Your Worst Experience Dealing With An Athlete

[LWMM]

I haven't had any really bad experiences (which may be due in part to mainly going to AAA games), but if I had to choose it would be Jose Hernandez about a month ago; after the game his left hand was wrapped up in plastic, and he refused to sign under the premise that he signed lefty and injured said hand during the game. However, nothing happened to him during the game, and when signing a few cards before the game I think he signed with his right hand. For what it's worth, he didn't sign at all before/during/after the next three games either.

XPFO, would you mind posting your story abbout Iverson's bodyguard? I'm afraid that mention piqued my curiosity.

[allstarsplus]

My story involves a good and almost horrible experience. I put together a display of items from the 2000 Subway series which included a great Piazza bat that was cracked like the one from the infamous Clemens/Piazza flying bat incident.

I didn't think Clemens would sign my Piazza bat, but he did and we had a good conversation about the bat as he inquired if it was "the" bat.

I didn't think I would ever have the opportunity to have Piazza sign the bat until a couple of years ago when one of my good buyers from Atlanta said his good friend that played for the Braves was best buds with Piazza and he was heading over to his hotel when Piazza was coming to town. I told him I doubted Piazza would sign the bat since Clemens had already auto'd it, but he told me Piazza will sign anything and he was personally getting a bunch of stuff auto'd!

I Fedex'd the bat to Atlanta and a couple of days later I get a call that there was a problem. I was like, oh no, what happened. Piazza saw the bat and says to my guy something like----is this a joke! He got agitated and wanted to trash the bat. Luckily I got the bat back. I can certainly see why Piazza was upset.

[Carlevv]

My worst experience or one I remember so vividly was when I attended a baseball game in St. Louis with the Cardinals and the Reds. I was 7 or 8 if I remember correctly. After the game, my father and I waited out in the back area to see if any ball players came out to board the team bus. I had a program in my hand from the game and a pencil. Pretty soon Pete Rose came out and when I politely asked for his autographed he looked at me and said..."Sorry, I'm not Pete Rose." Then another player came out a couple of minutes later and signed my program. It was the Reds pitcher-Jack Billingham. After signing he turned and yelled at the first player who had already boarded--"Hey Pete, I'll catch you in a couple of minutes!"

One of my nicest experiences was taking a Lou Gehrig bat to Comiskey park a few years ago and making a huge sign asking Cal Ripken to sign my Gehrig bat. I had to get special permission to take the bat in from the head of security at the park and also be lucky enough to catch his attention and interest after his warm ups. As he was leaving the field after batting practice, I asked him if he would sign it--he motioned for the bat...looked at it...took a couple of cuts with it...and sat down on the dugout steps and autographed it...then handed it back and thanked me for letting him see it as well as I thanking him back. It was the only item he signed at the park that entire evening. How lucky did I feel with 16,000 plus people in the stands that night.
A truly class act all the way and still continues that way at shows as well. Congratulations on todays HOF election!

Thats pretty cool. Ive been fortunate to work in a clubhouse for 10 years. A visiting clubhouse at that. Cal was always one of my favorites. If i wanted something signed he would say but it in the back room. After the last game of the series on getaway day Cal would have requests from the other team and from various big wigs with the team i worked for. Cal would sign at least 50 autographs or whatever was put in this back room. If you wanted it personalized he would always oblige and never use the vanilla term "best wishes" He signed a picture of him and i and wrote "Looks like a couple of goofy guys to me." Thats just a small sample of how cool Cal was. Its great seeing guys like him go into the Hall Of Fame. A class act and a GAMER!

[Vintagedeputy]

Easy one for me......Mark Wohlers

A few years ago, Wohlers was pitching for the AAA Richmond Braves and was stinking up the place like a backed up sewer line. This guy was awful but he was working with a torn oblique (or whatever it was).

