Justin Morneau Winter Warm-Up Coat Drive (Part 2)

So, after years of being aware of the event, but unable to attend, I finally made if to FanHQ's annual Justin Morneau Winter Warm-Up Coat Drive!

The two partner up every year, fro this event, which aims to collect winter coats for the Salvation Army, to benefit underprivileged citizens of the Minneapolis St. Paul are, and as brutal as Minnesota winters can be, there is definitely a need. In year's past, all it took was three winter coats for the chance to meet the 2006 AL MVP and get anything signed. A bargain for sure.

This year, the staked were raised. The required number of coats went up to five, but those two extra would also get you a signature from two other guests: former Twins Joe Mauer and Corey Koskie!

With all three autographs on any item for just five coats, I knew that this was an event that couldn't be missed. So, my wife and I dropped the kids off at my parents' house and we made the drive to the Minneapolis area's Ridgedale Mall, where she would do some Christmas shopping, and I would meet some baseball players!

We got there on time, but not too early, so I ended up at the back of a very long line. The way FanHQ does their signings, they do all of the posed photos first, and then move on to the autographs. Posed photos required a 33-coat donation, which was a little more then I was able to get my hands on. Still, an autograph from each is a great deal for five jackets.

I knew that if I were to attend a paid signing with Joe Mauer, the price would be pretty steep, so for this "free" signing, I wanted to be sure to make it a good one. My initial idea was to get a jersey signed, but most of what I was able to find on Ebay was either well-worn, or a knock-off. I ended up getting a fantastic-looking 16x20 print of a painting by local artist Robert Blehert. It depicts Mauer saluting the fans as his final game came to a close. The print was signed by the artist in blue ink, and numbered to just seven copies! I had Mauer sign it in silver, which really stands out on the blue background of that section. It really turned out well, and I now have it proudly displayed on the main wall of my man cave.

Now, it has been a few months since I attended a FanHQ signing, but I think this was the first one where they added another special feature. I didn't realize it until a few days later when they posted on their Facebook page, but they hire a couple photographers to take pictures of Mauer and Morneau signing each item for everyone who came. This way, even though you might not of been able to get a posed photo, you could still get a picture of you interacting with them, and them signing the item you brought. Pictures could be purchased on-line from the photographer for $10 a piece, and was an amazing addition to the whole experience.

Mauer may have been the big draw for this event, but Morneau is responsible for the event itself. This is the ninth year of the coat drive, and as a former AL MVP and NL Batting Champ, is a pretty good signature to be able to get. Like with Mauer, I didn't come with an item in-hand, but quickly decided that I wanted to get him to sign a bat. After all, if I was going to get a "free" signature, it might as well be on an item that would otherwise carry a premium price tag. They had a few game model bats with Morneau's name engraves on it, but when I saw the color (and price) of the generic Rawlings silver and black bat, I went with that. Morneau has a great signature as it is, but I decided to pay an additional donation to the Salvation Army for an inscription ticket. Of course, I had him sign in silver, with his "06 AL MVP" inscription, and really, it turned out better than I could have imagined.

Of course, I also purchased a photo with him, and this on turned out even better than the one with Mauer. While the picture with Mauer is of him signing my item, the one with Morneau is of him handing off the freshly-signed bat.

Lastly, was Carey Koskie. Like Morneau, Koskie is a Canadian former Twin. He played third base for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Milwaukee Brewers. I brought along a baseball for him to sign.

I also had to pick up one more Mystery Ball. Eventually, I will buy enough that I will run the risk of pulling something I already have, but for now, I got a new one, of Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson.

Lastly, I was able to pick up the Gary Gaetti jersey that I selected in their multi-sport jersey auction a few weeks earlier. The jersey was a home jersey in the design of the 1987 World Series winning team, and is signed in silver, right on the center bar of the 8, which is where I'd prefer a signature to be. It looks good on a photo, but it looks even better in person.

The event turned out great. I had a good time there, got to meet some baseball players, and help out a good cause. As good as this year was, next year will be the tenth anniversary of the event, and I can't wait to see what they have in store!