Vascellaro: The King and I – Remembering and Writing About Dave Kingman

A couple of years ago I saw Kingman sitting at one of the aforementioned autograph tables during a spring training game at Hohokam Park in Mesa. I introduced myself just as I did this past spring; I mentioned the home run ball from 1979, and some of the writing I had done on him since. He didn’t acknowledge having any memory of our previous meetings, which I thought was kind of peculiar. I thought for sure he must have remembered that last night of his career in Phoenix, or that he may have seen or read the Baseball Weekly piece or Giants Spring Training Magazine story. Perhaps he does know who I am and thinks I’m just another ####### writer.

After seeing Kingman on the first day that I was in Arizona for the Cactus League season this past spring, I caught up with him again, sitting at the autograph table at Scottsdale Stadium on his last day in town. I told him I just wanted to say hello and goodbye and mention the presentation I will be making about the influence he had on my career at the 50th Anniversary of the New York Mets Conference at Hofstra University. He smiled and was polite but he didn’t seem all that interested.

Before it got any more awkward I shook his hand and said goodbye and handed him a copy of the photo of the two of us taken earlier in the month which I autographed it for him at no charge.

Thanks to John Thorn.