I started attending all the St. Louis shows in the early 80's, even manning a table once in a while. The instant auctions were just unbelievable. There were so many walk-in items that the auctions seemed to be non-stop. But my favorite memories were from autograph guests. Curt Flood was ushered to a seat at a signing table, but before he started signing, he found a microphone, tapped on it for attention, and proceeded to thank the crowd for supporting him during his playing days. When it was my turn to get his autograph, I noticed he was wearing a WS ring. I asked if it was from '64 or '67 and he took it off and handed it to me to get a better look. What a class act. By the way, it was his '67 ring. He told me his '64 was stolen.
My second favorite autograph experience was at a show with Johnny Mize and Rickey Henderson. I happened to be standing near them before the show started. This was early in Rickey's career, but he was already pretty brazen. Mize was talking to someone about hitting, and Henderson was hanging on every word. No interruptions, no self promotion, just listening intently. That impressed me.
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