A Call For Neater Autographs

By JEFF FIGLER - Youngsters in particular treasure a signed baseball by their favorite player. Of course, sports cards are always valued, but not like a ball signed by an Albert Pujols or a Yadier Molina.

It always angers me that some athletes will go to great lengths to sign legibly, and others will scribble their name, and be done with it. Personally, I think it is a travesty for an athlete to sign his name in such a way that you cannot decipher what it says. Now I realize that players sign so much that it is ridiculous, and naturally some players sign more than others, but you can't tell me that a player can't at least write two or three letters that can be read by the average person. But sadly that is the case. Give me back those days when players took pride in their penmanship. Not today.

I should be the last to hark about good penmanship. When I was in grade school at Delmar-Harvard, guess how many times I made the Good Writers Club? Once. Exactly one time out of six years. Uno. That's right. At least I wasn't shut out, like little David Jefferson was. However, most of my letters could still be made out if you gave it a little bit of thought and concentration.

It is a sad state of events when a father brings home a baseball to his daughter or son of their favorite player and they have to ask who the signature is of. A neighbor told me once that his son was a Rusty Greer fan. Greer had some good years with the Texas Rangers, but was far from a remarkable player. Well anyway, my neighbor brought home a ball signed by Greg Maddux. Keep in mind that Maddux, one of the best pitchers in baseball history, does not have a signature that can be read. My neighbor convinced his son that the signature was of Rusty Greer, and the youngster was ecstatic. A few years later he was told the truth.

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Emmitt Smith and Me

By STEVEN D. LEVITT - Football great Emmitt Smith was just inducted into the Hall of Fame. I had the great pleasure of playing golf with Emmitt a few years back. It is a round I will never forget.

It was interesting to spend time with a celebrity. He could not have been a nicer guy, even expressing genuine interest in Freakonomics, which he had not read but asked a lot of questions about. On every hole, there were fans lining the fairway with #22 Dallas Cowboy jerseys and other paraphernalia (although he pointed out, with some chagrin, that more people wanted to talk to him about Dancing with the Stars – which he won – than about football). He could not have been more accommodating of his fans. In fact, somewhere along the way a tournament marshal stopped us and told Emmitt we were falling too far behind the group in front of us because of all his autograph signing. After that, Emmitt told the fans that he couldn’t sign during the round, but he would stay after the 18th hole to sign as many autographs as people wanted.

Around hole 13, a father and daughter were camped out along the fairway, both wearing Emmitt jerseys. The daughter was in a wheelchair. I think she also had a Cowboys blanket and hat on. As we walked by, the father called out to Emmitt, asking if we would stop and sign the items. Emmitt said, admittedly somewhat tersely, he would do it after the round and kept walking. The father persisted, calling repeatedly for Emmitt to return. I walked over to the guy and explained how the marshal had forbidden Emmitt from signing during the round. The guy was unmoved and just kept yelling down the fairway to Emmitt that he was letting down his biggest fan. Emmitt didn’t stop and didn’t turn around. Suddenly, the dad took his Cowboys hat off and threw it on the ground. He did the same with his Dallas Cowboys jersey. The girl in the wheelchair threw the Cowboys blanket on the ground. Soon she did the same with her #22 jersey. Now screaming obscenities at Emmitt, the father wheeled the daughter away, their treasured Emmitt collectibles scattered in the rough. I looked back a minute later and some other youngsters were quietly celebrating their incredible good fortune – it is not every day that you find a bounty of Dallas Cowboys memorabilia just lying there on the ground!

Emmitt did indeed stay and sign autographs for a very long time next to the 18th green. The girl in the wheelchair’s jersey did get signed. And I’m sure the kids who picked it up off the ground and waited for Emmitt at the 18th green cherish it to this day.

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Sandra Bullock at the SBIFF

The young fan, Desiree was in the perfect place to see Sandra Bullock walk the red carpet last night at the Arlington Theatre. She arrived two hours early to get a good spot and was ten feet away with a clear view.

Her cell camera was ready and she had a pen and a sheet of paper for Sandra to autograph as she waited with several other young girls and a few older adults holding cameras and autograph books.

As they chatted, a tall, bulky security guard dressed in dark clothes came over and told them:

"Your best chance is to make the most noise and she will come over here."

A sleek shiny black limousine slid through the gates and Desiree saw Sandra Bullock appear as a roar went up from the crowds and Sandra went to sign autographs and pose for photos.

In minutes, she stepped on the red carpet to interview with the press as Desiree began bouncing back and forth trying to get a photo, but Sandra was facing the cameras and disappearing up the red carpet

A shout rose from Desiree and the other fans:

"Can we get a picture, Sandra!"

"Sandra we love you!"

"I came all the way from Brazil to see you!"

