How many of you have met the athlete you collect?

[skipcareyisfat]

By far the best one for me has been Dale Murphy, and no one's really a close second. He was my hero growing up so I guess I'm a little biased. But all of those great things people always talk about with him are completely true. He's as good as it gets to meet in person.

[bigtruck260]

I used to get to the games at Busch early - and had my spot in left field where I would talk to several guys in the 90's. When they remodeled things, it got trickier.

Had some really nice converstions with Ray Lankford, Brian Jordan and Dimitri Young in 1996. I sat next to Ron Gant's wife at a game twice in the 90's - and he was a nice guy.

Edmonds is a class act. I ran into him at Guns and Hoses (Firefighters vs. Cops) fights last Thanksgiving eve. His wife/girlfriend was easily the best looking woman there.

Willie Mcgee was exactly the way I thought he would be. Humble and happy.

Eric Davis and I were in the same elevator by ourselves at a Rams game in 1999. He was dressed like Huggy Bear - lots of silk..., a fedora and a cigar.

I live in O'Fallon,MO - and though I don't collect Darryl Strawberry, I ran into him at a gas station. I remember thinking..."Damn! That dude looks just like Darryl Strawberry." When we were inside, I told him just that. He started laughing and said.."it's me, I live here"...who would have thought?

A NY hero living in the country. I never would have guessed. He still looks good - and way bigger than I thought he was.

Dave

[jake33]

collecting D-rays is pretty easy, I live less than a mile from the spring traiing stadium and see most the players a 7:00 am by myself going into the stadium and got a ton of autographs on practice used balls...


Meet these guys and they are just awesome

Percival
Baldelli
James Shields
Jonny Gomes
Ben Zobrist
Evan Longoria

Kazmir is fine when there is no one else around, he clearly doesn't like getting bombarded though

[Kid4hof03]

I used to collect Graig Nettles stuff, until I met him. That meeting was so sour that I sold it all.

I met Ron Gant when he was with the Phillies. He was great, took time to chat, took a picture with me. My wife was pregnant at the time with our first child, he asked her questions about the due date, how she was feeling, etc. I thought that was pretty thoughtful since it was just an autograph signing.

I met Bernie Williams in 1996, he was also very gracious. I've met Gary Carter numerous times, he's always fun and likes to chat. Howard Johnson and Bobby Murcer are two guys that I don't collect but they stand out as being the most pleasant autograph show experiences I've ever had. Both guys were interested in the items I had signed and really very gracious.

The best experience ever was just a few months ago. My 7 year old son loves Darryl Dawkins. He plays a PS2 game that has Dawkins on it and is now fascinated with the guy. I took him to a show in North Jersey to get Dawkins' autograph in December. At the time we were the only ones in line for him. Dawkins chatted with my son, teased him a bit while trying to give him a high five, personalized his photos for free (there was a $10 fee) and took pictures with him. My son's response on the ride home was "this was the greatest day of my life." That one is now by far my favorite experience.

I've had some e-mail correspondence with Willie Mcgee, as Dave said, he was exactly as I expected, such a humble guy. I also exchanged several e-mails with Darrell Porter a few months before he passed away. Again, he was a very nice guy, his passing was quite sad.

Abe

[mvandor]

I used to collect Graig Nettles stuff, until I met him. That meeting was so sour that I sold it all.

Yup, that's my fear. LT for example, last few shows you see pics of him hiding behind shades like he doesn't want to deal with people (seen same thing with Merriman, that's rude behavior IMHO when people are paying a premium to meet you). If I had a bad experience with him it would be SO disappointing plus I know I'd dump some of my fav items.

[gatorcollector]

Have met several current and former Gators over the years with mostly positive results. Alex Brown was great with my son a few years ago after a summer workout in Gainesville (pic below). Former Gator receiver Chris Doering said he was "honored" to sign the jersey I brought to a Gator Club meeting a couple of months ago. Even told me to call him if I needed help getting the university to provide a nameplate for the back. Steve Spurrier is all business and most times doesn't even look up at you as he's signing your item.

[harrid4]

I collect Jake Peavy and have met him on a number of occasions. I first met him at Spring Training in 2005. It was very exciting and much easier back then. Since then I have met him many times at various appearances around San Diego. He is a genuinely nice guy.

[AstrosCollector]

By far the best one for me has been Dale Murphy, and no one's really a close second. He was my hero growing up so I guess I'm a little biased. But all of those great things people always talk about with him are completely true. He's as good as it gets to meet in person.

Skip,

I met Dale in Chicago in 2006 and he was a really nice guy. A bunch of buddies and I took a trip and drove up to Wrigley to watch an Astros vs. Cubs series. On the last day of the series we were leaving Wrigley and stopped to take a picture by the Wrigley Field sign.

We all ran across the street to go into this bar and we lost one of our buddies in between. I called him and he said that would be right over because he was having to "take a photo for some dude".

I looked over and it was Dale Murphy. He asked my buddy to take a photo for him, of him and his son under the Wrigley sign. We ran back over there and he was nice enough to chat with us for a little while and take some pictures with us.

The night before, we ran into Bob Brenly at our hotel bar. He was a really nice guy too. Posed for a picture with us, and signed a ball that I caught during BP at Wrigley. I bought him a beer.

[Tedw9]

I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the athletes I collect. And unlike mvandor, I collect these guys because of what they do on the field AND off the field. I like to collect people who I consider nice guys.

Dwight Evans was my childhood hero and was everything I hoped and more when I met him a few years back. A true gentleman and one of the most underrated players of his era.

I became a fan of Adam Vinatieri after seeing him make 2 game saving tackles at the first game I ever attended. I met him after the game and two other times and he is one of the nicest guys you could ever want to meet. He talked to and signed for EVERYONE, each time. I am proud to say I was a fan way before he kicked the game winners. He is at the top of my nice guy list.

[godwulf]

I've met Matt Williams four or five times, and he has always been one of the nicest, most friendly and considerate guys you'd ever want to know. Underneath the image of the big, kinda scary-looking guy with the shaved head and the reputation for on-field intensity lies a genuinely nice human being...the kind of guy with whom you talk for two minutes and it's exactly like talking with somebody you've known (and liked) all your life. He always kids me about the obscure Matt Williams stuff I'm able to find for him to sign (wait till he sees the three personalized golf bags I picked up awhile back) and is always patient and helpful in answering my questions about it.