Collectors' In Person Stories

Brad writes: "I went to Cooperstown for hall of fame weekend for the first time last summer. I figured I didn't have enough $ to get a ton of autographs. I made it my goal to get my picture taken with as many players as possible. I accomplished that goal 31 times. The only bummer is that the picture with Whitey Ford did not turn out. I got my photo with Ford, Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer, Steve Carlton, Ozzie Smith, Joe Morgan, Billy Williams, Earl Weaver, Warren Spahn, Fergie Jenkins, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey, Harmon Killebrew, Ralph Kiner, Rollie Fingers. Lou Brock, Jim Bunning, Al Kaline, Earl Weaver, Red Schoendienst, Monte Irvin, Tony Perez, Tom Seaver, Ken Singleton, Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Tim Raines, Tony Oliva, Ralph Branca, broacaster Bob Costas, and the great Buck O'Neil. Since then, I have had the photos made into 8x10's and I sent them ttm to be signed. The only ones I don't have signed yet are Carlton, Schmidt, Spahn (obviously), Williams, McCovey, Brock, Weaver, Raines, and Seaver. I would recommend this because i have spent very little on getting them signed since. Yogi Berra sent back the check and signed the photo that i sent c/o Yankees spring training. I got Feller for fre c/o Indians ST. I did pay for signed baseballs from Irvin, Feller, Ford, and Berra last year. This was a great experience. You should try it."

Chad writes: "I was waiting along the third base line at Camden Yards trying to get some of the D-Rays to come over when I noticed an alder man with a really cool Rocco Baldelli T-shirt. I commented to him that the shirt was really nice and asked where I could get one. He said, "well, the local paper made these up for Rocco's family." It turns out that I was standing there next to Rocco's dad, uncle and other family. We talked baseball for a while, and when Rocco was done warming up he came over, chatted with his family, and signed an autograph for me and another couple other people. I do a lot if in person collecting, but this is one of my favorites
one more... Some time ago (last year I think), a group of us were waiting outside Camden Yards to get players autographs as they came in. Texas was visiting and everyone wanted A-Rod. Well, he pulls up in a cab, but doesn't get out for the longest time and was talking to the cabby a lot. It seemd that A-Rod only had a $100 bill and the cabby didn't have change for a $10 fare. This went on for a while longer until someone in the crowd tossed a $10 bill to the cabby and told him to stop trying to hassle A-Rod. A-Rod thanked the fan and signed for everyone before going into the stadium.
a not so savory example: I asked Sandy Alomar Jr for his autograph, and he told me to get the F--- out of his way, I said that I was sorry, that I wasn't trying to invade his space or anything, I just wanted an auto. He responded that he was sorry, but people keep jumping in front him and getting sharpie on his suits, and this is the only nice shirt he lad left for the road trip. He then signed a beautiful autograph for me and went on his way. I can really understand that he wants to keep his clothes nice, I had never thought of that before. Later that day, another fan marked my shirt with a sharpie, I guess I took one for Sandy."

Shohei writes: "On March 30, 2003 in Toronto,at sky dome, there was batting practice of yankees and jays one day before the opening day.I thought Yankees player sign even very bad signing team,because there was only about 1000-1500 people, but Only Jose Conterlas signed. i was bit shocked. but about 15 blue jays players begun to sign!! Roy Halladay, Carlos Delgado, Verono Wells.Frank Catalanotto,Josh Phelps,Cliff Politte,Mark Hendrickson.Orlando Hudson,Greg Myers,Shannon Stewart,Ken huckaby,Mike Bordick,Eric Hinske, and Chris Woodward signed for me!! It was one of Greatest in-person day for me!!"

Ryan writes: "Bob Feller was my first in-person experience. It was two years ago during Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, and I was only four months into collecting at the time. I was - and still am - awed and uplifted by any autograph I receive. To get one in person only heightened those feelings, and Feller helped make it a memorable experience. I was second in line, and Feller shook my hand, using the same hand that threw countless fastballs over 50 years ago. Then he took my baseball and carefully carved his name with blue ink into its sweetspot. The signature has since faded, but the memory has not."

