When I was a teenager, I once spent an afternoon chatting with Duke Snider at a card show in Fallbrook, CA. He was signing autographs, and I had a table next to him. We exchanged lighthearted banter throughout the day, and when the show was over, I asked him if he would sign a photo for me. Before he got started, I asked him to inscribe it, "To Chris, the greatest pitcher I ever faced ..." He smiled and wrote those exact words, along with a few more.
Although he's not in the Hall of Fame, Dock Ellis comes to mind as someone whose act of kindness I will never forget. Myself and another kid were sneaking around a hotel in Anaheim seeking autographs from Yankees players when a security guard caught us and started reading us the riot act. Just then, Dock Ellis pops out of a nearby elevator, walks straight up to the security guard, and says, "Don't mess with these guys — they're my friends." Dock was a pretty imposing guy, and the security guy literally slinked away. I will always treasure the time when Dock Ellis had my back.
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