The 'X' Scene
What happened when the man asked Maris to sign a baseball? I saw that he was mad but I did not see why?
shareMaris was trying to be funny to try and gain more support from the people that actually liked him over Mantle. So when the guy asked "Can you put your X on the ball?", Maris drew an X. Before he had a chance for the guy to get the joke and Maris to laugh it off with him, the guy walked away as security kept Maris moving forward. Maris never got the chance to explain this to the guy, which is why he was so mad.
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I'm not entirely convinced that a kid deserved to die over this.
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Wait a minute... who am I here?
I always thought that was a strange scene and wondered if something like that actually did happen? Or is it just Crystal's attempt to show that the bias against Maris was unfair.
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The "X" autograph story is true but it didn't happen during the 1961 season. It happened during spring training, 1962. Billy talks about why he used it in the movie on the dvd's director commentary.
shareI always thought that dude's choice of words was odd. Usually when people want an autograph, they ask for your "John Hancock", not your "X".
How do you like that piece of satire?
An X was how illiterate people used to "sign" their legal paperwork, those who hadn't learned at least how to write their own names, that is.
However, they usually referred to that as "making your mark, not "putting your X" on some document. (in other words, yes, it is a strange way to ask the question. :^D)
However, they usually referred to that as "making your mark, not "putting your X" on some document.
True, but I've heard an older relative or two say "put your X here."
I thought it was kind of brilliant to include it, actually. There was Maris interpreting what the guy said straightforwardly, literally, the implication being that this is how Maris was, just straight and unadorned. Wouldn't have occurred to him under the circumstances to do anything else. And when he did exactly what the guy asked, he got excoriated for it. Then there was also the ambiguity of whether the guy who asked him was actually getting in a subtle jab at Maris' supposed "hickness" (a really illogical tag, by the way, considering it typically came from fans of Mickey Mantle, who was from the metropolis of Spavinaw in the rural hills of northeastern Oklahoma).
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