OT: Autographs at Chantilly Show
 

I apologize if this belongs in another location, but thought I'd start here. My son's eighth birthday is the same week as the Chantilly show and his favorite football player (Peyton Manning) will be there. In my opinion, the price for the auto is pretty steep, but let's eliminate that as a factor regarding this thread.

Essentially the question is, are these sessions generally a cattle call where the player takes the item, signs it and hands it back? Or can I expect that there will be a little interaction between the player and my son?

Thanks in advance...

I haven't been to one like this in a while, but the last one I went to was a All-Pro Quarterback and basically you hand your item to a person who hands it to the athlete who then has a second person on his other side pick up the item and hand it back to you.

You don't get a chance to hold up the line for more than 2 seconds. It's basically a conveyer-belt set up. "Move along....nothing to see here".

Mooooove
 

That's what I assumed. Thanks for the info.

About 6-7 years ago, I made the drive from Houston to Kansas City for a TriStar show to meet Joe Montana (my childhood hero) and Jerry Rice. I was going to have them each sign a 49ers mini helment. I stood in Montana's line first. He didn't even really look up for most people. He had a guy on his right that would accept the item. That guy would look it over and pass it to Montana. Montana would sign it and pass it to some guy on his left who would pass it back to the owner. It kind of reminded me of an assembly line. He seem to have no personality at all.

When I went through Rices's line, he stuck out his hand and offered me a handshake and thanked me for coming out to see him. I was pleasantly surprised. He made me fell like I got my money's worth. It was quite a difference in the two individuals.

I met Jim Brown a few years ago and I had always heard that he was a big jerk, so I wasn't expecting much but an autograph. However, he was also one of the nicest players I have ever met. So, I really say it just depends on the individual and what kind of day they're having.

Yes. It depends on the athlete. I have found that most of them take the time to chat or pose for pictures, unless of course it's Willie Mays. What you might do is go to the show and observe how Manning interacts. He may well be open to being more indulgent with children too. If you like what you see, you can then purchase the ticket at the show.

Most of the time if it is a big-name athlete (like Manning), the athlete doesn't have much of a say in how the signing is run. If there are a lot of people in line (most probable for Manning), then the people running the signing will probably move people along very quickly so that they aren't there all day.

Hi Erick - I like Ken Cohen's suggestion. Also, you might contact the promoter, Marco Rol, before the show and ask how they run the signings. You can contact him via their website www.csashows.com or call him at 540-456-6877. FYI, I go to all the Chantilly Shows (I live only a few miles away), but since I'm not into autographs, I've never paid any attention to how they do them.
Val

Erick,

I've gotten autographs at the Chantilly show on a few occasions. The short version is, the more famous/popular the player, the less interaction there is with the collector. For Manning, unfortunately I wouldn't expect too much interaction with him.

Alan

Yes, Peyton Manning is wildly popular and there will be a very long line to get his autograph, but all the stories I have heard from people who have met Peyton Manning in person make him out to be incredibly personable and likable. So unless the promoter completely squelches his personality, I think you can expect at least a few seconds of interaction between Peyton and your son.

Also, if you go I would recomend getting in line early. At the beginning of these sessions the athlete tends to take more time with each customer, but as the day wears on there is usually more pressure on them to speed things up to get through everyone in line.

Interaction depends on the athlete. Some are interactive, some are aloof. I'd like to see at the least eye contact and a friendly word.

I know a guy who took a game used bat to be signed and the player (Willie McCovey?) said "I remember this bat. It looks as if it has a few bits left in it" and stood up and posed with it. With the crowd watching, the bat owner was quite pleased with the reaction.

Hi Erick,

I have gone to that show for years. It truly does depend on the athlete. But I would wager that if an 8-year old boy stepped up to Peyton that he would be quite cordial. I may be wrong but from everything that I have heard about Peyton Manning, I bet that your son would get quite a thrill and Peyton would enhance his experience.

Cy

No one beats Brooks Robinson. I had him sign his 1954 high school yearbook. He told me about the players on his basketball team (school didn't have baseball) what they are doing today and his time in Little Rock. We then discussed the status of Arkansas Razorbacks football for five minutes, talked about his brother who played on the National Title squad and offered to take a picture with me. Take your son to Chantilly to meet Brooks, odd are he'll have a new sports hero.

No one will ever beat Buck though...

Growing up, I worked with a promoter for years in Albany, NY. The finest autograph guest I ever worked with was Buck O'Neill. Buck took the time to talk with EVERYONE, and would invite them to stay on stage while he finished his story. After the appearance was done, he would walk around the show to meet the dealers and browse the cards. Of course, he would NEVER refuse an autograph request while walking around either. At one signing I worked with, Buck even sang his rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" over the PA system to all in attendance.

What a class act. I first met Buck when I was a 12 year old kid... and those memories will stay with me forever.

I am a close friend with Marco, so i am a little biased, but he runs a show where the athletes pretty much determine how they wish to conduct themselves with the fans. Ripken is great and I remember one time I though Staubach was going to have to stay all night. many wll pose for photos. I had a bad=ish experience with Bob Gibson, but he is well documented not to love to sign autographs. I think you would have a better than decent chance with manning but I too encourage you to talk to Marco or Nial.

Yes, in my experience, it depends entirely upon the athlete. Harmon Killebrew and Frank Howard were very gracious and personable, and more than willing to engage in some conversation.

On the other hand, I believe Willie Mays may have grunted in response when I got his autograph in the late '90's in Atlantic City and thanked him.

Larry

This.

And just to be sure, tell your son to wear an Orange Tennessee Volunteers Tshirt!
That would no doubt do the trick.

Or better yet....skip the Vols and wear a Razorbacks shirt too see Brooks. You'll get at least 5-10 minutes of chatting.