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Gardenhire
Talked Focus to Morneau
It
was early June and the Twins were in Seattle for a series against the
Mariners. Justin Morneau, who had teased
the Twins with his power and RBI potential during two previous seasons,
was hitting
.241
with 11 homers and 38 RBI. A native of British Columbia, Morneau had
some Canadian buddies in town ready to have a good time.
Manager Ron Gardenhire decided to have a
“baseball talk” with his 25-year-old first baseman. “His focus has got
to remain on the field,” Gardenhire said recently. “They (Morneau’s
buddies) don’t have anything to do at night. They don’t have to get up
in the morning and go to the ball park and compete against some of the
best players in the world. He does. And that’s what we talked about.
Give yourself an opportunity. Understand, ‘Hey, boys, I gotta go to
bed. I have a job to do. It’s not off season for me. It’s off season
for you.’”
As
the team heads toward September and a possible playoff position, Morneau
is enjoying a Twins MVP season for a franchise desperate for power.
His numbers are dramatic since early June with a streak from June 9
through August 22 that looked like this: .383 batting average, 20 home
runs and 69 RBI.
Gardenhire said the talk in June encouraged Morneau to focus and give
him the opportunity to be productive. “He’s really dedicated himself to
the game,” Gardenhire said. “I think he will be fine.”
Morneau, as with other young players, has learned from his struggles.
Two seasons ago, playing in 74 games for the Twins, he hit .271 with 19
home runs and 58 RBI. Last season, in 141 games, the numbers were .239,
22 and 79.
Gardenhire said Morneau has learned he doesn’t have to hit a home run on
each at bat. He’s learning to “stay within himself and not do too
much.” A lesson in handling pressure occurred recently when Morneau was
flirting with breaking through to the 30 home run and 100 RBI totals.
“He went a few days without being able to really do anything,”
Gardenhire remembered. “I think he set back and thought about it and
then he relaxed a little bit and it just came natural.”
Gardenhire
praised Morneau as a hard worker and as a hitter “who can carry a ball
club for long periods of time.” Morneau seems likely to finish among
the American League leaders in home runs and RBIs. At this writing he
was third in the league in RBI and Gardenhire admires his ability to
drive runs across the plate.
At 25
and already the first Twin to hit 30 or more home runs since Kent
Hrbek in 1987, Morneau may not even be near his peak. Can he hit 40
or 50 home runs? “He can definitely do that,” Gardenhire answered. “No
doubt." |
Photo courtesy of
Minnesota Twins
Justin Morneau
Photo courtesy of
Minnesota Twins
Ron Gardenhire
"He's
really dedicated himself to the game."
Ron Gardenhire talking about Justin
Morneau. |
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Liriano Will Come Back
from Injury
Rick
Anderson, Twins pitching coach, was asked if he thought
Francisco Liriano’s injury could be career
ending. While not predicting when the 22-year-old Liriano will pitch
again, he said there is no doubt the sensational rookie left hander will
pitch again. He has not been pitching since earlier in the month
because of a sore left elbow and forearm.
The
49-year-old Anderson said before the injury Liriano’s strength in his
shoulders was probably less than his. “He’s just a kid that didn’t
understand (how to take care of himself),” Anderson said. “He thought he
had been doing stuff to keep his arm strong but he didn’t do the right
things.”
Anderson said Johan Santana’s work ethic, including during the
off season, is exemplary and he hopes the former Cy Young winner will
take Liriano “under his wing.” Strengthening the left shoulder will be
an off-season priority for Liriano and Anderson praised Santana as a
pitcher who works continuously on strength and conditioning during the
fall and winter.
How
special is it to have two pitchers with the talents of Liriano and
Santana?
“It’s
not often you get to have two of them on your staff like that,” Anderson
answered. “One of them is absolutely great but (having) two is a bonus.
… you got the one that is a 27- year- old veteran, and you’ve got the
kid to be able to follow him." |
Photo courtesy of
Minnesota Twins
Francisco Liriano
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins
Johan Santana |
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Short Preparation, Long Duration
Among
the most popular sports radio shows ever in this market is WCCO’s Sports
Huddle. The station celebrates 25 years of
Sid Hartman and Dave Mona as hosts
with a breakfast and live broadcast open to the public from 9 a.m. to
noon on Sunday, September 10 at the University of Minnesota’s Sports
Pavilion. The Sports Huddle had a previous co-host who worked with
Hartman. Mona learned he had the Sports Huddle assignment on a Thursday
and was ready to go on air the following Sunday when Hartman offered a
pessimistic prediction.
“Sid
came in the booth (and) literally the music for our introduction was
playing and we’d had no (previous) conversation,” Mona remembered. “He
looked at me and said, ‘No offense to you, David, but this isn’t going
to work. I am going to have to ask them to cancel the show.’ Then the
light went on and we went on the air. So that was fairly remarkable. I
like to laugh (that) he (still) feels exactly the same way.”
All
these years and they are still turning out the top rated show on Sunday
morning radio in this market. One of the reasons is Hartman’s talent
for lining up guests. “A lot of people laugh when he says it but he is
capable of getting almost anybody in America on the phone,” Mona said. |
Sid Hartman |
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Extra Innings
Don’t
include new Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin among the
critics of the Metrodome. “I’ve always, even when I was down in Tampa,
loved playing indoors,” he said. “Schematically you always want a fast
surface. This defense is built for speed, so you look forward to
playing on a fast surface. “
Vikings safety Darren Sharper leads the NFL
in interceptions since the 2000 season with 40. Last season his nine
was one short of the Vikings’ single season mark of 10 set by Paul
Krause in 1975.
Jake Mauer talking about his trip to baseball’s All-Star game last
month and how grandson Joe provided first class travel
accommodations including limousine service and police escort: “I never
knew about ‘red carpet’ treatment before, but I do now and I like it.”
Sporting News’ Big Ten football preview magazine is more candid than the
usual publications. Among the features are quotes from an anonymous
scout or conference coach. Here are excerpts on the Gophers: “I think
Mason (Glen) is a good coach. He’s a hard-nosed guy.
That’s a hard-nosed team. … They are kind of like Northwestern on
defense. They won’t ever have the horses.”
The
Gophers’ offensive line is being rebuilt with changes that include
replacing all-Americans Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom,
and Tony Brinkhaus moving from tackle to center to replace
Outland Trophy winner Eslinger. Still, Brinkhaus expressed optimism
about the line earlier this month. “We think once we get that
cohesiveness as a line we’re going to be one of the best in the Big Ten
(Conference),” he said.
Former Gopher coach Jim Dutcher, who became an outstanding TV
basketball analyst, will receive the Minnesota Magic Basketball Club’s
Lifetime Service Award at Golden Valley Country Club on October 26.
Television partner Dick Bremer will emcee. |
Mike Tomlin
Darren Sharper |
