Who's the earliest HOF you met in person?

[darwinbulldog]

I met Bob Feller at a card show just outside of New Orleans back in about '89.

And though he won't ever make the Hall of Fame, I likely saw Will Clark play in a high school game or two back when I was still on my first set of teeth.

[Prince Hal]

Back in the early '90's the Congressman who represents the Cooperstown area had a fundraiser every year during induction weekend and he would bring in several HOFers to meet and sign autographs. The best person to interact with was Harmon Killibrew but the oldest was Bob Feller. The man's grip even in his later years was freaking amazing and he was always cordial. Not a HOFer but a very cool person who would go was Buck O'Neil. The worst was Gaylord Perry.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Prince Hal

Back in the early '90's the Congressman who represents the Cooperstown area had a fundraiser every year during induction weekend and he would bring in several HOFers to meet and sign autographs. The best person to interact with was Harmon Killibrew but the oldest was Bob Feller. The man's grip even in his later years was freaking amazing and he was always cordial. Not a HOFer but a very cool person who would go was Buck O'Neil. The worst was Gaylord Perry.

Did he spit on you?

[kmac32]

Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Banks all at Cubs Fantasy camp

[Paul S]

At the Martin Luther King, Jr. East-West All Star Classic (1970) at Dodger Stadium. Had to cut across the section that separated us, as the usher wasn't letting anyone down the aisle.

[Prince Hal]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Did he spit on you?

Ha! At least that would constitute a form of interaction. He just sat there looking at his watch. I wonder why his cheating doesn't come up more often during the steroid discussions...

[oldjudge]

When I was a kid my dad used to take me to Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium and we would always sit behind the announcers booth. After the game many old timers would come up to the booth to chat on the air. I once met, and got the autographs of, Dizzy and Daffy Dean. Unfortunately, the ball is long gone.

[Cozumeleno]

For seven years, I was a tournament director for a celebrity golf tournament in Pittsburgh, where I live. Most of the guys were veterans or guys that made a few All-Star teams, but my lone HOF experience from it was Bill Mazeroski. Really shy/quiet guy, but extremely nice.

[tedzan]

I first met Phil Rizzuto in 1953....he was my nearby neighbor (2 blocks away) in Hillside, NJ. Phil would drive his 1953 Nash Metropolitan past our home on his way to Yankee Stadium.







Visited with Johnny Mize in his hometown (Demorest, Georgia). A really great guy to talk baseball with. One of my all-time favorite Yankees players.






Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio....and, many, many more HOFers....that I have stories of.



TED Z
.

[vthobby]

Stan Musial and others....(Appling & Aparicio I think) were at an armory in Manhattan at a card show in the 1970s.

My grandfather used to send Stan Musial Maple Syrup that he tapped from Vermont in the 1950s.

I mentioned this to Stan and he remembered my grandpa. That was pretty cool.

Peace, Mike

[Hankphenom]

I met Clark Griffith in 1955, and remember it very well. I was nine.

[Jobu]

That is awesome about Griffith, I loved the story in your book (Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train, a must read for those who haven't yet).

Didn't you also meet your grandfather (Walter Johnson for those who don't know) when you were 8 or 9 months old? Even if you don't remember it I say that this counts and you win the prize given he is one of the original 5!

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

I met Clark Griffith in 1955, and remember it very well. I was nine.

[Hankphenom]

I guess I did technically meet him when he was in the hospital, or at least he met me, I hadn't thought of that. I was only a few months old, so naturally I don't remember it. I have always thought it was special to have been the last grandchild born before he passed away, and that he "knew" me.

Originally Posted by Jobu

That is awesome about Griffith, I loved the story in your book (Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train, a must read for those who haven't yet).

Didn't you also meet your grandfather (Walter Johnson for those who don't know) when you were 8 or 9 months old? Even if you don't remember it I say that this counts and you win the prize given he is one of the original 5!

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by Prince Hal

Back in the early '90's the Congressman who represents the Cooperstown area had a fundraiser every year during induction weekend and he would bring in several HOFers to meet and sign autographs. The best person to interact with was Harmon Killibrew but the oldest was Bob Feller. The man's grip even in his later years was freaking amazing and he was always cordial. Not a HOFer but a very cool person who would go was Buck O'Neil. The worst was Gaylord Perry.

I found Gaylord Perry to be most gracious. Same with Phil NIekro and Fergie Jenkins. Whitey Ford and Bob Feller as well. Mr. Feller did plug his museum non stop though!

[SMPEP]

When I read the title to this thread quickly, I thought it said "ugliest" and I was like ...

Wow! Two pages on who the ugliest HOFer is! Can't believe the thread got that many responses!

Guess I need to improve my reading comprehension skills,
Patrick

[PowderedH2O]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I met Bob Feller at a card show just outside of New Orleans back in about '89.

And though he won't ever make the Hall of Fame, I likely saw Will Clark play in a high school game or two back when I was still on my first set of teeth.

