I thought about that but maybe that isn't the reason for him not signing. Also, Topps put it in the public that the ball would have all 3 signed. So if Topps gave Mays a gold ball to sign, he would know exactly what it's for. You also don't want to piss off Mays, even if you have an exclusive contract. When the contract expires, there is no way he would work with you again. So in the long run it's not worth it.
Which is worse-- pissing Mays off or pissing off your customers?
Sadly, it's a rhetorical question. Why? Because we will continue to bend over and take all the crap Topps dishes out. The only thing that would make them do things differently is for their bottom line to suffer. And the only way that happens is a large scale embargo by collectors, which will never happen.