Disappointed in Pujols...

[mbrieve]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

That it might not be worth a player's time to do a paid signing, because he's just too damn rich to have to worry about making another hundred grand for an hour's work, does not explain why that player won't sign for his fans, for nothing. And if he's really all that worried about somebody making money off of his autograph, then reducing the Sellers' profit motive by giving it away at every opportunity - in effect, flooding the market with his autograph - would seem to be the logical solution.

Here in Phoenix, Luis Gonzalez is about as big a sports celebrity as one ever gets to be...but the owner of a memorabilia shop told me the other day that he can't sell Gonzo's autograph anymore because Gonzo walks around signing for everybody all the time.

You are right, but that is a different argument than what this thread was originally talking about. A team ball is not being marketed and sold this year because it was cost prohibitive to do it and the memorabilia companies didn't see a way to make a profit off of it.

As somebody who worked tirelessly on getting 2006 and 2007 Detroit Tigers team signed baseballs signed, I can attest to the fact that the amount of time, money and effort far exceeds what I could sell those baseballs for. Team signed items are some of the toughest items to complete and usually it isn't the stars that are a problem, it's often the role players that had short careers that are the toughest to track down to complete your item. Case in point, after working on several team signed 1984 Tigers pieces, the only player I need is Marty Castillo and nobody has heard from him in over a decade. if he did a paid signing in the Detroit area, I bet he could get $35+ per signature.

[godwulf]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

You are right, but that is a different argument than what this thread was originally talking about. A team ball is not being marketed and sold this year because it was cost prohibitive to do it and the memorabilia companies didn't see a way to make a profit off of it.

It would be interesting to know what the "lesser gods" from that team were, in theory, going to be paid, had Pujols chosen to participate. I don't suppose it would have ever occurred to Albert that, by demanding as much as he did, he cost his less-well-compensated teammates some money. Now he gets nothing, and his teammates get nothing.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

That it might not be worth a player's time to do a paid signing, because he's just too damn rich to have to worry about making another hundred grand for an hour's work, does not explain why that player won't sign for his fans, for nothing. And if he's really all that worried about somebody making money off of his autograph, then reducing the Sellers' profit motive by giving it away at every opportunity - in effect, flooding the market with his autograph - would seem to be the logical solution.

Here in Phoenix, Luis Gonzalez is about as big a sports celebrity as one ever gets to be...but the owner of a memorabilia shop told me the other day that he can't sell Gonzo's autograph anymore because Gonzo walks around signing for everybody all the time.

That was a route the late Hall of Fame 3B Pie Traynor used, in tandem with an elite autograph collector of the day, Max Schrager of California. After being refused by Traynor yet again, Schrager, never one to not say what's on his mind, asked Traynor why he didn't sign. Traynor's response was that too many people were making money off the few autographs he signed. Schrager and Traynor then worked out an agreement, after Schrager convinced him that his reluctance to sign was what made his autographs pricey (for the era). Traynor signed 3x5s and other items in quantities for Schrager, who then sold the items at well under the market value of the era, all in an effort to make Traynor's autograph more desirable for collectors, and less so for dealers. It worked. Traynor, while signing a stack of index cards for Schrager, told an inquiring mind that "Mr. Schrager is helping me keep the price ofmy autograh down".

Dave Miedema

[hdavid_27]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

For anyone who may be interested, my wife just called me to tell me that Sams Club is offering team signed 2011 Cardinals baseballs for sale for only $2000.00. She said Albert is listed as one of the signers, and it comes from a company in Florida. I will get more info if anyone wants it.

[Mark17]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

You are right, but that is a different argument than what this thread was originally talking about. A team ball is not being marketed and sold this year because it was cost prohibitive to do it and the memorabilia companies didn't see a way to make a profit off of it.

As somebody who worked tirelessly on getting 2006 and 2007 Detroit Tigers team signed baseballs signed, I can attest to the fact that the amount of time, money and effort far exceeds what I could sell those baseballs for. Team signed items are some of the toughest items to complete and usually it isn't the stars that are a problem, it's often the role players that had short careers that are the toughest to track down to complete your item. Case in point, after working on several team signed 1984 Tigers pieces, the only player I need is Marty Castillo and nobody has heard from him in over a decade. if he did a paid signing in the Detroit area, I bet he could get $35+ per signature.

Everyone here seems to find it logical that selling autographed baseballs makes no sense unless the people selling them can make money doing so. So... why can't the players make some dough, too, without it being considered "greedy." Why is it that only the dealers can have a profit margin?

Pujols makes many times as much money playing baseball as his teammates. Why shouldn't he likewise make many more times as much signing baseballs? Put another way, and relating it to game used, what's the price differential between a GU8 Cardinals common bat, and a GU8 Pujols?

Bottom line: Take anything Cardinals common, and if you compare it to Pujols, multiply it by a factor of 10 or 20.

[godwulf]

Re: Disappointed in Pujols...

Everyone here seems to find it logical that selling autographed baseballs makes no sense unless the people selling them can make money doing so. So... why can't the players make some dough, too, without it being considered "greedy." Why is it that only the dealers can have a profit margin?

Pujols makes many times as much money playing baseball as his teammates. Why shouldn't he likewise make many more times as much signing baseballs? Put another way, and relating it to game used, what's the price differential between a GU8 Cardinals common bat, and a GU8 Pujols?

Bottom line: Take anything Cardinals common, and if you compare it to Pujols, multiply it by a factor of 10 or 20.

If Pujols were forced to pay 10-20 times as much for job-related expenses, like clubhouse fees, or for that matter things that everyone has to buy, like food and housing, that might begin to make some logical sense. No, he shouldn't be expected to give his autograph away to people who aren't even pretending that they aren't going to turn around and make money from it - reference my earlier rant about the auto-seekers with their binders full of duplicate cards - but causing your fellow players to lose out because you can't deal with the thought of only getting a "measly" $100 (or whatever the number) a signature, instead of the $250-$500 your ego tells you it's worth, is not reasonable, defensible, or Big League. It's being an arrogant jerk, imho.