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14 years and 1,000 guests later,
Tri-Star reigns
By Ross Forman
January 11, 2002
Jeff Rosenberg, president of Tri-Star Productions Inc., was set to take Joe DiMaggio to the airport after a 1992 card show appearance in Houston, but the Baseball Hall of Famer said he first had to go to the bathroom. So, The Yankee Clipper excused himself … for 30 minutes.
When he returned, Rosenberg asked, “Is everything OK?"
A confused DiMaggio answered, “I don’t understand what you did.” He said Tri-Star had sold only 947 autograph tickets, though their agreement for the show was 1,000 signatures. Tri-Star was 53 tickets short, in DiMaggio’s favor.
“We were just so afraid that we wouldn’t sell the right number; we chose to be conservative,” Rosenberg said.
DiMaggio immediately told the budding show whiz, “I owe you 53 autographs.”
No worries, Rosenberg thought.
A year later, during festivities at a hotel in conjunction with the 1993 Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego, Rosenberg spotted DiMaggio. “Hi, how are you … I still owe you those 53 autographs,” DiMaggio said.
“He remembered … a year later; we were shocked,” Rosenberg said.
However, Rosenberg never got the signatures before DiMaggio died a few years ago.
“That was a pretty funny story,” Rosenberg said. “The shock on his face was too much. I’m sure he thought we would have sold more (than 1,000) tickets, not less.”
Tri-Star had DiMaggio at four shows: twice in Houston (in 1992 and 1996), in St. Louis and San Francisco. DiMaggio appeared in ’92 along with Mickey Mantle.
Tri-Star has welcomed more than 1,000 other guests since its first show back in 1987 … and what an amazing inaugural show that was! Just imagine, Mark McGwire autographs for $6 apiece.
“That was the best value at any Tri-Star show,” Rosenberg said. “If you had gotten some McGwire autographs then for $6, yeah, today that would be a pretty good return on your investment.”
Former Houston Astro Billy Hatcher also appeared at Tri-Star’s inaugural show. Then mega-popular, Hatcher signed for $2 per signature – and sold all 500 tickets.
“We were at the National (Sports Collectors Convention) in San Francisco, and were discussing the possibilities of promoting a show,” Rosenberg recalled. “(National promoter) Bob Lee suggested we go for it and introduced us to McGwire’s agent.” Soon after, McGwire was signed to appear at Tri-Star first show.
He signed 1,000 autographs for the public (one per person) and another 1,000 for dealers.
“Once the doors opened that Saturday, I never got to walk inside the show; I couldn’t get in. It was so crowded,” Rosenberg said. “The autographs (were done) in the hallway. I couldn’t get into the dealer area until after show hours; it was that crowded; it was that unbelievable.”
Collectors started lining up at 10 p.m. the night before McGwire’s appearance to buy tickets. At 6 a.m. the day McGwire signed, there were several hundred already in line.
Bobby Mintz, who is now the Vice President/General Manager of Tri-Star, was a young autograph-hound in Dallas in ’87. “I heard all about that show,” through the collecting grapevine, he said. “And I heard nothing but good thins about it.”
Tri-Star has grow incredibly since that first show which, Rosenberg recalls, “was just something I was doing for fun, something I’d do while in law school to keep me occupied. I never dreamed it would be my full-time profession.” In 1991, the company promoted its first show outside of Texas. Held in St. Louis, the show featured Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams. Two years later, Tri-Star took its show circuit on the road, landing in Phoenix, Milwaukee and Denver. Also in 1993, Tri-Star received the “Show Promoter Of The Year” award from SCAI, the industry’s trade association. Tri-Star has since won the award every year the award has been presented since the award’s inception.
In 1994, Tri-Star promoted its first show in Kansas City.
In 1995, Tri-Star co-produced the 16th-annual National in St. Louis, attracting about 40,000 collectors.
In 1996, Southern California was added to Tri-Star’s show scene, followed by Northern California the following year. Also in 1997: Atlanta was added and the company coordinated the 18th National in Cleveland.
In 1998, Philadelphia and New York were added to Tri-Star locales.
In 1999, Tri-Star ventured into Beanie Babies, promoting two Mary Beth’s Beanie World shows in conjunction with H&S Media and Mary Beth’s Beanie World Monthly Magazine.
Tri-Star’s 12 annual shows attract about 250 signing guests, from Hall of Famers from all four major sports to pro wrestlers to actors. Muhammad Ali has appeared at the most Tri-Star shows: at least 10 times (once in every market).
“I think some of the interesting stories over the years are, when guests find out other guests are going to be there, they too want to attend,” Rosenberg said.
Like, for instance, wrestlers Diamond Dallas Page, Booker T. and Stevie Ray. Each agreed to appear at shows under one condition: that they got to meet and get an autograph from Ali. Booker T. and Stevie Ray actually had an extra-special session with The Champ after, well, almost missing it entirely. The two grapplers, real-life brothers and long-time admirers of Ali, arrived late in San Francisco due to travel problems – and Ali had already left the convention center. However, and luckily for the wrestlers, Ali agreed to meet the two later that evening in his hotel suite.
