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+--- Thread: ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) (/thread-318882.html)
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - kptteix23 - 07-01-2008
I have been to many baseball games and autograph signings:
Nicest: Jeff Francouer(Asked me, my friend, and my cousin to guess his age and whoever guessed the closest he would give hime a his batting gloves), Robin Yount, Steve Carlton, Ernie Banks (chatted with everyone at the last Baltimore MAB show, when my dad was in the bathroom, Ernie came in tand they chatted for a little bit), Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench
Worst: Reggie Jackson(got him at a show in March, paid 30 for an inscription on the ball, asked for HOF but, he signed a scribble), Tom Seaver
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - abncollectsautos - 07-01-2008
i have met alot of braves smoltz, mcann, chipper, francoeur, maddux, justice, mcgriff, ron gant, and a few older ones like pendelton and bob horner. all nice as can be.
arod was a prick when i met him at yankee stadium, as was noah lowery when i saw him play at shea in 05. overall not as many bad people. i have heard homer bailey is kind of a prick
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - jeepred510 - 07-01-2008
Luis Tiant- met him at a golf course I used to work at. Was sitting at the lounge with some friends and i noticed who it was. Very friendly guy to talk to.
Billy Williams- met him at a Watertown Indians game a long time ago,he was sitting on a bench and my dad pointed him out to me. very polite and friendly, spent about 10 minutes talking to him.
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - predatorkj - 07-01-2008
I think the nicest was the whole Marlins team and especially Luis Gonzalez.Sure there were a few who wouldn't sign like Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez but I have really started understanding that just because they don't sign doesn't mean anything personal.They get asked to sign all the time so I kinda understand where they can be like "screw it...I am not doing it today".
Luis Gonzalez signed anything and everything put in front of him.
Lance Berkman isn't that bad and he always does free signings around town at Academy's and other places.Roy Oswalt is usually pretty nice as well.He will also do free signings during the Astros Caravan.I just chalk up their mannerisms to the fact that they are both country boys and stuff like crowding an athlete for his autograph may seem a little odd for them.I think if neither one was playing baseball professionally they would only watch a few games a year on televison at the most.They would more likely be hunting and in Roy Oswalts case...watching Nascar.
As far as my worst personal experience...it would probably be Craig Biggio but in all reality...it really wasn't that bad.I have heard other things about him though that were way off the field and I don't think they were right but it did not happen to me so I can't for a fact say the man is a bad person.Only that I believe he can be kind of rude.
Another thing to keep in mind is a lot of people will tell you that players don't have to sign.In reality...they don't.Which is fine.But one golden rule to remember is that you only get one chance to make a good first impression and even though that may have no direct bearing on a player or their livelihood, they would do good to remember this.So would people who say that a person is an idiot or a whiner simply because they didn't get an autograph.Its not like all of us get to hang out with these guys every day.Sometimes we may only see a player a few times in our whole life.So if someone comes to me and tells me so and so is a jerk, it may not be entirely true but I chalk that up to being more of the players fault than the fan.They may get tired of signing and for some people its not the biggest deal not to get an autograph.But sometimes they should realize that not every fan is going to sell it and for a lot of them, it may be their first and last time to see them play.
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - astrosrule1 - 07-01-2008
frikativ54 Wrote:chisox3706 Wrote:jeff bagwell is a stroke
Wow - I had the opposite experience with Bagwell. First time I met him, he was quite shy but still wished me happy birthday (the Houston trip was a belated birthday present)! But he signed everything for me, including a game-used bat, which I later heard that he doesn't often do.
Second time I met him, it was in a restaurant after an extra-innings win in Arizona. I got to high five Bagwell and chat with him for a couple of minutes, before I decided that I should sit back down in my seat. Then the next day at the stadium, he signed my authentic Astros jersey for me. Far from a jerk, IMO.
