As a kid that grew up playing sports, my favorite autographs to get were the athletes. Yet it was always so hard. After Padres games we’d wait by the tunnels, and you’d be lucky if one or two came over. I remember when Steve Garvey left the Dodgers and came over, he was a good signer. He was also doing appearances at sports stores often, and always very nice.

I remember a neighbor got a ticket stub signed by future Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield. I ended up trading him a Lou Brock rookie card for that. It’s still in my collection.

The San Diego Chargers players were a lot easier. There are so many players on each NFL team, you could always run into them around town.

Pre-season was a great time for the autograph seeker. When my stepbrother got a part-time job where they were playing, he got me future Hall of Famers Dan Fouts and Kellen Winslow.

As an adult, athletes are my least favorite autographs to get. That doesn’t mean I’d kick a Spalding signed by LeBron James out of bed. I just don’t actively seek them out. I prefer musicians and actors that I admire.

It’s fun reading the stories in the local paper and seeing the clips on the news of fans getting their stuff signed at mini camps. Always nicer to see the kids, instead of adults. My cynical mind just thinks the adult holding a few footballs are planning to sell them on eBay.

That’s why I couldn’t laugh at the bit the normally humorous Jimmy Kimmel did on his late show last night.

He showed a popular YouTube video that a fan posted of herself screaming and crying over the fact that she didn’t get any of the Washington Redskins autographs at the training camp she attended. In her video, she’s yelling “I’ve been here since 6:30 and I waited all day. All I wanted was an autograph. No players came to where I was standing. I’m so disappointed in the Redskins now! I didn’t even care which players autographs I got. I just wanted somebody. I took off work for this and everything!”

(and just imagine all that with sobs in between every few screaming words)

Jimmy Kimmel laughed and commented, as he showed a little more. Kimberly Lewis cried, “Dude, do not go to the Redskins training camp. It’s a waste of time! You won’t get any autographs. You’ll line up and just waste your time! I can’t believe the Redskins would do their fans like this!”

When Kimmel asked his security guard sidekick what he thought of the video, he said “Wow! She’s crazy.”

Kimmel Skyped with her, and we could see Redskins stuff on her bedroom walls. She was also sporting a Redskins jersey. She said she was 27-years-old and manager of a market. Kimmel laughed as he said “So you have a job with a bit of responsibility, and you’re carrying on like this. Was that a fit, or a tantrum?”

She replied, “It was a hormonal breakdown.”

Jimmy Kimmel: What made you so upset?

Kimberly Lewis: “I just, in my head, thought it would be something other than them just training.”

Jimmy Kimmel: You missed the words ‘training’ and ‘camp.’ You thought you were going to a very sweaty autograph session.”

Kimberly Lewis: I thought it would be a meet-and-greet. After practice, they’d meet the fans and that it would be awesome.

Jimmy Kimmel: (laughing) And they’d carry you off on their shoulders. Did you upload this on YouTube?

Kimberly Lewis: I put it on my Facebook page, and some of my friends uploaded it.

Jimmy Kimmel: So you wanted to embarrass the Redskins, but you embarrassed yourself instead.

Kimberly Lewis: I just didn’t have anybody to vent to at the time, and Facebook is the forum for everybody to vent.

Jimmy Kimmel asked her if the team hooked her up, and she said “Yes, they did.” She then kept saying the Redskins organization was great and they treat their fans right. Kimmel laughed and said something along the lines of: Well, it proves if you cry and throw a fit, you’ll get what you want.

He also made fun of her for admitting she’s never even been to any of their games.

I’m just wondering what it is the team hooked her up with. I’m guessing an autographed football, but perhaps that’s just my wishful thinking.