- 6,614
- 10
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2004
http://insider.espn.go.co...er/news/story?id=4862374
Much thanks in advance.
Much thanks in advance.
ESPN Insider Request: How did Joe Mauer become the fans' MVP?
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by shabooyah1124,
- Start date
- 722
- 39
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2006
This story appears in the Feb. 8 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
As a kid, I wrote letters to athletes asking for autographs. And I wasalways astounded when they wrote back. It started when I was a10-year-old Giants fan and wrote to Lawrence Taylor, who whet myappetite for pro signatures by responding with two signed photos ofhimself. Emboldened, I wrote to Niners running back Roger Craig, whoalso sent me his own glossy, sponsored by Smokey Bear. ("FirePrevention Is a Team Effort," it read.) Soon enough, I had writtendozens of letters and gotten back dozens of glossy photos signed by thebiggest sports stars of my childhood, including Buddy Ryan and FernandoValenzuela. The best response I ever received came from Cowboys Hall ofFame defensive lineman Randy White. During the 1988 season he sent me asigned photo, silver-star helmet stickers, a picture of a Cowboyscheerleader and a type- written letter apologizing for what would endup as a 3-13 year. ("Although this season is hard for a fan, it'sharder for the team," he wrote. "We are in a rebuilding stage andhopefully you should see, in the near future, changes that will put usonce again in the Super Bowl.") I was blown away, almost enough tobecome a Cowboys fan. Nearly 22 years later, I'm still impressed (butstill a Giants fan). Randy White may not have typed that note, but hemade sure someone responded to me. And, really, isn't that theconnection every fan wants?
[h4]Nice Swag[/h4]
Check out 12 choice items that athletes, coaches and mascots sent Joe Phan
In April, I stumbled across White's letterand wondered if there were stars like him playing today; guys who careenough to do more than tweet at their fans. To find out, I handwroteletters, 479 of them, to folks associated with every MLB, NBA, NFL andNHL team, asking for an autograph. I penned a personalized note to eachsquad's star player, as well as to a random backup, the head coach andthe mascot. I customized each note to let the recipient know I wasn'tsome creep using form letters to procure memorabilia for my eBaybusiness. (In my note to Tom Brady I asked, "How cool is it to livewith Gisele Bündchen?" Not creepy, right?) I used publicly availableteam addresses and signed each letter using the pseudonym Joe Phan,with no mention of ESPN anywhere. I mailed the letters from a randomNew York City mailbox. Snail mail being what it is, I have no idea howmany of my missives made it to their intended targets (so I won't callout the pros who did not respond), but I did discover some modern-dayRandy Whites. Or, more accurately, some true Joe Mauers.
That's right. According to my highlysubjective research, the most fan-friendly superstar in America is alsothe best catcher in baseball. When he's not leading the majors inhitting (.365 last season) or making All-Star appearances (three in thepast four years), Mauer plays video games with the elderly and runslocal youth clinics in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota native who's doneright by his hometown team may seem too good to be true, but a check ofmy mail says he really does care about fans. And he isn't the only one.Here are the highlights of my little mail tale.
JUNE 17 And we're off. All 479 letters go into a Manhattan mailbox.
JUNE 23 Joe Phan's first reply! Thanks to the New Jersey Devils mascot for the signed photo.
JUNE 24A FedEx package requires Joe's John Hancock, the only time during theproject I will give someone else an autograph. Inside is a signed photofrom Raiders head coach Tom Cable. In the coming months, Cable will beaccused of a lot of ugly things. No matter, the guy used FedEx. Countme as a fan.
JUNE 25A whopping 12 envelopes arrive, all with autographed photos inside.Eight are from mascots: Swoop (Eagles), Wally (Red Sox), Sparky(Islanders), Paws (Tigers), Stinger (Blue Jackets), Mariner Moose(Mariners), Big Red (Arizona Cardinals) and Slapshot (Capitals). Threecome from coaches: Tom Coughlin (New York Giants), Manny Acta (thenwith the Nats) and George Karl (Nuggets). Joe also gets his first mailfrom an All-Star. Flyers captain Mike Richards sends a photo of himselffrom a 2007 game against the Maple Leafs, the same one handed out atthe Wachovia Center the night he tied a Philly record for consecutivehome games with a point scored. It's a nifty collector's item.
