Toughest in person autographs

[skipcareyisfat]

This new forum is a great idea. I've spent the last few years putting together a list of some of the toughest in-person signers in baseball. Guys like Steve Hovley, Mike Marshall, Gene Bearden, Andy Messersmith and Roy Lee Jackson. I'm not a big autograph collector these days, but I still keep an eye out for tougher ones. Can anyone add any names to this list?
Thanks,
Jason

[worldchamps]

Mike Mussina is suppose to be really tough. I got him in spring training when he was with the Orioles. From local autograph hounds they are amazed when I told them I got him, supposily he is really tough.

Basketball - Lebron I have never seen sign, Kevin Garnett is pretty nasty too.

[kylehess10]

I'm always at the Braves player parking lot at Turner Field 5 hours before a game and an hour after a game to get autos and the only people I don't see sign is usually just the main players like Chipper,Andruw,Smoltz,etc. and a few other players like Mike Hampton,Brian Jordan,& Joey Devine. They only sign at signings I believe. Some good players who are good signers I've seen are people like Bobby Cox,Jeff Francoeur,Marcus Giles,Tim Hudson,& Brian McCann. I also went to the Braves/Marlins game last week and went to the Marlines side to hopfully get Dontrelle Willis sign my OML baseball. He didn't even come out until the game started but I still got autos from Miguel Cabrera & Dan Uggla. Not bad

[sfgiants452]

While I was in Pittsburgh hunting down Bonds and the Giants, I talked to some of the autograph seekers who are there for every team. He said some of the biggest a**h**** are Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Edmonds, Craig Wilson, Dmitri Young,and they said the toughest is Ricky Henderson. On the Giants it was Ray Durham. I got Bonds and never got him. He was telling 4 and 5 year old kids that he wasn't Ray Durham and "I can't sign in the hotel" while the whole team did.

Anthony

[astros*bats]

Have you tried through the mail? I know it is not an "in person" autograph, but both Mike Mussina and Mike Hampton are great signers through the mail via their home addresses.

[kylehess10]

Have you tried through the mail? I know it is not an "in person" autograph, but both Mike Mussina and Mike Hampton are great signers through the mail via their home addresses.

Mike Mussina is excellent when it comes to "through-the-mail" signing. I sent him a blank index card and he sent it back signed in 11 days and also sent fan club information. Here's his address if anybody wants to give it a try (I sent it out in January so I think he only signs in the off-season)

Mike Mussina
1302 Spruce Street
Mountoursville,PA 17754

[drkgee]

in person "hard to get" autographs have to be (at least for me):

piazza
pujols
ichiro

that being said, i have gotten all three of these players but i have heard that they were difficult to get. piazza signed for me a few seasons back as he was boarding a bus. pujols signed for me as he was coming out of restaurant after the home run contest in houston. we knew he was in there and we just hung out all night and into the early morning. by the time he finished and came out around 2:30 a.m. there were only about 5 people there. he recognized a few people from st. louis and told them he wasn't going to sign for them but he signed for everyone else. btw, he was with bonds and michael young. neither of them gave us the time of day....it goes without saying that bonds is difficult to get. i also got him again at spring training. i got ichiro before a game once. keep in mind that many sports figures have contracts with upper deck that prohibits them from sign in public. lebron and yao are two of them, i'm sure there are others. tri-star also has a list of athletes they "pimp" out there for their shows. however, they sign in public. the best example is roger clemens, he'll sign if he is spotted in public, at his sons' games, fundraisers, etc.

as for braves, i got brian jordan and ryan langerhans at spring training. andruw was at the WBC and i got turned back by most of the other notables. however, for the most part they are pretty good at signing around the dugout. i'm not talking about one or two autographs, i saw them sign 10-20 at a time, one after another. jim edmonds and scott rolen recently signed before a game at a visitors ballpark.

