Mauer on paternity leave until Tuesday

[NC-Twins]

Plus she's a nurse so undoubtedly took good care of herself during pregnancy.)

 

Not that this applies to any one nurse in particular, and nothing to do with MM as i wouldnt care to speculate, but nurses are notorious for not taking care of themselves. Many if not most are overweight, many smoke, the job is stressful, etc...

[JB_Iowa]

I've seen that too, NC-Twins but she looks like she was in pretty good shape.

 

Just want to point out a funny thing. So many of us capitalize "Twins" as in: She had Twins.

 

Yep, those little twins are sure to be Twins.

[Ultima Ratio]

There is no need for a quick trip top Seattle to, what, DH. It gives the Twins a chance to look at some other guys (and see where Drew Butera belongs).

 

 

 

In what world, in what set of circumstances could we ever learn something new about the setting where Butera belongs?

[Guest USAFChief]

First off, It's a no-brainer that he takes some time off for the twins that matter.

 

Second, he gets a little physical break in a meaningless season. Hell, give him a month off. We all want him to stay healthy, don't we?

First, he got time off. 3 days IAW the CBA. Nobody has answered my two questions at the top of this thread...if this wasn't Joe Mauer, would so many here be so "understanding?"

 

Second, I have a hard time accepting people calling a major league season "meaningless." It's not meaningless to me, I can tell you that. I enjoy major league baseball, and I paid good money to watch it. I hope it's not meaningless to the Twins, or to their players. If I suspect at any point it has indeed become meaningless to them, I can guarantee you they'll stop getting my money.

 

Third, the Mauer "health" thing pi$$es me off to no end. People argue relentlessly that Mauer needs to stay at catcher, because that's where he's most "valuable," but then turn around and find reasons why he shouldn't be catching. Give him a month off? Puh-lease.

[Beezer07]

Nobody answers your questions for two reasons:

1. We have NO idea, and some of us choose not to complain/speculate about unknowable things.

2. It's really, really hard to prove a negative.

 

The point is he's still spending time with his wife, who just had two premature babies, and the two children. Most of us look at that as a really good thing, as family should come way before baseball. You look at it as a way to pick at Mauer for getting favoritism with NO evidence whatsoever to back up your claim.

[BHtwins]

My wife was out within 24-36 hours of all 3 of our kids. So that she is still in the hospital at day 4 is not standard.

 

Kids less than 5lbs is also a bit touch and go and all kinds of bad things can happen in the first little bit.

 

Also I suspect if the Twins were in the midst of a pennant chase and not another 90 loss season things may be different

[D. Hocking]

I am sure Mauer gets some special treatment (no criticism of him - just the way it is - the star franchise player gets some special treatment), but for something like this I think they would be the same for any other player. I cannot think of a specific example, so it does not make for the most compelling argument, but I in the back of my mind it does seem like there have been other instances where they have been flexible for when a player or coach comes back from family leave, whether it be birth/funeral/or undisclosed.

 

I would say no season is completely meaningless, but a series is less significant when you are not in a play-off race. It is not like one less victory is going to prevent us from playing in October. If this does cause us to miss the play-offs by one game, that means we are about to go on an incredible run the next six weeks.

[Alex]

Mauer had played more games for the Twins than anyone else until this leave. After the leave, he'll still have played the second most. Lets give the guy a break, eh? Despite the way a local personality has branded him I really don't think he's into milking it.

 

The Twins publicly said they'd give any player the same treatment. So, if they don't now, they'd look pretty bad.

[Monkeypaws]

Um, it's pretty standard for the woman to be in the hospital 3-4 days after birth. This really shouldn't be any indication at all.

 

But I agree, let the guy have time with his family. It sure as hell doesn't make a difference for the team one way or the other. (Though my fantasy squad misses him right now....)

 

I remember my wife being home within 48 hours for both our kids. Most insurance companies don't want to pay for any more hospital time than that.

[launchingthrees]

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance among fans when they are confronted with the fact that they care about the team more than the players. It's an uncomfortable realization and teams/leagues do their best to maintain the 4th wall because examining these realities would be rather costly.

 

Players moonwalk their comments back faster than Michael Jackson when they let things like "why don't the fans mind their business" and "get a life" slip out. The fact of the matter is they are creeped out by fans and go to great lengths to distance themselves from them. Keeping this 4th wall up however, cuts both ways. They get paid a ridiculous amount of money, while at the same time have to hear bored people critique them for taking a week off to be with their newborns.

 

This thread is the culmination of the 4th wall and the dissonance of fans sacrificing a good deal of time and money on something that they are not part of.

[DaveW]

You will all have to excuse Chief, in his day women used to pump out a couple kids and then go back to fighting the confederacy the next day

[Guest USAFChief]

You will all have to excuse Chief, in his day women used to pump out a couple kids and then go back to fighting the confederacy the next day

The front lines the next day? Don't be ridiculous.

 

They worked support jobs in the rear for a couple days first.

[raindog]

Chief, I would argue that compared to family life, baseball is meaningless.

 

Also, if Ryan Pressly's wife had premature twins, I would damn sure hope the Twins would give him as much time as he needed. I think they would. And I think most fans would be fine with it. Actually, more fans would be fine with it, because he's not Bum Joe Mauer.

