Wiedmer: Twins could be perfect fit for Scenic City

photo AT&T Field is the home stadium of the Chattanooga Lookouts.

It didn't take Chattanooga Lookouts president and general manager Rich Mozingo long to put a human touch to Wednesday's announcement that the American League's Minnesota Twins will now be the parent club of the Looks.

"One of the things we've already talked about," Mozingo said, "is taking the next step of getting these players more involved in our community."

After the news of the past couple of weeks regarding professional athletes -- everything from Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching out his future bride to Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson beating his 4-year-old child to Indiana Pacers foward Paul George making light of the Rice incident in a Tweet -- one could argue whether or not that's a good thing.

Even one of the two or three most beloved Twins ever -- the late Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett -- didn't exactly go to his grave with the reputation of being a loyal, faithful husband.

Never have the old words of former NBA great Charles Barkley been more true than his long-ago proclamation:: "I am not a role model."

But that doesn't mean all athletes -- pro, college, high school -- aren't seen that way, or that they shouldn't understand and attempt to project that image whenever possible.

And because of that, something the Twins' Bill Smith said about the organization's character-building is also worth repeating.

"It's not a class," said Smith, who's been with Minnesota for 27 years and served as the franchise's general manager from 2008 through 2011. "It's every day. We're proud of our scouts. They send us great players, but they send us great human beings and responsible people, too.

"Tom Kelly -- who managed us to two World Series titles -- has always said, 'You just don't represent the Twins, you represent your family.' Our minor league coaches talk to our players about that every day."

At the end of each summer, the Twins even award one player from each of their minor league levels with the Harmon Killebrew Community Service Award. Some Lookout will be so honored this time next year for Killebrew, who once played here before becoming a Hall of Famer.

This isn't why the Twins came to the Scenic City, of course. They came because, regardless of what some people may think, we have a first-class facility in AT&T Field that has a first-class playing surface and, in the words of Twins director of minor league operations Brad Steil: "It's a nice place to live with an affordable cost of living, which is important to our players."

A brief thought for community leaders about the stadium: Leave it alone. Embrace the fact that it's paid for. There seem to be many loud whispers about building a new stadium on the Southside, which would free up old Hawk Hill for 12-month use rather than the five-month calendar of AT&T Field.

First, most estimates show such a facility might cost the taxpayers more than $20 million, which would surely be better spent on education (including teachers' health care packages, perhaps?), which might then encourage other businesses to relocate here.

As for the Southside, if it's built anywhere near the chicken processing plant does anyone really believe the fans are more likely to frequent the Lookouts than they do now?

But we digress. Once was the time our minor league players didn't just get involved in the community, they were a part of the community. Told of the Twins' announcement, this newspaper's former editorial writer Wes Hasden recalled working at Engel Stadium as a child in the late 1950s and sometimes being driven home by major league pitching great Jim Kaat because the young Kaat, "Lived in the Glenwood Apartments."

Of course, given the image of the pro athlete today, how many parents would want their young ones riding home with a ballplayer? Certainly not former Lookout and current LA Dodger Yasiel Puig, who seemed intent on perfecting his Formula One skills out on Amnicola Highway.

And then there's the near-certain NL Cy Young winner and probable NL MVP winner Clayton Kershaw, who disappointed dozens of young fans during his Dodgers rehab assignment here earlier this season by blowing off their autograph requests.

Yet neither of those incidents rises anywhere near the level of surprise and disappointment that Peterson's child abuse charges have had on Minneapolis-St. Paul's sports fans.

"I've been there almost 15 years," said Steil, "and he's up there with the most popular athletes ever. So it's a tough situation. I think it's been a shock to everyone."

The real shock may be that we keep coming back for more, hoping our athletes can provide some sort of spark and leadership and will to win that we sense lacking in ourselves.

But there's also something about the athlete, particularly the minor league athlete struggling to reach the majors, that embodies all we love about sports in this country, especially within Rust Belt towns such as Minneapolis and small cities such as Chattanooga.

Which brings us to a brilliant, if scathing piece that former Sports Illustrated icon Frank Deford penned in 2003 regarding the fall from grace of Puckett.

In its early paragraphs, Twin Cities radio personality Jeff Dubay said: "People think of [Minneapolis] as being a little different from L.A. or New York. There are values here."

There are also values here, which should help us embrace the Twins as much as they've embraced us.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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