signed Official AL or NL ball for just seven bucks?

Some pretty good autograph guests this year... Dennis Rodman, Stan Musial, Joe Namath, Refrigerator Perry, among others.

The Chicago Bulls set up a booth that I thought was pretty cool. They had all of the championship trophies displayed.

And before I forget, the food in Chicago is pretty good.

2008-08-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

I have not had time to walk around the show because the booth has been extremely busy the last three days. So here's a snapshot of it before the unveiling.

2008 National Sports Collectors Convention

2008-07-29T05:31:00.001-07:00

Hello from the Windy City. We are currently at the 2008 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. It was a beautiful two-day drive from Houston. This is actually the second day that we've been here. Load-in was yesterday, Set-up is today. We're not all settled in yet, but it's already looking to be a great week for sports memorabilia collectors.

The Tuesday Report: June 23, 2008 Tiger Woods

2008-06-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Who knew golf was this exciting?

I used to have a $12 a week driving range habit - a fortune for a poor college student. So I quit, and I haven't picked up a club since. Golf is an extremely satisfying sport to play, but a chore to watch on television. So if I see it on TV, I usually flip the channel - that is -unless Tiger is playing.

An otherwise normal workday became a manic Monday as it was jazzed up with constant U.S. Open updates.

This is Tiger's twentieth cover on Sports Illustrated. He's heading towards Michael Jordan Territory in SI covers. A master of his art, he has already attained Michael Jordan stature as he is a legend of his sport.

We should be getting plenty of these covers in the couple of weeks so check out the site of give us a call.

The Tuesday Report: Three Covers This Week

2008-06-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late post. SI released three SI's last week.

The one we received here in Houston was the Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett cover that most of America should have received.

If you are located in and around the Michigan area, you should have received the Detroit Redwings issue. This one is going to be the collectible issue as die-hard SI collectors who didn't receive this cover will want to get their hands on it.

And last, but not least, Sports Illustrated released a Detroit Redwings Commemorative issue. This issue will be available on the newsstands for the next few weeks so pick one up.

We'll have them available on our website as soon as we get our hands on them.

Ultra Pro Self Sealing Bags

2008-06-03T18:05:00.001-07:00

We just got in a few cases of these Ultra-Pro Resealable Magazine Size Comic Bags. They're 8.5"x10.5" and have a self sealing adhesive lip that makes storing and sealing your SI's and other magazines a cinch. I tried some and it made bagging magazines two times faster than normal. Great for those of us who have a lot of magazines to bag. There are other self-sealing magazine bags out on the market, but none of them match the quality of these Ultra-Pro Resealable Magazine Size Comic Bags. They're BRILLIANT!

But, there's one problem...

They don't fit all of our magazines; just the more recent ones because not all SI's are the same size. Ever since the first issue in 1954 (and the DUMMY test issues before that), Sports Illustrated Magazine has been shrinking. As the price of paper goes higher, the size of the magazine grows smaller. It's a gradual shrinking decade by decade.

I was hoping to add these into inventory, but I don't think there will be much of a demand for these. We'll still use them here at the warehouse for all of the newer SI's (2000 to current) but I won't list them on the website.

However, if you find that you have a need for self-sealing magazine bags that ONLY FIT CURRENT SI's (2000-current), give us a call (713-672-2793... ask for Adam or Kurt) or email and we'll ship some to you. 100 for $5 plus priority shipping.

-Adam

The Tuesday Report: June 9, 2008 - Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson

2008-06-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Lakers vs Celtics. Just like it's quoted on the cover, "This is what America wants". It definitely was what I was cheering for.

The cover design is neat, but I think it's too busy. I would have preferred a cover with just Magic and Bird, and maybe Kobe and Garnett without all of the other stuff going on. It's a cool cover nonetheless.

I still prefer the 1992 cover with Magic and Bird (see below). It's a classic and we have plenty in stock.

As usual, we'll be getting our subscription copies on Thursday. Issues with No Mailing Label usually take a few weeks to arrive unless there's a large demand for this issue.

