How many of you have met the athlete you collect?

[geoff]

I collect Brian Roberts and met him a few times at Signings.He was an all around nice guy.I do have a Rookie Game Used Jersey of his.He would not sign Game Used on it because he said he wore it but he wore so many jerseys that he would not sign that.It was not a big deal on my part.

[harpt]

I usually try to attend events when the guys I collect are there. I have been really fortunate to have had great experiences each time. Part of it may be that they are all old now...

My son and me with Ted Simmons...a Buddy and me having fun with Rollie Fingers.

[medindians25]

I love these threads.
While I don't collect any of these guys, I have met these people:

-Mitch Williams: Lives 10 minutes from my house by bike. I was at a birthday party with one of his boys and when he came to pick him up I was like, "Holy [crap] that's Mitch Williams." He seemed like a nice guy. Later that year I gave his son a card to get auto'ed, but Damon (his son) lost it. He felt bad, so he gave me another card signed for free and a Game Used 1996 NLCS or NLDS Auto'ed ball. Nice guy, in my book

-Terrell Owens: Made me hate him even more. Saw him at the Mall, said, "Hey Mr. Owens, how's the leg going?" I was wearing his jersey and everything. He looked at me, rolled his eyes, grumbled, then walked away.

-Joe Pisarcik: (If you're noticing a theme here, yes, my town and the surrounding area is the Haven for Philly's shamed athletes. I promise, it gets better) Played catch (baseball) with him a bunch of times at my sister's lacrosse games. Didn't know who he was. Then, before the last game he said, "Bring a football next game". So I did. Man, could he bomb it. After the last game he signed it for me. Really nice guy

-David Akers: Same as Mitch Williams, he lives down the street from him. Didn't hang out with his kids (too young) but I did trick or treat at his house. His wife is nice looking to say the least. And very nice.

-Chris Chambliss: Saw him at a free signing at Six flags, along with Nettles and Gossage. I told him about the story my dad always tells. The one about his MONSTER home run off Nolan Ryan. Well, half way through, the person at the desk told him to move it through quicker. He replied, "People wait in line an hour and a half to get my autograph and meet me, the least I could do is talk to them a little." Anyway, he said to me, "Nolan Ryan, huh? I must have gotten lucky"

-Graig Nettles: Pretty much a jerk, but at least he signed and shook my hand

-Goose Gossage: (lucky me it was a free signing and now he charges $95 for an auto) Very nice guy, said hi, shook my hand

-Sparky Lyle: Met him at a camp where his son was an instructor. Very very nice guy, gave us a good workout, signed some autos, talked with us. He was great

I'm sure I'm missing some more (especially just people I met and got autos of outside the dugout)

[JasonM33]

Interesting question. I have met every athlete who I collect in one way or another.

I met Bernie Kosar at Browns training camp in 1993 and got him to sing a jersey for me. (Not a gamer)

I've met Jose Canseco a few times under varying circumstances. One day he just showed up and sat down next to me at the juice bar of the gym I work out at. (Not that kind of juice)

Mike Tyson sat next to me at the movies once. I shook his hand but I didn't ask him to sign anything. He's my favorite boxer and I have a very small collection of rare Tyson stuff.

I've also met Tito Ortiz who is my favorite UFC fighter. I have some rare collectable stuff from him but no fight used stuff yet.

I was fortunate to meet my favorite basketball player Magic Johnson also. He showed up at a bodybuilding contest that I attended in Las Vegas. Got an autograph from him.

I've found out that you can't really plan this stuff. At times in my life I have ran all around trying to meet people. Then years when I least expect it they just walk over to where I'm sitting and plop down next to me. Weird, right? I swear it's all true.

-Jason M

[gingi79]

Tried and failed to meet Pavel Bure at the hotel the Canucks and Panthers stay at when they are on Long Island. It's too bad, I tried every year from 1991 to 2001 inclusively, the team always snuck down the tunnel.

I've also had horrible luck at sporting events. However......

At shows I have met and been overwhelmed by the kindness of:

Dan Marino: (This was as he was deciding if he would go to the Vikes or retire. I told him "It doesn't matter if you never play again, you'll always be the greatest Quarterback ever." He retired a month later. I take the credit HA!)

