The next best way to get autographs is also one of
the funnest. Getting autographs at the ballpark can be very challenging,
but it can also be very rewarding. After your first few games,
you may come out with just a few relief pitchers or back-up outfielders,
but sooner or later you'll land the Frank Thomas's and the Nomar Garciaparra's.
Mark McGwire? Now that's a different story. Anyhow, here are
some more valuable do's and don'ts for getting autographs at the ballpark
(these apply mainly to baseball) :
Do's
#2 - Get the rosters. I always go to ESPN.com
a day or two ahead of a game to print out the latest
rosters of both teams. Rosters can come in handy when you don't know
the names of players by number or vice versa. They can also refresh
your memory of which players are local, in case you knew them in high school
but haven't spoke to them since, etc.
#3 - Dress appropriately. No, I don't mean
that you'll never get a sig if you're not wearing a shirt, (but you should
be wearing one anyway) I mean if you have a shirt that will appeal to a
certain player, wear it. For example, if you're trying to get Geoff
Jenkins, dress down in USC apparel, etc.
#4 - Get there early...way early. Get
to the ballpark at least 2 hours early or whenever the gates open up.
By getting to the ballpark I mean be at the front gate, not get into your
car at that time. For some ballparks, the only real time that you
can get autographs is before the game, so you have to make the best of
what time is provided. (The only way to get Cal Ripken, Jr. is to
get to the park as soon as the gates open and rush to get in the "Cal"
line. He usually signs anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, (1
item per person) so if you're lucky, his sig will be yours) If you
are lucky enough to visit a park that allows post game autograph opportunities,
then by all means take them.
#5 - Hit the visitors before the home team guys. Because there are (usually) less fans
rooting for the out-of-towners, it's common sense that there will be less
people trying to get their autographs. So your best bet at landing some premium sigs is sticking with the visitors.
#6 - Hang out and be patient. When you first
arrive at the park, hopefully the visiting team is still taking batting
practice. This is when you have two choices: 1)You can go to the
outfield and try to get the sigs of outfielders and pitchers, or 2)You
can go to the dugout and try to get any and all of the starters as the
come in and out of the dugout for BP. Either way, you have to be
patient, if you see players, yell at them, and they say "Later," or "Not
right now," then wait until they are done with whatever they are supposed
to be doing. If you see Randy Johnson horsing around in the outfield
with the other pitchers, wait until batting practice is almost over and
he has to come to the fences. Who knows, if he's not pitching that
night, he could sign for a good 15 minutes while the rest of the team is
having a meeting.
#7 - Call out to players. If you see a player
you want, yell something like "Mr. Thome, can I please have your autograph?"
This is also your chance to get creative. If you are not a shy person,
you shouldn't hesitate to shout stuff like "Hey Ben, I'd take a bullet
for you!" or if you're really bold, "Hey Kenny, without us funs
you'd be NOTHING! Sign some autographs, man!" But try not to
get to the point that you're insulting them. If there are only a
few of you waiting to get a certain player, then point it out: "Hey Aaron,
there's only a few of us. Won't you please sign for us?"
#8 - Be in the right place. Always try to
get right in front of the player signing so you can stick your baseball
or your card in his face. If you see that he is moving in one direction
and it is impossible to get in even the first three rows, you have a better
chance by moving somewhere in the distance in the direction that he's moving.
At least this way you will be somewhat in the front when he gets there.
If the player is not moving, just stand there in the fourth
row until others leave. When the front line clears a little, climb over so you are behind somebody
in the front row. From there, just try to stick your item anywhere onto
the field.
#9 - Leave and come back when the time is "Golden".
Anywhere from 60 to 15 minutes before game time, the ushers will shoo away
all the autograph hounds, asking them to "Please take your seats."
Follow their orders unless there are still players around, especially ones
that are signing. You can simply say, "But there's a player down
there," or "He's still signing." Most of the time the ushers will
give in if you are polite. Then, after all the players have gone
into the clubhouse, you can return to your seat (if they are on the field
level or anywhere where you have easy access to the fences) or you can
pretend to leave and just hang out in the walking aisles. The purpose
of this is so you can make it back to the dugout in good time when the
starters come out for their pre-game warm-ups. As soon as you see
the first starter or player you want walk out onto the field and start
stretching, run back down to the dugout area. This is the most opportune
time to get all the goodies. This is where and when the Nomar's
and the Pedro's and the Wade's sign, so this 10 minute slot between the
warm-up and the national anthem is definitely GOLDEN.
#10 - Stalk the team. Well, not literally,
but try to find out what hotels the team is staying at. That way,
if the hotel they're staying at allows you to hang out in the lobby or
out front, you can catch some players on their way to or from the game.
Don'ts
#2 - Don't use thin-line permanent markers.
They don't write on cards and they easily disappear from balls after a
few months. You won't be too happy when Mark's sig slowly fades away.
#3 - Don't fake knowing players. The worst
thing that can happen is they say "Really? Who was my girlfriend in high school?" and you have no answer. You can kiss that player goodbye
then.
#4 - Don't shout out stupid stuff that would usually
work with your date. Refrain from using phrases like "You like chocolate
ice cream? That's my favorite too!" and so forth. This might
get the slightest bit of attention from a player, but it won't land any sigs. Save
your voice for when you really have a chance at getting a sig.
#1 - Be prepared. Always have the essentials: baseballs (I prefer to have 1 for each team, or in my case, 1 for the
Angels and 1 for the visiting team), all the cards of all the players on
each team that you have organized in a binder, ball-point pens (for the
baseballs) and permanent markers (for the cards, preferably blue or black).
Photos, figures, and other memorabilia are optional, but I choose not to
take them, for they are harder to carry around.
#1 - Don't throw your stuff at players (unless
they are signing from the steps of the dugout and you are behind it or
a similar situation) while they are signing. Chances are you won't
get the sig and if you are really unlucky you won't get your baseball back.
Some tricksters use this as a ploy to get unknowing players' sigs.
It might work once or twice on rookies, but you'll never get Cal this way.
Just avoid it altogether; besides, you might have a horrible arm and
hit the player in the head. Now that'll leave you in a good
situation.
