Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Garner
Hi Derek,
Although admittedly it has been a while since I chased any of these guys for an autograph, I recall:
Eddie Murray & Rickey Henderson never signing for me in public, but both were somewhat cordial. Eddie would always thank me for asking even when he didn't sign. But, Murray singled me out and gave me his wristband after a game in Anaheim on Fathers Day when he played for the Angels at the end of his career. I think that was his way of paying me back for the effort of trying to get his sig several times during that season.
In person, I recall that Steady Eddie had a spirited, fun conversation with me about Nolan Ryan being a "Wolf in sheep's clothing" when he spotted a copy of Nolan's autobiography "Miracle Man" at a paid signing after Murray got his 3,000th hit.
While Randy Johnson was terrible to chase for an autograph during his playing era, I found him to be surprisingly thoughtful and engaging at a MAB paid signing in NJ about 8 years ago.
Although Reggie has been given the label of a terrible signer, I was successful at getting his sig several times while he was a member of the Angels in the 1980's and I also got him at the airport in Dallas in the 1990's. The key with him, as I recall it was to approach him with the right attitude. Although he can be cranky, I have seen him also be very approachable at times, FWIW.
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I actually had decent luck with Eddie in the days of Memorial Stadium in the late 80s, but he had gotten much tougher after his retirement. As a coach with Cleveland and Baltimore I witnessed him deny every time he was asked, and even made a racist remark to one collector. I haven't seen him since he stopped coaching so maybe an in person encounter would be different these days. That said, he does a fair amount of signings/shows so he's gettable these days for those who don't mind paying the fee.
To your point, Reggie was not terribly difficult to get an autograph from, if you were willing to listen to him complain and drop more F-Bombs than a Richard Pryor stand-up set. As young teens, my buddy and I used to laugh after the fact at the tirades Reggie would go on while signing autographs. We always felt like he'd be happier if he just walked right by us, but maybe he enjoyed the chance to call us all "motherf*****."
My favorite Rickey Henderson story was a non-success in terms of autographs but man did he engage the crowd. It was a spring training game in St. Lucie when he was with the Mets. Rickey came out into the crowd that had gathered along the fence adjacent from the baseline and just started mingling with everybody. He told people he wouldn't sign anything, but was happy to chat and take pictures. He sat out there for 2 or 3 innings interacting with the fans. The thing I remember most, because it cracked me up, was a guy up in the bleachers yelling out "Hey Rickey!" Rickey replied with "Hey!" and the guy says "You're going into the HOF!" Without missing a beat Rickey responded "I know!"