Minnesota Twins Talk

It’s been only a couple of years since White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen – speaking of the Twins’ small, pesky infielders -- gave them the label of “Piranhas.”

As the Twins continue to restructure their infield, Nick Punto is the only remaining Piranha – and this year he has played all over the place. In 2005, he won the starting job at third base and he played there through 2006, when he batted .290. But he slumped most of the season last year -- only batting .210 in 472 at bats. It was frustrating for fans and teammates to watch, because everyone wants Nick to succeed. He’s been a sparkplug for the team on the field, and a big personality in the clubhouse.

What people sometimes fail to appreciate is that Nick Punto is an amazing infielder – one of the best in the majors. At 5-foot-9, he’s relatively small, but he can cover a lot of territory, and he has a great throwing arm.

I asked Nick if he was always an infielder. He told me: “As a child I always played shortstop… shortstop and pitcher. That’s all I played until I got into the majors.”

I think everyone—fans and teammates alike -- enjoy being around Nick Punto because he treats everyone with kindness, and has such a love for this game. “I love to play baseball. I’m so blessed to do what I do. I don't take it for granted. I know it’s not going to be here forever. I just really enjoy everything about the game of baseball, and I am really glad to be part of it. I can’t get enough. I'll talk about baseball all day long.”

This year, Nick is hitting the ball a lot better. When he was put on the disabled list for a pulled hamstring May 10, he was batting .265. Last year he just didn't get any breaks. When he did hit the ball hard, it would be right at someone. Even so, I believe his defense saved us many runs, and helped offset his struggling offense.

Nick learned to be a switch hitter from a childhood coach and also from his father, Lou, who played in the Red Sox organization. He is very close to all of his family, and he and his wife, Natalie, will soon be parents. He wore a proud smile when he told me that on May 30th, Nicole Jane Punto will be born. Together Nick and Natalie are active with the Twins Community Fund, and hope to start their own charity for kids once the baby is born. Then he asked me to relay a message to the young readers: “Kids, work hard, whatever it is. Whether it’s your school work, or after-school sports, give it your heart, and have a good time doing it. Make sure you smile.” He then picked up his glove and a ball, gave them a good stare, and just smiled.

As a child, Twins fan Adam Hanson and his father would take an annual journey from their home in Woodbury, to Fort Myers, Florida. There they would watch their team prepare for the season.

Like typical Minnesotans, they would talk Twins baseball with other fans, especially fans with Minnesota ties. They often chatted with a Minnesota transplant who was working as a Twins usher. This usher just happened to have a friend in the Twins’ clubhouse. One day when Adam was 13, he arrived at the ball park early. The usher was happy and relieved to see his smiling face. The Twins needed a bat boy for that game, and the usher wanted to know if the young Hanson boy could answer the call. “YES!” was his reply.

Well, he must have done a bang-up job, because he was substitute bat boy for the next two springs.

In September of 2003, Adam’s dad got a call from the Twins. They were inquiring about Adam’s school work and lifestyle. After some favorable responses, the Twins popped the question: Would Adam like to be the regular-season bat boy? He accepted the position and has been their bat boy ever since. He is now 19 and a student at Hamline University, and is one of the happiest guys in the clubhouse.

The official title of the job is “bat boy,” and it’s a paid position. But it isn’t all fun and glamour. “I work at least 10 hours a day per game,” Adam says, “getting here 5 hours before the game and finishing two hours after.”

I asked him what his duties were. “Everything from laundry, shining shoes, cleaning the bathrooms, getting the food ready, making sure that the players have all of the equipment they need, including shirts, uniforms, bats, the whole bit. And then there are personal errands for the players, if they need something from a store, or something from their car. They treat me good! They’re a good bunch of guys. I’ve been pretty fortunate working for the Twins. Ninety-nine percent of the time the clubhouse kids are treated pretty good.” What about the other one percent?

“I’m not saying there are any bad or mean players…NO! But they are under a lot of pressure, and every player has a bad day.”

During the game Adam sits in full uniform near the on-deck circle, retrieving bats and foul balls. While he’s busy with the game, his girlfriend, Kelly Carroll, works six feet above his game chair. She’s employed by the dome’s catering service, Center Plate, as a dugout server, serving food to fans in premium seats just above the field. You might see a few pregame waves and winks between the two sweethearts, but during the game they are all business.

During the game, the other clubhouse attendant, the ball boy, sits in the bullpen shagging outfield foul balls and protecting the players from grounders and line shots hit their way. Adam explained to me that before and after the game, the ball boy, who is a young man named Ryan Henk, shares all of Adam’s responsibilities. “The only difference is, while I’m getting the pregame food ready, he’s out shagging balls (at batting practice).”

Adam gets to travel on one road trip a year. Otherwise the home team is responsible for supplying attendants for the visitors. This includes the Twins, who employ additional staff to fill the visitors’ needs.

I asked Adam what lies ahead for him. After college he’d like work for the Twins in upper management.

And then he surprised me: “I’ll eventually run for office. I’ll run locally first.” He said this very confidently. From the positive comments I hear around the ball park, I think Adam will get the players’ votes.

