Ever talk to a ballplayer ?

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Posted By: Jason L

Got the idea/encouragement from Ted Z, "I like your idea.....why don't you start a Thread here....asking Forum members to post conversations they have enjoyed with professional BB players. --TED Z"

So here's the question:
Anyone here ever talked to a ballplayer about baseball?
--but even more interesting would be: Anyone here ever talk to a ballplayer about his baseball cards?
and even more interesting than that would be: anyone here ever have a conversation from a "vintage era" ballplayer about his cards from those days?

Sorry if a little OT, but thought it might make for interesting Friday afternoon reminiscing...
Jason L

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Posted By: barrysloate

Around 1987 Joe DiMaggio was doing a promotion for Bowery Savings Bank in Brooklyn and I walked over for an autograph and to my great surprise I was the only one there, so I was able to engage him for a couple of minutes in conversation. I asked him why he was on so few post-war baseball cards, in particular why he was never on a card issued by Bowman. He said he thought he was, and I assumed he confused it with his 49 Leaf card. That was pretty much it, he was polite though a bit aloof.

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

In the 90s, I used to run a punk rock record label. When Jack McDowell signed his monster contract with the Yankees, I had heard he was the singer in an alternative rock band during the offseason. So I wrote him a letter in care of the Yankees, and enclosed a couple of CDs from my label, and wished him luck.

After the season was over, I got a nice note from him (apologizing for taking a whole season to get back to me and thanking me for the CDs), along with a copy of his CD and an invitation to come see his band play at a club in New Jersey. I thought that was kinda cool.

I didn't go to the club, though. I didn't like the band.

-Al

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Posted By: James Feagin

Al C,

I thought I was the only ex-punk/ NYC hardcore/shoegazer/darkwave/indie fan on here I spoke with Eddie Murray for 3 hours when I was 9 years old at a car dealership. Still one of the most incredible moments of my vida....

James

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I was privileged to spend a day with Don Newcombe a few years ago talking extensively about baseball history and his role in it. There is a long thread about the experience somewhere on here.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1089155672/Taken+out+to+the+ballgame+and+then+some

I also got to briefly talk cards with football HOFer Willie Brown at a show about 15 years ago. He bought a 1967 Mays from me. Mostly we talked about which cards he liked from the era. Apparently, he really liked Mays and was going after his cards.

At the National a few years ago I inadvertently spent some time talking boxing with Celtics HOFer Sam Jones. I say "inadvertently" because I didn't know who he was until after he left and the dealer I was with told me.

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Posted By: Bill K

I spent 72 holes of golf with Bob Allison when I was about 12. He was partnered with my dad and two other guys for a charity outing in the Twin Cities. I caddied for my dad, but spent most of my time talking to Bob. He signed a bunch of things and unless my memory fails me seemed truly interested to answer dozens of questions from a snot nosed kit. Even bought me a hot-dog at the turn!

Rest his soul.

Bill

My personal collection - http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f176/fkm_bky/

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Posted By: Dave Rey

I've talked with a few, but my favorite was Jim Dyck, who was a journeyman third baseman with the Brownies and Orioles in the 1950s.

After baseball he ran a bowling alley here in Cheney, Wash. until he died the day after my birthday in 1999. I wrote his obituary for the newspaper.

I spent several different times talking to him about his days in baseball.

My favorite stories were about his seasons with Satchel Paige on the 1951-53 St. Louis Browns. He told me how Satchel would drive his Cadillac to all sorts of places where the white folks didn't approve and about how Satchel always had a piece of wisdom for anybody that sought it out.

He also recounted how one time a Mickey Mantle line drive just missed removing his manhood by a millimeter. He said the rope got there so fast he hadn't even hardly twitched when he heard the hiss and felt the brush of the ball whisk the crotch of his loose pants.

Jim said from that point on, he played Mantle especially deep when there was a lefty on the mound -- even though his manager, Marty Marion, would yell at him all the time to play closer in case Mantle laid down a bunt for a hit. Against righties you still had to play at least even with the bag against Mickey then, because he was still blazingly fast during those early years of his career and he would lay down bunts from the left side of the plate, Jim said.

He told me lots more stories and was never too busy to talk about his playing days and he signed four of his 50s Bowman cards for me. He was a classy guy and i was glad I got to give him a worthy sendoff in his obit.

