JewishSportsCollectibles

Upcoming Appearance: Jewish Boxer Dmitriy Salita

Dmitriy Salita Meet and Greet promotional materials.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/Dmitiy Salita.

Orthodox Jewish welterweight boxer Dmitriy "The Star of David" Salita is scheduled to take part in a meet and greet scheduled for 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Chabad House of Greater Hartford, Connecticut, according to several recent postings on the boxer's Facebook page.

According to the Chabad House's web site, the cost to attend the function is $12 for advance registrations and $15 at the door. No program appears on the organization's site, and there is not indication that Jewish boxing collectors are prohibited from obtaining autographs or photos with the famed fighter.

Born in 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, Salita moved to Brooklyn at age nine, according to his Wikipedia bio, to escape anti-Semitic violence. Bullied in Brooklyn schools, Salita took up karate and boxing to learn to defend himself, and began boxing competitively at age 13.

He won a championship in the April 2001 New York Golden Gloves competition and turned pro at age 19 later that year. Salita holds a record of 35-1-1, according to BoxRec.com, with his last victory coming over Brandon Hoskins on October 20, 2012. Salita was scheduled to fight Hector Camacho, Jr. on February 9, 2013, but the fight was cancelled.

Salitas is fully observant, keeps kosher and observes Sabbath, refusing to fight before sundown on Saturdays, or on Jewish holidays.

In a recent interview in Ha'aretz with Israeli sports journalist Raphael Geller, Salitas says his religious observance sometimes makes it difficult to schedule fights, and hints that he may be seeking opportunities outside the ring.

As indicated in this October 2012 posting on JewishSportsCollectibles.com, Jewish boxing fans have access to a small, but varied, number of Salita collectibles.

Salita signed
boxing gloves.
Photo courtesy DSalitas.com.

The boxer, who fights wearing trunks that bear a Star of David, maintains a web site, on which he sells merchandise, including autographed, training ring worn boxing gloves and signed fight worn corner jackets. Cost for either item is $250 plus $20 shipping.

There are also a number of high quality images available on Salita's web site. The action shots would make nice additions to a boxing collection, especially if a collector could get a print signed by the Jewish fighter.

Orthodox Stance DVD. Photo courtesy of OrthodoxStance.com.

Salita is also the focus of a documentary film, titled Orthodox Stance. DVDs of the film can be purchased on Amazon.comand eBay, but not from the film's web site.

A search of eBay yielded little beyond the DVD, at the time of this posting.

Amazon.com sellers were offering no Salitas memorabilia, other than Orthodox Stance at the time of this posting.

Likewise, Beckett.com lists no boxing card for Salitas, and the Beckett Marketplace was also void of the fighter's collectibles.

Certainly, other Salitas collectibles exist, including tickets, programs and promotional materials for his fights.

For fans who collect friends and tweets, Salida is active on Twitter (@DSalita) and Facbook.

Do you know of other Salitas collectibles exist? What memorabilia associated with the fighter do you have in your Jewish boxing collection? Are you planning to attend the upcoming meet and greet with Salitas?

Let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know by commenting below.

Zach Boren Attending NFL Combine, Appearing At Cleveland Auto Show

Zach Boren autographed photo.
Courtesy of JewishSportsCollectibles.com.

At least one Jewish collegiate football player -- Zach Boren, the fullback/linebacker from The Ohio State University Buckeyes -- will be attending the February 23-26 NFL Scouting Combine, after which he's schedule to sign autographs at the Cleveland Auto Show.

A tenacious blocker and stalwart defender, who was key in helping the Buckeyes to an undefeated season in 2012, Boren is the younger brother of Justin Boren -- a former Michigan transfer and OSU player.

An offensive lineman, Justin went undrafted in 2011 and has been signed by the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos, but has seen no game action.

Zach and Justin's father is former Michigan linebacker Mike Boren.

While their names have been absent from recent Jewish Sports Review football lists, the Boren family is Jewish, according to this article from Cleveland.com and Zack's Wikipedia page.

I met Zach during a December 16, 2012  appearance and autograph signing at Giant Eagle (a large chain of Midwest grocery stores) in Zach's hometown of Pickerington, Ohio. It was there that I obtained  the above signed photo of him standing over Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, who Boren blasted on a sack during the 2012 OSU/Michigan game.

During our brief conversation, I told Boren about JewishSportsCollectibles.com and asked him if I could feature him on the web site.

Zack said that while he didn't actively practice Judaism, “being on the website would make my elders proud.”

Jewish football enthusiasts have the opportunity to add numerous Boren photos to their collections.

Zach Boren running. Photo courtesy of Columbus Dispatch.

The Columbus Dispatch Photo Store offers a wide variety of images featuring Boren available for purchase. These include offense and defensive action shots, like the iconic image of Boren standing over Michigan quarterback Gardner from “The Game”), as well as more casual sideline shots of Boren with teammates.

