cmonhank

If Stauffer's showing last night was any indication, yikes! He was shelled.

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” It's easy to imagine, from afar, why someone would "ruin" the opportunity of a life time, but we have no idea what this young man is facing/has faced. My hope is that he is able to resolve the challenge w/out needing to risk losing his chosen career, and that in a couple years we are hearing him say in interviews how he is grateful for the Twins organization for believing in him, and for believing that he could someday be an All Star, and that he graces Target Field for many years to come.

Re Mauer: Take away the 1 game in March, and Mauer is hitting .311, OBP .411, 19TB, 8R - I believe in the past, his Ks have gone up when he's been looking for more power... yeah, this is not a "thing" yet.

Nice read, Parker. So refreshing not to hear the same old, "Oh ya know, I just show up at the park ready to play and it's all about the team and cliche cliche cliche..." This "kid" is truly very smart and knows how to communicate (also why he is the team interpreter for the Spanish speaking teammates). So great to get into the head of exactly what a hitter is thinking and his process. He is the clear example of what it means to "stay within yourself" as a player. Dude is very Zen. Let's hope he can keep it going, but as he says, it's not really about that is it Thanks!

Seth, Thanks for the opportunity. Like you, I get tired of the negativity. You’d think the Pohlads and Terry Ryan and Gardy woke every morning and set out to ruin the world. I know (or hope) that it’s the loud minority, but seriously, people don’t realize how fortunate we are to 1. Have a professional baseball team, 2. Have an amazing park with which to watch that team, and 3. To have such hometown boys like Joe and Perk that are such great stories and are so loyal to the team. Which brings me to my “Why Baseball?” story. Loyalty. I grew up in small-town Indiana in the late 60s/early 70s. I was fortunate in that the very first voice I ever heard call a baseball game on the radio was Jack Buck; the first players I got to follow were greats like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver, and Curt Flood, and I even got to travel a couple times to St. Louis and actually see them play at Busch Stadium, and also went to Cinncy and saw Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine. I also played little league from the time I was 8, first for the Orioles, then I got “drafted” when I was 10 to play for the Yankees of our little town, Citizens State Bank. Every year in early May, we had a parade down main street for opening day, and dressed in our cotton uniforms with stirrup socks, and were bestowed with the honor, when we walked by Citizens State Bank, to hold up our “number 1” finger to signify our Loyalty. I was a catcher who couldn’t hit (imagine that!). I played Little League, then played in what we called Teanor League, and then played all through high school. My senior year I was a captain and we won our conference. My best friend and battery-mate, who was our top pitcher, eventually played professionally – mostly in the minors for the Expos, but did get a cup of coffee for a month, and pitched his first game… in Busch Stadium! I went off to school, became an actor, moved to NY, got married – but while in New York, I got caught up in Mets fever in 1985/6, and was actually written up in the NY Post b/c I was in a Broadway show and would carry my transistor radio around with me backstage listening to the games, then put the ear piece in my pocket when onstage, then pull it out as soon as I walked offstage! Loyalty! Stupidly I moved to LA. Wisely I had a child but eventually moved to MN (where my ex-wife was from), had another child and spent all my time focusing on parenting. But after my kids grew up, and a divorce in ‘07, I came back to… baseball! And this time the Twins. The anticipation for Target Field was like being a kid again waiting for Christmas. I’ve attend over 100 games since it opened, and I have not had a bad experience yet. Even when we’ve lost games, watched Teixeira hit the HR off of Jesse Crain, sat through snow, and cheered for the first rain delay, I had a blast every time. If you are focused on losing (and don’t get me wrong, I prefer winning), then you are missing out. Remember the first time you walked into a stadium and could see through the columns as that green grass and vast open field (that you had only seen on TV to that point) slowly revealed itself to you? The chatter of people arriving and finding their seats. The occasional breakthrough of “Cold Beer Here!” The smell of popcorn and peanuts. The players milling about playing catch or stretching out or signing autographs. The crack of the bat during BP. Every single time I go to the park, I am 8 years old again. (don’t tell the vendors or they won’t let me buy a beer!) And though I love going to games by myself, I’m usually with friends. Sharing a beer, talking, laughing, cheering or jeering (i.e. “A-Roid!”, or booing A.J. just because…). And the losing? Being a fan of your team is a relationship. And if you are only interested in relationships that are always gratifying and “winning”, then I feel for you. Those don’t exist unless you like to constantly jump around, and even then good luck. Sticking with your team, through thick and thin, makes the good times all the more satisfying. Because you feel the struggles along with your team, you feel the successes with them as well and know that you were there when there was only a smattering of people in the seats. You were there when those silly moments happened like the squirrel that scared Brendon Harris. You were there not only when Thome crushed it to win the game, but when the Hawk on the foul pole was eating bugs, or that fan caught a foul ball and didn’t spill their beer, or your friend got Champions Club tickets and you were so close to Miguel Cabrera you saw him smile when your friend razzed him. So keep your negative comments coming about the Pohlads not spending enough money, and Gardy not playing the right players, and how much you hate Little Nicky Punto (who always played his heart out). As far as I’m concerned, you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face and missing the great amazingness that is happening before your very eyes. They are my hometown team and I will be loyal to them regardless of win or lose, because why? Because Baseball, that’s why.

I am an avid baseball and Twins fan - read every local thing I can. Often I skip through most of it b/c it's much the same thoughts/stats/insights, etc. I long for someone to say something that is not a cliche or something that has not been said a hundred thousand times. This was that. Young man, this knowledge of letting go will serve you more than just about anything you will ever learn. Clearly your parents got this, whether they said it to you directly or not, but to have this realization at such an early age is a blessing. Whether you make it to The Show or not, you have gained a wisdom that eludes many. I will follow you on Twitter and look for more of the same, and watch for you to embrace the joy of the journey regardless of outcome! Thank you and Go Twins!!

Wow! This is absolutely beautiful!!! Seriously a perfect description and manifestation of how I feel about the ballpark as well. Thank you so much bkennealy - so simple and honest and from the heart. I hope that you will help me find my seat someday and that somehow I'll just know - or see - the shared sacredness and appreciation that we both have for the ballpark. Probably won't happen, and I'll most likely just spill my beer and be pissed at Capps for blowing a lead - but I sure like to think it would happen like that! Can't wait for HOME OPENER!!!

What a wonderful story, and yes, time were much simpler then.