Nothing was working. But then, a different sound came forth:

"Sandra!" "Sandra!" "Sandra!" "Sandra!" "Sandra!"

A chant rose from Desiree's corner ... and the noise grew louder.

A security man watching the red carpet stepped away, and suddenly Sandra Bullock reappeared, stepped off the red carpet and walked straight to Desiree!

She graciously signed an autograph for Desiree, posed for photos with some other fans, and even commented that she had to make it quick cause it looked like rain.

Then she was gone up the red carpet to receive the Riviera Award.

Desiree was swooning as she turned to say:

"I got her autograph, but I couldn't get a picture!"

I gave her my business card saying if she emailed me I would send her a photo of Sandra signing autographs.

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Music and History Meld in Collector's Insatiable Quest

Clyde Lindley always keeps a spare guitar around, just in case. “You never know who may come along,” he offers with a wry grin, indicating a striking, new red instrument kept handy in his Starkville apartment.

Lindley, director of Academic Affairs at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, is a habitual collector. His lifelong pursuit has resulted in everything from signed baseballs from the likes of Mickey Mantle to memorabilia from the set of “The Andy Griffith Show.” But, about two years ago, the educator began to focus on signed instruments.

His living room and the wall of his staircase are lined with, to date, guitars autographed by Paul, George and Ringo, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffet, Charlie Daniels, David Allen Coe and Daughtry. With Daniels, Lindley scored a double when he acquired a signed fiddle, as well.

The glistening instruments reside next to an autographed photograph of Mick Jagger, an Opryland matchbook signed by Roy Acuff, pictures of a younger Lindley with B.J. Thomas and Davy Jones of the Monkees, and one of the collection’s prizes ... his 1966 ticket to The Beatles at the Mid-South Coliseum. Price, $5.50.

“My interests have always been history and entertainment,” he said. “I love music. I like it all, although I’m not crazy about hip hop. ... And I love history; even as a small kid, I’d be sitting in the gravel looking for fossils.”

Starting out

As a teenager in Shuqualak, Lindley played drums and sang in the 21st Street Band, “because most of us lived on Highway 21.” A framed photo of the band sits on an end table in his living room today; he still keeps in touch with some of the guys.

“Even before I could drive, we’d go to Birmingham, a lot of Columbus guys and girls, to see acts that came to Boutwell Auditorium for the WVOK Shower of Stars,” he recalled. “Neil Diamond, Mick Jagger, The Young Rascals, Paul Revere and the Raiders ... ”

In days when security was more relaxed, Lindley was able to meet a host of musicians and perfected the art of getting backstage.

“At times, you could just offer to help load in and they’d let you hang around,” he said. One incident that still makes him chuckle involves the late Ricky Nelson.

“It was July 4, 1977. Rick Nelson was performing in Greenville. I got with the band and was backstage. He was back there, trying to pull on these tights; so, there I was, trying to give him a hand putting on the tights he wore under his tight jeans.”

Along the way, friendships developed. In addition to getting to know B.J. Thomas and Davy Jones, Lindley became good friends with Eddie Hodges of “The Music Man” fame. Hodges is often remembered, too, for singing “High Hopes” with Frank Sinatra in the 1959 movie “A Hole in the Head.”

Lindley had some of those he met speak to students at schools where he was teaching. Karolyn Grimes, probably most remembered as Jimmy Stewart’s daughter “Zuzu” (“Every time a ball rings, an angel gets his wings.”) in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and Keith Thibodeaux, “Little Ricky” (“I Love Lucy”) and “Johnny Paul” (“The Andy Griffith Show”) were two of them.

All of his recent collecting hasn’t been for himself. Lindley acquired Willie Nelson’s autograph on a guitar, as well as Charlie Daniels’ on a fiddle, for raffles to benefit the MSMS music program, directed by Dawn Barham.

“Most of these people are really good, especially if you get in touch with their managers in advance,” he said.

More than music

Musical instruments are only one of this local collector’s interests. His autographed baseballs number near 30. Most are on display, but Mantle and Roger Maris are safely locked away in a different location.

Lindley’s array of war memorabilia includes cannonballs and bayonets from the Civil War (some found with a metal detector on a farm near Brice’s Crossroads) and a worn 1918 World War I new testament and radio receiver from a B-24.

A framed T-shirt worn by Farrah Fawcett hangs on a wall next to a walking stick signed by Buford Pusser of “Walking Tall.”

“He came to Greenville, to a car dealership,” remembered the teacher. “I got a sapling and took the bark off of it and got him to sign it.”

There are photographs of Lindley with Barack Obama, Shelby Foote, Jerry Rice and Mike Huckabee, among others.

“I missed an opportunity with Mike Huckabee; he plays bass, you know. I could have gotten him to sign a guitar,” he grinned.