Again, If you need anything. Give us a call (713-672-2793).

1987 Magic Johnson & Dennis Johnson (Lakers vs Celtics)

1992 Magic Johnson & Larry Bird Lakers vs Celtics SI

1992 Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) No Mailing Label SI

The Tuesday Report: June 6, 2008 - Josh Hamilton

2008-05-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Beautiful photography for this week's SI cover. It features Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers taking a swing.

Now that his personal problems are behind him, he's tearing it up in the American League as the leader in runs-batted-in and total bases so far in the season. Best of luck to him.

If you're in need of this cover, we should be getting some in later on in the week so check up with us or give us a call (713-672-2793).

2008-05-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yesss! Paypal is working again on HeadlineSports.net. I had to turn it off around Christmas time because of changes they made to their software. It took at while, but I finally figured out how to get the new version to talk to our website. So, my apologies for those of you -- myself included -- who prefer the convenience of Paypal for your online purchases. It's up and running and going strong. As always, if you ever find a problem or have a question about our website. Please kindly give us a call at 713-672-2793 or email us at sales@headlinesports.net.

- Adam

Summer Autograph Signings: Chicago Sports Fest June 6-8, 2008

2008-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Love him or hate him, Pete Rose is a popular guest at Sports Collectibles Conventions. He's going to be at Sports Fest in Chicago on June 8, 2008 along with other guests who have Sports Illustrated Covers.

If you collect autographed Sports Illustrated covers, Sports Collectibles Conventions are the best places to go to obtain your favorite sports star on your favorite SI cover even if you can't be there. Most events will accept your unsigned items through the mail. They'll mail it back to you along with certification right after it's signed.

Here's a list of personalities signing at Chicago Sports Fest who are on SI covers:

Saturday, June 7.

John Havlicek

Joe Morgan

Sunday June 8.

Pete Rose

Tony Perez

Billy Sims

Chuck Foreman
Jim Langer
Craig Morton

The Tuesday Report: May 26, 2008 - Bizarro Baseball

2008-05-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

What The!?... Was my reaction when I first laid eyes on this week's cover. It depicts the comic book version of an unknown muscle bound Devil Rays player holding up a distressed Derek Jeter with one arm while Bizarro Superman looks dumbfounded from a distance in the surroundings of Yankee Stadium. I love comic books but this cover is not my cup of tea. Don't know what Derek Jeter thinks about it, but I'm sure the fans in Tampa Bay will buy these up.

The Tuesday Report: May 19, 2008 Danica Patrick

2008-05-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Things are looking up for Danica. She got her first Indycar win in Japan, a humongous trophy, and a second cover on Sports Illustrated. Breaking barriers and defying critics, the first win is said to be a "monkey off her back". Here's to years of more wins and more SI Covers.

The 2005 Danica rookie cover has always sold briskly. We still have a few left though I doubt they'll be around much longer so pick one up soon. As always, if you need any help, feel free to email or give us a call (713-672-2793).

-Adam

June 6, 2005 - Danica Patrick (No Mailing Label)

The Tuesday Report: May 12, 2008 Chris Paul & Tony Parker

2008-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs grace the cover of SI this week just as the NBA playoffs start to get exciting.

It sucks that our beloved Houston Rockets got knocked out in the first round...again...despite a great season which included Yao getting hurt and a 22 game winning streak. No worries, we're used to it by now. But we still have our sister team, the Spurs, to cheer for. Personally, I'm rooting for a Lakers vs Celtics finals myself.

The Tuesday Report:: May 5, 2008 Kosuke Fukudome

2008-04-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, while holed up in my hotel room in Noboribetsu, a town in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, I watched a game between the Sapporo Ham Fighters vs the Yomimiuri Giants. I loved the faster pace and the rowdy fans. Even though I wasn't familiar with the players, it was a very entertaining game.

