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

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

The instructions for getting a signature sound like the Soup Nazi's ordering ritual.

Now this is more like it:

"Tyler Austin, one of the organization’s top prospects, always makes himself available — an easy decision, he said. He recalled attending a Chattanooga Lookouts minor league game as an 8-year-old and positioning himself for postgame autographs by moving down the right-field line, just past a gate that led to the team’s locker room. A couple of players stopped. Many more did not. “I remember it vividly,” said Austin, an outfielder who has hit .331 in the minors. “My mom looked at me and said, ‘One day you’re going to be there, and I swear if I ever see you walk by anybody and not sign a thing for them, I will come and personally slap you right across the face.’ ” "

So someone sells the 'graph, so what? A guy like Jeter makes $200,000,000.00+ over a career and he's miffed that some shmuck ekes out a living selling signatures? What, is the guy taking money out of Jeter's pocket? Taking away a business opp? No and no. And if that was the case, Jeter could simply be polite about it and make a blanket announcement or deal with it like a gentleman. Cary Grant did not sign autographs but he was unfailingly nice to the people who asked. Ringo Starr until relatively recenty signed TTM and when he decided to quit he made a video about it and posted it all over the place just to alert fans not to send him more stuff. Derek Jeter is bigger than a Beatle?!?! Bigger than Ali, as Travis pointed out? There was a recent story about George Clooney in a restaurant in Europe where he thought that his party might have been too loud so he surreptitiously picked up the dinner tab for the table next to his. It's called "class" and Jeter and the rest of the A-hole Brigade don't have it and never will.

The real bottom line about Jeter and the rest of them is what the late boxing broadcaster Nick Charles said was his philosophy: "Judge a man by how he treats someone who can do nothing for him."

+1

[Jim F]

Would Babe Ruth or Dempsey have signed as much if they knew there was a huge market for their autograph? Would they have signed as much if there was ebay? How about if they had a memorabilia deal? Would they have signed as much if they kept seeing the same faces asking for autographs day after day? Times change, people change. Doesn't mean he's a jerk.

[David Atkatz]

F#ck him and his memorabilia deal. Ultimately, his fans put every single cent he makes into his pocket.
If he can't give a bit back, he's a jerk.

[JimStinson]

Anyone that would drive through downtown Tampa at 3 am for ANYTHING is NUTS..
_________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

[Jim F]

His "fans" aren't the ones in line for the most part. I live in downtown Toronto. A block from the Air Canada Center where the NBA and NHL teams play, and also a block from the hockey hall of fame. It's always the same faces with binders of stuff standing out there every time something is going on. I can tell if a team is staying at a certain hotel just by the same clowns standing outside. I see his point.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by Jim F

Would Babe Ruth or Dempsey have signed as much if they knew there was a huge market for their autograph? Would they have signed as much if there was ebay? How about if they had a memorabilia deal? Would they have signed as much if they kept seeing the same faces asking for autographs day after day? Times change, people change. Doesn't mean he's a jerk.

This is also a great point. There are a ton of athletes who turn people down for autos. Eventually most guys sign but people are people and they will have different ways about them. Because he rolls by and doesn't speak to the fans doesn't make Jeter a jerk. It means he doesn't feel like signing that day.

Also to be fair, the article tells of the security guy being the one barking out orders about not speaking to Jeter, etc. Now, I'm not saying with certainty that this wasn't the exact message Jeter relayed to the guy, because we will never know what conversation was had. But I will say that I have seen my fair share of security guards getting their kicks off of their 15-minutes of fame and being overly rude to collectors just because they can. The times I've seen Jeter interact with fans, which admittedly has not been in about ten years, he was fairly personable. Quiet overall, but definitely not rude.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Because he rolls by and doesn't speak to the fans doesn't make Jeter a jerk.

Uhhh... yes, it does.

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Uhhh... yes, it does.

yep,

joe louis didnt have a inconsiderate bone in his body for his fans. he would talk, sign, he was gracious, he got asked ALL the time for 40 years. he wouldn't pull this "i am better than you" routine. There were probably days he didn't feel like signing and maybe didn't sign, but he didn't act like he was better than the "unwashed" masses.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by travrosty

yep,

joe louis didnt have a inconsiderate bone in his body for his fans. he would talk, sign, he was gracious, he got asked ALL the time for 40 years. he wouldn't pull this "i am better than you" routine. There were probably days he didn't feel like signing and maybe didn't sign, but he didn't act like he was better than the "unwashed" masses.

Did you hear Jeter say "I'm better than you?" Or is that just the extent of your hyperbole after you read the quotes of a security guard, written from the angle of a journalist who is out to get his article noticed? I'm willing to bet you've not had enough encounters with Jeter to put words in his mouth.