From James: "I was walking around Fenway park with my dad, my brother and my Uncle two years ago before the Red Sox played the Diamondbacks. We were talking about how great it would be to watch the pitching duel Curt Schilling vs. Pedro Martinez. I turned my head and I saw a man sitting on a stone wall about a block away from the players parking lot talking on a cell phone. I turned to my Uncle and said doesn't that guy look familiar. My Uncle says yeah it's John Burkett. So we waited until he hung up his phone and my uncle said he you John Burkett. He said nope and we said yes you are. My brother and I handed him our baseballs and he signed both of them on the sweet spot. We walked away and tons of people started storming him when they noticed it was him. It was one of the coolest moments of my life. Thanks Uncle Dave."

From Michele: "This past memorial day I was on a bus trip to see the phillies/braves game. While waiting for the gates to open, i noticed this woman who had a load of philly parafanalia. Once the gates opened she made a mad dash to the first base line, i was right on her tail and both of us got a great standing spot along the dugout area. We started talking of autographs we had gotten and after 2 1/2 hours Jim Thome came over right where we were standing to sign autographs. What a thrill since he is one of my most favorite players. He never said a word, but was kind enough to sign for about 10 minutes. The woman and i are good email friends and she has sent me various autographs from the philly's players."

Jim writes: "I was deployed to Afghanistan from November 2003 to July 2004. A couple days before christmas we were told some VIP's were coming in. Great, I'm thinking more higher ranking military people. Well the surprise was on me! A group of us was standing around when I notice Roger Clemens coming toward us. Out of thirty of us there was only about five people interested in baseball. I got to talk to him for a good five minutes. I asked him if he had any advice for a Detroit Tiger's fan. He laughed and said to pick another team. He brought some 8 by 10's which he signed for us. Added to this Drew Carey was there and signed some photos along with giving a stand up act. After all the explosions and living in bad conditions for 217 days this was one of my highlights for this deployment."

From Evan: "When I was about twelve years old, I was flying Phoenix to Boston and the entire Boston Celtics team was on my flight in first class after just beating the Phoenix Suns on a buzzer beater by Larry Bird. We first noticed this when we saw a huge man name Robert Parrish sticking out like a sore thumb walking through the airport. When the plane took off the stewardess let my brother and I into first class where most of the key Celtics were sitting. Robert Parrish and ML Carr were truly personable people and signed for both of us. However, we wanted Larry Bird and found out he was sitting away from the rest of the team in the front of first Class and we were not allowed to bother him and he would not sign for us. When we got back to our seats we politely asked the stewardess to hand Larry the Arizona Republic Sports Page which had a picture of a basketball going though the hoop and landing on Larry’s head. The caption was Bird nails buzzer beater to bury Suns! The stewardess reluctantly agreed, saying that he was very grumpy and did not like to bother him. 5 minutes later she walked back with Larry Birds signature on the cover of the Arizona Republic. These were the days before private charter planes and huge autograph signings, so it was a real treat!
1992 The Phoenix Suns were hosting the NBA All Star game and slam dunk contest at AWA. I went to All Star Saturday night to watch the 3 point shooting and the slam dunk contest, however most of the action was out in the corridors where they sell food, as it was a big schmooze fest for the stars. Everybody who was anybody could be seen walking around. I had my pen and paper ready for the right moment. The first person I was going to ask was the Big O, Oscar Robertson before I saw him do the most amazing thing. About 3 young children approached him and asked for his autograph. He declined and waived them off. It was very disgusting to watch him not sign for kids. I did not approach him and continued into the food court area when you could barely walk it was so jam packed. I was rubbing shoulders with practically everybody I passed until I backed into somebody by mistake. I turned around to apologize and it was Rickey Henderson. In the middle of my apology, I was stopped short and said, hey Rickey Henderson, can I please get your autograph. To my amazement, he smiled, took the piece of paper and signed. He was always known as a hot dog, and later on I would come to despise him because he decided to play cards in the locker room at the end of the 1999 Mets playoffs with Bobby Bonilla before the game was even over. However, on that day, Rickey Henderson was truly a cordial superstar and made my evening!
Finally one of my most disappointing people to meet in person was the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays. I actually paid over $100 to obtain his autograph and meet him in person because I felt like he was the best living baseball player and seemed like a genuine person which I am sure he was when he was younger. Before I even met him, the stories of a grumpy, old man ran through the line, with almost every person in line having a different story of what a S.O.B. Willie Mays is. I made it to the front and I said, hi Mr. Mays, how are you? He did not even look at me? I than asked him if he would please sign my bobble head with a black sharpie on the base. Now some of the stories in like was about to happen to me. Willie grabbed a silver paint pen and deliberately signed in the wrong color. To my amazement, I quickly said wait a minute you are signing with the wrong pen. Willie did not lift his head, just his eye balls over the rims of his glasses that were lowered to the end of his nose and gave me a nasty glare! I quickly shut my mouth, grabbed my item when it was signed and walked away truly dejected and hurt! My brother said what did you expect, you heard all of the same stories in line. I guess it was something I could not believe until I saw it with my own eyes. Unfortunately, it has ruined my perception of the one of the greatest living baseball players and have since replaced him with one of the nicest people in my heart with ERNIE BANKS, who is possibly the nicest and most sincere superstar you will ever meet!!!! But that’s another story entirely!!!!"

