Why I'm Not Interested In Autographs...

[aeneas01]

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.

[harpt]

That's a great post.

I sometimes get autographs at shows with my son (as seen in the photo below with Ted Simmons). I enjoy the experience of meeting the player and getting our photo taken (when possible).

As you imply, when done the "right" way, the experience can be great all around.

[sylbry]

Great post. I agree. "Green flies" are simply making a buck off the player and doing it rudely, then they wonder why players don't want to sign autographs. It is unfortunate as there are many more people who would simply like a signature from their favorite player with no intentions of profitting off of the player.

On Pat Neshek's website you will see players or ex-players judged as a person soley on how accomodating they are to autograph seekers. It is rather repulsive. Just wish that person would take a look in the mirror to see who the jack*ss really is.

I attend the Twins autograph party and Twinsfest. I am disgusted by the "green flies", carrying duffle bags of balls, bragging about all the autographs they get to the stranger next to them, and using children to either cut in line or hold their place in another line in order to obtain all of the star player's signatures. At this past Twins autograph party, more than once I heard someone b*tching about how a player didn't use the right color pen or didn't use the pen they wanted the player to sign with. Twice I witnessed a screaming match because someone bumped into another person or someone was standing in the way of another person as they were hurrying to get their next autograph. If they can act obnoxious at an organized event in which the players are obligated to attend I can only imagine how obnoxious they can be at a free for all which is impeding on players personal time.

Roughly two months ago the local Fox news station did a report on "green flies" who wait for players outside the dome. The story seemed a little slanted but it was interesting to hear that players do notice the same person wanting their autograph every day and how other players avoid signing the sweet spot of the ball because of these people.

Bryan

[RyanZimmerman11]

Great post! And a great topic for discussion.

I've run into a few of these "Green Flies" (never heard that before today, I like it lol) and they are rude, obnoxious and in my honest opinion...pathetic. They show up at the ballpark with a backpack full of balls and binders full of cards.

Not much I can do about them though. And I do feel bad that they are ruining it for the rest of us.


The last auto I got was Stan Musial at a show. It's sits right in front of me as I type. The wife and I had a great time out that day. Breakfast, then some time at the show, then went to lunch came back and waited in line, got Mr. Musials signature and a chance to meet him.

Good time all around. To me, that's what getting a players auto means....some time with the family and getting a sig of a player that I can put on my desk (or a shelf) and enjoy.

Anyway, just my .02

[dcrules01]

I see it at baseball games all the time before the game.Adults pushing kids out of the way to get David Wright to sign or a Jose Reyes.My wife asked me why don't you go down I was sitting 5 rows behind the dugout.I said nah let the kids get it but I doubt that happened.
I went to an autograph show with a good friend of mine not to long ago.I met Lenny Dykstra ,Wally Backman and Robin Ventura shook there hand posed for a picture and got there autograph.It was awesome and to top it off met a few fellow board members here.It was a great day all around.They were all very considerate especially Dykstra who complimented me on my jersey I had signed with "That's a bitchin jersey".

[staindsox]

When Boston was at the Dome in 2004, Schilling would only sign for kids (which is cool)...and even then a 10 year old kid tried to get two. Curt started yelling at him (not as cool). I guess they learn young.

I also think this is why players can often sign their name more sloppy or in an abbreviated fashion when it's for free. For example, Manny signed just "MR" on a ball my fiance got at the game, but this doesn't say much. His signature has disintregrated over the years to the point where a 3 year old kid with a color crayon on the wall is more legible. It always seems that you tend to get a nicer signature when you pay for it at a show.

Chris

[aeneas01]

I sometimes get autographs at shows with my son (as seen in the photo below with Ted Simmons). I enjoy the experience of meeting the player and getting our photo taken (when possible). As you imply, when done the "right" way, the experience can be great all around.

that's a great photo and really captures how wonderful and memorable the experience can be.

"Green flies" are simply making a buck off the player and doing it rudely, then they wonder why players don't want to sign autographs. It is unfortunate as there are many more people who would simply like a signature from their favorite player with no intentions of profitting off of the player.

On Pat Neshek's website you will see players or ex-players judged as a person soley on how accomodating they are to autograph seekers. It is rather repulsive. Just wish that person would take a look in the mirror to see who the jack*ss really is.

great reply sylbry! and what an absolutely perfect name for this pushy horde of uncaring profiteers - "green flies" - perfect! i've never heard that term before.

what you mentioned about pat neshek's website (re: player's judged as a person based solely on how accomodating they are to autograph seekers) reminded me of what i've always considered to be a ridiculous arrangement; sportswriters being the judge and jury when it comes to who gets into the hall of fame. how players are required to kiss this tribe's collective arse lest they be deemed unaccommodating, paraded to the public as spolied malcontents and unfit for entry into the hall of fame! and when it comes to a vindictive bunch, few are more fierce than the media imo.