Barry Sanders: An obvious newbie to the "show scene" For those of you who don't know, when you buy tix for the NJ Triumph Sports show, the earlier you buy dictates the order you meet the athlete. So if you buy your ticket the day of the show, you're the last person to get an autograph. Similarly, if you pre-order 6 months in advance, you get first crack. Each ticket has a number. Well I wanted Barry's autograph since I saw him play live in Giants Stadium in 1991. I pre-ordered. I was number 45 out almost 500 for deluxe signatures (they charge more for jerseys than photos) It took 2 hours of standing on line to get up to him. I realized why when I finally got my turn. Barry spoke to everyone. Not just a few words, he held a conversation. I told him he should come back and play on just Thanksgivings because Turkey always tastes better when he was breaking the ankles of any poor CB who tried to tackle him. He was really appreciative of my support. Just to put it in perspective, Joe Montana was on 300-350 when I got off line and he started an hour later than Barry. Not digging Joe, he's a veteran of these things and the line keeps moving with him. Barry as a rookie, was still amazed so many people paid $150 for his signature that he still felt obligated to talk to all of us. On a side note, I left 6 hours later and Barry was still signing, 4 hours after his contract expired.

Jerry Rice: Just like Barry, big smile, told stories, took pictures, shook my hand and thanked me for my support with sincerity.


Zack Thomas/Ricky Williams: Both sweet guys, took time to talk and answer questions. Ricky has a bad rep but he's a really cool guy one on one. Zach looks small on TV, he's a bull up close. Jason Taylor same thing. Looks almost skinny out there on TV but huge shoulders.

I realize I may have to part with a gamer now and then but my Sanders, Marino and Rice will be handed down to my kids. (And yes the Ricky picture is blurry because we were baked.....)

[33bird]

Holy Crap! It's looks like Ricky rolled up a fat one before the signing? All buzzed up.
Greg

[2000mvpfan]

As a kid who collected Yankee autographs in the tri-state area,the early '80's were a golden era.Mantle,DiMaggio,Berra,Ford...you name it.If they did a show I met 'em.The nicest:
Brooks Robinson-not even close.Nicest guy ever.Must be the southern hospitality thing.
Don Mattingly-first saw him at a show in '84,last saw him at a signing on Long Island in 2001.Despite a great career and being one of the most popular Yankees ever,still a humble guy who took time to talk AND thank everyone individually for coming out.
Ryan Howard/Chase Utley-Two young Phillies stars who were great.Utley at a Toys R Us signing-chatting up a storm with everyone and their kids,signing more than just the 1 item that TRU wanted him to sign per person.Howard at a show in Hammonton soon after he won the '05 ROY.Pleasant guy,who seemed happy to be where he was.Let's hope neither one changes.
The worst:
Willie Mays,Rickey Henderson,Reggie Jackson,Graig Nettles.You all know the reasons why.Four A-holes...

[crose]

My mom took my brother to Lebrons bball camp in Akron Ohio. During the camp my mom ran into Lebron, Chris Paul, and a few of their buddies walking around the campus. She loves Lebron more than anyone and didnt know who Paul was. She asked if she could get a pic and the group of guys huddled together. HAHA then she goes no no can you please take the picture and hands the camera to Chris Paul and kicked everyone out of the picture. She had no idea why everyone was laughing!! Anyways Lebron is awesome and a great person.

[scottanservitz]

I've gotten a few over the years....

Stan Musial-Really a nice guy and very polite.
Johnny Mize-Same as Musial. The old timers were very cordial.
Tom Seaver-If I remember, was pretty cool.
Willie Mays-I was 13 and he was ok. Not very talkative, but not rude either.
Clark Kellogg-Super cool...even remembered my brother's and my name a couple hours later....great guy!
Paul Warfield-Pretty nice...not a big guy at all...but could catch the football.
AJ Hawk-Signed just out of OSU...had Brady Quinn's sister with him..very down to earth, had a nice chat with him and shook his hand and told him good luck!
Joe Charboneau-Very cool guy! He is legendary here in Cleveland.
I am lucky in the sense that none of them turned me off from collecting their stuff. Pretty good memories for me.

Scott

[cjclong]

I was a fan of the 1961 Yankee team. Some of them had a signing near New York a few years ago and as they are all nearing 70 or older I decided I had better go as this might be my last chance. I had two John Blanchard bats and particularly wanted to meet him. Blanchard, Luis Arroyo, Roland Sheldon, and Bud Daley all signed for me and visited with me and posed for pictures. It was obvious I had followed the team and was a fan and they could not have been nicer to me . It was a really good experience getting to meet some of them and visit after all these years.
As far as current athletes I collect bats and gloves of Ivan Rodriguez. I've met him several times and he has always been very pleasant and went out of his way to pose for a picture with me once. Alex Rodriguez autographed a game used bat of his while he was with the Rangers. He autographed it personally to me with my name and best wishes. I had heard he did that with game used bats so a person wouldn't try to sell it, but since I keep what I collect I was more than happy to have a bat personally autographed to me. I hope to meet Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter some time in the future as I have several Jeter bats and a Rivera glove.
Echoing what some others have said I wish athletes could realize how good they make their fans feel when they take time to be friendly with them.