Celebrating Joe Mauer, Hometown Hall of Famer

[Nick Nelson]

Joe Mauer is about to be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame after being narrowly voted in on his first ballot. To celebrate, you can dig into this new set of seven essays reflecting and riffing on the local legend's unique journey.

Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp, Twins Daily

Joe Mauer's upcoming enshrinement into the Hall of Fame provides a great opportunity to look back and appreciate his journey: from prep star at Cretin-Derham Hall to first overall draft pick to All-Star, MVP and now baseball immortality. Following his career was quite an experience for someone like myself, who grew up as his contemporary in the Twin Cities and watched it all play out. 

With nostalgia washing over us all in the build-up to Mauer's Hall of Fame induction, I decided to put together a little project, which I hope you'll take some time to enjoy. It's called "MAUER: Tribute to a Hometown Hall of Famer" and features seven different essays exploring Mauer's career and legacy, from what was to what might have been. 

The 29-page downloadable PDF is available via Gumroad, on a name-your-price basis ($10 suggestion). As an independent creator, contributions of any kind are much appreciated, but please feel free to grab a copy for free if you'd like. Mostly I just hope people read and get a kick out of it. Here the seven stories featured within:

1. Growing Up in the Shadow of a Baseball Giant: Personal reflections on coming of age as a baseball-loving 
2. The 10 Most Unforgettable Moments of Joe Mauer's Career: Tracking the most memorable milestones in Mauer's 15-year career as a Twin, from his tone-setting debut to his tear-swelling farewell 
3. Baldelli and Mauer: Twin Paths That Never Crossed: The baseball journey of Minnesota's current manager bears striking parallels to Mauer's – and they nearly intersected
4. NFL Draft Night 2005: Joe Mauer vs. Alex Smith vs. Aaron Rodgers: Reimagining the 2005 NFL Draft broadcast in an alternate reality where Mauer stuck with football instead of baseball
5. A Review of Joe Mauer's Fictional Debut Rap Album: A scathing fabricated review of the hip-hop album Mauer never made
6. Anatomy of a Hall of Famer: The swing, the eye, the arm, the legs, the mind: How it all came together to make Joe Mauer an all-time great
7. Who's Got Next?: Which young star in the majors or minors has the best chance to become the next Hall of Famer wearing a Twins cap? 

Below, you can find the first essay, which more or less serves as an inspiration and introduction for the rest of the ebook.

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Here are a few things to know about me: I was born in October of 1985, and grew up in South Minneapolis. From a young age, I loved baseball: playing it, watching it, making up imaginary teams and batting lineups. So, that's the backstory that led to me obsessively writing about the game for about 20 years running now.

Two years before I came along, a short distance away in St. Paul, another kid was born who would develop his own passion and aptitude for baseball. He went on to become far more successful at playing the game than myself, and just about everyone else you'll ever encounter. 

I had an interesting vantage of Joe Mauer in his journey toward becoming a nationally renowned high school superstar and number one overall draft pick – growing up two years younger, a few miles away, in the shadow of his greatness. As a kid in the Twin Cities who played ball as a youth or in high school, you couldn't help but hear tales that seemed almost mythical (and sometimes probably were).

He famously struck out only a single time during his entire prep playing career. Batted over .500 every year. Once homered in seven straight games, setting a state record. When I was on the freshman baseball team at Minneapolis Washburn, our varsity team played a game against Cretin-Derham Hall at the Metrodome. As I recall overhearing, Mauer hit for the cycle with an extra triple for good measure as the Raiders trounced the Millers. (I can't verify if this was exactly true, but it's how my memory holds, and that's kind of the point?)

The legend of Joe Mauer was already profound enough for any follower of baseball, let alone one from Minnesota: a kid who was legitimately born to play the game, with a picturesque swing described by Hall of Famer (and fellow Cretin alum) Paul Molitor as the best he'd ever seen. Then, on June 5th, 2001, after the stars aligned to gift the Twins with the first overall draft pick, they selected the homegrown hero and he instantly became their franchise centerpiece, setting into motion a legendary career during which he never left his own backyard.

Twenty years later, with Mauer being rightfully enshrined as baseball royalty following an extraordinary, exceptional and occasionally heartbreaking career, I felt compelled to sit down and write this and six other short essays dedicated to the man, the myth, the Minnesota legend. 

This is my tribute to a hometown Hall of Famer.

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[FLYBOY1979]

Got tickets for that game. Is there an announcement out on the schedule for the day?

[NYCTK]

I'll be driving up to Cooperstown for the ceremony. Can't wait. 

[myjah]

Flying to New York tomorrow morning!!!!

[myjah]

On 7/18/2024 at 10:47 PM, myjah said:

Flying to New York tomorrow morning!!!!

Err.... make that a 17 hour drive to New York. 

But we made it. 

[Charlie19]

I have to put this out. I just turned 60. I saw my first game at the Met in 1970 on my birthday. Joe Mauer is my favorite Twin. I know there has been a lot of great players, but I can't watch a video of Number retirement, Twins HOF, 09 season, etc...it brings tears to my eyes every single time.  He is the epitome of who we are.