Autograph Hound's Blah Blah Blog

Friday, March 27, 2020

Steve Carlton 1997 Arlington, TX


More Mr. Peabody and the WABAC trips…this might have been part of the TX Rangers Fan Fest at the Arlington Convention Center.

Growing up a Phils Phan, there was a mystic about SteveCarlton. The press didn’t like him. He did Kung Fu and said that helped him focus on his pitching. He had a dedicated catcher.  In 1972, he won 27 games which was almost half of the Phillies total wins that season.
I went to this show just to add his signature to my collection.


When it was my turn, I handed over the ball and mentioned I was a Phils fan. Then I said I hoped he could have gotten a short spring training contract like Schmidt did a few weeks earlier. The contract was to coach the rookies.  He perked up.  He said something generic about timing or retirement.  He mentioned he was living in the Phoenix area and the Phillies were in Florida.

Yes, of course, I pointed to my ubiquitous Uof A shirt. He smiled and handed back my ball. Then he asked me to step to the side and wait.  He signed another item. Security came over to ask me to move along.  Steve told them I was with him.  They backed off but I was in the way and trying not be trouble.

He signed a few more items as he told me about his winery.  
I was feeling self-conscious as people struggled to move around me. 
Then he told me about AZ. It was general chit chat.  Stuff about living in AZ and not even baseball. It was very cool and unexpected.  He signed a few more items and I finally left.
One of my favorite interactions regarding an autograph.

AH

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