Players know the signs of a fishy fan request

Sporting News, The, June 10, 2005 by Todd Jones

If you've never sent mail to your favorite players, I think you're in the minority. Players get a ton of mail sent to their teams, and it's distributed in a wall of cubbyholes that, in most clubhouses, is located near the entrance.

Guys usually grab mail on their way in and take it to their lockers. That is a big step. If the mail gets to their lockers, there's a chance they'll answer it.

There's a lot of down time in the clubhouse, and some players use it to answer mail. Some guys prefer to answer their mail on the plane rides. Some guys, of course, don't answer it at all. They might throw it in the trash. I've even seen guys use the fan mail for stamps. Some guys are terrible; what can I say?

In players' defense, they can't always trust fan mail. Guys share notes about their mail, too, for good reason. You might see every big guy on a team get mail from the same person; the giveaway is the matching envelopes.

Some players will get one letter with, say, 10 cards the fan is asking them to sign. Why would someone want 10 signed cards, unless they're going to sell them? Players will sign one, mark the rest with a dot somewhere and send them all back. Before you know it, the same "fan" will send another letter, with the same marked cards enclosed. Players get a kick out of that.

There also are the fans who have very specific requests but don't personalize the letter. They want you to use a black Sharpie and sign a certain way, using "MVP" or "All-Star" or whatever.

I've gotten form letters: "Dear--, You're my favorite player." Hey, that's just not trying. That may sound callous, but players get sick of signing stuff just so it can be sold. I don't know a player who a would turn down a real fan or a kid, but the bad apples ruin the whole bunch.

The truth is, you can take the time to write your favorite player, but you might not hear back from him. If you're looking for an autograph, the best way is to go to the park and hang around foul territory before the game. Stalking players outside the hotel is sad. So is asking someone to sign when they're at dinner and then having the nerve to break out a camera to authenticate it.

People forget that there's just one player to go around. If he's a top player, it's never just one autograph. It is gratifying for players when they brighten someone's day, but if you could see what superstars go through, you would think a lot more highly of them.

Todd Jones is a reliever for the Marlins. E-mail him at tjones@sportingnews.com.