The three talked for about an hour.
Rosenberg’s show memories are endless, like the total number of autographs signed at Tri-Star shows over the years. There was, for instance, the time Rosenberg drove Catfish Hunter to the airport after a show and, being so wrapped up in their conversation, he forgot to pay Hunter – and the Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher forgot to even ask. “Money wasn’t a big thing to him; he just wanted to get out and talk with the fans,” Rosenberg said. Also from the Memories File:
* Chris Sabo was to appear at Tri-Star’s second-ever show back in 1988 (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday), along with Mark Grace (on Saturday) and Don Drysdale (1-4 on Sunday). However, early Sunday morning Sabo’s agent called Rosenberg and told him that, Sabo was sick and unable to attend.
Frantic, Rosenberg called Drysdale and asked if the
Baseball Hall of Famer would come down early for the mass of fans
expecting Sabo. Drysdale
agreed – and actually signed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“He was an unbelievable guest,” Rosenberg said.
“I knew he was a great person, a great pitcher, but also knew him
from The Brady Bunch. That was very cool."
* Gorman Thomas
provided, arguably, the funniest Tri-Star moment, Mintz said.
The former Milwaukee slugger was on-stage signing when a fan asked
to take a picture with him. The stage, mind you, was quite small and Thomas’ chair fell
off the stage when he tried to stand up.
He got caught on the curtain and it all fell on top of him.
* Cedric Ceballos asked Tri-Star for an autograph of every guest at the show he once attended, including a baseball bat from his idol, Johnny Bench. Rosenberg agreed to the deal, especially when Ceballos agreed to trade Rosenberg a Phoenix Suns team-signed basketball.
“On Monday, the day after the show ended, I met
Ceballos at the arena and – sure enough – he had a team-signed ball
for me,” Rosenberg said. “That
was great. I was smiling and
happy when I got that ball and he was smiling and happy when he got the
bat. We were like two kids
trading autographs.”
* Steve Carlton ranks among the nicest show guests – always willing to personalize an autograph, add an inscription or two and/or pose for a photo.
He clearly is opposite of his reputation.
“He never signed autographs (during his playing days), so I expected this mean guy, this former athlete who might even be rude to collectors,” Rosenberg said, “but, he couldn’t be nicer. He’s friendly beyond friendly.”
Carlton has even done media interviews at shows, another no-no during his Hall of Fame career.
“I have been completely shocked at him, how
different he is now from how he was as a player,” Rosenberg said.
* Bill Russell, who arguably has signed fewer autographs than any Hall of Famer in any sport, has appeared at three Tri-Star shows.
“He was real nice, very funny and talked to all collectors. I had no problems with him, though he had a rough rep,” Rosenberg said.
Same for Jim Brown.
“He came in with a (tough-guy) reputation, but he has been as friendly as you could be,” Rosenberg said. “He likes to talk and signs whatever you want signed.
“Carlton and Brown came (to the show scene) with (mean) reputations, so I thought they would be different than they were. I was very pleased with each,” Rosenberg said.
Same too for Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.
“Roger has a reputation as this big, mean, imposing
pitcher, but he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.
He’s a real professional (at shows) and is great with kids,”
Rosenberg said. “Randy also
is a heckuva nice guy. At
shows, he’s very accommodating; he has no problems with inscriptions or
anything.”
* Kerry Wood appeared at a show earlier this year and signed limited-edition 20K posters.
And he received one too. When Wood brought it into the Chicago clubhouse, fellow pitcher Jon Lieber was so impressed he personally called Tri-Star to order some.
“Fans often forget that these athletes are people
too. They also admire and
respect others, just like we do,” Rosenberg said.
* Troy Aikman, appearing at a show earlier this year, required Tri-Star provide Baby Wipes, so he could clean his hands after each time he shook someone’s hand.
He used two canisters.
* Rickey
Henderson and Bob Gibson each requested padded chairs with arms.
* Ernie Banks
was the slowest signer and “no one is even a close second,” Rosenberg
said. After six-plus hours,
Banks still had a line. He
actually finished his signing in his hotel suite, finishing at about 8
p.m. “He just loves talking to the fans.”
* The Tri-Star guest wish-list includes Sammy Baugh, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and John Havlicek, said Rosenberg. Mintz added: Don Meredith and Roger Staubach.
“I know the fans would love to see these guys too,
not just us,” Rosenberg said.
Here’s a look at the Tri-Star Productions’ Dandy Dozen, make that, the Baker’s Dozen of the All Good-Guy List for show guests (in no particular order):
1. Ernie Banks
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Bart Starr
4. Harmon Killebrew
5. Sandy Koufax
6. Kurt Warner
7. Joe Namath
8. Magic Johnson
9. Lance Berkman
10. Roger Clemens
11. Diamond Dallas Page
12. Dan Marino
13. Yogi Berra