Which players made you work for the autograph?

[rjackson44]

i was at a dodgers mets game in L.A .had great seats to my right tom cruise and larry king both signed my program it was very cool.im not into autos so i will never sell .p.s mets lost.

[Deertick]

My mom was down at Phillies spring training in 1983 and made it her mission to get autographs for me as a gift. She bought a cheap souvenir ball and had about 12, including most of the stars sign it.

She knew Schmidt was my favorite, so she approached him several times during the day but he kept giving excuses and saying "later". Finally after they were done practice, she asked him again and he said that he would sign after his shower. So she waited. And waited. Then she saw a figure briskly walking across the field behind the clubhouse. She sprinted around the fence and chased him, yelling the whole time. When she caught up to him, she scolded him about lying to her and that he could have just said no. He apologized, signed the ball, and reached into his duffel and handed her a pair of batting gloves.
I just wish I could have seen my barely 5' 95lb mom confronting the greatest third baseman of all time.

BTW, the signatures all bled like crazy into indecipherable blurs, and I wore the batting gloves out. And I have had nothing but pleasant encounters with Mike.

[parker1b2]

In the late 80s/early 90s my parents used to take me and my brother to a few Yankee games a year. We would always wait outside by the players entrance wich was connected to their parking lot and you could hang around and get some autos after the game. Usually it was easier to get the visiting team cause they also had to walk by you to get to their bus. Scored many signatures there including guys like Reggie and Roberto Alomar.

One time I begged my parents to stay, pretty much everyone passed by and the visiting team bus left. They started to break down the gates seperated the fans from the players and personnel, which was sign that most everyone was gone. Almost all the fellow autograph hounds were gone, except for me, my brother and parents and maybe 5 other people or so. Phil Rizzuto came walking out as he was still the Yankees Announcer at the time. My mom grabbed my hand and we ran up to him. She told him she grew up in Hillside( the town Rizzuto lived for many years) and how she walked by his house everyday on her way to school. She asks very politely if he could please sign my ball. He said he was sorry but if he signs for me he has to sign for everyone and jus walked away. My mom took a look around and just laughed cause other then us there was less then 10 people there.

Fast forward about 7 or 8 years later and my mother was working for Macy's in their PR dept. She had to set up some kind of event, but they had Rizzuto and Yogi signing autographs in the Bridgewater NJ mall. Well she made sure she told Phil the story and made sure I got a few extra autos that day. You were only allowed one auto from each guy.

[dgo71]

Moms are like kryptonite to tough signers. I started out graphing at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore when my mom took me and one of my high school friends up to games. When Frank Robinson was the manager, he was impossible. Time after time he'd walk in, and he was so well known for denying, that if anyone did even bother to approach him, he'd just look at us and say "Guys, tell him the story." The guy just never signed. My mom usually just sat in the car reading or cross-stitching while we got players arriving, and I guess she noticed that Frank never did it. One day as Frank pulled up, she gets out and comes over to where we were and told me to ask him. I don't think I got even two steps towards him when he just waved me off. My mom said "gimme that!" and grabbed my card, yelled out to Frank who stopped literally in his tracks and signed my card beautifully. The whole crowd was in shock! She ended up asking him twice more at various times over the years, and both time he signed for her and only her. We still laugh about that.

My mom used to teach school and at one time decided to get those old SI posters signed to display in her classroom. I'll never forget her standing by the rail before a game against Kansas City with her George Brett poster. The entire rail was packed end to end and Brett was even then a very tough signer. I was actually on the other end of the dugout so I don't know if my mom yelled out to him or not, but when he headed back to the dugout, damned if he didn't make a 90 degree turn to go specifically over to her, signed her poster, and then left. I had to go over to where she was because I thought she was going to get mugged!

[egri]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Moms are like kryptonite to tough signers.

Ah, but when they miss 'em, they miss 'em. I went to high school with a guy whose mom is a professional photographer. In the 1980's she was hired to photograph a show with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. At the end of the show, the two offered to sign as many things for her as he would like, and she said no, she wasn't an autograph collector.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by egri

ah, but when they miss 'em, they miss 'em. I went to high school with a guy whose mom is a professional photographer. In the 1980's she was hired to photograph a show with ted williams and joe dimaggio. At the end of the show, the two offered to sign as many things for her as he would like, and she said no, she wasn't an autograph collector.

doh!!!!

[Bpm0014]

Theschleps. You mention Freddie Lewis. Which Feddie Lewis?? The ex pro basketball player??

[scooter729]

Back in the late 80s / early 90s, when Frank Robinson was managing the Orioles, I was waiting outside Fenway Park as he arrived for the game. I was the only autograph collector there, probably 5-6 hours before the start of the game.

I had a 1967 Topps #1 card of him, Hank Bauer and Brooks Robinson, and already had the other two sign it, needing only Frank to complete it. When I saw him get out of the cab, I held up the card so he might see what it was, and feel a slight desire to sign it, since the other two already had.

I nicely asked him to sign it, and it went something like this:

Robinson (stopping and looking at the card): Oh, you already got the others to sign it, huh?
Me (a polite 16 year old kid): Yes sir, and I'd appreciate it if you could sign it as well.
Robinson: I'll sign it for you tomorrow.
Me: But this is your last day in Boston.
Robinson: I know! (and walked away into the park)

The Orioles were heading to New York the next day - I would love to know what would've happened if I showed up at Yankee Stadium with that card for him the next day.

What a jerk. There have been times when I've seen him at shows, and had a fleeting thought to pay to have that card completed, but after the way he treated me when I was a kid, I won't give him the satisfaction of earning a penny off of me.