Success #4: "Circle Me" Bert Blyleven

The good thing about Bert Blyleven is that he's a good signer through the mail. The bad thing about Bert Blyleven is that you have to pay him for it! But last year was a good year for Bert. He finally made it into the Hall of Fame after being a long time snub and his number 28 was retired by the Twins. His booth alone cost $35 at TwinsFest this past year and since he's one of the all time greats for the Twins, I was more than willing to send along a donation.

I had seen his check come through in my bank account online, I even saw a scan of my check, with his signature on the back, endorsing it. So I knew this baseball would be coming at some point. I had heard he takes a good month or two to respond, so I surely wasn't expecting it after 12 days. He paid for the return shipping but I supplied the ball and the pen. He stuck a "Blyleven 2011" hologram on the ball and kept the pen.

I was too young to know Bert as a player. He was drafted out of high school by the Twins and didn't last in the minors long, making his first major league start at 19 years old. He had a wicked curveball and won 10 games his rookie season. He actually had two stints with the Twins, the first of which ending sourly when Calvin Griffith wouldn't meet Bert's high salary demands and traded him off to the Rangers. Bert thanked the Minnesota fans by flipping them the bird on his way out the door. He came back 9 years later when Carl Pohlad purchased the team and helped the Twins win the 1987 World Series with Frank Viola at the top of the rotation.

Bert's career numbers are impressive. 242 complete games. 60 shutouts. 287 wins. 3,701 strikeouts. His relationship with the Twins was a roller coaster as a player, but he's a faithful color broadcaster for Fox North today. He lives in Fort Myers, FL so he's close to the action through Spring Training.

He's my first Hall of Famer!

Mailed: 1/30/12
Received: 2/10/12 (12 days)