Autograph Collectors' Regret

[EurekaDave]

You think you see someone famous. You pass on a fleeting chance for an autograph because you're afraid, embarassed or otherwise discouraged. Now you are haunted by the specter of a missed opportunity.

In my case it was watching John Wayne get on board a passenger plane with me from the U.S Virgin Islands to the U.S. My wife at the time talked me out of asking for an autograph. She and I are no longer married but John Wayne is no longer signing.

What's your story?

[gatorcollector]

Around 1989 or 1990 I saw John Elway at a bar in Vero Beach, FL, where I used to live. I think he was in town for a wedding. I was with some buddies and didn't want to seem like a jock sniffer by asking Elway for his autograph. At that time, he was a good QB but still was known as the guy who couldn't win the big one. Oh well.

[cjmedina1]

I live here in bakersfield CA and we used to have a minoe league team here.(Class A Ball Bakersfield Dodgers) I got to see guys like Eric Karrows,Jose Offerman,Mike P,Ken griffey jr,Garry sheffield and a ton of stars that played in our league.Good part was I always went and waited in the parking lot and waited for foul balls.I would retrive them and then sell them back to the gift shop and thays how I got my money to buy baseball cards.In doing that the visting team always park where I waited for foul balls and I got to know every driver who drove the bus.They all got me a team sign ball for every year since 1987-1995.Thats every Bakersfield Dodgers/Bakersfield Blaze team and every team in that played in the cal league.If you do your home work there has been alot of players who started here in the California League

Here is the bad part.Family had a yard sale and sold all those balls and got 50.00.For me at that time was good cause I always needed gas money(Just got my car at the time)As time pass I just start to get back in the hobby(1998) and guess what.All those balls I had are worth alot more than 50.00 right now.Its a sad story but then it goes to show you never now who going to be a star or not.

The only thing I got is a Eric Karrows sign and dated game used bat when he played for the bakersfield Dodgers in 1989

[jboosted92]

Dennis Eckersely does commentary on NESN for the Sox, and is quite a nice guy, but back in the early 90s, I was 12 and went to get his autograph at a show...what a D!ck head... I was ready to tell him to shove it up his @ss.....

o well

[metsbats]

Back in 1998 I was walking to the subway station at Rockerfeller Center after work and passed Christopher Walken walking out of the building (He was guest hosting Saturday Night Live that week) . He walked right past me and I guess I was shocked that it was really him.

[Vintagedeputy]

I was in the food court at the Paramus Park, NJ mall around 1987 when I saw this gargantuan man sitting behind me eating a burger with the biggest Super Bowl ring you ever laid eyes on.....

Karl Nelson, NY Giants

[jon_8_us]

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

[suave1477]

I had a few different expeiriences.

My first time I met Darryl Strawberry I was a grown man looking at hi like I was a kid. I did ask for his autograph but there was a few kids crowding him trying to get his autograph so he asked e nicely to wait so he can do the kids first, then he autographed a ball for me. At that moment he jumped into an empty elevator right next to me. I was in such shock i just stood there, My frend turned around to me and said why didn you junp in too so you could talk to him ALL I COULD SAY WAS "Dam i didnt think of that"

My next one was Duke Simms played for the Yankees - i asked him to autograph a bat for me in a certain spot and didnt even pay attention to what I said and did it somewhere i didnt want it.
Joe Pepitone same thing!!!

I also met Jaimee Fox at a party one night in miami, me and him talked really cool guy!! The next day I happend to see him walking past my hotel IN THE SAME CLOTHES FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE I asked him if i could take a picture with him he looked at me and with an attitude told me NO.

Oh well!!!

[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

[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.