Success #15: Frank Viola

Before there was Johan Santana, there was Frank "Sweet Music" Viola.

In 1981, the year of my birth, the Minnesota Twins drafted Frank Viola in the 2nd round of the MLB draft. Viola breezed through the minors and joined the big league club the following season, in 1982. The results were less than stellar. 11 wins. 25 losses. 5.37 ERA.

Viola was a staple in the Twins rotation from that point on and in 1987, after finishing 6th in the voting for the Cy Young Award, he led the organization to their second World Series appearance and first ever World Series title. After starting and winning Game 7, 4-2 over the St. Louis Cardinals, Viola was named World Series MVP (as you can clearly see from his awesome inscription on my baseball)!

The following season, 1988, would prove to be Viola's best. He led the league in wins, with a 24-7 record as a starter, struck out 197 batters, had a career best ERA of 2.64, and as if those numbers weren't enough, he pitched 7 complete games and 2 shut outs. He won the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide. 1988, however, would be Viola's final full season as a Twin.

At the trade deadline the following year, with Viola struggling, the Twins sold high to the New York Mets. They got five players in return for Viola, two of which, would be significant cogs in another World Series Championship just a few years later, Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani. Aguilera would go on to become the most successful closer in Twins history, that is until Joe Nathan officially dethroned him in 2011.

Frank Viola has a reputation as a great signer through the mail and reportedly always makes time for plenty of fans at games today. Currently, Viola is the pitching coach for the New York Mets Single A affiliate in Savannah, GA. Viola's 50 day return, marks my longest wait, but one well worth it, for a World Series MVP!

Mailed: 1/31/12
Received: 3/21/12 (50 days)

Success #8: Camilo Pascual

 So just when I get disappointed, autographs start rolling in!

Camilo Pascual was a starting pitcher for the Twins in the 19060s. He started with Washington and came over when Calvin Griffith moved the team to the Twin Cities. The three seasons prior to the move, Pascual had turned in two seasons with ERAs south of 3.15 and one season with an ERA of 2.64. At the time, he was becoming one of the most feared pitchers in the league. With the Twins, he would become one of the best. With Pascual atop the rotation, alongside starters Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, and Mudcat Grant the Twins had a much feared pitching staff. Four seasons after the move, the young talent in the field and at the plate, paid off for the Twins and they won the AL pennant.

When I researched Pascual's career, Johan Santana eerily came to mind. Consistently low ERA and four straight 200+ strikeout seasons (leading the league) after the move to Minnesota. Near the end of his tenure with the Twins, Pascual began developing trouble in his arm and his numbers began to suffer. The Twins traded him back to Washington (an expansion team) where he pitched a few more years with them and various other teams before retiring.

Pascual returned to the organization in 1978 as pitching coach and would later become an international scout for many MLB teams. He's credited for the Oakland A's signing of Jose Canseco. This year, the Twins will honor him by inducting him into their own Hall of Fame. A well-deserved honor.

From what I could find, it didn't appear that Pascual was a reliable signer through the mail. I felt I was taking a chance with him. Or maybe my letters of request are better than I think! Either way, Pascual returned my baseball from his Miami, FL home in just 6 days, which seems to be the norm when I catch guys at home.

Mailed: 2/17/12
Received: 2/23/12 (6 days)

Success #3: Greg Gagne

I swear, my successes keep coming faster and faster. Maybe sending baseballs out is paying off because guys don't like them laying around their house. Or more specifically, maybe guys' wives don't like them laying around the house so they get signed and mailed fast. I know my wife doesn't! I was impressed when Kevin Tapani returned a ball to me in 10 days. When Jeff Reardon's came in 7 days (just a few days after he returned home from TwinsFest), I was elated. Even though I have a handful of baseballs out there in the world, waiting to be signed and returned, today really wasn't a day I expected to see anything in my mailbox. So imagine my surprise when a nice 6x9, self addressed stamped bubble mailer was waiting for me.

I love the feeling of not knowing what's inside. I knew it had to be one of 5 players but didn't know which one until I opened . . . and even then I wasn't entirely sure! The signature threw me off . . . but by the process of elimination, and the "John 3:16" inscription, I quickly figured out who this ball was from.

Greg Gagne was one of 7 Twins to be on both the 1987 World Series Championship team and the 1991 World Series Championship team. He was a very underrated shortstop in his day, but nonetheless, a catalyst for the team reaching and winning the World Series not just once, but twice. He wasn't always the most productive at the plate, but in those two postseason runs, he made his hits count and came up big in multiple clutch moments. In 1992, when Gagne became a free agent, the team wasn't able to give him the money he deserved due in part to having already opened the wallet to lock in Kirby Puckett and also due to the fact that Gagne's protege Pat Meares was on the roster and ready to roll. Gagne went on to play for the Royals and the Dodgers, before leaving baseball in 1997. He now coaches high school baseball in Massachusetts.

Gagne was very religious and could often be seen reading from his Bible after games had completed. He was always one of my favorite players. It's comforting to find out that he's also a good guy!

Mailed: 1/31/12
Received: 2/6/12 (6 days)