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Posted By: steve f

Right after the Idiots won the '04 Series, I Met Al Lopez in the auto section of Walmart on Cocoa Beach.

He and another unknown customer from NYC were razzin' me because of my BoSox t-shirt. "It's about time. You can die happy now" and that he really liked the Players' personalities. He introduced himself and began tellin me about the old Boston teams, Ruth and other Greats he's known.

Al was boisterous, friendly and very humble. I couldn't believe he was 95yo! I was like a little kid again... 'til the missus returned from the grocery section and found me. "Always yappin, come on, I want to get some sun". "But cupcake, I need to talk with this retired Major Leaguer for a while longer." I pleaded, to no avail.

It was ten minutes I'll always remember. Could have spent my entire vacay in that store.

Oh, never did buy whatever I was looking for that morning.

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Posted By: craig

i went out to bob fellers museum in van meter iowa with my dad about 10 years ago. he was having a charity signing with another player. i had just picked up a beater 38 goudey heads up of feller in minnesota the weekend before and thought it would be cool to have it signed. on the cards front it says that bob learned his controll by throwing a baseball through a knothole in the side of his fathers barn. so when i got there i had to ask if it true. old bob doesnt hear too well so i had to actually show him that it said that. when he read it he stated in a very loud voice "hell no my ol'man would'ev tanned my hide. dont believe everthin ya read on baseball cards boy."

last summer at an iowa cubs game, my 7 year old son and i ran down to the rr so he could do his buisness. standing next to him in the rr was fergie jenkins. i didnt even know he was at that game, so i was kinda shocked. when my boy and fergie were both washing their hands i made the comment, "hey zach you know who this guy is dont you?" fergie smiled shook our hands, glad he washed, and asked my boy if he wanted his baseball signed that had noticed zach had. zach look at me then fergie and said "no way then my dad wont let me play with it." and quickly shoved it in his pocket. awkward silence followed by a good exchange of smiles/laught before we exited and went back to our seats. man am i gald i already have a jenkins auto'd ball. lol

craig

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Posted By: Joe

I was able to spend about 30 minutes talking to Bobby Doerr and Yaz at an event before the All Star Game at Fenway a few years ago.
Doerr was great and talked a bit about playing in the All-Star Game and how he wished he'd hit better in the games he was in. He talked about fishing - a lot. This was before I started collecting pre-war cards, but I did have a reprint of Doerr's card - the series with the giant heads. His face lit up when I pulled the card out and he was happy to sign it. He said he hadn't seen one in years and remembered when the card came out and how he thought it was a pretty dumb-looking card.
Yaz, on the other hand, gave a lot of one-word answers and kind of ignored me - might have been the Yankees hat I was wearing. I jokingly told him that he was so popular I couldn't find one of his cards for him to sign. He didn't laugh, and said he wouldn't have signed it anyway.
I also breifly talked with Rollie Fingers, Gaylord Perry and Goose Gossage. They were all great and happy to talk baseball.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

This is a bit of a stretch but its all i got. My cousin married a kid who played 6 years in the minors for the Dodgers 1996-2001 and last year before Thanksgiving i bought all of his minor league cards and we passed them around during the family dinner.He topped out at AAA before retiring but he still coaches some on the side

He has some great stories of guys before they were major leaguers such as facing Roy Oswalt the day he got called up to AA and striking out 4 times on as he said "about 12 pitches". He also led off a single-A all-star game with a home run and was roommates with many guys who did reach the majors including Eric Gagne

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Posted By: Cat

I have had the fortune to meet quite a few.

One player (rather not post his name) I got to know fairly well actually took my son (he was 11 yo at the time) into the Diamondbacks (that's who he was playing for at the time) lockerroom and my son was standing around with the likes of Schilling, Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzales, and Mark Grace (this was his last year). This is a player that I still "cross paths" with and is a real good guy and has done real well in MLB in recent years.

Three or four years ago, I signed my kid up for a Saturday morning "hitters camp." It was pretty expensive for the four hours. The crowd was small and my son got quality time with Torrie Hunter, Paul Loduca, Shawn Green, Don Baylor and others. At the end most of the players hung around and I was particularly impressed with how good of a guy Hunter is. Loduca really took teaching the kids to heart and I was appreciative of that too.

Met Troy Percival a few times too...seemed like a quality fellow. One time he had HIS kid with him and he seemed like a very good Dad.

