DEAR ABBY: There is no doubt in my mind that you sincerely care about the people who write to you. You always try your utmost to give them sound advice. Unfortunately, there are two sides to every story.
The letter from "Little League Mom, Fruitland Park, Fla." praised Orel Hershiser while chastising the other athletes her sons wrote to during the World Series. The time elapsed between the letter sent to the players and the time her letter to you was printed was just a few weeks. (She noted that Hershiser was pitching in the Series when they wrote to the players.) This is such a small time lapse.
The primary reason the players probably didn't autograph the cards was the high prices people pay for autographs. Many players have stopped signing autographs at games because adults get children to obtain them -- and then the adults sell the autographs. This is using the children and the players, and it's wrong. What's to stop a con man from mailing in numerous requests for autographs using the return addresses of friends and neighbors?
If the mother wants her sons to have autographs, she should take her children to card shows that often will have stars on hand to sign autographs for a fee. -- DOUGLAS D. WATSON, EVANSVILLE, IND.
DEAR DOUGLAS: While there probably are collectors who cheat to obtain autographs to sell, I doubt if America's heroes would cut off their young fans to prevent a few unprincipled and greedy adults from making a profit on the players' fame. That would be cutting off their noses to spite their faces. I suspect there are other reasons why players fail to return cards and respond to letters, such as requests too numerous to fill, schedules that don't permit them to respond to every fan, and possibly contracts with their owners.
Card shows where players autograph items for a fee are not a bad idea for serious collectors, but young fans who want an autograph simply because they "worship" the player should be able to write directly to the athlete or a fan club and request an autograph. It's the "American way."