doug mientkiewicz in person auto success! with bonus tommy lasorda info!

a few months ago, minky made an appearance at one of the monthly local card shows.  autos were $7 per, and although he had signed a few cards for me through the mail gratis, i no longer knew where to send his cards after he was released by the dodgers and then the marlins organization.  so, i ponied up - especially since there was now an official card showing mientkiewicz as a dodger.  but i didn't just get his 2010 upper deck card signed,

i also got his 2004 topps card autographed.

i love that card.  it's horizontal. it's got the superamerica logo.  it's got the horrible metrodome elevated seating.  what's not to love?  plus it's his last card as a twin as he was traded mid-season to the eventual world series champion boston red sox. 

when it was my turn, i told doug i had wished he were still playing for the dodgers instead of ga.  he laughed and agreed.  i also asked him for some tommy stories from the 2000 olympics.  he said that tommy didn't know anyone's name, got the team into a fight at a casino, and was pretty gassy.  actually, i think eric karros said tommy was gassy, but mientkiewicz said the other stuff.  he also said they were making a movie based on the olympic team, but it was being delayed due to financing.  can't wait to see paul giamatti as lasorda (that's my choice - i have no idea who is cast in the movie).

btw, mientkiewicz's ring from the 2004 world series was huge.

thanks doug! 

where have you gone, dougie baseball?

scott at hand collated just sent me one of the nefarious 9 (my most wanted cards) - the 2010 upper deck doug mientkiewicz.  i suspect (and hope) that it's not the last one i get from a generous blogger.

fresh off my ttm success with dougie, i was hoping to send him the only card i know of that features him in a dodger uniform.  unfortunately, the dodgers went and released him.  he apparently turned down a coaching position in the organization because he still wanted to play, and is now a free agent.  i haven't heard if he has landed anywhere.  have you?  this card needs to be signed!

in related news, he has been replaced in my desperately seeking list by the 2009 topps update & highlights xavier paul card.  any help is appreciated.

thanks scott!  i'll get something out to you soon!

doug mientkiewicz through the mail success!

you knew i would have to follow up a billy grabarkewitz post with a similar one featuring the similarly last name addled doug mientkiewicz, didn't you?  i already featured one of the cards i received (a 2005 donruss champions (twins) card) in this post.  here are the others that i recently received back in the mail, signed by the nomadic first baseman:

2005 donruss champions (red sox)

2005 donruss champions (mets)

2007 topps allen & ginter

the donruss champion cards aren't short prints or variations - dougie just got three cards in the set.  i think his only dodger card, and may be his only dodger card, is a 2010 upper deck card.  garret anderson beat him out this spring, and so mientkiewicz is currently weighing his options.  i hope he gets picked up by someone or sticks with the dodgers in some capacity so i can try to get that upper deck card signed along with a 2004 topps which showcases the metrodome.

anyway, at one point minky was my favorite twin.  the guy hit the game winning home run for the 2000 usa olympic gold medal team, had a fantastic glove, and was fun to watch.  he had a couple of bad moments, including going public with his dislike of tom kelly and his demotion when justin morneau was called up, but he was still such a fan favorite after his trade to boston that his shirts remained full price at the metrodome concession stands.  i was impressed.

since leaving the twins, he's had a series of 'one and done' seasons with the red sox (2004 world series champion, thank you very much), the mets, the royals, the yankees, the pirates, and the dodgers.  his 2009 season was largely lost due to a shoulder injury he suffered in april after hitting a 2-run pinch hit double against the giants.

thanks doug!

i didn't make it to twinsfest this year, but...

in addition to being able to live vicariously through droidtrader's many posts, as well as those of crackin' wax, i have been doing fairly well with twins through the mail over the past year.

here's a sampling

1976 topps dave goltz

this was part of a second request to the former dodger.  i showcased the first attempt (which was also a success) here.

1978 topps dan ford

disco dan signed this 1978 card, as well as a 2004 upper deck legends card which i'll show off in a later post.  i remember dan from his angels days more than his time with the twins, but i love love love this card.

1983 jim eisenreich

jim is another former dodger, although he had way fewer dodger cards than goltz.  he did sign one of them for me, along with the 83 card shown above.

1984 donruss gary gaetti

one of the 'g-men' for the twinkies.  gaetti signed a few cards c/o baseball usa in houston.  he owns one of my favorite nicknames - 'the rat'.

1984 fleer tom brunansky

like gaetti, bruno signed a couple of cards for me.  i wasn't in minnesota at the time, but even i was shocked at the brunansky for tommy herr trade in early 1988.

1989 topps jeff reardon

the terminator is a great ttm signer, and i think he signed 3 or 4 cards for me.  the closer for the 87 world champion twins, reardon finished 4 of the 7 games and got the save in game 7.

1990 upper deck greg gagne

the other 'g-man' on the twinkies' two world series championship teams.  another former dodger, i have gone to the gaetti ttm well a few times, and he has not disappointed me.

1991 upper deck juan berenguer

berenguer was reardon's set up guy on the 87 team before going to atlanta in 91 to be their closer.  he was, of course, on the losing end of that stick, but not the way you think.  he broke his arm late in the season and missed the braves' run from worst to first.  around here, berenguer is best known for his trenchcoat and briefcase ensemble.  in fact, his bobblehead a few years ago featured that outfit.  he also signed his badass 1984 donruss card, as well as his dodger stadium featured 1992 upper deck card.

2005 donruss champions doug mientkiewicz

yet another dodger.  minky signed this and 3 other cards for me c/o the dodgers.  i sent them last summer and just got them back a couple of weeks ago.  i was a big supporter of mientkiewicz when he was here, although there's no way i keep him over justin morneau.

2009 topps allen and ginter michael cuddyer

the best active player autograph in baseball.  i love getting this guy to sign stuff.

of all of these guys, i think only goltz, berenguer and cuddy were scheduled to be at twinsfest.  still, it was the first time i had missed it in 10 years, so i am looking forward to standing in some lines next january!

a 2009 goose joak original in the o-pee-chee spirit

i am a big fan of o-pee-chee cards. more specifically, of the variations they created when a player switched teams in the off season. i have posted about them here and here and here and even one here.

so, while putting together some more 2009 goose joak originals, i decided to forego the images coming from spring training and do some o-pee-chee tribute for a veteran spring training invitee.

i give you the 2009 goose joak original doug mientkiewicz.it's more of a 70's/80's o-pee-chee tributethan a 90's one.i don't know why they stopped changing the card design to reflect the player's new team in the '90's.

anyway, i am actually a big mientkiewicz fan, having watched him during his time here in minnesota. he was a big fan favorite, despite the fact that he publicly called out manager tom kelly, and has remained so even after his departure to the red sox and beyond.

doug has been a one and done player since leaving the twins, spending half of 2004 with the red sox, 2005 with the mets, 2006 with the royals, 2007 with the yankees, and 2008 with the pirates.

here's hoping he wins a spot (as long as he deserves it) backing up loney and blake.