Sox Star Alexei Ramirez Hits Town

Mark Straczek didn't know whether to blame csac.biz or thank them.

The website, the go-to spot for Chicago-area autograph collectors like Straczek, didn't feature White Sox star Alexei Ramirez's Saturday morning appearance at Tinley Park's Bettenhausen Dodge.

It meant the hundreds of autograph hunters who would normally clamor for a signature from "The Cuban Missile" didn't know to go to the downtown dealership. It also meant Straczek, who drove from Crystal Lake for the signature, got more time with Ramirez than he normally would.

Bettenhausen held a similar signing last week with the Sox's John Danks at their Orland Park dealership.

"With Danks, you had like two seconds with him and you were gone," Straczek said, adding that Ramirez is a bigger draw than Danks.

Ramirez had been scheduled to appear at the Tinley Park dealership the same day Danks was in Orland, but the shortstop had to cancel due to a family emergency. Bettenhausen staff personally called every autograph seeker who left their name last week to tell them the appearance was rescheduled for Saturday.

Ramirez declined to be interviewed.