Softball and
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Batter up, kids
By
Gordy Jones
A couple of weeks
ago, I was at a Sunday-night charity event with many of the Twins players and
staff. Most of the guys had arrived at Target Field earlier than
It was now after
Pitcher Brian Duensing looked a bit frustrated as Micheal
spoke; then he looked at me and said, “I wanted to be part of ‘this,’ but we
have relatives in town, and my wife wants a family day.”
What could “this” be
that had hard-working, adult ballplayers giving up their day off … and others
bugged by the fact that they weren’t able to attend? If you’re assuming that it
was golf, fishing or the track, you’re wrong. Besides, the track is closed on
Mondays.
Here’s what our
“boys of summer” did on their day off: They simply did what they do every other
day ... they played ball! But that Monday they weren’t playing the White Sox or
the Indians; they were playing with children!
They showed up at
Right there on a
sandy lot, they picked captains and chose sides. It was just like kids did in
the days when most of the baseball they played was not on an organized team,
but with teams thrown together on the spot, with whoever was hanging around.
You might not have known your teammate before the game, but afterwards you
might never have forgotten him.
That’s how it was on
this day; pros and kids were shaking hands and introducing themselves to each
other, and for the next hour they would be teammates.
The kids were
brutally honest, as kids will be. If they didn’t recognize a player, they’d
ask, “Who are you and what do you do?” And if they liked a certain Twin, they’d
let him know as well.
Most of the kids
played hard, and the Twins players didn’t let up, either. Jason Kubel hit the ball as hard as he could, only to fly out
once to a child, and once to Cuddyer. As Michael Cuddyer pitched a couple of innings, he put some mustard on
the ball as he fired it in. Drew Butera hit the ball
hard and ran full speed.
Twins alumni Juan Berenguer and Al Newman were there for support and a few
laughs. TC the Bear was doing a little of everything: batting, umpiring and
clowning around. Some of these kids might have had problems at home, but right
now the only thing that mattered was who’s up next.
The children who
assembled there had one thing in common: they were all playing ball with the
Twins – and that was the only thing that was on their minds. Oh yeah! Another
thing they had in common: They all wore smiles.
By the time the game
ended, many kids had bonded with individual players. Twins players signed the
youngsters’ shirts and caps as the staff passed out Subway sandwiches for
lunch. There were hugs, handshakes and goodbyes.
One boy retrieved
his basketball, shook hands with his buddy Ben Revere, and said, “Baseball’s
not my favorite game, but I really like you!”
Someone in the crowd
asked him why. He answered, “He’s a good guy, and he’s very, very quick. I
think he’ll do well.” Then the kid looked at me, and he nodded with authority.
As the Twins players
walked to their rides, they giggled and recollected events from the game – just
as the kids finishing their lunches were doing simultaneously. It goes to show,
whether 7 or 27 years old, all ballplayers are kids at heart.
Just My Style!
After the wiffleball game, I was talking to Rene Rivera. I asked him
how he liked
I asked him what he
likes most, and he said, “Everything. I love the fans, the nice hotels, good
food, nice ballpark, great teammates – everything!”
A young fan looked
up and said, “I’m sure he likes the Twins’ style of baseball, too.”
Rivera looked
surprised by the young man’s intelligent comment. He grinned and replied, “Of
course … that, too!”
Winning!
After a long day at
the ballpark, I found myself sitting with outfielder Jason Repko
at yet another event. I complained that I was exhausted, and he said, “Yeah, me
too!”
Repko, who’s been struggling at the plate as of late, went on to
say, “But you know, sometimes I might be tired or sore, and if I didn’t get a
hit, I might be thinking about my swing. But if the Twins win the game like we
did today, it’s not quite as bad. I don’t feel quite as tired or sore. Even if
I didn’t get a hit, it’s not as bad. I’d rather not get a hit and win, than to
get a hit and have my team lose.”
Fans! If you have any Twins related questions, email Gordy at gejones1@aol.com
Check out Gordy’s book at http://www.baseballguy.org.
Gordy can be reached at gejones1@aol.com.