Best Guys: Eduardo Perez, Billy Wagner
Worst: Hunter Pence, Randy Johnson
I grew up in the 90s watching the Astros and have to say that Bagwell was one of the nicest players ever! He was always kind of quite but seemed to sign autographs before and after nearly every game. I have over a hundred cards/balls/photos all over my house autographed by Bagwell and Biggio as well.
I disagree on the Hunter Pence part though. He signs more autographs than anybody and is always very friendly. I have never personally got his autograph as on several occasions he has looked at me and said I am trying to pick the kids arms out of the crowd as he skips the grown ups. But hey I don't consider it rude if he had rather sign for the kids and women instead of grown men that is his call but he has always been funny when I have met him.
The all time greatest player I have ever met is Jose Lima! When he was with the Astros I was in like junior high probably and my brother younger than that and he always signed and would talk to us and we went on vacation one year and watched them play the Pirates, after the game we were waiting for a cab with our parents and he happened to walk by and recognized us and jokingly picked at us for getting a cab back to the hotel (i think it was only like 4 of 5 blocks away) and said we should just walk with him so we had a good little talk while walking with him. The hotel had a bar in it and later that night he got the bar to let me and my brother come in and play some pool against him! We got to talking and told him we were going to be heading back west before we headed back to Houston and he asked if we wanted to see them play the Cubs at Wrigley and we said yeah. He got our number and said he would call us the day of the Friday night game. And he met us at the hotel that morning and gave us tickets not only to that game but to all three games of the serious, and not will call but actually hand delivered! A total class act.
Alltime least pleasant was Derek Bell got his autograph thirty something times and never met a guy who could even try and be as rude as he was to his fans.
On a side not Billy Wagner was always either a complete jerk or the nicest person you ever met and this is after meeting him a ton of times, there is no in between with him it seemed.
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - raysnbraves - 07-01-2008
Jeff Francoeur is one of the nicest guys I've met, and I've met a LOT. I got to the Braves Training facility at Disney super early one morning and actually walked in right as Frenchy did. We chatted for a few, and he asked me questions about myself. He even told me that he had just found out that his wife is pregnant right before he showed up at camp. He also signed my bat, later gave me a batting cage ball and his sweat towel. Great guy.
Tommy Lasorda has his moments. He can either be a really nice guy like your old grandpa. OR, he can be a grumpy old guy, sort of like your old grandpa.
. I've experienced both, but I'll never get tired of hearing him tell stories. I'm gonna miss Dodgertown. 
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - haverdash - 07-01-2008
Easily the nicest - Frank Howard. A couple of summers back, while he was working with the Clippers ( Yankees AAA, then anyways) I spent more than one evening drinking a cold one listening to his stories. All around nice guy.
worst- either Mike Mussina or Billy Traber
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - stlalways94 - 07-01-2008
detroittigerfan1976 Wrote:nicest players
Mike Rabelo
Nate Robertson
Lou Whitaker
Brandon Inge
Carl Crawford
Anthony Reyes
Tom Brookens
Worst players
Carlos Guillen
Placidio Polanco
Randy Johnson
I actually had a good experience with him at the Cardinals Caravan a long while ago.
Nice:
Al Reyes
CHRIS PEREZ
Rick Ankiel
Andy Benes
Placido Polanco
Ross Wolf (Florida MiLB'er)
Casey Degroote (Former Yankee, whose MLB experience included a roster slot in the playoffs... Great guy, he is best friends with my Dad, and he gives me hitting lessons)
EVIL:
Garrett Stephenson
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - tramers - 07-01-2008
best ; south atlantic league [ low "A" ] only one NO in years
no signer Roberto Kelly was a coach in league .
ot- nicest baseball players you have met? (and the not so nice) - Fandruw25 - 07-01-2008
Nicest, Arod
Met him back in KC when he was playing with Seattle and he talked to me and my brother for 15-20 minutes about baseball and such. The best part was when he left he said "See ya round Eric and Kevin". At 12 years old a ball player knowing your name is probably one of the coolest feelings.