Morals and TTM

[Mad Guru]

Ugueth Urbina being sentenced to 14 years today got me wondering if anyone has ever struggled with sending a TTM request to a player whom exhibited less than stellar behavior/morals. Strawberry, Gooden, Sammy Stewart, Rose, etc.

What would you write to Urbina now? "I think you were a great player but it would have been nice if you had left the machetes and gasoline in the shed"?

Just wondering people's opinions.

[EricDavis]

His actions bother me, but if I thought he'd sign mail from jail I'd send tomorrow.

[chucksk8er]

I sent a couple cardsto Gooden (havent gotten them back yet, and dont expect to, just wanted to try). Alot of people forgot the Jeff Reardon got into some trouble a couple years back. I think he robbed a gas station but because of the trauma of his son dying and some aniti-depressants he got off. I sent to him w/o a second thought. If I knew Rose would sign for free I would send to him, same with Strawberry.

[hudsonharden]

He'll be in jail in Venezuela, so I think it would be pretty hard to send to him.

[AutographCollector]

a TTM request to a player whom exhibited less than stellar behavior/morals. Strawberry, Gooden, Sammy Stewart, Rose, etc.

I wrote to Sammy Stewart in care of the prison where he is currently in. (Yes, he is still in jail). Nothing back yet. And it's only been a year. Lol...

Alot of people forgot the Jeff Reardon got into some trouble a couple years back. I think he robbed a gas station but because of the trauma of his son dying and some aniti-depressants he got off. I sent to him w/o a second thought.
I knew about that when I sent 2 cards to him (he signed both very quickly) a few months back. I wrote in my letter to Mr Reardon that sometimes God throws us "curveballs", and will forgive us (I'm not trying to preach religion here to you guys that is just what I said in my letter to him).

[anjo25]

I wrote to Sammy Stewart in care of the prison where he is currently in.

Willie Aikens signs c/o prison at the moment.

[Sean Casey]

I usually only collect autographs of players that I like on a personal level, so for the most part I would not bother to send requests to convicted felons. There are exceptions of course (like Pete Rose, if he signed for free) and if a player has shown legitimate remorse for his behavior, I wouldn't hold it against him. As for Reardon, I think it's pretty obvious that he had some serious emotional problems at the time and was not thinking clearly, so I would have no problem writing to him, it's just that there are plenty of other players ahead of him on my "to do" list.

[Mad Guru]

I usually only collect autographs of players that I like on a personal level, so for the most part I would not bother to send requests to convicted felons.

I guess when I posted this I was thinking of those folks who collect particular teams. Like would a Mets fan struggle with Strawberry/Gooden and their issues. Just getting autographs of players you like does avoid this issue (unless you like felons). I also figured for some it is about the autograph itself and not so much who or what the person represents and so the question is moot. Ultimately the decision is up to each individual collector. I just wondered if anyone who was determined to collect every player from Team X or from players whose last names were those of fruits or whose first and last names begin with vowels or whatever faced this issue.

[dmbfan]

I guess when I posted this I was thinking of those folks who collect particular teams. Like would a Mets fan struggle with Strawberry/Gooden and their issues.

To answer this question from a Mets fan who grew up watching Strawberry, Gooden and the rest of the 80's Mets and collecting autographs of Mets players, no I don't have a problem seeking their autographs. Probably the biggest reason is that their issues stem from their addictions to drugs. I have been in the counseling end of addictions treatment for over 10 years and understand the issue fully. As a result, I don't hold this against them. Now, if they were convicted murders or rapists, then you are talking about a whole different issue.

[EricDavis]

Yeah the situation where Brett Myers apparently beat his wife makes me want his autograph a lot less than I would and I think it's a real shame.