JUNE 28The floodgates open. On the project's most productive day, 17autographs hit Joe's mailbox. Looking to save postage, the Wizards sentalong signed photos of both Gilbert Arenas and benchwarmer AndrayBlatche in one envelope. Big ups also go to head coaches Jack Del Rio(Jaguars), Eric Mangini (Browns), Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies) and JayTriano (Raptors). I am starting to realize that it's pretty easy to geta mascot's signature. Autographed photos from Lou Seal (San FranciscoGiants), Thunderz Bug (Lightning), Gumbo (Saints), Who Dey (Bengals),Baxter the Bobcat (Diamondbacks), Rumble (Oklahoma City), Toro(Texans), T.D. (Dolphins), Crunch (Timberwolves), Sir Purr (CarolinaPanthers) and KC Wolf (Chiefs) all arrive on this day. And in JoePhan's first and only religious experience, the Chiefs mascot signs hisphoto, KC Wolf, Joshua 1:9.
JUNE 29Off my letter to Marvin Lewis ("Hey, Coach," I wrote, "Are you excitedabout Hard Knocks coming to camp?"), Cincy sends a letter directing meto its online pro shop to buy his sig. I never thought I'd write this,but the Bengals could learn something from the Raiders.
JUNE 30Only one package, but it's a keeper. Clutch, the Houston Rockets bearmascot, sends a note, a signed photo, four of his children's books (Myfavorite: Clutch's Hospital Adventure) and Clutch Ears, to be wornduring Rockets games. I don't watch Houston basketball, but the earscome in handy when playing with my 4-year-old.
JULY 6Five of today's seven responses come from NFL teams -- thanks for thesigned photo, Coach Smith (Falcons), Coach Sparano (Dolphins), CoachMora (Seahawks) and Miles the Mascot (Broncos)! -- including a cordialresponse from Tom Brady. The future Hall of Famer sends Joe a letterexplaining how the crush of mail he receives makes it difficult torespond personally to everything. "Please know that Tom appreciatesyour support. He asks that you accept this Patriots team photo as atoken of his appreciation," it reads. No mention of Gisele, but I'lltake what I can get.
JULY 22Busted! Before writing to Harvey the Hound, veteran mascot of theCalgary Flames, I did some research and discovered his past run-inswith opposing coaches Craig MacTavish and Gary Green. In my letter, Iasked him which coach he disliked the most. His response: "Thanks fortaking the time to write. I would have to say MacT and only because herefuses to play along with the tongue incident, more annoying thananything! Here's one for you: Who do you dislike more, Chris Berman orStuart Scott!? All the best, enjoy summer in the Big Apple, Harvey." Ichoose not to respond.
JULY 29A bulky package from Cowboys coach Wade Phillips arrives. Inside is asigned glossy of Phillips, a team pic, a schedule and a copy of themost recent Cowboys magazine. This is the 13th reply from an NFL headcoach, and by the end of the project the NFL would rank tops among allleagues, with 38 responses from players, coaches and mascots (out of125 letters sent). The NBA would come in second, with 24 responses,followed by 21 each from MLB and the NHL.
JULY 30LeBron James sends a letter thanking me for the support and promotinghis youth sports organization, weplay.com. This feels fair enough.Plus, for good measure, King James has included his Upper Deck cardfrom 2006. I could probably get some cash for it on eBay. But I'llnever sell.
Mauer's mother, Teresa, helps Joe handle his mail.
AUG. 28A momentous day. In the middle of a playoff push, Mauer, the eventualAL MVP, sends along a signed postcard that reads: "Thank you for yournote and kind words. I always enjoy hearing from baseball fans, and theTwins and I appreciate your support -- especially in Yankees territory.I apologize for the delay in responding -- with my late start to theseason, I am just getting a chance to catch up on my fan mail. I hopeyou are having a good summer. Mine's been pretty good so far. I wasvoted to the All-Star Game in St. Louis. It's always an exciting'break' from the season, and this year we got to meet the president.Now if we can catch the Tigers and the White Sox for the AL CentralDivision title, this summer will be the best so far! Thanks again forwriting, Joe."
