“I’m down 10-15 pounds, but at the same body fat that I was going into the ‘07 season. I’m looking forward to putting on some extra muscle and being able to lift like I normally would with a full offseason.”

He’s in the best shape of his life!

   ….. wait for it …..

Here at CC I know that there is a clear division between those who think that player character/personality is important and those who do not. I, for one, feel that it is important that the players reach out to the fans.

Nick Markakis is one of those players who, for awhile now, I have questioned his ability to connect with the fans. On one hand, he does operate a very notable local charity along with his wife. On the other hand, the man appears very withdrawn and uninterested, both in interviews and in person.

Recently I made a discovery that further bothers me about Nick. There is a small chain of stores that specialize in Baltimore sports memorabilia called Great Moments. Often times these locations will host autograph sessions featuring current/former O’s, Ravens, and Colts.

Last year I went to a signing with Nick Markakis, which cost $35 per item and gave you a chance to meet the outfielder. Now, just one year later, the cost for a Nick auto is up to $59 and to top it off it is a private signing (meaning you never even get to see his greekness). This sucks because this year I was planning to take my niece who is just dying to meet him.

So what is my major issue with this? Other athletes (even more notable than Nick) routinely have events at these locations. For example, Great Moments currently has sessions scheduled with Rick Dempsey & Scott McGregor, Brooks Robinson, Ray Lewis, and Michael Oher. ALL of these signings are public…meaning that the person is actually there for you to meet and not hiding behind a curtain in the back room. The only other private signing I have seen is Frank Robinson, who is notorious for not being the most accessible athlete in the world.

Another issue that I have is that Brooks Robinson, a proven Oriole great and HOF’er, is charging over $20 less for his sig than is Nick. How the FUCK does that work?? Brooks never signed any contract for 66 million dollars, yet doesn’t feel the need to rape our wallets.

All I am saying is that I wish that certain marquee players would open up a little and just be themselves rather than using cookie-cutter answers for everything. I am sure I will receive some criticism about this, but I can’t help the way that I feel. Nick is a fine baseball player…but I will always wonder if he does good just because it is what he is expected to do.

Football all 4 days, it’s just awesome.

most places pay the athelete a apperance fee , the the store/person paying nick to sign or any other athelete set’s the price. because they get alot from the signing and the athelete get nothing ot very little because they already got paid.l it all depends on the apperance contract.