It's Just Wrong

[cjb]

I pretty sure nobody here will agree with me, but here it goes for nothing

I just noticed this thing on this forum called TTM Manager

Apparently it's a place where autograph hounds on here can look up a players personal addresses (you know like a stalker ) mail them cards and try to get autographs from this player

Do we really need to be posting or seeking out player's addresses posting it on here and asking them for autographs? Maybe they just want to be left alone. I duuno, I feel like we're kinda crossing a line here when it comes to invading a players privacy and personal life.

[doniceage]

Steve,
I am pretty sure not many will agree with you but my response is as followed:

1) you been a member of SCF sine 2019 and your just noticing this. I wonder what other things you might have missed on the site. As there is so much on the site it easy to miss things.

2) Now onto the heart of your post. It can be a a two sided issue with the folks wanting to be left a lone. Just think of those fringe players that no one remember these days. I am sure some of them look forward to the few tidbits of fan mail and auto request they get whatever it might be. A lot of the more famous players ask for donations so they can help their donation and thus It limits the folks who would ask for multitude of auto's of those caliber of players if they signed for free. I am sure they do not like all the autographs but they probably say hey I am helping my favorite charity and I do not have to give anything but time of my choosing and I can contribute a nice sum to help them out. So, these two instances are all positive in my mind and I assume the player thoughts are the same.

Now if a player does not want all the fan mail what can they do. They have the option of just keeping all the free cards and stuff sent their way as some of it is nice LOL. If you take the time of the addresses it gives the success rates and some folks never sign. Of course people keep sending stuff in hopes of being one of the lucky few to get a autograph of that superstar for their collection. I am sure those players would probably love to be taken off the list and if any of the players do reach out to us as some have in the past. We will take down the address so we do not bother as they requested.

Have any questions feel free to ask. Of course I think when you become a superstar your privacy gets invaded on a daily basis and I am talking in your face day to day activity. I bet most of them wish they could just have a piece of mail be their biggest worry in their daily routine.

DON

[cjb]

You're mean

[piper1]

You're mean

Says the guy who starts "your team sucks threads". Do you have your Elias Pettersson Auto yet. Better hurry as he might be on his way out of the league.

[theboxbreaker96]

You're mean

This is your response? Are you a child by chance? good lord

[cjb]

Says the guy who starts "your team sucks threads". Do you have your Elias Pettersson Auto yet. Better hurry as he might be on his way out of the league.

103 posts Try to find thread that's doing better in recent years.

That's a W for me

[piper1]

103 posts Try to find thread that's doing better in recent years.

That's a W for me

So you did get superstar Pettersson's Auto then. Good for you.

[RGM81]

The TTM Manager is an excellent feature of the site, and is something that a lot of non-regular posters on here use and frequently point to as a great resource. The majority of addresses used aren't personal addresses, they're c/o the team, a business or what-not.

Every address I've ever used in the TTMM is a team/organization address.

Sorry that people enjoying their hobby differently from you is "wrong."

[30ranfordfan]

While I have not been been very active in that part of the hobby recently, I've sent a lot of TTM requests out over the years. I will offer my own perspective of the topic.

I will qualify this - if I wanted to write to a current player, or one who works for an organization - I just simply mail it c/o the team they're with. I have written to many players at home addresses. Some of those addresses I got from the TTM manager here, or other similar sites out there - but the majority of them I looked up online, and had to find their address myself.

That last part does probably lend itself to to the 'stalker' comment you made. I will acknowledge that the amount of easily found information about someone (i.e. their mailing address) is pretty crazy. This is not hard information to find out, particularly for people in the USA (Canada is harder to find the information, but certainly not impossible).

While I have not written one up in a long time, I've made posts over the years showing off my "all time Oilers" autograph collection. The aim continues to be to get a signature from every player to have ever played for the team. When it comes to players that have "pack-pulled" autographs (which is the vast majority of modern players) - I just collect one of those. I don't get a TTM (or IP ' in person' signature). Even if we go back to players that played a few seasons back in the 80s, and never signed for that various card companies - if they were a big enough name to get a hockey card or two, it's usually not hard to track down a signed copy. I've been happy to purchase an autograph that someone else got signed, rather than put in the work myself.

But there are some guys that are tough to find. Especially ones who had limited careers, and no hockey cards.

I am positive that there are some of those guys that do just want to be left alone, and will not respond to mail. I know of a few examples. I can also tell you for an absolute fact, that there are a TON of guys that fall into this category - and getting a letter asking for an autograph is something they enjoy. How do I know? I've received plenty of letters back, thanking me for writing to them. Sometimes they joke about how it's the first autograph they've signed years, but I have come to believe that the request has brought a smile to the face of who I was writing to some of the time.