________________

http://www.audiocomedy.net/soundboards/jacket.shtml

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Posted By: Joe Jones

The Last all star game in Detroit, I was able to score a ticket from Ozzie Smith (believe it or not). I had met him at the Fan Fest the day before. When I sat in my seat for the game (a few rows back from 3rd. base) I was suprised to see the people sitting around me. Directly to my right was Mark "the bird" Fidrych, to my left was Cal Ripken Jr. (and his body guards), Right behind me was Jack Morris, and Directly in front of me was Dave Winfield. I had a blast talking with all of them during the game. It was interesting to listen to thier point of view about what was going on in the game.

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Posted By: Jim Manos

Both of these guys live up the street from me and we are all member's of Muirfield Village Golf Club. Talk to them all the time actually will be playing gin with Kent tomorrow. Kent still is with the Reds(just had Tommy John surgery few weeks ago). Dave out of baseball now (won the 1st subway series for the Mets) play's in our sat and sunday golf group. Both guys are super nice neither collect except both have there own personal items from ther playing yrs, including 2 no no balls for Merk and a world series trophy. To bad he doesn't have the most world series trophy's on the street. In anyevent, they are great guys and have no problem talking about baseball. They both could work alittle harder on there golf game though.

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Posted By: paulstratton

When I was in college I worked for a guy in Michigan who brought in guys to do autograph signings. Most of the time he got various Red Wing's to come in because Detroit is such a hockey town but he also got Hal Newhouser to come in for a signing at the same time. I sat there with old Hal for 3 hours while everyone got there Red Wing's crap signed and ignored us. Hardly anyone ever came over. Hal just laughed and told me stories about his days with the Tigers. It was pretty interesting hearing about his MVP seasons and the WWII era of baseball history. I'm not into autographs at all but I do have a ball I got signed by Hal and it will probably be the only signature I will ever own.

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

I was lucky enough to work for Ed Keetz for 6 years as a young kid. I started when I was 11, and I would sit on stage each week with the autograph guest and take tickets or pass the item along to be signed. Trivial tasks, but for an 11 year old kid - it was incredible. I worked with well over 200 signers in that time and have many many fond memories of conversations with them. In the interests of time, I will share only a few.

I had a 4 hour car ride with Tommy Henrich in which he explained to me where he stood in every statistical category imaginable. One of the sharpest guys I ever met!

Sitting at a bar in the Albany airport with Whitey Ford, Ed Keetz, and my father, watching a Yankee game in 1998. Whitey spent 2 hours breaking down every person to bat and comparing them to hitters of his day that he faced.

Sitting on the porch of the Otesaga in Cooperstown, NY with Warren Spahn and his wife when I was 11. He told me about how he holds the record for career home runs by a pitcher with 35 and my response was "that's all you had?" (remember, I was 11).

Having BBQ dinner with Moose Skowron and Hank Bauer - two of the absolute nicest men you will every meet, but quite possibly the two slopiest BBQ chicken eaters out there.

Playing catch for about 20 minutes with Jim Plamer and having him attempt to show me how to throw a slider.

Asking the woman that accompanied Jim Brown to the signing if he was his daughter (since she was about 22 years old) only to find out it was his wife.

and last but not least...

Having my father host a backyard BBQ/dinner for 10 Negro League legends in 1997ish. In attendance where Buck O'Neil, Lester Lockett, Joe Barnes, Double Duty Radcliff, Casey Jones, and a few others. All told stories of the old days, laughing, drinking and remembering friends they had in common, etc. ALL went out into our large front yard and tossed the ball around with me. However, the best moment was listening to Buck explain how he got the nickname "Nancy". Many people don't know that Stachel Paige used to call him Nancy. As it turns out, Satchel paige met this girl named Nancy. At some point, Satchel invited Nancy to join him on the road and see him play. However, that same night, Lahoma, Satchel'a girlfriend (and future wife) came to meet Satchel. Buck was in the hotel eating when he sees Lahoma walk in, and he knew Satchel had Nancy with him. They were able to hide Nancy in the room next to Buck, which was right next to Satchel's. Later that night, Satchel leaves Lahoma in his room and goes to find Nancy. He starts knocking on Nancy's door and calling her name. Buck can hear Lahoma wake up and try to unlock Satchel's door, so he quickly runs out of his room next to Satchel as Lahoma opens the door and says "here I am to Satchel". Satchel then says "Nancy - I've been looking all over for you" back to Buck.

