Have you ever met anyone in the set you collect?

RobE

First people that come to mind from the set I collect:

Mike Schmidt
Pete Rose
Bucky Dent
Jim Plamer
Bobby Murcer - funny guy
Gorman Thomas
Bobby Grich
Bobby Valentine
Joe Torre
Rawly Eastwick
Louie Tiant
Greg Nettles
Gary Carter
Reggie Jackson
Stan Bahnsen
Carlton Fisk
Shane Rawley

And I think that's about all of them.

GoSoxBoSox

Back in 1986 I was bartending while in college. I worked at a huge night club in South Jersey called Enchante.

Anyway, Larry Christenson from the Phillies owned part of the club. As it turns out he was very friendly with Wayne Gretzky. To make a long story short, Gretzky spent 4 hours at my bar with Glenn Anderson and a bodyguard. Gretzky signed everything under the sun that night. I have a personalized beverage napkin as well at 4 personalized 10" x 8" photo's and a signed hockey stick from that night.

My twin sister brought all of that stuff to the club for me as I preyed he'd still be there to sign. He was an awesome guy that night. All of it is nicely displayed in my bar in one huge frame with his first 10 OPC issued hockey cards.

One of my collection gems.

FB

Two years ago - I won one of my first 1972 PSA 10's on eBay. It was the Ed Farmer rookie card #116. My winning bid was around $250 or so.

Well... shortly after the auction closed, I get an email from Ed Farmer in the Chicago White Sox radio booth asking "are you out of your mind?????".

I told him that I was betting that the Veteran's Committee would eventually see fit to enshrine him in the Hall.

After that, I let him off the hook and told him the rarity of a PSA 10 - at the time I think it was one of 15 different 10's in the set out of 8,000 cards graded. So, I hated to disappoint, but it was primarily because it was a "perfect" card. When he asked how much I could be his rookie card for ungraded, I think that he was disappointed when I told him 50 cents...

tripoli

Yes, :

Bobby Hull
Henri Richard
Phil Esposito
Bobby Orr
Gordie Howe
Eddie Shack
Charlie Hodge
Jean Beliveau

From other sets:
Guy Lafleur
Maurice Richard

jvineyard

I have a vintage, game used helmet that I have spent the last 10 years having signed by the players from the original, expansion (1967) Saints team. I used to travel a lot on some large, national cases, and I would look up the players and take side trips to meet with them. I've met with all but 5 of the living players, and now I take specific trips to meet with those players, when I find them.

Since most were not famous, they enjoy meeting an old fan and sharing their memories of the NFL in the 1960's. I have been lucky enough to spend significant time with most of the players, often in their homes. I had a three hour breakfast with HOFer Doug Atkins at a Shoney's in Knoxville, got to wear Dave Rowe's Super Bowl Ring (from his time as a Raider), visited with Danny Abramowicz before a Bear game (when he was special teams coach) and BSed with Billy Kilmer, among others.

goodriddance189

im putting together a Major Applewhite psa graded set and he's one of my friends, if that counts.

carkim

When I use to collect early 70's basketball set there were many players that I hung out with.

Barry Clemens
Austin Carr
Bingo Smith
Manny Leaks
Nate Thurman



I also played basketball with and against:

Derrick Polk (Harlem Globetrotter)
Ron Harper (He and I were teammate on a PRO AM team...I didn't like him much. So much so I told my younger brother that he could NOT ask him for an autograph.)
Craig Ehlo (Very nice guy)
Mark Price (Quick first step...Blew pass me once so fast that a fan from the crowd through a jock strap unto the gym floor)
Dennis Hopson
Mouse McFadden (From the Cleveland State University team that beat Indiana)
Manute Bol (Back them Manute only spoke two words... "MY BALL")
John Bagley
Brad Daugherty
Hot Rod Williams
Kevin Porter
Phil Hubbard (Dunked on him twice in one game on back to back possesions)
and Calvin Murphy (Best pure shooter I ever saw)

goodriddance189

ive played high school ball against Josh Beckett and later Jason Stokes

tripoli

Hey great story CARKIM!....I was a chaperone for a Canadian elite select team that featured Steve Nash.....Jason Kidd was the big man of the tournament in Las Vegas that year.....the Nike Invitational for high school kids.. but that pales in comparison to Carkim!

mikeschmidt

I've met Schmidt numerous times.

