FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins have launched a series of new
commercials for local promotion of their upcoming season. One of
them stars, of course, Joe Mauer.
The hometown heartthrob, poised to potentially become one of
baseball's best catchers, is shown leaving the field in a darkened
hallway as a little boy comes up to praise him. In a comedic twist
on the old Coca-Cola spot that featured football star Mean Joe
Greene giving away his jersey, Mauer rips off his sideburns in
appreciation and sticks them on the lad's face.
Yes, everyone in Minnesota seems to want a piece of him.
Attention? He's always had it.
"Some of it has died down, but it is what it is," Mauer said,
shrugging.
What the 22-year-old doesn't have to deal with this spring,
though, is scrutiny of his left knee. A torn meniscus limited him
to 35 games as a rookie in 2004, and last year at this time
everyone was wondering how the joint would hold up. Especially
since he plays a position that puts more pressure on it than any
other in the game.
The answer? Just fine. After carefully rationing his catching
time, especially in day games after night starts, manager Ron
Gardenhire turned Mauer loose down the stretch without any problem.
One of the few hitters who remained consistent throughout a
rough season for the Twins' offense, Mauer played in 131 games and
batted .294 with nine homers, 55 RBIss and a .372 on-base percentage
in 489 at-bats.
Run production could have been better, but it was his first full
year in the majors.
"Home runs are going to come," Gardenhire said. "He'll learn
to take a pitch and drive it out of the ballpark. We don't really
need to tell him what to do."
That sweet swing is what made Mauer the first pick in the 2001
draft, after he turned down a scholarship to play quarterback for
Florida State and left Cretin-Derham High School for pro baseball.
But the easygoing Mauer has received equally high marks for his
work with the pitchers. He declined an invitation to play in the
World Baseball Classic, in part to get more time working with the
staff.
"I feel real good with them," he said. "It takes time with
everybody. It doesn't matter how old you are. It's something you
can't just talk about. You've got to show them over a long period
of time."
Backup Mike Redmond, a veteran of seven-plus seasons, called
Mauer the best catcher he's ever played with. Redmond was impressed
by the way Mauer took steps to improve his synergy with certain
pitchers.
"I saw him make big adjustments probably a lot of people
wouldn't have even recognized as far as handling our pitching staff
and taking charge of guys," Redmond said.
The two talk often after games, mostly about the nuances of
calling pitches and working with the different personalities and
philosophies on the mound.
"There was a time there where he was having trouble getting on
the same page as some of our starters," said Redmond, who
encouraged Mauer to be more proactive. "Just to go up to those
guys and say, 'Hey, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to
sit here? Do you want me to sit there?' That's the rapport as a
catcher that you have to have. ... He's a young guy, but he made it
look easy."
Well, not everything comes that easy. Like acting. Mauer
admitted that filming of the ad took a couple of hours, and it
wasn't because of his co-star.
"I think I had more takes than the kid did," Mauer said.