BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
My original plan for the weekend of March 13-16th was to attend the 12 Hours of Sebring, as I always like to cover endurance races.
But my instincts took over and said, you’ve been there and have done that. Once again, my instincts were right.
Instead, it was time to get back in baseball mode.
I’ve always wanted to attend a Spring Training Game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, FL, the home of the Minnesota Twins. I’ve already been to Fenway South which is six miles away.
When you talk about great people to work with, Nina Zimmerman and Dustin Morse are as good as it gets. Nina told me she was pleased to accommodate the South Florida Tribune to expand their presence in our market.
Meanwhile, Dustin was awesome as he granted me clubhouse access and whatever else I needed.
I’m looking forward to working with both of these individuals both in Fort Myers and in Minneapolis in the future.
My original target was former Miami Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez, but he was pitching and would only be available in the clubhouse after his outing. As a result, I would ask some questions which occurred around the seventh inning. You’ll see the conversation in the video in the story.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay afterwards to talk to Manager Rocco Baldelli as I had to return home. Hopefully, that opportunity will come at a later date.
I asked Morse if he could find me a catcher. I told him that I played the position in Little League and have interviewed a lot of them through the years covering baseball.
Dustin delivered and I interviewed Ryan Jeffers outside of the clubhouse because when I explained to Morse getting the interview on You Tube would be problematic, due to copyright issues; he totally understood and it worked out well.
He told Jeffers that I wanted to talk to him about catching and that I would keep the interview short and it was a blast with the 6-4, native of Raleigh, NC. Jeffers has been with the Twins since 2020. He was the Twins second round pick, 59th overall in 2018.
We talked about so many different aspects of catching as you’re going to watch. Jeffers didn’t play in the Twins 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
But you can rest assured that I’ll be watching him throughout the season and hope he has tremendous success. I always root for people that make my job easier and more pleasant. In addition to the video, we also took a photo together.
Before I interviewed Jeffers, Morse came to me in the clubhouse and told me the Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta was having a media availability. Since I was new, it was nice of him to go out of his way to invite me to it and the one thing that gets my energy level higher is when someone talks about my “Motor City Mad Mouth Hat.” I got in my few questions and learned a lot.
Finally, I approached Twins reporter Audra Martin and asked her if she has some time to talk to me. She covers the Twins and the Minnesota Wild. She was extremely cooperative and sweet. We had a blast. One question that I decided to not ask due to time limitations about what female broadcasters she idolized growing up. Perhaps, down the road, it will come up.
Instead, I talked to her about the Twins, working in the Minnesota market and kept the conversation about her goals. Audra came across to me as an individual that’s extremely happy working in a small market and being appreciated in the Twin Cities. In this interview, we both had a lot of fun doing it.
The one story that I told Morse and Zimmerman was back in 1987 when the Minnesota Twins played the Detroit Tigers during the American League Championship Series.
I attended game five and attempted to buy a ticket but was ripped off initially. However, fate would work out for me and I saw my uncle Gene Ryeson and he gave me some money when I told him what happened. I mentioned this in my book, “Lessons From The Microphone” and I bought another ticket.
This time, I turned a negative into a positive and I sat next to former Minnesota Twins Owner Calvin Griffith.
We talked baseball the entire game and I remembered everything he said then proceeded to write a story. My editor George Eichorn sent the story to Griffith and the Twins and he responded back to us and if I ever made it to the area, I would be invited to attend a game and we could talk more. If there was ever a time that I wish I had a camera phone, this was it.
The Twins would defeat the Tigers in this game and went on to win the World Series. As much as I would have liked to have seen Detroit win, I became an admirer of the Minnesota Twins ever since.
What happened this past weekend with what I accomplished only added to the respect that I have for this classy organization beginning with Morse and Zimmerman.
If you ever have a chance to see Hammond Stadium, this facility holds 9,300 and the complex is just unbelievable. The state of the art venue also is the home of the Twins Florida State League team.
I’ve always felt great that when I get a lot of cooperation, this is when I’m at my best.
Since Covid 19, getting total cooperation has been a challenge throughout the sports world.
But with the Minnesota Twins, it felt like old times and made the task so much more pleasant! I can’t thank them enough and am looking forward to promoting them in the future.
They indicated they wanted exposure in our market and I will do everything in my power to give them that and much more!
It’s safe to say that the detour I took shifting from Sebring to Fort Myers turned out to be a no brainer. The trip from Deerfield Beach, Florida to Fort Myers is slightly under two hours away off of I-75.
My instincts were right again as you can tell in this story and the videos inside.
A topic on the 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk Podcast on Monday which you can find on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel was on the trip to Fort Myers. This show featured Pablo Lopez, who is happy that he has a new home in the Twin Cities.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at [email protected]. You can find him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, they can be found of The South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel and there is no cost to subscribe.
Also, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which is available on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble.
