Article: Special Night At Target Field: The Diamond Awards

[Seth Stohs]

Last night was a special night at Target Field. For the 11th straight year, the Baseball Writers, the Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota worked together with the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center to present the Diamond Awards.

 

Now when we think of the Diamond Awards, we think of things like the Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the various awards handed out to the Twins. And that’ what they are. The night was about celebrating the 2015 season. It was about handing out the hardware to the very deserving recipients.However, on a bigger level, it’s about celebrating baseball and philanthropy. The event sets out to raise money for the University of Minnesota’s innovative research and patient care focused on ALS, ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease. A lot of tremendous work has been done by the doctors and nurses and research personnel over the years. The Twins and this event have raised millions of dollars over these 11 years. Progress has been made, but as they are quick to point out, much more needs to be done.

 

In a feeble attempt to tie that greatly important research to the game of baseball and the Minnesota Twins, I think that Brian Dozier said it best. He told the crowd gathered in the Legends Club that 2015 was a good year. He said that was “a better year, but it’s not where we want to get. We’ve got work to do.”

 

Along with celebrating 2015, the event also allowed discussion of 2016. There was a segment of the program where emcee Cory Provus invited GM Terry Ryan and Manager Paul Molitor to come to the stage and discuss 2016. Those same sentiments were echoed again. 2015 was a good year, but we need to be better in 2016. Molitor said, “We set the bar higher last year. There will be higher expectations this year, and that’s OK.”

 

Later, Provus brought Dozier back to the stage along with Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. Through his interpreter Jay, Park talked about the adjustments he will need to make, but more important, he talked about how it has always been his dream to play over here and he is incredibly excited to get things started next month at spring training.

 

When Provus asked Park if he can dance, no interpreter was needed. Park immediately smiled shook his head and said, “No!”

 

The evening started with Minor League Director Brad Steil presenting the Jim Rantz Award for Minor League Pitcher of the Year. It was the second straight year that Berrios was the recipient of the award, and deservedly so. Berrios, as you would expect made if very clear that his goals for 2016 remain high. For someone so confident, he remains humble, giving all the credit to God and saying that he will patiently wait for that call.

 

 

Mike Radcliff presented the Sherry Robertson Award for Minor League Player of the Year. As we learned yesterday Kepler was unable to attend because he was sick. He hopes to make it to Target Field later in the weekend for part of Twins Fest. Asked about comparisons physically to former MVP Justin Morneau, Radcliff said, “That is certainly the story we tell when telling Mr. Pohlad that we’re spending some of his money on a 16 year old!” The crowd laughed. Scout humor is great!

 

The Kirby Puckett Award for Alumni Community Service was presented to Julio Becquer. He played for the Senators and came to Minnesota with the Twins in 1961. He retired after the 1963 season. For 30 years, he worked with the Twins Youth Clinics, working 30-50 clinics a year. I remember seeing him still working in the kid zones. He played in just 58 games for the Twins (57 in 1961, and one pinch-running appearance in 1963), but his impact in the community has been amazing. He spoke about how much he enjoyed working with the kids. He also talked about how he’s been retired from baseball for over 50 years which he said can’t be right because the 84-year-old said,”I still look good!”

 

Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates lefty reliever took home the Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year. He is from a small town north of Des Moines. He played in the 2014 All-Star game at Target Field and in 2015 he went 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA out of the Pirates pen. He wasn’t in attendance, but he spoke with great gratitude for the honor, especially considering some of the Hall of Fame names who have won the award.

 

Likewise Aaron Hicks wasn’t in attendance. He won the Charles O. Johnson Award for Most Improved Twins player. In a video, he thanked the writers. He also thanked the organization for giving him opportunities and showing patience.

 

Craig Anderson was presented the Play Ball! Minnesota Terry Ryan Award for being a Friend of the Game. He has been coaching baseball at Pine Island High School for 40 years. He also has been a director of summer baseball there. He has twice served as president of the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association and a meber of their advisory board since 1994. And much more.

 

Brian Dozier was presented with the Carl R. Pohlad Award for Outstanding Community Service. Jim Pohlad pulled out a list of all that Dozier and his wife Renae do in the community and it was extensive. He provides many tickets to National Guard members through his Dozier’s Heroes program. He also talked a little about working with Amigos for Christ, the organization he and his wife work with when they travel to Central America and help build schools and provide clean water systems.