From Jordan: "I was in St. Louis last year for the Marlins series. I went to try and get Pudge, but I also wanted to get Dontrelle Willis. After a few days Willis never signed, but one night after a game he stopped and signed for about 30 people. The best part about it was he's not allowed to sign a ball on the sweet spot but he was telling people he was sorry and asking them where else they would like him to sign the ball. He's was also apologizing while he was talking to the people for not signing on any of the other days. It was great that a guy this good still has respect for people."

From Tim: "In 1996, I was living in Atlanta and working part time at a sports card shop on the weekends. One Sunday, a lady in her 40's comes in and is looking for any 1979 Topps cards of Craig Skok. Pat pitched for the Braves in the late 70's and early 80's. This lady was Pat's wife. We started talking and she asked if I would be interested in being part of a committee that was putting together a fund raiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Players' Alumni Association. The committee met once a week for approximately 6 months planning a two day event that included a dinner and silent & live auction on Sunday night and a golf tournament on Monday. The committee consisted of several people, including Craig Skok, Darrel Chaney (pitched for the Braves and Reds in the 70's and 80's) and Jay Howell. Jay willingly signed a stack of about 20 cards for me and told me to keep them coming. During the dinner and auction, I was able to met and get autographs from Vic Correl, Terry Harper, Sparky Lyle, Ray Hundley, and George Vukovich, among others. The day of the golf tournament, I was able to get Mudcat Grant, Charlie Liebrandt, and the star of the show, Dale Murphy. Dale was very cool about everything. He sat around and talked with everyone that wanted to meet him and signed anything that you asked to be signed. I was able to get him to sign a ball and bat for me which are still prized possessions in my collection. Overall, the experience was great because the two day event raised nearly $100, 000 for MDA and I was able to meet several players that I grew up watching as a kid. A great experience."

From Youngha: "Last year on February, I went to the San Jose Convention center event that was sponsered by Rite Aid. There were lots of guest including athletes and movie stars. Once I realized that Luis Gonzalez and Jeff Kent was signing, I ran upto their line as fast as I could with my two baseballs. I went upto them and they were extremley nice and they answered many of my questions. They took many pictures with me. That was one of my favorite days of my life."