I played against Will Clark when I was in high school. I actually had a higher batting average than he did. Of course, mine were singles and his were often not singles. He got college scholarship offers. I did not.

My earliest HOF encounter was in 1980. I was a teenager and my dad's boss got me in to meet the Orioles and the Yankees in a preseason game in the Superdome. I got to meet Yogi, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Reggie Jackson (plus Mike Flanagan, Bob Watson, Ron Guidry, and Jim Spencer). It was a blast!

In 1976 I got to go to the Pete Maravich Basketball Camp at the University of New Orleans, so if we aren't specific about baseball, he was the first HOFer I met.

[ZenPop]

My grandmother was good friends with George "High Pockets" Kelly and his wife. They invited her to his HOF Induction ceremony in 1973. She went and brought me back an autographed program with a few other HOFs... (as soon as I find it, I'll scan and post)... I went over to his house later that year (I was 11 years old at the time) and he told me some amazing stories of the 1921 NY Giants... also told a doozy of a story involving a fight between Casey Stengel and Leo Durocher... Stengel was kind of a mentor to Kelly... First time I recall hearing the term "son of a bitch." (Kelly was NOT fond of the Lip.). I also got a tour of his trophy room and he gave me an autographed baseball. Pretty cool.

I also met Willie Mays at the San Jose Airport. We talked for about 20 minutes before the plane boarded. This was around 1989... He talked about how much he liked Kevin Mitchell, talked about the current Giants. He also recounted some stories from his past (talking about how that great catch in the '54 World Series wasn't nearly his best... and said preventing the runner from tagging up was the biggest thing.) I know he has a history of people saying he was ornery, but he was awesome to me.

I guess (according to some)... I met the greatest and the worst HOFers ever.

[Tom Hufford]

I attended the 1971 Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, my first trip there (I was 21). After the HOF activities were over, I met with 15 other guys in the HOF Library for the Founding meeting of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) (and if you're not a member yet, you should join!).

I spent quite a bit of time sitting in the lobby of the Otesaga Hotel, where the players stayed, and I met dozens of oldtimers. I was in awe.

I met four Hall of Famers born before 1890 - Rube Marquard, Harry Hooper, Zach Wheat and Stan Coveleski. Marquard was the oldest at 84 , born 10-9-1886.

But the oldest former player I met was Larry Gardner. He was there to see his old Red Sox teammate Harry Hooper inducted. Gardner was born 5-13-86, about five months before Marquard, and made his ML debut in June 1908, three months before Rube.

I sat for a while in the hotel lobby talking to Marquard, when he said "Are you going to be here for awhile?" When I assured him that I would be he said "I'm going to run up to my room and get something, wait for me til I get back." In a few minutes he did return, carrying a large old scrapbook of his career. We sat for several hours while he went through the scrapbook, telling me stories about the games and the many guys he played with.

Can you imagine something like that happening today? I've always appreciated the time that he gave me, and I corresponded with him up until his death. I wish that I had gotten a photo of us together. I did get a photo of me with Harry Hooper and Ernie Shore that year, however, that I later sent and got signed by both.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Tom Hufford

I attended the 1971 Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, my first trip there (I was 21). After the HOF activities were over, I met with 15 other guys in the HOF Library for the Founding meeting of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) (and if you're not a member yet, you should join!).

I spent quite a bit of time sitting in the lobby of the Otesaga Hotel, where the players stayed, and I met dozens of oldtimers. I was in awe.

I met four Hall of Famers born before 1890 - Rube Marquard, Harry Hooper, Zach Wheat and Stan Coveleski. Marquard was the oldest at 84 , born 10-9-1886.

But the oldest former player I met was Larry Gardner. He was there to see his old Red Sox teammate Harry Hooper inducted. Gardner was born 5-13-86, about five months before Marquard, and made his ML debut in June 1908, three months before Rube.

I sat for a while in the hotel lobby talking to Marquard, when he said "Are you going to be here for awhile?" When I assured him that I would be he said "I'm going to run up to my room and get something, wait for me til I get back." In a few minutes he did return, carrying a large old scrapbook of his career. We sat for several hours while he went through the scrapbook, telling me stories about the games and the many guys he played with.

Can you imagine something like that happening today? I've always appreciated the time that he gave me, and I corresponded with him up until his death. I wish that I had gotten a photo of us together. I did get a photo of me with Harry Hooper and Ernie Shore that year, however, that I later sent and got signed by both.

Wow.

[cardsfan73]

Don Drysdale outside of Busch Stadium II after a Cardinals v. Dodgers game sometime in 1988 (I think)

While everyone else mobbed the likes of Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser & Steve Sax, Drysdale walked right by and I guess nobody else recognized him. Alas I had no Drysdale cards with me but he was more than happy to sign my ticket stub from the game. I was 15 and it was the first time I had met a Hall Of Fame player & I was a little nervous but he was very gracious & kind.

Scott

[chris6net]

Craig Biggio. We played little league together. I was probably about 8 years old. In HS he was the best Football player in Suffolk County. A great athlete.