Bengie Molina guest coached a few practices for my HS baseball team. He was fishing buddies with my HS coach. I, being young and stupid, couldn't help but gawk the first time I met him.
Dwight Goodwin. Met him in. Cooperstown outside a memorabilia store. I was literally hyperventilating just sitting across from him. 😂He was really nice and offered to take a photo with me. #LGM
Bumped into CC Sabathia one year at the final home game in Cleveland. Players were handing out things and I turned and boom. I'm 6'4", and I felt small next to him
A-Rod walked past me in an autograph line outside the Kingdome when I was 9, and Pete Rose once refused to talk to me in a sports memorabilia store because I hadn’t paid the autograph fee, even though my friend and I were the only other people there. 🤷🏻♂️
I’ll go with Ferguson Jenkins - I met him at a Cooperstown Hall of Fame weekend. Honourable mention to Paul Molitor who stepped on my foot while signing a ball for me when I was about 14.
I’ve watched Varitek warm up the pitchers from various bullpens as well (Guaranteed Rate has a great spot for this; Petco Park has a good viewpoint as well)
Ken Griffey Jr. From front row to dugout. Closer was Pudge Rodriguez at a card shop signing. Talked to him briefly about catching tips when I was in HS.
Don Mattingly and Frank Howard, Howard was a coach with the Yankees at the time. Road the elevator with Mattingly. Yankees were in town to play the tribe. Howard was like a walking oak tree!
Was in an elevator with Ken Griffey Jr. chatted about his Dad, who was injured at the time and M's chances of finishing over .500 that season. It was very cool...❤️⚾️
Wade Boggs sat at my bar about 20 years ago. A random drunk idiot inexplicably tried to pick a fight with him. My bouncers threw the drunk guy out but we were trying really hard to manifest Wade dotting him with his World Series ring
Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, Dave Winfield and Joe Morgan. Several others from Spring Training in Peoria. Joe Morgan was at the 1998 World Series at Qualcomm when I saw him. He was with Rollie Fingers.
I worked overhire for ESPN in the early 90s in Houston. Besides seeing Harry Caray call a game from the booth, I had to run an errand under the Astrodome’s bleachers where the batting cages are. Astros playing the Pirates. Barry Bonds was hitting n the cages. There was so much power…
… I stopped to watch. I wasn’t supposed to, but it was so cool to be that close. He stopped and asked me what f is needed him for something and I just stammered a bit and said I was just watching. He was really cool to me and talked to me for a minute. @ryanlostintx.bsky.social
Not me personally but Manny Ramirez almost hit my girlfriend’s parents with his car apparently. I’m sure they didn’t measure but that sounds like 10 feet
Reggie Jackson (although I didn't realize it until a friend pointed out that he was walking almost right next to us in a crowd of people after a 1990 game in Arlington, Texas. He was retired by then and in street clothes; no one seemed to notice except my friend).
Sat in the seats next to the visitors dugout at the old Ballpark in Arlington. Tim Raines was sitting on the step and I was maybe 10 feet away.
I also waited for my pickup order at Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston. Roger Clemens was eating dinner at a table by the door with his family back in 2000.
I am Hispanic, and when I was a kid, Fernando Valenzuela was the big deal. Before the game everyone is yelling at him but my dad got him to come over by saying something to him in Spanish. He stands next to us and has about a 5 minute conversation with him and gave us autographs
Dad = cool that day
Reggie was, weirdly and sorta briefly, friends with my Mom (that's her) because he was good friends with the man she was dating, and so I met him at a party once. I was a huge Mustache Gang fan in the early '70s (from Anaheim but I like Oakland's team better) so it was thrilling to chat with him.
Only spring training I ever went to at Dodgertown was with my dad in 2007. Made friends with one of the scouts to get radar readings and such. One of the last days I was there he introduced me to the young fella he was sitting next to that day -the one and only Clayton Kershaw.
I went to spring training 1987. After a Pirate game in Bradenton, rookie Barry Bonds signed a baseball card for me. I thanked him and forecast 30-30 seasons in his future.
Now persona non grata but was at the Blue Jays State of the Franchise event for season ticket holders where Robbie Alomar abruptly decided to give everyone there a signed baseball. Shook his hand while watching staff scramble to find enough balls.
Eric Davis! A few years ago, I was at an all-star event in Cincy and I was waiting in line right next to him. Kevin Millar, Harold Reynolds were at the event too.
Same. I used to work two floors above 38 Studios before they scammed Rhode Island and moved the company down there.
Passed by Curt on my way to the office complex cafeteria one day while he was fundraising for ALS and before he was revealed to the world as an asshole.
Lou Brock. He was at a Giants game during the American Diabetes Assoc. meeting in 2013 as an ambassador since he had diabetes. Regret not getting a picture.
Comments
Met him at a card show.
Was within 10 feet: Sat down close to a minor league dugout near Mike Trout.
Best overall athlete within 10 feet of: I was at airport security with Bo Jackson.
Something about eye of the beholder... Being impartial to the Wizard, that's my pick.
Don Larsen - early 1990s autograph session in Cooperstown NY
Hank Aaron
Willie mays.
Fergie Jenkins.
I also waited for my pickup order at Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston. Roger Clemens was eating dinner at a table by the door with his family back in 2000.
Dad = cool that day
https://youtu.be/JhqyZeUlE8U?si=MyRdJVSWp_3PfEdB&t=55
As an adult, i was fortunate enough to have a nice conversation with Rocco Baldeli
While Active: Mike Mussina
Passed by Curt on my way to the office complex cafeteria one day while he was fundraising for ALS and before he was revealed to the world as an asshole.
Mo Vaughn was cool, though.
All-Time? Joe D.