 

Torii Hunter was presented with two awards. He was named the Bob Allison Award winner for Twins Leadership. He also won the Mike Augustin Media Good Guy Award for the fourth time. As you can imagine, his speech and time on stage was good for a lot of laughs, but he also said a lot of very good things. He talked about his relationship with the media, and he talked about how he and Mike Berardino are good now. In fact he said that they’re probably going to go skinny dipping together sometime. (Note - I talked to Mike afterward, and he denied that report!)

 

Hunter was also asked who the leader will be in 2016. He talked about the qualities of a leader, and how a leader must first serve before he can lead. He talked about how leadership can’t and shouldn’t be forced. He then said that he spent a lot of time talking with Brian Dozier throughout the season last year and that he can and will be a strong leader.

 

The winner of the Jim Kaat Award for Twins Defensive Player of the Year was Eddie Rosario. The outfielder was terrific wherever he played and talked about throwing runners out. He was unable to answer whether he enjoyed hitting a home run or throwing out a runner at home plate more. When asked about his debut, and the first pitch home run off of Scott Kazmir, Rosario made the crowd laugh and cheer. He said “Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to play in the major leagues. Since then I’ve always told myself that when I get there, I would swing at the first pitch.”

 

Kyle Gibson won the Joseph W. Haynes Award as Twins Pitcher of the Year. He talked about being out on the caravan and kids telling him they would want to hit against him and that he couldn’t strike them out. He said he told them “Yeah, but I bet I can get you to hit a ground ball!” Always humble, Gibson talked about needing to continue to improve. When asked about his dancing and whether he was the team’s worst dancer, he said, “No! (Mike) Pelfrey was by far the worst dancer, but I was right down there at the bottom. You can ask my wife. I’m a really bad dancer.”

 

Miguel Sano was also presented with two awards. He was named the Bill Boni Award winner as the Twins Most Outstanding Rookie. He also won the Calvin R. Griffith Award for Most Valuable Twin. He talked a lot about how happy he was when he finally got that call, and how it was a dream come true. Provus talked about his first big league hit, and whether we’ll all remember that - as big as he is - that his first hit was an infield single.

 

The final award of the evening was presented by Patrick Reusse. Tom Kelly was given the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award. Reusse talked about his first - and only - home run in his career as a Twins player. He spoke of his coaching and managerial career, obviously highlighting those Twins championships in 1987 and 1991. He talked about all the really bad pitching he managed for the next eight seasons and how he didn’t leave the team then. He talked about how the team started getting good and competing again before he turned the team over to Ron Gardenhire ready to compete. He also talked about the opportunities that Kelly had to manage other teams, but that he turned them down. He has been helpful to Gardenhire and now Paul Molitor, not only instructing at spring training and in the minor leagues, but when they have needs. It’s obviously a well-deserved recognition.

 

Kelly, as you would expect, told stories and made people laugh. His theme when talking about the 2016 season, or any season, was that he - or now Molitor - sure look a lot smarter when the players, and specifically the pitchers, are good!

 

But again, the evening is about baseball, but also about philanthropy. It’s an opportunity to raise money for the University of Minnesota’s Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center (BAARC). As noted, there has been progress.

 

How can you help? Well, if you want to make a gift or volunteer your time, you can visit give.umn.edu/neuro to learn more about the University of Minnesota’s resarch on brain, nerv, and muscular disorders, and to find out how you can help. You can also check out the Diamond Awards website for more.

 

It was a tremendous night at Target Field. I spent the evening with my dad and my brother. We had a good meal and talked to a lot of people. We learned a bit about some of the great research that the University of Minnesota is doing. We heard from a lot of terrific Twins players and personnel. We laughed and enjoyed an evening thinking about baseball.

 

Speaking of thinking about baseball, Twins Fest starts tonight at Target Field and goes throughout the weekend. It is a great opportunity to see Target Field, and parts of Target Field that you have not previously seen. It’s a chance to rub elbows and interact with Twins players. It’s a chance to be in a place and talk about baseball with hundred of other Twins fans. It’s also an event in which funds raised go to the Twins Community Fund which does really terrific things throughout Twins Territory.

Finally, Cory Provus emceed the event last night and did a terrific job. Dick Bremer emceed all of the previous Diamond Awards but was unable to attend this time. Bremer’s mother-in-law passed away a couple of days ago. So we certainly send out best wishes and thoughts to the Bremer family.

 

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[Sarah]

Thanks for the recap Seth, I've always wanted to attend this but it's a little out of my price range.

[Seth Stohs]

It really is an amazing event and if people can, I definitely recommend it. 

[Jerr]

Thanks for your report and trip down some great Twins memories!!!

[Madre Dos]

Congratulations to Jose, Miguel and Eddie.