Got to see him yesterday. There's a sports memorabilia store in the coliseum at Ceasars where he was signing autographs and pictures. It's really neat to be able to have a seat with such a legend and have your picture taking, for a small fee of course. 90-100 bucks will get you a signed bb, 400 dollars gets you a nice signed jersey, a bat and a picture with him with a little bit of one on one time. I thought it was great to be able to see him like that. So Mickey Mantle gave him that nickname?
I saw him there too in Feb. 2006. He was sitting at a small table right in front of the store. There was nobody around him. I walked up and just started talking about his early career and places I had seen him as a kid. We talked for at least five minutes... I think he forgot that he was supposed to be hustling me. At the end he asked if I wanted an autograph.... I said no, I had four already from when I was a kid. Mantle and Ford gave him that name when they watched him run out a walk in spring training as a rookie.
You're right, Corey. It is a shame. If you saw him sitting there, overweight and grey with a stupid Caesar's ball cap on, hustling autographs from a card table in a mall. The worst part for me, who worshipped him throughout his career, was seeing all the people walking by him him without a glance. I felt like screaming" Hey, do you know who that is?"
Hey, go to Pete Rose's website and get this neato autographed ball for only $300! It comes with a free display case, but for ony $44.99 you can upgrade to the deluxe model! Charlie "Hustle" is right.
My Dad would have said he lost interest in MLB after the strike, but I really think it was around the time Pete Rose was caught for gambling. Pete Rose was his favorite player, and he actually was a Reds fan for most of his life. After Rose was banned, he really stopped paying much attention. After the strike, he barely ever watched at all.