One thing you guys fail to realize is that a large portion of autograph hounds can be extremely rude, pushy and downright nasty to deal with. They invade the athletes' private lives and stalk them just to get a signature, yet these same people won't pay for a GA ticket to try and get the same guy at a ballgame. Interrupting them at dinner, following them through the streets, calling hotels to find where they're staying...it's insane. I don't care how nice an athlete is, that crap would get old. The dealers are even worse, especially in New York where Jeter has played half his games over 20 years. The dealers do all those things AND will push and shove because if they don't get a graph that day, they can't pay their bills. Then when a guy doesn't sign, they yell at the athete or curse them out. Yeah, that really makes a guy want to sign in the future. The Babe Ruth comparison is really apples and oranges because autograph collectors in Babe Ruth's day weren't pushing kids out of the way to get 20 of the same 11x14 signed. So if after dealing with all this and much more over the course of his career, if Jeter wants to roll by the line of autograph seekers and wave, I think he's earned that right. And it's not even like he NEVER signs. The one guy in the article got him 30 times!

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Did you hear Jeter say "I'm better than you?" Or is that just the extent of your hyperbole after you read the quotes of a security guard, written from the angle of a journalist who is out to get his article noticed? I'm willing to bet you've not had enough encounters with Jeter to put words in his mouth.

One thing you guys fail to realize is that a large portion of autograph hounds can be extremely rude, pushy and downright nasty to deal with. They invade the athletes' private lives and stalk them just to get a signature, yet these same people won't pay for a GA ticket to try and get the same guy at a ballgame. Interrupting them at dinner, following them through the streets, calling hotels to find where they're staying...it's insane. I don't care how nice an athlete is, that crap would get old. The dealers are even worse, especially in New York where Jeter has played half his games over 20 years. The dealers do all those things AND will push and shove because if they don't get a graph that day, they can't pay their bills. Then when a guy doesn't sign, they yell at the athete or curse them out. Yeah, that really makes a guy want to sign in the future. The Babe Ruth comparison is really apples and oranges because autograph collectors in Babe Ruth's day weren't pushing kids out of the way to get 20 of the same 11x14 signed. So if after dealing with all this and much more over the course of his career, if Jeter wants to roll by the line of autograph seekers and wave, I think he's earned that right. And it's not even like he NEVER signs. The one guy in the article got him 30 times!

+1

I used to live in Philly, and I would go to the stadiums and wait outside once in a while when I had some time on my hands. Those dealers were brutal. And then I decided to try the hotel once or twice. They were even worse there. Dealers from NYC would come down and literally act like animals. Never seen anything like it before. And the autographs the players gave out were just c**p. I remember going for Wayne Gretzky at the hotel when he was coach for the Coyotes. I was hanging inside the hotel just to relax, and saw him chilling in a chair. I decided to not bug him and wait for him to run the line outside, as I was very confident he would stop (bad decision). He comes outside, I run out and get in line, and he does stop and sign but it was a madhouse, and the autographs he gave out were horrible. I don't even have that photo framed, it is that bad. Not sure how the dealers can even sell that stuff. Plus he was calling out the double dippers, and they were denying and arguing with him. I decided then and there that it wasn't worth it, and I was completely embarrassed to be associated with that dealer scum. Haven't gone back to a hotel since. Plus I moved down South and things are much more civilized here. Of course there are plenty of dealers, but at least they have manners!

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Did you hear Jeter say "I'm better than you?" Or is that just the extent of your hyperbole after you read the quotes of a security guard, written from the angle of a journalist who is out to get his article noticed? I'm willing to bet you've not had enough encounters with Jeter to put words in his mouth.

One thing you guys fail to realize is that a large portion of autograph hounds can be extremely rude, pushy and downright nasty to deal with. They invade the athletes' private lives and stalk them just to get a signature, yet these same people won't pay for a GA ticket to try and get the same guy at a ballgame. Interrupting them at dinner, following them through the streets, calling hotels to find where they're staying...it's insane. I don't care how nice an athlete is, that crap would get old. The dealers are even worse, especially in New York where Jeter has played half his games over 20 years. The dealers do all those things AND will push and shove because if they don't get a graph that day, they can't pay their bills. Then when a guy doesn't sign, they yell at the athete or curse them out. Yeah, that really makes a guy want to sign in the future. The Babe Ruth comparison is really apples and oranges because autograph collectors in Babe Ruth's day weren't pushing kids out of the way to get 20 of the same 11x14 signed. So if after dealing with all this and much more over the course of his career, if Jeter wants to roll by the line of autograph seekers and wave, I think he's earned that right. And it's not even like he NEVER signs. The one guy in the article got him 30 times!

he didnt have to say it with his mouth, he says it with his actions. all he has to do is not sign for the professionals with stacks of photos. sign one each for everybody else. if he sees the same people day after day, don't sign for those people. not hard to do. his handler said it all. if jeter was the white knight in shining armor, and word got back to him that his handler treated people like that, i expect jeter to rip into that guy real good for abusing his fans. we all know that isn't going to happen. Jack Dempsey would hang out at Jack Dempsey's restaurant and mingle with the people, his fans who would come for a chance to see him, sign autographs, and have a good old time. He did it for many, many years. What's wrong with Jeter?

