Which Players have you met?

[The Critic]

I've found that every time I post in one of these threads I get treated like s*** for a few weeks to follow.

Oh, I thought you were busy alphabetizing your list and separating them by decade, position and throwing arm.....

[The Critic]

Oh, and just to add something of negligable value to the thread:

The only player I've ever met is 70's Sox outfielder Pat Kelly at a baseball banquet for an All-City Team I was on.

Nice enough guy, but didn't really leave much of an impression on me.

[YASNY]

Keith Magnuson

Reggie Fleming

Joe Torre

[tonyho7476]

At Sox batting practice I told Paulie to move to Stickney...

 

And I yelled at Ron Kittle to sit down at the World Series...then I kicked his ass!

[Texsox]

I actually have met more Bears players, having lived up in Lake County near Lake Forest. Of the Sox players I have met, the most memorable was Harold Baines. One of the nicest gentlemen anywhere.

 

On the football side, I had the fun experience of living near Glen Kozlowski, a specialty teams player and wide receiver. We spent many summer evenings on Gages Lake, with our boats. His kids are as crazy and reckless as he is.

[easyw]

I used to work with a variety of pro athletes, most of them are real vain assholes. I get the impression that most of the guys currently on the Sox roster, at least before the World Series win, are generally pretty accessable, and not too full of themselves. 2006 wll be a different story. I can't list all the pro sports dicks I had to deal with. Suffice to say, among the worst were Mike Hargrove, Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, and Mike Fratello. I also had a run-in with Coach K, but can't blame him for sorta being a jerk to me. I also came to blows with a guy who is now an anchor on Sports Center. I don't want to say his name, cause he's really a nice guy, it was just a misunderstanding (at the time).

 

A lot of guys I got to know and were super nice. Some that I remember the most are:

Doug Buffone

Ron Rivera

Otis Wilson

Clarence Scott

Rick Sutcliffe

Fuzzy Zoeller

Jimmy The Greek

Mike Pruitt

Chico Carasqual

Minnie!

Double Duty

Norm Van Lier

 

Alan Bannister (good ol #7) used to live in my neighborhood in Woodridge back in the late 1970s-early 1980s, before even .220 hitters were making millions. He didn't live there long, and we generally left him alone. I did get an autographed ball from him. He was nice, I guess.

[Steff]

Oh, I thought you were busy alphabetizing your list and separating them by decade, position and throwing arm.....

   

 

 

And by league and team.. duh!!

[Kid Gleason]

I've met The Critic. His softball team came in first this year. That count?

 

Oh, my wifes cousin is married to Roger Maris's nephew. I'm fairly close to the guy, and as a gift he brought me a ball signed by Pat and all of the Maris kids. He thought I would like it, so he asked them to sign it. It's kind of a unique critter I think, and it sits proudly on top of my computer here at work.

 

I've only met authors and musicians. Hung out with Mother Love Bone all night once. If you know who they were, you understand why that was kind of cool. Two of them went on to become a slightly bigger band named Pearl Jam. Super cool guys, all of them.

[The Critic]

I've met The Critic. His softball team came in first this year. That count?

But I have to admit, I was a total dick to The Kid. I wouldn't sign anything for him, and I was all in a rush to get away from him. I lost a fan that day, and for that "Aye Apolohye".

 

And you DAMN RIGHT my team won the title!!!

Our pitcher struck the final guy out LOOKING in extra innings with the tying run on 3rd and the winning run on 2nd for the championship. Every postseason game was a one-run win for us, with two playoff games going extra innings. Sound familiar????

 

and you know what? The beer really DOES taste better when you win!!!

[RockRaines]

Drink with Neal Cotts at a bar I used to work at all the time. I just did some shots with him 2 weekends ago, and told him that Keith Foulke has nothing on him.

Edited November 11, 2005 by RockRaines

[Steff]

Drink with Neal Cotts at a  bar I used to work at all the time.  I just did some shots with him 2 weekends ago, and told him that Keith Foulke has nothing on him.

 

 

If he hasn't gotten his hair cut yet.. tell him Alex told him to.

[tonyho7476]

If he hasn't gotten his hair cut yet.. tell him Alex told him to. 

He looks hotter with long hair...

[RockRaines]

Met Mark Buehrles girlfriend, she is a hottie...nice tush, then i met MArk he's a good guy

old GF, or current? I met his old one a while ago when she worked at the Neutral Zone.

