B Y   R O S S   F O R M A N T hey came here from Missouri for a once-in- a-lifetime meeting with Bill Goldberg, the former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Heavyweight Champion known as simply Goldberg. They spent $4,000 for the 30-minute lunch held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. They are animal lovers with two dogs, two cats, two birds and two ferrets – and weren’t going to be out-bid by 32 others, especially since all money raised in the auction went directly to charities, namely, animal-related causes. The annual Tri-Star Collectors Showcase (July 12-14) was, without question, a fantasyland for Frass Azab and his wife, Omsia, and much more than a simple sports collectibles and memorabilia show. After flying in from Kansas City, and shopping of course, Frass and Omsia waited patiently as Goldberg – running a few minutes behind schedule Sunday due to stormy weather – arrived, his carry-on luggage still swung over his shoulder. He greeted Tri-Star Productions Mandy Fuerst with a hug, then hung out with Azab. (Also present: the winner and a guest of  a “Lunch With Goldberg” sweepstakes in the Houston Chronicle.) “I’m a wrestling fan since I was 5 years old,” Azab said. “I wanted to win the auction for two reasons. First, my wife and I are big fans of Goldberg, his work in the ring and out. Goldberg is like a real-life superhero, someone who does so much for fans, kids and animals. Second, the fact he was donating the money to charity, specifically Save-A-Pet; that was a major factor in wanting to win this auction, no matter what or how much. “Meeting a hero … nothing beats that.” The 24-year-old Azab added, “I didn’t know what to expect. The only thing I kept telling myself before the lunch was, be calm and don’t act like the 5-year-old who’s hiding in you.” “My God, Goldberg was so down to earth; that’s what my wife and I kept saying to each other afterward. Goldberg has a very big heart; he is very open- minded to other cultures. When we started to talk about our pets and how we view things, I really started to forget I’m with Bill Goldberg The Wrestler; it felt more like Bill
Goldberg The Friend. “I could go on all day about the experience, but the bottom line is, Bill Goldberg is the best person I have ever met, from any of my idols. There is no doubt in my heart that he is No. 1 on my list when it comes to real-life heroes and role models.” Tri-Star President Jeff Rosenberg also was thrilled with the Goldberg Lunch. “What Goldberg did at our show really said a lot about him personally,” Rosenberg said. “He allowed us, with the help of eBay, to raise a lot of money for charity. He didn’t get a penny of the proceeds and he didn’t ask for anything for his time. He was gracious, a total class act.” Goldberg also donated a portion of his appearance fee to the Texas Children’s Hospital. The lunch auction money was split between the Texas Children’s Hospital, ARF (Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation) and Save-A-Pet (a no-kill animal shelter in Grayslake, Ill.) “Goldberg was just happy to be there, meet the fans and sign autographs You definitely could see that,” Rosen- berg said. “We want to do more eBay ‘experience’ auctions like this. They’re a win-win promotion for everyone. Tri-Star and the athletes win because re doing something nice for people. The people who are bidding win because they get to meet their hero. And the biggest winner is charity. That’s a fantastic promotion, something I really want to expand.” The Goldberg Lunch drew mainstream media coverage from several Houston TV stations, each offering near-three-minute specials on their Sunday night sports shows. It also received post-show coverage in Kansas City and Chicago newspapers. The Houston media also aired inter- views with several signers at the show, such as Baseball Hall of Famer Lou who appeared on Saturday, and Houston Texans Jabbar Gaffney, Marcus Coleman and others. Also appearing at the three-day show: Ricky Williams, Eddie George, Desmond Howard, Lance Berkman, Carlos Hernandez, Roy Oswalt, Scott Linebrink and Austin Kearns. Others signing: Dave Casper, Dan Hampton and Steve McKinney. thought the show went well. I was very     pleased,” Rosenberg said. “I think the customers were very surprised by the turnout and the activity on the dealer floor. “I think the economy has kept people’s expectations low, but I think we’ve done shows here for so long that we’ve built up such a good following that people come to the show because they know the quality of the show.” About 4,000 attended the three-day show. “We’ve had some great shows with some incredible autograph guests at the George R. Brown Convention Center,” Rosenberg said. “Such as: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax and Ted Williams. Without a huge national superstar headline-grabbing guest, I was very, very pleased with the show and the turnout. I think that says there’s a good collecting base here in Houston. “One thing that really stood out to me from this show was, the interaction between the signers. For instance, Goldberg was so excited to meet Ricky Williams, and vice versa. Carlos Hernandez was so upset he appeared Saturday, thus not able to meet Goldberg. Those stories were nice. “The signers were all fan friendly, starting with Goldberg. Actually, all of the wrestlers we’ve ever dealt with are like that. Goldberg, though, was even better than I expected. Coming into the show, I had heard some negative things about Ricky Williams, unpleasant comments about past auto- graph appearances, but he clearly exceeded our expectations — in terms of drawing fans and the way he dealt with the fans.” Williams, the show’s top signer, penned his name more than 300 times for the public. Berkman and Oswalt each signed more than 150 apiece. Other top weekend signers: George, Brock, Hampton and Casper. Hernandez, Redding and Coleman each signed       free autographs as part of the wrapper-       redemption program. “It was a good show,” said Eddie Martinez of Hous- ton-based Old Ball Park. “Based on the economy here lately, this was a great turnout and people are spend- ing money. It’s good to see collectors hanging on.” His top weekend sellers: Upper Deck 2 and Donruss Clas- (baseball), Upper Deck Piece of History and Topps (football). Mike Williamson of Missouri-based Bryan’s Collectibles said Saturday was his best day at a Houston show ever. He noted strong interest in basketball cards, including WNBA. “NASCAR products have been picking up lately,” he added. Paul Sjolin of Houston-based Sjolin Base- Cards said Mickey Mantle was the week-      end’s top vintage seller. He also noted strong sales of 1950s commons. “I did very well this weekend; it’s always good to stay busy,” Sjolin said. “It was a good show with many set builders in attendance. It was good to see people out there still building sets.” Added dealer Mike Stoner of Atlanta, “Houston is a good memorabilia market. The friendliness of the people in the area makes this show fun to come to.” Said Bob Miller of Miller Sports, “This was one of the better shows this year. Everything seems to be selling very well.” Tri-Star’s next show is the 15th-annual Labor Day Weekend Collectors Show in San Francisco. ••• REVIEW ShowCircuit ••• Frass Azab (left) and his wife, Omisia (right) were the winners of the eBay “Lunch with Goldberg” auction Ricky Williams Desmond Howard Roy Oswalt Lou BrockeBay winner meets Goldberg in Houston •••  S ^CD