Boren has been a regular on the signing circuit this winter in Central Ohio. He's done public signings at a variety of sports memorabilia stores, including Sports Possessions, and shows. For a complete list of Boren's past and future appearances, visit SigningsHotline.com or BuckeyeSignings.com.

Boren is scheduled to appear at the Cleveland Auto Show after the Combine on Tuesday, February 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Autographs at the show are limited to one per person and are not guaranteed.

Zach Boren autographs a picture in December 2012. Photo courtesy
of JSC.com.

Collectors who have the chance to meet Boren will likely come away from the experience pleased.

Boren was pleasant during our brief meeting at Giant Eagle in December. He took photos and chatted with fans throughout the time I observed him.

The same was true when I had occasion to meet Zach and Justin at a charitable function in 2009. The Boren Brothers each graciously signed OSU pocket schedules for me at that time.

Justin (l) and Zach Boren (r) signed OSU Football pocket schedules.
Photo courtesy of JSC.com.

Zach's 2012 autograph looks very similar to his 2009 signature.

Beyond the photos of Boren from the Columbus Dispatch, I know of no other collectibles for the versatile Buckeye .

Other items, including team programs, yearbooks, magazines, etc., must certainly exist.

A search of the OSU Official Online Store for Boren items yielded no results. The online shop does, however, offer collectors the ability to purchase a memorabilia suitable for getting autographed by Boren and other players, including a variety of 2012 undefeated season items.

If Boren performs well at the combine and sees action in the NFL -- where he'd join fellow Buckeye and Jewish football player Nate Ebner of the New England Patriots -- he'll likely be the subject of future football cards.

In the meantime, fans can follow Boren on Twitter. 

Do any JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers have any Boren memorabilia in their collections? Let JSC know by commenting below.

Mitch Albom 'Time Keeper' Book Tour

Mitch Albom.
Photo courtesy of
Mitch Albom/Facebook.

Jewish sports writer and author Mitch Albom has released a new book, The Time Keeper. 

The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom.
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Albom -- best known for writing the international best-selling Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson -- is actively promoting his new novel with a book tour that includes stops at two Jewish Community Centers and a synagogue. 

The Time Keeper is Albom's "most imaginative novel yet," according to Amazon.com, in a review that describes the book as a "compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours. The man who became Father Time."

According to Albom's Facebook page, his Time Keeper tour includes events at: Sinai Temple in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 20, the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula in Newport News, Virginia on October 6, and the Mayerson JCC in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 21. 

Check Albom's Facebook page for additional details and a complete list of upcoming events. Albom's web site also offers a calendar of upcoming appearances.

Mitch Albom signs books in Columbus, Ohio in 2010. Photo by Joshua Platt, JewishSportsCollectibles.com.

I met Albom several years ago at a speaking engagement and book signing for Have A Little Faith at a synagogue here in Columbus in April 2010, and found him to be a generous in person signer.

There were more than 500 people at the event, and I'd bet 300+ were in line to meet Mitch after his speech. Albom chatted with attendees, inscribed and autographed every book he was handed (I'm proud to have all of his non-sports books in my collection of signed books), and posed for pictures. 

Albom no longer responds to fan mail, according to his web site. "With tens of millions of copies of my books sold worldwide," the site says, "accepting and sending out mail isn’t logistically possible for security and staff concerns." 

Tuesdays with Morrie, by
Mitch Albom.
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Prior to the posted policy being put in place, Albom signed my copy of Tuesdays With Morrie in response to a through-the-mail request that I sent to his office at the Detroit Free Press in 2001. I was pleasantly surprised to receive the book, considering my request was made during the height of the Morrie craze. 

My signed copy of Morrie is, unfortunately, not a first edition. Morrie had a first edition printing of just 20,000 copies, before exploding in popularity. True first editions, therefore, are rare, highly collectible and expensive. ABEbooks.com sells autographed firsts for as much as $500 to $800 or more. Nevertheless, I am thrilled to have it in my collection!

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In addition to Morrie and The Time Keeper, Albom is the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, and Have a Little Faith: A True Story, which recounts Albom's relationship with Rabbi Albert L. Lewis, who asked Albom to write his eulogy.

Prior to his fame from Morrie and his other novels, however, Albom was best known as a sports journalist.

Writing for Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press and the Detroit Free Press, among others, Albom became, according to Wikipedia, "one of the most award-winning sports writers of his era."

Bo, by Mitch Albom. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Albom's sports books Bo: Life, Laughs, and Lessons of a College
Football Legend (an autobiography of

Fab Five,
by Mitch Albom. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

football coach Bo Schembechler co-written with the coach) and The Fab Five: Basketball Trash Talk the American Dream (a profile of the 1992/1993 University of Michigan men's basketball teams) were both New York Times best sellers.

Fans of Albom's sports columns can read several anthologies, including Live Albom: The Best of Detroit Free Press Sports Columnist Mitch Albom , Live Albom II , Live Albom III: Gone to the Dogs , and Live Albom 4.