If it gets old, why doesn't it get old for Muhammad Ali? He got mobbed as much any anybody. He talked to the fans, signed autographs forever, didn't try to run away from people, he would get up early nearly every day at his home in Michigan, and sign hundreds of those pamphlets, hundreds of them each day, to take around with him and hand out to fans who asked him for his autograph, he didn't have to do it, he wanted to.

Or how about Brooks Robinson? He has a long line at a show, and he holds up the line himself to talk to each and every person, pose for pictures, shake hands, talk to the kids, and makes sure everyone is satisfied. What's wrong with Jeter?

You can't lump these famous athlete's together and say they have a right to act like a jerk. Because people keep hearing the same names on the jerk side over and over again, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Jeter.

And they hear the same names on the nice as heck side, Muhammad Ali, Brooks Robinson, the late Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven, a bunch of other guys. So some appreciate the fans, some don't, why carry water for Jeter when all it would take is a little effort on his part?

No one got hounded day and night more than Michael Jackson, and people don't remember him as a jerk about signing autographs. Although it was difficult to get near him, when people did, he would sign a lot, and be polite, and be gracious. He got mobbed 100 times more than Jeter, but he liked his fans.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Uhhh... yes, it does.

Uhhh...no, it doesn't. Have you seen Jeter, through the entirety of his career, every single time he's been asked for an autograph? Even if you somehow had, you would have only that one aspect of his persona to judge him by.

Do you stop and give change to every guy on the corner with a sign? If not, does that make you a jerk? How about if you do 99% of the time, but the one time you didn't I happened to see it and wrote an article about it? Are you a jerk then?

I get that it doesn't take much to sign a graph, and you can compare him to Ruth or Joe Louis or whatever athlete you want from 60-70 years before Jeter played...but the fact is whether he signs autographs every day or never signs a single one, I don't think that fact alone is enough to speak to his character. Athletes are not obligated to sign autographs for anyone.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Athletes are not obligated to sign autographs for anyone.

If you mean it's not in their contracts, you're right.
But if they don't feel they should treat their fans well, then they are arrogant pricks. (If not jerks.)

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

If you mean it's not in their contracts, you're right.
But if they don't feel they should treat their fans well, then they are arrogant pricks. (If not jerks.)

"Treating their fans well" is a pretty broad umbrella. I think if Jeter decides he's going to sign on Tuesday and not Wednesday through Saturday, he's not necessarily treating his fans poorly. At least he does sign, and I don't think that just because you have MLB Network at home or whatever that you have the right to tell a player how much of their time they need to spend "giving back."

[theshleps]

This is the first spring training I am missing in 12 years. I would spend 3 weeks from a few days before report date up until the games start from 6AM-4PM getting autographs at various AZ parks- usually 2 or 3 different parks a day.
The Jeter story is very similar to Ichiro except the people in line turn into a crazy pushing mob if he stops and the polite ones are shut out.
There are alot of dealers but alot of us are obsessed collectors. I would coolect every different card of a player so if say a Corey Hart came buy I might have a binder with 6 of his cards- all different. Never to sell. The dealers would usually have bats, jersey numbers, balls etc. Often times dealers would bring small children along who would ask. It was rare that children were getting autographs for themselves. Most dealers don't get cards signed as there is no $ in cards compared to other items. Or if they do they hand the player a stack of the same card.
Also being a physician who has worked on various players and my son being a bat boy, we talked to many players and they weren't good at differentiating dealers from collectors and sometimes I would try to eduacte them on the difference if they wanted to know. Some of the dealers are very helpful in identifying some of the "scrubs" in street clothes etc. others will go out of their way not to help and be real jerks
I always felt weird getting yelled at or turned down by some marginal player who I happened to want- keeps you humble.
I decided to skip this year for alot of reasons. I miss some of the collectors who are friends- there are also some folks down there I am glad I will not see. And I am trying to limit my collection now to HOF and potential HOF (I have 70,000 signed cards and want to downsize considerably). I feel bad I will miss a chance to get Koufax as I haven't gotten him since 1966 in NYC. . Do I need my 51st Josh Hamilton card signed? (what a great guy) or do I need to get pushed and almost killed in an attempt to get Albert Pujols? It is an obsession and some of us are hoarders. I accept that in myself.
I am going through withdrawal alittle. If Ichiro was still in AZ it would be more tempting tho I hated the wait and then he would drive by and wave but once he retires he disappears to Japan. Oh well, I am sure I will survive- tho getting a guy in person leaves you alot more memories than buying him through the mail and doing it with my son for many years was a great experience neither of us will forget tho he gave it up before me. Maybe he is more mature
I was one on one with Bryce Harper at Juco (while he was in college) in 3 different situations and he didn't acknowlege me or even look up (I was within 3 feet of him) and then when he would sign he'd put a Bible verse.
WE followed guys like Ryan Braun who we got his first day at minor league camp after he just was signed by the Brewers up until last year. He always remained nice as did Prince while others especially WS winning teams- suddenly would become arrogant (like the Giants) become non signers.
Sosa was one of the worst as he was two faced. Bonds at least you new where he stood.
All of us that have been doing this could write a book of stories