My ten years as a stringer – a freelance sportswriter for The Associated Press – spanned two distinct baseball eras. During the first, 1983-88, stringers dictated stories by telephone to the New York baseball desk and most of the players were somewhat ordinary in size and shape. I left Minnesota for five years and, when I returned in 1993 for a second tour of AP duty, it was all about laptop transmissions and ginormous players.

 

Depending on assignment, the job entailed some combination of scorekeeping, hunting down postgame clubhouse quotes from players and managers, and writing three stories: a bare-bones gamer, an alternate account including quotes and, finally, a feature on a specific player. Not an easy or lucrative side job, but usually rewarding and often fun.

 

 

When I began, cigar smoke frequently pervaded the press box, while Tony O regularly sat watching the game from the back of the room. And nobody I encountered in any sport was more approachable than Kirby Puckett. "What can I do for you today?" was his typically smiley greeting – win or lose and whether he was wearing a suit and tie or a towel. Plus, in the '80s, pregame dinners in the Twins dining room were free of charge and surprisingly good.

 

Yesterday I coughed up three lowlights. Today I submit three peculiar scenarios from the roughly 100 Twins games I covered:

 

1) Once, on my way into the visitors’ locker room for postgame interviews, something unusual for a major-league clubhouse caught my eye: a briefcase. It was closed and sat on a chair next to a top-shelf player as he stood near his locker. I made my way around the room, collected enough quotes from that day's key players and headed back toward the door. The briefcase, now wide open, was filled with countless gold chains and necklaces.

 

2) The AP's assigned front-row seats in the Metrodome press box were adjacent to the Strib writers, who were reasonably cordial to someone like me – essentially a replacement's replacement. A few were downright friendly. And then there was Sid, who seemed totally self-assured and a bit standoffish (and, especially amazing in retrospect, appeared on the verge of retirement even way back then). Anyway, I sat next to Sid on several occasions and don't know if we ever exchanged more than a word or two. But one time as I sat watching the game, he came up behind me and provided a friendly shoulder rub for several seconds as he loudly (his only volume) made some sage pronouncement for all to hear. I remember cringing a bit and holding my breath for the duration – kinda like the G8 summit where Angela Merkel had a similar experience with George W.

 

3) Late in my "career" I was sitting next to Patrick Reusse, who was friendly in a terse and gruff sort of way (and I mostly minded my own business). The Metrodome's print-media press box, behind home plate, was at the back of the lower level and had a wide-open window running its entire length. A broad ledge served as desk space and a little lip rose several inches to the opening. Long before the first pitch, I noticed two early-arriving fans wearing ballcaps and clutching their beers at the bottom of the long concrete staircase that led to the ocean of blue seats. One of the fans pointed directly at us before they both beelined up the stairs – and were suddenly standing directly in front of us at the window. They wore the look of city mouse and country mouse, and I imagine city mouse was proudly showing country mouse what the big city was all about. With beer still in hand, he confidently introduced himself and his buddy to Reusse, who looked up from his computer just as city mouse set the plastic souvenir cup on the ledge. Then, as the guy reached through the window to shake Reusse's hand, his fingers clipped the cup and plowed the beer square into the storied sportswriter's lap. In a flash, both mice turned tail, zipped down the stairs and disappeared. Seconds later Reusse was on the phone. "Honey," he calmly said, "I'm gonna come home smelling like a brewery tonight, but I promise that I didn't fall off the wagon."

--

Lineups:

 

Rays

1. Corey Dickerson (L) DH
2. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF
3. Evan Longoria ® 3B
4. Logan Morrison (L) 1B
5. Steven Souza Jr. ® RF
6. Colby Rasmus (L) LF
7. Tim Beckham ® SS
8. Michael Martinez (S) 2B
9. Jesus Sucre ® C

 

Alex Cobb ®

 

Twins

1. Brian Dozier ® 2B

2. Jorge Polanco (S) SS
3. Joe Mauer (L) 1B
4. Kennys Vargas (S) DH
5. Max Kepler (L) RF
6. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B
7. Eddie Rosario (L) LF
8. Byron Buxton ® CF
9. Jason Castro (L) C

 

Kyle Gibson ®

 

Gametime Forecast: 68°F • Partly Cloudy

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by mickeymental

Boy i sure hope the twins brought their bats today.

No Sano for the second straight day. Interesting.

Great job MM!

Boy i sure hope the twins brought their bats today.

Me too.

 

And that they get good use out of 'em.

 

Same goes for the gloves.

Okay, now that I've liked the opener, probably should go back and read it. 

 

Now that I've read the intro, excellent job!

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by Blake

Methinks you eschewed about five minutes of cussing from the Reusse anecdote. Good stuff!

 

Yeah, no Sano again. Maybe they're saving him as a pinch runner?

 

Me too.

And that they get good use out of 'em.

Same goes for the gloves.

I wonder if that is a bit of Gibson's problem? He needs to trust the people behind him a bit more and relax. 

Great job. Thought for a second you would bring up Halsey Hall burning the press box down with his cigar and Herb Carneal going crazy. Those were the days.

Thanks for the last couple intros, MM. Always enjoy inside stories.

That would be a cool gig, to have had the opportunity to talk to Puckett et al.

...

 

Yeah, no Sano again. Maybe they're saving him as a pinch runner?

Indubitably.

 

I have it on good authority he is athletic, after all.

It's about time the good Gibby showed up.  Haven't seen him yet this year. 

 

Will Kyle Gibson attack inside, or will he continue to allow hitters to feel all warm and cozy at the plate?

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by jimbo92107

 

Will Kyle Gibson attack inside, or will he continue to allow hitters to feel all warm and cozy at the plate?

Yes.*

 

*This has been a Chief stand-in remark. However, this in no way implies the person making the remark is, in any way, affiliated with aforementioned Chief.

Sid, while rubbing your shoulders: "Do you like gladiator movies?"

 

Sid, while rubbing your shoulders: "Do you like gladiator movies?"

I was thinking more along the lines of "I see Scraps is a boy dog."

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by Blake

Good interview with Dozier. You can see that his attitude is what you want on the field. He's there to apply pressure any way he can, and then good things will happen. Sometimes you go 0 for 4, but you play good defense, sometimes you advance a couple runners... If everybody on your team keeps applying pressure, good things will happen. 

 

If the Twins are going to continue being competitive this season, they will have to have this attitude. Pitchers don't always have a great day, but the players around them can support with great defense and apply pressure with their offense. 

Great intro Mickeymental.

Really appreciate you sharing these stories with us.

Gibson is a disaster, they can't keep trotting this guy out there every fifth day. 

Benching Sano two days in a row, giving Gibson start after start... when will the luck start to turn against the Twins?

If Kyle Gibson had Jack Morris's attitude, he'd win 20 games. You've got to be a mean man on the mound. Gibson is just too nice. He won't pitch inside.

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by jimbo92107

 

Gibson is a disaster, they can't keep trotting this guy out there every fifth day. 

I agree but I don't like to click like on things I don't like.

 

If Gibson can right himself this game, fine. But it may be time to cut bait.

If he doesn't come out throwing strikes I would like to see them warming someone in the bullpen and not let Gibby come out for the 3rd even if the second is scoreless.

This working to a 3-2 count is too sorrowful to watch.

Edited May 28, 20179 yr by Oldgoat_MN

Never make an out at third base.

He was out but I was hoping they'd say inconclusive

 

Never make an out at third base.

Nah I like it. With our batting average with RISP, risks are necessary

Terrible call. I cannot believe that was overturned.

Really close. I thought he was out when the original call was made. In slo-mo it was very close, but I didn't think they'd overturn it.