Don Carman was a left-handed pitcher in the major leagues. He never excelled, but could be relied upon to make a lot of starts and be at least OK from 1987-1993. After enduring years of idiotic questions from sports writers, however, Carman showed that he was brilliant in at least one area: he compiled a list of 37 cliched answers that could fit almost any reporter's query. These included: "Baseball's a funny game"; "I just want to help the club any way I can"; "We need two more players to take us over the top: Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig"; and a personal favorite, "We have a different hero every day." Carman posted the list above his locker with a note that told writers, "You saw the game... take what you need."
Presenting Carman's immortal list of 37 answers for sportswriters. Plus a very fine Slate Magazine article titled "The Autograph Man," that offers a neat story while also answering the question "where is he now?" The answer actually makes a lot of sense, when you think about it. Sort of like those quotes of his...
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