Please sign Mr Jeter - NY Times article about collecting Jeter in Fla

[travrosty]

two more guys who were bombarded for their autograph every day but didnt seem to act like morons.

joe louis -signed for over 40 years, his son said he cant remember ever going out with his dad where he wasnt constantly asked for his autograph, every time they ever ate out together.

another - jack dempsey, as popular as babe ruth back in the 20's, signed for over 60 years, i have never heard of him treating his fans like a jerk, because he is jack dempsey, he accomodated the fans.

jeter could take notes.

[packs]

Here's my beef with players like Jeter. Tell everyone when you go into practice whether or not you feel like stopping to sign after. If not, then why make people wait all day for nothing? You can still be a polite jerk.

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by packs

Here's my beef with players like Jeter. Tell everyone when you go into practice whether or not you feel like stopping to sign after. If not, then why make people wait all day for nothing? You can still be a polite jerk.

I agree with that. There's no reason to be rude but your not obligated to sign. Kudos to Ruth, Dempsey, Louis, BRobby and others who were obviously very accommodating over the years.

[packs]

It would take two seconds to say "Not today, guys" as he walks in. Everyone is there before he arrives as it is. And if you say No you'll trim the line down if you do feel like stopping later.

[sdkammeyer]

OK, Yankee fans ..... cover you ears

Stories like this make me cringe ..... but also make me wonder what it would be like if I couldn't urinate in a public bathroom without being hounded for my autograph. You MUST think that back in his early career, Jeter, or any other player for that matter, probably adored the attention and stopped to sign more often. After so long the novelty wears off and your signings become more and more rare. For some players, the novelty NEVER wears off (Babe Ruth and many others mentioned already).

In the end, the players like Jeter are biting the hands that feed them. No, we, as fans, do not write Jeter's paychecks ...... but without the attendance at the games there is no Yankees and therefore no paycheck. Yankee fans know he is an idiot, but yet they still pay for those tickets! Obviously it impossible for him to discern between the fan and the guy who will have that auto for sale on eBay before the night is over ...... and as a player that's gotta suck.

You guys are right though. What is the harm in making an announcement that morning as you enter the facility if you are going to have time to sign or not afterwards? Or, better yet, if you (Derek Jeter) want to have justification for being an asshole, why not stop for 20-25 autos everyday. How long can it possibly take to sign your name 25 times? If you see the same person there waiting for you, knowing that you just signed for him yesterday, then just bypass that person and move on to the next..... or do something silly like sign it "mickey mouse" .... or just give him the Nyjer Morgan sig.

[packs]

I feel like there are only two possibilities as to why players don't say they will or won't sign early in the day and make people wait all day to find out.

Either they truly don't know how they're going to feel later.

Or

They like to turn people down.

I'll never be convinced that some players don't get some kind of sadistic pleasure from watching people want their autograph and walking by without signing a single one. I saw Bryce Harper do it all day, every day at Nationals camp after he was drafted first overall. And then I watched Strasburg sign for almost everyone even though he held the same cache as Harper.

I also don't really buy that a player doesn't know whether or not he's going to sign until the moment practice is over. You walk off the field to people asking for you to sign. You take an hour or two to shower and get dressed. And then you walk by those people again, who you know by now will be waiting for you.

Just say yes or no from the start and stop being a jerk. I can't tell you how many times I watched Jose Reyes and David Wright tell Mets fans in Port Saint Lucie that they'll sign as soon as their drills are over, only to watch them walk by everyone who has patiently waited, pick up their bags, and leave without even looking at a fan. It makes me sick.

[MacDice]

What players get annoyed with is seeing the same people day in and day out who hand them a large stack of items to sign. I think a lot more players would be willing to sign if they did not think that the individual was just going to turn around and sell it.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by sdkammeyer

For some players, the novelty NEVER wears off (Babe Ruth and many others mentioned already).

IT wasn't the novelty. It's really quite simple.
Ruth genuinely liked his fans. He genuinely liked people. And he probably never forgot where he came from.