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Today the Twin Cities Sports Collectors Club had a 1980 US Hockey team member signing autographs.  I normally do not collect anything other than MLB but since I started a couple Sports Illustrated magazines a while ago with a couple players, I thought I would give it a shot.  Someone on SCN posted a question about Phil Verchota so I posted he was going to be signing autographs and I would be willing to help him out so he sent me his custom postcard.

The Sunday of Twinsfest has become the day I take one or both of the kids.  Today both of them went with me.

They decided who we stand in line for and what we do.  So, they decided they wanted Danny Valencia and Delmon Young so we got dropped off from the parking lot shuttle at the Schwan’s Center and got in line.  We were stuck outside in the cold and they were not allowing anyone in until people left but we were about 10 people from the door and we thought we were in great shape.  That was until the line did not move.  After about 5 minutes standing outside the kids decided they wanted to go inside so we headed to the Sports Center building and got in line at station one.  The kids each brought a baseball along and put almost everyone on it.  So, each kid got Smalley, Steinbach and Slama on their ball and Cami got Jeff Manship on a baseball card and Caden on his baseball.  We then got back in line for station one.  Each kid got the following on each of their baseballs:  Eric Hacker, Ben Revere and Drew Butera while I got Revere on a ticket with “First MLB Hit” and Hacker and Butera on cards. 

The kids were hungry by this time so we grabbed a couple hot dogs and a pretzel and sat down to eat.  While we were eating, two people who were in line for Valencia and Young next to us came up to us and asked if we did end up waiting in line or left.  I told them we left because the kids were too cold.  They said had we waited in line, we would have gotten in and got their autographs.  They then proceeded to pull out a baseball signed on the sweetspot by Young and another by Valencia and gave each of the kids a ball.  That was an amazing gesture and I hope they got a feeling of appreciation and goodwill as the kids did.  Awesome people!

Then it was to wait in line for the minor league guys.  Each got the following on their baseball:  Aaron Hicks, David Bromberg, Rene Tosoni and Chris Parmelee.  I got two Hick’s eTopps cards signed, two Bromberg cards, two Parmelee cards and Tosoni on the 2010 All Star Futures Game when he was the MVP.  Caden got a Parmelee card signed too.  Then it was back to get in line for Kubel which was to be the highlight of the day.  Before heading back to the Schwan’s Center, I stopped at the dealer table I went to the past couple days to give one more shot at his cards.  I ended up picking up a 1966 Zoilo Versalles, 1968 Rod Carew and 1970 Carew card signed for my collection as well as Torii Hunter, Matt Moses and Bobby Kielty Topps Total cards to trade.  We got to the Schwan’s Center and Michael Cuddyer and Matt Tolbert had a few minutes left and no line so both kids got each on each baseball.  We then got right back in line for the next group which was Jason Kubel, Jason Repko, Nick Blackburn and Jim Hoey.  We go to the table and each kid got each on their baseball and I got Blackburn on a card and Repko and Hoey each on a Target Field Upper Deck card for the kids.  When I got to Jason Kubel, Cami had made a little note that said “You are a grat playr.  I like you.”  She gave it to Jason and he said that was really neat and thanked her and put the note in his pocket.  That was really cool.  I told him that every time he gets to bat she yells “There’s my boyfriend!”  He smiled from ear to ear and Repko said that was real nice of her.  Jason signed by Target Field Firsts ball since he was the first player to hit a home run at the new field.

We got on the shuttle back to the car and headed home.  This was one of the best Twinsfest weekends I have ever had.  It started really bad Friday waiting and getting shut out for Thome and Mauer but because I decided to go to the other building when I did, I was able to score the greatest coup in my card collecting history!

I am already looking forward to Twinsfest 2012!

I got up this morning knowing I was going to meet my buddies Russ and Shane at the National Sports Center and we were going to do what has become a tradition of hanging out all day on the Saturday of Twinsfest together.  I got there and decided to skip the long Mauer line after the debacle of yesterday and headed right to the line to get in the other building.  I got in and went right to the Paul Molitor line.  Since I picked up a couple Molitor cards yesterday, I decided to get a HOF postcard signed.  I got a great spot in the first few places in line and texted Russ and Shane to let them know where I was.  I got a reply from Shane that he was in the parking lot and realized he forgot his ticket to get in.  He ended up driving 45 minutes home to get it and another 45 minutes back.  Russ replied that he had forgot his ticket too but realized it when he was only three houses away from his home.  Shane got back and inside the building before Russ because Russ decided to park in Duluth and walk.  He for sure got his work out in!