The last auto I got was Stan Musial at a show. It's sits right in front of me as I type. The wife and I had a great time out that day. Breakfast, then some time at the show, then went to lunch came back and waited in line, got Mr. Musials signature and a chance to meet him.

Good time all around. To me, that's what getting a players auto means....some time with the family and getting a sig of a player that I can put on my desk (or a shelf) and enjoy.

what a great story -

I see it at baseball games all the time before the game.Adults pushing kids out of the way to get David Wright to sign or a Jose Reyes.My wife asked me why don't you go down I was sitting 5 rows behind the dugout.I said nah let the kids get it but I doubt that happened.
I went to an autograph show with a good friend of mine not to long ago.I met Lenny Dykstra ,Wally Backman and Robin Ventura shook there hand posed for a picture and got there autograph.It was awesome and to top it off met a few fellow board members here.It was a great day all around.They were all very considerate especially Dykstra who complimented me on my jersey I had signed with "That's a bitchin jersey".

dykstra's right - that is a bitchin' jersey! great story; especially the part about getting a chance to hook up with a few fellow forum members!

When Boston was at the Dome in 2004, Schilling would only sign for kids (which is cool)...and even then a 10 year old kid tried to get two. Curt started yelling at him (not as cool). I guess they learn young.

good for curt - probably recognized the kid for the beard he really was! this actually reminds me of a couple of funny episodes from when i worked at the st. francis and used to watch the players come and go. being 6' 4", young and athletic at that time in my life i was mistaken a couple of times for a player while mingling in the lobby. in both instances the experience was exactly the same - a young boy ran up to me with pen and paper in hand and asked for my autograph. but before i had a chance to set the kid straight the dad, from behind a pillar or plant 30 feet away, bellowed to the kid "not him, he's nobody!"

for whatever reason i never took the "he's nobody" even remotely personally, probably because the scene was so hysterically funny and at the same time pathetic - heck, i think i was even flattered that a little kid thought i might be a pro ball player! true story!

[sylbry]

I first heard the term "Green fly" on the newscast I mentioned above. That term was spoken by Justin Morneau and Jason Bartlett. Flies follow the smell of sh*t, green flies follow the smell of money.

[Utopian2630]

I did a similar story on that a couple years ago at Mario Lemieux's golf tournament here in Pgh. All of the stars that were there were contractually obligated to sign autographs due to it being a charity event. Thus, you had guys like Jordan, Barkley, Elway and Marino among the list of participant’s year in and year out. I watched as one man ended up with a broken nose when a fist fight broke out when Jordan started signing on at the 18th green. In addition, I watched as one two children (a boy and his younger sister) both under 13 handed two perfectly signed Jordan basketballs to an older gentleman who then handed the two children cash (from the looks of it he gave them $40 each)....I watched TWO similar transactions involving the same gentleman with other children throughout the day. Though he wouldn't give me his name for the story, his quote was "They're all on my pay roll...this is how I make my living and I see nothing wrong with it...you tell me how these kids would make better money on a paper route". Throughout the weekend I interviewed other athletes in the tournament who all found it disgusting, but because of the crowds just wanted to sign their way out of the mess. One athlete noted how he could tell the distinguish the 'pros' because they had several colors of sharpies and duffle bags full of equipment and that if possible they tried to avoid signing for them...children or not.

I think it’s pretty sad that it’s all come to this. Granted, as a former autograph hound when I was a kid in the early 90's it was a lot different. We would camp out at the hotels and stuff, but it never involved big crowds...and we were 12 year old kids with baseball cards..not 35 year olds with duffle bags of equipment and paint pens. Since my girlfriend was a corporate volunteer for the All Star Game last summer, I went to a few parties with her and 'came out of sports autograph retirement' for the weekend and found it so much different these days. When we collected we were more stealth about our operation in the hotels....these new collectors had everything sprawled across the lobby like it was a private signing. The whole scene really turned me off to autograph collecting and as a long time passionate collector I think it’s a real shame. I can certainly see why a lot of players have different signing habits these days. When Nolan Ryan was playing for the Rangers, he would sign for everyone outside the hotel as long as everyone was in a single file line and gave him ONE item...it was orderly and everyone there got ONE item signed. From what I saw during the All Star Game I highly doubt you'd see something like that (or the same level of cooperation) these days.

[David]

I think it's a good and fair rule to sign one item per person. You hear stories of people asking a player to sign 20 items. The autograph should be a memento of meeting the player.