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What would you pay for a chance to meet a player...

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Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?
Aug 7, 2008
9,446
168
Was wondering what you would pay for the chance to meet a player for 30 seconds without get his autograph?

A post about the cost to get a Bernie Williams Autograph at the recent East Coast National got me thinking. A Bernie IP auto on a card goes for like $25, on a ball (authenticated) maybe $50-$75 for a ball, yet that does not come close to the cost of getting it signed in person (after waiting in line for ages.)

Willie Mays is even more. $300 for an autograph you can get on eBay for $50 or so.

So my question is, would you pay $75 to meet Bernie for 30 seconds and not get an autograph, or $250 to meet Mays and not get an autograph?

(Obviously this question is for those who pay the prices to get IP auto's at shows. For those who don't the answer is obvious.)
 

RL24

New member
Dec 12, 2008
3,469
4
Colorado Springs, CO
When Rickey was playing for the Surf Dawgs they did a neat thing. They ran autographed bobble heads on eBay, and if you won you got to meet Rickey and he would sign the bobble head. I think it was less that $100. I would have totally done it, but San Diego is so far away...
 

rainmanesq

New member
Aug 31, 2008
1,518
0
i'm not sure what i'd pay, but the only player i'd pay to meet w/o getting an auto (though 1 would be nice of course) is greg maddux b/c i've admired him since I was a child + i'd be happy just to meet him. yes, you can get things cheaper on ebay, but for a lot of people, it's the 'experience' (being around fellow fans of the player, shaking the player's hand, seeing the player in person, etc.) that's worth paying for, even if it's just a quick 'hi, thanks'
 

TBTwinsFan

New member
Nov 8, 2009
24,583
0
Southwestern Minnesota
I wouldn't pay anything. I mean, it would be a cool "experience" but I don't want a visit to be bound by money... It's just tainted and no more special than a pack pulled autograph of the player.

Usually when I go to signings, I might say "Hi" or "How's it goin" but if they want to talk, they can start a conversation. I don't want to barge in on them. A lot of times, they do chat with me. Bert Blyleven is always up for a good chat, whether you pay for the autograph or not.

When I met Delmonico, it was a cool experience, and I didn't pay anything for it. It was also an odd one, but I am glad I stuck around an hour after the game to meet him. We didn't chat much, but the fact that he said 3 words and both of us were surrounded by players, coaches, and staff, was priceless. It was genuine, and not tainted by $$$
 

Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?
Aug 7, 2008
9,446
168
rainmanesq said:
i'm not sure what i'd pay, but the only player i'd pay to meet w/o getting an auto (though 1 would be nice of course) is greg maddux b/c i've admired him since I was a child + i'd be happy just to meet him. yes, you can get things cheaper on ebay, but for a lot of people, it's the 'experience' (being around fellow fans of the player, shaking the player's hand, seeing the player in person, etc.) that's worth paying for, even if it's just a quick 'hi, thanks'
I guess my question then is, taking the autograph out of the occasion (since that has a very quantifiable value) what is the experience worth?
 

bigpops65

New member
Feb 9, 2009
792
0
Providence, RI
Earlier this year, I got a chance to meet Trot Nixon of the Red Sox at a charity event in Boston. It cost me about $100 to get into the event, which included autos and photo ops with a ton of players, including Ryan Westmoreland, Casey Kelly, Curt Schilling, Ryan Kalish, Luis Exposito, etc. But the big opportunity was to meet Nixon.

It was my wife and I, and we went with another couple. We went through the line, stopped at Trot's table, had some very quick small talk, he took a picture with my wife, and was awesome through the 2 minutes we were at his table. If that had been it, it was well worth it.

Well, the event was held at a bowling alley/bar (it's a three level bar in Boston, not your typical bowling alley, tons of TVs with all the games, etc.) So we always hang out after the event for some food and drink. The crowd usually thins out quickly after they get their items signed. After he was done with the public signing, Trot went to the second level to do a private signing with a local company. We thought he had left, but then he re-appeared in the bar area. He wound up stopping at our group (which was now a few people bigger, including Beefy and his fiancee) and we were shooting the **** for a few minutes. He was really cool and down to earth. He signed another photo for a friend of mine that couldn't make it (and did an awesome inscription busting his chops for not coming) then posed for a few photos with everyone. He said he wished he could stay after we offered to buy him a beer (and seemed genuine about it), but he had to catch a flight out of Logan back to NC, and his flight was leaving in like 2 hours.

Trot was always one of my favorite players. This helped seal it. He was the complete opposite of Schilling. The autos were a bonus, but the time just talking to Trot was worth the $100.

Our gang with Trot Nixon (and my wife giving Trot the big hug)
22367_245496649786_607699786_3099425_2438749_n.jpg


My friend (left) and I (right) with Trot (we were jokingly referred to as his security)
22367_245496584786_607699786_3099413_141763_n.jpg
 

chowell3fan

New member
Jan 27, 2010
1,604
0
Whaler Country
bigpops65 said:
Earlier this year, I got a chance to meet Trot Nixon of the Red Sox at a charity event in Boston. It cost me about $100 to get into the event, which included autos and photo ops with a ton of players, including Ryan Westmoreland, Casey Kelly, Curt Schilling, Ryan Kalish, Luis Exposito, etc. But the big opportunity was to meet Nixon.

