OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

[joelsabi]

What the most unusual item you have had autographed and what was the players reaction.

[suave1477]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

I can't say it is completely unusual but I had Darryl Strawberry sign his High School Yearbook.
He was a bit shocked, but thought it was cool because he said he hasn't seen it in years and he started looking over the pages and reminiscing his past.

[intheminors]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

I have two guitars - one acoustic and one electric - that I've had signed by various players.

Don't laugh, but the acoustic one is signed by several WWE wrestlers. Best reaction was a guy named Kofi Kingston (born in Ghana but playing a Jamaican character). He was so fascinated because he's a fan of Guitar Hero. I didn't get the chance to ask him if he played himself.

The electric guitar is signed by various people - Jason Whitten, Martellus Bennett, Chad Campbell (PGA golfer), Rory Sabbatini and Tommy Lee Jones (the actor). None of them had an overwhelming reaction that I recall.

Thanks.

Kyle

[mikey68]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

A few years ago, I went to a Hacksaw Jim Duggan signing, and I got him to sign a football. He played college football at SMU. Everybody else in line had either 8x10 photos or 2x4 pieces of lumber like he used while wrestling. I'm pretty sure I was the only one that had a football.

[jrd]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

My wife went to a seminar and the guest speaker was Mike 'Pinball' Clemons the CFL'er. She didn't know he was the speaker until the morning of the meeting and the only thing I had in the car at the time was a box of golfballs.

He was kind of surprised by it and said he was a terrible golfer and that he hadn't signed many if any golfballs before that time. But he had a laugh about it and signed it for her.

Another guy at the meeting told my wife Clemons was a fottball player, not a golfer!

[intheminors]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

jrd, that's a good story. That was funny.

A few months back, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco sent us some copies of a Playboy issue that they sponsored. The regular cover was on the front but the back was also a cover. A girl - all nude - with strategically placed Skoal cans. One of the stories highlighted on the cover was about Walt Garrison.

Less than a month after that, we had a surprise party of a dignitary here in Fort Worth. I was walking through the room and there's Walt talking to Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. I walked back to my desk and grabbed the issue. I tapped Walt on the shoulder and made some crack about him being in Playboy. He laughed and said "Where the hell did you get that?!" About that time, Mayor Moncrief's wife saw the issue and took it out of my hands and started flipping through it like a 12-year-old schoolboy.

Kyle

[godwulf]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

This wasn't my item, but someone else's.

I was in line to get some things signed by Scott Hairston a few years ago, and the 20-ish woman in front of me asked him to sign a pair of purple (a team color at the time) DBacks thong underwear; then she had him pose with her (and the underwear) while a woman who was probably her mother snapped a photo.

He looked beyond embarrassed, and very uncomfortable. So as she walked away, I came up to the table and said, "Don't worry, Scotty, I'm not gonna ask you to sign my underwear." That got a good laugh from Hairston and several others, and he said, "Good, 'cause I'm afraid I'd have to say 'no'".

I haven't had an opportunity to get these signed yet, but I have three of Matt Williams' golf bags - the nice ones they give to the players at some celebrity golf tournaments, that they use once and then give away or auction for charity - that I'm going to one day get autographed.

[David]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

Not the oddest thing I've heard of, but when asked Fergie Jenkins said the strangest thing anyone asked him to sign at a show was a baseball without the leather cover.

[sylbry]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

A friend of my used to be neighbors with Kelly Shoppach. Kelly was over at his place and they ordered a pizza. As a joke Kelly signed the pizza box.

[Mr.3000]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

I wouldn't say unusual...but being unprepared to get a signature of an athlete can be weird.

I think it was 1987, I met Tom Seaver. Had nothing for him to sign..so I asked him to sign the shirt I was wearing. It was just a white t-shirt. I had it hanging on my wall for a few years until I gave it to my cousin. Fun memory though

[otismalibu]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

When I lived in the Twin Cities, I found out that Julius Erving would be speaking at a banquet in Sioux Falls, SD at my in-law's alma mater. It was last minute and I really hadn't started collecting any memorabilia back then.

The most expensive item I had was a 76ers reversible lamb skin Jeff Hamilton jacket, I'd bought in the late 80s. The older members might recall when these were hot...and retailed for around $1000. Hey, if Arsenio was wearing one at the Fabulous Forum!

So that's what I got signed. Doc asked "Do you really want me to write on this?" And then one of the banquet auction organizers jokingly asked if I'd donate the item to the after dinner auction.

Probably not the best thing to get signed, but the auto still looks fresh 15 years later. And I'm sure it's a 1/1 item.

[jobathenut]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

My brother used to be a huge paul moiltor fan.And when molitor played for the twins,my brother would go to every signing.The twins would do twins fest before the season and then a autograph party during the season.My brother would always try to bring something unique of his molitor collection to try to get him to talk to my brother.As he always said,they have to get bored signing the same baseballs bats etc.Anyway,on a couple of times he has stopped the line cause of moiltor reaction.The first time he had a blue jays hat(not a game used hat or anything)that had molitor name and number printed on it.And molitor was like,"where did you get this"and was blown away about it.And told my brother,"wow,you must be a big fan,saying you have things of mine that i have never seen".My brother was able to hunt down another hat like it.And at the next signing he gave it to him.

[reed1216]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

Without a doubt, the most unusual autograph I ever obtained was Bill Cartwright, whom I met while flying to Australia, right after he was traded from the Knicks to the Bulls for Charles Oakley. He stuck out in the crowd and being a huge fan of the Knicks, I searched for something for him to sign, as well as a pen. Finding the pen wasn't so tough, but I was bringing my high school yearbook with me to show to my Australian friends and decided that asking him to sign that was the best I could do in the situation.

