Lott makes many happy in Newport

NEWPORT BEACH — Anthony Battista knew a perfect place for the football he had just gotten signed by a certain NFL Hall of Famer known for his bone-crushing hits.

Even though Battista, an 11-year-old from Newport Beach, didn’t know who Ronnie Lott was he came to know the NFL great a bit at the grand opening of Dick’s Sporting Goods at Fashion Island Sunday.

Battista, a running back for the Junior Pee Wee team of the Newport-Mesa Junior All-American program, is more of a Vikings fan whose favorite player is Adrian Peterson. But Battista planned to set aside a spot for the Lott-signed football in his room.

Battista, along with close to 300 fans, were able to meet Lott, a strong force on the San Francisco 49ers’ four Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1980s. However, there were rules applied for each fan. Also, Lott was there to only sign. No interviews for the media.

Lott saved his words for the fans. He shook hands with nearly all of them, greeted them and sometimes shared short stories about his playing days, which included with USC, San Francisco, the Raiders and the Jets.

He also kindly denied an autograph if a fan requested more than one item for his signature — one of the rules.

He shook his head no if a fan wanted him to personally address the autograph.

Fans weren’t allowed to take pictures with Lott, too. But he made an exception. The hard-hitter must have a soft spot for babies.

Robert Sanchez and his 11-month-old son Mason posed for a photograph with Lott. It was an adorable memoir, but just as cute was the little T-shirt that Mason wore.

The USC cardinal-colored shirt had a telling statement printed on it: Start him young. Raise him right.

“We want to get him on the USC path,” said a smiling Sanchez, a defensive backs coach at Rancho Cucamonga High. “Mason’s first book before he was even born was a USC Trojan book. This is something he won’t remember, but we have pictures of this and we’ll always have this documented.”

Jose Garcia, 31, a mechanic from Downey, will also be sure to remember the Lott autograph session in Newport Beach. Garcia, as well as many others, showed up to the new store just before 9 a.m. to score a wristband that would guarantee a meeting with Lott. About 200 of 250 wristbands were distributed and more people came later before Lott’s arrival in the afternoon.

Garcia came back just before 1 p.m. to get in line. He was the first one there that time, along with his wife, Belinda, to get his authentic Raiders Lott jersey signed.

“I’m a Raider fan,” he said. “And when he came to the Raiders, it was a dream come true.”

Margaret Kingman, 59, from Torrance, also had a dream fulfilled. Times are hard for Kingman, who’s in a wheelchair from recent colon surgeries and had friends drive her to Newport Beach Sunday morning. Meeting Lott, who shook her hand, brightened her spirits.

“I cry a lot because of the pain I’m in, but these sports celebrities are worth it,” said Kingman, who also needs both hips replaced because of arthritis, but is waiting for her most recent surgery to completely heal. “They’re very down to earth ... It makes me feel much better when I see them. I loved meeting him. He was a very nice guy.”