Bo Jackson's Autograph

While Tracey is the love of my life, I've dated before her. The last ex-girlfriend before Tracey, let's call her "Not Tracey", used to try to get me little gifts here and there. This was even at the expense of our basic necessities, like food and heat. This is one of the many reasons why she is an ex-girlfriend, but I won't get into that. Let's just say that eBay was her master.

She used to work in a K-Mart as a service desk rep in Willowbrook, Illinois. One day she asked me if I had ever heard of a ballplayer named Vincent E. Jackson. I said yes, that I had heard of him, but he goes by the name Bo. She got really excited and asked if I had any cards of him. Well, of course I did. He was a White Sox player and a superstar at a time when I collected cards of superstars.

She asked me for a card of his because she thought that he stops at her store a lot. Maybe she could talk him into giving her an autograph. I knew Bo lived close by, so I knew it was plausible that he might stop into her K-Mart, but not likely. I mean why would Bo Jackson stop into a K-Mart? To pick up the latest in Martha Stewart fashions? Highly doubtful.

A few weeks went by and "Not Tracey" got very excited again. She handed me my card back and to my surprise, it was actually signed. I was skeptical at first, but the more she explained the situation to me, the more I started to believe. After all, she was a Cubs fan and didn't follow baseball very much, so she had no reason to lie about a White Sox player.

It seems that Bo Jackson came into K-Mart on the average of once a week, when he was in town. He would wire his mother money through Western Union every week. The store manager asked all the employees not to bother him for autographs, but if he volunteered to do so, it would be OK.

So, one time when "Not Tracey" waited on Bo, she mentioned what a huge White Sox fan I am. Bo told her to bring in something for him to sign and the next time he was in he would sign it. By the scan, I'm sure you've figured out how everything turned out.

She worked there for a few more months and she never saw Bo come in again. I'm not sure if it was because of his schedule or because he felt like his privacy was invaded. If it is the latter, I'm sorry Bo, she didn't know any better.

The relationship didn't work out, but that's fine by me. She was too high maintenance and Tracey turned out to be a perfect match for me. Plus, I got an autographed card out of the deal, so I think I made out like a bandit.