Article: Chuck Knoblauch Elected to Twins Hall of Fame

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2632-Chuck-Knoblauch-to-be-Inducted-into-Twins-Hall-of-Fame

[Parker Hageman]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2633-Chuck-Knoblauch-Elected-to-Twins-Hall-of-Fame

[DJL44]

Maybe Twins fans can atone for their worst day ever.

[Sarah]

Chuck Knoblauch was one of my favorite Twins growing up. I remember when my sister and I were on a train from New York to Boston when he was playing for the Yankees. We started talking to this guy from New York and when I mentioned I was a baseball fan from Minnesota he said, "I just have one question- what the heck happened to Chuck Knoblauch?" It will be interesting to see if he shows up in August...

[Boom Boom]

I was at that game and it was embarassing. Still, who wastes a Domedog?

 

I would be equally embarassed if Twins fans boo Knoblauch at this ceremony. He's a wife beating tax fraud but I'm guessing Bremer won't mention that at his induction. If you don't like Knoblauch (who does) I hope people simply abstain from showing much emotion.

 

Hmm... I seem to recall some allegations of sexual assault against a certain Mr. Puckett.

 

I'm not saying Knobby is a saint, but his reputation in this town has been unfairly trashed.

[drunksam]

Did anyone happen to buy a few DomeDogs at the last football game or auction and save them? I'd pay for them

[puckett1992]

Hmm... I seem to recall some allegations of sexual assault against a certain Mr. Puckett.

 

I'm not saying Knobby is a saint, but his reputation in this town has been unfairly trashed.

 

Yes, Knoblauch may have made some rather poor decisions in his life after leaving the Twins, but his election to the Twins HOF is long overdue. He is easily the best second baseman the Twins have had since Carew and produced some legendary seasons (as noted by Parker), in addition to being a key member of the 1991 World Series team. The Twins of the last few years and 2014 desperately need a player of his caliber and intensity.

 

I was glad to hear he is planning on attending the ceremony as he has not participated in other ceremonies, such as the all Metrodome team and 50 best Twins team. Perhaps he has overcome his previous issues, so please stop with the dome dog references as we all remember that.

[Thrylos]

About time. There would be no 1991 without him.

[ScrapTheNickname]

I am glad to read that Knoblauch is back in the mind's of Twins fans. I did some research on his rapid decline as a baseball player and it seemed linked to his father's dementia. After the game he has seemed to retreat into his shell, wanting nothing to do with MLB which is his prerogative, of course. I looked at a picture of him from a couple of years back and he looks much worse for wear than his age would indicate. Let's hope a little fan recognition from the Twins will bring him back to life a little bit. I know this contains a lot of speculation, and I apologize for that.

[Craig Arko]

Reminds me of the sad tale of Jeff Reardon. It sounds like Knoblauch has said he's looking forward to attending the ceremony, so maybe the relationship can be salvaged.

[TMitchell]

This article notes Rod Carew's 1977 season as the best for a Twin second baseman. Rod's last season at 2B was 1975, and by '77 was fully ensconced at 1B. He played very little at second in 1977, and if that qualifies, then maybe we need to look at Puckett's best year as a second baseman.

[Ben B]

This is long overdue. He was a favorite of mine growing up and a hell of a player. I was upset when he left but I never blamed him. He was a great player on a terrible team. Who wouldn't want to leave? And yes he was kind of a tool, yes he went to the Yankees, but seriously...the fans who are still holding a grudge need to get over it. There are hundreds of comments on the Twins facebook page from people furious over his election. It's embarrassing.

[Guest wabene]

This guy was a great baseball player. Remember when he faked catching a relay to hold Lonnie Smith? What a heady play for what a first year player? 4 world titles, the guy should be happy. Sometimes we can't get out of our own way. Surprising that he could play the game with such moxie but show so little in other areas.

[Parker Hageman]

This article notes Rod Carew's 1977 season as the best for a Twin second baseman.

 

No, it does not indicate that Carew's 1977 season was the best for a Twins' second baseman. It was the best season for a Twins player PERIOD.

[Lefty]

Having also been at that game, I would be too embarrassed to show my face in the same place as him. Could I look him in the eye today??? No way. That had to have been one of the worst moments ever for MN sports. It's just hard to think of him as a Twin anymore.

 

I actually watched Game 7 of the 91 Series on youtube the other day (sloooooww tuesday!) and must admit that he was a heck of a player in those days. Twins Hall??? Hard to take anyone from the mid to late 90's for me, other than Radke.

[BrentMpls]

It will be interesting to see if he shows up and what he says. I heard on Saturday Morning Sports Talk today that he was surprised, grateful, and plans to attend. There is a recent interview with him about how he wants nothing to do with his baseball days and has everything stores in a separate apartment he doesn't visit, and seemed quite happy distancing himself from baseball.

 

I have fond memories of watching him play, but his personal life is negative and strange to say the least. Fan reaction might be interesting too, although I'm not sure how much of Target Field's crowd remember him.

[Thrylos]

No, it does not indicate that Carew's 1977 season was the best for a Twins' second baseman. It was the best season for a Twins player PERIOD.

 

Depends how you are counting, and for position players only; arguably some pitchers had better seasons, but it is hard to compare

[PopRiveter]

Depends how you are counting, and for position players only; arguably some pitchers had better seasons, but it is hard to compare

 

His 1996 season in which he posted 8.6 wins above replacement (via baseball-reference.com) still stands as the Twins' second best season as measured by that statistic (Rod Carew's 1977 season was the highest).

 

 

Seems pretty clear- 2nd highest WAR season in Twins history.

There are a lot of ways to measure a successful season. WAR is one.

