Today Cami and I went to the MN State Fair for a few hours. It was fun to hang out with her and bum around the fairgrounds. I noticed that Tony Oliva was going to be there so I grabbed a couple of the items I had for the Twins Hall of Fame Breakfast (he did not attend) and put them in a notebook. We got to the Fair and went to the Twins booth and found Tony O was tossing Wiffleballs to kids in the Wiffleball field. We walked around and got some food and went back just in time as he sat down to sign a few autographs. Cami got a 2019 Allen & Ginter and a 1968 Atlantic card signed. I got a 2019 Allen & Ginter signed as well. He was in a great mood taking pictures and signing autographs. We had a great day at the Fair!
Category: IP
Carry A Tune
Cami and I headed to the Twins game today hoping for a Twins sweep. The last Twins game we went to was with my sister-in-law when she was in town. It was her first visit to Target Field and as I was explaining everything about the ballpark, I mentioned that the organist was located in one of the bar areas in the upper deck. She asked if I had her autograph in my collection and I didn’t and she told me I had to make it my mission to get her autograph. So, before the game today, I brought a Target Field baseball card from Topps Series 2 this year and we spoke to Sue Nelson and she signed it. I got a photo of her and Cami by the organ too. Sue signed her name with both the treble and base clefts. It is pretty neat. She also confirmed that the organ is the same organ that played at the Metrodome AND the Met. Cami and I had a great time and the Twins beat the Royals for the sweep!
2019 Twins Hall of Fame Breakfast
Today was the annual Twins Hall of Fame breakfast where we celebrated the induction of Joe Nathan and Jerry Bell into the Twins team Hall of Fame. I went to this even last year and enjoyed it so much I decided to go again. Last year the kids could not make it so I brought Caden’s buddy Noah. We had a great time and Noah wanted to go again this year and said he would get me the autographs if I got the ticket so I did. The four of us had a great time. Torii and TK were really funny. Joe Nathan was extremely happy to be included in the HOF. After the breakfast and speeches were completed, there was an autograph event. They were pretty strict at the one autograph per person and since I had four people, I did ok. I brought items for all the people in the Twins HOF not knowing who would be there for the autographs. I was caught off guard last year but not this year! I also helped out a buddy from Washington with some autographs of the guys I did not need. Tom Kelly saw my 1987 Twins Report showing all the front office guys and himself and made a comment of a motley crew and they all looked like they should be in a police lineup. Brad Radke shook my hand and when I mentioned I sat next to him at last year’s breakfast he said he remembered me. I doubt it but it was still cool. When I asked Michael Cuddyer to sign my ticket from his debut game, I asked him if I recall correctly that Bob Casey announced him as ‘Michael Cudd-yer’ rather than ‘Cud-dyer’ and he laughed and said “Probably!” Joe Nathan signed my 300th Save ticket and I asked him “Wasn’t that last pitch a little outside?” He laughed and said “Nope! It was a strike all the way!” It was pretty neat. Here is what I got with the help of Caden, Cami, and Noah…
Tom Kelly- Metrodome #10 Seatback, Oversize card for 1,000th Win, Twins Report magazine from 1987, 1987 Topps (for Greg)
Brad Radke- 1997 Topps, 2003 Topps (for Greg), 2004 Topps (for Greg), 2000 Victory (for Greg)
Michael Cuddyer- 2 ML Debut ticket with “MLB Debut” inscription, 2003 Topps already signed by Michael Restovich, 2012 A&G (for Greg)
Torii Hunter- Cami finished her photo already signed by Buxton and Rosario, 2016 Topps variation, 2019 A&G, 2003 UD Vintage (for Greg)
Johan Santana- 2008 Topps Heritage, 2009 Topps Strikeout Leaders, 2006 Topps Strikeout Leaders, 2006 Topps
Joe Nathan- 2 300th Save tickets/ 1 with “300th Save”, 2015 A&G (for Greg), 1999 Revolution (for Greg)
John Gordon- Legendary Voices card with “Touch ’em all!”
It was a fun few hours and I cannot wait for next year’s event!
Paul Sorrento-oh-oh-yeah!
When we left for Arizona for a six day vacation in the desert I had one want for an autograph. Yeah, it would have been cool to get Mike Trout or Albert Pujols or Manny Machado but the one I REALLY wanted was Paul Sorrento. Paul played on the 1991 World Champion Twins team and was one of the last three post season roster players I need on my baseball. I tried to get him during batting practice when the Angels were in town last summer but the Saturday game had a rain delay and they did not take batting practice and Sunday is typically a non-batting practice day so I missed out. We got to the ballpark as the gates opened and I thought I saw him behind the cage while the players took batting practice. After they were done, I hoped he would go to the dugout but that was not the case. He walked to a tunnel like area to get to the clubhouse. As he walked I shouted “Mr Sorrento!” but he did not look over. I thought maybe I had the wrong guy. I walked parallel to him in hopes of catching up to him. He ducked into the tunnel as just as I got there he was almost out of sight so I said “PAUL!” I noticed he stopped and backed up a couple steps and I leaned over the railing and asked him if he would mind signing my baseball. He said sure and I dropped it down to him. I told him I had been working on this baseball since Twinsfest in 1992 and he said “Wow! That’s a long time!” He spun it around and found a place to sign it and tossed it to me. I thanked him and he continued to the clubhouse and I went to my seat. I was successful in my one true goal. As it turned out, it was the only autograph I got on the entire trip but It was all I needed.