Have You Ever Totally Humiliated Yourself Trying To Get An Autograph?
DirtyDog48
Posts: 298
Way back in the days of the NHL's original six teams, Frank "Big M" Mahovlich of the Toronto Maple Leafs had the reputation of being an impossible get. Well, I was determined to change all that.
One night after a Leafs-Rangers game, with 3X5 index card and pen in hand,I stayed at Mahovlich's elbow for three crosstown Manhattan blocks constantly repeating in my whiniest voice, "Please Frank", "Please Mr. Mahovlich", "Please Frank, you're my favorite hockey player!".
Finally, Mahovilich looked down at me, rolled his eyes, and without breaking stride, scribbled his auto on the 3X5 card and gave it back to me. I sprinted back to the old Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue & W. 49th St. and enjoyed my 15 minutes of adoration that was heaped upon me from the masses assembled outside the Garden's player's entrance.
Anyone else have a tale of shameless groveling?
One night after a Leafs-Rangers game, with 3X5 index card and pen in hand,I stayed at Mahovlich's elbow for three crosstown Manhattan blocks constantly repeating in my whiniest voice, "Please Frank", "Please Mr. Mahovlich", "Please Frank, you're my favorite hockey player!".
Finally, Mahovilich looked down at me, rolled his eyes, and without breaking stride, scribbled his auto on the 3X5 card and gave it back to me. I sprinted back to the old Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue & W. 49th St. and enjoyed my 15 minutes of adoration that was heaped upon me from the masses assembled outside the Garden's player's entrance.
Anyone else have a tale of shameless groveling?
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NO!
lsuconnman@yahoo.com
Back in those days, the players would carry their own equipment bags out to the team bus or to a waiting caravan of taxi cabs. When Sawchuk emerged from Madison Square Garden's "employee's entrance", he was using both hands to carry two bulky bags of goalie equipment when I shoved my sketch under his nose.
He looked at me and asked "Did you draw this?" I nodded yes and he slowly put his bags down on the sidewalk, took the drawing from me and autographed it, then picked his bags back up and walked up W. 49th street alone.
<< <i>Way back in the days of the NHL's original six teams, Frank "Big M" Mahovlich of the Toronto Maple Leafs had the reputation of being an impossible get. Well, I was determined to change all that.
One night after a Leafs-Rangers game, with 3X5 index card and pen in hand,I stayed at Mahovlich's elbow for three crosstown Manhattan blocks constantly repeating in my whiniest voice, "Please Frank", "Please Mr. Mahovlich", "Please Frank, you're my favorite hockey player!".
Finally, Mahovilich looked down at me, rolled his eyes, and without breaking stride, scribbled his auto on the 3X5 card and gave it back to me. I sprinted back to the old Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue & W. 49th St. and enjoyed my 15 minutes of adoration that was heaped upon me from the masses assembled outside the Garden's player's entrance.
Anyone else have a tale of shameless groveling? >>
I have him listed in recent guides for about $5-$7 for a 3x5 - is this accurate?
Billy
I had spent several hundred bucks to be in the orchestra for a Radiohead concert at Jones Beach Theatre on LI so I could get Thom Yorke's signature (near impossible now). I knew where the band would be coming from and positioned myself in the way. After being invited to hang out with the crew and tech peoples in the lighting/mixing booth for a while, I could no longer actually find the concert...so, I befriended an equally happy crew person who took my seat number and my limited edition Radiohead postcard to get signed by Thom Yorke. So, I killed time by talking to some guys near the stage where I was deposited by the guy getting the SIG. They wanted to know what I thought of Radiohead...I said "Well...Thom is incredible with a voice to match, Jonny is a god on a Telecaster. The rest are filler to me..." They found this very funny. While walking back to my seat people were staring at me - naturally, I had just insulted 3/5 of the band
Billy
ºoº coinhead1.
Never act dumber than you are period
Meg Ryan Amanda Tapping Dana Delany
So there!!
<< <i>DirtyDog - good story. Guess this is not the place. I see your posts on the sports forum - they are better appreciated there. Regards. >>
Harry,
Glad to hear you enjoy my musings.....here's one autograph experience that turned out to require minimal groveling on my part. I was a sophomore in high school in 1963 and a diehard fan of the NFL, especially the New York Giants. I cut out of classes one Wednesday morning when there was a small piece in the Daily News about the Giants and their upcoming opponent, the Dallas Cowboys having an afternoon practice session at Yankee Stadium.
Since stadium security was practically non-existant in those days, I figured that if I wore a sport jacket and tie and behaved in a somewhat civilized manner, it would be no problem to talk my way past the stadium security guards (who were almost always moonlighting NYC cops). Turns out, I was right......I walked right up to the Visitor's Entrance at the Stadium and mumbled something about me being Joe Morrison's nephew......the security guard who obviously had better things to do than to check out my story just waved me into the door and pointed me toward the entrance to the field.....I was in!
I came away with a stack of autographed 3X5's including Tom Landry, Don Meredith, Y.A. Tittle, Roosevelt Brown, and I even ended up having a quick game of catch with Giants center Greg Larson.....what can I say...I was on Cloud 9 that day.
<< <i>DirtyDog - good story. Guess this is not the place. I see your posts on the sports forum - they are better appreciated there. Regards. >>
What about us folks with great autograph stories and even greater collections - but no sports interest?
Billy
<< <i>
<< <i>DirtyDog - good story. Guess this is not the place. I see your posts on the sports forum - they are better appreciated there. Regards. >>
What about us folks with great autograph stories and even greater collections - but no sports interest?
Billy
I thought we were Buds.
Best,
Billy
<< <i>It was my first job at an amusement park and a coworker pointed out Dennis Johnson from the Celtics and a friend playing video games in the arcade. The coworker told me he was too shy to approach Dennis Johnson for an autograph and that he'd give me five bucks to approach him and ask for an autograph. Dennis Johnson was already retired when I started watching basketball so like an idiot, I went up to his friend and asked for his autograph. Luckily he was polite, and told me that I didn't want his autograph, but I wanted the autograph of the guy standing next to him. I basically went to the wrong guy asking for an autograph.
But did you get the autograph??
BTW: Cubby=Cub Fan
Just not for autographs.
BTW: Cubby=Cub Fan