When I went to Cincinnati July 29th and 30th, I got an excellent chance to meet some Braves because I stayed at their hotel. I managed to meet quite a few, here's what meeting each of them was like.
Kevin Millwood
I met Kevin Millwood the 29th, he was in the lobby talking to some guy I'd never seen before. I found his picture in my team yearbook and worked up the guts to ask him, "Mr. Millwood, would you please sign this?" He agreed and afterwards I thanked him. Then about 10 minutes later, my dad asked him if he would have his picture taken with me. He said sure, and put his arm around me for the photo. I should have the pictures back tomorrow, so check back for the picture. He's a really nice guy. He seems as though he'd be kinda quiet and a laid back person, but very polite. Here's his scanned signature.
Hall of Famer Don Sutton
I met Don Sutton as he was going to the team bus to announce the July 30th game vs. the Reds. He definitely knew how to handle the crowd. He clearly stated that after he put his bags on the bus, everyone would form a single-file line and the first minute he got surrounded by a mob he was getting on the bus. It was a smart thing to do, everything went much faster and in order. I was about the 5th person in line. He signed my dad's hat, and when he was signing the team yearbook I told him thanks and that I loved his induction speech. He said "Well thank you! You're kind." I told him he deserved it and he said thanks again. He was a very nice guy and signed everyone's autographs. Here's his signature from the yearbook.
Andruw Jones
I met Andruw Jones in Champs bar inside the hotel. I don't know why they let me in since I'm underage but they did! Andruw was by the bar with Ozzie Guillen. I walked over and waited for him to get off his cell phone, then asked him to sign my yearbook. He signed it, then after that he looked the yearbook and checked it out some. I don't think he'd ever seen one before and thought it was neat. I thanked him and told him he hit a nice homer that night. He smiled and laughed a little. Here's his signature.
Andres Galarraga
Andres was at the bar to the left of Andruw and Guillen. He was wearing a t-shirt, and that guy is huge! I can see how he'd hit a 500 foot home run. I asked him for his autograph, and he gave it to me and I thanked him. He didn't say anything to me, but I don't blame him because I understand he just wanted to talk to his friends and have a drink. When I walked up to him, I accidently stepped on his foot! Here's his signature.
Dennis Martinez
I met Dennis Martinez when he was going to the bus before the July 30th game. He signed a lot of autographs, but there was one thing I didn't like about how he did it. He would only sign with his own black pen and I heard him complaining to the hotel escort about how fans are trying to tell him where to sign and what to sign with. I'm not saying anything bad about Dennis, because he could be a really nice guy, but he came across as unappreciative of the fans. Here's his signature.
Ozzie Guillen
I met Ozzie in Champs bar also. He was watching the Yankees/Angels game on the TV by Andruw and near Galarraga. At first I don't think he understood I wanted his autograph, because he said no, then he said, "Oh yeah, I thought you said..." I couldn't make out the rest of what he said in that sentence because he has a heavy accent and was talking pretty fast. But he signed it, and seemed like a pleasant guy. Here's Ozzie's signature.
John Rocker
I met John Rocker in Champs bar also. He was sitting by Ryan Klesko near the window. He's a taller guy than I thought he was. I asked him for his autograph on his picture in the yearbook, and he said sure. I thanked him and he said "Your welcome!" in the most pleasant voice. He was a very nice person. A few minutes later I saw him slap his beer label to his forehead and chug! Here's his signature.
Leo Mazzone
I met Leo while he was talking to a man I'd never seen before in the hotel lobby. He was nice about signing my autograph, and when I thanked him he said "Yeah!". I could tell he was a nice person. Here's his signature.
Ryan Klesko
I met Ryan in Champs bar too. He wasn't signing autographs because he'd get mobbed if he did, and he just wanted to relax with a drink. He is my dad's favorite player, so my dad told him we didn't want an autograph, just wanted to meet him. He told Ryan he was his favorite player and I liked him pretty well too. He shook both of our hands, then he and Rocker made fun of the Tom Glavine pin I had on because it was an older picture and he looked so young! It was the neatest thing to actually be joking around with two of the Braves! I have no signature for Ryan like I said, but he was a nice guy.
Bobby Cox
Bobby got off the bus and entered the hotel and said hello to my dad. Then the next morning we saw him in the lobby and he said hi again and good morning to us. Since he took the time to do that and had to leave for the game, I didn't ask him for his autograph. He seemed like a friendly guy and did sign some autographs later outside, but I just missed him.