Best & Worst Experience Meeting An Athlete

[Mark70Z]

BEST - Brooks Robinson

Brooks was my hero growing up as well as my families favorite player. Likely if you didn’t follow the Orioles I don’t really think you can truely understand how great a player Brooksie was for the Birds. I have met Brooks several times over the years and it was just the same, every time, like I was his friend and he was so glad to see me. I remember the first time I met Brooks, I was so nervous to meet my hero, I just kind of rambled. He said “why don’t we take a picture together”. I guess he noticed I was nervous; he was always so gracious. In tribute my son is named Brooks after my hero. Love the quote, "Brooks (Robinson) never asked anyone to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore, people named their children after him." - Gordon Beard.

Worst - Hank Aaron

Not that a person is obligated to be nice at a signing, but not even acknowledge anyone, nor even look up while they are at a signing to me I personally don’t really care for.

[seanofjapan]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

BEST - Brooks Robinson

Brooks was my hero growing up as well as my families favorite player. Likely if you didn’t follow the Orioles I don’t really think you can truely understand how great a player Brooksie was for the Birds. I have met Brooks several times over the years and it was just the same, every time, like I was his friend and he was so glad to see me. I remember the first time I met Brooks, I was so nervous to meet my hero, I just kind of rambled. He said “why don’t we take a picture together”. I guess he noticed I was nervous; he was always so gracious. In tribute my son is named Brooks after my hero. Love the quote, "Brooks (Robinson) never asked anyone to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore, people named their children after him." - Gordon Beard.

Worst - Hank Aaron

Not that a person is obligated to be nice at a signing, but not even acknowledge anyone, nor even look up while they are at a signing to me I personally don’t really care for.

This was EXACTLY my experience with both of these guys. I got both Brooks and Aaron at the same show in 1992 (see post 3 above). Brooks was just insanely nice and accomodating, chatting with me and my friend, posing for a picture, putting a personal message on his autograph, etc. He just went out of his way to be nice to us.

Then getting Aaron's autograph was the most impersonal, rule bound, unpleasant experience ever. They might as well have had a guy with a bullhorn shouting at all us plebians in line:

"Thou shalt not speak to Mr. Aaron, thou shalt not make eye contact with Mr. Aaron, thou shalt not do anything to make Mr. Aaron aware of your existence in close physical proximity to Mr. Aaron....."

Since that day Brooks has been one of my all time favorites (despite not being an O's fan), while Aaron I couldn't care less for.

Here is Brooks Robinson with two awkward teenagers who are huge fans of his today thanks to this meeting 25 years ago!

[joshuanip]

Best and worst at the same time. Getting Ted Williams to autograph a ball I was using to collect HOF autographs. Was at a card show. When he finished signing the ball, he bounced the ball to me. At first I was so scared if the ball was to get scuffed because it had mickey mantle, among others on the ball.

Now I'm older, I kind of laugh at it, cause I will never sell it. It was my childhood memory. And now when I think about it, a ball is made to be played with. Perhaps that's what (I would like) Mr. Williams was trying to say to me as a kid.

[shagrotn77]

I remember Whitey Ford being a jerk when I got his autograph at the grand opening of a Wiz store. Willie Mays didn't even look up when I got his signature (which looked like 2 squiggly lines) at a card show.

[perezfan]

Tony Gwynn was the nicest and friendliest athlete I have ever met. Such a gentleman, and an absolute San Diego legend.

Also had the pleasure of meeting Lenny Wilkens over the weekend. A triple Hall-of-Famer, he was incredibly cordial and talkative. We laughed about what a dump the Cincinnati Gardens was (and how a professional team probably wouldn't even practice there today).

[tjb1952tjb]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Tony Gwynn was the nicest and friendliest athlete I have ever met. Such a gentleman, and an absolute San Diego legend.

Also had the pleasure of meeting Lenny Wilkens over the weekend. A triple Hall-of-Famer, he was incredibly cordial and talkative. We laughed about what a dump the Cincinnati Gardens was (and how a professional team probably wouldn't even practice there today).

Totally agree regarding Tony Gwynn. He was so generous with his time while signing, made eye contact, and shook my hand. My son, 11 at the time in 2007, will always remember what a genuine gentleman Tony was. Me too.

[t206wagner]

I was at a garage sale a while back which had some baseball memorabilia and while looking at it, it all had the same players name on it. Turns out I was at a garage sale at Frank Dipino's house. He was moving and wanted to get rid of some of his things. I bought a bunch of stuff and when I went to pay Mr. Dipino was there collecting money and we started to talk about baseball. After about 15 minutes of talking he asked if I wanted to see some of his collection and invited me into his house. He took me into the basement where he had the walls lined with 200+ signed bats from players he had played with along with about 100+ signed balls. We went down the line looking at all of them and he had a story about most of them. Turns out he is also good friends with Nolan Ryan and the 2 of them would spend time together hunting and fishing. I still have a few of the things I bought and I remember that day every time I look at them.