General Forum

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20768268/pat-neshek-colorado-rockies-rips-zack-greinke-arizona-diamondbacks-alleged-autograph-snub

Haha, I just sent this article to my wife.  A few weeks ago too, there was the weekend where the players were having their nicknames on the back of their jersey.  In true Greinke form, he was the only guy who had his normal last name on the jersey.

There also was a pregame thing where they put a mic on David Peralta (a notably fun and goofy guy) and he was trying to get Greinke to smile during warmups.  He told Peralta really seriously, "you're messing up the team".

Anyways, I'm really glad he is a great pitcher and I hope to see him and Robbie Ray take some teams out in the playoffs, but he still will be an interesting fellow/jerk.  

My wife and I joke that Greinke and Goldschmidt share a hotel room on the road and just sit facing each other knee to knee in silence.  Grienke miming a pitch and Goldy miming a swing over and over again staring into each other's eyes through the entire night.  

Greinke is a man of principal.  I'm sure it's not just Greinke that's being the @hole here.  Only half of the story has been told, and Greinke is not obligated to complete it.

If Neshek is telling the truth, which I'm not doubting he is, Greinke isn't a man of principal then - because he agreed to sign before hand and didn't.

What if Neshek walked up to Greinke at the AS game and said, "sign my ball, b!t6h", and Greinke said, "screw you, go 7u6k yourself".

Maybe Neshek was actually the @hole, and Greinke just wasn't going to deal with it.  Also, it hasn't been confirmed that Greinke actually agreed to sign anything.  Maybe Greinke told Neshek to let him see what Neshek wanted signed so that they could meet the guy, and get a feel for who he is or what he wanted to do with it.  Maybe Greinke didn't like how Neshek approached him or treated him.  I don't think Greinke straight up lied to him.  Maybe he just didn't commit, and Neshek isn't used to people telling him NO, like a spoiled rich kid brat would be.  Perhaps Neshek has a bully mentality, and Greinke was the only one with the cojones to stand up to him--even if it was only about a petty little signature.  He doesn't seem to be a follow-the-crowd type, nor one to give premature commitments or be a flat out liar.  Being the only person not to sign shouldn't automatically convict him.  If that was the case then Neshek would have a "no holds barred" authority to get a signature from the rest of the Major Leagues.  Somebody is eventually going to say no, and that doesn't make Neshek the authority on who's an @hole or not.  Having the courage to stand up to a bully takes guts and a willingness to not be a follower like everyone else.  I think Greinke might be that guy.  Neshek probably threatened to slander him if Greinke didn't sign, which Neshek obviously eventually did.  I think this reflects more poorly on Neshek than on Greinke.  Greinke obviously saw through Neshek's bullish & snitchy personality.

There is more to this story that's not being told, and Greinke isn't just going to make a public statement just so that you'll like him.  That's principle.  No one is going to force his hand.  He don't jump when you tell him to, but when he wants to.  Running to the public with this story makes Neshek look like a little 8!t64; not Greinke.

Here is an article that was written at the all star break

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19794897/pat-neshek-philadelphia-phillies-hopes-get-zack-greinke-autograph-all-star-game

I don't know.  I just find it higly amusing that to professional baseball players are bickering over an autograph, but I could see other players wanting them for their kids.

Interesting topic.  I know as a collector and sports fan, I often feel for the players who are hounded by so many collectors even when they are having private moments.  I remember reading an article where players talked about signing things for fans. The good ones like Tony Gwynn said he never refused to sign though asked that he be respected, in that if he was having dinner with his wife, it would be nice to be left alone.  In other words, pick your spots of when to ask.  He also said that AN autograph was no problem; being asked to sign multiples for the same person, NO. Of course, this was during the time of silliness where sellers were turning around and trying to sell autographed items right after being signed. (I personally don't buy autographs - nor pay to have something signed.) I also witnessed a fan who asked Pat Borders for an autograph right after Pat had finished working out at spring training.  Pat answered that he would be in the parking lot after he cleaned up to  sign which is standard practice.  The fan left grumbling about Pat's "refusal" to sign.

Now, does it make a difference if the person asking is a fellow player?  I could say yes if it was one autograph.  Three?  Why three?  

On Grienke's side, I have a son who suffers from severe social anxiety.  Till you have been with someone whoiscloseto you and been able to live day by day with it, you may not understand what it does to someone.  Grienke's has been well documented.  So, when someone you really don't know well pursues you for something insistently, the reaction is to withdraw, just like Grienke did.  For someone to begin name-calling because of that really makes the name-caller the bad guy in this situation.  Those who don't know Grienke's condition well may not agree; I am sure those few he has opened up to understand and look at Neshek as the ....