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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Twins Sign Joe Mauer

After much teeth gnashing and worrying by fans, Joe Mauer has finally been signed. Many people close to the situation expected this to happen. It was a matter of "when" not "if." What has surprised everybody is the relatively small size of the contract: $15.25 Million over four years. In fact, this contract even surprised the Twins' front office.

"I was really shocked," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said. "I actually made the offer as a joke to bring a bit of levity to the negotiations. Imagine my surprise when he jumped at the offer! Ron Gardenhire, the Pohlads and I had a big celebration after this contract was signed."

I caught up with catcher Joe Mauer at Twins spring training in Fort Meyers, Florida and asked him about the signing.

"What the heck are you talking about?" He asked.

Joe Mauer, known for his good sense of humor and biting wit, was obviously joking with me. But I played along and explained the terms of his new contract.

"What?" Joe Mauer still joked. "I can't believe that. I need to talk to my agent."

Joe Mauer then walked away in a faux huff. He obviously took magic lessons from amateur magician Michael Cuddyer because nearly seconds after he left the room he returned by coming through a different door. I was reasonably impressed with the trick and then told Joe Mauer that, along with his illusions, I was looking forward to his catching and hitting prowess for the next four years.

"I'm not Joe Mauer!" He yelled. "I'm Nick Blackburn. I don't catch. I pitch! I signed the contract! Not him! Stop confusing me with him! Why do you think I grew this beard? Imbeciles...all of you!"

After that Joe Mauer stormed out of the room. That Joe Mauer...always the kidder.

5 comments:

  1. I should have waited to place my bet on the Twins winning the World Series in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I can't imagine they still have us at 8-1 odds. And now I'm not just stressing about this season, but next year and the year after that. I need to go curl up in my Morneau jersey and think happy thoughts for our 2010 campaign.

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  2. Bwah-ha-ha!

    Do you think the Twins upper management is hoping that everyone else will make this same mistake when they don't sign Mauer, and we'll all just think that he's suddenly become a pitcher?

    Who would win a battle of the mystic arts: Dr. Strange or Michael Cuddyer?

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  3. Kate: Yes, I assume after Nathan went down the odds of the Twins winning the World Series followed suit.

    Think about what the odds will be after the Twins trade Joe Mauer before the season begins!

    Teebore: The answer is obvious, Michael Cuddyer. The card was in the bag......THE CARD WAS IN THE BAG!!!!!!

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  4. You think we could get a real player for him if we traded him before the season started, instead of just, you know, a bunch of prospects?

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  5. Actually, apparently the Twins have said that they won't trade Mauer and will negotiate into the season if they must. (Translation: He'll play through the final year of his contract and then sign with the Yankees.)

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