One of his favorite acquisitions, however, is a hotel bell from an Andy Griffth set.

“I’m most proud of this bell. This was the episode when Andy and Barney went to the big city,” Lindley explained of the little piece of history acquired from George Lindsey, who played “Goober.”

“Barney is my hero,” he stated. “All of us are insecure, and we goof up from time to time. He makes that look human; we can recognize ourselves.”

You dirty rat

Lindley’s quests have taken a few unexpected turns. While trying to track down James Cagney’s address to write him requesting an autograph, someone surprisingly gave out Cagney’s phone number.

“He was just very nice,” Lindley said of the actor, who was about 90 years old at the time. The signed picture hangs in a place of honor in the apartment — not far from a framed letter written to a friend by Joan Crawford.

While some pieces have been acquired by direct contact with artists, others have come from auctions, estates and go-betweens. Lindley actually sold a major part of his autograph collection about five years ago. He painstakingly researches authenticity.

“eBay isn’t usually reliable unless you are very sure of the provenance,” he cautions. Like everything else, his pastime has been affected by the economy. “Collectibles are really down right now because they’re a luxury item. People don’t have to have them.”

Just missed it

When asked about the one that got away, Lindley cites, “Two letters from Elvis; I thought for sure I had them. You kind of play chicken with these things. ... Elvis stuff is very hard to find — and very expensive.”

He does, however, have an unused ticket to a Sept. 16, 1977, Elvis concert in Indiana, exactly one month after the King of Rock ’n Roll died.

The collecting is serious business, done in fun. Lindley acknowledges part of the thrill is in the hunt, the acquisition.

“I’ll be 60 in May, and I’ve decided I never will grow up,” he laughed. “But, it’s important you don’t get too caught up in material things,” he shared, sitting on the sofa, bathed in late afternoon sun slanting through the apartment window. “One thing you’ll never see is a U-Haul behind a hearse.”

Are there any particular autographs he’s on the look out for?

“Whatever suits my fancy,” he responded. “You know, Charlie Pride is coming to the Hard Rock in June ... and I always keep an extra guitar handy.”

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Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman, Dolly Parton, Catherine Zeta-Jones, et al. Autograph Items for Broadway Bears

John Bolton will host the 2010 edition of Broadway Bears which, as previously announced, will be held on Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, beginning at 6pm. Long-time Sotheby's auctioneer, Lorna Kelly will preside over the evening.

This auction of specially made and autographed teddy bears features original, handmade costumes by some of Broadway's leading costume designers and representing memorable characters from plays and musicals, past and present.

The auction will include autographed bears representing shows such as 9 to 5 (signed by Dolly Parton), 33 Variations (signed by Jane Fonda and Zach Grenier), A Little Night Music (signed by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Stephen Sondheim), A Steady Rain (signed by Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman), Billy Elliot (signed by Haydn Gwynne, Stephen Daldry, and Sir Elton John), Destry Rides Again (signed by Andy Griffith), Exit The King (signed by Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, Brian Hutchison and William Sadler), Hair (signed by Will Swenson, Gavin Creel and Michael McDonald), Liza's at the Palace (signed by Liza Minnelli), M. Butterfly (signed by B.D. Wong and John Lithgow), Rent (signed by Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp), Rock of Ages (signed by Constantine Maroulis), Victor/Victoria (signed by Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards), Wishful Drinking (signed by Carrie Fisher), Xanadu (signed by Cheyenne Jackson), and Young Frankenstein (signed by Mel Brooks and Christopher Fitzgerald).

Tickets are $35, or $150 VIP. To order, call 212-840-0770 ext. 229. For more information, visit www.broadwaycares.org.

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Ricky Gervais Never Says No To Fans Who Ask For His Autograph

The comedian insists he always stops what he is doing when admirers ask for his signature because it takes “courage” to approach a star

He even claims he would speak to a fan if he was running late to catch a train or flight.

“I think it takes courage to ask for an autograph, so I never turn down anyone who asks me,” the 48-year-old star said. “I could be running for a train and if someone tries to stop me, I’d have to miss the train. I couldn’t bear for someone to be able to say, ‘I asked that Ricky Gervais when I was 14 for an autograph and he said no because he was too busy trying to catch a train!’ ”

Ricky is proud of his success, but believes it hasn’t changed him. He earns millions of pounds every year, but refuses to blow any of his fortune on drugs, designer clothes or five-star holidays.

“I don’t have any expensive habits except for property,” Ricky told British magazine Star. “We’ve got the biggest, nicest house we can afford in the nicest neighbourhood. We’ve got a new place in New York and we’ve kept on our old flat for visitors. Wouldn’t want them to stay with us! I don’t do big boys’ toys and as you can see, I don’t do clothes and I don’t do bling. I buy things I love – like cheese!”

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