It was my wife and I, and we went with another couple. We went through the line, stopped at Trot's table, had some very quick small talk, he took a picture with my wife, and was awesome through the 2 minutes we were at his table. If that had been it, it was well worth it.

Well, the event was held at a bowling alley/bar (it's a three level bar in Boston, not your typical bowling alley, tons of TVs with all the games, etc.) So we always hang out after the event for some food and drink. The crowd usually thins out quickly after they get their items signed. After he was done with the public signing, Trot went to the second level to do a private signing with a local company. We thought he had left, but then he re-appeared in the bar area. He wound up stopping at our group (which was now a few people bigger, including Beefy and his fiancee) and we were shooting the **** for a few minutes. He was really cool and down to earth. He signed another photo for a friend of mine that couldn't make it (and did an awesome inscription busting his chops for not coming) then posed for a few photos with everyone. He said he wished he could stay after we offered to buy him a beer (and seemed genuine about it), but he had to catch a flight out of Logan back to NC, and his flight was leaving in like 2 hours.

Trot was always one of my favorite players. This helped seal it. He was the complete opposite of Schilling. The autos were a bonus, but the time just talking to Trot was worth the $100.

Our gang with Trot Nixon (and my wife giving Trot the big hug)
22367_245496649786_607699786_3099425_2438749_n.jpg


My friend (left) and I (right) with Trot (we were jokingly referred to as his security)
22367_245496584786_607699786_3099413_141763_n.jpg

Great story.....Jillians?
 

ronfromfresno

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
2,037
22
Fresno, CA
Not sure what I would pay, but I know that when I finally got to meet Will Clark, in that moment I would have paid an insane amount for the experience. I idolized Clark as a kid and dreamed about meeting him.

A couple of years ago he did a free signing at the AAA game here in Fresno. I guess not completely free, you had to have tickets to the game to get into the park, but the auto was free. The line was long and we were toward the back so at different times my wife or I would walk the kids around the concourse and the other would stay in line. At one point while walking my kids around we walked past the area where Will was signing and stopped for a second and realized I was as excited as a kid at Christmas. I felt like I was 10 years old again and I hadn't even met him yet. Clark was great, talking to everyone in line, made my kids feel special and complimented me on my great family, my wife was also kind enough to let Will know we named my son after him. I would have paid a ton of money to have that type of interaction with my childhood hero, luckly I didn't have too.

Will and Will
IMG_2587-1.jpg

Will and me and my daughter
IMG_2588-1.jpg
 

jlvjr16

New member
Aug 13, 2008
1,384
0
Lets see I pay for gas to get to Yankee Stadium and the cost of the ball and pen....

If you really try your best to meet a player, you wouldnt be paying for anything...

The Trot Nixon story was awesome...Too bad the Yankees do not do anything that cheap..
 

Incognito1965

New member
Aug 15, 2008
39
0
For a player from the free agent era, I would not pay one dime. While I love baseball, and am actually employed by a Major League franchise, I think the idea of people who have earned millions of dollars playing a game charging people who won't make a million dollars in their lifetime for an autograph is wrong. If not for the fans, these guys would have to find a real job. What is wrong with the idea of being thankful for the blessings they have received and actually GIVING to those who actually made those blessings as lucrative as they were?
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
I wouldn't pay anything to meet anybody. The person has yet to be born whose mere presence warrants a fee.
 

lisu

Active member
Aug 8, 2008
7,335
0
Mountain View, CA
I generally will pay up to $50 to meet players that I like. Here are some examples - Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, and Tim Alderson. I don't mind spending some money in getting those autographs because I know that we're taking away some of their free time too - especially during the season. It is worth the experience. I think I paid $75 to meet Will Clark, but that was also worth it!
 

WoundedDuck

Active member
Aug 23, 2008
2,904
2
For the cost of his book I got to meet Cal Ripken Jr. For 30 secs as he signed it and took pictures. He was courteous to everyone there. It was pretty neat. However, I wouldn't pay the prices for card show signings so yeah I probably wouldn't pay to meet for 30 secs w/o an auto either.
 

bowmanchromeandorr

New member
May 23, 2010
836
0
Race City USA
lisu said:
I generally will pay up to $50 to meet players that I like. Here are some examples - Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, and Tim Alderson. I don't mind spending some money in getting those autographs because I know that we're taking away some of their free time too - especially during the season. It is worth the experience. I think I paid $75 to meet Will Clark, but that was also worth it!


bumgarner's dad ump'd one of my kids' american legion games this summer, kinda cool... someone asked him why he was still working with his kid rolling the dough. he told them theat money was madison's not his. kinda cool not trying to sponge off you rkid but i figure madison slips him a little dough here and there.

back on topic. i dont think i would pay a huge amount of money to meet someone (outside of an autograph fee and thats jacked up as well). maybe if ted williamd came back with his head attached to his body i would drop a thousand to sit down, have supper and talk with him for a couple hours, out side of that probably nothing
 
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