Twins Fest Question: Meeting Players

[Alex]

I've never been to Twins Fest, and normally wouldn't consider going, but my daughter is a huge Joe Mauer fan (she went as him for Halloween) and would love to meet him this year. We also have two free tickets.

 

I noticed that players, like Joe, are available at certain times. I'm assuming he's got the most wait time, but does anyone know what the lines/wait time are like?

 

Any info or experience would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[70charger]

In previous years, it was get there at 2 AM or don't bother. Or you could be cynical and get a wheelchair. I swear that 90% of the Twins fans he meets are in wheelchairs, and the people who actually waited get the shaft. How hard is it to wait in line in a wheelchair? It's not like you'll be standing...

 

Anyway, last year they went to a lottery system, where only people who won the lottery (1 in 6 chance, I think) got the chance to meet him. If your color was called, you still had to rush to the line and wait.

[glanzer]

Wait times for the big names in recent years have been 3-4 hours, if not longer. People find out which table/area the player will be at and start lining up hours in advance. That's what I hate about TwinsFest is the lines. I have a Twins jersey with 50 autographs and they're mostly from the lesser known players or minor leaguers because their lines are so much shorter and more tolerable. I don't know if the team's recent lack of success will bring out fewer fans... who knows, you might have better luck after two straight dismal years.

[Rosterman]

It will still be a wait for the bignames...Mauer and Morneau. I think the lottery system will still be in place. Overall, will be interesting to see what attendance is like this year. I got thru the minor league group and one other group each session. Just remember that it costs money to go thru all but the minor league lines, too.

[Alex]

Thanks for the response guys. Sound like it's a bit out of my league. I was hoping for an hour or two. I obviously had no concept!

[Seth Stohs]

It will still be a wait for the bignames...Mauer and Morneau. I think the lottery system will still be in place. Overall, will be interesting to see what attendance is like this year. I got thru the minor league group and one other group each session. Just remember that it costs money to go thru all but the minor league lines, too.

 

My sense is that the minor league lines this year will be much bigger than the lines at the Autograph Corners 1 and 2 this year. They have a tremendous group of minor leaguers this year. Some big time prospects... Arcia, Hicks, Sano, Gibson, Meyer, May, etc.

[luke829]

I had the chance to catch it when it came to New Ulm. Good to see native Terry Steinbach back in a Twins uni.

[Sarah]

I completely agree with what other people have said here- the wait times for autographs at TwinsFest (and the autograph party) can be really long. If it’s at all possible to go to a different autograph session during the season I would recommend that. I know some people come to Minneapolis and spend the entire weekend trying to get autographs because they can’t (or just don’t) come to Minneapolis during the season. I never stand in line for autographs because I live in the Twin Cities so can get them for free and wait in shorter lines throughout the year. The one thing that’s fun is getting the minor leaguers autographs- those are free and they are usually much shorter lines. And it’s fun to look back at the ones I’ve gotten for free that are now in the paid sessions because they are with the Twins!

[Jim Crikket]

I agree with Sarah. You can often tell that the minor leaguers still think it's kind of cool that this line of people would form to get their autograph. Once they hit the Big Leagues, it often becomes something they "have to do," rather than something they can consider themselves a bit special about because they've been invited by the Twins to participate in.

[Ben B]

People are definitely catching on that the minor league line is the way to do it. I remember getting Baker, Slowey, Neshek, Plouffe, etc. in that line, and it would have at most 15-20 people waiting. You could take as much time as you wanted and chat with the players. Last year when guys like Hicks and Gibson were signing, the wait was over an hour. I think it's only a matter of time before the Twins start charging for that line.

[notoriousgod71]

Mark Hamburger was my favorite.