What Ever Happened To Gary Gaetti???

Gary Gaetti was a huge part of the Minnesota Twins’ success during the late 1980′s and into the 1990′s.  Although he played for 6 teams during his 19-year career, it was in Minnesota where he earned his reputation as a solid major league player.

Gaetti’s debut led off with a smash - literally.  In his first at bat in the big leagues, Gaetti homered.  And in the 10 seasons that followed, all with the Twins, Gaetti smacked 16 or more home runs during 8 of those seasons.  A lifetime .255 hitter, Gaetti made a career for himself as a power hitter that was able to drive in tons of runs.  With 360 career home runs and 1,341 RBI to his credit it’s easy to see why ‘The Rat’ was the anchor for many of the offensive lineups he was a part of.

Gaetti was also a stellar defensive player.  A 4-time Gold Glove winner at 3rd base, Gaetti’s desire to stop everything hit in his direction made him a fan favorite.  Always willing to put his body on the line to stop a ball from getting by him was an attribute that Gaetti used as one of the Twins’ leaders.

During the 1987 playoffs against the Tigers, Gaetti won the ALDS MVP award as he homered in his first 2 at-bats.  At the time, he was the only player to do this in the history of the game until matched by Evan Longoria in 2008.  Gaetti’s lone World Series appearance came in that same 1987 season when the Twins won the championship in 7 games.  In that series Gaetti hit .259 while collecting 7 hits, including 1 home run, and 4 RBI.

After retiring for the game, Gaetti put his offensive tools to work and became a hitting instructor.  Today he serves as the hitting coach for the Durham Bulls, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

I wonder why they call Gaetti ‘The Rat’…

Update: The 1983 Topps Super Veteran Set

Just a quick update on this set.  Of the 35 cards in the set I have secured 14.  That’s not too bad since I haven’t been aggressively going after these cards either.  I’m hoping to spend a little more time focusing on this set in the coming weeks as I shift away from buying cards for autographs and focus a little more attention on my player and subset collections.

Here are the cards as they appear today.  Hopefully more will be added to this display shortly.

Fishing For Some Marlins Autographs Through The Mail!!!

I’m going to do everything I can to see a few Spring Training games this season and I hope to add a few more autographs to my Marlins helmet.  Currently the helmet stands at 16 signatures and counting…

But I want to see if my team is ‘fan-friendly’ as well when it comes to signing autograph requests through the mail.  So these are all going out today.  Let’s see how quickly these are returned back to me…

The Guys:  Anibal Sanchez, Cody Ross, Gaby Sanchez, Matt Treanor, Andrew Miller, John Baker, Dallas McPherson, Jorge Cantu, Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Alfredo Amezaga, Mike Rabelo, Rick Vandenhurk, and Fredi Gonzalez.

 

Dale Murphy Autograph Through The Mail Success!!!

Some players are just worth waiting for.  Dale Murphy is one of those players.  So I didn’t mind the 57 day wait when I unveiled this great signature!!

Murphy was ’The Man’ for the Atlanta Braves during the 1980′s and because my household received WTBS he was one of my favorite players.

Now this 2-time MVP Award winner’s autograph  joins my collection!  Thanks Murph!

Can This Be Real????

Am I naive??  Can this be real??? 

You’ve got to love the Cubs!!!!

1983 Topps Super Veteran – Tom Seaver

1983 Topps Super Veteran – Tom Seaver

Jeez, ‘Tom Terrific’ didn’t age much between 1967 and 1983 did he?  If you made both of these pictures black and white and removed the date it would be hard to guess which one was taken in ’67 versus ’83.

I guess working hard keeps you looking young…  Tom Seaver pitched an started an incredible 519 games between 1967-1983.  A true pitching stud, Seaver went on to win the Rookie of the Year, 3 Cy Young Awards, and the 1969 World Series as a member of the ‘Amazing Mets’. 

Shooting For A Few More Andre Dawson Autographs

Having the chance to meet my favorite baseball player was an amazing experience for me.  Being able to talk to him in a social setting that was not rushed allowed our conversation to linger over several topics.  After I got my picture taken with ‘The Hawk’ I asked Andre if it would be OK if I sent it to him for his autograph.  He said that was fine so here I go.

This package will be shipped to Andre tomorrow.

Along with the photo, I am including a few more cards and a donation to his foundation.  He does a lot of great charity work in South Florida and I am happy to offer a donation to see that this work continues. 

I am on a new quest for 2009 and that is to build ‘The Ultimate Andre Dawson Collection’.  Of course this could mean several things to several people, but my collection has more of a personal meaning.  I don’t have deep pockets and cannot win everything I desire on Ebay so I have to be selective.  The cards I am sending are a starting point for me and if all goes well this will be the beginning of this special collection.

I’ll be sure to share the results with you as soon as they arrive back home to me safely. 

Wish me luck!!!

Sending An Autograph Request To Jeff Conine

When I moved back to Florida in 1994, I quickly jumped on board with the Florida Marlins.  You see, I moved from Florida to Chicago in 1989, but when I left Florida did not have a professional baseball team(or basketball or hockey either).

Having a ‘home’ team this time around in Florida has been great and I have been hooked on ‘The Fish’ ever since.  I’ve been able to enjoy some incedible baseball that has been capped off by 2 World Series Championships!!

Without a doubt, the most popular player and biggest star with the fans is Mr. Marlin himself, Jeff Conine.  I was thrilled to get the chance to meet Jeff Conine at the 2009 Marlins Fan Fest.  How sweet is it that we sat together in the dugout that he called home for 8 seasons?  I cannot begin to explain the feeling of sharing the bench with a player that has been in that same spot for hundreds of baseball games – it was electric!!!

I am going to send this picture to Mr. Conine with a request that he signs it for me and my son.  He was extremely friendly to us at the Fan Fest and I hope our luck continues with this.

Hoping For A Dan Uggla Autograph!!!

It’s not often that you get to meet an All-Star player in any sport.  These are the guys that everyone wants to see and talk to.  You could imagine how excited I was when I was able to meet and get my picture taken with Dan Uggla at the Florida Marlins Fan Fest.

Uggla was extremely kind and even offered to hold my son so all 3 of us could be photographed together.  He took time with each person he encountered offering his handshake for the guys and hugs for the girls.

I am going to send this picture to Dan Uggla and ask that he signs it for me and my son.  He’s already given us 1 memory we won’t soon forget so why not try for 2?

I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!!

2009 Topps Florida Marlins Team Set

I bought this team set on a whim as I try to avoid most modern card releases.  I’ve got a strong case of baseball fever right now and cannot wait for the Florida Marlins to take the field this season.  The team has not made any major roster additions this off-season, but they have a very solid and young nucleus of players that if they gel and play good team baseball they can easily play .500 ball or better.  If players like Cameron Maybin, John Baker, and Gaby Sanchez can impact the team’s offense in a positive way the Marlins should be able to score a ton of runs which should really help out their incredible starting pitchers.

The cards look great.  I like the ’09 Topps design and hope to use many of these cards for autograph requests through the mail and at a few Spring Training games too.

Here are the cards: