Autograph signings a family affair for Potter

Bret Boone / Chris Potter

Baseball possesses a magical power to connect young and old through the history of the game. Passed down from father to son, these shared tales of the legends of yesteryear keep players from decades past relevant today. With the pictures of their youth immortalized on pieces of cardboard, collecting memorabilia has been one such way for families to share in the baseball tradition.

Chris Potter is a specialist at bridging fans with these cardboard heroes, navigating the back roads of the United States to conduct autograph signings with retired baseball players. Potter’s clients range from those whose careers amounted to a "cup of coffee," to those who have reached the baseball's pinnacle, the Hall of Fame. His next round of travels begins on May 10, 2013 and will include a special partner in these cross country expeditions, his father.

“My father just retired from being a police officer of 40 years. He’s coming out with me for this trip and I couldn’t be more excited for him to come along. He’s going to spend the next month with me on the road,” said Potter from his offices in Maryland.

Potter believes having his father around for these series of visits are the residue of baseball’s ability to bond father and son.

“The reason why it’s America’s pastime is because it’s been passed down from generation to generation,” he said.

A few of the players Potter will be conducting signings with have made baseball the family business. Bret Boone, a three-time All-Star, was a third generation major leaguer. His father Bob enjoyed a 19-year major league career as a catcher, and grandfather Ray won a World Series with the 1948 Cleveland Indians. Vernon Law, the 1960 Cy Young Award winner, nurtured his son Vance to follow his major league footprint.

Also in this round of Potter’s signings that includes 90 former major league players, are well known veterans such as Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, and Jack McDowell, as well as baseball obscurities such as Drungo Hazewood, whose career lasted an ever so short five plate appearances.

With the many names that Potter will be encountering, there is a father somewhere that will have a tale crystallizing the moment they saw one of these ballplayers on a good day. An autograph on a treasured baseball card or photo will further the conversation. Hopefully for Potter, he’ll get a few of these yarns spun his way by his traveling companion on this round of signings.

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Potter's next set of private signings include over 70 former major leaguers

Chris Potter with Dr. Mike Marshall

Chris Potter is set to embark on his next round of house calls beginning January 25th. While Potter is not a physician, his visits will include a doctor, five Cy Young Award winners, two World Series MVP’s, and enough All-Stars to populate a virtual mid-summer classic. Potter has been working tirelessly to connect baseball stars of yesteryear with adorning fans looking to add prized signatures to their collections.

By traveling to their homes across the country, Potter has brought the convenience of signing right to the players front doors, while at the same time taking expert care of the rare and one-of-a-kind items that collectors send in. "“Everybody I’ve worked with really enjoys this. If you look at it, they don’t have to go anywhere and guys their age, they don’t like to travel. Not only are we providing a service to the collectors, we are providing a service to the players as well. That’s what is appealing to a lot of these guys. They want to accommodate the fans and they want to go to these shows, but some are physically unable to do so. With the service we provide, they’re able to accommodate the fans and they’re happy to do so with what we provide,” said Potter in an interview earlier this year.

Fans may recognize some of the bigger names of this trip including the elusive Dr. Mike Marshall, Cecil Fielder, Camilo Pascual, Bobby Richardson, and Ron LeFlore (whose amazing path to the major leagues was chronicled in the 1978 movie, “One in a Million”); however, Potter also specializes in obscure and hard to find ballplayers who may have fallen out of contemporary baseball discussions, but are still alive and well in the hearts of diehard fans and collectors. Lesser known veterans such as Vic Albury, Ed Bauta, Carl Boles, Joe Cannon, and Larry Whisenton will also be receiving visits from Mr. Potter.

With over 70 different players during this series of signings, there is certainly something for everyone aficionado. To view the complete list of Potter’s signings, and information on how to participate, visit his website www.chrispottersports.com. All items are due by January 25th, 2013.

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Potter tracking down the legend of Drungo Hazewood

A rare signed Drungo Hazewood 1991 Crown Orioles Card

Drungo Hazewood’s major league baseball career lasted five plate appearances, and if you weren't scouring box scores in 1980, chances are slim that you've ever heard of him. Yet when it comes to serious fans and collectors of Baltimore Orioles memorabilia, Hazewood has remained famous for more than his unique moniker. Just like the curve balls that baffled the highly touted outfielder, he has thrown some of his own to those seeking his signature, placing his name atop the want lists of collectors across the country.

In his travels connecting retired major leaguers with aficionados looking to further their autograph collections, Chris Potter met with the elusive Hazewood to discuss the prospects of facilitating a signing to add his penmanship to their prized paraphernalia. “I brought it up to him, I said, ‘You’ve been a pretty tough autograph for people that want it,’” said Potter. “He goes, ‘I just don’t understand why they want it.’ – He just doesn’t understand why people want his autograph from the career that he had. He didn’t have a long career. He’s kind of taken back by the fact that people want his autograph. He’s more than happy to do the signing with me; he was excited about it when I mentioned it to him. He wants to see what people are going to send in to be signed.”

