Transcripts

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SPEAKER 1: I was a football player. I always wanted to play football. I never really liked baseball because it wasn't no hitting or no contact, and I'm a contact man, so. It was more when I was 15, when we went to the state championship in high school. And I mean, I really found out that you last longer in baseball, and it's more of a mind thing in baseball. In baseball, you have to think. You have to be smart. It's like a chess game.

SPEAKER 2: And you came to the Twins in 1993, just two years after they had won their Second World Series. What was it like to come to the team at that time?

SPEAKER 1: Well, I'll be honest with you. I'm from Arkansas, so I didn't hear too much about the Twins. The only person I knew about was Kirby Puckett. That's it. And I didn't really know.

When I got drafted, matter of fact, I had a Braves T-shirt on. And I was hoping to get drafted by the Braves because I'm from Arkansas. It was nothing but TBS. And that's all I watched was the Braves. And I wanted to be a Brave. But the Twins called. Hey, that's your opportunity to make it to the major leagues.

SPEAKER 2: So what's it been like being with the team now for the last, what, eight years?

SPEAKER 1: Oh, man, don't remind me. It's been a long time. But yeah, we've been down a lot coming up. But I mean, they stuck with the team. We grew up.

All these guys out here playing right now like Corey Koskie, Guzmán, [? Joc, ?] Doug, AJ, everybody, you know, Matt Lawton. We all came up in the Minor Leagues together, you know? And they really saw some things in us, and they stuck with it. Good things come to those who wait. And Twins waited, and they got a good thing going.

SPEAKER 2: So how does it feel to be playing with the team this season when, at this rate anyway, the team is doing very well?

SPEAKER 1: Oh, it feels it feels great, man. We have all the confidence. And I mean, we're going to have our times when we're going to lose. And we might lose like four or five in a row. I mean, I'm in a little funk right now and trying to get back.

I had an injury about a week ago. And I just got off last Saturday. And it's kind of like spring training all over for me. But I only have 40 at-bats, a long way to go. We have five months to go, and I'll be all right.

SPEAKER 2: What is your personal goal for being on this team? What would you like to personally accomplish?

SPEAKER 1: The thing I think about most on this team for me was to get a Golden Glove and help my pitchers out. Pitchers are throwing strikes. They're doing well right now. And they're keeping us in the game. And I'm going to go out there and make my plays. And so if we can stay consistent, and my personal goal on this team is just keep the defense going and a little bit of offense for me, it would be all right, be all nice.

SPEAKER 2: Now you end up making a lot highlight tapes just because of your defensive play. What do you think when you see that?

SPEAKER 1: Well, I think it's pretty sweet. You know, growing up as a kid from Arkansas, like I told you, we had no pro team and no nothing, you know? I mean, to see yourself on TV and you always wanted to be on TV and see your highlights and your catches and you got tapes. I'm going to make sure I keep those and show my grandkids because this is not going to last forever. But I can always show my kids, huh?