[RockRaines]

If he hasn't gotten his hair cut yet.. tell him Alex told him to. 

Sorry Steff, his GF likes it.

[Steff]

old GF, or current?  I met his old one a while ago when she worked at the Neutral Zone.

 

 

 

That's the one he's marrying.

[RockRaines]

That's the one he's marrying.

Seriously? Wasnt aware, nice girl, better chicken wraps though.

[NorthSideSox72]

I only have met a few pro athletes, but I do have a funny story at the end...

 

Current/former Sox:

Frank Thomas: Briefly, at a signing, years ago, seemed nice enough.

Carlton Fisk: Again very briefly, seemed like a decent guy.

Moose Skowron: Met him watching a game at Old Comiskey, seemed like a fun dude, he was joking around a lot.

Tom Seaver: One of my idols as a kid. Met him briefly, shook his hand. Got chills. He had an amazing presence about him.

 

Other ball players:

Billy Williams (Cubs): Great guy. Spent some time talking with him at a charity softball thing years ago. As nice a guy as you could meet.

 

Other athletes:

Fred Hoiberg (NBA): Actually knew Freddy in college. Great guy all around, truly a classy person.

Loren Meyer (NBA): Jerk.

 

Great story involving Braves players:

 

So I was at Wrigley once, many years back, with the family (they are all Cubs fans, except me :headshake ). My sister was a huge Jody Davis fan, from back in his Cub days, and he was a backup C on the Braves at that point.

 

Anyway, Dale Murphy (who was the big Braves name back then) was signing autographs before the game, and my sister and I were trying to get one. She gets in there, Dale Murphy takes the ball from her to sign, and she says "NO! I want Jody's autograph! Can you get it for me?!"

 

The look on his face was priceless. Utter shock, followed by thinly veild contempt. But even better, his teammates and even a couple reporters start laughing and poking fun. "She doesn't want YOUR autograph Dale, she wants JODY's!" This future Hall of Fame nominee, and he's being passed over for the backup catcher. He looks flustered, signs the ball anyway and hands it to my sister, and stomps back into the dugout.

 

Later in the game, someone sent a ball up from the Braves dugout with Jody's autograph on it. I don't think Dale's a bad guy, he just got embarrassed by the situation. But a hilarious moment none the less.

[Heads22]

I only have met a few pro athletes, but I do have a funny story at the end...

 

Current/former Sox:

Frank Thomas: Briefly, at a signing, years ago, seemed nice enough.

Carlton Fisk: Again very briefly, seemed like a decent guy.

Moose Skowron: Met him watching a game at Old Comiskey, seemed like a fun dude, he was joking around a lot.

Tom Seaver: One of my idols as a kid.  Met him briefly, shook his hand.  Got chills.  He had an amazing presence about him.

 

Other ball players:

Billy Williams (Cubs): Great guy.  Spent some time talking with him at a charity softball thing years ago.  As nice a guy as you could meet.

 

Other athletes:

Fred Hoiberg (NBA): Actually knew Freddy in college.  Great guy all around, truly a classy person.

Loren Meyer (NBA): Jerk.

 

Great story involving Braves players:

 

So I was at Wrigley once, many years back, with the family (they are all Cubs fans, except me  :headshake ).  My sister was a huge Jody Davis fan, from back in his Cub days, and he was a backup C on the Braves at that point.

 

Anyway, Dale Murphy (who was the big Braves name back then) was signing autographs before the game, and my sister and I were trying to get one.  She gets in there, Dale Murphy takes the ball from her to sign, and she says "NO!  I want Jody's autograph!  Can you get it for me?!"

 

The look on his face was priceless.  Utter shock, followed by thinly veild contempt.  But even better, his teammates and even a couple reporters start laughing and poking fun.  "She doesn't want YOUR autograph Dale, she wants JODY's!"  This future Hall of Fame nominee, and he's being passed over for the backup catcher.  He looks flustered, signs the ball anyway and hands it to my sister, and stomps back into the dugout.

 

Later in the game, someone sent a ball up from the Braves dugout with Jody's autograph on it.  I don't think Dale's a bad guy, he just got embarrassed by the situation.  But a hilarious moment none the less.

 

 

You an Iowa Stater? Awesome. I really hope Freddy catches on when he gets better.

[Heads22]

If he hasn't gotten his hair cut yet.. tell him Alex told him to. 

 

Me Alex? I don't need to get in trouble with him.

