What was your worst experience with meeting a major league baseball player in real life?
549741
Kirk Gibson.  He was with the Dodgers... walked right over to the stands at Yankee Stadium... looked right at me and a couple of other kids during warmups... (I was about 8)... as we all begged him for an autograph.\n\nTurned around and walked away without even really thinking about it.
1106060
The worst nickname?  Well, there was Choo-Choo Coleman, who didn't have any idea where he picked the name up, but I would have to agree with "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy.  And I remember David Letterman picking on Mookie Wilson.\n\nBest?  "Teddy Ballgame" (Ted Williams) says it all, but my choice would be "Li'l Abner", taken from the now-defunct comic strip, which was applied to Ron Swoboda.\n\nIncidentally, Mickey Mantle's given name was Mickey.  He was named for Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane.\n\nOther great names:  The Big Train (Walther Johnson), Meal Ticket (Carl Hubbell), The Iron Horse (Lou Gehrig), The Barber (Sal Maglie, so called because of he pitched batters close and inside), The Ol' Perfessor (Casey Stengel), Stan "The Man" Musial (he earned it), Yogi Berra, "Say Hey" (Willie Mays), "Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio, The Vulture (Phil Regan), Blue Moon Odom, Mudcat Grant, The Wizard of Oz (Ozzie Smith) and Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose).\n\nPaul Waner and his brother Lloyd were known as "Big Poison" and "Little Poison" respectively.  Another brother act was Jerome "Dizzy" Dean and his brother Paul, nicknamed "Daffy."\n\nBob Feller was known as "Rapid Robert" and Tom Seaver was "Tom Terrific."  Nolan Ryan did not have a nickname, but his fastball was called "Von Ryan's Express" after a contemporary movie; later the "Von" was dropped.\n\nPumpsie Green (his given name was Elijah Jerry Green) was the first black player for the Boston Red Sox.  He received the nickname name as a child from his mother.\n\nA recent one, no longer applicable, is "Steady" Eddie Guardado.\n\nConnie Mack is entirely a nickname: he was Cornelius McGillicuddy.  And let us not forget Mark "the Bird" Fydritch (probably from "queer as a bird," meaning "wacky") or "Mr. October (Reggie Jackson).\n\n"Papi" in its various forms is a Spanish term of respect for a beloved elder (also equivalent to "Daddy") and has been applied to several Hispanic players, such as Edgar Martinez.\n\nYankee Stadium is still called "The House that Ruth Built," and the original Washington Senators used the nickname instead of their formal name, which was the Nationals.  The Senators were often described as "first in war, first in peace and last in the American League."  Casey Stengel was the first to call the Mets "Amazing".\n\nAnd that's the tip of the iceberg.
1029589
We've collected baseball autographs and autographed cards for about 10 years.  I think Bonds has the worst reputation.  ALMOST any other guy tends to run 'hot' and 'cold'.  Sometimes they will and sometimes they won't.  I've also seen 45 year old 'kids' with a manila envelope FULL of stuff to sign (and resell) pushing through 8 and 9 year (real) kids like wheat to get to players.  That's what hurts the normal guy just wanting to collect for the fun of it.
475078
Well what I have my kids do is if the player is obviously the best on the oposing team.  I have my best and most conditioned player stay with that person the entire game.  I also dont mean stand 5 feet away at all times I mean close enought to pick his pokets.  It usally frustrates the player to no end.
1151101
One name: Steve Dalkowski.  You could talk about him for five minutes or five hours, but he might be the most interesting baseball figure of all time, though he never made the majors.  He was a minor league phenom who played in the 1960s and was rumored to throw 110 mph.  Not surprisingly, he had massive control problems and just when he started to put it all together, he blew out his elbow.  There's a lot of stuff on the Internet about him, but there's one particularly good interview here:  http://www.widewordofsports.com/Articles-016.htm
117769
I met Ben Stiller.  He was shy and very real.  Very accessable.  I also met Joe Dimaggio.  I love him to bits but I don't think he even looked at me when he shook my hand.  He must have shaked millions of hand so, I was just glad to be one of them.
1018654
Present day player is Derek Jeter. All time was Mickey Mantle, with Thurman Munson a close second. You can tell I'm not a Yankee fan.... lol!
1092747
I have one for you.  I used to live in Columbus, Ohio, and I'd put an ad in a Single's Magazine.  There was one lady that replied that seemed relatively nice, so we agreed to meet at a restaurant one day.  When we met she was so nervous you could cut the tension with a knife.  I don't remember what we talked about or for how long we talked but after the date was over we never saw or heard from each other again.  She was relatively nice looking and had a pleasant personality, but no matter how hard I tried I could not get her to relax.  I  could honestly feel the tension so bad that I felt I was being pushed against a wall.  Definitely a very strange experience because I don't think I'd ever scared someone so bad in life as much as I think I scared this poor woman.  Oh well, I chaulked it up as one for experience.