For players that didn't have hockey cards made of them, I normally make custom cards of them. Use a picture that I find online, and then use some 80s OPC design to make it look like a real card. I'll add a back to it as well. I always send extra copies of the custom card, and make it clear that the extra are for them if they want them. Sometimes I get all the copies back, but most of the time they keep the extras. There's been several times that I was asked for more copies - and I've always been more than happy to get more made up, and send them along.

I won't totally dismiss your concern. I think there are some players out there that don't like fan mail. In my experience, it seems that most accept it (at the very least) and some really enjoy it.

The TTM / IP autograph hobby itself has rubbed a lot of players the wrong way. Used to be that players were happy to sign autographs for fan before & after games, or practice. Too many instances of the same people showing up with 9 (or even more) cards, wanting them all signed - because they're going to hop on eBay the next morning and try selling them (which still blows my mind, because for the most part - IP autographed cards of modern players.... unless they're superstars or something makes them very rare / unique.... or a slabbed version of a key card.... they're not worth much). If you pay attention to the TTM hobby, and what gets posted on various sites - I've seen instances of people who send 5 or 6 cards (or even more) to a player, and then sometime later you see that player has decided to stop signing requests like that, most likely because he now believes people are trying to make a buck off his signature. This is why a lot of guys personalize "To cjb," (or something like that) - reducing any possible resale value - weather they're asked to or not.

If you're interested, take a look at this thread (it was the most recent 'All Time Oilers' thread I posted, but it's a couple of years old). It has links to my prior posts: https://www.sportscardforum.com/thre...hrough-2009-10

[doniceage]

While I have not been been very active in that part of the hobby recently, I've sent a lot of TTM requests out over the years. I will offer my own perspective of the topic.

I will qualify this - if I wanted to write to a current player, or one who works for an organization - I just simply mail it c/o the team they're with. I have written to many players at home addresses. Some of those addresses I got from the TTM manager here, or other similar sites out there - but the majority of them I looked up online, and had to find their address myself.

That last part does probably lend itself to to the 'stalker' comment you made. I will acknowledge that the amount of easily found information about someone (i.e. their mailing address) is pretty crazy. This is not hard information to find out, particularly for people in the USA (Canada is harder to find the information, but certainly not impossible).

While I have not written one up in a long time, I've made posts over the years showing off my "all time Oilers" autograph collection. The aim continues to be to get a signature from every player to have ever played for the team. When it comes to players that have "pack-pulled" autographs (which is the vast majority of modern players) - I just collect one of those. I don't get a TTM (or IP ' in person' signature). Even if we go back to players that played a few seasons back in the 80s, and never signed for that various card companies - if they were a big enough name to get a hockey card or two, it's usually not hard to track down a signed copy. I've been happy to purchase an autograph that someone else got signed, rather than put in the work myself.

But there are some guys that are tough to find. Especially ones who had limited careers, and no hockey cards.

I am positive that there are some of those guys that do just want to be left alone, and will not respond to mail. I know of a few examples. I can also tell you for an absolute fact, that there are a TON of guys that fall into this category - and getting a letter asking for an autograph is something they enjoy. How do I know? I've received plenty of letters back, thanking me for writing to them. Sometimes they joke about how it's the first autograph they've signed years, but I have come to believe that the request has brought a smile to the face of who I was writing to some of the time.

For players that didn't have hockey cards made of them, I normally make custom cards of them. Use a picture that I find online, and then use some 80s OPC design to make it look like a real card. I'll add a back to it as well. I always send extra copies of the custom card, and make it clear that the extra are for them if they want them. Sometimes I get all the copies back, but most of the time they keep the extras. There's been several times that I was asked for more copies - and I've always been more than happy to get more made up, and send them along.

I won't totally dismiss your concern. I think there are some players out there that don't like fan mail. In my experience, it seems that most accept it (at the very least) and some really enjoy it.

The TTM / IP autograph hobby itself has rubbed a lot of players the wrong way. Used to be that players were happy to sign autographs for fan before & after games, or practice. Too many instances of the same people showing up with 9 (or even more) cards, wanting them all signed - because they're going to hop on eBay the next morning and try selling them (which still blows my mind, because for the most part - IP autographed cards of modern players.... unless they're superstars or something makes them very rare / unique.... or a slabbed version of a key card.... they're not worth much). If you pay attention to the TTM hobby, and what gets posted on various sites - I've seen instances of people who send 5 or 6 cards (or even more) to a player, and then sometime later you see that player has decided to stop signing requests like that, most likely because he now believes people are trying to make a buck off his signature. This is why a lot of guys personalize "To cjb," (or something like that) - reducing any possible resale value - weather they're asked to or not.

If you're interested, take a look at this thread (it was the most recent 'All Time Oilers' thread I posted, but it's a couple of years old). It has links to my prior posts: https://www.sportscardforum.com/thre...hrough-2009-10

One thing I love about ya LOL. You always give a nice write up.

DON