Share a time you met a famous athlete...

[clydepepper]

In 1966, the Braves' first season in Atlanta, my cousin, Whitlow Wyatt, the Braves' Pitching Coach, helped my fat young butt climb down into the Braves' dugout...where he presented me with an autographed team ball.

A few years later, I attended his daughter's wedding...that's me on the left:

1972 with WHITLOW WYATT.jpg

[Mike D.]

Peter Gammons spoke to my SABR chapter a few years back. Most guest speakers would show up maybe 15 min before they'd start speaking to us (usually shortly after lunch). Not Peter. He got there a few minutes after I did...about 15 min before the meeting started at like 9:30 or 10 AM. He stayed the whole day.

Just before the meeting, I walked over to get an autograph and tell him I enjoyed his writing...we ended up chatting for 10 min or so while the meeting got started. Very down to earth and you could tell he just loved baseball.

My SABR chapter is a hoot...twice a year at their meetings, I can say two things I can not usually say:

1. I'm the worst person in a crowded room at baseball trivia.

2. I'm the youngest person in the room. I'm in my mid-40's, but this groups has far more people over 70 than under. It's a fun group because you'll have someone talk about watching Bob Feller pitch in person, then reach into his wallet and pull out a well loved Feller card he's had since he was a kid.

[Mark17]

At Richfield, MN high school around 1975, I was in the weight room at the leg press machine. After doing a bunch of reps, I was leaning forward, with my head resting on the support bar, waiting a minute before my next set. I heard this voice behind and above me say, "You trying to push it with your head?"

I slowly began to turn around as I said, "No, you dumbsh**" when I suddenly stopped.

Standing behind me, laughing, was Viking defensive end Bob Lurtsema.

[JollyElm]

I've got two entertaining ones...

Mid 80's sitting in the Burger King in Huntington, NY, when the largest arm I have ever seen in my life reaches over me and grabs my friend's NY Giants wallet off of the table (he's a complete Giants nut). I immediately react, jump up and turn around to confront the thief, and who do I see? Mark frickin' Gastineau standing there with a huge grin on his face chuckling. He flips the wallet back on the table and says, "Ha! It's probably empty anyway." (For those of you out of the loop, he was a huge part of the New York Jets team, and there's an immense rivalry between Jets and Giants fans in the NY area.) My friend, thin as a rail, but a complete wise ass says, "Nope, it's loaded...from betting on Big Blue." It was one of the coolest moments ever, because he was teeming with gleeful personality. His wife was standing there smiling like crazy, and he had his baby daughter in his arms. Very, very cool.

Mid 90's, we're leaving the Islanders game and my friend points out that frickin' Carol Alt was sitting on the aisle a few rows up from us (we were stuck on the steps waiting for the lines of people to move). I say, "Hold on a moment." And just walk right up to her and say, "Hi, Ms. Alt. Big fan. My friends call me Elms. I'd love to take you out to grab a cup of coffee." She smiles warmly and replies, "That is so-ooo sweet." (In other words, she never actually answered my question.) We chat for a moment or two, and I leave being the only person I know who has ever asked out a super model.

[mark evans]

I recall two chance meetings with sports greats but can't claim to have been very cool.

In 1973, I interviewed for an associate position with an Atlanta law firm. At the day of my interview, the firm arranged for its client Hank Aaron to be at the office. We shook hands and I expressed my appreciation for his career. Hank struck me as a pretty serious fellow, at least in that setting. His new wife, however, I believe a tv personality, was vivacious and friendly. Epilogue: I didn't get the job.

I had two jobs in the federal government in the 90s that required me to attend congressional hearings. At one such hearing one of the witnesses preparing to testify was Jim Brown. I walked up to him, he was seated, and shook his hand and told him that I thought he was the greatest football player I had ever seen. He asked my name. He was quite serious, maybe because his attention was focused on his upcoming testimony which, if memory serves, was about his efforts to combat juvenile delinquency.

[epike3]

Lanny McDonald, Salt Lake City bar between Olympic hockey games. A fun guy to chat with about hockey, he was there to be a fan like everyone else.

What a great tournament, you could go to three games a day!!