My girlfriend and I went to the North Cincinnati Marriott in West Chester, OH today, and we're staying the night. We went and saw Jack Billingham, who added his signature to the March 3, 1975 cover, as I previously added Clay Carroll in November 2023 at the Thanksgiving Moeller show.
The only other living pitcher left to get on this SI cover is Gary Nolan. Don Gullett passed away in February 2024, and that one stings. I did meet and got Gullett at a March 2006 show when he signed a 1972 Topps for me as a VIP guest, but I was 14 years old at the time and had no idea who he was. I only knew the stars from those Reds teams in Bench, Morgan, Rose, Perez, those kinds of players. Gullett might've been booked for a Moeller show I went to, but it might've been on a different day.
Kirby I can live more since he died just before I was born, and from what it looks like from his database, not even the SI King has Kirby on that cover.
I also found a few covers on the cheap that I hope to get signed in the future. Billingham was very nice. And of course, anytime I'm in the Cincinnati area, have to have that vegetarian chili. I prefer Gold Star to Skyline, having had Skyline for the first time today.
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