He seems to blend into with the woodwork--but Jason Kubel will surprise you. When you’re least expecting it, he'll step up to the plate and whack in a bunch of runs. He might even hit a grand slam. He’s already hit four of them in his short major league career. Two of them were this year--most recently on May 25th, his 26th birthday. On many teams he'd make a good everyday left fielder or DH. But his role on the 2008 Twins is utility outfielder and alternate DH. He'd like to play every day, but accepts his role; he is a team player.

“I want to be part of the game any way that I can. I really like playing the outfield, but DH’ing is fine. It’s still playing the game and is actually more relaxing for me now. Last year I got a little more comfortable doing it. It gave me a new confidence level. I'm looking forward to putting up some big numbers.”

I think he will. He’s a solid ballplayer who’s becoming more confident with each game that he plays. He’s quick, has power, and is a pretty decent left fielder. He looks calm when he’s in a pressure situation, and he quite often comes through.

Jason Kubel has always loved this game. He played baseball whenever he could while he was growing up in Palmdale, California. Being a competitor, he dabbled in other sports such as football, but baseball was his passion. Living in California he could play all year. Even when he played video games with his buddies, he preferred baseball games.

When he was 16 he met his sweetheart Blake, whom he married three years ago. Together they have a son named Owen, who was born January 23rd of this year. He laughs and says he’s still getting used to being a dad. He and Blake love dining out, but now they find themselves eating at home more often, which is all right with Jason. He has a large movie library, and he loves his wife’s cooking. “I love when we stay home and she makes dinner. Ahhh, pork chops, roast chicken. Anything she makes is great. I'm getting hungry now!”

Jason loves playing for the Twins; “Nice people in Minnesota! The fans are awesome! They are always supportive. You don't go to many places where you see people on the street wearing team clothing. In my home of Palmdale, California, you don't see any people wearing Dodger clothes. But in Minnesota it’s pretty cool; everyone wears Twins stuff.”

He has some words for the young readers: ”Stay focused on sports, whether it is baseball or another sport. At the very least, it will keep you out of trouble. Focus on your school work, too. Don't give up; you've got to keep on going. That’s what I did, and today I play for the Minnesota Twins.” Then he proudly grabbed his bat, and walked towards the plate for batting practice, where he blended in with the other Twins huddled around the net. But as I looked at him I saw something that stood out, that I hadn't noticed before. He has such a content smile. He is a happy guy.

Baseball is a business where egos can grow bigger than an inflatable dome. But that’s no issue with the Minnesota Twins. There is nothing inflated within the Twins’ clubhouse or front office. From the players to the executives to the busy employees scurrying around the office; you can tell by talking to them that they are happy and down-to-earth people.

This has got to be a reflection of their boss, Twins President Dave St Peter. Dave recognizes talented people, places them in positions where they can help the club, and allows them to do their thing. He treats them with respect and gives them resources.

Whenever Dave receives a compliment for an accomplishment, he humbly redirects the credit. Quite often he’ll say it was a group effort, such as with the Twins Community Fund and the impact it has made in the community. As for the new ball park, he credits Jerry Bell and his group. He always credits the Pohlad family for their continued support, and then passes on the applause. When I asked Dave about his managerial skills and his talent for hiring and delegating, he explained that this is a trait of empowering entrepreneurialism handed down from the Pohlads. He embeds this into the organization. “I think we’ve got a very talented, skilled, veteran staff that I’m very proud of. We try, frankly, to stay out of their way, and let them do what they were hired to do. And that is to provide the region’s best venue for affordable family entertainment.”

His good buddy and Vice President of Operations Matt Hoy had this to say: “Nobody has worked harder than Dave St. Peter has for this organization. He’s dedicated, he’s loyal, he’s a forward thinker, he understands communications, he understands marketing, he understands operations and finance. He knows every aspect of the business. He has a pretty good grasp on the baseball side, too. Add that with his ability to see what is necessary and appropriate for the ball club to be doing on a short-term and a long-term basis, and you couldn’t ask for a better president.”

Dave is a lifelong Twins fan from North Dakota. He watched the Twins play every chance he could. He played baseball, too. Dave said that he learned at a very early age that if he was going to make it to the majors, it wasn’t going to be from his skills on the field.

In 1989, Dave St. Peter took an internship with the Minnesota North Stars. In 1990, he began looking for a career. Instead he was offered another internship, this time with the Twins. Wanting to get his foot in the door, he grasped the opportunity. Soon he was working full time. He learned every corner of the business and moved up the ladder rapidly. He was named President in 2002.

Dave is progressive, but respects tradition. As he was moving up through the ranks, he found it odd that ties with Twins alumni were thin. Dave knew that they could be an asset to the community, and to the Twins. He worked hard to build relationships with them. Many are now coaches at spring training, announcers, or ambassadors – including Killebrew, Blyleven, Gladden, Oliva, Molitor and Carew.

Dave is highly respected by players, umpires, writers, Hall of Famers, and Major League Baseball executives in New York. The testimonials to his talents are too numerous to print—all of them demonstrating that his leadership has definitely increased the quality of life for Twins players, employees, and fans.

Dave’s biggest challenge in life is balancing his time between his career and the other team that he loves, his family; his wife Joanie; and their sons Eric and Benjamin (10 year old twins), and Jack (11). They play soccer, are in band …and, yes, they play ball. In fact, Dave now coaches his sons’ Little League team. The twins—and the Twins—are in good hands.