Jim Honochik was a local legend in Allentown, PA. Bobby Schantz lived in town -- and I met many of the HOFers from the 1955 Bowman set -- Mantle, Ford, Mays, Banks, Aaron, Barlick, Wilhelm, Ashburn, etc. I've corresponded with numerous commons from the set through autograph requests as a kid....

mrc32

I hope to be on the other end of Cy Young's fastball one day after I pass through the pearly gates...

Nuyauwka

I play over 40 hardball(I'm 41), Barry Moore has cards from 67-70, pitched with the Senators and Indians. I catch him, he's 60 and he has 4 pitches and they all move, he went 7 innings last night!!!!

helionaut

I don't think I've ever actually met a professional athlete outside of an "appearance." In 1994, I flew from Dallas to Boston and Hakeem Olajuwon got on the plane at the last minute. I was flying coach, but my aunt was in first class and she got his autograph for me. Kinda funny, when boarding was about to end, the flight attendant pages Hakeem, pronouncing his name "Ola-Jewon", emphasizing the wrong syllables.

I've met way more famous film directors, writers and musicians than athletes. John Waters was my favorite. He spoke at college as a guest of the student film board, of which I was a member. After his talk we went out to dinner at a hotel where they had long table set up. I stopped and talked to a friend who I hadn't known was a waiter at the hotel. When I got to the table, no one had been so bold as to take the seat on John's right hand. I got to talk directly with him a lot and he was very kind and funny. Spike Lee seemed cool, but he was in the middle of a huge entourage. Douglas Adams was very personable, he died waaaaayy too soon. Jam Master Jay from RUN-DMC was cool, but he was the only one of the group who wasn't drunk. Rich 'Sniglets' Hall was a jerk. Emo Phillips and Judy Tenuta were great. Frank 'Pixies' Black was very cool, though Kim Deal was the person I wanted to meet but she was in her element surrounded by grrls. Ian Mackaye of Fugazi was very cool. Isaac 'Modest Mouse' Brock was cool, but I've heard different things from different people. Rick Linklater was very friendly, but that was a a screening of 'Slacker' a dozen years ago (gad!) so he had his PR face on.

My favorite celebrity encounter was one my Dad had. We used to live in Poughkeepsie, NY, about 70 up the river from NYC. Once when my Dad was going through Grand Central Station, he saw Ed Koch. He walked right up to him and shook his hand. This was after his mayoral term ended, but he still had security. He said Koch was nice and all, asked if he had voted for him. Dad said he hadn't since he lives outside the city, but he was a big fan. He said Koch was a bit perplexed how a great big guy like my Dad had gotten right up to him with his security guys standing next to him.

Basilone

<< <i>Frank 'Pixies' Black was very cool, though Kim Deal was the person I wanted to meet but she was in her element surrounded by grrls >>



Helionaut-

Very cool..I was able to meet Frank Black after a show....glad to see another indie fan on the boards. Also, you mentioned "Slacker"....which character did that guy play? That movie is a classic.

From Douglas Adams to Rich Hall to "freaking" Emo Phillps....that is quite a group!

JOhn

helionaut

Rick Linklater is the director of Slacker, as well as Dazed & Confused, Waking Life, Tape, Newton Boys, the upcoming School fo Rock, etc. He actually was in Slacker, though. He's the first character, the guy who gets off the bus and takes a cab while rambling on and on about whatever.

I can't believe I forgot my most recent star encounter, though. Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids) stopped into Austin Books (the best comic shop in central Texas, www.austinbooks.com) a few weeks ago and I happened to be there. I didn't talk to him because I'm sure all I would've done is asked for Salma Hayek's phone number, but the issue of X-Force with him on the cover had just come out. Mike Allred made him into a character called "El Guapo". Brad the owner got him to sign a copy. Wish I had. And I should've asked about Salma. Like they say, be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.

spacktrack

Helionaut:

Where in Poughkeepsie were you and how long ago?

spacktrack

RobE

I forgot to add Shane Rawley.

