Today I received this well-thought-out e-mail in my Inbox from a guy named Jeff who read yesterday’s blog.

I wanted to share it with everybody else.

The one thing that I would like to point out is the part where Jeff has this comment: “I wonder if your sources might be a little biased due to the profit motive. While signing autographs for true fans is one thing, signing autographs for dealers to buy and sell is quite another.”

While I agree with many of Jeff’s points, I must say that I don’t really understand this one. If Paul Hornung, or any other athlete is charging for their signature, doesn’t that give a dealer or anyone else the right to profit from buying one of these autos as well?
Here is Jeff’s entire email:
Thanks to Jeff for the note and keepem coming!

Chris,
 
Let me start by saying that Paul Hornung is a friend of mine.  And he ain't perfect (who among us is?).  But I think your sources might be giving you a bit of an unfair view of him. 
 
I've observed many times how he treats the autograph-seeking public (and, how the public treats him, too, which, frankly, is not always courteously).  From what I've seen, I think he is usually more patient and more gracious than most people (including me) would be under the circumstances.   It is hard to understand what it is like to go out for dinner with family and friends and to be interrupted continuously by persons wanting something autographed, each of whom "hates to interrupt you" and will "only take a minute."  Well, each piles on the other until the food gets cold.  No joke.  And, yes, sometimes that gets old and sometimes he has to cut them off.  Otherwise, he would get nothing else done.  I've seen him ask people to wait until he's done eating, and watched them react with offense that he wasn't willing to drop what he was doing right then to accommodate them.
 
There is something else to realize, and I hope I can explain it properly, without sounding defensive for him.  Basically, a certain aloofness is necessary.  Otherwise, some people would mistake friendliness as an invitation to engage in more conversation, thus increasing the duration of the interruption.  Look how pro golfers do it, how they sometimes sign but always keep moving.  To stop moving is to invite a crowd to form around them, and then they're stuck.  I've seen Paul do the same thing.  And I've seen him cut off all autographs when the crowd gets to be too big or disruptive to others. 
 
Please note that anything negative I've said about fans doesn't really apply to Green Bay.  From my very limited experience in Green Bay, those people seem to me to be by far the most polite and respectful toward their former stars.  They're always excited, but still say "Please" and "Thank you," and still are polite and pleasant even if their request has to be turned down for some reason.  I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of autograph seekers go after Paul, but I've never seen any as civilized as the people around Green Bay.  They are true, respectful fans.
 
I wonder if your sources might be a little biased due to the profit motive.  While signing autographs for true fans is one thing, signing autographs for dealers to buy and sell is quite another.  It is true that Paul does not have much patience for those who are trying to make a profit off him, especially the ones who pretend to be fans but are just in it for the money.  Don't get me wrong - Paul sells his own autograph at organized book signings; but that is his to sell - not somebody else's.  And he can be pretty brusque as he's trying to keep those lines moving at organized events.  But, otherwise, somebody will want to talk about some old game they saw and how they ran into him at a bar after the game and on and on and things can really bog down. 
 
Paul Hornung doesn't need a defense from me.  All you need to know about what kind of person he is, you can get from the dozens of charities he's supported with his time and money over the years.  Contact the Sister Visitor Center in Louisville, Kentucky, (a Catholic charities organization) to see what the sisters think of him and of the work he puts into the fund raising event he holds for them every year. 
 
At any rate, there are always two sides to every story.  Thank you for taking the time to consider the other side.
 
Sincerely,
Jeff