Your Most Regrettable Twins' Autographed Memorabilia

[Vanimal46]

Let's see those autographs from failed prospects, sub-par MLB players, and gimmick players in your Twins' fandom!

 

My most regrettable autograph...

[ewen21]

We released David Ortiz just so he could be our DH

[70charger]

I got a Matt Tolbert autograph once. Always liked his hustle...

[LimestoneBaggy]

 

Let's see those autographs from failed prospects, sub-par MLB players, and gimmick players in your Twins' fandom!

My most regrettable autograph...

 

How is that regrettable, LeCroy was an adventure every single day (I don't have a Twins autograph myself, but I do have a signed Sean Salisbury photo....)

[Nine of twelve]

I can't remember if I posted this before. Matthew LeCroy was part of a very funny occurrence. Spring training, 2004. Mientkiewicz gets a single in the second half of a game. LeCroy asks Gardy if he can go in to pinch run. Gardy gives the thumbs up and makes the move. Mientkiewicz said after the game that waiting for LeCroy to get from the dugout to first base was the longest two and a half minutes of his life.

[spanman2]

 

I can't remember if I posted this before. Matthew LeCroy was part of a very funny occurrence. Spring training, 2004. Mientkiewicz gets a single in the second half of a game. LeCroy asks Gardy if he can go in to pinch run. Gardy gives the thumbs up and makes the move. Mientkiewicz said after the game that waiting for LeCroy to get from the dugout to first base was the longest two and a half minutes of his life.

IALTO

[BobAzar]

I have two that are regrettable, but in my defense I won them in Twitter contests from the Twins. I didnt actively seek them out. 

 

Danny Santana and Byung-Ho Park. 

[Drew]

In 1990 I was 13 and Kirby Puckett ranked as a god in my book. We went to a game vs. the Red Sox (Roger Clemens was pitching) at the Dome for my upcoming birthday. This was always a big deal since we lived 200 miles from Minneapolis so we always showed up as early as possible and I'd try to get autographs (unsuccessfully, almost always). 

 

Before the game as players were warming up I yelled at everyone trying for an autograph with no luck. Finally, Johnny Moses came over and signed my ticket. Sweet! 

 

Then, right as I'm giving up, Kirby comes by and signs my ticket. YES!!!!

 

So while it's my favorite piece of memorabilia, it has Johnny Moses autograph on it, making Kirby's that much harder to make out. Still have it framed here on my desk though. 

[Sarah]

I have one that is the opposite of regrettable but it was from a player that was forgettable - I had my picture taken with Matt Kinney and he thanked me for coming to the game. Clearly I remember that! 

[RIP BYTO]

I ruined my 1987 homer hanky with a Les Straker autogragh...........so yeah....Les Straker.

[Boom Boom]

Back in '94 I won a Chuck Knoblauch autographed ball in a raffle. I immediately sold it to another guy there for $20.

 

Not sure what a ChuckKno ball sells for these days, but No Regerts.

[Dantes929]

 

I ruined my 1987 homer hanky with a Les Straker autogragh...........so yeah....Les Straker.

Third best starter, by far, on World Series team.    That's not ruined in my book.

 

Only autograph I ever got was on a baseball by Jim Perry.   Nice get but the regrettable part is that it was the only baseball we had so we were already playing with it by the end of the day.   No brainer at the time but now I kind of wish I still had it.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Third best starter, by far, on World Series team. That's not ruined in my book.

Actually, Berenguer could have a decent argument for being our 3rd/4th best starter that year, we just didn't use him in that role much.

[ashbury]

Actually, Berenguer could have a decent argument for being our 3rd/4th best starter that year, we just didn't use him in that role much.

We should have traded for Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd and then combined him with Juan "El Gasolino" Berenguer as our new rotation. Instead of arguing the merits of a 4-man rotation versus 5, we could have had a 2-cycle!

[Shaitan]

 

In 1990 I was 13 and Kirby Puckett ranked as a god in my book. We went to a game vs. the Red Sox (Roger Clemens was pitching) at the Dome for my upcoming birthday. This was always a big deal since we lived 200 miles from Minneapolis so we always showed up as early as possible and I'd try to get autographs (unsuccessfully, almost always). 

 

Before the game as players were warming up I yelled at everyone trying for an autograph with no luck. Finally, Johnny Moses came over and signed my ticket. Sweet! 

