Athletes You Have Met

[NorthCoastBias]

I met OJ Mayo at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beachwood (I wasn't shopping there, just leaving the mall :chuckles. I think he was in town for the LBJ Skills Academy. This was probably a year after he got drafted. I just wished him good luck and took a picture with him. Guy was buying one expensive pair of Gucci sneakers.

 

[Nicky]

Darius Miles - Did not like him, at all. Referred to himself in the 3rd person. Was offended if you didn't know who he was. Felt he didn't need to wait in any lines.

David Robinson - nice guy
Clyde "the Glade" Drexler - concerned about the youths grades in school. Very nice guy.
Jim Thome - pretty goofy
Carlos Baerga - Always smelled amazing
Jose Mesa - I'm sorry I mentioned him. :chuckles:
Pretty much the entire 95 roster of the Cleveland Indians.
Ken Griffey Jr. - he also smelled really good.

Ben Wallace - quiet, but nice
Boobie Gibson - :sigh: - before he was "prayed up"
LeBron James - a few times - always nice when I had run-ins with him. He asked me how I was doing.
I looked around to make sure he was speaking to me.
Bob Sura - Thuggish Ruggish. My goodness.
Antoine Walker - Seemed somewhat clueless.

 

[Cavatt]

Oscar Robinson stood in line behind me at the preseason game last year in Cincinatti. I knew I recognized him, but I couldn't figure out who he was until after I had already gotten my ticket and gotten out of line. I did say "hi" to him.

Sat on the floor at the United center. Vinny Del Negro shook the hand of everyone there and had a big smile on his face. Seemed like a nice guy. He is not a great coach, but he is nowhere near as bad as people say.

Joakim Noah pulled down over 20 boards that night. It was the first season he started doing that. I think I said, "Awesome rebounding!" he said, "thanks." Hahah he is so thin it is crazy. Sitting on the floor was one of the best things ever. If you get the chance, do it.

 

[Pyro]

Brad Smith.

Would always come in once a year to see his old teachers, hung out in the art room and signed autographs.

 

[Ruken]

I've met Jim Thome that's about it.

Great story though my buddy lives out it NE and is went out with one of his friends who knew Gronk. Gronk told all the women they met that my friend was Wes Welker which caused him to go home with three women that night.

Moral of the story, go party with Gronk

 

[Derek]

I undercut Kosta Koufos in a scrimmage to avoid getting dunked on :chuckles:

That's about the extent of my high-profile athlete encounters

I wouldn't count any of these, but I went to an Indians event when I was younger and "met" Manning, Mesa and Nagy among others.

My cousin used to deliver UPS to Pat Borders in Florida. I have an autographed picture somewhere.

 

[MoneyMP3]

Met Austin Carr outside of the Q a couple years ago. Seemed to be in a hurry so I didn't keep him long. Very nice guy.

 

[Scrote Squad]

Ken Griffey Jr - I went to school with his cousin growing up. We would go to games whenever the M's were in town and go down to the locker room after. Probably as nice and genuine as a guy of his stature could be. Naturally, met the rest of the guys on those M's teams (A-Rod - cocky prick, Randy Johnson - quiet, etc)

Hot Rod Williams - I went to school with his son. Very nice guy.

Larry Csonka - Stow High School graduate that was friends with my dad and did political events for him.

Asdrubal - THIS GUY. Gets hammered at the valley bars (those in Akron know what I'm talking about) because his host parents from when he played on the Aeros live right up the street. Have seen him carried out on multiple occasions.

Mark Price, Larry Nance - Was outside the Cavs locker room a lot when I was a kid. Both extremely nice.

Beanie Wells - My brother was being honored at an event that Beanie was at. Most massive 18 yr old I'd ever seen.

Rasheed - Had floor seats for a regular season game when the Pistons were in town. I didn't really meet him so much as friendly trash talk him every time he walked by. Very engaging personality.

Chris Paul - A buddy of mine worked for the Hornets and got to talk to him for a while. Really cool dude. On that same topic, this was around the time that Damon Jones was jobless and would buy his own ticket into the arena to try and get a roster spot. Crazy ass guy.

