[Michael B]

Scott,

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the approach being the most important part. I always say Mr. or Miss and 'may I have your signature/autograph..." I feel that using the first name is rude as it presumes familiarity with the person. When it is opportune I will also talk about other things not related to their sport and I never ever say 'you are my favorite/greatest' or other type nonsense. At most I will say 'I enjoy(ed) watching you play' or the such. The first time I met Kareem Abdul Jabbar we talked about jazz and Islam. John Grubb and I talked about Australia (I have been 5 times). Bob Lilly and I talked about photography. (He is a very dedicated photographer and I have been shooting for 30+ years). I would like to bump into Keith Hernandez as he collects Civil War items and I used to give lectures on it and have visited many battlefields. I do the same with musicians though it is usually about different recordings, other musicians they have performed with or my photos of them.

Sometimes a comment can change an attitude. For many years I attended the SGMA sporting goods convention, known as the "Supershow'. There would be hundreds of athletes appearing for the companies that they endorsed. Many would be there to sign, but some were there just to schmooze with the store buyers. One year when I was at the show in Atlanta in the late 1990's I saw one of the young stars for either Atlanta or Philadelphia, Ron Gant, David Justice or Ricky Jordan possibly. I asked them to sign and they said they were not there to do that. I completely understood said thank you and mentioned that I saw them play up in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, home of the AAA Phillies in the early 1990's. They stopped and said 'The place with mosquitoes the size of birds, I'll sign for you then.' You never know what can work.