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from Standing Small
Retiring Ray Knoblauch
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
Cheryl JohnsonChuck hit on by maleJim SouhanKnoblauch Anchors Twins InfiedKnob Stays Cool About StrikePatrick ReusseCrunch Time Is Time To ShineSean HorganKnoblauch Shines At Bat|
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| Crunch time is time to shine |
| By Patrick Reusse |
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| October 21, 1991 The post between the lockers of Chuck Knoblauch and Scott Leius is covered with the equivalent of paper-doll cutouts. There are cutouts of Knoblauch and Leius, taken from magazines, press guides and other publications. "What is this?" someone asked Knoblauch. "We do this when we're bored," Knoblauch said. "When we find a picture ofeach other, we cut it out and tape it on the post. We have one picture of our batboy - Allan Anderson - way down there on the bottom." Knoblauch laughed. "That was a joke," he said. "Andy is a great guy. We miss him around here." Knoblauch was asked how bored a couple of big league ballplayers must be to spend time with a scissors, doing cutouts. "Real bored," Knoblauch said. "There is a lot of time between the end of batting practice and when we take infield." This little second baseman from Houston is a funny kid. He has been around Minnesota eight months now, and you still don't know what to make of his personality. There were times earlier this season when the rookie would turn belligerent and you figured: "What do we have here? The second coming of Alex Johnson?" The Twins' new crowd of fans might not remember Alex. Broken-down baseballwriters from the '70s remember Johnson, a much-traveled outfielder, all too well. There was the summer day in Anaheim in 1970, when Johnson was on his way to becoming the American League's batting champion. Johnson was leaning against the cage during California's batting practice. Legend has it, a reporter approached Johnson, extending a hand of friendship and introducing himself. Johnson looked at that hand as though it was filled with maggots. "Well, Alex, do you think you can win the batting title?" the reporter asked, starting with the most basic question. To which Johnson replied: "I'll win the (adjective) batting title if I want to, (noun)." End of interview. It is tradition for ballplayers to start off as humble and approachable and then work their way toward being jerks. There were times this summer when you wondered if the feisty Knoblauch might be getting a jump on the process. It has not turned out that way. The closer Knoblauch has come to stardom, the looser he has become in the presence of the clubhouse intruders. In fact, he has done the improbable: He has surpassed Junior Ortiz as the Twins' most sought-after interviewee. Ortiz earned his status by talking nonsense. Knoblauch has done it by being a standout for every Twins' game in this postseason. The crowds around his locker keep getting larger. On Saturday night, the Twins had opened the World Series with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Knoblauch opened the Series by going 3-for-3, with a walk, driving in a run, stealing two bases, breaking up a double play and starting a crucial double play in the eighth inning. First, Knoblauch was corralled on the floor of the Metrodome for interviews by ESPN, by a couple of local television stations and by the Twins' broadcast network. When he made it to his locker, 50 reporters and five minicams had to clear a path for Knoblauch. "What is this?" Knoblauch asked, when he saw the crowd. "This is the World Series," someone said. "I guess it is," Knoblauch said. "I thought the playoffs were a big deal, but we didn't have a crunch like this." Crunch time. That's what they call the last couple of minutes in the NBA. Crunch time in baseball is the month of October - the tension on the field, the crunch for interviews afterwards. Knoblauch is responding to crunch time as few rookies have in the past. Knoblauch took a 10-for-23 postseason hitting splurge into Sunday night's second game of the Series. His play has improved steadily since mid-August - the higher the stakes, the better the little man has played. "You can't approach these games any different than you do the rest of the season," Knoblauch said. "There is nothing you can do about the pressure except to try to play solid baseball - play hard and solid." Knoblauch's uniform was badly soiled with the red dirt that sits in the second-base cutout at the Metrodome. He turned himself into a mess by making a slide into shortstop Jeff Blauser, breaking up an Atlanta double play. "I had dirt go down my shirt, go down my pants, everywhere on that slide,"Knoblauch said. "That slide didn't lead to anything as far as runs, but I think it an example of the type of player I am. I play hard." Knoblauch's last act on behalf of the Twins was to start a double play on Terry Pendleton's hard grounder in the eighth. It took the steam out of the Braves' last attempt at a rally. Knoblauch went to his knees and shoveled a throw to shortstop Greg Gagne to start the DP. "It was hit hard, but I wasn't in trouble on the ball," Knoblauch said. "I just like to stay low on those type of plays." Knoblauch was asked if he considered the last two weeks his best baseball of the season. "Maybe I get better as the season goes along," Knoblauch said. "I played well at the end of year, in September and October. I also played well at the end of last season in Orlando (Class AA). I always seem to have a good ending to a season. "I'm 23, but I play with a lot of confidence. It's the way I've alwaysplayed. (Manager) Tom Kelly has helped me a lot. Coming out of spring training he said, 'Go out, play your best and we'll live with it. Play your game and play it hard.' " |
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