Are you kidding me? Birthday cards from myMom aren't that thoughtful. He found time during a pennant race towrite this kind of note to an anonymous guy ... from New York?
Touchedby his letter, I stepped out from behind Joe Phan and called Mauer tosee if he really wrote the letter. The answer: Yes, kind of. Turns out,fan mail is a very personal thing for him. When he was a sophomore atSt. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall High, a girl from an opposing school senthim a letter asking for his autograph. He mailed her one back, rightaround the time he was getting his driver's license. "I remembergetting that first fan letter," Mauer says. "It still feels cool. It'snot work when you read this stuff from people. So I decided a whileback that this is important."
Ten years later, he isplaying major league ball 20 minutes from where he grew up, and mailfrom as far away as Japan pours into his mailbox at the Twins' officesdaily. He gets so much mail that he needed somebody to help answer itall, someone organized, who would boss him around. And so the 2009 ALMVP hired ... his mother, Teresa, a retired teacher.
Onceevery two weeks, pennant chase or not, she dials up her son. "It'sbuilding up, Joe," she'll say. "I need your next day off." And then sheand Mauer will sift through the piles over dinner. They talk about whathe'd like to say, Teresa will type his response, and the 26-year-oldslugger will sign every letter. "I really do my best to respond toeverything," says Mauer. "Mom helps me do that. If I can't trust her,who can I trust?"
So, you can keep your tweets, I'mrooting for the All-Star who hangs with his mom to open mail. In fact,I've decided to make Joe Mauer No. 1 on Joe Phan's Inaugural FavoriteAthlete list. And what a list it is. By project's end, I'd received 104replies, including 102 autographed photos, five Nationals rub-on tats,two Browns dog-bone key chains and one Jaxson de Ville bobblehead. AndI found that the fairy tale we embrace as kids -- that stars play forus -- hasn't been completely destroyed by free agency, $8 hot dogs andlabor woes. For the price of a Forever stamp, anyone can grab a pieceof the fan experience. One you can keep long after the games end.
Ryan Hockensmith is an associate editor for ESPN The Magazine.
As a kid, I wrote letters to athletes asking for autographs. And I wasalways astounded when they wrote back. It started when I was a10-year-old Giants fan and wrote to Lawrence Taylor, who whet myappetite for pro signatures by responding with two signed photos ofhimself. Emboldened, I wrote to Niners running back Roger Craig, whoalso sent me his own glossy, sponsored by Smokey Bear. ("FirePrevention Is a Team Effort," it read.) Soon enough, I had writtendozens of letters and gotten back dozens of glossy photos signed by thebiggest sports stars of my childhood, including Buddy Ryan and FernandoValenzuela. The best response I ever received came from Cowboys Hall ofFame defensive lineman Randy White. During the 1988 season he sent me asigned photo, silver-star helmet stickers, a picture of a Cowboyscheerleader and a type- written letter apologizing for what would endup as a 3-13 year. ("Although this season is hard for a fan, it'sharder for the team," he wrote. "We are in a rebuilding stage andhopefully you should see, in the near future, changes that will put usonce again in the Super Bowl.") I was blown away, almost enough tobecome a Cowboys fan. Nearly 22 years later, I'm still impressed (butstill a Giants fan). Randy White may not have typed that note, but hemade sure someone responded to me. And, really, isn't that theconnection every fan wants?
[h4]Nice Swag[/h4]
Check out 12 choice items that athletes, coaches and mascots sent Joe Phan
In April, I stumbled across White's letterand wondered if there were stars like him playing today; guys who careenough to do more than tweet at their fans. To find out, I handwroteletters, 479 of them, to folks associated with every MLB, NBA, NFL andNHL team, asking for an autograph. I penned a personalized note to eachsquad's star player, as well as to a random backup, the head coach andthe mascot. I customized each note to let the recipient know I wasn'tsome creep using form letters to procure memorabilia for my eBaybusiness. (In my note to Tom Brady I asked, "How cool is it to livewith Gisele Bündchen?" Not creepy, right?) I used publicly availableteam addresses and signed each letter using the pseudonym Joe Phan,with no mention of ESPN anywhere. I mailed the letters from a randomNew York City mailbox. Snail mail being what it is, I have no idea howmany of my missives made it to their intended targets (so I won't callout the pros who did not respond), but I did discover some modern-dayRandy Whites. Or, more accurately, some true Joe Mauers.
