The Twins Almanac: Weekend Edition (Joe Mauer Named MVP; Tom Kelly, Gene Mauch Hired.)

[Matt Johnson]

Read up on this weekend in Minnesota baseball history, featuring Tom Kelly, Joe Mauer, Gene Mauch, Luis Tiant, John Anderson, Angelo Giuliani, Tom Hall, Ken Schrom, and Crown native Elmer Hierlinger. 

Nov. 23, 2009: After leading the majors with a .365 average, Twins catcher Joe Mauer is named American League Most Valuable Player, receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes (Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News voted for Miguel Cabrera, who finished fourth).

Nov. 23: Happy 77th birthday to Tom "The Blade" Hall, who pitched a two-hit shutout in the 1969 home opener. In 1970, he averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Nov 23: Happy 70th birthday to former Twins pitcher Ken Schrom. He one-hit the Royals at the Metrodome on June 26, 1985. The Twins trailed 1-0 in the bottom of ninth, and won on a Roy Smalley two-run walk-off single. Schrom was an All-Star with Cleveland in 1986.

Nov 23, 1929: Former major league pitcher John Anderson was born in St. Paul on this date in 1929. The 16-year professional made a total of 24 MLB appearances (one start) with the Phillies, Orioles, Cardinals, and Houston Colt .45s between 1958 and 1962. Interestingly, I can't find much information about this major leaguer from Minnesota. (No, this is not longtime Golden Gophers coach John Anderson.) Anyone know anything about him—like where he went to high school? The 1930 and 1940 census show that John Charles Anderson was living with his family in Roseville...

Nov. 23, 1940: The legendary Luis Tiant was born in Cuba on this date in 1940. He was an All-Star with Cleveland in 1968 but then led the majors with 21 losses in 1969, leading to speculation he was pitching hurt. The Twins acquired him as part of a trade that involved sending young Graig Nettles to Cleveland, but then released him after one lackluster season (though he did post a .406 batting average). He landed on his feet in Boston where, after a third-straight poor season, he reinvented himself, leading to a remarkable renaissance beginning in 1972 when he led the majors with a 1.91 ERA. Over the five seasons from 1972 to 1976, he averaged 19 wins and received MVP votes in three of those seasons. What are the odds the Twins would straight-up release not one but TWO players who would go on to become Red Sox legends?

Nov. 23, 1924: Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Famer Elmer Hierlinger was born in Crown, Minnesota 100 years ago today. 

Nov. 24, 1912: Baseball lifer Angelo Giuliani was born in St. Paul on this date in 1912. The catcher played parts of seven seasons in the majors with the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, and Brooklyn Dodgers. He became a scout with the Senators and became a part of the Twins organization when the team moved to Minnesota. Giuliani lived a truly fascinating life and was a legendary figure in Minnesota baseball. I'd love to hear your stories about him (firsthand or otherwise). Let's get a conversation going in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 

Nov. 24, 1975: The Twins name Gene Mauch manager, succeeding all-time great human being Frank Quilici. It wasn't Mauch's first time in the manager seat in the Met Stadium dugout ... He managed the Minneapolis Millers to back-to-back league championships in 1958 and '59. Mauch managed both his brother-in-law Roy Smalley Jr. and his nephew Roy Smalley III. 

Nov. 24, 1986: After giving him the runaround, the Twins finally announce that interim skipper Tom Kelly will manage the team in 1987. Worked out pretty well...

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