97492
How do you define worst player?A bust?Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals,Todd Von Poppel.There is a list longer than my arm of players that were supposed to make it big in the majors,and never came close to expectations.
459128
If you allow me a very broad definition of the word "met" then I met him during spring training last year.  Before the game after he finished warming up, he came over to a group of fans along the first base line.  He was very friendly and accomodating to everyone.  He signed autographs for half an hour and posed for pictures.
842690
In real life??? No...
1161310
I would have loved to sit down and watch a game with Kirby Puckett (RIP).  I am a Die Hard Tigers fan, but I (sports) idolized KP growing up.  I would just love to hear his view on the game and even if the game was slow, he would always keep me smiling.  A close second would be Buck O'Neill.  He is one of the greatest storytellers ever.\n\nCoincidentally, I could not stand Wade Boggs.  No specific reason why, just never liked him.  Probably because he and KP were always competing for the batting crown.  Might be a decent guy though.\n\nGreat question.  Makes you relive the glory days of your youth.  Always felt like I was sitting down next to Ernie Harwell when I would listen to the Tigers game late at night with my radio as a kid.
17275
ESPN.com MLB section has information on every player, past and present.  But as far as their personal websites you'd probably have to look them up individually.  I've found some that were inaccurate that way too.
866691
absolutely!!! they got to be famous by cheating, and that is not fair to the athletes that used hard work and determination in order to get to the majors!! Babe Ruth is the #2 all-time HR hitter in my mind
473254
LOL!!! My bad experience was my first experience and I was traumatized after it and almost made it my last LOL!!\n\nA friend of mine set this date up. (she's lucky I still called her a friend after that) I was a lil greeny, just turned 18 just graduated. I did not really date in high school. I liked the guys, they liked me but I just did things in groups and  had a blast. ANYWAY...the guy called me, his name was MIKE..he sounded so cute. I asked my friend what he looked like. SHe said OH He's tall, he has a tan complexion, dark hair and glasses, brown eyes, he is really cute. OKay, I was picturing this muscle man with dark hair, good looking, wire frame glasses, tall, and someone that I would just melt for if I saw him. \n\nI was so nervous. \nWell....the next day was the big day. I was all ready to go and nervous...OH SHOOT!!! LOL! the guy comes walking up...about my height 5'3"...mousy brown hair and thick glasses, the goober was wearing a white shirt and tie, he was all dressed up, for gosh sakes we were just to a movie. I thank my luck stars it was a double date, because I wouldn't have survived the night and I would've had to kill him if he touched me. I opened the door, my father is standing their, I am tucking my fathers sleeves signalling to him that I did not want to go. LOL! My mother was whispering just go, geez. NOOOOOOOOOOO! LOL!! THe guy hands me these half dead roses wrapped in green paper that he cut off of a rose bush and he said "I brought you some roses, I thought that it was something I was supposed to do" LOL!!!!!!!!!!!\nI felt totally weird with this guy. \nOkay...so we went to my friends house and picked them up, meanwhile I was leaning against the door , it was locked, but I was clutching onto the handle. \n\nOkay...we WERE supposed to go to a movie, we didn't...the goober had to show us where he worked, he thought that I would be impressed with the fact that he created and built things out of plastic, we spent 20 minutes watching a stupid machine make caps for wesson oil bottles. Then it was getting late, so we went to Red Lobster, instead of watching a movie (because Mike claimed that it was too late) we ended up going to his house and staying their until 2am watching this retarded video on old time inventions. \n\nHe commented on his messy house and he said well if I had a woman to cook for me and clean my house while I worked my house wouldn't look this way. I then said that I was tired and wanted to go home. I was so glad to get home. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!! LOL! I relive those feelings whenver I tell the story, but I bust a gut. LOL!! That was 16 years ago. That was one of the traumantic moments in my life. LOL!!
975370
It may have been Ken Caminitti. He played briefly for the Rangers, and I think he went back to the National League. He did die from a heart attack a few years ago, probably caused by his years of alcohol, drug, and steroid abuse. Sad.
477241
To give you an answer while quoting some of the former professionals themselves:\nOne 2 sport star played both Pro Basketball and Pro Baseball in Philadelphia (sorry, his name slips my mind at the moment (perhaps it was Ron REED), but NOT his quote) once said, "we had to get in shape to play basketball, but in baseball we got out of shape." \n\nAnd, from another player who once played for the Phillies: John Kruk, former first baseman, who responded to this fan from the stands who commented; "you are a disgrace as an athlete" (because of his known dietary habits, smoking, chewing tobacco, and very large beer belly stomach).\n"Hey Lady, I am NOT an athlete, I am a baseball player OK?"