i majored in hotel management and my first job out of college was with the westin st. francis in san francisco which, at the time, had an agreement with mlb, i.e., all visiting teams that played the giants stayed at the st. francis.
man, i'll tell you, i was like a kid in a candy store watching my favorite players walk through the lobby day in and day out. i'll never forget strawberry and gooden, who seemed to be inseparable at the time, strutting through the hotel together decked out in their suits for a night on the town - the reason i will never forget them is because i couldn't believe how huge these guys were, they looked like nfl linebackers!
anyway, not only was this my first experience being around so many pro athletes so often but it was also my first experience being around so many autograph hounds so often! and it was an ugly sight!
the gentle scene of pop ducking out of work in order to take his 10 year old son to see a hero and, hopefully, get a sig was nowhere to be found. instead it was a mass of pushy, obnoxious adults barking at players for an autograph - adults ravenously looking for the next player to swoop down on whiile in the middle of receiving a sig from a player and, get this, even getting aggravated with a player if the sig took too long to scribble as it would cut into their potential autograph count.
it struck me more as pushy, obnoxious adults asking players for cash than it did fans asking players for autographs - and, frankly, i got the distinct impression that many players felt this as well. because of this, to this day i always find it impossible to sympathize with fans whenever i hear that a player refused to give them a sig or didn't seem particularly excited if he did. sadly, a lot of people have ruined it for the fan that genuinely wants an autograph from their favorite player - not for an investment, not for a quick buck on ebay or the like, but for a special keepsake.
i know there are polite and appreciative autograph collectors out there, and i'm sure this forum is filled with them, and it's people like you that make players happy to oblige.
man, i'll tell you, i was like a kid in a candy store watching my favorite players walk through the lobby day in and day out. i'll never forget strawberry and gooden, who seemed to be inseparable at the time, strutting through the hotel together decked out in their suits for a night on the town - the reason i will never forget them is because i couldn't believe how huge these guys were, they looked like nfl linebackers!
anyway, not only was this my first experience being around so many pro athletes so often but it was also my first experience being around so many autograph hounds so often! and it was an ugly sight!
the gentle scene of pop ducking out of work in order to take his 10 year old son to see a hero and, hopefully, get a sig was nowhere to be found. instead it was a mass of pushy, obnoxious adults barking at players for an autograph - adults ravenously looking for the next player to swoop down on whiile in the middle of receiving a sig from a player and, get this, even getting aggravated with a player if the sig took too long to scribble as it would cut into their potential autograph count.
it struck me more as pushy, obnoxious adults asking players for cash than it did fans asking players for autographs - and, frankly, i got the distinct impression that many players felt this as well. because of this, to this day i always find it impossible to sympathize with fans whenever i hear that a player refused to give them a sig or didn't seem particularly excited if he did. sadly, a lot of people have ruined it for the fan that genuinely wants an autograph from their favorite player - not for an investment, not for a quick buck on ebay or the like, but for a special keepsake.
i know there are polite and appreciative autograph collectors out there, and i'm sure this forum is filled with them, and it's people like you that make players happy to oblige.
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