 |
| Never a pretty autograph… |
Dear ESPN:
Mark Mulder, one of your baseball analysts, needs a little help analyzing collectors.
For years, someone has been defacing Mark Mulder cards, cards many collectors cherish. Vandals? Nope. The culprits may be Mark’s ma and pa.
A rubber-stamped reply is NOT an autograph. One collector tweeted Mr. Mulder, who replied:
ha sorry. Think my parents do that”
This doesn’t make the non-reply have any special value. I don’t care if the family pet has been trained to hold the rubber-stamp in its teeth! The result isn’t REAL! Some collectors have noticed a slight variation in the rubber-stamp, as if the parents each have a slightly different version. Or, one has a worse aim? Either way, still a disappointment.
Collectors have more respect for someone who sends cards back blank, or someone who just brands RTS (Return to Sender) on the envelope. This way, no cards are harmed in this abbreviated interaction.
Meanwhile, I’d rather listen to the analysis of another Mulder, Agent Mulder from X-Files. I hope the former player will, too. That character’s motto:
“The Truth Is Out There.”
What about those who aren’t capable of signing (injury, condition) that send back stamped signatures. Don Dillard and Ross “Satch” Davis (Negro Leagues) come to mind.
Excellent point, ND. Smoky Joe Wood was in his 90s, sending a preprinted note saying that he was pleased to stamp the signature himself. It’s obvious that letters still mean something to Dillard and Davis. If Mulder is dumping all his fan mail on his parents? Not cool!