[Jerr]

Nobody answers your questions for two reasons:

1. We have NO idea, and some of us choose not to complain/speculate about unknowable things.

2. It's really, really hard to prove a negative.

 

The point is he's still spending time with his wife, who just had two premature babies, and the two children. Most of us look at that as a really good thing, as family should come way before baseball. You look at it as a way to pick at Mauer for getting favoritism with NO evidence whatsoever to back up your claim.

 

Well said and those 2 questions are answered!

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Mauer, hope all is going well!!!!

[Joe A. Preusser]

Agreed.

 

I realize it's Joe Mauer, but would the Twins do that for anyone else on the roster? Would any other player even ask?

 

If the Twins didn't give this same option to everyone down to the lowliest scrub in their lineup then I would simply stop being a fan of this team. When my daughter was born a month premature the entire world stopped and absolutely nothing else mattered except her and my wife. And that is the way it should be.

[StormJH1]

I refuse to rip Mauer on this point, and I'm not even reading up on all of the gossip/opinions on it. Nothing is more important than your family, and this is a time that happens a few times in a lifetime. He can have a few days, a weeks, whatever, with his family away from this non-playoff team.

[mikecgrimes]

If the Twins didn't give this same option to everyone down to the lowliest scrub in their lineup

 

Non playing Twins employees get 6 weeks with pay. Also the Twins don't have much say in the matter. The law allows leave without pay.

[twinsnorth49]

I remember my wife being home within 48 hours for both our kids. Most insurance companies don't want to pay for any more hospital time than that.

 

I had my kids at home, the last place my wife wanted to be was in a hospital. Obviously not an option in this case due to the early delivery.

[twinsnorth49]

First, he got time off. 3 days IAW the CBA. Nobody has answered my two questions at the top of this thread...if this wasn't Joe Mauer, would so many here be so "understanding?"

 

Second, I have a hard time accepting people calling a major league season "meaningless." It's not meaningless to me, I can tell you that. I enjoy major league baseball, and I paid good money to watch it. I hope it's not meaningless to the Twins, or to their players. If I suspect at any point it has indeed become meaningless to them, I can guarantee you they'll stop getting my money.

 

Third, the Mauer "health" thing pi$$es me off to no end. People argue relentlessly that Mauer needs to stay at catcher, because that's where he's most "valuable," but then turn around and find reasons why he shouldn't be catching. Give him a month off? Puh-lease.

 

1. Mauer is the only guy deserving of extra time off because at this point he's the only MLB player on the team.

 

2. Who knows if anyone would ask, assuming most of them are decent human beings who love their families, I think they might.

 

I don't think any Twins player thinks the season is meaningless, especially Mauer but in perspective with one's family, it definitely is, especially for a couple of lousy extra days.

[Benchwarmerjim]

I am sure Mauer gets some special treatment (no criticism of him - just the way it is - the star franchise player gets some special treatment), but for something like this I think they would be the same for any other player. I cannot think of a specific example, so it does not make for the most compelling argument, but I in the back of my mind it does seem like there have been other instances where they have been flexible for when a player or coach comes back from family leave, whether it be birth/funeral/or undisclosed.

 

last season, Jason Marquis missed a lot of spring training time because something happened to his kid. I recall the Twins saying take your time.

[Mike Sixel]

I love that the Twins put family first. Baseball is just a job, family is a billion times more important.

[kydoty]

Threads like this almost make me wish Mr. Offerdahl was still around just so I can hear him b**** and moan about Mauer leaving the team in the first place.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I cannot believe people are complaining about this. He's got what, 4 days off? 5? I got 2 weeks when my daughter was born. I get that he's paid a lot... But you know what? He's still human. He's a father, and his wife just gave birth to two kids. I guarantee you that she appreciates this far more than anyone else.

[nicksaviking]

After the first two posts I don't think anyone is complaining about this. The thread seems to be filled with support and a few awkward hypotheticals.

[StormJH1]

After the first two posts I don't think anyone is complaining about this. The thread seems to be filled with support and a few awkward hypotheticals.

I just operate under the assumption nobody actually believes anything on TwinsDaily they post about - awkward hypotheticals are fun!

[LaBombo]

I realize it's Joe Mauer, but would the Twins do that for anyone else on the roster? Would any other player even ask?

 

With all due respect, how in the #*@% is Ron Gardenhire going to say no to anyone's request for two extra days off for one normal childbirth, let alone for two births over a month premature? The man took three days off for his daughter's college graduation, for heaven's sake.

 

And he did so with over two thirds of the season remaining, and with the team playing like a well-oiled machine whose owner's manual says in big red letters that oiling it will cause it to blow up. Really bad.

 

Gardy's three game absence, while a bit of a head-scratcher to me at the time, ultimately didn't bother me from a priorities perspective. That, and the fact that it was almost unimaginable that the team could play significantly worse without him than they had with him.

 

But if Mauer's extra two games off are worthy of criticism or questions about his commitment to the team, Gardenhire's three would just about have to be a fireable offense.

 

Edit: In answer to your second question, hardly anyone would ask. Almost every Twins currently on the roster is playing at or barely above replacement level, and would probably be worried about losing their role even if they took just the full three days guaranteed by the CBA.