 

Then, right as I'm giving up, Kirby comes by and signs my ticket. YES!!!!

 

So while it's my favorite piece of memorabilia, it has Johnny Moses autograph on it, making Kirby's that much harder to make out. Still have it framed here on my desk though. 

 

The Twins blowout pitcher in the post-Gladden years, if my memory is correct.

[Dantes929]

 

We should have traded for Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd and then combined him with Juan "El Gasolino" Berenguer as our new rotation. Instead of arguing the merits of a 4-man rotation versus 5, we could have had a 2-cycle!

Well, then based on ERA Straker would still have been our best reliever followed by Reardon at 4.48.   Viola and Berenguer were the only guys on the entire team with an ERA below 4.    Blyleven, Straker and Reardon were the only others below 4.5.    Most of the rest of the stafff had ERA's over 6.00.     Main point being Straker had the 4th best ERA on the entire team, starting or otherwise.   If I kept memorabilia I would be pretty happy to have his signature on a homer hanky.   

[TheMatt]

The Twins had a broadcast auction a couple of years back. I bought a couple of backpacks. One had a signed Ricky Nolasco ball. Yay!

[twinssporto]

This wasn't a regrettable autograph but a funny one.  I was sitting in the dugout during an old timers game in St. Pete, Florida back in mid 1990's.  A friend of mine gave me and my wife two passes that could get us anywhere in the stadium.  So before the game started we walked out onto the field and jumped in the dugout.  I sat down next to Harmon and started talking Minnesota baseball, the fact that I was a huge fan, etc., etc.  About 5 minutes later Blyleven sits down next to me and I about lost it.  Sat there almost the entire game talking to both of them.  

 

At the end of the game I asked Harmon to sign the pass I was wearing around my neck.  He happily obliged.  I turned to Blyleven and asked him to sign it too.  He laughed and said he would only sign the other side of it.  He told me he didn't want to decrease the value of the autograph by signing his name next to Harmon's.  Mr. Killebrew laughed out loud at that comment.  

[mickeymental]

les straker, 1987 world series game 3 start: 6ip, 4h, 0r, 2w, 4k, departed with a 1-0 lead. twins lost 3-1 after juan berenguer faced five batters in the 7th and blew the save: 1/3ip, 4h, 3er. some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you.

[bighat]

I have Fred Toliver's autograph on a baseball, signed by multiple other Twins.

[IndianaTwin]

 

I can't remember if I posted this before. Matthew LeCroy was part of a very funny occurrence. Spring training, 2004. Mientkiewicz gets a single in the second half of a game. LeCroy asks Gardy if he can go in to pinch run. Gardy gives the thumbs up and makes the move. Mientkiewicz said after the game that waiting for LeCroy to get from the dugout to first base was the longest two and a half minutes of his life.

 

This reminds me of one of my all-time favorite baseball quotes. One of the Braves announcers, not sure which one, said, "Watching Greg Maddux leg out a triple has replaced the Kentucky Derby as the most exciting two minutes in sports."

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

les straker, 1987 world series game 3 start: 6ip, 4h, 0r, 2w, 4k, departed with a 1-0 lead. twins lost 3-1 after juan berenguer faced five batters in the 7th and blew the save: 1/3ip, 4h, 3er. some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you.

Then Game 6, Staker is charged with 4 runs in 3 IP, but we win anyway, with help from Berenguer's 3 shutout innings (oh yeah, and 11 runs ).

[Circus Boy]

Only autographs I got was Detroit Lions quarterback Milt Plum back in 1967 on a promotional visit to Flint, Mich., and a baseball signed "Rollie Fingers HOF 1992" that a friend gave me. Oh, and Richard Nixon signed a note referencing a story I wrote that was on the national wire in 1991 about a friend of his who was the oldest mayor in America. No Twins. Not in the cards.

 

Excellent thread, BTW.

[Deduno Abides]

Biggest regret? Lyman Bostock signed my friend’s book but didn’t have time to sign mine because he had to get into the dugout.

[Ian23]

Nick Blackburn signed ball

[lecroy24fan]

 

Let's see those autographs from failed prospects, sub-par MLB players, and gimmick players in your Twins' fandom!

My most regrettable autograph...

 

I gotta say there is nothing you should regret about it.

[ashbury]

I'm not an autograph hound, so my biggest regret is that I still haven't gotten around to asking Stew Thornley to sign my copy of his book about Halsey Hall.