Moms are like kryptonite to tough signers. I started out graphing at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore when my mom took me and one of my high school friends up to games. When Frank Robinson was the manager, he was impossible. Time after time he'd walk in, and he was so well known for denying, that if anyone did even bother to approach him, he'd just look at us and say "Guys, tell him the story." The guy just never signed. My mom usually just sat in the car reading or cross-stitching while we got players arriving, and I guess she noticed that Frank never did it. One day as Frank pulled up, she gets out and comes over to where we were and told me to ask him. I don't think I got even two steps towards him when he just waved me off. My mom said "gimme that!" and grabbed my card, yelled out to Frank who stopped literally in his tracks and signed my card beautifully. The whole crowd was in shock! She ended up asking him twice more at various times over the years, and both time he signed for her and only her. We still laugh about that.
My mom used to teach school and at one time decided to get those old SI posters signed to display in her classroom. I'll never forget her standing by the rail before a game against Kansas City with her George Brett poster. The entire rail was packed end to end and Brett was even then a very tough signer. I was actually on the other end of the dugout so I don't know if my mom yelled out to him or not, but when he headed back to the dugout, damned if he didn't make a 90 degree turn to go specifically over to her, signed her poster, and then left. I had to go over to where she was because I thought she was going to get mugged!
Last edited by dgo71; 03-07-2015 at 07:18 PM.
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