Autograph Collectors' Regret

[mr.miracle]

Joel:

You should have pressed the issue. Who knows, you could be sitting on your own private carribean island right now sipping the cold beverage of your choice if he would have laid one of those giant meathooks on you. Word has it that Andre was one of the most legendary drinkers of all time. There is nobody he could not drink under the table. It is rumored that he once downed over 100 beers at one sitting. Given the man's immense size I would not doubt it.

Of course you also run the risk of pissing the man off enough to the point that he does enough harm and you are relegated to a wheelchair for the rest of your days. That might be one situation best left as it was.


Brett Herman

[ironmanfan]

Thats funny about Andre the Giant. I too saw him at a hotel bar in Columbus, Ohio in 1989. I was in town for a convention and he had wrestled earlier that evening at the local arena (although I didn't attend). I recall he was drinking wine and it was very late at night (and I didn't even attempt to approach him for an autograph).

[EurekaDave]

I love the Andre the Giant story. Way to tell 'em, Joel.

Check out my story under "Freebies" about George Scott, the player who gave me a baseball bat and then months later at a card show refused to sign it because he would only sign baseballs.

[metsbats]

Metsbats...You want Walkens autograph?He lives two houses down from me...seriously!He owns a vacation home on Block Island RI..He walks around here with his head down with a hat on.Very weird dude.If you try to approach him his wife will stop you before you get to close.I was a 17 year old kid when i tried......
jon

That's too funny! I guess the characters he portrays in his movies aren't much of a stretch for him

[cjmedina1]

Joel
Thats a great one.I remmber seeing him and Big John Stud.With My hand in the air i could not even pass their knee caps.

[trsent]

Joel
Thats a great one.I remmber seeing him and Big John Stud.With My hand in the air i could not even pass their knee caps.

In the late 1990s we did a public autograph signing with The Big Show at Bergies in Highland Park, IL. After the session, I hopped into the limo with Show and his girlfriend. Show lit up a cigarette, which shocked me, but what really shocked me was how the cigarette in his hand looked like a toothpick in my hand.

That guy has some big hands!

[geoff]

I met the Big Show at the Days Inn in Baltimore in 1996.Me and my friend both shook his hand at the same time and he still had room.His hands are as big as someones face.Also he was smoking in the lobby of the hotel at that time and had a pack of cigs in his front pocket.We got a pic with him and he was very nice.

[MSpecht]

Wow-- what a trip back to some of the really fun days of collecting...

In the mid-1980's all wrestling events in San Diego were held at the San Diego Sports Arena on Sports Arena Blvd (duh), and all the wrestlers in for the show would eat at Baker's square before the matches, then drink at the same place afterwards. Our routine was to take photos at the matches, have them developed a few days later, then try to get them signed a month later when the WWF came back to town. It worked well, especially with the use of my buddy's (Roger Christensen, author of The Ultimate Movie, Sports, and Rock 'n Roll Autograph Guide) 10 year old kid.

Anyway, one of the most difficult to get was Andre the Giant, who I believe was fairly insecure about his size and limited speaking ability. He would usually just look down and smile, and rarely, if ever, say anything during his pre-show meal. Later on he would get pretty surly after the matches to anyone who would approach him in the bar, even other wrestlers. Usually, anything that prompted him to stand up in the bar while he was drinking was guaranteed to pretty much clear the bar out, at least until he sat back down.

Here is a pic (I don't remember if it was one I took or got from someone else) that was signed in person, courtesy of my friend's 10 year old kid.
Unfortunately the only other auto'ed pics I still have besides this are Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. For good measure, here's a 20-year-old pic of me and Freddie Blassie, whom I never saw again at later matches and was unable to get signed.

[cjmedina1]

Mike
Thats sweet.I 'm still trying to figure out why would someone leave if Andre stood up in a bar.LOL

[Dynasty_Sports]

I was in Houston a couple years ago for the SuperBowl and was using the restroom at some hotel and in walks Don Shula. Now i am a huge Dolphins fan so i did a triple take and could not believe that Don Shula was using the urinal 2 down from me . The autograph situation later presented itself when he came out .