Hazewood is one of 50 former major leaguers that Potter will visit during his next run of signings beginning September 30th that include a wide range of talents from Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, perennial All-Stars Del Crandall, Reggie Smith, and Don Kessinger, to such curiosities as Frank Baker, Rich Coggins, Johnny Jeter, and Ron Woods. The one-time Orioles prospect is not the first player to wonder why people still want their autograph long after their cup of coffee has been emptied. “I’ve run across that a few times where players are like, ‘Who remembers me and why do people want my autograph?’” said Potter. “The people who are really seeking their autograph know who they are, but it’s really hard to find someone who knows about the players I go and see unless you are a baseball enthusiast, historian or collector. We focus more on those guys.”

For many of the players Potter visits, they enjoy the convenience of being able to do the signing in a comfortable setting while obliging the fans. “Everybody I’ve worked with really enjoys this. If you look at it, they don’t have to go anywhere and guys their age, they don’t like to travel. Not only are we providing a service to the collectors, we are providing a service to the players as well. That’s what is appealing to a lot of these guys. They want to accommodate the fans and they want to go to these shows, but some are physically unable to do so. With the service we provide, they’re able to accommodate the fans and they’re happy to do so with what we provide,” said Potter.

As he continues with traversing the routes and highways of the United States, he finds the players revel in the uniqueness of the items they’re presented with. “We get it all the time. They’re taken a back from some of these items and by people who track this stuff down, are passionate enough to get it signed, and want their autograph on it. Some of the guys are really emotional about the things we bring them to be signed.” For more information on Potter’s next round of signings, check out his website – www.chrispottersports.com

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Potter continues to deliver with his next round of baseball signings

Chris Potter with Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr

Crisscrossing the country connecting baseball fans and their cardboard heroes, Chris Potter has continued to make his mark by delivering excellent service to those looking to enhance their autograph collections. With a week left before his next round of coast-to-coast travel, which includes signings with 80 former major league baseball players including Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Bobby Doerr, as well as NBA Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, Potter is busy keeping up with the demand of his faithful.

“Right now, to be honest, we’re up to our eyeballs in mail,” said Potter in a phone interview.

His last round of signings included the notoriously difficult Dr. Mike Marshall, who has evaded collectors for a long time, even proving to be a reluctant signer while he was playing. Potter, after taking the time to break the ice with Dr. Marshall, was able to help collectors land one who has kept his signature in great demand. “It’s definitely a scavenger hunt. A lot were able to cross Dr. Mike Marshall off of their lists,” he said.

So how exactly did Potter break down a guy like Marshall?

“It’s just getting to know somebody. It took me a few years just to build a relationship with him. He took a liking to me and it kind of went from there,” he said. For a player who doesn’t like to sign autographs, Potter was impressed with the amount of care Marshall put in to his signature. “He took pride in his signature. He definitely wanted to make things look good. There were situations where he didn’t think things were up to par and he didn’t let me have it. He was very particular about what he let out in to the market. He had a lot of pride in it, which I don’t see a lot of the players have now today.”

It is through these relationships that Potter has been given a window into the lives of these great men who have helped to build America’s pastime. One of those legends he will be visiting is the aforementioned 94-year-old Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr. “Bobby is of the classiest men I’ve ever met. It’s always a pleasure to see and work with him. I had a great time hearing his stories and talking baseball with him. [He is] one of the best ambassadors of baseball.”

With his June 22nd deadline approaching, Potter is excited to get back on the road to visit the players. One of the things he most looks forward to are the reactions of the players to the wide variety of items he reigns in from his customers. Despite the fact that many of these players have been signing their names for over a half-century, they still get a big kick of what Potter brings their way.

“They really enjoy seeing the stuff I bring them. They say, ‘I haven’t seen this.’ ‘Where can I find this?’ They haven’t seen these things in 40 years in some cases,” said Potter. “Sometimes they want to keep it, but I have to tell them they aren’t mine.”

- Click here to view the 80 players that Potter has available for his June 22nd signings, which includes three Hall of Famers, three MVP's, four Rookies of the Year and a host of other World Series champions and other award winners.

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Chris Potter reels in Dr. Mike Marshall for his March 22nd signings

Chris Potter, who was profiled earlier this year for his tremendous work traveling the country, tracking down retired players to offer autograph signings for fans and collectors, is about to embark on his next round of signings on March 22nd.

Potter's catch this trip is the reclusive Cy Young Award winner, Dr. Mike Marshall. While Marshall has made himself readily available to spread his knowledge about preventing pitching injuries, he has remained one of the most reluctant autograph signers in baseball.

