One memorable “get” was Funkadelic singer George Clinton, who appeared in Portland in the 1990s.
“It was November, and it was cold,” Zollo recalled. With a couple of Clinton albums in hand, Zollo headed for Portland and the old La Luna club.
The guy at the door told Zollo that Clinton wouldn’t be available until after 2 a.m.
“I went home and got a thermos of hot coffee,” and then returned to the club and waited around outside in the cold.
By 2 a.m., “It was me and one other guy,” Zollo said.
When Clinton finally walked out of the club, he saw them and remarked, “You still here?” before signing Zollo’s items.
As a baseball executive with Tacoma’s team in the Pacific Coast League, Zollo had a chance to meet a lot of sports notables. But access didn’t guarantee an autograph, he added.
When Reggie Jackson visited Tacoma, Zollo had a copy of a 1987 Sports Illustrated magazine with “Mr. October” on the cover, along with a promo for the cover story, “Reggie Speaks Out on Racism.”
“He was ready to sign it, and I said I really liked the story.”
Reggie paused, then pointedly asked Zollo: “And what was it about?”
“I told him it was about how he would like to manage” a baseball team, Zollo said, “and he signed it.”
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