Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

[WadeInBmore]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Not a game used story by any means but a moment in time I will never forget. The past job I did in Detroit had a couple of surprises instore for everyone. I'm use to being the only person with a baseball past on a film set however when the job started and baseball came up I was quickly encouraged to go and introduce myself to the key grip because "he used to play.". A very peculiar statement in the very least. So I go and introduce myself and low and behold he is former major league shortstop/utility infeilder journeyman Ross Jones.
Over the course of the next 6 weeks Ross and I had many a great baseball conversations. He even scored us comp tickets to a tiger rays game (6 rows behind home plate)!!! So, as a customary tradition on movie sets, I decided I wanted to get the crew a wrap gift. After talking with a good buddy who was on the job with me, we both decided to purchase a bunch of Ross Jones baseball cards that we could give to everyone.
After some searching on Beckett.com I made a bulk purchase of 100 1988 tools Ross jones baseball cards!!! The cards were a bigger hit then I ever couldve guested. The crew, the actors, and even the producers and director were all buzzing about these cards. It really put a smile on my face when I realized that 100 grown-ups were excited about a baseball card and that's all anyone was talkin about. For the last week of the show, roughly, Ross happily signed his autograph to every card are nervous and excited crew members approached him with his card. Ross said his baseball career was a lifetime ago, but to see grownups revert back to their childhood as they embraced our national passtime and the thrill of the autograph was priceless!
Ross came up to me with a smile on his face as he asked HOW MANY cards I had brought in!? He said at first he saw only a couple of cards but then a steady stream of cards up til lunch!!!
It was an awesome moment and the best value a 25 cent card has given a group of grownups!!!!

Wade

[Klattsy]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

I gave Brett Ronenberg I heap of his trading cards at the Australia vs Canada World Cup qualifier (we lost ). I actually got him to sign some cards the game before, and he said he was chasing some of his cards, the next night I gave him about 6 cards including a refractor and a WBC numbered one...it took me a year to track them down again He told me his ebay username and now I send him links if I see them online How I wish i'd swapped them for a GU item...

Mark.

[Dewey2007]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Best item an athlete has given me with no $$$ involved was the George Brett bat that Larry Gura gave to me during a game in 1981 at the Oakland Colisuem. It was my first bat ever and unfortunately I sold it with my original bat collection a few years back.

The most meaningful items I have received have been from a couple of former Cal Bears athletes. Former NFL player Chidi Iwouma gave me a Lions jersey he had in storage and former Florida Marlins player Chris Clapinski sent me a bat. These guys didn't have to do it but I am grateful for their kindness.

I once gave Terry Kennedy a couple of baseball cards of his dad Bob Kennedy at the team hotel when I was getting autographs as a kid. I remember he was very thankful when I told him that I brought them for him to have because it didn't seem that he had any cards of his dad at the time.

Dewey

[thomecollector]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

A couple of years back. I went to the O's vs Sox series in Baltimore. I brought a Kingman 2007 AllStar Game Jersey. It was from the Old timers game. I bought the jersey from my buddy Bob Koppel. I didn't collect him , but I had an idea. I knew Jim was a fan of him growing up. I sent it to the Feller Museum signing that Kingman was doing. It cost like $30 for the auto with inscription. I had him sign it "To Jim, Best Wishes ! Dave Kingman 442 HRS. " I went to the game
on his birthday. When he came over, I gave it to him in a box. He went to the clubhouse. When he came out, he couldn't thank me enough.He was blown away.

[jshortt]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Josh Hamilton gave me the bat he used to hit 2 homers in his first MLB multi-homer game against the Rockies in 2007. Totally uncracked, and you can see the ball marks from both hits. Didn't think about it at the time, but I wish I'd had him inscribe that on the bat.

-Josh

[SaintsGeaux]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

i have gotten many of my items given by the athletes but i would have to say a free cal and billy ripen cap. that s what you get when the team loses by 20 runs as i got in Texas in 1996 against the Orioles.