This week's cover features Chicago Cubs' rookie Kosuke Fukudo, making him the fifth Japanese baseball player to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. He joins the company of Sadaharu Oh, Hisanobu Watanabe, Ichiro, and Daisuke to have the honor of being on the cover of SI. It'll be a couple of weeks before we get a quantity of these covers, but check out the other Japanese baseball covers that are in stock.

August 15, 1977 - Sadaharu Oh (Yomimiuri Giants)

October 31, 1994 - Hisanobu Watanabe (Seibu Lions)

May 28, 2001 - Ichiro Suzuki (No Mailing Label)

July 8, 2002 - Ichiro Suzuki

March 26, 2007 - Daisuke Matsuzaka (No Mailing Label)

March 7, 1955 Joseph Cameron Alston - Badminton

2008-04-24T16:14:00.001-07:00

As a kid, badminton was one of the sports that I was actually good at and I thought it was cool that SI featured a badminton player on one of their covers when they could be covering more popular sports.

Thumbing through this week's SI, I cam upon the obituary of badminton great, Joseph Alston (pg. 16), "the only American to win the men's doubles title -- with Johnny Heah of Malaysia -- in 1957 in the All England Open Badminton Championships". Alston was also an FBI agent residing in the Los Angeles area. From 1967 through 1980, Alston served as the FBI's major case coordinator in Los Angeles. He was the lead Los Angeles agent investigating the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst.

Joseph Alston was on the cover of the March 7, 1955 cover of Sports Illustrated. Back in the day when baseball, boxing, and horse racing were king, SI still managed to give some time to the little guy in sports. From sky diving, to bull fighting, badminton, to show dogs, SI has covered all sports, or what was considered sport for the time.

Click onto the LA Times to discover more about Joseph Alston's rich life, or pick up an original copy of the 3/7/55 issue.

April 28, 2008 - Johnny Unitas, "The Best Game Ever"

2008-04-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

We always look forward to Thursdays. That's when the new SI comes in. Here's the full scan of the Unitas fold-out issue. At the moment, we only have the subscription issue, but we should be receiving a bunch of newsstand issues shortly. As always, give us a call or email if you have any questions.

The Tuesday Report: Fold-Out Covers

2008-04-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

4/28/08 Johnny Unitas

They did it again! It looks like Sports Illustrated is bringing back the fold-out issue. This week's issue features a sweet cover with the late and great Johnny Unitas in the "Best Game Ever: 1958 Colts vs Giants". We won't know what the rest of the cover looks like until we get our copy later in the week.

If you remember, they issued another fold-out earlier in the month of April with the 4/1/2008 Baseball Preview issue (Ryan Braun, Justin Upton, Troy Tulowitzki, Jacoby Ellsworth, Clay Bucholz...see below).

SI's first fold-out cover was published in 1959. It featured the Virginia Tech Hokies vs the VMI Keydets. Altogether, SI published close to twenty fold-out covers; most of them are from the 1960's. The fold-out took a hiatus through the seventies, up until 1982's Gerry Cooney vs Larry Holmes Cover, and then a twenty-one year hiatus until 2003 when the fold-out reappeared with Carmelo Anthony & Jack McKeon. This is probably the first time that two fold-out covers were published in the same month and I think we'll see more in the future.

If you don't have a copy of the 4/1/08 Baseball Preview Issue, click the photo below to pick one up. It'll be a fun cover to get autographed and we have plenty of newsstand editions in stock. That means no unsightly mailing address on the front of the cover. And as always, if you need any help, feel free to call our office (713-672-2793) or give us an email (sales@headlinesports.net).

Welcome to the Headline Sports Blog

2008-04-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Headline Sports, your source for back-issue Sports Illustrated magazines and other sports publications. We have a large selection of SI's housed in the space of an 18,000 sq. ft. warehouse near Downtown Houston ,Texas.

Whatever cover you need, whatever date, chances are, we have it in stock. Order before 4 pm central time, and we can ship it the same day. If you have any questions, call us anytime at 713-672-2793.