My first blog & Bobby Mitchell

4:33 p.m. ET

Welcome to the new Profootballhof.com and my first official blog. I hope you like the new state-of-the -art website with all the latest and greatest technology and information. I will be blogging from time to time to let you know some of the things that I do here at the Hall of Fame, mostly focusing on player interaction, collectibles and merchandise. This is my first blog of any sort, so please take it easy on me and I will try my best to keep it as interesting and hip as possible.

{GALLERY}We are almost exactly a month away from Hall of Fame weekend and this place is buzzing with excitement. We have a great class this year with tremendous fan bases who will be flocking to Canton August 7-9. We debuted our Class of 2009 merchandise and Hall of Fame game merchandise about two months earlier than we have in the past. People have been buying all kinds of new Class of 2009 items along with some very exclusive autograph items.

I am in my late 30s and one of the most exciting things for me is working with guys that I grew up watching and idolizing. This year’s class has a bunch of those guys. I have worked closely with each of the Class of 2009 Hall of Famers to make available the best merchandise possible for fans to have the opportunity to purchase.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of interaction with the Hall of Famers. Tomorrow, I’am heading to the Washington DC area for the Bobby Mitchell/TOYOTA Hall of Fame Golf Classic. This is an incredible event which Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell hosts. Here is a blurb about the weekend: Since the tournament's inception, Bobby Mitchell and fellow Hall of Famers have surpassed the $6 million mark in funds raised for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Every year, these legendary sports heroes donate their time to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Amazing stuff. The list of Hall of Famers attending is incredible. It is one small example of some of the great things these guys do behind the scenes. For any of you in the DC area, gallery tickets can be purchased on the day of the event at Lansdowne Resort and children under the age of 12 are admitted free. To purchase tickets and help raise money for the cause, please call The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at (703) 399-2900.

I will fill you in on the weekend next week. Hope you all liked my first blog. Let me know what you think- and be kind!