Rams News

With pen in hand
Fans mob Rams for autographs
08/15 03:39 AM

By Elizabethe Holland
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

MACOMB, Ill. -- When Ernie Conwell was a boy, he and one of his sisters spotted one of Ernie's favorite athletes in the stands at a game and, ga-ga over the guy, approached him in hopes of getting an autograph.
They waited patiently for a break in the man's conversation, then politely asked if they could pretty please have his signature.
``And he just reamed us,'' recalled Conwell, the Rams starting tight end. ``He told us, `Get out of here and don't interrupt me.' ... It broke my heart for a while. I told myself then, `Gosh, if I'm ever a professional athlete, I'm never going to do that.' ''
Conwell does his best to stick to that promise and is one of the many Rams who can be seen almost daily at training camp signing autographs as he makes his way to the lockerroom after practice.
While some athletes grow to resent that part of the job because of the time it takes and a number of other factors -- among them that autograph-seekers can be downright rude -- others, like Conwell, enjoy the connection with fans.
The fans, after all, are helping to foot the bill for players' often-colossal salaries. And it's much more enjoyable playing before a full house, as is most often the case for the Rams, than empty stands. On top of that, it's flattering to be asked for one's autograph -- unless, of course, the fan thinks you're Conwell when you're really Mitch Jacoby (see tips for autograph seekers).
``The first time I gave an autograph was when I was in college,'' Conwell said. ``It felt really good, like, `I cannot believe these people want to have my autograph.' That really blew me away, and it still does.''
Cornerback Dexter McCleon considers the duty a way to show appreciation to fans.
``Whenever we get a chance, we just try to thank the people for coming out, braving the heat and the long practices, staying through everything to watch us,'' McCleon said. ``We're going to need all the support we can get this year, and that's why we've got to give back whenever possible to the fans.''
Some players take autograph signing seriously enough to create patent signatures. Conwell adds a cross to the bottom of the four in his number, 84, to symbolize his religious beliefs. McCleon makes a point to be legible, so his John Hancock will be decipherable in five or so years. And safety Toby Wright and cornerback Todd Lyght have years of artistic consideration in what they ink.
While in high school, Lyght and a friend spent three hours a week working on and critiquing each other's signatures so they would be prepared when fame presented itself.
Wright had less preparation for his autograph's debut a few years ago.
``A kid came up and asked for my autograph, and I thought to myself, `How do I write my signature?' '' he recalled. ``You've got to practice doodling around, just writing it down. ... That comes with the territory, I guess.''
As for who in the autograph line is most likely to grab the attention of players, children almost always win out.
``I always love it,'' Conwell said, ``when I see a little one there and they go, `Ernie, can I please have an autograph?' Your heart just melts.''
Said Wright: ``I go for the little girls, the little boys ... the ones who can't really talk but are just getting bombarded and you can just see their little paws hanging out.''
At the bottom of many players' lists are people thought to be dealers -- typically those who ask for several items to be signed. Autographed merchandise can be sold for hefty prices -- $389 for a helmet, $225 for a football, $325 for a jersey, according to one Internet site -- and that makes some players feel used.
``Some grown-ups come out here with tons of pictures, 8-by-10s, and I kind of ask them if they're selling them or not, because you never can tell,'' said wide receiver Isaac Bruce. ``Sometimes you can go to a sports store and see something that you signed that's going for $50, $75. If someone gets a hold of a game-worn jersey ... you can get some megabucks for that. Guys will frame it with the dust and dirt all over it.''
Understandably, Bruce is more receptive when a child wants a signature -- even if it's an odd request, such as one young fan who asked Bruce to sign his bald head with a marker. After all, Bruce has asked for the occasional autograph himself.
``I got Barry Sanders' autograph two years ago in the Pro Bowl,'' he said. ``He gave me a jersey and he signed it for me.''
And, no, Bruce has no intention of selling it.

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