Met all of the 90's Indians when I was in Toronto to watch them play as a teenager. Vizquel would be a shit show every night and come in with people helping him walk. Chad Ogea would have the sexiest bitches in all of Canada hanging on each arm every time he walked into the hotel. Albert cussed some kid out in the hotel lobby for pestering him for an autograph.

 

[theSTEREO.]

Don't really count autograph signings personally. Met a few that way.

My buddy in fourth grade lived next door to Mark Price. Met him once or twice, shot hoops in his driveway. (Not with mark though). Signed an old Cavs ballcap for me.

Grew up super into snowboarding, and eventually started working in that industry. Got to meet a ton of my childhood idols. Was so stoked at first, then it became just normal. I got to work with a lot of them on a pretty close basis. Most were super cool and are still really good friends. A few I really don't like anymore. :chuckles: Threw a few old posters out.

Back in the 90s, my dad (not a sports fan) was just chatting with this older dude at the airport waiting for a flight. Really nice conversation for about 20 min. Wasn't sure why a bunch of people kept coming up and asking for autographs. As they were boarding the flight, my dad said "I didn't want to put you on the spot, but couldn't help notice all the people coming up. Mind if I ask who you are?" Guy said "I'm Willie Mays" :chuckles:

 

[MattyJames]

Iv'e met about 80-90% of the guys who have fought in the UFC. Iv'e been a die hard MMA fan since the the early days. Ive made it a hobby to travel to as many events a year as possible. Because i have been there from the beginning, i have established a close knit group of friends inside the organization. That has allowed me to have pretty much full access at all events. I know several dozen fighters on a first name basis and have mingled with numerous others here and there. Outside of MMA, I have met a few NBA, NFL and boxers at UFC afterparties and such.

THE ONE athlete that I have never met and want to is Iron Mike.

 

[Ohio]

Bob Feller - met at an Indians spring training game a few years back. Talked baseball with him for like 15 minutes and got his autograph on an MLB baseball. Was a great guy

Gaylord Perry - played against one of his grandsons in the 12 year old Cooperstown baseball tournament (which is a huge deal). Got his autograph on my Cooperstown hat and talked to him for a few minutes. Cool dude

Paul O'Neill - played against one of his kids in basketball long time ago. Got his autograph too. He was a decent guy

Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Jhonny Peralta - were all signing autographs before an Indians game years ago. Didn't get to talk to them much

Maurice Wells, John Hicks - Met in Tempe, Arizona the night before the National Championship between OSU and Miami. They were both pretty chill

I've met plenty of other athletes along the way but just didn't really know who they were. Fathers or uncles of kids I was playing baseball or basketball against or whatever. I remember one guy in particular, was a Super Bowl champ for the 49ers. He said he played special teams. The Super Bowl ring was massive lol. That was at Baseball Heaven (a tournament in Long Island, NY).

I'm sure I'm forgetting some but it'll come to me eventually.

 

[PIP]

Lord Jeter.... And I still have stain in the front of the boxer briefs I was wearing as proof....

 

[Nicky]

^Did he reciprocate the "hardwood"?

 

[CavsRules]

I've met a few players in the NBA, as a young journalist I tend to attempt to talk to as many players as possible.

Favorite player I've ever met had to be Kevin Garnett in the NBA. It was a year ago when I spoke a few words and asked him a question about his championship with Boston and shook his hand. Really a great guy and a player who would die on the basketball court to win a title.

But nothing beats meeting my idol, Kenny Lofton. I was younger, but I got a chance to get him to sign his rookie card I had at a Tribe game and I shook his hand. Priceless as a young fan.

 

[MJA1080]

When I was in 3rd or 4th Grade my mom took me and two friends to a mall about 30 minutes away to meet Richie Sexton. When we got there we found out the mall was charging $30 per person to get an autograph. It was near mall closing time and almost empty so we started to leave when security came to us and told us he was covering it and we got to meet him and talk for a little bit. As a kid that was awesome to me.