Kevin Garnett, Brett Favre dissed by autograph collectors

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AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

************************* Oscar de la Hoya, Jeff Gordon rated 'best,' Kevin Garnett, Brett Favre 'worst' sports autographers Santa Ana, CA - Boxer Oscar de la Hoya and race car driver Jeff Gordon are the best, while basketball player Kevin Garnett and football quarterback Brett Favre are ranked the worst sports celebrity signers, according to Autograph Collector magazine.

Results of the magazine's first annual listing of athletes who are cool or cruel to fans and autograph collectors who approach them for autographs are in the December-January issue of Autograph Collector.

The magazine has published 14 annual rankings of the best and worst Hollywood celebrities, but this is the first time Autograph Collector has produced a "Top 10 Best and Worst Sports Signers" list.

"With the advent of eBay, athletes are well aware that their autographs are often being sold as quickly as it takes for them to sign them," said Steve Cyrkin, editor and publisher of Autograph Collector.

"Simply put, they know the value of their autographs, and the sports stars of today are becoming less likely to sign for fans and collectors for free."

de lay Hoya is praised by the magazine for his generosity toward fans and collectors.

He is quoted as saying, "If my signing makes people happy, I'm happy." Racing star Gordon is honored for "signing up a storm every week before a NASCAR race." On top of the "Worst" list, Minnesota forward Garnett is described as "the most difficult active NBA player to get an autograph from," even turning down the requests of young children.

The magazine article notes that Green Bay quarterback Farve "hasn't retired from football, but a few years ago did retire from signing for free."

Here are Autograph Collector magazine's "Top 10 Best and 10 Worst Sports Signers."

The "best":

1. Oscar de la Hoya (boxer) 2. Jeff Gordon (race car driver) 3. Kurt Warner (football player) 4. Phil Mickelson (golfer) 5. Tiki Barber (football player) 6. Torii Hunter (baseball player) 7. Tom Glavine (baseball player) 8. Tony Hawk (skateboarder) 9. David Beckham (soccer player) 10. Shaquille O'Neill (basketball player)

The "worst":

1. Kevin Garnett (basketball player) 2. Brett Favre (football player) 3. Barry Bonds (baseball player) 4. Randy Johnson (baseball player) 5. Tony Stewart (race car driver) 6. LeBron James (basketball player) 7. Tom Brady (football player) 8. Emmitt Smith (football player) 9. Sharapova (tennis player) 10. Kobe Bryant (basketball player)

The 15th annual Autograph Collector magazine listing of top 10 best and worst Hollywood celebrity signers will be released in May.

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