MINNEAPOLIS -- It may be the hardest choice some Twins players face this offseason: which teammate’s wedding to attend? Four Minnesota players -- yes, four -- all have nuptials planned for Saturday, Nov. 14: Ryan Kreidler, Brooks Lee, Luke Keaschall, and Cole Sands. They all did the planning independent of one another, and then learned about the shared date in Spring Training. After all, there just aren’t that many ideal days for a ballplayer to get married. “You don't want to be too close to the end of October,” Lee explained, “and don't want to be too far [into November] because Thanksgiving is coming up. Seemed like everyone is going to choose that date.” Manager Derek Shelton doesn’t have a choice to make -- he has prior plans, though he’s aware he’ll likely be sending four gifts come fall. He also confirmed Lee’s assertion that mid-November is a pretty natural time for a baseball wedding. “I gave them a bunch of [grief],” Shelton said. “'How am I going to get to each wedding?' “I also told them, you guys need to be smart enough to just invite people that aren't going to come to get gifts. You guys should invite me to all [four] because then I've got to send all of you gifts. But actually, we've already planned a Napa trip with some friends because my anniversary is the next day. There's a lot of baseball anniversaries there.” |
There’s an extra complication for Lee and Keaschall: they share the same agent, Adam Karon. So even though it’s a total accident, it’s helpful that their events are right down the road from each other in central California. The goal for Karon may be to get to one ceremony and one reception. “I think so,” said Lee. “I think he's going to go to Keaschall's first and then ours. But they're both early in the afternoon because the sun sets so early.” None of the players are too terribly worried about it. It doesn’t seem that any current Twins will be part of the wedding parties, which makes things easier. As for how they came to realize that they share a common date, well, Keaschall said it’s really pretty simple. “When you find out somebody’s getting married,” he said, “you ask when.” Kreidler is getting married in Southern California, and Sands near his home in North Florida. They’re all mostly amused by the coincidence. “I think the word fiancé was thrown around quite a few times in Spring Training,” Kreidler said. “And it was like, ‘Oh, you’re getting married? When are you getting married?’ And it’s like, 'the same day as everybody else.' Just funny more than any weird coincidence. But usually it works out that way with baseball. There’s only a handful of good weekends.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
For Byron Buxton, hitting 10 years Major League service time was the fulfillment of a goal, and symbolic of his desire to spend his entire career with the Twins. For Taylor Rogers, it represented a full-circle moment, reaching a treasured milestone with the organization that drafted him, where he began his career. For Josh Bell, it’s a bit different. Bell, who crossed 10 years earlier this week in Cleveland, doesn’t have the same kind of deep roots in the Twins organization that Buxton and Rogers do. But after spending the last 5 1/2 months with his two fellow veterans and the rest of the team, he’s gained a real appreciation for making it to 10 years while wearing a Twins uniform. “I was trying to think back of others I played with, guys that made it to 10 years and I can only remember Joc Pederson when I was with the Diamondbacks a couple of years ago,” Bell said. “I'd only known him for a couple weeks before he got it. But playing with these guys and experiencing Spring Training with them and seeing Buck and Taylor get theirs and give their speech, to see some of the highlights, it's cool. It's something we all won't forget.” Bell has quickly established himself as a core member of the Twins’ clubhouse, a calming and respected leader who enjoys spending time around younger players as much as around his fellow veterans. “I think it’s both on and off the field,” Shelton said. “Number one, stability on the field. Showing up every day, willing to work, wanting to work, putting in the time. And then off the field, we were just in Chicago and a couple guys went to dinner. I said how’d you get the reservation? ‘JB got it for us.’ So I think any time that you have a situation where you have a veteran that wants to spend time with guys not only in the clubhouse but out of the clubhouse, I think it’s really impactful. And Josh really exemplifies that.” Bell had his wife and kids as well as his parents among the attendees for his ceremony, which is a revered moment in a player’s career. |
AND, FINALLY, THE PLAYLIST |
Let’s go with another round of good stuff that’s come out this year. Y’all be kind and look out for each other, OK? Bebe Rexha, “New Religion” The Rolling Stones, “Covered in You” RAYE, “Life Boat.” The Twilight Sad, “INHOSPITABLE/HOSPITAL” Nia Archives, “Feelings Go Numb” |
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