Best & Worst Experience Meeting An Athlete

[ronniehatesjazz]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

I don't understand the "I only sign for kids" mentality. For the sake of discussion, let's presume each and every kid is pure of heart and wants the autograph for themselves, and don't fall into the category of...



Do the "I only sign for kids" people expect those kids to suddenly lose their interest in autographs the moment they turn 18?

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's unfair to serious collectors and fans who truly are in it for the love of collecting. On the other hand, I can think of two different experiences that would cause me to think like Jeter does (god knows how many experiences he has). When I was in high school I went to an Indians/Angels game. I wasn't a big collector at that time (typical young guy who leaves the hobby for girls, sports, etc.) but I was always a huge fan of Tim Salmon growing up and there he was pre game signing some autographs for some young Cleveland fans. I was a little embarrassed but I decided to go among the crowd of 10 year olds for an autograph of one of my childhood heroes. Keep in mind I was 17 (looked older though because of my height). I saw a guy who was mid 50's pushing through the crowd of kids with an album that full of cards. Kept going back to the same players time after time. The guy must have got 10 auto cards from each player. This guy didn't even appear to be that much of a fan and he was not being courteous to others trying to get autographs as well (5-12 year old kids). I actually saw him nudge (being polite; it was more like a light shove) a kid out of the way so he could capture a $3 auto of Benji Molina. I haven't asked for an autograph since watching all this happen. Another time I watched a middle aged man curse at Frank Thomas for not signing pre-game... The guy said things that would have likely caused a fight outside of the stadium... totally classless. If I were a pro, I'd sign for these fools just to get them out of the way but I can't fault some of them for focusing on signing for kids.