That's right. According to my highlysubjective research, the most fan-friendly superstar in America is alsothe best catcher in baseball. When he's not leading the majors inhitting (.365 last season) or making All-Star appearances (three in thepast four years), Mauer plays video games with the elderly and runslocal youth clinics in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota native who's doneright by his hometown team may seem too good to be true, but a check ofmy mail says he really does care about fans. And he isn't the only one.Here are the highlights of my little mail tale.
JUNE 17 And we're off. All 479 letters go into a Manhattan mailbox.
JUNE 23 Joe Phan's first reply! Thanks to the New Jersey Devils mascot for the signed photo.
JUNE 24A FedEx package requires Joe's John Hancock, the only time during theproject I will give someone else an autograph. Inside is a signed photofrom Raiders head coach Tom Cable. In the coming months, Cable will beaccused of a lot of ugly things. No matter, the guy used FedEx. Countme as a fan.
JUNE 25A whopping 12 envelopes arrive, all with autographed photos inside.Eight are from mascots: Swoop (Eagles), Wally (Red Sox), Sparky(Islanders), Paws (Tigers), Stinger (Blue Jackets), Mariner Moose(Mariners), Big Red (Arizona Cardinals) and Slapshot (Capitals). Threecome from coaches: Tom Coughlin (New York Giants), Manny Acta (thenwith the Nats) and George Karl (Nuggets). Joe also gets his first mailfrom an All-Star. Flyers captain Mike Richards sends a photo of himselffrom a 2007 game against the Maple Leafs, the same one handed out atthe Wachovia Center the night he tied a Philly record for consecutivehome games with a point scored. It's a nifty collector's item.
JUNE 28The floodgates open. On the project's most productive day, 17autographs hit Joe's mailbox. Looking to save postage, the Wizards sentalong signed photos of both Gilbert Arenas and benchwarmer AndrayBlatche in one envelope. Big ups also go to head coaches Jack Del Rio(Jaguars), Eric Mangini (Browns), Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies) and JayTriano (Raptors). I am starting to realize that it's pretty easy to geta mascot's signature. Autographed photos from Lou Seal (San FranciscoGiants), Thunderz Bug (Lightning), Gumbo (Saints), Who Dey (Bengals),Baxter the Bobcat (Diamondbacks), Rumble (Oklahoma City), Toro(Texans), T.D. (Dolphins), Crunch (Timberwolves), Sir Purr (CarolinaPanthers) and KC Wolf (Chiefs) all arrive on this day. And in JoePhan's first and only religious experience, the Chiefs mascot signs hisphoto, KC Wolf, Joshua 1:9.
JUNE 29Off my letter to Marvin Lewis ("Hey, Coach," I wrote, "Are you excitedabout Hard Knocks coming to camp?"), Cincy sends a letter directing meto its online pro shop to buy his sig. I never thought I'd write this,but the Bengals could learn something from the Raiders.
JUNE 30Only one package, but it's a keeper. Clutch, the Houston Rockets bearmascot, sends a note, a signed photo, four of his children's books (Myfavorite: Clutch's Hospital Adventure) and Clutch Ears, to be wornduring Rockets games. I don't watch Houston basketball, but the earscome in handy when playing with my 4-year-old.
JULY 6Five of today's seven responses come from NFL teams -- thanks for thesigned photo, Coach Smith (Falcons), Coach Sparano (Dolphins), CoachMora (Seahawks) and Miles the Mascot (Broncos)! -- including a cordialresponse from Tom Brady. The future Hall of Famer sends Joe a letterexplaining how the crush of mail he receives makes it difficult torespond personally to everything. "Please know that Tom appreciatesyour support. He asks that you accept this Patriots team photo as atoken of his appreciation," it reads. No mention of Gisele, but I'lltake what I can get.
