When Joe Mauer went back to work late last week after missing 29 games with a left quad injury he was the focus of a flattering story in the Sporting News magazine naming him THE player to start with in building a team.  “The Twins’ Mauer is not only the game’s best catcher but the guy most of our evaluators—six of the 12—would choose as the player to build a franchise around,” the Sporting News said. 

The evaluators included four general managers, six major league scouts, an assistant general manager and a “Hall of Fame writer.”  None were identified by name in the article. 

The Sporting News praised Mauer for his offense and defense, describing him as baseball’s best catcher.  “His only weakness is his height because, at 6-5, he can make calling low strikes difficult for the umpire trying to see over him,” the article said.   

That comment annoyed Twins’ general manager Terry Ryan.  “I don’t think much of that,” he told Sports Headliners.  “That’s the biggest crock I’ve ever heard.  I don’t believe that at all. …Carlton Fisk caught in the big leagues and he’s in the Hall of Fame, and he’s 6-feet-5, and about twice as wide as Joe.  I don’t know who is kidding who here.” 

Ryan explained why baseball people would choose to build a team by taking Mauer as their first player. “You’re always looking for a quality catcher, a left hand hitting catcher that’s got offense,” Ryan said. “That’s why people would pick Joe.  Not only that, he’s got his better days ahead of him.  He’s only 24 years old. When you’re going to start a club…you build from the middle and catching.  …That’s why I am sure all the evaluators decided he’d be the right guy to start a club with.” 

Mauer led the American League in hitting last season with a .347 average.  He became the first American League catcher ever to lead the American League in hitting and the first catcher in the majors to win a league hitting title since Ernie Lombardi did so with the Boston Braves in 1942.  Mauer’s career average is .321.

Mauer’s valuable hitting often prompts discussion about moving him to another position such as third base or left field, positions where his body wouldn’t be subjected to constant crouching.  That speculation comes from outside the organization and was commonplace this spring when Mauer missed nearly the entire month of May.  Plus, Mauer didn’t play for almost two months of the 2004 season because of a knee injury, and he had a quad injury in high school. 

But Ryan is adamant about Mauer remaining a catcher.  “It’s very difficult to find a good catcher, first off,” Ryan said.  “Secondly, it’s difficult to find a guy that can lead a pitching staff.  Third, there’s no doubt when you can find an offensive catcher, you’ve got one of the few assets in the game, in the industry in general, because everybody’s looking for catching. …And then on top of it, Joe can run. 

“So it’s very difficult for me to hear and respond to people that just want to get him out from behind the plate.  The reason he’s so good and valuable and talented is because he can do everything that a catcher is supposed to do.  Consequently we’re blessed with having one of the good ones in the game.” 

The complexities and challenges of baseball leave any player with opportunities to improve.  “It’s always a little bit of a transition every year for a catcher to get comfortable with a pitching staff, but you know there are a lot of things that Joe is learning as he goes,” Ryan said.  “There’s no question in my mind that he’s got his best days ahead of him.  He’s just scratching it right now to the point where it’s situations moving runners, and when to pull the ball, and when to try to loft a ball, and when to hit a ground ball. 

“All that stuff comes.  He’s just a kid. …Like everybody there are all kinds of things to learn in the game. …This is a tough racket here, and there aren’t any shortcuts here. …” 

In a hypothetical exercise the Sporting News selected Mauer to build a team around.  In the 2001 free agent draft the Twins chose Mauer as the first player taken by any major league team.  Ryan said it wasn’t an easy decision as management evaluated who to choose including super star high school pitcher Mark Prior, the oft-injured Chicago Cub.  But Mauer was the pick and six years later it looks right on to a lot of people.

With the advantage of playing one game per week and football’s great popularity, the NFL is likely to be the first American pro sports team with a franchise in Europe.  On Sunday, October 28 Wembley Stadium in London will be the first site of a regular season NFL game played outside North America.  The New York Giants, a natural favorite for English fans, will play the Miami Dolphins.  The NFL has committed to playing up to two regular season games outside the United States for the next five years, according to the NFL Report publication. 

Brad Childress and the other Vikings’ coaches start vacations late next week and will resume work in mid- July.  The first date the public can watch the team practice in Mankato will be Friday, July 27. 

Former Gopher and Viking football player Pete Najarian, now a stock trader, became a regular panelist earlier this spring on CNBC’s financial investment show Fast Money.  Najarian “is ranked one of the top 100 traders by Trader Monthly magazine, is co-founder of optionMONSTER.com, a news and information site for options traders,” according to cnbc.com.  Fast Money airs Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time. 

Don’t be surprised if Hopkins recruit Blake Hoffarber, a shooting guard, is given an opportunity to fill the Gophers’ need at point guard next fall.  His basketball decision making is exceptional and the Gophers played all last season without identifying a permanent point guard. 

The Twins’ Justin Morneau (second) Joe Mauer (fourth) and Torii Hunter (fifth) all rank within the top five vote getters at their positions for next month’s All-Star game in San Francisco, according to a news release from major league baseball. Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriquez is the leading vote getter at over 1.4 million so far. 

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said on his KSTP weekly radio show earlier this week that he doesn’t know when to expect left fielder Rondell White’s return to the team.  White has been disabled with a right calf muscle injury since early April. 

Scott Baker talking about inexperienced fellow pitchers Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, and Pat Neshek all of whom are either in their first or second seasons with the Twins, and how they offer support to one another:  “Maybe not so much mechanically or pitching wise, but more so… a word of encouragement, or something (like) …’you know what, I’ve seen you do this and I know you can do it.’”