Pete Rose -- The Autograph King?

[steve B]

even in the mid 70's Feller was a fast signer. When I met him at a home run derby he pitched between games of a double header he started with a stack of page sized printed pictures with career highlights on the back. Probably about 2000 of them. I was one of the last kids to go up, shy even though he was sitting in the stands. Got a couple pictures and a piece of paper for dads autograph book, and ended up talking pitching for a bit (I had no idea just how cool that was until later) by the time he said he had to go keep the grownups happy the stack of pictures was gone. Many of them made into paper planes and thrown around and off the top of the stadium.
He didn't even mind that, it was just kids being kids,

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

Not getting paid for it I'd go with Feller and in another sport Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull were the kings of signing for free.

[packs]

You might think of him right away but I bet Denny McClain signed almost as much as Pete Rose. He would set up his own table at just about every show I ever saw a flyer for over at least two decades. many times he would be signing for free if he made a deal with the promoter.

[jingram058]

You can bring up all these other guys and how much they signed. Form all the opinions you like; that is what makes the world go round. But from what I have read and seen, Ruth signed so much stuff, playing days and afterward, even after nights of carousing, that it boggles the mind. Waite Hoyt, who was one of the Babe's best friend, was astounded by it. Hundreds of items signed daily, then a small army to deliver it all to the post office. Every day. For decades. I kindly refer you to this, once again. Show me anyone else in a photo like this.

"Even though experts estimate that he has signed over 600,000 autographs in his time, there is still a great deal of interest in his autograph. It is also estimated that he signed about 9,000 baseballs a year. You have to remember that many of those signatures were lost, destroyed and damaged. His agent, Christy Walsh, said that in one barnstorming trip alone, Ruth signed 6,000 baseballs."

[Snapolit1]

Jim - cool Ruth photos, but those are almost certainly publicity photos carefully choreographed by his publicist. Could have posed for the photo, signed 5 balls, click click click, and walked out to meet a female admirer in the lobby. (Do you think Marilyn Monroe stood over subway grates very often?) Of course I don't know that. Ruth signed a ton of stuff. Of course. But he died at age 53. Rose lived to be 83. 30 more years. . . . . 11,000 more days on earth. 11,000 days where his full time job was sitting in public places as often as he could and signing everything under the sun. Rose was literally signing stuff THE DAY HE DIED!

I will put my money on Rose.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

...and as already noted, Feller lived 9 more years than Rose and in my estimation signed even more.

Goudey wasn't sending Ruth 10,000 plastic stickers to sign every month, either.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Jim - cool Ruth photos, but those are almost certainly publicity photos carefully choreographed by his publicist. Could have posed for the photo, signed 5 balls, click click click, and walked out to meet a female admirer in the lobby. (Do you think Marilyn Monroe stood over subway grates very often?) Of course I don't know that. Ruth signed a ton of stuff. Of course. But he died at age 53. Rose lived to be 83. 30 more years. . . . . 11,000 more days on earth. 11,000 days where his full time job was sitting in public places as often as he could and signing everything under the sun. Rose was literally signing stuff THE DAY HE DIED!

I will put my money on Rose.

You're wrong on this Steve. Don't want to get into argument about it. The facts, as they say in court, are the facts. None of these people signed as much as Ruth. Just a fact. And no, that photo was not staged for publicity purposes, rather, as an example of what Ruth did on a daily basis, as evidenced by a great number of people. You'll just have to believe what you want, and ignore the facts. I can't get through to you.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by jingram058

You're wrong on this Steve. Don't want to get into argument about it. The facts, as they say in court, are the facts. None of these people signed as much as Ruth. Just a fact. And no, that photo was not staged for publicity purposes, rather, as an example of what Ruth did on a daily basis, as evidenced by a great number of people. You'll just have to believe what you want, and ignore the facts. I can't get through to you.

You don't have any "facts", only estimations. None of us have solid numbers. At the same time, we can't get through to you and have no need to. It really doesn't matter, as nobody can prove anything. It's just whatever you choose to believe.

[BRoberts]

Originally Posted by jingram058

You're wrong on this Steve. Don't want to get into argument about it. The facts, as they say in court, are the facts. None of these people signed as much as Ruth. Just a fact. And no, that photo was not staged for publicity purposes, rather, as an example of what Ruth did on a daily basis, as evidenced by a great number of people. You'll just have to believe what you want, and ignore the facts. I can't get through to you.

You clearly don't understand what a fact is.