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Good times at TwinsFest
February 1, 2008 - 10:30am — Mathias Baden
At TwinsFest last weekend, I got autographs from catcher Mike Redmond and pitchers Matt Guerrier and Boof Bonser. Each year, my dad and I go for a couple of hours because, since we're season ticket holders, it's free -- and it's always kind of fun. Our modus operandi is to check out who's being interviewed on the radio, then browse the baseball card show and the Twins pro shop booth, then get a couple autographs. Players sign autographs all day long during TwinsFest. Some are free -- they are minor leaguers, usually. But you can get a large number of autographs without spending anything that way. Others cost $5 to $20 or so. It cost $10 to get all three of the autographs I got. The money goes to the Twins Community Fund, a worthy cause -- kids who play baseball. And it reminds me of childhood, when we used to spend hours waiting for players to come to or leave the ballpark. We'd wait at their parking lot, just for a glimpse of Kirby Puckett or Kent Hrbek. We'd organize all of our baseball cards, so when they did arrive, we could run up to them with our Sharpies, and add to our collections. The kids who collected autographs at TwinsFest this year will be the ones who remember how nice Boof, Guerrier, or Red was to them. They'll bring their kids back to the ballpark, just like I plan to someday. And in a couple months, on Opening Day, these kids will be the ones waiting for the next car to pull into the players' parking lot, wondering if today will be the day they get to stare up at Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer and say, "Can I have your autograph?" |
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I went to Twins Fest once,...
Back to page topI went to Twins Fest once, quite a few years ago before I ever lived here. I paid the money for the Autograph card. Happy to say the one I am most pleased with still to this day is the auto I got of Paul Molitor on one of his cards.
Maybe the crowning achievement (at the time) was getting a combo Chuck Knoblauch and Marty Cordova signatures on one card. Its a combo card about Twins young players with pictures of the two of them, so I got autos of both of them on the same card. Neat concept...years later, well, yeah....
And I got one signed by Pat Meares....Ah the grand days of the Minnesota Twins.
I remember that same year I participated in the silent auction for a few things, but never won.
If I wasn't working I wouldn't have minded hitting up Twins Fest this year. I was interested in the card show portion of things. Ah well.
I must admit, I have big-time spring fever and can't wait for nice weather and baseball season.
(Brian Hall is the Sports Editor for the Jordan Independent and Shakopee Valley News, and can be reached at bhall@swpub.com.)
Spring fever? Yeah, me too....
Back to page topSpring fever? Yeah, me too. This is the time of year when you get through the cold weather by curling up in bed with a Kirby Puckett (slightly lesser known former Twins shortstop Pat Meares, if he happens to be your hero) highlight video on the TV screen.
(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)
Now that football season is...
Back to page topNow that football season is over, I guess I’ll have to sit through report after report on spring training baseball on ESPN. It’s that time of year that the best plays they can conjure up for the top 10 on SportsCenter usually involve animals doing something stupid (like a water skiing squirrel) or no names in spring training making boring plays in even more boring games. Maybe thinking of it as spring fever is right – it's a disease you just wish would go away.
I’m ready to learn more about baseball, but I’m definitely waiting until the regular season to get interested – at least at first.
Wow, that's pretty...
Back to page topWow, that's pretty harsh.
Not to mention, you can have spring fever without thinking about baseball. I do. It is more about just the desire for better weather and the opportunity to spend some time outside.
But, you sound so cynical. I don't think you really WANT to like baseball or learn about it at all. I think you would rather just talk about how boring of a game it is.
Try not to be so cynical and open up your mind to the game and maybe you will like it. Although, yes, it helps to know the insider stuff to make it more interesting.
(Brian Hall is the Sports Editor for the Jordan Independent and Shakopee Valley News, and can be reached at bhall@swpub.com.)
I do really want to learn...
Back to page topI do really want to learn about baseball, but it’s something I feel I’ll have to ease myself into. I didn’t like off-season football until I knew what was going on with the trades and how they effected the team during the season. Would it be great to know why certain players are important to a team’s future? You bet, but first I have to know what goes on during the regular season.
Jumping into baseball during spring training would be like trying to understand math by learning calculus. Sure, there’s a lot of great information there, but unless I have the basic skills I can pick up during the season, I won’t know what the heck is going on.
I will try to lay off the “baseball is boring” jokes, though.
I have to agree with...
Back to page topI have to agree with Brandon. At the risk of being called un-American, I have to admit I've never much liked baseball (or football, for that matter).
My idea of a sport is one in which the ball and the players are kept in near-constant motion. Go basketball and soccer!
Just for the lack of...
Back to page topJust for the lack of scoring, I've never much appreciated soccer. Especially playing it -- too much work for no reason is bad for my attitude.
(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)