Minnesota Twins Talk

For the Twins to stay in contention this year, they need to have their offense, defense, and pitching all working simultaneously. Too many times, we’ve pitched with no hitting, or hit with no pitching. We’ve made some fielding and running mistakes, too. That comes with having a young ball club. But there are nice surprises, too.

Like in our pitching staff: I see a diamond on the diamond. I think we have a future star in our midst. He’s right there in our starting rotation. It’s 24-year-old Kevin Slowey. He has the physical ability, he has the heart and the drive, and most importantly, he has the smarts to make a difference.

Advising youngsters, Kevin says, “Play hard, listen to your coaches, but make sure you are having fun. School work comes first. I couldn’t play ball unless my school work was finished. I actually attended college (Winthrop University, South Carolina) on an academic scholarship. You can’t play baseball forever, so you need to know more than sports. Even if you make it to the majors, you’ll want to do something when you’re done playing. You’ll need that knowledge.”

Yes, Kevin received an academic scholarship after scoring 1,420 on his SATs—out of a possible 1,600. He may use his intelligence in business after baseball, but now it’s his secret weapon on the mound. He can use it in pitching, but also in the way he prepares himself mentally before each start. He has no rituals or superstitions like many starters. Just being ready physically and learning about the opponent are what’s important to Kevin. And like many wise people, he enjoys learning from the experienced. “It helps when you’re pitching to probably the two best catchers in baseball. Joe Mauer is the smartest catcher around. He’s great! And then you’ve got Mike Redmond. I’m so grateful to him. He has spent a lot of time with me. I have learned so much from him. He can talk baseball all day and tell you about different situations and experiences. He’s truly a great guy.”

Kevin Slowey has a true Twin heart; he’s humble and always passing on compliments and credit to his teammates. That is the common trait of those players who have succeeded here--Dating back to 60’s, with Harmon Killebrew, to the 80’s and 90’s, with Kirby Puckett, and to our current star, Joe Mauer. No egos allowed.

Kevin is a 6-3, 205-pound righthander. If you put a little facial hair around his chin, you’d have to check the back of his jersey to see if it’s actually Kevin, or reliever Matt Guerrier. They look alike and are built alike--long and lanky. They are spit ‘n’ images of each other.

And talk about versatility. When Twins manager Ron Gardenhire ran into trouble in the late innings the other night, he was short of available players and used Slowey as a pinch runner. And what about his recent hitting in interleague play. Batting against Milwaukee, he helped his own cause. He went 2 for 4 with a couple of RBIs. He laughed and told me, “Yeah, that was pretty nice. But it hasn’t been that long since I batted. I was an everyday third baseman for one year in college. But don’t expect that all of the time. I’m going to stick with pitching.”

And that he does well. Kevin has four good pitches, and his best is his fastball which he throws over 90-mph. He is a control pitcher, having good command of the strike zone. His control is so good it can almost be a negative: Batters sometimes feel too comfortable in the box, knowing that he’ll probably throw a strike. As TV broadcaster and former pitching great Bert Blyleven says, you sometimes have to brush the batter back. You are not trying to hit him, but to make him feel uncomfortable crowding the plate. If you’re going to miss, miss inside. I have noticed Kevin is now doing that more. I have no worries; he’ll figure it all out. Kevin Slowey is a smart guy.

Whenever the Twins can squeak through the 8th inning with a lead, you have to feel relieved. It’s nearly a sure thing: Closer Joe Nathan almost always gets his save when he comes in to pitch the 9th. In this unpredictable season with new teammates, some sloppy defense, and losing to the Tigers by 16 while looking like champs against the Red Sox, Joe has remained steady and consistent. Through the 2007 season, his lifetime American League record was 19 wins and 8 losses, with 160 saves in 274 appearances.

Joe Nathan has a way of working up a home crowd – they hypnotically stand on their feet cheering as they live and breathe each and every pitch with him. At 6-foot-4, Joe stands tall and poised on the mound, focused, as he gets prepared to throw some heat in the upper 90’s. He’ll stare at the catcher, while he blows his lips and twitches his head several times. I asked him why he did that; was it something he did unconsciously? He chuckled and said: “Yes. Everybody does something. Everybody has their own little thing, or some type of deal that they do to mentally to prepare for their next pitch.”

Joe loves being a closer. But just as his teammates Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto, and Carlos Gomez did, Joe Nathan played shortstop throughout his youth. He would watch Cal Ripken Jr. play and try to take after him. Joe didn’t begin pitching until he was a professional, and was not a closer until he joined the Twins. But he loves his role with the Twins. He loves finishing the game; he especially loves knowing that he has a good chance to get into every game the Twins are winning. “Yeah! It’s a fun job! I enjoy coming to the park and mentally preparing myself everyday to get into the game. It’s as close to being a position player as it can be.”

Joe is a great basketball player, golfer, and businessman, too. With his brother-in-law, Mark Lemoncelli, Joe has a successful deli in Knoxville, Tennessee called Jason’s. “All of the food is great!” exclaims Joe. They plan on opening more stores in the future.

But Joe Nathan’s very favorite time away from baseball is spent with his wife, Lisa, and their kids (Son Cole, 3, and daughter Riley 1). His wife, Lisa, is very active raising money for charity with the Twins Wives Organization. Together, Joe and Lisa belong to the Garth Brooks Foundation, Teammates for Kids. This foundation combines the sports world with the music world as it offers grants to various non-profit youth organizations. But like some other big-hearted Twins, Joe will soon start his own foundation to help a cause close to his heart. You can keep up with these developments and other Nathan news on his newly launched web site at www.joenathan.com.

