I guess my thinking is similar to Roady's...if that's how a particular player signs, that's fine - it's his business, especially if I'm getting the signature for free. If a guy wants the fans to think he's illiterate and can't even spell his own name, well...

Matt Williams has signed for me many, many times, in all kinds of situations, and his signature never varies by so much as a line - "Matt Williams", in a neat, cursive hand, and you can read every letter. He obviously takes great pride in his name and shows respect for the fans he gives it to.

Last summer, after an Arizona League game, I was getting one of the young DBacks prospects, Jacob Cordero, to sign a foul ball that he'd hit earlier. He was putting a very nice, elaborate autograph on it, and he stopped, looked embarassed, and began apologizing because he'd let his signature stray up too close to, and gotten ink on, one of the stitches. He wanted to get me a new ball, and it took a minute to convince him that it really WAS okay, that it was fine, that I wanted him to sign THAT ball, and he hadn't "ruined" anything.

You have to love the rookies. Occasionally I have to explain to one of them what the "sweet spot" is.