From Frank: "I attended a charity celebrity golf event on Long Island in the early 90's. There were many big name players in attendance: Johnny Bench, Mike Schmidt, Joe Namath, etc.. One of the guys that I really wanted to have an autograph from was one of my favorite hockey players Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I had a puck and paint pen with me and couldn't wait to run into him. Low and behold as soon as I get there he is on the putting green practicing. I wait patiently and when he is done i ask for his autograph. He kindly says he is late but will sign after his round is over. I stick around for the day to wait for his round to end and get a spot at the 18th hole as he exits. There are about 20 people there as well. True to his word Mario Lemieux starts to sign for everyone there. He works his way down the line and finally gets to me. I hand him my puck, he takes my pen, and then, out of no where, someone taps him on the shoulder and says he is going to be late that he needs to wrap it up and head to the clubhouse. He has a quick conversation with this guy, while at the same time he has my puck and pen in hand. He hands me back my puck and pen and says "here ya go". I thank him, he says "No problem, thanks for waiting" and off he goes. At that point i look at my puck and there is nothing on it. He was so distracted that he thought he signed it for me before he handed it back. Till this day I am still upset about that. Thanks again!"

Chris writes: "I waited 3 Hours in line at a Sears to get Ron Santo's autograph. but it was well worth it...he was really nice and they were even giving away photos of him"

From Dan: "I have another Ivan Rodriguez story. I live in Michigan and try to go to many Tigers games as I can afford and try to get autographs during BP and after the game. Pudge rarely signs before or after games in Detroit. But after the Memorial Day game this year against Kansas City, I saw Pudge driving out of the player parking structure. He usually drives off and waves to the fans. However, that day he rolled down his window at the exit of the parking lot and stopped his black Bentley to sign a few autographs. I got his autograph and that made my day. You have a great site!"

Danny Writes: "In-person meeting with players; there have been so many in my short lifetime. In 1999 when I was 11, I went to Candlestick park with my family. My dad is a cop and he knew one of the guards who worked there and he gave us a tour of the stadium. I went into the visitors locker room; that day the Cubs were playing. Outside of the clubhouse, I met Sammy Sosa. Remember, this was the season after he hit 66, so I was ecstatic to meet him. He didn't sign for anyone, but did take the time to get in a picture with me. After that, I met some other players as they would walk into the indoor batting cages. I was then guided into the Giants dugout where I put on the arm guard and helmet of my favorite player, Barry Bonds. It was an amazing day.
There was another time in about 1998-99 when I was at a card show in San Francisco where I met the former Giant manager Roger Craig, the former Dodgers Willie Davis and Duke Snider, and one of the best players ever, Willie Mays. I shook all of there hands and talked to them for a while with my dad. There were selling/signing autographs, but there weren't many people, so I got to talk to them personally.
I also played in a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY in 2000, and my brother played in 2002. During the 2002 trip, I was there during induction weekend. HOFers were in almost every single card shop and my brother and I shook the hands with many of them including Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, Harmon Killebrew, and Reggie Jackson. My parents also met the Colorado Rockies team at a Holiday Inn bar. they Rockies were in town because they were playing the Hall of Fame game that weekend. Larry Walker signed for all whom asked. In about 2002, I was at a local mall, and Orlando Cepada was signing for $20, so I was able to meet him, take a picture with him, and get his autograph on a card. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't come out. I have also met at card shops and card shows Andres Galaraga, Jerome Williams, Jesse Foppert, Joe Nathan, Greg Jefferies, Edgardo Alfonso, Vida Blue (twice), Bill Laskey, Steve Scarsone, William Van Landingham (longest name in baseball history), Dave Steib, and a number of smaller names. All of this has happened, while I am still awaiting my 16th birthday in July."

Randy writes: "My wife is from Puerto Rico and we try to get back every now and then to visit her parents. Several years ago her father and I, both big baseball fans decided to go and see if we could see Ivan Rodriguez as we’ve been told by many Puerto Ricans that he’s a very friendly and accommodating player. We arrived there about 10 in the morning and was greeted by his stepmother who told us he wasn’t there but that if we’d like to check back later that afternoon he’d be glad to meet us and other fans when he gets in. We were shown his batting cage and baskets of baseballs along with things fans had sent to his home to be signed. I thought wow, this is so cool."