Over the winter, when folks were discussing the future of the Twins' pitching staff, they would talk about the loss of Santana or the return of Liriano. One name that rarely surfaced was Jesse Crain. I call him the forgotten Twin. He had been out since last May, when he had surgery on a torn rotator cuff. Jesse is your ordinary guy. Although he can throw in the mid-90's and is important part of the bullpen, his name escaped some fans' memories. Meanwhile, Jesse worked diligently on his rehab and was determined to come back strong.

One group of fans will never forget the name Jesse Crain. I'm talking about the young athletes at Courage Center. Courage Center is a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center in Golden Valley, which advances the lives of people experiencing barriers to health and independence.

I witnessed one of Jesse and wife Becky's many visits to the center. It was time for wiffleball and smiling faces in the gym! The participants focused on their abilities, not their disabilities. And Jesse was like a big kid out there – pitching, laughing, and giving them pointers. He told me that he loves volunteering: "It's something that we always dreamed of doing – helping kids. You know, we were all kids once. Since we're able to help and give back, it's something that we always want to do." Jesse will even buy Twins tickets and donate them to Courage Center this season.

Great athlete that he is, Crain may soon be surpassed by his son, Hunter. Hunter Crain plays football and baseball. He throws the football hard, like his former quarterback father did. (Jesse played football in school.) But in baseball he's a natural. He throws hard and can hit hard, too. "He definitely learned by example, because I never pushed him into doing anything," says Jesse. "All of a sudden, one day he started throwing the ball towards me. I think he watched so much on TV he learned it."

By the way, Hunter just turned 2 years old in March!

Did Joe Mauer always dream he'd play pro ball someday? "I always wanted to…I always wanted to play in the big leagues. I went out there and would try to follow my dream. I'd try to work hard, and the biggest thing is: I enjoyed playing the game. I just went out there and I had fun."

But Joe could go out and have fun only after he was finished with his homework. "My mom had a rule: No baseball until our school work was done." Academics were very important to all of the Mauers. Joe became a star student, too. Today he is known not only as a physically talented catcher, but also one of the smartest catchers in the majors.

Young Joe also loved watching the Twins, especially his two favorite players, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek.

Because of his talent, Joe usually played on teams with older kids. This included teams with his big brothers, Billy and Jake. One great memory for Joe is the time he and his brothers played on the same team professionally in the Twins' farm system. "That was pretty neat – and my parents only had to go to one game, instead of three." Brother Jake is now manager of Gulf Coast League Twins, and Billy is now very successful in a career of automobile sales. In 2006 he sold the most Chevys in the state of Minnesota.

While attending high school at Cretin-Derham Hall in Saint Paul, Joe was a star in baseball, basketball and football. The University of Miami offered him a football scholarship, to play quarterback. He accepted, but changed his mind when the Twins offered him a shot at his dream. "I always enjoyed baseball a little bit more," he says.

Joe dislikes the spotlight. He's always soft-spoken and courteous. He loves nice shoes, and his favorite food is Italian.

I asked Joe's teammate and former roommate Justin Morneau what it was like living with Joe. "Quiet," replied the first basemen. "He's completely focused on baseball."

Kind and "laid back" are how many friends describe Joe. He is especially kind toward children. Joe would probably sign autographs and visit with children all day if time would allow. He often makes unannounced visits to hospitals, schools, baseball clinics, and charitable fundraisers. I've seen Joe's eyes light up as he talks with kids. Their eyes light up, too. They are in awe of their idol.

This year's annual Joe Mauer Family Golf Tournament will be held in May and proceeds will be used to make improvements to baseball fields in St. Paul. It's only fitting, since these are the same fields where Joe amazed his coaches and teammates – the same fields where he had fun and followed his dreams.

When he finished telling me about it, I said "You really love those kids!"

"I sure do!" he said. Then he smiled, and he signed a young fan's glove.

The Twins' spring training has come and gone, and still no one knows for sure how they'll play this season. The team is just starting to come together as a unit, but a few questions remain unanswered: Will any of the new guys add power to the offense? What about the defense? Who will take ownership of which position? Pitching: Is there life after Johan? Will Liriano come back strong?

If anyone can get these guys to reach their potential, it's manager Gardy and his coaches.

In February it was fun to see the Twins' veterans reunite and to meet the new guys. This year there were a few more introductions than reunions. So many new faces! I saw two young men simultaneously walk into the tunnel toward the clubhouse. One stopped and looked around as if he wasn't sure which way to go. The other guy introduced himself and said, "You must be new. Well so am I." The second young man responded, "Actually, I'm looking for the stadium office to deliver a package."

I walked over to the minor league camp and watched as the Fort Myers Miracle's new manager, Jake Mauer (Joe's brother), took command of his squad. I watched as rookies brandished their uniforms for the first time; I saw the pride on their faces as they admired themselves. They were one step closer to catching their dream.

The first major league spring game was on February 28th, and in the first inning the bench was way too quiet. Gardy and Joe Mauer stood up, smiled at each other, and did a little handshake dance. Then they began high-fiving everyone. As they did so, Gardy shouted his first command of the season: "We're here to play baseball. Let's have some fun!"

As the season progresses, I'll introduce you to this cast of characters. I'll give you behind-the-scenes stuff, and you'll learn what it takes to put a major league club on the field. Let's have some fun!