I actually have two more brushes with a HOFer's I should mention. This is actually a much better one than my close encounter with Mr. Bunning. In the summer of 1984 I was a sophomore in high school and had just obtained the latest Baseball Address List by Jack Smalling and was feverishly writing to every ball player I could. The first encounter was when I wrote to the Chicago Cubs great Hank Sauer. His wife actually wrote me back and sent back the photo autographed by him that I had sent, along with a nice letter thanking me for being a great fan. This was in November. In December I got a box in the mail from "The Sauers". I opened it and there was a wrapped Christmas gift inside. I opened it and enclosed was a photo album that Mrs. Sauer had put together for me. It was full of re-printed photos and news clippings of his career. Some of them autographed. I couldnt believe it! Now that's a classy thing to do. I still have it!
The second encounter was the most exciting. That same summer, in August 1984 I noticed in the Baseball Address List that Waite Hoyt just lived across the river from me in Mt. Adams (Cincinnati). I wrote to him and let him know what a big fan I was and maybe sometime I could meet him. I expected him to send an autographed photo back. He didnt. He actually handwrote a shorrt letter back to me. The letter said he and his wife would love to meet me and he gave me a date and said why don't I come to their house and we can make a day of it. He included his home telephone # and asked me to call him. I about fainted! But then a horrible twist of fate happened. I got the letter in the mail late that evening because I was out all day and was planning to call him the next day to set up a meeting at his house. My Dad was watching the 11 o'clock news and I heard him call me from the other room. He told me to look at the TV. I did and the newscaster was reporting that earlier in the day Waite Hoyt, the hall of fame Yankee and long time Reds announcer was rushed to Jewish Hospital. A few days later he died. He never came out of the hospital. I was so close to meeting this legend. I still have the letter.
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06-21-2010, 12:03 PM
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