Anyway, Wohlers came into the game and blew the lead and lost it. Amazingly, a group of us stil wanted his autograph even after he lost the game for us. About 5-6 of us waited near a gate that goes to the parking lot. I saw him first and said "Mr. Wohlers, could you sign my picture". I had a 1998 Braves team composite photo. Wohlers stormed past my and at the same time grabbed my picture and sharpie and scribbled all over it. I started to run after him as he never stopped. He turned and tossed the ruined picture to me. Then he threw a backhand bitchslap at the next poor guy and knocked a ball clean from his hands and it rolled along the parking lot.

A simple "not tonight fellas" would have sufficed.

[mvandor]

About 4-5 years ago, there was a card show in North Jersey where all the living World Series MVPs were signing autographs. I was interested in 2 - Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose. At the time, I had about 100 auto's of the two of them, but what I really wanted was an autographed photo personalized to me. Schmidt obliged without issue, although for $65.00, he could have at least looked up and made eye contact. When I finally made it to the front of the Pete Rose line, I asked very nicely if he could please sign it "To Daryl." He stopped, put down the pen, looked up, and said:

"You've got to be kidding! Think about it. Think about it! If I had to do that for every one of the people, I'd be here all g-d da-- day! Do you think I really want to sit here all day?"

I didn't know what to say except "Excuse me??" He proceeded to pick up the Sharpie, sign "Pete Rose 4256" and in a very disgusted manner slid the photo back to me. I looked around, and everyone within hearing distance had a look of disbelief on their faces.

With everything that's now public knowledge on Rose, is anyone shocked he's an arrogant jerk to the fans that are now 90% of his income?

Guy deserves to spend the rest of his days sitting at an autograph card table in Vegas.

[HENMICK44@OPTONLINE.NET]

So Many Of These Athletes Are Full Of *#$%.all There Interested In Is Money.they Forget We Pay Their Bills By Going To Watch These Primadonas Play Ball.i'm A Die Hard Yankee Fan And Only A Few Of These Present Day Guys Are "good Guys".in The Old Days You Would See Players Signing Items For Fans Before And After The Game,now When People Are Cheering For Them Like They Cured Cancer They Won't Even Look At You In The Stands.some Yankees Today Don't Sign Certain Items,won't Sign On The Sweet Spot,and Some Just Ignore You And Pickup Their Millions Of Dollars For Playing A Kids Game.now I'm Not Bitter,all Of Professional Athletes Get Paid Way To Much But Thats Just A Sign Of The Times,but When Someone Ask You For A Autograph And You Do Sign Something For Them Remember That You Made That Persons Day,and That Should Make You Feel Just As Happy As The Fan.so Many Of These Autograph Companies Have Ruined The Hobby By Giving These Guys Signing Contracts And Giving Them More Money That They Don't Need.good Guys To Mention Goose Gossage,phil Rizzuto,jason Giambi,roger Clemens,paul Oneill.then You Have The $#@%'s Posada,a-rod,roberto Kelly,to Name A Few.

[B1SON]

Way to stick to your guns Rich! You could have taken him!

My worst experience I really can not blame the athlete but it was his friend/bodyguard. It happened at the 1989 All Star game in Anaheim, CA. The team hotel where the players stayed was the Anaheim Hilton and the place was a zoo with autograph hounds so I assumed they would shuttle the players in and out via a side enterance and i was correct. So myself I was around 22 years old at the time, a mother and her son and daughter, and about three high school guys all had the same idea, a total of only 7 people. Quite a difference to the hundreds waiting inside the lobby.

First a limo pulled up and out came Orel Hershiser who ignored us and just entered via the side door. Next came a group of three individuals: Pedro Guerrero, Ozzie Smith, and Pedro's bodyguard/friend. Pedro and his friend stopped to talk to some girls in a convertible and Ozzie came over and signed for everyone, a really nice guy! How I know that the guy with Pedro was his bodyguard is one of the high school guys asked Ozzie who was with Pedro and he told us.

