How awesome!!!
I almost met Grudzielanek at a Dodger photo day in 2000... but just as
he was a few feet from me, the security guy came (it has been a long
running joke amongst my friends and I that the security guard had tabs
on me and was keeping Mark away... like I would have done anything
other than snap a million pictures like I did with every other
player... I think the pictures are still in the photos link, if you
want, you can add your pictures too!), and took him away... ho-hum!
So, I was sooo close to meeting him once.

Sounds like it was an awesome time!

Lauren

--- In markgrudzielanekfanclub@yahoogroups.com, "Brianna"
<scifigeek@g...> wrote:
> I should have thought to make this post sooner... the one place I
can
> feel safe gushing about Grud without worrying about either my love
of
> the sport being questioned, or my friends wishing I would shut the
> hell up about this guy already. :P
>
> My pic of me and Grudzie is here:
> <a
> href="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b6/STLca
rdinals/cameraday/mean
> dgrudsm.jpg">http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b
6/STLcardinals/camerad
> ay/meandgrudsm.jpg</a>
>
> And my story:
> I went to Camera Day @ Busch for the first time this year on
Saturday
> the 25th. I was wearing a shirt I'd made that said "GRUDZIE FAN"
and
> it got some attention. Edmonds smiled right at me and said "Hey, I
> like your shirt!" so, as if I didn't love him already, I now love
him
> for being a Grudzie fan :)
>
> When I saw Grud was slowly making his way towards us, I told my
best
> friend she'd have to be the one to ask

him if I could get a picture
> with him, because I didn't want to ris

k freezing up. Again. Like I
> did in Kansas City when he walked right in front of me. Thank
> goodness for best friends! She totally came through for me :)
>
> I was really impressed with how long Grudzie took with the fans, he
> took a long time and signed autographs and took pictures and I
> completely melted every time he picked up a little kid.
>
> Finally he got up next to us and yeah, I totally froze, lol. I
just
> looked up and saw these EYES. Omg, I knew they were gorgeous but
> they were like nothing that shows up in camera lenses. Just the
most
> stunningly brilliant shade of grey-blue you'll ever see. Luckily
my
> friend wasn't quite as mesmerized, and she asked him if he would
take
> a pic with me. Next thing I know he's looking at me and my shirt
(he
> said something like a casual "oh, wow"), then stepping up next to
me
> and wrapping his arm around my waist. I guess I realize I have to
> take my eyes off of him at this point and face the camera, so I put
> my arm around him in turn and then I don't remember much after the
> picture snapped lol.
>
> I do remember that a little later, David Eckstein came by and
noticed
> my shirt and was totally sweet in making sure that I'd caught Grud
> when he went by.
>
> I took more than just the one pic of Grud, btw, and there's more at
> my album <a
> rhef="http://photobucket.com/albums/b6/STLcardinals/cameraday/?
> start=20">http://photobucket.com/albums/b6/STLcardinals/cameraday/?
> start=20</a> (There's 2 pages of pics, and some of the Grud ones
are
> on each page)
>
> A couple footnotes:
>
> 1) After he'd walked on, my best friend turns to me and goes "OMG
he
> is freaking HOT!" I was like...omg, have you not been listening to
> me all season long? But suddenly she stopped referring to him
> as "your man" and he became "our man." Lol.
>
> 2) I made wallet size reprints of the photo of me & him and put one
> up at work, and now I'm totally getting flak for it, lol. About
> every other day, I hear my boss make some sort of smart remark
about
> me and Grudzie. Course it didn't help that I couldn't seem to get
> myself to shut up about him once he asked. I guess it was a little
> telling that I have more than a slight interest in the man when I
> rattled off his salary and his birthday. It seemed pertinent at
the
> time... but I guess I should have pretended to be a little more
> unsure lol.