Johnny”Double No-Hitter” Vander Meer Despised Deadbeat Collectors

Don’t assume why some former players who sign for pay have a “cash only” policy..
(Yes, I count a donation as a payment.)

I met former pitcher Johnny Vander Meer at a 1980s sports collectors show. At that time, he wanted a donation to the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT).

He growled to Luke Appling about the hassles of dealing with personal checks. I could see that he felt that collectors bounced checks on purpose, trying to cheat “Double No-Hit” out of a signature and BAT out of a donation.

“Cash is easier!” he proclaimed.

Sure, the temptation of a retiree to “forget” to tell the IRS about all the fivers that come in the mail weekly is a possibility. I won’t assume that all autograph signers have tax fraud on their minds. Avoiding problems with the bank could be another motivation.

Readers: how do you feel about sending cash in the mail for an autograph?

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