ST: Mingling

By Ed Piper

Two of the most enjoyable facets of Spring Training include mingling with the players--or at least getting close and feeling like you are mingling--and jawing with any other baseball fan who is relaxed, enjoying the Arizona sun and doing something they and you love.

I dropped by the Rangers' training facility, which was a bit of a trek from my motel in Mesa, way up in the northeast of the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix/Tempe area)--45 minutes to an hour away, depending on Phoenix traffic, which is horrible like any other large metropolitan area's at rush hour or in the case of an accident.

It was my second year in a row visiting the Rangers, and, like last year, the visit paid dividends. At no other Cactus League facility (there are 10 ballparks, hosting 15 ball clubs in a mix from both National and American Leagues) have I been able to get as close to the players. I don't collect autographs, though other adults do. I figure that is the best thing for the kids to have the opportunity to do. But I do snap shots of players signing for other fans, and any other kind of interaction or "baseball flavor" that may illustrate the Spring Training experience and possibly even be usable on my blog. (I'm even writing a feature for the La Jolla Village News on this year's trip, probably accompanied by a photo of new Padre first baseman Eric Hosmer during infield drills.)

I watched an older woman, presumably from Texas, asking a Ranger for his signature. This was during workouts, yet the young gentleman (I asked someone if it was Rougned Odor, and they said, "No, it's his little brother. They're both named Rougned") took time and signed, not only for her, but for someone else, as well.

It was this relaxed, friendly atmosphere I found characterized the Ranger camp a year ago, too. One of the reasons for the accessibility of the players is that, in contrast to, say, the crowded Dodgers or Cubs camps, the Rangers don't draw large numbers of people. That way, employees don't have to spend time keeping over-aggressive fans away from players. The players relax and allow fans to approach them, though not on the practice fields.

Another contributing factor is the absence of what one gentleman called "the eBay guys" (dealers who are just there to have players sign memorabilia and sell the items for profit). There was one person who looked like a dealer at the Texas camp, carrying a thick binder of photos around, but there weren't hordes at the morning practice. (It starts at 9:30 a.m. Temperatures were chilly throughout my four days, Fri.-Mon., Feb. 23-26).

Many players show a willingness to sign for fans. I think they get gun-shy, though, wary, if dealers are around and they think their autograph is just going to be used to make someone else money.


I walked up to two high-school-age boys who held binders and were spotting players to collect autographs from. "Do you guys sell your autographs?" I asked them. "No, we do it for ourselves. We keep everything we get in our bedrooms," answered the taller, more-outgoing one nearer me. "That's good," I commented. "That's what this is for--for you young people to be able to get autographs."

"The dealers push us out of the way," the teenager said. I agreed that was bad stuff. They said they were from L.A. I asked where, that I was from California. "Santa Monica." I guess they were collecting Rangers autographs because they like players from all over.