Minnesota Twins Talk

This year's Twins have added something that's mighty fun to watch: speed around the basepaths and in the outfield. Left fielder Delmon Young is quite speedy – but the guy who has everyone talking is Carlos Gomez.

Carlos is 22 years old. When the New York Mets called him up in May of last year, he only played two months before fracturing a bone in his left hand that kept him disabled until September. He has already missed a few games this year because of a muscle strain. And he has made a couple of errant throws – possibly reflecting his inexperience. But if Carlos can stay healthy, the field smarts will come naturally from experience.

He is already a significant weapon for the Twins. When he is up to bat, the opposing infield is off balance. They know that he frequently bunts, but can also hit the ball hard. They move in, then back. Even so, Gomez could use a few more bunting lessons from Hall of Famer, Rod Carew. (Rod works with the young guys during spring training every March at Fort Myers.) But with his lightning quickness, Carlos can even leg out a poor bunt. Infielders, aware of his speed, frequently panic and try to rush the play, sometimes bobbling the ball or making a bad throw.

I wondered if Carlos had heard much about Minnesota or the Twins as a youngster in the Dominican Republic. "Yes!" he said enthusiastically. "Torii Hunter is my favorite player. I used to play shortstop. Then I moved to centerfield. I try to play center like Torii."

Carlos loves signing autographs, but wants kids to remember that if he says no, it's only because he's preparing for the game. "I never say no if I am able to sign. I know they pay money to watch me and my teammates play. But please respect. We are working. We must prepare mentally, too. I sign all I can. If I say no, don't get mad."

Gomez loves all foods, but rice-and-beans are his favorite.

He offered me this advice for children: "Play hard, play smart, and listen to your coaches" followed by a quick "Thank you"… and poof! He was gone, already in center field.

Some of the best umpires in baseball have been Minnesota natives. Two of them are Tim Tschida, who grew up in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, and Jeff Nelson of Cottage Grove. They have both worked many playoff games, All Star games, and even the World Series. They are also on the same crew – a four-man crew that travels to 30 cities each season – and were recently at the Dome.

Tim Tschida, who now lives near Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, is a 21-year veteran. Last year he was promoted to crew chief. Tim was actually one of Jeff's instructors at umpiring school. What's it like having a fellow Minnesotan on your crew? "It's pretty neat. Back in my younger days it was pretty fun for me to work with Joe Brinkman who's from Little Falls, Minnesota. And I was with (MLB umpire) Mark Wagner a few years ago. He is not only from St. Paul, but went to Cretin, where I went to high school."

Tim and Jeff talk fondly about their Minnesota friends and memories. They also talk fondly about their travels. They have fun relating each city to its food and restaurants. They agree that Chicago is one of their favorite cities to visit. "Umpires love steak!" says Jeff with a smile as he talks about some great Chicago steak houses.

I asked Jeff when he became interested in officiating. "I played a lot of baseball as a kid. We played in the neighborhood, and played in high school [Park of Cottage Grove]. I started getting interested in officiating while in high school, but never dreamed it'd be my career."

Last season while in Cleveland, the 11-year veteran found out that he had testicular cancer. "Fortunately," he says, "I had good doctors and a lot of people praying for me and supporting me." Jeff missed half of the 2007 season but is now back, happy, and cancer-free.

Marty Springstead, a former umpire from the Bronx, who officiated in the majors from 1961 into the 1980s, is their supervisor. During a recent phone conversation, Marty said, "Jeff and Tim are not only outstanding umpires, but they are outstanding people."

By the way, Marty has been to every state, and to towns you've never even heard of. His favorite place to visit: "Minnesota! And the Twins have one of the best run clubs in baseball."

Marty has also known some of the greatest players of the game, from Mantle to DiMaggio. When I asked him who was the greatest of them all, he did not hesitate: "Harmon Killebrew, both on the field and off!"

While playing Little League baseball, Minnesota Twin Pat Neshek would earn baseball cards as rewards for good play. Being a Minnesota boy, one of his favorite cards to get was "anything with Kirby on it." Now he lives his dream on his own card, and is even more into collecting.

Pat has an unusual pitching delivery. He throws sidearm with a herky-jerky follow through. A style he developed after suffering an arm injury while pitching in his last high school game for Park Center in Brooklyn Park, MN. After recovering from surgery, he could no longer throw overhand. Some experts say throwing sidearmed actually puts less stress on the arm. Pat tried it, and it worked.

During one spring game against the Phillies, Pat entered the game in the 8th inning. As he warmed up I could hear some fans laughing. National League fans who had never seen Neshek pitch. "Look at that guy throw," said one youngster mockingly. I heard an old-timer ask, "What kind of a submarine thrower have we here?" After only several minutes and three outs later, the critics were silenced. Pat is a very effective reliever and a key ingredient of his team.

Pat is a family man who nearly tears up when he speaks about the support that he received from his parents as a kid, and that he now gets from his wife, Stephanee. He says he owes his career to them. Stephanee does many charitable acts with the Twins' Players' Wives Association, and together Pat and Stephanee perform many unsung acts of kindness. Quietly they've helped charities, humane societies, and recently flew a young mentally challenged Country/Western fan to Nashville to see and meet some of his idols. The goodwill list is quite long for this young pitcher.

For fun, Pat enjoys everything from surfing at the beach to surfing on his computer. He has a web site and blogs the daily activities of a major leaguer's life. He also sells and trades cards, autographs, and memorabilia, giving any profit to charity. If you're lucky enough to log on to patneshek.com while Pat is online, he loves chatting with fans. If you do, tell him hello from Gordy Jones!

Minnesota, here's a pleasant surprise for you: Meet Craig Monroe. Yes, he'll occasionally play in our outfield and add a little punch to our batting order. But this well-spoken 31- year- old brings a message to young people. He wants them to know that they can do whatever they set their minds to.

He wants kids to be leaders, and to make positive choices. He wants those positive choices to become "the in things to do." He tells kids not to complain about what they don't have, but to be thankful for what they've got.

He goes on to say: "It's easy to be a bad guy, but it takes a little effort to be a good person. Put some effort into trying to be polite, trying to be respectful, and trying to make the right decisions." He reminds kids that there is no shortcut for success.

Craig has a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye when he talks about The Boys and Girls Clubs. He spent many days there while growing up in Texarkana, Texas. These days, he frequently visits Boys and Girls Clubs to give his inspirational messages to kids.

But wait a minute. Texarkana – isn't Torii Hunter from that area? "Yes, he's one of my best friends," says Monroe with a grin. "We work out together every day in the off season." They both now live near Dallas. Also in the workout group is former Twin La Troy Hawkins.

I asked Torii Hunter about his friendship with Monroe. "Oh yeah! He's my buddy! He has a good heart. He works hard. He's always thinking baseball, talking baseball, sleeping baseball."

Although Angel fans have embraced Torii and he is happy, he said he loves Minnesota fans and already misses them.

"Minnesota will always have a place in my heart. This is where I learned to play baseball." He reconsiders: "This is where I learned to win and play baseball. When I retire, this will always be my home. I'll come back and support the team and support the organization whenever I can. Minnesota's my love!"