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Posted By: John S

I teach with the wife of a former Indian. He stops by the school occasionally and is always up for telling stories about Len Barker and other Tribe team members form the late 70's and early 80's.

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Posted By: Trae R.

I too was lucky growing up. I made friends with a kid in middle school who's step-dad was a trainer for The Rangers. We lived in Pt.Charlotte,FL where they ran their Spring Training and I was fortunate enough to pretty much enjoy free reign about the field, locker room, practices, etc. We had a blast, and I got more autographs and memorabilia than I knew what to do with. When I moved away (back to my previous home) all of my friends were awe-struck by all the cool stuff I had and it was nothing to me so I ended up giving all of the items I had away to all of my them as holiday gifts, birthday gifts, etc. One of them still has some of the Nolan Ryan stuff I gave him. I don't really regret giving the stuff away either as it was worth it to see my friends as happy as I was when I received the items.

As far as talking to the players, there are no conversations I can remember in specific as it was mostly small talk stuff - I didn't realize how great I had it. I also got to race the mascot around the bases for a home game, and play catch with quite a few of the players, including "The Man Himself" Nolan Ryan.

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Posted By: steve f

trae, It was kind of you to spread the wealth. Hard to beleive, the Man never won the CY. I'll always remember the highlight of Ryan knocking Ventura on his ass after charging the mound.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

There are quite a few stories I could relate......but, I will start with the longest time
I was with a BB player. I was at Newark (NJ) Airport April 1984, heading for Chicago,
and who is standing in line to check in, my old nearby neighbor as a kid, Phil Rizzuto.

He was flying 1st class and I was in coach. When we boarded the plane, he invited me
to sit with him in the 1st class cabin. We talked BB, personalities, and about our old
neighborhood (in Hillside, NJ) for two hours on the plane; and, an hour at the terminal.

In 1949 the Scooter was runner-up to Ted Williams for AL MVP; and, in 1950 Phil was
awarded the AL MVP (which was well deserved as the "spark" which helped the Yankees
win a very close race vs Detroit). He had 200 hits, BA = .324, SlAvg =.439 and 66 RBI's.
Not too bad for being essentially a lead-off batter.

I tell you all that because I asked Phil a very "dumb" question.....In 1949, as we know,
Casey Stengel became Mgr of the Yankees; so, I asked Phil if he felt that his game had
improved with the advent of Stengel ? I quickly realized this was a dumb "?", as Phil's
response was somewhat harsh on me.

I quickly switched the conversation to Bill White (a really great guy who was Phil's part-
ner in the broadcast booth). But, talk about "putting your foot in your mouth", as much
as I thought I was being smart in my observation regarding his career.....it was a dumb
thing to ask him.
It's funny, we talked for hours about a lot of things; but, that particular bit of our con-
versation is still very clear in my mind....22 1/2 years later.

T-Rex TED

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Posted By: joe brennan

I talked to them for 8 years. Only knew most of them in their teens and early 20's. Just a bunch of kids away from home having a good time.

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: Jason L

I've talked to a few players for a few minutes at a time, nothing too profound at the autograph tables.

But the most incredible experience was when I was a soph in high school. One of my friend's -his family was close with Rick Reuschel and his family. Rick was in town with the Giants, and he agreed to take my friend and I with him to Wrigley on a day he was pitching. This was during that comeback period he had -when he started the All-Star game, I think...
Anyway, so it was a day-in-the-life-of sort of thing....very cool. He picked up 4 of us in the morning and drive us down to the park. Wrigley is a great place, but to walk in the office entrance at 8:30am and watch the park wake up is entirely different! Rick had to stop and chat with some of the office folk that knew him from his 70's days there...then he led us down into the visitor's dugout, and I swear to you, the sun had just cleared the centerfield scoreboard...we hung out there for awhile...chatted with Brett Butler and Candy Maldonado (both signed a batting practice ball for me)...watched the game from behind home in the player's ticket area, then waited around and talked to more folks until Rick came out of the lockerroom. Then we all walked out, got in the minivan, and left. We did have to wait a little longer as Rick signed some autographs, since he parked in a pay lot across from the field rather than the fenced-in players lot...plenty of the details are lost since the stimuli came flying at me so fast it was like trying to drink from a fire hose, but, man...wish I could try that for a living!!!
and you know what, I never even asked for his autograph...still don't have one to this day....but what a good guy...very quiet and family oriented.