From Shane: "When I was 12 years old in 1999 I was able to participate in the "Take the Field With the A's" program. The 8 starting position players from our Majors All-Star team were chosen to participate and since I was the 3rd Baseman I got to "take the field" with Eric Chavez. We ran out to our positions with the A's players and had our names announced and everything and then stood there in our uniforms with our hats over our hearts and all for the National Anthem. Chavvey was really cool and throughout the whole Anthem we chatted. He told me how third base is scary because the ball comes to quickly (he was always a SS but Miguel Tejada made him have to change) and how when he was in Little League he had an awesome team but the coach pitched his son in the most important game rather than Chavvey (who was better) so they lost. The A's gave us these cheap plastic balls to get signed (with a bad black pen), but being the autograph hound that I am, I brough an official AL ball and blue ball point and he signed that. I also snuck a card in my back pocket and had him sign the card too. It was a great experience that I will never forget! Keep up the great work with the site!"

Piazza writes: "About 4 or 5 years ago when the Marlins were in town at Shea, my brother and I decided to wait outside the stadium for autos. There was a area called the press gate where some players came out for the team bus in the parking lot. This was usually true for only the weak teams like the Marlins and expos. Both teams were very nice about signing though after games. My brother and I got almost the whole Marlins team (Derrek Lee, Josh Beckett, Preston Wilson, Luis Castillo,Mike Lowell, etc.). Anyway the one guy who did not sign was Cliff Floyd. This was the guy that my brother and I really wanted. Anyway the next guy that came towards the bus was Charles Johnson. He signed for us and then my brother asked, "can you ask Cliff to sign a few?" Charles said yes under one condition. My brother had to walk up to one of the players girlfriends car (I think Charles') and tell her that they had to talk to her. My brother did this, which gave the whole team a good laugh. In the end, CJ let my brother on the bus and we were able to get Cliff Floyd. What a day..."

From Jarrett: "I went to the '03 Braves FanFest. Got a lot of guys there including Cox, Millwood, Andruw Jones, and others. I had a ticket to the ageless Julio Franco's line. I was a bit late and I had to run down to get to the line. He was leaving off on the security gold cart and he eventually stopped and I walked up to him to show I had a ticket for his line. He agreed to sign my cards. That was before the security guard with him nagged him for 5 minutes about his "Jerry Curles" in the cards I had for him. Julio just laughed and they were gone...Julio did not say a word, just to hurry up and get my cards out b/c he had to go."

Derick writes: "In March of 2002, I flew down to Phoenix, Arizona to go to ST with my uncle who lived in Tucson. I was to spend a week down there. We went every day to different teams trying to obtain autos before, during and after games. While we did get blown off by Bonds and Sosa, I did meet Muhammed Ali in person, although I didn't ask for his autograph. Went to several games, almost caught an Ichiro foul ball, got tons of autographs and overall had a great time. If I had the chance, I would do it again in a heartbeat."

From Tom: "I don't really have any really cool in person autograph stories except that I met Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio in person and got to shake their hand, and had my picture taken w/ Joe D."

From Brad: "In 2002 i went to spring training in Ft.Lauderdale, i went to many games down there and seen the orioles,devil rays, and st. louis play. We stayed after every game to get autographs. The last game i went to the cards were playing the devil rays. After the game we waited and waited and finally got some action. One of the guys was Darryl Kile, me and a small girl walked to him alway to his car but he only signed for the little girl. He seem to be mad but i'm sure it was just the everyday autograph stuff that got to him. I was upset that i didn't get him but i did get matt morris and woody williams. Another good story that same day was that everybody ran toward morris because he was in the concession area getting a frozen lemonade and he said no untill he got out of the concession area and then he signed a few. Back to kile its just amazing that you see and talk to him one day and then litteraly a month or two later he is gone."

Email: baseball_autographs@hotmail.com