The NFLPA and a number of corporate partners held their annual Rookie Premiere Event in Los Angeles this weekend, in which the rookies signed memorabilia, gave interviews, and participated in rookie trading card photo shoots. Twenty-five...
The NFLPA and a number of corporate partners held their annual Rookie Premiere Event in Los Angeles this weekend, in which the rookies signed memorabilia, gave interviews, and participated in rookie trading card photo shoots. Twenty-five of the 32 NFL teams were represented by players from this year's draft class, and Kenny Stills of the Saints made the trip.
SB Nation sent a few guys to cover the event, and Ryan Van Bibber (who covers the Rams for Turf Show Times) tweeted out some words from Stills on Friday, which will add to the Kenny vs. Kenny storyline that CSC is keeping an eye on:
Kenny Stills on Kenny Vaccaro: people have a hard time telling us apart. We're both light skinned, we both have lots of tattoos ...— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) May 17, 2013
Kenny Stills says Vaccaro has better tattoos ... "Austin has better tattoo places"— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) May 17, 2013
Van Bibber fleshed out the quotes a little bit more in THIS QUICK HIT from SB Nation from Friday afternoon that's also on our front page right now.
"Kenny and I are actually really cool," Stills said Friday at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. "We're trying to figure out a way for people to differentiate us because we're both light skinned and tattooed and named Kenny."
SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein tweeted out a link to this first ever pic of Stills in his Saints uniform near the autograph table:
Kenny Stills's Saints uniform debut @soonersoftball instagram.com/p/ZdWwedP4HI/— Dan Rubenstein (@DanRubenstein) May 18, 2013
Dan also noticed this during one of the earlier rookie events...
At an elementary school where draft picks are talking to kids. Healthy contingent of younger lady "reporters" here dressed with a purpose.— Dan Rubenstein (@DanRubenstein) May 16, 2013
Here's Stills geeting cheeky:
"@kayteepea: @kstills4 gets sassy in the @toppscards tent! @toppsfb #RookiePremiere #saints twitter.com/KayteePea/stat…"— Topps Football (@ToppsFB) May 18, 2013
...then retweeting Rubenstein's pic of him (look at his cartoon profile pic...)
RT @danrubenstein: Kenny Stills's Saints uniform debut @soonersoftball instagram.com/p/ZdWwedP4HI/—Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS4) May 18, 2013
And fun in the sun at the Rose Bowl...
Designing sketch cards for @paniniamerica fans! @kstills4 @genosmith_12 @mike_glennon @nyjets @saints @tbbuccaneers twitter.com/PaniniAmerica/…— Panini America (@PaniniAmerica) May 18, 2013
So, with Stills and Vaccaro getting the rookie trading card treatment so far so far, it made me think of my humble football card collection, and through the wonder of cell phone cameras, my artistic flair, and uploading asset technology on CSC, I bring you this "all access tour" only available to you privileged few...
But first, some context.
I began collecting football cards at the end of high school (1988-89), and used to buy individual packs at retail locations (Wal-Mart, Target, grocery stores), then moved up to actual entire boxes of packs, too. I'd rip open the packages, and quickly sift through the cards to find and set aside all the Saints cards, then the rookie cards, and then build my annual sets for Pro Set, Score, and Upper Deck and store them in cardboard boxes sized for them and put the special cards in individual hard plastic sleeves. I'd make lists of which cards I had, which ones I still needed complete the sets, and I enjoyed this hobby for a few years.
As I got older, I had less disposable income and less time on my hands, so I drifted away from it. But then with the excitement of the Ricky Wiliams draft of 1999, and the fact that I went to a Kentucky Derby party where it was rumored Ricky Williams MIGHT BE THERE, I purchased some of his rookie cards and stashed them and a sharpie in my pocket, hoping to get an autograph or two. Well, he never showed up, but my interest in football card collecting sure did.
Ever since then, I have purchased Saints rookie cards and team sets each