Vargha

Steve Garvey was a representative (for marketing purposes) for a company I once worked for in the credit card services industry. He helped me out at a trade show that we did in New Orleans. He was a very nice guy to deal with and very professional (small for a baseball player as well). I got to talk with him a little bit about his playing days. I still have 4 or 5 autographed NL baseball from him from that day.

1420sports

I met Pete Rose several times, and actually had a nice 45-60 second conversation with him. Schmidt, Dallas Green, Ashburn, Roberts from the Phillies sets I collect, and several HOF players from the player set - Banks was the best, as he was hitting on my wife.

NickM

If I had to pick primary sets I collect, I'd guess it would be the '54s (Topps and Bowman). Over the years, I've met many of the HOFers from those sets when they were signing at card shows (Aaron, Mays, Kaline, Banks, Wilhelm, Mathews, Feller, Ashburn, Spahn). Campanella and Newcombe I met at Dodger Stadium when they were doing special appearances. Lasorda I've met on dozens of occasions, mostly during his tenure as manager - he was very nice about signing autographs. I got the chance to chat with him for a couple minutes a few years ago when he was a featured speaker at a banquet. I asked him what story that was left out of his autobiography that he most wished he had included - he laughed and said that there were a whole book worth of scouting stories that he wanted to put in there. He then proceeded to tell a story about a pitcher he saw warming up on a high school field after a game who was about 6'3" and threw a 90 mph fastball and a great curve. He was really high on the kid, until he started talking to the coach, who informed him that the "kid" was 24, was one of the assistant coaches for the team, and had left pro baseball after not advancing past Class A in three years in the minors.

Nick

RobE

I'm researching wether I met Rick Rhoden or not, so that's one more listing possibility.However that's an Awesome lineupt,Nick.Certainly an intersting grouo of 11 legends to meet.

Ok,who else have we run into that has a piece of cardboard?

theBobs

RobE -- you sure know how to keep a thread alive. How do you research the fact that you may have met Rhoden?

RobE

Just looking through my autos and Rick was at the CPT in 2002. I may or might have not received his auto although might have met him on the tour.He's not marked off on the pairing sheet althouth a few others that I do in fact have an auto were not marked off either.I can't seem to identify 6 signatures on the cover,it went from 13 to 6 unidentified and he was there one or both days I was.

1967topps

From 1967, I've met:

(I was never big into autographs so have none)

290 Bill White - in an elevator in Yankee Stadium while he was a broadcaster.
393 Jim Bouton - at a singles expo - I was single, he was marketing his personalized baseball cards.

25 saw Elston Howard in Food Fair but didn't speak to him, but sat behind his daughter in study hall
in 10th grade

plus I cut day camp once in 1968 to attend a "Yankee clinic" given at FDU but other than
Phil Rizzuto cannot remember what Yankees participated in that event.

other somewhat related claims to fame: Teaneck, NJ
Since I grew up in Bergen County NJ, where the George Washington bridge lands, I Knew of the following
yankees living in the same town, Jim Bouton (his son went to my high school and I may have been in the house once for a party. He still lives there, I believe, so will not reveal that street name) plus Hal Lanier (Kensington Rd), Dave Winfield (Pershing Circle) and Rudy May (E. Laurelton Parkway) all lived/rented within about 3 blocks of each other (not at the same time), Jim Lyttle rented next door to a friend (Northumberland Road), Bill Robinson
lived across town (West Gate apts). I never met any of them, but I have a clock in my office that was Dave Winfield's when he lived on Pershing Circle (My parents got it at a house sale when he was leaving town).

Also current player Doug Glanville is from Teaneck, as is new Nets coach Lawrence Frank (both class of '88)
And the guy who runs the sports shop on Cedar Lane was friends with Orlando Cepeda.

purelyPSA

Bouton lives in Massachussets now.