When the bodyguard saw we were waiting he walked over to our group and said "Pedro ain't signing sh*t, Pedro ain't signing sh*t" and I was offended he would walk up to a group which included kids and say such profanity. So I spoke up and said "hey watch your language there are kids here." He then said he did not care and repeated his earlier profanities. Then I replied "So I guess this is where Pedro gets his great reputation as a great guy". I was very upset and trust me this guy was about three times my size and could crush me very easily. So he turns on me and says "What did you say?" and I held my ground and repeated my comment at this time the bodyguard replied as he was face to face with me "He makes more money then you do" and turned away.

Then Pedro walked by and no one in our group even looked at him. I then apologized on Pedro's behalf to the mother of the children and we all could not believe that this employee of Pedros would be so rude to fans.

I know that this is not a story about an athlete directly but they should still be responsible for the people they hire not to drop profanities around little kids.

[B1SON]

What a first class jerk! I would have lost my cool on him! ;(

Easy one for me......Mark Wohlers

A few years ago, Wohlers was pitching for the AAA Richmond Braves and was stinking up the place like a backed up sewer line. This guy was awful but he was working with a torn oblique (or whatever it was).

Anyway, Wohlers came into the game and blew the lead and lost it. Amazingly, a group of us stil wanted his autograph even after he lost the game for us. About 5-6 of us waited near a gate that goes to the parking lot. I saw him first and said "Mr. Wohlers, could you sign my picture". I had a 1998 Braves team composite photo. Wohlers stormed past my and at the same time grabbed my picture and sharpie and scribbled all over it. I started to run after him as he never stopped. He turned and tossed the ruined picture to me. Then he threw a backhand bitchslap at the next poor guy and knocked a ball clean from his hands and it rolled along the parking lot.

A simple "not tonight fellas" would have sufficed.

[jettllc0]

The difference in athletes can sometimes be startling even when both are young and at the peak of their game.

In back to back shows in Phoenix the promoter had Brandon Webb and Amare Stoudemire. Webb, while quite, was very polite and a very good guy. When his police escort was walking him out a father of three asked for a picture. While the police escort told him no Webb said he would be more then happy to do so and proceeded to talk with the kids while having his picture taken. Amare on the other hand was the total opposite. His gang of hanger ons sat on each side of him and wouldn't let anyone speak to him or take a picture. A HOF'er was in the room at the same time (can't recall who) and someone took a picture of him. Amare's people freaked and threatened to leave if another picture was taken in the room they were in. At this point I decided to get out of line as I didn't want to meet this guy or have him on the Suns. I am still hoping to this day they trade him and soon. It is terrible that the papers don't write about what a total tool guys like Amare are.

[JasonHalliburton]

As a huge Washington Nationals fan, maybe the biggest, I drove from Tennessee to D.C. to see the Nats play the Giants. It was 2005, the inagural season of the Nationals. I drove almost 9 hours one way, by myself to go to the game. It was Barry Bonds' first road game if the year. A great friend of mine got me into RFK Stadium early, before the gates opened. Barry Bonds came out and went into the stands, about two rows behind the plate or so. I walked over to see him and try to get a ball signed and my photo made with him. He sat down to talk to his 2 nephews that live in the D.C. area. I stayed about two rows behind him and did not bother him at all. Once he finished talking and went back toward the field, I yelled at him. I politely said "Mr.Bonds", with no reply. Once again I yelled politely, "Mr. Bonds". He was now about 10-15 feet away from me, and I decided to try it one more time. "Mr. Bonds" I said again. He turned around and looked at me and said "WHAT", really hateful and arrogant. I said "I drove 9 hours one way to see this game, may I please get my picture with you and get this ball signed"? He replied "I flew 5 hours one way to come to work", then he turned around and walked away. I was the only one around him, the only one that was talking to him and wanting anything.It was not like he was being asked by a hundred people. Barry Bonds is an all-star this season, once again. I agree that he is an all-star, an all-star PUNK. And people wonder why he is booed so much and hated by the fans.