I got Molitor’s autograph and headed to station one and got Ben Revere and Anthony Slama each on a ticket with both putting MLB Debut on it.  I then headed back to the Molitor line and waited for Rod Carew.  Shane showed up and got Molitor’s autograph so he lost nothing but a half tank of gas!  He then got in line with me for Carew.  Shane is working on a really cool baseball print and added Molitor, Carew, Niekro, Fingers and Yount on it today.  Russ then showed up but did not need a Rod Carew autograph so he walked around.  I got a 1970 All Star card signed by him.

I then went back to the dealer selling the cards that I bought from yesterday hoping to go through my list again and pull out some more I needed as well as some cards I knew were harder to get signed.  I did really well again and got the following for $4 each or as marked:
78 Glenn Adams
87 Juan Agosto
91 Rick Aguilera
90 Allan Anderson
80 Mike Bacsik
84 Darrell Brown
85 John Butcher
68 Dean Chance
69 Dean Chance
08 Michael Cuddyer
85 Andre David
90 Mike Dyer
80 Dave Edwards
83 Dave Engle
68 Cal Ermer
86 Pete Filson
06 Matt Garza
94 Eddie Guardado
83 Brad Havens
84 Brad Havens
95 LaTroy Hawkins
08 (Team Set) Philip Humber
06 Torii Hunter
01 Adam Johnson
98 Matt Lawton
97 Matt Lawton
95 Shane Mack
92 Pat Mahomes
94 Pat Mahomes
93T David McCarty
01 Travis Miller
00 Eric Milton
01 Eric Milton
01 David Ortiz
79 Perlozzo/Sofield/Stanfield
96 Brad Radke
98 Brad Radke
00 Brad Radke
02 Brad Radke
93 Darren Reed
82 Rick Sofield
87T Les Straker
89 Fred Toliver
84 Len Whitehouse
80 Rob Wilfong
81 Rob Wilfong

** $10 each **
76 Joe Decker
77 Craig Kusick
63 Jerry Zimmerman
64 Jerry Zimmerman
68 Jerry Zimmerman

** $15 each **
69 Rod Carew
73 Rod Carew
74 Rod Carew
76 Rod Carew
77 Rod Carew

** $20 each **
64 Earl Battey
66 Earl Battey
72 Rod Carew
61 Zorro Versalles

I had to give the ATM another workout!

Russ got in line for Delmon Young so I joined him.  I got Anthony Swarzak on a card and Delmon Young on a card.

After spending as much as I did so far, I knew I better get some of the free guys so the three of us headed to the rookie area and stood in line.  This was a mess because people wrapped the line going both ways so each line moved at half the pace.  We ended up getting who we wanted with me getting 2 Joe Benson cards, 1 Kyle Waldrop card and with Russ and Shane’s help, 4 Kyle Gibson cards.  After that we took a moment to relax and then was thinking about going out for dinner.  I decided that I needed Ron Gardenhire on my Target Field Firsts ball and a card so Shane got in line with me and Russ watched our stuff.  I got Gardy on the ball and Shane got a card signed with Manager of the Year 2010.  We each got Jerry White to sign the Jim Thome Sports Illustrated too.  While waiting in the Gardenhire/White line, we ran into Ken Walsh.  Ken is a fraternity brother so it was cool to catch up.  We all left together while Ken headed to get Nathan, we headed out to eat.

It was a great time and I L O V E all the cards I got either signed in person or that I bought from the dealer.  We will see what tomorrow holds but it will be all about the kids.  They are both saying they want to get some autographs but we will see!

Today started my most favorite holiday of the season; Twinsfest weekend!  I left work at 2pm in hopes of getting to the new location with enough time to get Jim Thome on the Sports Illustrated magazine he was on.  I got to the National Sports Center around 2:30.  The line was remarkably long.  I heard the first person got there at 2AM and there were about 200 people in line around 8AM.  They opened the doors at 4PM and the people in the front of the line entered and the line stopped.  Turns out the room was at the maximum fire code number of people.  They were going to allow one person to enter for each person that left.  What they did not account for was that people who got Joe Mauer could get back in line for him and then get in the line for Jim Thome and never leave the building.  I know two people who got through the Mauer line twice and Thome once and did not leave the building until after Thome.  That left a HUGE number (800+?) left outside in the cold in hopes of getting in the building.  This was the only thing the Twins did wrong this weekend.  They should have made each person leave the building after they got their first autograph.  The Twins did a fantastic job for having to change the venue so late in the planning to accommodate the Metrodome roof failure.  Sure, the lines were long and wrapped around and were unorganized but people dealt with it and it all went as well as it could have.  That is the agony part of the weekend.

