I know most of you have read stories on autograph collecting that come from a first-person point of view where someone shares their autograph-seeking tales after a day chasing around athletes.

The summaries usually range from, "He (insert athlete name here) was great. He signed for everyone and told some funny stories at the same time." The other side would be. "He (insert athlete name here) was terrible. He didn't sign for anyone, much less acknowledge any of us."

Having only done the autograph-seeking adventure in person only once or twice (one at Spring Training, a relaxing atmosphere), I must say that I really don't like it. People aren't the friendliest and then you have to deal with the athletes – and some of the athletes just want to run and hide.

You have your pros who have the binders all ready for the particular team in town, so they can quickly grab a card or photo of the athlete who is signing. It's impressive, actually. they're also the loudest and most active of the bunch. It must work for them because they go home with tons of autographs. If you're more laid back like me, you won't get as many signatures, but you do get plenty of funny situations to take home with you.

I guess when it comes to autographs, I'd rather mail in requests, or better yet, attend a show and get them in person. Yes, it's going to cost more - sometimes a lot more - but I know I'll get something signed and I don' t have to fight the crowds to do it.  

Any other autograph hounds that have a preferred method in getting signatures?