Talk about YOUR meetings with an MLB'er

[shelly]

Wow, what a difference of opinion we have when it comes to Feller.He sold his HOF ring eight tmes. He would show up at the Strongsville show in his station wagon. It had a big sign on it say Greates Right Hand Pitcher Alive. Will be signing in room such and such because he was to cheap to buy a table.
I will give him this. He was one of the biggest backers of Negro League players. You are correct in the fact he would sign anything. That is why when someone asks what is worth more a signed picture of Feller or a blank one.
The answer is a blank one because you cant find one.

[bigtrain]

Shelly, what was amazing to me was that I had met Feller about 20 years earlier and he couldn't have been a bigger jerk, surly, cranky and miserable. Maybe having a bad day but the second time I met him, he could not have been nicer. Same thing with Pete Rose. Met him when he had just retired and thought he was a real schmuck. Saw him after he started signing his name for a living and he was great. Had kids sit on his lap, posed for as many pictures as you wanted, etc.

[Mr. Zipper]

Chatted with Feller a few times. He could be cantankerous, but I always took it in a funny, entertaining way... not a truly mean way.

I liked to ask him about the pay modern players get just to wind him up and watch him go off. LOL

[GoldenAge50s]

Back in 1993 when I was doing shows I set up @ one of Mike Riccio's Stamford CT weekend affairs when Mickey Owen & Tommy Henrich were guest signers.

Right after the Sat show closed my wife & I adjourned to the motel bar for some well-deserved cocktails and I grabbed a seat @ the bar right next to Tommy Henrich.

I had the great pleasure to sit w/ Tommy & drink Budweisers for about an hour & 1/2 while he told story after story about every Yankee he ever knew or played w/--from Ruth right up until he saw Mantle arrive for Spring Training in 1950.

Greatest thrill I ever had talking to a ballplayer and will never forget it!

[MVSNYC]

2 years ago my wife & i went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. when we landed in Honolulu airport, i was reading the flat screen monitor to see which baggage claim was ours...standing right next to me, and easily a full 12" taller, was none other than Ken Griffey Jr. he was much bigger than i ever thought, and had that unmistakeable smile. i couldn't help but introduce myself and tell him i was a big fan. he thanked me and wished me well. very brief interaction, but still very cool.

[btcarfagno]

Boston area high school show around 1995 or so. Drove up in what was essentially a blizzard. Unpacked our stuff in the hotel room when we finally arrived and headed downstairs to drink away the memories of driving for 6 hours straight in a blinding snowstorm.

We took our drinks out to the lobby and who do we see but Frank Mahovolich. He had sat down in a chair in tbe lobby and was soon holding court with about 15 or so of us gathered around. Then who shows up but Jean Beliveau. The best way I can describe Beliveau is dapper. Strikingly well kempt. Just seemed like he was incredibly classy. He and Mahovolich talked to each other for a couple of minutes then Beliveau shook hands with everyone and left. Mahovolich kept going until his drink was empty and then he also shook hands with everyone before retiring for the evening.

Both were extremely nice and gentlemanly and gave my wife and I a memory for a lifetime.

Tom C

[Duluth Eskimo]

You mention MLB specifically so I will play. I had the rare opportunity to spend many hours with many HOFers back in the 80's and early 90's when signings were still reasonably priced and many of the guys were still alive.

Someone mentioned Brooks Robinson. I have to admit that Brooks was a tie with Buck O'Neil for the two nicest baseball guys I ever met. Buck was truly a sincere gentleman and just like you may have seen in the Ken Burns series. Unbelievable stories that I just ate up.

Worst MLBer was without a doubt Willie Mays. A complete jerk. Joe DiMaggio was also completely disgusted with having to sit and sign for people. I am a big Yankees fan and it really disappointed me with DiMagggio.

If you step outside of baseball, Muhammed Ali was a gentleman as was Gordie Howe, although Gordie would know exactly how many items were signed and if you owed him an extra dollar.

Other really good stories came from Warren Spahn and many of those stars of the 50's. Great times that I will always remember. The best part about it is that at the time, just about every player would sign anything, with any inscription, without thinking twice. Sometimes they would sign an extra just because they felt like it.

I have not paid for an autograph in many, many years. Hard to pay $50 or more for something I got so many times for $5.

[kmac32]

Don Larsen was at the National a few years ago and my wife asked him what his favorite thing to do was. He told her he liked to gig frogs. I about snorted my beer when he said that.

I also have the line Lee Smith used when he put me behind the dish and told everyone he found a place to hide me and my horrendous fielding abilities. Actually ended up being a good catcher after he did this. I also closed one year at Cuns camp and picked him off of first base.

[7nohitter]

Love these stories.

[scmavl]

Originally Posted by 7nohitter

Love these stories.

So do I. Keep 'em coming, guys!

[bbcard1]

A few brushes worth mentioning....

In college, Joe Nuxhall came to Marshall and after speaking played quarter bounce with a bunch of us...

Jose Canseco could not have been nicer, talking at length with my son about baseball and the beauty of the game. My son didn't notice the ankle monitor.

Bob Gibson was an ass, which I understand is to be expected.

[SmokyBurgess]

Baseball- Dale Murphy. Signing with 2 other players before a Sunday night game. Very cool. Gave the photo to a nurse friend of mine.

Non-Baseball- Mother Teresa. Went to her complex in Calcutta and spent an afternoon at the orphanage with the kids. Meeting was very short (as was M.T), but playing with the abandoned kids (starved for attention) was a memory that still lasts after all these years.

[71buc]

When Tacoma was the Twins AAA affiliate I played whiffle ball with Lyman Bostock in the parking lot of Cheney Stadium. I was 11 and he was very friendly and left a lasting impression. I was crushed when he was murdered.

I posted this story about my son couple of years ago. Although it is not a baseball story it is still fun nonetheless. I took my son to an Oakland A’s spring training game about eleven years ago. During the game Mohammed Ali made a surprise appearance. When he entered the ball park you could hear a pin drop. It was surreal. The game stopped and the players applauded him.

The crowd chanted Ali, Ali! He sat a few rows away from us and an autograph line quickly formed. He signed between innings. Those in line knelt to avoid obstructing the view of others during the game. My son asked why people were kneeling. My wife smiled and told him you do that before royalty. I told my son that this was an autograph opportunity he should not miss. At that time he was painfully timid but with a bit of coaxing he stood in line by himself for two innings. When it was his turn to receive an autograph play resumed forcing him to kneel and wait. Ali looked over at him and motioned to him. My son approached Ali rather nervously. He told my son to sit next to him in a vacant seat. He then opened a bag and pulled out a large oatmeal cookie broke it in half and handed half to my son. He sat with Ali eating that cookie for a half inning. At the end of the inning Ali smiled at him and threw a quick jab his way. He then signed the autograph and thanked my son for sitting with him.

When we returned home my shy son shocked us with the announcement that he wanted to be a boxer. My wife and I cringed but he was persistent so we relented. He boxed for a few years and although he was an average boxer the sport changed him in a positive manner. He became assertive, disciplined, and extremely confident. He has grown into a young man I am very proud of. I have to attribute some of that to boxing and his fifteen minutes with Ali.