Meeting My Baseball Hero

[sixpointone]

Hi All,

Life has been hectic and I have not been here for awhile, but I wanted to take a moment to share an incredibly great experience that I had. On 11/1/08 I was able to Meet my Favorite Baseball Player of All Time, by far, Johnny Bench, at a Trade Show in Wilmington, MA.

I had bought a couple of Autograph Tickets but my main hope was to possibly get my Picture taken with Johnny.

I was there, slightly early, and was patiently waiting for the Signing to start. I was waiting my Johnny Bench # 5 Jersey and a Cincinnati Reds Cap when he saw me on his way to his Table. He said... "Hey you, with a classy outfit like that come over here and get a Picture with me." I think I turned around to make sure nobody was standing behind me, as I was stunned in the best way possible.

We chatted for a minute or so and I showed him a small Baseball Bunch T-Shirt I wore as a kid, as that Show sparked my passion for Baseball, and made me go to Cooperstown in 1989 when he was Inducted. He said... "We need to get a Picture together with this as well."

I also gave Johnny a couple of Gifts and I truly believe that he appreciated them.

In line Johnny personalized my Items I wanted to have Signed and I let him know that I appreciated it all more than any words. He said however that it was his pleasure.

To me, the man is not just a Hall of Fame Baseball Player but a first class person as well.

To summarize it is a great feeling when you Meet a Hero and they turn out to be far greater than you might have even hoped! And because of that I wanted to share that story with those here.

Thanks for reading!

All My Best Always,
John

[opticsp]

I loved the Big Red Machine too since my folks knew Davey Concepcion (I am Venezuelan). Must have been exciting. I know there are a few of us here that are crazy for this team too and even collect signature gloves of the players on the team.

One thing I want to know is why Bench was not at the allstar game? He was the one that was the most missed since there were not too many catcher representing and he was most definitively the best.

[sixpointone]

Hiya opticsp,

Thanks for your kind words.

It is always nice to Meet a Reds Fan and it was indeed incredible to have Johnny treat me so warmly. I'll never quite find the words to describe it.

As for why Bench was not at the All Star Game, I too was curious about that, and then I found the answer on an Mike andf the Mad Dog clip on YouTube. The link is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emkBy-Oa7w

If I am understanding it correctly, Johnny would have Loved to have been at the All Star Game but instead opted to stick by his Word and fulfill a Prior Obligation for the Dave Thomas Foundation, which Benefits Orphaned Children.

All My Best,
John

[opticsp]

Two things:

1) Man I miss the Mad Dog. For those of you not in NYC area, Mad Dog is the funniest most energetic sports jock out there. He is on Sirrius radio now, so anyone that gets it should tune in. The Mike in that equation is a loser and not very popular anymore since Mad Dog left (Despite the fact that he has been on air around 25 years).

2) Man, Johnny's cool. Great story he tell about his dad. Also, who has a better baseball name than Johnny Bench?!

[robin_buckeye]

I'm a big Reds fan too, and I have always heard that Johnny is a class act. I have two of his endorsed catcher's mitts as well as quite a few other great Reds players' gloves.

You're right -- there are a lot of Reds fans on this forum.

[1glove2many]

14 members of the 75/76 Big Red machine are in Cincinnati this weekeng for a sports show and signing.On Saturday I had the good fortune to speak to Johnny Bench,Pete Rose,Joe Morgan,Cesar Geronimo and Davey Concepcion.They were all very nice and accomodating.I saved the sweet spot for Davey.I still think he belongs in the HOF and will get there someday,Friday night featured Pedro Borbon,Santo Alcala,and Gary Nolan.Will McEnaney's flight was delayed so he was there for a limited time on Saturday.The ticket I'd purchased included a signature from Will but he was already backstage.The promoters were very nice when I told them I'd missed Mr.McEnaney and they took me backstage to get my auto.Got ot sit and chat with Borbon,Nolan and Will for a few minutes.Great guys.Today finishes up with Tony Perez,Ken Griffey Sr.,Dan Dreissen,Ed Armbrister and George Foster.George has been there all weekend.He's vying for a spot on dancing with the stars and rpomotes his local charity.He's still put together pretty solid.Huge arms and very thick thru the chest.I'd say he's still pumping iron.The economy has put a little damper on the show.Mainly people getting autographs and heading home.Not any vintage gloves.A few bats.Lotsa balls,cards,trinkets memorabilia,etc.Still it's great to see my boyhood heros from the 70's.Thinking back I think.I emulated a different players swing every year.Don't remember which one produced the highest batting average.

[sixpointone]

Hi 1glove2many,

I had heard of the Event in Cincinnati that you mentioned and I am so glad that you were able to go and that Johnny and the others all treated you first class!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, as I truly enjoyed it.

All My Best Always,
John