Great topic, CurtFlood. I didn't want to steal your thread, so I started this one to tell y'all which RBIers I've met.
I wonder if between all of us, we've meet all of them?
I used to get autographs at MLB/AAA games all the time, so I met many on my list that way...but here it is:
Tim Burks
Marty Barrett
Tom Brookens
Matt Nokes
Pat Sheridan
Jose Cruz
Don Mattingly
Jose Canseco
Tim Raines
Ryne Sandberg
Andre Dawson
These are guys that I have autographs of, but haven't actually met (Beckett used to publish which players would personally respond if you mailed a card to them...and I was a kid, so I did):
Tony Gwynn
Mike Schmidt
Andres Gallarraga
George Brett
Will Clark
Gary Carter
Kirby Puckett
Alan Trammell
Wade Boggs
Out of RBIers I have met Jose Canseco. I have his autograph on a card (I could post it here if people like, it is a 90 donruss card). He is the only RBIer that I have met however I do have Don Baylor's autograph on an 1988 A's team ball that I got at a baseball camp when I was a kid (McGwire wasn't on the ball).
QuoteDon Baylor's autograph on an 1988 A's team ball
Baylor played for the A's in '88? Good lord, that guy was a drifter - he was with the Angels in the early '80's, the Red Sox in '86, and the Twins for the last part of '87 (unfortunately, they didn't put him in RBI twice; would've made the Twins tougher).
I have met three and they're all from the angels... they were doing a signing at the mall when i was a kid.
Bob Boone, Don Sutton, Brian Downing (so nervous i didn't even talk to him, i just handed him my card... i was like randy from christmas story just looking at him.)
In 86, 87, and 88 he was on world series teams and he played for three different teams.
He only had one at bat in the 88 series and he struckout.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/baylodo01.shtml
He played for 6 different teams including the A's twice.
I met Bill Buckner in his days as a Cub. He made an appearance at Kiddie Kingdom. Must have been 1982-1983.
I don't think I've ever met an RBI'ers. Was never big on autographs...
Haven't met any NES RBI'ers but a couple from the arcade version. Gene Tenace is from Portsmouth and Don Gullet lives about 10 minutes away in Kentucky, we used to hang out at his house all the time.
Only autographs I have are Harold Baines and a ball with all of the 87 Astros.
great thread.
I met HoJo and Wally Backman when each were coaching in the minors, both were really nice guys. I brought a couple Backman cards and was waiting by the dugout but he didn't come out until the game was about to start. I asked for his autograph and one of the coaches told me, in a grumpy way, that Backman wasn't going to sign that close to game-time. Wally basically told him to shut up and came over and signed all the cards I had. Doesn't change the fact that he never sees a pitch for me though.
Ive met Ozzie, McGee...a lot of the Cards team.
I just got a call from SalBando last night. He couldn't post because he's down in Florida right now playing baseball for Earlham College. Anyway they're staying at the same complex as the Mets and have been hanging out with a lot of them this week. I guess a lot of them have met Gary Pettis and one of their trainers hung out with him all night at the bar a couple days ago. I didn't get the chance to get a lot of details at the time cause I was on my cell phone at the bar but he said he'll be back in a few days and he might have some quality RBI memorabilia.
Vince Coleman.....nice guy.
that's about it.
Chubbs, didn't the Francos use a derogatory term to describe his twin boys? That's all I remember. I also remember they had a keg of Foster's for us that day. If I recall, you got fucking hammered.
Yeah. You're right. Totally forgot about that. And, yes, I was hammered. Good times. That was one of, if not my first drunken experience. I just remember fighting w/ my dad over which beer was ours. {slurred} "Dad, I just pourred that shit man." I was about 15 mind you.
It was the first time any of our peers had gotten drunk. I think someone passed out in the driveway that day. Sadly, I did not drink the kool aid.
i saw bob brenly at the CSUF vs. UNLV baseball game yesterday. i would have talked to him, but he was there to watch his son play for the rebels. i also did not feel it would have been appropriate to try to talk to him in the bathroom. the only thing i could remember about him anyway, was his world series with the dbacks and his 3 or 4 errors in one inning.... so i didn't approach him, but i thought this sighting was important enough to mention here.
brenly is pretty tall, and sort of a bigger guy than i expected from a former catcher. maybe vegas can get in touch with him and see if he'll make it for the next dee-nee fest.
Bob Brenly caught a perfect game once. Which is pretty impressive.
I've seen two RBIers last month, Jack "Bankrupt" Clark (only decent player on the Cardinals in RBI, most can't hit shit) and Danny Cox. My father has met a couple RBIers himself, which I should ask him soon, and he watched the resealing of the "Curse of the Bambino" in 1986, (which would've been unsealed if it weren't for Bill fucking Buckner) and he was strongly for the Mets.
I have a couple collectable cards of RBIers myself, obtained from my uncle.