I left the Mauer/Thome line around 4:20 when I noticed I was not moving and was too far from the entrance to have a shot.  I made a decision and boy did it pay off.  I went to the other building where the rest of the events were and walked right up to the first table and got Anthony Swarzak on a ticket with “ML Debut” and Juan Berenguer on a card.  I then went to another table and got Nick Blackburn on a card and Jason Kubel on two cards.  I then headed to wait in another line that was going to have Rod Carew and Tony Oliva signing during the next shift.  I got each on a card.  After that, I headed to get Jack Morris on a card (he used an ink pen???), Dan Gladden and Terry Steinbach each on a card and Jerry White on the Jim Thome Sports Illustrated.  After that I decided to look at what some dealers were selling.  Within 10 minutes I found a dealer selling an almost complete run of signed Twins cards that he had recently purchased from a person who was in his early 70’s and went to Spring Training every year since the team started.  This is where the Triumph part of the title comes in.  He was selling most cards for $4!  I got the following cards from him:
92 Paul Abbott
94 Rick Aguilera
95 Rick Aguilera
97 Rick Aguilera
94 Marc Barcelo
95 Marc Barcelo
91T Steve Bedrosian
01 Sean Bergman
84T John Butcher
96 John Butcher
06 Luis Castillo
97 Ron Coomer
00 Ron Coomer
09 Joe Crede
09 Michael Cuddyer
92 Chili Davis
82T Ron Davis
86 Ron Davis
90 Tim Drummond
81 Dave Edwards
10 Ron Gardenhire
08 Matt Garza
03 Chris Gomez
89 German Gonzalez
96 LaTroy Hawkins
98 LaTroy Hawkins
99 LaTroy Hawkins
01 LaTroy Hawkins
02 LaTroy Hawkins
03 LaTroy Hawkins
08 Livan Hernandez
94 Hocking/Munoz
02 Torii Hunter
03 Torii Hunter
03 Torii Hunter Gold Glove
07 Torii Hunter
00 Butch Huskey
82T Randy Johnson
75 Tom Johnson
03 Beau Kemp
00 Bobby Kielty
01 Matt Lawton
85 Rick Lysander
04 Joe Mays
94 David McCarty
95 David McCarty
97 Pat Meares
02 Eric Milton
03 Eric Milton
97 Paul Molitor
98 Paul Molitor
08 Craig Monroe
91T Jack Morris
92 Jack Morris
03 David Ortiz
89 Mark Portugal
08 Nick Punto
99 Brad Radke
04T Jay Rainville
71 Paul Ratliff
01 Mark Redman
02 Rick Reed
96 Frank Rodriguez
97 Frank Rodriguez
03 JC Romero
03 Johan Santana
04 Johan Santana
05 Carlos Silva
07 Carlos Silva
91 Paul Sorrento
92 Paul Sorrento
93 John Smiley
06 Shannon Stewart
88 Les Straker
07 Jason Tyner
99 Todd Walker
00 Todd Walker
81 Al Williams
84 Al Williams
85 Al Williams
81 Dave Engle
80 Graham/Sofield
70 Stan Williams
74 Joe Lis
93 Lenny Webster
92 David West
93 David West
06 Rondell White
81 Mickey Hatcher

I dropped about $80 on them and then went to the ATM that was on site.  I needed $300 and the limit was $100 so I had to do 3 transactions (of course they charged me $2.95 for each one!).  I paid the man and was really happy.

I ran into my friend Rob who works for the Twins and had him autograph a card for me.  I will be putting that card on my website of signed Twins cards.  I even have a “proof shot” of him signing it so if anyone is interested in buying it, I will offer it at a fair price.  At this time it is a 1 of 1 limited edition! 🙂

I then went over to see Joel Bradley about some of the stuff he got signed for me.  He worked with the Bob Feller Museum to get a discount because he has to many items to get signed.  I had him getting a couple Jeremy Hellickson ML Debut tickets signed and was very pleased with the job he did.  He had not gone to the Fergie Jenkins booth to get those items signed so he asked if I would help him when he went there.  I had no place to go so I did.  He got my last Jim “Mudcat” Grant card I needed signed and I helped him with the other stuff.

I then drove home thinking I should have bought more of the cards and hoped they would still be there tomorrow.