twinstarheelsfan

Thank you Thrylos. By the way that is a cool pen name...what is its significance? You have spent hours and hours researching and writing these rankings. I sincerely appreciate your efforts and your knowledge.

I'm going to my second annual spring training trip to Ft. Myers Feb 24, 2017 (opening day night game with the Rays)through the Nationals Sunday afternoon game Feb. 26, 2017. I will be at practice Saturday morning and Sunday morning. I'm hoping a ball will land just outside the fence near where I am standing. I'll pick up the ball and throw it back to a Twins player who is standing far away in the outfield. Neil Allen will see me throw a perfect strike to the distant player. Allen will yell at me: "Hey kid, nice throw. Come over here a minute. I want to talk to you. Have you pitched much in your career?" I'll say: "I pitcher some in high school and tried out for the UNC freshman team, but didn't make it." He'll say: "I like your style. Let's go talk to Mr. Falvey." And the rest will be history. I can just see it now. I would enjoy meeting any Twins Daily members who may be there these times. I'll be the old guy ,in jeans with a Twins shirt, sunglasses, a Twins hat, a glove with Harmon Killebrew's autograph on it, standing outside the fence waiting for a ball to come over.

My first major league game was at Griffith Park in DC with my brother and grandfather...1954. We sat in front of some of the players' wives...and got their autographs, including Mrs. Clint Courtney. That was a thrill for a boy from "Small Town, NC visiting his grandparents. My favorites were Camilio Pascual, and Roy Seivers. When the Senators moved to Minnesota I transferred my loyalties. Charlotte was a Senators/Twins minor league affiliate, and I live 45 miles from Charlotte, so I could keep up with the minor leaguers that way. There was a time when a friend of mine, Don Beaver, was trying to buy the Twins and move them to NC. He failed. In 1987 I had a friend from Statesville who was on the Twins. Mark Davidson and I had worked out together during the off season. He invited me to Minneapolis in July to see the A's come to town. When the A's arrived they were tied with the Twins. When they left 4 days later, the A's were 4 games behind the Twins. WHAT A SERIES! Plus it was the Equitable Old Timers game also. I got to meet the great Tony O and Harmon Killebrew signed my glove. Mark got us free tickets with the Twins families. Sat Next to Mrs Gagne and behind Mrs. Kirby Puckett and I sat with Mark's beautiful wife, Linda. It was the best 4 days of my life. Even got to know Wally the beer man. I am an avid Twins' fan and I read TD several times a day. I went to Ft. Myers last year for my first spring training trip. The highlight was seeing Miguel Sano in the batting cage being watched and critiqued by Tony O, Rod Carew and Torri Hunter. Can you imagine that? I hope to meet some of you at spring training in TWO MONTHS! I graduated from UNC undergraduate, went in the army and served for 16 months in and around the Korean DMZ in '68 & '69, during which Vietnam was the big story, however in the summer of 68, 6 of my buddies from my platoon were shot in 3 separate firefights with the North Koreans and two of them died. If you doubt what I just wrote, look up The Blue House Raid, 1968, the USS Pueblo, 1968, a documentary on Korea in the late 60's called "Running the DMZ", which was on The History Channel in 2003, and a book by Daniel Bolger, titled "Scenes From an Unfinished War, Korea, 1966 - 1969". I was flown to Korea in 2003 to be interviewed for that History Channel documentary. I am happily married, have 7 children, 3 grandchildren. After the army, I went to UNC Law School using the GI Bill. I am a lawyer and live in Statesville, NC. I hope to meet some of you at Spring Training this year. Go Twins!