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Twins Daily correspondent RandBall's Stu went to a concert in Minneapolis on Wednesday. So did Twins legend Joe Mauer. This is his story.
My day job is copywriting for a local independent regional craft brewery. That brewery also hosts concerts in its backyard, often featuring popular recording artists from around the world. Occasionally, those shows attract local and even national celebrities.
On Wednesday, popular Sad Dad favorites The National played a killer show there. (If you’ve never heard of them, that’s fine, but just know that Taylor Swift has).
As I wandered around the grounds, one of my friends said, “Hey, Joe Mauer is here.” I didn’t believe them. I guess I don't really know what Joe Mauer's musical tastes are, other than "What You Know" being his walk-up music for 100 years. Then a local journalist mentioned that he chatted with Mauer and his wife for a bit. Given that he covers baseball for his job, I took him at his word. And sure enough, standing there just to my right and towards the front of the stage? Joe Mauer, Cretin-Derham Hall Class of 2001. These are my observations.
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By RandBalls Stu 7 hours ago
By Otto von Ballpark 10 hours ago
I have been around Joe several times and he is the nicest guy on this planet. Period. End of story.
People who criticize him over the money are morons because anyone would have taken it.
"Hey Bob, we want to double your salary.
"No thanks boss. I drive truck just for the aesthetic."
But more importantly, as Bonnes' buddy Gleeman would tell you; with a 55 plus career WAR, it can be easily argued that Joe was significantly underpaid in his career.
In one of my conversations with Joe, I asked him about his favorite away city. His reply surprised me.
Me: "Really? Good barbeque. Decent ballpark. Why? Did you have great numbers there?"
Joe: "Not really. I just like that I could bring my family down and people would leave me be."
I let that soak in. So many players fight desperately for the last bit of the spotlight when their career is done. (Insert Dan Gladden joke here.)
So congrats Stu on passing on the Ryan question and allowing Joe to enjoy the show undisturbed. Leave him be folks. Leave him be.
Numbskulls? Oh you mean the fans that wanted to actually "Win" rather than watch a singles hitter and who knew his contract kept the Twins from ever investing in real Pitchers?
Numbskulls? Oh you mean the fans that wanted to actually "Win" rather than watch a singles hitter and who knew his contract kept the Twins from ever investing in real Pitchers?
If Gardy would have been forward thinking, ( bat Mauer leadoff instead of 3rd for most of his career), the numbskulls would be far less. Dude was elite hitter. Just not elite power hitter.
Numbskulls? Oh you mean the fans that wanted to actually "Win" rather than watch a singles hitter and who knew his contract kept the Twins from ever investing in real Pitchers?
There are many people who I have known who are serious baseball people. Some made it their career and others were just aficionados who players, coached, did both, or were totally just into the game. Every single person I have met or know who falls under the above categories hold Joe Mauer in the highest esteem. Mauer is a consensus top ten catcher in baseball history. He signed a long term contract with his home town team for far less than he would have received on the open market and as the face of the franchise was worth well more than the contract. His contract never impeded team spending in even the slightest fashion, a fictional fallback of those who choose their own reality. Mauer will soon be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I totally understand why Kansas City would be a favorite place to work for an athlete.
Numbskulls? Oh you mean the fans that wanted to actually "Win" rather than watch a singles hitter and who knew his contract kept the Twins from ever investing in real Pitchers?
... beating dead horse... Ownership told us they'd be able to spend half of the Target Field revenues on payroll. Therefore they should have been spending approximately $125M. When they had a payroll of $82M in 2013 or $85M in 2014 how did Mauer's contract keep them from spending that extra $40M per season? After that they went up to $108M for 3 seasons, again tell me how Mauer's contract kept them from spending the extra $20M each year? Man. Pay attention.
If Gardy would have been forward thinking, ( bat Mauer leadoff instead of 3rd for most of his career), the numbskulls would be far less. Dude was elite hitter. Just not elite power hitter.
I love when the Mauer haters praise Luis Arraez for being the same damn hitter
Twins were and are tremendous lucky to have him as part of the organization.
He earned every penny and absolutely could have gotten more.
Don't forget that he sold plenty of tickets for the owners as a true hometown hero in addition to what he 'earned' through his elite performance.
Joe Mauer would have refused the beer. Did you have any milk?
i'm here to tell you from personal experience meeting loads of famous folks - you don;'t want to get too close. they'll generally disappoint you. also, from experience with him, woody is crazy.
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