This dates back to his playing days, as Marshall's his anti-autograph stance was detailed in a 1974 Sports Illustrated Article. "Marshall explained that he would willingly sign if the boys could show him that their autograph books also contained the signatures of their teachers and others who 'were really meaningful in their lives.'" Marshall defended his position by stating, "As an athlete, I am no one to be idolized. ... I will not perpetuate that hoax.  They say I don't like kids.  I think that refusing to sign autographs, I am giving the strongest demonstration that I really do like them.  I am looking beyond mere expediency to what is truly valuable in their lives." 

Whatever magic the leprechaun on Potter's site contains must have rubbed off of Dr. Marshall, as Potter has been able to get Marshall to agree to a signing fee, while pricey ($185 for baseball cards), is less than when Marshall did a rare signing with promoter Bill Cocoran a few years ago. For the hardcore collector, this is an opportunity to nab one of the toughest living signers in professional sports.


Potter's next signing trip also includes another tough autograph in former Milwaukee Brave Joey Jay, brothers Gaylord and Jim Perry, Choo Choo Coleman, Cy Young Award Winners Dean Chance, LaMarr Hoyt, Mike McCormick, Rookie of the Year Award Winners Alvin Dark, Ron Hansen, Gary Peters and Stan Bahnsen. He is offering signings with over 50 former players in total. 


Click here to view all of Potter's signings for his March trip. Items are due by March 22nd, 2012.

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Chris Potter, more than a friend to collectors

Chris Potter with Rocky Colavito

Chris Potter has spent months on the road, traveling the country far and wide to have retired baseball players put their signatures on cherished baseball memorabilia for fellow collectors. What started out as an innocent meeting with Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance, has turned into a full-time business for Potter.

“It started with Dean Chance. I got to know him by going to a show and he just kind of took a liking to me,” said Potter. “Dean being Dean, he’s a business man. He asked if I had friends that collected autographs. He asked for me to get things for him to sign and he would give the money to his church. I got maybe 15-20 of my friends and we were able to raise about $1,000 for his church.”

Potter is set to embark on another round of signings with over 30 retired major leaguers that include the reclusive Rocky Colavito, All-Stars Jimmy “Toy Cannon” Wynn, George “Boomer” Scott, Don Kessinger and Steve Sax.

Using these signings to fund his road trips and the full-scale services of his business Chris Potter Sports, he was also able to bring some much needed financial support to players that baseball had left behind.

“These guys are remembered in baseball history, but baseball doesn’t want to remember them. A guy like [95-year-old] Danny Litwhiler wasn’t able to travel, but I traveled to him. When I handed him the money, there were tears in his eyes. He was in an assisted living facility and really needed the money.”

As Potter started to befriend more players, they became the referral system that enabled him to expand his network. As his reach lengthened, he was able to link teammates that haven’t spoken in decades.

“I found out it was a tight knit circle. … It’s been really nice, because I’ve been able to put these guys back in touch. I get their number from a friend of a friend and they tell me they haven’t spoken in 50 years. It’s heartwarming for me that I’m putting these guys back in touch. They’re rekindling relationships,” said Potter.

Collectors that are under the guise that Potter is doing easy work while exploiting these players need to think again. Traversing the United States to provide his service doesn’t come cheaply.

“We bought our car in April and since then there are 37,000 miles on it. Our expenses are ungodly amounts. Hotels, gas, food … it’s not like you can go to the grocery store and cook meals at home; you are constantly eating out,” said Potter.

The hectic pace of visiting multiple players per day has Potter on a similar schedule as a touring artist.

“The time we have on the road, we’re lucky if we get something small at the hotel in the morning and then getting back at 8-9pm and it is McDonalds or something fast. We’re always on the go,” he said.

Potter has even said that he’s been approached by a few television producers who have wanted to document his travels ala a reality TV show, but so far nothing has materialized.

For those skeptical about the reliability of Potter's service, one of his customers has entrusted him to handle an autograph book so valuable that it is flown across the country for his signings. 

“We have a book that we handle for a customer who lives in Las Vegas. He flies out to us to hand deliver this book to me. It has over 7,000 signatures in it. It has Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams several times over, Stan Musial, etc. It is priceless. It can’t be sent in the mail,” said Potter.

Collectors can rest easily knowing that their items are being taken care of in a manner as if they were handling it themselves.

“With us, you know your item is going to be handled correctly. People are picky about the type of pens they want used and they want their cards signed in the right spot,” said Potter. “If it is an expensive item, then I would definitely let it be handled by a professional. That’s what we offer, a service to the collectors.”

For the full list of signings offered by Potter, please check his website. All items are due by Monday, December 9^th, 2012.

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