Autograph Hell

I have Reggie Jackson to thank for a recent personal epiphany. A few people before it was my turn to get an autograph last Saturday, a man had to wait as Reggie “Mr. October” Jackson put pepper on the sandwich he was eating. I snapped this cell phone picture of MLB Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson April 11 at a signing in the Twin Cities. I’d hoped to capture him signing my bat, but I failed and got him looking at me to silently ask where I wanted him to sign the bat. When it was my turn to get his autograph at the Sportsnews Production Show on April 11 at the Earl Brown Center in Brooklyn Center, I took out my phone to get a photo of the hall of fame outfielder known as Mr. October signing my bat. I looked up to see him staring at me and pointing at the bat with a look of “Where do you want me to sign this?” Without saying a word, he kept pointing until I picked ...

Why autographs are becoming obsolete by Susan Pierce Blaine Savage, 11, has been collecting autographed sports memorabilia for several years. Photo by Angela Lewis Foster . Autograph collection becomes business For 28 years, baseball fans Barbara and Mickey Brinkley of Ellijay, Ga., traveled to spring training camps around the country collecting autographs from players. "He'd watch the games, and I chased the players," Barbara says, laughing. "We got to know a lot of them because we went every year. We...

Associated Press | BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The hottest item at Bud Grant's garage sale on Thursday was the Hall of Fame coach's autograph. Shoppers lined up to have the former Minnesota Vikings coach sign the team souvenirs and outdoor gear they bought. Even a gun. The 87-year-old signed a poster for 7-year-old Preston Oberloh, of Rapid City, South Dakota, whose family happened to be in town. His father, Aaron Oberloh, said he thought it would be cool to get next to the c...

For years, Scott Smith had tried to find the woman who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Oct. 17, 1960. Model Dolores Greer died last month. The search for a Los Angeles woman who 53 years ago was a Sports Illustrated cover girl has ended sadly for a collector of autographs from cover subjects. Model Dolores Greer, 81, died last month on the same day that cover autograph collector Scott Smith was being interviewed by The Times. Greer's obituary appeared in Sunday's Times. The saga of Smith's search for the model who illustrated the magazine's Oct. 17, 1960, cover story on the "new look in sports clothes" has spanned more than three decades. The retired New Jersey investment banker and corporate debt specialist has collected the signatures of 4,413 individuals who have been featured on 2,913 of the sports magazine's covers. He figures he has the autographs of 95% of all cover subjects. Tuesday's s...