The Time Jim Palmer was Mistaken for a Criminal

Jim Palmer is smooth, but he's no criminal.

The book "Baltimore County Police 1874 -1999" provides an anecdote from retired Sgt. Wayne Henninger about the time he stopped Jim Palmer in a serious case of mistaken identity.

Henninger was buying a wedding ring in Baltimore when he saw a dark green 911 Porsche drive past. The Porsche matched the vehicle description for the suspect in a string of sexual assaults in Ruxton, Md., and, well, hilarity (?) ensued when the driver turned out to be Palmer.

Here's an excerpt from Henninger's tale:

When we arrived on the scene they had the young man, up against the Porsche, hands on the roof. I knew in my heart of hearts this was the big bust! The great collar of all time! I was reading my name in the papers and seeing my face on the evening television news! I advised the young man why he was stopped and asked for identification. He slowly took out his wallet, as he was softly saying 'yes sir.' I looked down at the name and read 'Jim Palmer.' I looked at the man and looked back down at the name, and, you guessed it, I had just stopped Jim Palmer, the now Hall of Fame pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. Two weeks later I ran into Jim Palmer. He was doing fine, but driving a Corvette. He decided to sell the 911 dark green Porsche.

I've considered trading in my Pontiac Sunfire for the same reasons.

Image source: Here.