Devereaux

I have been taking baseball trips annually since 2003. I started because I hated the Metrodome, but I keep taking them because they're fun and I like to see other stadiums. On Sunday, June 14 my dad, my brother and his 13-year old son and I are heading to Cedar Rapids and St. Louis. Nice thing is, even more than the many games I've seen at home, the baseball vacation games stay vivid in my memory. Here are memories from my first road trip... 2003 Kansas City. To remind you, 2003 was the year after the Twins let David Ortiz walk. The season of Shannon Stewart for Bobby Kielty - Soul Patrol II. The last year of A.J. Pierzynski as the Twins catcher, who led the Twins in WAR. (Joe Mauer was tearing it up in Fort Meyers and New Britain.) The year the Twins finally left Johan Santana in the starting rotation (and he won his last 8 decisions). The first year of getting thumped by the Yankees in the ALDS. The Twins were 7.5 games behind first, 44-49 when they traded for Stewart at the All-Star break, but by mid-August they had climbed back over .500 and were making a run at the first-place Royals. Two friends and I decided to get on I-35 and drive to Missouri to tailgate and watch Twins baseball played outside on grass. Friday, August 15. We met Bob Feller that morning in his museum in Van Meter, Iowa, on the way to KC. We got there when the museum was supposed to open, but had to wait to get in because we were told that Feller was telling stories to a reporter about Satchel Paige. Feller talked to us for about 15 minutes. He made sure we knew he was more proud to have served in the military than he was being a Hall of Famer. I learned that Feller was a flamethrowing teenager when he hit the bigs. I still remember reading in one of the old newspapers on display, "You didn't take a toehold with Bob Feller." Friday evening: First-year Twin Kenny Rogers and the third-place Twins beat rookie Jimmy "Gobble" Gobble and the Royals, 9-2. Hunter and Rivas homered. I can still see Rivas's home run go past me (near third base) over the left field wall. I remember there were loads of other excited Twins fans. The stadium was at capacity because of the buzz about the Royals being in first place. Also, as I recall, there were fireworks scheduled for after the game. Saturday afternoon, August 16. In 94 degree heat, Kyle Lohse and the second-place Twins beat the Royals 14-5. We were in right field. I was trying to keep score, but the pencil and my sweat made it impossible. I seem to recall our right fielder (Mohr?) ended up in the hospital after the game from heat exhaustion. I specifically recall Torii Hunter scoring after he crashed into the Royals catcher, Mike DeFelice, at home. The catcher went ballistic and ended up throwing things out of the dugout. (Ah, the weird old days.) I am pretty sure the game was broadcast nationally as the the Game of the Week. I remember calling my dad from the stands to ask if Torii was safe, and my dad saying maybe not. We tailgated before and after the game and met dozens of friendly KC fans. After the game, the parking lot turned into a sea of banners and tents, because it was also the first preseason football game for the Chiefs, who play right next door to Kauffmann Stadium. They were facing, of all teams, Denny Green's Vikings. I said I would go if we could scalp cheap seats, which turned out to be no problem. We were in the nosebleed section, it was still damn hot that evening, and the Vikings lost. Postscript: The Royals faded badly after the series, and the Twins ended up battling the White Sox for the division, winning by 4 games with a 90-72 record. And I got hooked on road trips.

I was a kid in the early seventies, and after the Twins began to fade I always rooted for the Oakland A's in the postseason. They were wonderfully dysfunctional - and a great team - with top-notch, fictional-sounding baseball names: Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue, Joe Rudi, Bert Campaneris, and crazy owner Charlie Finley. I loved watching them beat the Reds, the Mets, and especially the Dodgers in the 1972-1974 World Series. The A's always stayed my second favorite team. I wasn't a kid anymore, but I would say my favorite non-Twin of all time is Dave Stewart. That man was a scary, sneering workhorse. From 1988 to 1991 he was first in games pitched (2nd in 1987), during which the A's went to three straight World Series, and won one. From 1987-1990 he won 20, 21, 21 and 22 games. He pitched 55 complete games, including 14 in 1988 and 11 in 1990. I lived in San Francisco from 1987 until 1992, so I got to watch Stewart, R. Henderson, D. Henderson and the Bash Brothers in many epic games against the Kirby/Hrbie Twins in the Coliseum. I've never been sure that the A's ace got his proper due.

This is excellent - one to bookmark. Thanks.

Yup. This stat from Peter Gammons' site caught my eye: Joe Mauer has the lowest BA in baseball on 0-2 pitches going 2-for-48, hitting .049.

The Twins would have had a wonderful life.

Sir: First, I was impressed how you singlehandedly fended off the Maueristas on the Hunter post on Twinkietown. Kudos. That said, why wish bad on Joe? He was the Twins top player as recently as 2013, his concussion season (5.3 WAR). He said himself he couldn't work out properly last off-season, and he was still the 4th best position player (by WAR), after another injury-shortened year. He's risen from the ashes before (2006, 2008, 2012), and I think he may have some elite value yet.

