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?"