Player Journal: Jason Hirsh

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Welcome back, everyone, to my journal. I'm going to take a break from giving recaps of road trips, as those don't seem to be the most interesting subjects. I think this week I'll go into some detail about autograph seekers and my experiences with them so far in professional baseball.

By autograph seekers, I don't necessarily mean those fans that show up to a ballgame and happen to catch a player on his way to or from the locker room. I'm talking about those fans that show up before, during or after batting practice who are there for one reason: to get autographs.

First, let me go back to my first year in pro ball with the Tri-City Valley Cats of the New York-Penn League. I remember showing up there a few days after I signed and was asked by a staff member to pose for a picture to be used for team baseball cards. I was excited because I had never had a baseball card before. I remember as a kid, collecting cards, thinking one day I could have my own card. Several months later, the cards were released, and I had fans showing up to games specifically looking for my autograph.

Wow, what a feeling that was to have your own baseball card and fans eager to get you to sign it. After my first year, I had several cards out with different companies, including Topps and Upper Deck. My second year, in Salem, I had a few guys here and there who would bring cards to the games to get autographs and I was more than happy to sign for them.

Let's fast forward to my second Spring Training in Kissimmee, Fla. This is where I really got to experience the autograph seekers. I can remember one day after our workout was finished, I was walking back to the locker room and I was approached by a little boy wanting me to sign his card. So I stopped and signed for him, but when I looked up I was surrounded by several people with notebooks full of cards. They would open their card books, and they had several pages of my cards. At first I was flattered that someone wanted so many of my cards autographed, but after I signed pages for several people I began to wonder what these people were doing with all those signed cards.

My answer soon came when I talked one day with a collector outside the locker room. He told me there was a website (I don't remember the name) where people who collect autographs of players around the country go and trade cards. People on the East Coast trade cards with people on the West Coast. There is no money involved, just the exchange of cards. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone in this world is as honest as most people are, and occasionally I'll find cards I signed on eBay. But for the most part, none of the cards signed go up for sale and are used for personal collections.

I am always happy to sign cards for people because that means I still have fans, and it's my way of giving back to fans for the support they give me during games. However, there are certain rules of etiquette that players set for autograph seekers that they may or may not know. First, don't expect us to drop everything we are doing on the field to come over and sign for you. We have a job to do out there, and we get to the park early so that we can prepare ourselves for that night's game.

Wait until we are done with our workout before you ask for an autograph, and I guarantee most guys will stop and sign for you. Second, when that player comes over to sign for you, don't have a stack of 50 cards or six pages of cards for them to sign. Believe me, we are more than happy to sign a few autographs but don't be greedy. The last thing a guy wants to see walking off the field is a fan with six pages of cards and a dozen baseballs to sign. Keep the numbers moderate, and most guys will happily sign for you. Finally a simple "thank you" goes a long way. Be courteous to players, and they'll return the favor. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be Johnny Lawmaker here, but from my point of view, I think those three simple rules are not to much to ask for.

I have met some of the nicest fans on the face of the earth so far in my three years of pro ball. Most everyone has been kind, courteous and generous. Fans are the reason we play this game. Without their support there would be no baseball, and I think it is important for us players to give back to those who have given so much to us.

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In Double-A most of your road trips were via bus. Now in Triple-A, you fly to most venues. What is the biggest adjustment from busing from cities like Corpus Christi to Wichita compared now to flying from Round Rock to Des Moines? -- Cliff, Des Moines, Iowa

I honestly think flying so much is easier than busing from place to place. The only thing that I'm not a big fan of is the fact that we have to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to make our 6 a.m. flights. Other than that, I would much rather spend two-three hours riding on a plane than 10-12 hours riding on a bus. Plus, if I get there early enough, I can get an emergency row or bulk head and have a bit more room than a bus seat.

Do you have any superstitions? Any routine that you follow the days you pitch that you might not follow on other days? - Kenny, Round Rock, Texas

A lot of players out there have superstitions. Personally, I'm not a big fan of them because I think they can distract you from what you're doing. One superstition that I do have is when I run out to the mound in a game, I hop over the foul line. Another one is after I've thrown my last warm up pitch, I kick my heels twice. The first one is a pretty common superstition but the second originates from college. I had a hole in my cleats one game, and when I threw my last warm up pitch a rock started rolling around in my cleats. I kicked my heels to move the rock from under my foot, and I ended up throwing one of the best games of my life. So it's just something I do that has carried over from my playing days at Cal Lutheran.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email them to [email protected].