[Thrylos]

His 1996 season in which he posted 8.6 wins above replacement (via baseball-reference.com) still stands as the Twins' second best season as measured by that statistic (Rod Carew's 1977 season was the highest).

 

 

Seems pretty clear- 2nd highest WAR season in Twins history.

There are a lot of ways to measure a successful season. WAR is one.

 

single season bWAR:

 

Blyleven 1973: 9.9

Carew 1977: 9.7

 

 

(Franchise highest: Walter Johnson 1913: 16; and Johnson had 8 seasons of bWAR highest than 10)

 

fWAR:

 

1973 Blyleven 11.2

1977 Carew 8.6

 

 

(Johnson 1910: 10.0, 1912: 9.6, 1916: 9.2, 1915: 8.8)

 

 

Thus, the depends who you include and how you measure comment...

[jmlease1]

A great Twins player with some serious personality defects. (anyone else remember his "take a lot of drugs" interview? Great advice, Chuck!) But his record on the field with the Twins makes this a well-deserved honor, despite the baggage.

 

Hopefully he's getting his life together.

[snepp]

I think it's fantastic news.

[glunn]

I am reminded of the concept that he who is without sin should throw the first stone.

 

Under TD's no insult policy, it is important to be factual. Whatever past problems Knoblauch may have had, there is no evidence that such problems still exist. And after the dome dog incident, I would hope that people can be as classy as possible in this thread.

[thetank]

What did the Yankees sign him for $1.3 million more than he made in his last year with the Twins? Needed a few more years in Minnesota and then could be elected.

[Brock Beauchamp]

What did the Yankees sign him for $1.3 million more than he made in his last year with the Twins? Needed a few more years in Minnesota and then could be elected.

 

If guys like Greg Gagne are in the Twins Hall of Fame, then guys like Chuck Knoblauch deserve to be in there twice.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

I'm working on a compilation of the best baseball movies of all time. I had not seen "Fear Strikes Out" the story of Jim Piersall and his tumultuous rise through the Red Sox organization. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050383/

 

The movie is about mental illness. Now, I am not a shrink, and I am not qualified to diagnose Mr. Knoblauch, but he displayed some unique behavior patterns, including the inability to throw the ball to first base, and a reclusive retirement from the sport. Reports of domestic assault and divorce are generally good indicators that the problems on the playing field extended beyond the foul lines.

 

When the name "Chuck Knoblauch" came up in the Mitchell Report and the use of performance enhancing drugs, all Knobby could say was, "I don't want anything to do with baseball."

 

All I know is this: the guy has been through hell. Wouldn't it be great if Minnesotans could shower him with cheers, instead of Jeers, Duracells and Dome Dogs? We can do this.

[North Dakota Twins Fan]

Well deserved. It's time for Twins fans to cheer for Chuck Knoblauch again.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Knobby was my favorite player growing up. If I were to dig up my old baseball cards, I'm pretty sure there is still several pages in an album full of his cards. I was on a mission at one point to get every rookie card of his ever made. For 1991 alone, he was worth it. I was depressed when asked to be traded, and I still to this day do not understand the dome dog incident. It turns out that he wasn't as classy a guy as I had originally thought, but truth be told, that's probably true of a lot of athletes. In all, he deserves this honor.

[twinsin17]

I was starstruck when I ran in to Knobby at the old Moore Lake Norwest Racket, Swim and Fitness when I was 10. I was leaving the locker room when I saw Chuck walking in arriving for a workout. I stopped him to wish him luck in the upcoming season and told him how much of a fan of his I was and then I asked for his autograph. Except I had nothing for him to write with or write on. I asked him to wait right there while I ran and got a pen and piece of paper from the coat closet attendant. I ran back and found Chuck in the same spot waiting for me to return. I remember him being very kind and patient. He signed the paper and went on his way but in the process completely made my day and week. I couldn't believe I just got Knobby's autograph! In later years I was disappointed when he asked to be traded and felt even worse when he seemed to falter under the pressure of Yankee stadium and lost the ability to throw from 2nd to 1st. These things don't overshadow his 7 years of outstanding play for the Twins. This is an award Knobby deserves.

[biggentleben]

Maybe Twins fans can atone for their worst day ever.

 

I remember sitting in left field that game. It was a bad combo of a perfect storm with a weekday game, so seats were $3 for local college students, and it was dollar dog night. No matter how bad the Twins were in those days, left field was packed on Wednesdays while college was in session. Add on top of that the stress of it being finals week at the U, and there were a lot of college kids who wanted to let off steam. The groupthink was strong in that whole section that night. I was about 10 rows up close to the pole, and I got hit by a flying beer bottle from the upper deck section (it was a dang good throw even to get it to me, not sure how he thought he'd hit Knoblauch). I can see a lot of things about that night clearly, from the very-scared look that the normally calm Jeter had on his face as he ran toward Knoblauch to tell him to come into the dugout, to Bob Casey's plea to the fans as this was "the championship game of the series", and Tom Kelly coming all the way out to the left field section to plea with fans to calm down. I had no issue the second time things started flying on the field pointing out the offenders to security. I was hit by a baseball, multiple beer bottles, and my white tshirt worn that night became a workout-only shirt due to the mustard and ketchup stains on the back of it. It truly was a shameful day to be a Twins sports fan, and the most embarrassed I've ever been to refer to myself as a baseball fan - even worse than the Braves infield fly reaction, and they're "my team".

[biggentleben]

What did the Yankees sign him for $1.3 million more than he made in his last year with the Twins? Needed a few more years in Minnesota and then could be elected.

 

Trading Knoblauch away acquired the pieces the Twins needed to finally break their decade-long losing ways and turn into the team that was a threat all through the 2000s in the AL Central. His trade brought back Eric Milton, Cristian Guzman, Brian Buchanan, and Danny Mota.