October 7, 201412 yr Mike Berardino just passed along the information that Caleb Thielbar's mother, Janet, passed away. She was known as the shortstop on her high school boys baseball team in the mid-70s. She was a huge baseball fan and truly loved the Twins. She also was incredibly proud of her son. She and I exchanged a handful of e-mails over time. She would tell me how much she appreciated the minor league reports and articles on Caleb, or just talk to about baseball. I had the opportunity to meet her and her husband in Ft. Myers this spring. I was there early, walking the back fields. The couple was standing at the corner, watching the minor leaguers start their day with stretching and running. I went up and said, "Man, that looks like work!" The response was simply, "What a great job!! What a great way to spend a beautiful morning!" It wasn't long before Janet realized who I was. "Are you Seth from Twins Daily?" Surprised, I nodded. She introduced herself and continued to talk about how much she enjoys this website and "most of" the community here. We talked for a good 15 minutes and again, it was clear just how proud they were of their son. We talked several more times throughout the time I was there, and she was always smiling. I hadn't heard from her in a while, so when I saw Mike's article, it hit me. It's sad. I can only imagine how the Thielbar family is, and others who knew her. I know this isn't the type of thing we post here in the forums, but please take a minute to read Mike's blog. It's people like Janet Thielbar that I always think about when I write, and it's why I think it's so important to remember that these guys are so much more than just baseball players.
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