JULY 22Busted! Before writing to Harvey the Hound, veteran mascot of theCalgary Flames, I did some research and discovered his past run-inswith opposing coaches Craig MacTavish and Gary Green. In my letter, Iasked him which coach he disliked the most. His response: "Thanks fortaking the time to write. I would have to say MacT and only because herefuses to play along with the tongue incident, more annoying thananything! Here's one for you: Who do you dislike more, Chris Berman orStuart Scott!? All the best, enjoy summer in the Big Apple, Harvey." Ichoose not to respond.
JULY 29A bulky package from Cowboys coach Wade Phillips arrives. Inside is asigned glossy of Phillips, a team pic, a schedule and a copy of themost recent Cowboys magazine. This is the 13th reply from an NFL headcoach, and by the end of the project the NFL would rank tops among allleagues, with 38 responses from players, coaches and mascots (out of125 letters sent). The NBA would come in second, with 24 responses,followed by 21 each from MLB and the NHL.
JULY 30LeBron James sends a letter thanking me for the support and promotinghis youth sports organization, weplay.com. This feels fair enough.Plus, for good measure, King James has included his Upper Deck cardfrom 2006. I could probably get some cash for it on eBay. But I'llnever sell.
Mauer's mother, Teresa, helps Joe handle his mail.
AUG. 28A momentous day. In the middle of a playoff push, Mauer, the eventualAL MVP, sends along a signed postcard that reads: "Thank you for yournote and kind words. I always enjoy hearing from baseball fans, and theTwins and I appreciate your support -- especially in Yankees territory.I apologize for the delay in responding -- with my late start to theseason, I am just getting a chance to catch up on my fan mail. I hopeyou are having a good summer. Mine's been pretty good so far. I wasvoted to the All-Star Game in St. Louis. It's always an exciting'break' from the season, and this year we got to meet the president.Now if we can catch the Tigers and the White Sox for the AL CentralDivision title, this summer will be the best so far! Thanks again forwriting, Joe."
Are you kidding me? Birthday cards from myMom aren't that thoughtful. He found time during a pennant race towrite this kind of note to an anonymous guy ... from New York?
Touchedby his letter, I stepped out from behind Joe Phan and called Mauer tosee if he really wrote the letter. The answer: Yes, kind of. Turns out,fan mail is a very personal thing for him. When he was a sophomore atSt. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall High, a girl from an opposing school senthim a letter asking for his autograph. He mailed her one back, rightaround the time he was getting his driver's license. "I remembergetting that first fan letter," Mauer says. "It still feels cool. It'snot work when you read this stuff from people. So I decided a whileback that this is important."
Ten years later, he isplaying major league ball 20 minutes from where he grew up, and mailfrom as far away as Japan pours into his mailbox at the Twins' officesdaily. He gets so much mail that he needed somebody to help answer itall, someone organized, who would boss him around. And so the 2009 ALMVP hired ... his mother, Teresa, a retired teacher.
Onceevery two weeks, pennant chase or not, she dials up her son. "It'sbuilding up, Joe," she'll say. "I need your next day off." And then sheand Mauer will sift through the piles over dinner. They talk about whathe'd like to say, Teresa will type his response, and the 26-year-oldslugger will sign every letter. "I really do my best to respond toeverything," says Mauer. "Mom helps me do that. If I can't trust her,who can I trust?"
So, you can keep your tweets, I'mrooting for the All-Star who hangs with his mom to open mail. In fact,I've decided to make Joe Mauer No. 1 on Joe Phan's Inaugural FavoriteAthlete list. And what a list it is. By project's end, I'd received 104replies, including 102 autographed photos, five Nationals rub-on tats,two Browns dog-bone key chains and one Jaxson de Ville bobblehead. AndI found that the fairy tale we embrace as kids -- that stars play forus -- hasn't been completely destroyed by free agency, $8 hot dogs andlabor woes. For the price of a Forever stamp, anyone can grab a pieceof the fan experience. One you can keep long after the games end.
Ryan Hockensmith is an associate editor for ESPN The Magazine.
- 7,778
- 4,695
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2003
LOL at Mauer, u cant make that up
- 4,867
- 1,856
- Joined
- May 30, 2005
- 2,059
- 11
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2008
Mauer is that dude
Getting to be one of my favorite players in Baseball.
Getting to be one of my favorite players in Baseball.