THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Perhaps the most coveted autograph in sports is Tiger Woods, who signs sparingly at golf tournaments, more than he likes when requests are brought to him, and who has a deal with Upper Deck to combat forgeries.
There aren't many autographs he wants in return, but Woods recently got a prized possession -- a baseball signed by Sandy Koufax.
"How about that?" Woods said, breaking into a broad smile when asked about the autograph.
Why is Koufax so meaningful to him?
For one thing, Woods said they share the same birthday (Dec. 30), although Koufax arrived on earth 40 years earlier. Additionally, Woods grew up a Dodgers fan, and besides Jackie Robinson, he can think of no other player who better epitomizes his team.
"I've been a Dodger fan my entire life, and Koufax is the man," he said. "For pitchers, you wouldn't think of any other player. During those five years (in the 1960s), nobody could touch him."
Woods asked an official at Upper Deck that if he ever ran into Koufax, would he ask for an autograph. The next time Woods saw him, the Upper Deck rep handed him a baseball.
"It's got a personal inscription," Woods said. "It's at home in my bedroom, sitting right there."
Woods said it was only the second autograph of a sports figure he has sought in his life. The other came about a dozen years ago when he met Muhammad Ali. He wound up getting a signed pair of boxing trunks that Ali wore in a fight in 1977.
"I had never asked for any autograph ever, and I said to him, 'Could you please sign anything, a paper, anything, please?' He was shaking (from Parkinson's Disease) and said, 'I'll take care of it.' All of a sudden, I had a a pair of trunks. He said, 'I won't be needing these anymore.' I've got those hanging on my wall."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
