Minnesota Man, Joe Mauer

I didn’t go to the Twins game yesterday to watch the sensational celebration of Joe Mauer, but I’ve spent enough time as a season-ticket holder since Target Field opened to appreciate him.  He is the quintessential “Minnesota man.”  

Joe elevated the archetype of a Minnesota man.  Humble, low-key, consistent, polite, committed, good, religious, reserved.  He’s the guy you’d want your daughter to bring home on a date.  You can trust him.  Joe Mauer.

And by the way Joe—and he’s the type of guy who would seem to want to be called by his first name—was a terrific baseball player.  He was easily a top five player in the history of the Minnesota Twins. Off the top of my head, my order of excellence would be 1) Kirby Puckett; 2) Harmon Killebrew; 3) Rod Carew; 4) Joe; 5) Bert Blyleven. Honorable mention go to Torii Hunter, Kent Hrbek, Frank Viola, Jim Kaat, Tony Olivia, and Johann Santana. There might be another player on the 1965 World Series team that would make this list.

I would think Joe’s statistics will land him on a Cooperstown plaque.    Three-time American League batting champion as a catcher; MVP winner, and six All-Star selections.

And like almost all ball players he had holes in his career. He deserved to receive 23 million a year for eight years when the Twins gave him that contract, but in the last eight years he didn’t perform to the standards of that contract. Joe never played in a playoff game that the Twins won. And right now the Twins need more than six home runs from their first baseman. So from a baseball perspective to have Joe retire right now seems right.  (And even if Joe hasn’t said he will retire, it seems highly improbable that he’ll don a #7 jersey again.)  

The problem for the Twins right now is they don’t have enough quality players around him.  And the Twins have a lot of problems right now. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine went all-in (for the Twins) at the start of the season. But I guess they can’t be held responsible for the injuries, the lost years for Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, the suspension to Jorge Polanco, and the under performance of the team.  Giving up on the year at the trading deadline was the right decision, but the Twins performance made it hard to go to Target Field for the last two months. The season was a disappointment. The standard for the Twins should be the playoffs—and we haven’t been there since 2010. The honeymoon for Falvey and Levine is over.

Hollywood could have hardly scripted a better baseball career for a guy from Minnesota as a Minnesota Twin. Gatorade national baseball and football player of the year in high school; first overall choice in the draft in 2001; Joe turned down a scholarship to play football at Florida State to sign with the Twins. I remember people wondering if the Twins should have drafted Mark Prior instead of Joe. And then he is the father of twins too!

I wish I could have been at Target Field to watch the final game of the season yesterday. Late in the afternoon my Dad sent me a text asking if I was watching the game. The game was over by then, so I watched video on-line. It was almost perfect. To open the game Joe was greeted at first-base by his twin daughters; for his last at-bat he hit an opposite field double. (Joe has the most doubles of any player in Twins history and probably has more opposite field hits than any other Twin). Then to finish his career he put on his catching gear and caught one pitch.  He received a five minute ovation which would have gone longer if Joe had wanted it to go longer.  Goosebumps, heart in the throat, tears forming.  For me watching a video!  But like a true Minnesotan I contained my tears.

And Joe did too. He is a Minnesota man. And as a man committed to all-things Minnesota I’m grateful to have watched him perform on and off the field. Thanks, Joe!

Would you take a moment to subscribe to this blog?  Put your email in the box on the right hand side of this blog.  You'll be asked a few questions to ensure you are really a human being.  You'll then receive an email whenever a blog is posted.