This is very well argued. I'm pretty sure I remember Dan Gladden say he learned almost no Japanese during the year he played in the NPB.

Agree with this. Joe's too good not to adjust. Reminds me of a stat I read on Peter Gammon's site a few days before the season ended: "Joe Mauer has [as of 9/26] the lowest BA in baseball on 0-2 pitches going 2-for-48, hitting .049."

2004 ALDS Game 2 was the game I fell out of love with Jacque Jones. He didn't even try to get Jeter out at home from right field on Matsui's fly, instead throwing to 1B Matthew LeCroy.

Nick, thanks. I thought this was going to be another "disappointing second half" article. Pleasantly surprised. The only point I want to add is that it's suspicious to to talk about any arbitrary period of PA's (e.g. Mauer before - or after - going to the IR; Dozier after the All-Star). I would prefer, if we are going to judge a person's productivity on an arbitrary period, to stick to seasons. And, as you nicely put it, Dozier has put together a fine season.

I have actually enjoyed watching the World Cup. The games can be very entertaining; some of the goals scored will stay in my memory forever. It's been great to root on my country, and to watch other nations root on theirs. The tension while watching the U.S. games with other fans was delicious. Still, the World Cup gave excellent examples of three things I do not like about the sport, three things that have never, and never will, plague baseball: Flopping. Yes I know soccer lovers hate flopping, too, but then do something about it. People have been “hurting their kneecaps” a dozen times a game to slow down the pace since I started watching the World Cup in 1986. (See also, basketball and hockey.) Blindsiding. Really, all of the pushing and shoving and other contact, but especially the blindsiding. I’m all about saving people’s spines, leg ligaments and heads. The Costa Rican fellow that kneed Neymar in the back should have been arrested on the spot. I saw a Korean fellow get clobbered from behind with an elbow on a header the other day in super slo mo. It looked like a certain concussion to me, but he couldn't leave the game or his team would have been a man down. Head injuries, as we know, are forever. Or at least for a very long time. (See also, just about every contact sport.) Ties. After the U.S.-Portugal game, the camera panned to the players and into the stands: not a single person looked happy. I bet if they would have looked into each of the 25 million houses watching the game, they would have only seen blank stares, too. And winning in a penalty shoot out is barely less silly. Now, if we can just get America behind the World Baseball Classic, my life would be complete. The U.S. manager would never have to say this country doesn't have a chance to win it all.

I enjoyed listening to this. Pretty cool interview. Thanks, fellows.

Thanks for the report from the DR. Really enjoyed the podcast.

My best wishes to you. Congratulations on your excellent achievements and thank you very much for sharing your fascinating baseball stories.

The world has gone crazy about Joe Mauer, John? Maybe that explains all the global crises happening.

Next year will be the big test. This season they can still count 17,000 "paid attending" because the season ticket numbers haven't dropped as drastically as they might have, thanks to the All-Star Game. Next year the bottom could very well drop out, even if the Twins scramble to mediocrity. Minnesota fans have always been very fickle.

Florimon!

It’s beautiful. Eric Davis just throwing out Carney Lansford at third. Kirby Puckett leaping higher than he should be able to leap. Short stops making backhanded stops. Home runs hitting the tops of flagpoles. History. Baseball goes back to the Civil War and hasn’t changed much since the end of the 19th Century. I can read Ring Lardner stories from 100 years ago and know just what he’s talking about. It’s America’s First Game. You don’t need to be a physical freak. You just need quick strong wrists. You don’t need to be taller than 6’5” or weigh over 350 pounds. No clock. No tenth-of-seconds. No hundredths-of-seconds. No penalties. No free throws, no power plays. You can never stop learning. Whether it’s advanced stats, or just something you didn’t care about when you were younger. There’s always something you don’t know. There’s always something to take note of. It takes place in the summer. It’s played outside, on grass. No bone-on-bone. We don’t have to watch our most physically talented young people intentionally ruin their futures, like in contact sports. The ebb and flow. Whoever said it’s like real life, slowness interspersed with bursts of action. Baseball is for lovers. There’s not the martial spirit in fans as you see in football and other sports. The dimensions. 90 feet to first base is perfection. Should be enough time to make a throw to first. Unless the defender double clutches and the runner is hustling. No padding or body armor. Baseball caps instead of helmets hiding faces. No tie games. It’s a family game. The tickets are more affordable than in other sports and you tend to see more older and very young people. It’s every day. There’s always another game to look forward to. It’s a literate game. So many good stories, from Dan Gladden on the radio to Patrick Reusse in the newspaper, to fans on the Internet.