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Posted By: whitehse

I was fortunate that right out of high school I got a job with the Cubs working game day security. Since I was a bigger kid they used me as dugout security for 2 years. 2 great summers!! My job was to literally sit on the end of the bench (or in the tunnel leading to the locker room) and make sure no one went after the players. I got to know may of them althoug I would not expect any of them to remember my name but they would recognize me. I used to carry handcuffs and remember Leon Durham and one other player borrowing my cuffs to use on Dennis Eckersley. Eck came out of the clubhouse and demanded my key which i didnt have because I gave it to the other players.

After the 2 years of game day work I was hired to work in stadium operations all year round and spent 5 years (total of 7 years) with the team.

My highlight would have to be the fact myself and one other "big" guy would be Pete Rose's shadow the entire weekend he was to have tied and possibly broken Ty Cobb's hit record at Wrigley. From the moment he stepped out of the cab to the moment he got back in we were his shadows. We walked him to the press conferences and waited for him in the clubhouse. He had death threats and threat of other harm that weekend so we had to minimize non field personel contact with him

I have to say he was one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. We were not allowed to ask for autographs and to be honest I would not have felt right asking him for one. It was a very nice experience for someone who used to yell to him for a autograph in Wrigley when I was 8 years old!.

At the end of the weekend his manager ended up giving me and the other guy that worked with me one of those 1981 fleer triple threat cards with Bowa and Mike Schmidt autographed.(sorry i know this is not pre war material!!) Still have it to this day

I was able to sit and hear many old timers tell stories as well as One of the best story tellers, Don Zimmer. what that man has to say away from the mics and cameras is amazing. In the Chicago area they have a dinner in the winter where all the old timers get together and trade stories. Worth the price of admission if you ask me!!

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Posted By: Anonymous

Just spoke with Steve Blass today at the 46th celebration of Mazeroski's home run. He was the only former Pirate there. No players from the 1960 team, but Bob Friend was there last year. He came up and asked what inning the replay of the game was in and two of us told him the bottom of the sixth. We also inquired about the health of Nellie King and Blass stated, "Not good."

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Posted By: jay behrens

I've been very lucky over the years to have had conversations with a number of major leaguers. I got to go to dinner with DiMaggio. I was told that any talk about Marilyn was forbidden, which didn't bother me. I wanted to talk baseball. I also got to go to dinner with HArmon Killebrew and Leon Day. Both great guys. When I got out of the hobby in 1991, Killebrew bought a number of wire photos that pictured him with Cal Emer. I've also been able to talk to numberous players when set up at various shows. I can't say I ever had a bad exeperience with any of them. Even Steve Carlton was very pleasant.

Jay

I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

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Posted By: Jeff Drum

I have been lucky enough to spend time with a few. Most notably was Pirate/Red outfielder Jerry Lynch who used to be the starter at the golf course where I play every Saturday morning. What a great guy who would tell us about batting against Koufax/Drysdale and what it was like to be Roberto Clemente's teammate. Friendliest guy you would ever want to meet.

Spent several hours last fall with Red/Brave/Pirates outfielder Frank Thomas. He was doing a charity signing for Toys for Tots in the Atlanta area and reallly took a shine to my five year old son. Great fellow also.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

I used to be a stadium rat when I was a kid. A stadium rat hung out at the stadium hours before game time and collected autographs. Prior to spring training the players would do batting practice at a practice field across from the stadium. I'd hang out and shag balls. The players were really nice and they kind of got used to seeing us around so much.

During the regular season I was given bats and autographs and on many occassions an escort into the stadium hours before the game and well ahead of the paying crowd. On a few occassions I got to go into the club house.

One season I missed only a few games and most of those games I got free admission in to the ball park. If I couldn't hitch a ride in I'd pay the buck seventy-five for admission. After getting in I'd go straight to the dugout and watch batting practice.

I heard a lot of interesting conversations because I'd be on top of the dugout and the players didn't think anyone was around because the fans weren't due to be let in for a while. I remember hearing a couple of visiting players talking about some "good weed" and I said something. They were surprised as heck that I was there. There were lots of different things I heard and saw. Those were some fun times. Lots of small conversations with your average ball players that were just happy to be there.

