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Kris Bryant

MLB.com raises eyebrows with quiz: ‘Can you guess which star’s autograph this is? Are those letters or squiggles?’

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Bryant signing autographs 2
Kris Bryant, in a 2018 minor league rehab stint, signs quickly for a crowd, giving them his abbreviated signature. (Photo by Minda Haas Kuhlmann)

The April 8 quiz of the day on MLB.com is worth pondering. Eric Chesterton brought up a couple of interesting questions about the penmanship of today’s major leaguers.

Chesterton praises MLB stars for penning nearly identical signatures every time. However, he adds, “But the ability to generate identical signatures every time doesn’t mean those signatures are ever legible.”

Check out Chesterton’s 20 autographed baseballs. See what you think.

I think I might be writing thank-you letters to current players who take the time to spell it all out for me. Legible signatures are an endangered species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rest in peace, Chicago Cubs

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Schwarber at the 2014 All-Star Futures game. The slugger's fan relations made a good impression on an Iowa Cubs beat writer. By Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Schwarber's view") [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Schwarber at the 2015 All-Star Futures game. The slugger’s fan relations made a good impression on an Iowa Cubs beat writer. By Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Schwarber’s view”) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Swept?

Ouch!

To ease the pain for Cubs fans, comfort yourselves with this article by Des Moines Register sportswriter Tommy Birch. He remembers those young Cubs when they played AAA ball in Iowa.

Most importantly, he has a couple of stories worth savoring. He judges the character of two current Cubs by the way they signed autographs in Des Moines.

Well done, Mister Birch.

Iowa Cubs autographed baseball giveaway continues Aug. 26

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Did Kris Bryant leave any autographs behind? That'll be one of the mysteries drawing fans to Autographed Ball Giveaway Night Aug. 26 in Des Moines. By Minda Haas from Omaha (Kris Bryant) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Did Kris Bryant leave any autographs behind? That’ll be one of the mysteries drawing fans to Autographed Ball Giveaway Night Aug. 26 in Des Moines. By Minda Haas from Omaha (Kris Bryant) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Iowa Cubs are continuing a hobby tradition: Autographed Ball Giveaway.

I first wrote about the tradition in 2011.

Thankfully, the team includes an ID note with each baseball. Not that a current player would ever have questionable penmanship!

Great collector-friendly idea. Great organization. Ask your favorite minor league team why they don’t do the same.

Chicago Cub Kris Bryant pursues personalizations

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Did Bryant insist on personalizing
all autographs at the 2015 Cubs Convention,
too? Kudos to www.CubsConvention.blogspot.com,
for great looks at the latest signers!

Cub Kris Bryant wants to be close to his fans.

From recent reports on www.sportscollectors.net, expect all TTM autographs to be personalized.
I pray that no one takes this free-signing rising star for granted. I’ve feared that someone tuned into future resale value will request no personalization.
I hope such fan mail never arrives. Once that happens, that smoking-gun letter will be evidence enough for another player to slam the door on all autograph collectors. 
Be careful what you wish for, says the fortune cookie.

Chicago Cub Kris Bryant Amazes

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Anyone who followed the 2013 Iowa Cubs could see
how Bryant “gets” being a fan-friendly public figure.
The Des Moines Register loved Bryant as much for his
attitude as his home runs!

No one’s deserved a headline this year more than Kris Bryant.

Please, check out this feel-good feature about Bryant befriending a collector via Twitter once more. Read between the lines.
They know we’re out there!
My first thought was scary: greedy grabbers bombard the future Cub star with a “give me something, too!” requests.
However, bigger possibilities prevailed. 
I think pointing out to a star that you’ve seen how much his autograph goes for at private signings. Ask if you could have just one, or what charity you could donate to.
The message would be clear: I don’t want a dealer involved. I’m making a sincere, personal connection. 
Hey, it melted Kris Bryant’s heart. It’s a game plan that could work.