[stlbats]

here is the best and worst in person signers from my experience. based on at least several attempts outside and inside stadiums.

great signers, Tom Glavine, david eckstein, mike matheny, cal ripken jr, jim edmonds (as of the last year or so, he used to be impossible) the Cardinals in general are pretty good on the road, but terrible at home, tony larussa, others

worst signers, albert pujols, i have got him twice, but he hates it, griffey jr, bonds, piazza (i did get him once at ST), bonds, yadi molina, others


jason

[skipcareyisfat]

I understand your points about Bonds, Piazza, Pujols and those guys. But those aren't the tough signers I'm referring to. Although they might be difficult to get in person, they do sign - whether it's for a card company, charity, personal appearance, Web site, etc. So I wouldn't consider them rare. Expensive, yes, but still readily available to a certain degree.

The ones I'm really interested in rarely, if ever, sign anything. Mike Marshall is a perfect example, as most people know. Yes, he did a private signing, but he probably signed more autographs for that event than he did during the past 20 years combined, and word is he'll never do another private signing.

Then there are guys like Choo Choo Coleman and Porfirio Altimirano, who were or still are "lost." No one can find them, although Coleman was located a few years ago. These guys don't have to be stars; most "toughies" aren't.

Can anyone add any more names to this list?

[drkgee]

EVERYONE has a price...if you are looking for autographs ANY WAY possible, there are not many that you can absolute NOT get. that's what i think....

i consider the autograph hobby just as fun for the chase and the story behind the autograph as for the signature itself. for example, i have a specific story each autograph i have in my collection and that's the fun part about it. how boring is, "i paid $85 at a show"?

anyone else feel the same way? that being said, i'm sure there are some players out there that are rare....but everyone has a price....

[skipcareyisfat]

drkgee, I think you're probably right about anyone signing for the right amount of money. Rest assured, it wasn't a feeling of charity that got Bill Russell and Marshall to finally sit down and sign. Those guys were paid well.

The pursuit of non-signers is pretty much the only thing that keeps me involved in this end of the hobby. After I read Ball Four, I started writing to all the guys that were mentioned in the book. Believe it or not, Steve Hovley refuses to sign autographs for anyone. I even talked to his wife about it. He seems like a nice guy; he's just finished with baseball. Anyway, he's the reason I started going after tough signers. As for Hovley, Bill Corcoran sold a nice signed card to me for $20. Worth every penny.

I'm with you on the stories, as well. Dealers like Corcoran and Jim Stinson who offer a lot of signatures like this have some really good stories about getting guys to sign. There's another guy out of Florida - I forget his name - but I've purchased a number of hard-to-get sigs from him, too. He had some interested tales as well.

[Sutton]

Does anyone else find it in the least bit disturbing that collectors(and I am not pointing fingers, I include myself) are so quick to accept the fact that some players will not sign? If you stop and think about it, this is an absolute outrage. I'm not talking about walking up to a guy sitting in a restaurant with his kids and fork in mouth. I mean at the park or arena or stadium. they sure sign each and every time for the fans who are paying their salaries. This idea that they are gods and we should be thankful for anyone we get is absurd. I go to a lot of minor league baseball games and myself have gotten to the point where I am more surprised at who will sign than I am surprised when they will not. Really turns me off to the entire thing, but I guess I am addicted. Baseball players in particular seem much worse than, say, hockey players. Any thoughts? As for tough to get auto's, try getting the Braves low A affiliate from Rome to sign. They are pretty despicable, especially for low A.

[dwolfe12345]

Mike Piazza didnt sign crap this season! He came to Texas and gave a game used to the same stupid kid 2 seperate days in a row. The bad part about it was the kids dad "pimped" him out to go get it for him. He was probably going to sell it in his store or something. Its funny how athletes are quick to turn down adults but have no problem signing for a 3 year old. The little kids have no idea who they are and are probably only getting the sig for their parents that make them go to the games.

[drkgee]

piazza sucks...always has...i completely agree with the way some players will only sign for kids and not adults, just not cool. we're the ones paying for the tickets! on the same note, have you seen game used items on ebay from andruw jones that have the same kid pictured in every picture..as if the items were given to him and now being sold on ebay? i wonder if andruw knows...

[hblakewolf]

RickWise.