I remember approaching him with the yearbook and asked him to sign it on one of the pages that was signed by my classmates. He agreed to do it, provided I loan him the pen, as he needed it to jot some info down.

It was even funnier when we ended up on the same flight to Hawaii, which was where I had a layover. He seemed like a really nice guy and it was an experience I will never forget...

[joelsabi]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

I dont have an original story but this article made me think of starting this thread.

http://arizonakey.com/springtraining/current/feature.html

The True Meaning of Oddball Memorabilia and Ballpark Artifacts: Play Ball Exhibit Explores the History and Cultural Significance of the Cactus League

Last year in the pages of this magazine I related the story of the day Sammy Sosa autographed a grapefruit for me at a spring training game in Maryvale. My primary concern at the time was to somehow prevent the piece of fruit from drying out and shriveling up, which was accomplished by having it freeze-dried at the Floral Keepsakes shop in Phoenix. My secondary concern was what to do with it afterwards. I bought an attractive custom fit, glass cube on a mahogany riser case and then brought it to Cooperstown, N.Y. where it was displayed all summer long at my friend Andrew Vilacky’s Safe at Home Ballpark Collectibles on Main Street. The local newspaper caught wind of the story and gave the Grapefruit and me a nice write up, which was also taped inside the glass case next to the grapefruit.
I had a lot of fun sharing the story of Sammy and the grapefruit with baseball fans from coast to coast and wondered what I could do for an encore when I returned to Arizona last spring. One thing about the grapefruit; it’s not a cactus and Arizona’s spring training circuit as everyone knows, is called the Cactus League. I thought it was too bad that I didn’t get Sammy to sign the grapefruit in Florida’s Grapefruit League and thought I might rectify the situation by getting my next big autograph on a cactus, which became my mission last spring. I spoke about this with friends and one day after a game at Diablo Stadium in Tempe while walking through the parking lot at the Marriott Buttes resort, I pointed out an optimum piece of prickly pear, relatively flat and about the size of my hand, which my friend Ricky Hemerle proceeded to pick, pricking his finger in the process. I tossed it in the back of my rental car and began planning on where and by whom it should be signed.
A few days later I bought some sand paper and filed away the few small patches of needles, I didn’t want a player to be afraid to grab the cactus from me when I presented to him. I figured that Maryvale, site of the Sosa grapefruit signing might be just about the easiest place to get a player’s autograph, the crowds tend to be smaller there and the player’s exit in the right field corner is a very fan friendly place for interaction. I also kind of like the Brewers and some of their young rising stars, like the previous season’s Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun, who was my first choice to have sign the cactus and Prince Fielder who led the league with 50 home runs in 2007, and I would have been just as happy with. Braun came out first and signed for while but I couldn’t get him. Fielder came out afterwards and I got myself in good position. Presenting the cactus to him through the fence he grabbed it as if there was nothing unusual about it and signed his name in blue Sharpie without comment.
Mission accomplished I brought my new prized possession once again to Floral Keepsakes, this time quite familiar with the process and patiently waited for it to be mailed to me at my Baltimore address a few months later. Again I brought my new oddball memorabilia to Cooperstown where it was displayed next to my grapefruit, with yet another newspaper story, for the duration of the baseball season. I spent five months living and working in Cooperstown and brought both pieces back home with me at the end of the summer.
While in Cooperstown I was contacted by some of my Cactus League acquaintances, including league president Robert Brinton, about a new exhibit on the history of the Cactus League being put together at the Mesa Historical Museum. A similar exhibit was created at the City of Tempe museum celebrating the 50th anniversary of the league in 1997. At the time I donated some of my own unique memorabilia including folding chairs that I had relieved from Cactus League ballparks old and new, as well as a home plate and pitching rubber unearthed on a ballpark-eological dig at the San Francisco Giants former Francisco Grande training grounds and some knotholes removed from the old wooden outfield fence at Scottsdale Stadium.
Most of these items have been stored in my friend Jason Yoder’s attic for the past 10 years since I moved from Arizona to Baltimore. I think he and his wife Terri were glad to finally be rid of the stuff.
I made a visit to the Mesa Historical Museum in November to check on my items and meet with the people putting the Play Ball exhibit together. Carrying the grapefruit and cactus with me, I found it amusing that this was the second cross-country trip for both items as well as their second public display. At the time the exhibit was still a few months from opening and most of the artifacts that had been collected were still kind of scattered about the room. I marveled at the variety of items that had been gathered by the museum and how diligently they had been saved and preserved by their owners, the sentimental value that must have existed for them to be held onto for so long. I took pride in the fact that there really is enough cultural significance attached to these items that merits their inclusion in a museum exhibit and that an educational experience could actually be derived from them. The Play Ball exhibit is really a time travel journey exploring the evolution of spring training baseball in Arizona, the continued development and growth of the Cactus League as well as its sociological and cultural value. So even though I just thought I has having fun stealing chairs, knocking out knot hole, digging up an old home plate and having players autograph fruits and vegetables, I was really conducting the work of historical preservation to help explain our presence here to future generations. That’s one of the great things about freeze-drying the grapefruit, how it will stay the same forever.

[zegret]

Re: OT: Most Unusual Autographed item

My most unusual item is a tortilla signed by Wes Welker. I'm a huge Texas Tech fan, and went to watch the Red Raiders at the Houston bowl years ago. We stayed after to meet some players and get autographs, and this random photographer asked us to hand Welker a tortilla to sign so he could snap a photo. (We were closer to him to ask) So he signed it, the dude got his photo, and said we could have the tortilla.

I still have it...it is hard as a rock now, but still in one piece. Don't know how I will display it, though.