My wife is a physician and is involved in a number of health initiatives. In the late 80's or early 90's she asked me to pick up a guest speaker for a diabetes awareness dinner (read fund raiser). I told her I only had my F350 truck and she said it was OK since he was a farmer from the Carolinas named Hunter.
He came in on an evening flight. I did my best impersonation of a limo driver with a sign for Mr. Hunter. He walked up to me and introduced himself as Jim Hunter. My knees buckled as I realized that it was Catfish Hunter. I stammered a little and told him he was my second favorite pitcher of all time after Bob Gibson. I told him my wife said to pick up a farmer from the Carolinas.
We talked about upland bird hunting and deer hunting all the way to the hotel. It was a great conversation. I did not think to ask him for an autograph. I had to leave the next morning for Denver so my wife picked him up for the dinner the next day. She came home with an autographed baseball for me.
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