[peterose4hof]

Thanks to all for sharing their stories. I’ve really enjoyed reading them.

Living my whole life in Florida, I spent every March/early-April at the ballpark for Spring Training games. I have so many wonderful memories. Here are a couple.

At a Red Sox home game in Winter Haven in the early 1980s my dad boosted me over the bullpen fence and instructed me to get an autograph from the elderly man sitting in the golf cart. He looked cockeyed at this 7 year old boy (me) and before he could ask where I came from I politely said “May I have your autograph please sir?” He smiled, signed an autograph for me and then told me to go back to where I came from as quickly as possible. I ran back to the fence and had my dad pull me back into my seat. I said, “Dad, who was that nice old man?” He said, “Son, that’s one of the best players of all time, Ted Williams” Of course I still have that autograph in my collection.

In Kissimmee, where the Astros play, my brother and I used to hop the fences (sneak into) the minor league facilities adjacent to the major league stadium. All the players would walk through there after they were done for the day and head to the showers. This was a great place to get autographs. One day I was waiting outside the clubhouse when Nolan Ryan came walking by. As I approached him to ask for his autograph he pulled off his game-worn hat and said “Here, you want this?” I was so dumbfounded as he handed it to me that I didn’t even think to get him to sign it.