[lehmsbobby]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

In 2000, I was at a Giants game in great seats near the dugout on my birthday. Without asking, Barry Bonds handed a bat through the dugout, seemingly to the late Giants majority owner Sue Burns. However, Bonds motioned her to me, and gave me his famous Sam Bat, uncracked with heavy use. His generosity and kindness that day, amid the scandals and bad rep, will stay with me forever.

[AutographAddiction]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Yeah, and even more sitting on the bench indefinitely

I knew I would get that response. But even so, they are future first rounders

[LWMM]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

If anyone is interested in any UNC football (or basketball) game-used items or autographs I can help you out. There are many future 1st rounders on the team now...

Yeah, and even more sitting on the bench indefinitely

[AutographAddiction]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Well, I feel like I should tell my story about the post I mentioned earlier...

Earlier this season I got a Dwight Howard Game-Used Jersey! Talked to him before the game and made a sign to remind him and he gave it to me after the game!



I will also put a link on here to my blog so you can WATCH THE VIDEO OF HIM GIVING IT TO ME!

http://autographaddiction.blogspot.com/2010/05/hey-everyone.html

And as for the UNC gloves, I have sat next to the UNC tunnel every football game for about 3 years. You can see me in all of these pictures... I have collected many game-used sweatbands and gloves over the years and players now recognize me and know me by name...



If anyone is interested in any UNC football (or basketball) game-used items or autographs I can help you out. There are many future 1st rounders on the team now...

tsharp94@gmail.com

[metsbats]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Not given to me by an player but in 2000 a clubhouse contact gave me a empty champayne bottle and a Budweiser congratulations Mets poster from the Mets Clubhouse Wildcard celebration.

In 2006 I purchased the throwback jersey Ed Hearn wore during the 86 Mets Reunion ceremony from MLB auctions and traded him the "gift" jersey he was given.

[wildcats97champs]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

this past year i was the personal driverfor champions tour pro peter jacobsen while he played at the dicks sporting goods open. about 3 hours after i had dropped him off at the airport i got a call from peter himself asking me if i could return to the course and see if he had left a club in the inspection room. sure enough it was there, he kindly asked me if i would mail it to him at the next tourny he was playing at and he would "make it right with me" so about 3 weeks after i mailed the club i got a huge package in the mail from peter with a note thanking me for mailing it $100 bill and the golf bag he used at the dicks open that year. not bad for a $12 mailing and 45 mins of my time

[yankees506]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

I never thought id get the chance to tell this story, i was in LA in september of 08 and decided to check out a game, Manny Ramirez was in the outfield and i began yelling at him. Im from NY so i was yelling how washington heights (where he was born in NY) followed him to LA, to my surprise he began to walk over, we talked for about 20 min while he was shagging balls and at the end i said "manny, NY would love to take something of manny back home" he laughed and bp ended, about ten minutes later i see manny come jogging down the foul line, he gets to where i was sitting and says "im looking for New York", i stand up and he throws what looks like a shirt to me, he leaves and when i open up the shirt i immediately knew what it was, i looked at the neck and there was a 99 written, he gave me his gu undershirt, it wasnt a jersey but wow I was not a manny fan until that day.

[platinum1]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

I couple of years ago I was searching Ebay and I found an old raggy Cuban Baseball jersey with the name Contreras on the back.
I got it for like $50.
The day I got it I went over to the Cell and waited for Jose to leave the park and when he came out he saw me standing with the jersey.
It turned out that the jersey was his first ever professional jersey.
So I just gave it to him for nothing.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Best Item an Athlete has Given You or You Have Given an Athlete (No $$$)

Best given to me:

During 2006, when I was dealing with a back infection during most of the baseball season, Tony Clark sent me a package from Phoenix. Inside were a half-dozen batting gloves, a pair of cleats, and a half-dozen D-Backs caps (some worn by him, others mint and signed by him).

Best I gave out:

1972 Brewers road knit I gave to his son, Derrick, when "D" was with the Cubs.

Dave Miedema