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Posted By: Mike Ernst

Sat next to and talked with Matt Nokes on a plane from San Diego to Detroit. Performed Jaime Navarro's wedding with Mike Fetters as best man. Baptized Navarro's son with Fetters and Ryne Sandberg as godparents (along with their wives). Was a teammate of Doug Bair in semipro ball for two years before he pitched 15 years in the bigs. Bill Schroeder and his family are members of my church. Did Rollie Fingers' first wife's 4th wedding. Used to visit Carl Mays' widow when she was in a nursing home. Guess I've been pretty lucky.

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Posted By: anthony

i saw rex hudler (anaheim angels ballplayer and annoucer) at a home depot, he was doing a signing. only one other guy was there so i went and got my disposable camera and took some pictures of him and his daughter who's around 13. we chit chatted a little bit about some past angels and he was very cool and professional in all of his responses about the many different players we talked about...must of spent about half hour b.s'ing.

that was the last ballplayer, i also had a short (2 min) conversation with tiger woods at a golf tourney at the riviera a couple of years ago, very nice and approachable.

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

I was lucky enough to spend an hour or so talking to former Yankees pitcher Johnny James several years ago. Our spouses worked together and we were stuck at their Christmas or similar party. He seemed pleased to know I had a couple of his baseball cards, and we chatted about the A's and Yankees teams on which he pitched. It was a great time.

Also was lucky enough to meet, shake hands and speak briefly with Thurman Munson in 1978.

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Posted By: Dylan

When I was younger my Mom dated a couple different NFL players. Her sister also dated someone who played for the Dolphins for a long time. Anyways I was only 12 or 13 but I would talk to Corey Harris who was A DB for the Saints on the phone when he would call the house. I had never talked to anyone with a thick southern accent before i thought i was talking to someone who was from overseas at first.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I saw Jack McDowell's band when it played at the Union at my college. Honestly, I can't even remember what type of music it was.

I'm an art historian who goes to the symphony, but own some hardcore punk and the early, depressing The Cure CDs.

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Posted By: MINE'S MINT

Too many to list.. in my 22 years ive been very fortunate to have had the opprotunity to meet and speak with numerous ball players.. so i will just name a few..

-I got to train with Darryl Strawberry when he was making his come back with the Yankee's.. i shagged batting practice and played catch with him every afternoon for a week.. he gave me one of his bats and signed it in return for my services.. very very nice person, even told a news reporter to leave when he and I were talking baseball and the reporter tried to push past me for an interview.. he got a World Series ring that year by the way thanks in part to his clutch hitting..

-former Giant Tito Fuentes hit me fungos in candlestick park.. he's a really funny guy..

-former Dodger Bill Sudakis was the manager of my pony league traveling All-Star team..

-assisted former Angels all star pitcher Clyde Wright with a baseball seminar..

-played catch and chatted with Duke Snider.. funny thing is that it was with a football.. i had mentioned to someone trying to get a football signed at the Drysdale Classic Golf Tournament that he was a high school quarterback.. and shortly after, the ball was fair game..

-got to hang out with ROY winner Todd Hollinsworth for an hour at the airport when his flight was delayed.. very cool to talk baseball with..

-Jimmie Reese was always the nicest person every time i met with him.. fungo always in tow.. told me his famous "rooming with the Babe's luggage" story.. i still remember when he passed.. i had written him in the hospital and not too long after i recieved correspondence.. i caught word.. baseball lost one of its greatest personalities that day..

my only real bad experiences were with Willie Mays, Warren Spahn and Jim Edmonds..

-Mays was held up at the Drysdale Classic waiting to tee off for like 30 minutes.. would not sign and was extremely rude to me.. saying that I (a 12 year old kid at the time) should have payed $500 to attend the previous nights celebrity dinner to even have the chance to speak with him.. he just sat there in his golf cart ingnoring us.. me and my Dad just decided to make fun of him because he looked like Dorothy from "the Wizard of Oz" in his red patent leather golf shoes.. after over hearing us he sure was pissed off.. haha..

-when I met Spahn I was probably 13 and oddly enough shooting the breeze with Jim Thome and Tim Wakefield at an airport.. my father spotted him in the crowed,pointed him out and Thome and Wakefield followed me when i went to ask for his autograph.. believe it or not he was rude to all three of us..

-Edmonds (an Angel at the time) didnt like the fact that i was wearing an Indians shirt when i asked for his autograph and told me to get lost because of it.. to this day my father and I always root against him when he comes up to bat..

