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)

Next Steps

On Monday, 1/30/12, I mailed Bert Blyleven a request (home address, Fort Myers?). Bert does not sign through the mail for free, but with a donation to the Parkinson's Foundation, he will sign anything. Cards, photos, baseballs, Homer Hankies. At least it's for a good cause. And at least he's willing to sign. He's even willing to personalize and inscribe, for a little more. Some Twins fans feel that Bert has become "stuck up" since his Hall of Fame induction. Personally, I think it was long overdue and as long as the money he's taking from autographs is going to a good cause, I guess I don't have a huge problem with it. His solo station at TwinsFest was $35 alone!

Today, Tuesday, 1/31/12, I mailed out 5 packages to Joe Benson (Spring Training), Greg Gagne (home address), Gene Larkin (home address), Jim Perry (home address), and Frank Viola (home address). My research shows that Viola requests a $5 signing fee for anything through the mail, which some people find annoying, but I find encouraging. My goal is to get their autograph. At least he's willing to do it!

That brings my current total to 11 attempts and already, just two weeks in, 1 success. I'll probably look to send another batch out early next week.