[NorthSideSox72]

You an Iowa Stater? Awesome. I really hope Freddy catches on when he gets better.

 

Yes, I am. Started Fall of '91, graduated May of '96. Used to play a lot of basketball, and I was good enough back then to end up in pickup games (Court 1 ) with some of those guys that went on to play pro ball: Hoiberg, Michalik, Meyer, Thigpen, Bayless, etc.

 

Don't want to wander too off-topic here, but suffice to say that Freddy did a lot of really cool things in his years at ISU. He's just a great human being. I think Hoiberg hit his peak a year or two back when he was the 3-point king, playing for Minnesota. I don't think he will ever get much beyond that in the NBA, though I'd happily eat crow if he does. He deserves it.

[thedoctor]

i met a lot of guys when i worked in newspapers, but it's not worth listing them because you never know if you're dealing with a genuine person in those situations.

 

when i was younger i met kittle, baines, fisk, salome barojas (don't know why i remember that), at either games or events. a few summers ago i had some pretty good tickets and used to chat with foulke and buehrle before games. both super nice guys.

 

i met terry belle (albert's twin) in the bullpen sports bar a few years back. it was pretty bizarre because i was loaded and at the time i didn't know albert had a twin.

 

at a charity golf outing a few years back i met mario lemieux, george gervin and jan stenerud (biggest nostrils i've ever seen).

 

these days i do a lot of work with archie griffin, so we know each other pretty well. one of the best guys i know.

[Heads22]

Yes, I am.  Started Fall of '91, graduated May of '96.  Used to play a lot of basketball, and I was good enough back then to end up in pickup games (Court 1  ) with some of those guys that went on to play pro ball: Hoiberg, Michalik, Meyer, Thigpen, Bayless, etc.

 

Don't want to wander too off-topic here, but suffice to say that Freddy did a lot of really cool things in his years at ISU.  He's just a great human being.  I think Hoiberg hit his peak a year or two back when he was the 3-point king, playing for Minnesota.  I don't think he will ever get much beyond that in the NBA, though I'd happily eat crow if he does.  He deserves it.

 

 

Awesome. I'm currently at State. Exhibition game tonight already. I bet it's not too long before he ends up in coaching, if he wants to.

[heirdog]

Met the following when I hung out with them at the end of a 3-game set in St. Louis about 8+ years ago:

 

Frank Thomas: Real nice guy and personable. Huge hands that enveloped mine (I'm 6'2") when I shook his hand. Likes Miller Lite.

 

Davey Martinez: Also a very nice guy. Most of the Sox let me hang out with them that night, later revealed to me by James Baldwin that they thought I was Davey's brother.

 

James Baldwin: Smoked Camel "Special" Lights in the gold package

 

Magglio Ordonez: A rookie and looked like a deer in headlights when anyone talked to him.

 

Lyle Mouton: Came equipped with his own posse of LSU guys that all sat around telling him how good he was and that he should get to play more.

 

Roberto Machado: Looks a lot like a lighter version of Juan Uribe

 

Ozzie Guillen: Pretty much as expected...off-the-cuff and confrontational with anyone he doesn't know. I didn't care much for him...I guess all can be forgiven now that he helped bring a title here.

 

Ron Karkovice: Personable guy that went out of his way to shake hands with people.

 

Ron Schueler: Gave him a vote of support acknowledging that he is trying to help us win a WS, even though he pulled the white flag trade and he smiled back.

 

 

 

Another time I was in a Chicago Bar in '96 or '97 (The Drink, I believe) and ran into Sammy Sosa and Raul Mondesi. Sosa was friends with Mondesi and trying to convince him to come to Chicago as a FA...instead I think he went to Toronto. Sosa was pretty small in a math-teacher type half-sleeve shirt and Mondesi was a pretty big guy. I called Mondesi "Cannon" and he promptly lifted up his right sleeve and revealed his cannon tattoo on his shoulder and bicep and then bought me and my friends shots. Sosa kept saying the same thing in garbled english, "I love this country...God bless america."

[RockRaines]

Oh yeah, met Tony Kukoc, hated him, he was a total asshole to me and wouldnt talk to me or sign anything for me, and I wasnt even bothering him.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Forgot to mention Scott Fletcher who seems like the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet, and Bobby Thigpen seemed like a great guy too. He couldn't believe that I'd know who he was but I told him he saved the game the first one I ever went to. Nice guy