Meeting in Person

Getting in touch with a professional baseball player for an autograph or piece of memorabilia used to be really easy. You simply lined up outside the locker room after the game and caught the players as they left for their cars, or leaned over the outfield wall and convinced a player to come over and sign something as he retrieved a foul ball, or even dropped a pen and a baseball into the bullpen and waited for it to get thrown back up to you.

But that’s not so true anymore.

Jose Canseco began to move away from free autographs for fans when he started charging kids five bucks per signature at Major League Baseball games. At the time, this was considered heresy, but Canseco was actually ahead of the curve. What started out as a nice gesture between player and fan soon became an industry, and when a player takes time out of his schedule to do a kid a favor and that kid turns around and sells his autograph to a memorabilia vendor for $10, the player quite rightfully feels used.

So today you rarely get a signature that hasn’t come from the player himself. These signatures will often include certificates of authenticity, or at the very least a "Major League Baseball Approved" sticker that tells you the player actually signed the object. That doesn’t mean, however that you can’t still find a ballplayer and have him cut you a favor.

There are four main ways to get a baseball player to sign for you:

1. An officially sanctioned autograph session.

Most clubs have times when players are permitted to sign things for the fans--usually around batting practice time, after a big win, or at an official club event. If you go to the ballpark four hours before game time, you’ll catch the players having an early swing in a  low-pressure environment. While they’re waiting their turn, you’re generally not scowled at too much if you approach them with a handshake and a pen.

2. A charity event.

Nearly every Major League Baseball player as well as the Major League Players Association is aligned with various charities where he turns up to assist a few times per year. Many players have charitable foundations of their own that they set up to help a certain cause. Since the player gives his time to the cause at these charity events, it’s expected that fans will be able to talk to him, approach him for signings, and just hang out. Your side of the bargain is to give a little to the charity in thanks--it’s a fair trade.

3. Write the player’s team or club.

This is a pretty easy option. Just send a letter to your favorite player through the team he plays for and ask if he wouldn’t mind signing a photo or something else for you (or for your grandmother, child, or dog). Usually the player will oblige, especially if you’re smart and put a self-addressed stamped envelope in the package so they don’t have to pay return postage.

4. Get ‘em early.

Every ballplayer starts somewhere, and that somewhere is usually in a tiny ballpark in a tiny town where a tiny crowd turns up to see unknowns going long. Nearly every region of North America has a minor league club somewhere nearby, and even independent league clubs can be a great place to get up-and-coming players as well as former big names now considering retirement. Most minor league teams will let fans come onto the field after a game to meet the players, especially after a win. But if they lose, don’t expect them to stick around too long!

Cincinnati Reds All-Star first baseman, Sean Casey, enjoys signing autographs. "Some guys don’t want to be bothered with it," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2003. "That’s fine. The bottom line is, it might put a smile on somebody’s face. That’s the point: it makes somebody happy."

Casey continued, "I get stories back from people about how you took two seconds out of [my] day to sign an autograph and it makes their day. It’s neat to know you can have that kind of impact. I don’t mind at all if people ask me, because I’ve done the same thing."

In fact, Casey still does the same thing even today. In 2002 Casey showed up to a celebrity softball game with a bat, ball, and trading cards for Pete Rose to sign. "Pete Rose made me a little nervous. You get the big-time, Hall of Fame-type guys. They make you nervous until you find out they’re good guys. I acted like a little kid.

Sometimes getting a player to agree to sign something takes a little psychology as well as patience. Especially in the minor leagues, these guys are playing for their futures with every swing of the bat, so taking a flash photo of them when they are cocked and ready to swing as a pitch is thrown their way isn’t likely to endear you to them. Neither will sticking your head over the top of the dugout, or getting annoyed if a player refuses your request to interrupt his schedule for a signature.

But you can change the odds in your favor. If you bring a player’s baseball card to the park and ask him to sign it, he’s likely to be impressed that it was him you wanted to see. If you buy a ball from the souvenir stand, likewise they’re more likely to sign it since you’re helping the team. If you catch a pop foul and present the ball to the player who hit it after the game, he’ll appreciate the value of signing the ball and will likely do just that. Alternately, if you’re waiting at the stadium gate with 12 balls to sign, you’re going to be pegged as someone just looking to make a little cash on the player’s time.

Remember, today’s minor league star could be tomorrow’s starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and minor league memorabilia surrounding his early career is not only more unique than a signed baseball card, it can also become valuable when that red-faced kid from Round Rock, Texas, becomes the next Derek Jeter. At about six bucks a ticket for a minor league game, there’s really not a huge expense involved in staking out the local ballpark and looking for the next big thing.

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