What's AD worth to you?

A friend of mine ran into Anthony Davis before the 2005 Rose Bowl -- actually, AD literally ran into him while he was trolling for free tailgate food and shaking his greasy hands with ga-ga fans in the hours before the game against Michigan.
My friend thought it would be cool if the former USC running back signed his Trojan cap.
AD, who wiped the chimichunga crumbs off his paws before grabbing a Sharpie, happily signed the cap and added the phrase "Notre Dame Killer" on the bill.
And there was no charge.
It appears now that was a bargain. Today, if you want an AD-signed anything, it'll cost a little bit.
Oh, for them good ol' days.

USC's Greatest Running Back of All Time -- that's how he's described on the postcard advertisement that was slipped into the drivers' side window of my car after a recent USC game at the Coliseum -- is offering "a piece of history" signed by him at his new website, www.anthonydavishof.com. The "HOF" reference in that address is because he was recently enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame.

(By the way, that phrase "Greatest Running Back of All Time" at USC ... considering that he's not even in the Top Five of USC running backs who actually won a Heisman Trophy -- he was runner-up in '74 to Archie Griffin -- maybe the "Greatest Kickoff Return Man in NCAA History" is something even AD could stomach ... or "Best Touchdown Celebration Knee Dance In USC History" would work for us ... But that's just a semantics thing. We know he's trying to sell things here, and you boast as much as possible in this case, right?)

Did you know: Davis was the first college or pro athlete to wear a Nike shoe and was the first to show up on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing that shoe. We saw that on a plaque that's available in one of the several things available for sale... But we digress...

Just in case you don't realize just how great Davis was -- or at least want to see him single-handedly beat Notre Dame, 55-24, on Nov. 30, 1974, with Bud Furillo doing the color commentary -- there's a two-minute-plus video clip on his site to get you in the buying mood.

We rememeber a while back when we discovered a Rose Bowl ring that was reported to be owned by Davis up for sale on eBay, but Davis denied it. Anyway, the greatest running back to ever come out of San Fernando High and apparently needs a little cash on the side has these somewhat pricey items for sale if you're doing some early holiday shopping (or want something to prove that you're a personal friend):

-- A triple matted, mahogany display case with a signed photo, two USC pins and a horse-shaped decanter that's got some tricky lighting on it (only 100 are made): $795.
-- The same horse-shaped decanter (that's supposed to be from 1974, made of china), signed: $175.
-- A real-sized USC helmet, signed: $295 (In a glass or plexiglass case, it's $350).
-- A white USC football, signed: $95 (In a glass or plexiglass case, it's $150).
-- A mini-USC helmet, signed: $75 (In a glass or plexiglass case, it's $125)

Actually, we were looking for something related to his recenty gastric bypass surgery ... Do we check eBay for that?

So, what'll it be? Why not just buy something and have it sent to Ara Parseghian.