Brooks Robinson, Berra, Bench, Robin Roberts, Kiner, Zimmer, Clemens, Brock, Schmidt, Skowron, Tommy Davis, Maury Wills, the list goes on.. and i have alot of storys.. but if i listed them all Leon would more than likely delete my post.. haha.

psa/dna authenticated signature -> Richard M.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

"Did Rollie Fingers' first wife's 4th wedding"

4th wedding?!? As they say in my faith "Oy gevalt!" I'd think after the second or third time down that road, you'd just go to Vegas and get it over with rather than going through a whole elaborate ceremony since the odds of it lasting are similar to the odds of getting out of Iran alive in an El Al 747.

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Posted By: Mark Evans

Some years ago, several friends and I had occasion to have dinner with Dick Howser and his wife at a restaurant in Baltimore. Howser, at the time, was third-base coach for the Yanks, as I recall. He was very friendly and surprisingly candid. The one comment that sticks in my mind is what a jerk he thought of Reggie, flashing around big wads of cash, etc.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

When my dad was a college student he got to meet the famous nuclear phycist Niels Bohr. As Bohr's accent was so heavy, my dad said he didn't understand a word he said.

My dad also had a college gym locker near Elroy Hirsch, when my dad was a professor and Elroy was athletic director. My dad's claim to fame is he saw Hirsch naked on more than one occasion.

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Posted By: Griffin's

A few years ago I walked out of my studio into the common hallway, and Bo Jackson and 2 other guys were walking towards me. Bo asked me if I new where the ad agency next door to me was, and without thinking I blurted out "Bo don't know?". The other 2 guys nearly fell over laughing, but Bo just looked at me. I apologized and sent them the right way, with the other 2 still laughing. My neighbor told me later as soon as he sat down Bo starting laughing and what would've been a tough meeting went pretty easily.
As a kid Tony Horton (AL ROY in '70) and Rick Monday were both on my paper route. And our little league coach was Terry Bevington, who went on to manage the White Sox. He didn't do any better with them than he did with us.

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Posted By: Tom Hufford

I've met and talked with several hundred current or ex-major leaguers, but since this is a Vintage forum, I'll focus on an experience I had in 1971.

I was in college and had done some player biographical research in conjunction with the folks at the Hall of Fame. I'd never been to Cooperstown, though, and when the late Bob Davids asked if I'd like to go for a meeting of like-minded researchers, I jumped at the chance. The meeting led to the formation of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and was held the day after the 1971 HOF inductions. That was the year that the BBWAA did not elect anyone, but the Negro League Committee elected Satchell Paige, and the Veterans Committee elected Dave Bancroft, Jake Beckley, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper, Joe Kelley, Rube Marquard, and George Weiss. Only Paige, Hafey, Hooper, and Marquard were living and able to attend. Bancroft and Weiss were too sick to come.

Someone told me that the players stayed at the Otesaga Hotel, so I walked over there and walked into the lobby and sat down (you couldn't do that on induction weekend these days!). There were a few fans like me there, the players that passed through were happy to mix and mingle, and I thought that Cooperstown was really cool - on my first visit I met and talked at least a while with Dizzy Dean, Carl Hubbell, Bill Dickey, Ted Lyons, Joe Cronin, Edd Roush, Sam Rice, Burleigh Grimes, Stan Musial, Red Ruffing, Lloyd Waner, Joe Medwick, Waite Hoyt, Pie Traynor, Earle Combs, Zach Wheat and Jesse Haines. And, in addition to Harry Hooper, his former teammates Larry Gardner and Ernie Shore also came along.

The highlight was Rube Marquard, who was there for his HOF induction. I sat in the lobby talking to Marquard for about an hour, and then he said "I have something I'd like to show you. If I go upstairs and get it, will you wait until I get back?" Now, what would you have said?? So I waited, and here comes Marquard back carrying a big scrapbook that he (or someone - his wife?) had kept during his career. He sat down, and we spent a couple of hours while he went through the whole scrapbook, telling me about games he was in, old teammates, etc. Can you imagine anything like that happening today?

What a day - I didn't have a tape recorder, but do have the memories!

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Posted By: Jason L

truly amazing to have met such a big group of ballplayers from such a bygone era...oh, to have had a tape recorder, huh? Did their cards ever come up in the conversations?

thanks for sharing - and that's to everyone...this is an amazingly well-connected group! cool stuff...