He is the pitching coach for the Pennsylvania team in our Atlantic League. I have tried for 3 years to get him to sign a few cards and some of his game used equipment-he not only has refused my requests, he will NEVER sign before or after the game, either. He is a total prick when you ask him-he wont even look up or at the fans-he simply keeps his head down and just walks past.

The reality, however, is that if you asked 1,000 fans at the game who Rick wise is, most likely 999 would have no idea.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[both-teams-played-hard]

Howard
Was Ron Reed of the Phillies as tough as people say? Any stories about Reed?
THANKS!


http://www.both-teams-played-hard.com/page/page/2361336.htm

[WBsoccer11]

First time post here- Best and Worst Experiences:

Best- Hockey Players in general. Bob Probert is by far the coolest athlete I have ever met. I met him twice in the late 90's when he was with the Hawks, and he was the most personable guy ever. He signed autographs, took pictures, and joked around for quite a while. Other cool hockey players; Wayne Gretzky, Tie Domi, Tony Twist, Craig Berube, and Glen Metropolit-

Other awesome signers- Joe Frazier, Lyoto Machida, Chuck Knoll, Bart Starr, Lawrence Taylor, Wade Boggs, Tino Martinez, Earnie Shavers, Dan Henderson, Tito Ortiz, Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, Roy Jones Jr, Antonio Tarver and John Elway.

Not so Friendly- Michael Strahan and Gary Sheffield

[BULBUS]

Not so Friendly- Michael Strahan and Gary Sheffield


I went to two Strahan signings, one early in his career and one about 2 yrs ago. He was great both times, adding inscriptions, and standing up to take a photo with me.

-Chris

[murfsteve25]

Griffey has got to be at the top of my list. I live an hour from Cincy, so ive had plenty of opportunities to get close enough to him to ask. My friend and i made a bet one season. I told him that we would go to 20 home games that season, and i said i bet $100 that we never see him sign ONE autograph for a fan. I even raised the odds for him...we would always be the first people in line to get in the stadium. Needless to say, an easy 100 for me.
The whole braves team is great as far as im concerned. But my experiences were all on the road. The yanks were tough when i followed them around for a few games. Didnt get one auto.

[loumud]

Here in San Diego I head out to Petco Park a lot during the season for autographs, and also to Phoenix for ST every year. Here's my take on the toughest to greatest in-person signers from my experience:

Toughest:
- Randy Johnson (though I did get him once last season)
- Pedro Martinez
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Kirk Gibson (never seen him signing anything)
- Chase Utley
- Albert Pujols
- Barry Bonds
- Joe Torre (signed a lot at ST but doesn't like to sign for grown men)
- Nomar Garciaparra
- Mike Piazza
- Khalil Greene (he signs more at ST but still not much)
- George Brett
- Greg Maddux (though I know others have been lucky)
- Ichiro (I have gotten him at ST a few times but he gets mobbed wherever he goes)

Tough:
- David Wright (gets mobbed wherever he goes)
- Jose Reyes
- Carlos Delgado
- Lance Berkman (used to be a great signer)
- Russell Martin (used to be a great signer)
- Manny Ramirez
- Jake Peavy (getting tougher, but still ok though)
- Jason Kendall
- Miguel Tejada
- Dave Winfield (gives you a hard time when he does sign)
- Andre Eithier
- Ryan Howard

Great signers:
- Don Mattingly
- Chipper Jones
- Andruw Jones
- Hunter Pence
- Carlos Lee
- Darin Erstad
- Roy Oswalt (though he never seems too happy)
- Jeff Bagwell
- Jimmy Rollins
- Josh Hamilton
- Jeff Francouer
- Tom Glavine
- David Eckstein
- Mike Cameron
- Matt Holliday
- Jeff Francis
- CC Sabathia (though I'm sure he'll get tougher)
- Ryan Braun
- Prince Fielder

This is by all meanes not an all-inclusive list, but these are the names that stick out when I consider the different categories. Also, some of the toughest guys do sign more at ST than they do during the season, so I do have to give them some credit for that. Overall the Astros are by far the best signing team that comes to SD during the regular season, which is awesome since I'm a huge Astros fan!

[Goldglove]

Michael Jordan, met him twice and wouldnt either time.