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Are you planning to attend any of Albom's upcoming events? Have you met Mitch Albom before? Do you have any of his sports (or other) books in your collection? Share your thoughts and photos in the comments below.

 

Ryan Braun Private Signing on 9/10/12

Jewish Major Leaguer and NL MVP Ryan Braun. Photo courtesy of PhotoFile.com.

Waukesha Sportscards, a Wisconsin-based sports card shop and memorabilia dealer, will host a private signing with Jewish Major Leaguer Ryan Braun on September 10, 2012. The signing is being done in conjunction with Legends of the Field, the "exclusive Wisconsin distributor for authentic autographed Ryan Braun memorabilia" (click this link to read JewishSportsCollectibles.com's posting about Legends of the Field's June signing with Braun). 

The promotors are offering a variety of baseballs, bats, helmets, photos and artwork for purchase and signature. Jewish baseball collectors can also submit their own items to be autographed.

Prices range from $129-$189, depending on the item. Inscriptions cost $65 each. Specific pricing is available on Waukesha Sportscards web page and on Legends of the Field's site.

Collectors interested in participating in the private signing should call Waukesha Sportscards (262) 544-0959 or Legends of the Field at (262) 367-1300.

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Ryan Braun autographing baseballs during a private signing session. Photo courtesy of Legends of the Field.

Jewish baseball collectors have access to thousands of Braun cards. These include minor and major league cards of all form and fashions, with dozens of limited edition, autograph and memorabilia card varieties (Beckett.com shows 2,700+ different cards for Braun).

There are also thousands of Braun cards and collectibles listed on eBay, and available for direct purchase in the Beckett.com Marketplace, Amazon.com, the MLB Photo Store and SportsIllustrated.com (Braun is featured on several SI covers, as detailed in this JewishSportsCollectibles.com posting).

These include cards; bobble heads and figurines; photos, posters and art work; jerseys; bats; tickets associated with notable games; programs, yearbooks and other ephemera; etc.

***

What Braun memorabilia should JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know about? What Ryan Braun memorabilia do you have in your Jewish baseball collection?

Do you plan to buy anything from the upcoming Braun signing?

Let JSC.com by commenting below.

Upcoming Signing: Ryan Braun

Wisconsin-based sports memorabilia dealer Legends of the Field is hosting a private signing with 2011 N.L. MVP and Jewish Major Leaguer Ryan Braun in June.

The promoter is offering a variety of memorabilia for signature and sale.

A Braun autographed MLB ball costs $135. Signed 2008, 2009 or 2010 All-Star commemorative balls are available for $145. A black, Braun game model Sam Bat costs $315. A 16"X20" photo of Braun mid-swing is available for $165. "Portrait of an All-Star," an unframed, limited edition lithograph by Andrew Goralski that highlights Braun's 2008 All-Star season, is available for $250.

Prices for collectors' items dropped off at Legends of the Field's offices or shipped to the signing are: $129 flat items smaller than 11"X14" and baseballs; $149 for flats larger than 11"X14" and mini helmets; and, $189 for bats, jerseys, full-size helmets, and loose canvas items. Inscriptions and personalizations cost $65 each.

Items shipped to Legends of the Field or dropped off at the company's locations must be received by June 2, 2012. Collectors interested in participating in the private signing should call Legends of the Field at (262) 367-1300. 

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Jewish baseball collectors have access to thousands of Braun cards. These include minor and major league cards of all form and fashions, with dozens of limited edition, autograph and memorabilia card varieties (Beckett.com shows 2,700+ different cards for Braun).

There are more than 5,550+ Braun baseball cards listed on eBay as of this posting (this includes, however, items associated with the "other" Ryan Braun, Kansas City Royals/Chicago White Sox pitcher Ryan Z. Braun) and 770 different cards in the Beckett.com Marketplace.

Other Braun memorabilia includes: bobble heads and figurines; photos, posters and art work; jerseys; bats; tickets associated with notable games; programs, yearbooks and other ephemera; etc.

There are 3,690 Braun collectibles available on Amazon.com as of this writing, and more than 6,600 on eBay (including the cards mentioned above).
 

For collectors who prefer hanging their Jewish baseball memorabilia on the wall, another outlet for Braun collectibles is the MLB Photo Store, which offers 50 different Braun photos.

This includes a portrait of Braun with his bat across his shoulders and beautiful shot of the slugger jubilantly celebrating a home run in Game
5 of the 2011 National League Division Series.

MLB Photo Store prints can be ordered framed and unframed in a variety of sizes.

For Sports Illustrated collectors, Braun is also featured on the covers of the March 31, 2008 and August 29, 2011 editions (as detailed in this JewishSportsCollectibles.com posting). These can be purchased from SI.com, eBay and Amazon.com.

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What other Braun memorabilia should JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know about? What Ryan Braun memorabilia do you have in your Jewish baseball collection? Do you plan to buy anything from the upcoming Braun signing with Legends of the Field? Let JSC.com by commenting below.