[slufan83]

I'm sure most MLB games are the same as they are at Busch Stadium. By the time the gates open the home team has already taken BP and the visiting team is the one out there until the grounds crew gets the field ready....so you can really only see the visiting team taking BP. Granted I'm almost 30, I don't go to too many games so the opportunity to get something signed is still cool. I can't begin to explain how annoying it is to see these herds of people with binders of cards chasing players as the walk along the wall trying to get signatures just so they can then sell the cards on eBay. They have huge backpacks taking up space and literally force their way in groups to try to make a buck. It ruins the experience for fans who actually enjoy the chance to meet a player (even if they aren't a superstar).

Well anyway at tonight's Cardinals/Mets game, I saw plenty of the autograph for sale chasers following the players around like a herd of elephants so I just picked a spot and watched the BP and if someone came close then awesome. I ended up taking a a female Mets fan who drove up to St. Louis from Kentucky and was just chatting about the same thing in regard to people just chasing players around for autographs which they will in turn sell and ruining the opportunity for many people to just enjoy getting something signed. Well Jordany Valdespin and Ruben Tejada ended up walking up to where we were and she asked me if I'd snap a photo if either of they would pose for a photo with her...Valdespin ended up having no problem with that and obliged (she didn't get a chance to ask Tejada). Well some dude came up and opened up a binder and kinda shoved it in the players faces and they kinda whispered to each other about it and didn't really sign much for the guy....so you can pretty much tell that some of the players probably don't like it either but will save face and oblige to try to be nice. Well before he showed up I easily got a BP ball signed by them both. They aren't superstar players, but it was fun getting close to any pro player.

[DrMitchJ]

Nice autos! Is that ball for sale?
But seriously, the way the Mets are playing they should be happy fans are still asking for their sigs, and they should sign EVERYTHING that's put in front of them! I mean, they're competing with the Marlins for the worst of the NL east! The only 2 worse teams in MLB are the Marlins and the Astros!

[RobbinsDynasty]

At first read I was like wow he is talking about me. Well sort of. I bring a back pack of stuff, binder or cards, and get autos. Then I thought yeah I hate the people he is talking about. I don't sell my autos if anything ones that I have multiples of I give them out on twitter in various ways. I chase the players around for my kids ages 2 & 3 so they can have some autos of younger guys. but yes I totally agree that these guys ruin it. they come and just shove the binder in their face its so impersonal. had this happen to us last night at a minor league game. My sons were asking Gary Sanchez to sign after the game and they got him to sign a card but this guy comes and just says "Gary sign whatever you like. and shoves a binder right in front of us." he had a sour look on his face.. yea they do it to be nice but at times I think they should just walk by. if a player doesn't sign for my kids I thank them anyways

[Amazingheroes]

Valdespin is de man right now!

I love this guy as a life long Mets fan.

Steve
Amazing Heroes
Union NJ 07083

[slufan83]

At first read I was like wow he is talking about me. Well sort of. I bring a back pack of stuff, binder or cards, and get autos. Then I thought yeah I hate the people he is talking about. I don't sell my autos if anything ones that I have multiples of I give them out on twitter in various ways. I chase the players around for my kids ages 2 & 3 so they can have some autos of younger guys. but yes I totally agree that these guys ruin it. they come and just shove the binder in their face its so impersonal. had this happen to us last night at a minor league game. My sons were asking Gary Sanchez to sign after the game and they got him to sign a card but this guy comes and just says "Gary sign whatever you like. and shoves a binder right in front of us." he had a sour look on his face.. yea they do it to be nice but at times I think they should just walk by. if a player doesn't sign for my kids I thank them anyways

If you're wanting some signatures for your kids, then that's a different story. These guys have like 9 cards of one player on each page and expect them to just stand there and sign each and every card on the page, just so they can turn around and sell them. When the player has to sit there and sign 9 autographs for one person it's taking away from the people that are around just looking for the opportunity to meet a player. They literally come to the game in a group. One thing I noticed about them is that they go and sit their bags by the gate before the open and then go walk off. Then when others get in line, these people come back about 5 min before the gates open and act like they can just go to where their bags are and get that spot in line. It's rude and it's all for one purpose.

[dspainjr]

I know what you are taking about as I was at the Rockies series trying to autos for my son. B/c of the "Auto Hounds" I was unable to get any of the stars autos b/c of what you spoke of. I do carry a backpack when I go to games and I have a binder but I only have one card of each player. We are all kids at heart, but those that push kids around just to get the autos need to be kicked in the junk.

If you're wanting some signatures for your kids, then that's a different story. These guys have like 9 cards of one player on each page and expect them to just stand there and sign each and every card on the page, just so they can turn around and sell them. When the player has to sit there and sign 9 autographs for one person it's taking away from the people that are around just looking for the opportunity to meet a player. They literally come to the game in a group. One thing I noticed about them is that they go and sit their bags by the gate before the open and then go walk off. Then when others get in line, these people come back about 5 min before the gates open and act like they can just go to where their bags are and get that spot in line. It's rude and it's all for one purpose.

[gherkin1496]

Sorry to hear that. Valdespin has been a punk but has a world of talent. the mets are an absolute mess. *sigh*

[slufan83]

I ended up giving the ball to my friend that is a Mets fan. He was at the game with me, but didn't have anything to be signed. I got to see the players and he's happy that he has a new piece of Mets memorabilia. He earned it though after all the crap we gave him while sitting out in the bleachers. That 10-4 loss was probably a little hard to swallow haha. At least we got a free Big Mac today at McDonald's compliments of Carlos Beltran hitting that upper deck HR into Big Mac Land haha.

[RobbinsDynasty]

It's a shame because it takes away some of the mystique from the younger kids that we all say need to get back into baseball. 30 somethings that act like 4 year olds shoving 4 year olds. That's why I spend a majority of my time at minor league fields and try to find a spot that works for me and no one else is really there and take my time to let myself and my sons be seen that we have been there all game. for example My wife myself and two sons have season tickets to the Tampa Yankees and the boys are in the kids club so we go to as many team events and at game days we sit 3 innings in our seats 3 innings by the bullpen and 3 innings back in our seats (which is about 7 rows behind on deck circle for Yankees. I have also gotten autos for little kids that cant find there way to the correct side of the dugout. we are all kids at heart but when a kid gets a ball or an auto it is like these guys are super heros. happy for you that you got a ball and it had some sigs to go with it