Two players and two coaches from the team, along with broadcaster John Gordon, were in attendance for a radio spot, followed by a meet-and-greet across the street at Wahpeton Deli.
Gordon acted as emcee of the event, introducing manager Ron Gardenhire, pitching coach Rick Anderson, outfielder Lew Ford and shortstop Jason Bartlett.
 John Gordon, left, of WCCO radio in the Twin Cities, interviews Twins outfielder Lew Ford, right, about his base running technique while Twins manager Ron Gardenhire laughs in the background. Gordon, Ford and Gardenhire were joined by pitching coach Rick Anderson and infielder Jason Bartlett for the team's 46th annual Winter Caravan. Daily News photo by Michael Shirek. Advertisement |
Not only is it the longest-running, it is the most significant in the major leagues. The Twins Winter Caravan will visit more than 50 communities in the month of January.
Monday was the first day of stops for the team and Wahpeton was the second city on the schedule after Aberdeen, S.D.
If the first day of the trip is any indication, it will be a long caravan for Ford.
Gardenhire spoke next, thanking the crowd for showing up.
Then he talked baseball.
“After the holidays, you start thinking about the ball club,” he said. And with spring training about six weeks away, Gardenhire openly wondered if Ford would make it through spring training this season after not making the squad at the beginning of the 2005 season.
“Lew does it all,” Gardenhire said of the fixture in the Twins line-up at the end of the season. “Tripping over bases and missing the cut-off man are all parts of his game.”
All joking aside, Gardenhire and Anderson talked about the future of the Twins' pitching staff which was good last year despite a lack of offensive help.
Last season, the Twins lost 30 one-run games.
“Anytime you pitch, you have a chance to win and we saw that last year,” Gardenhire said. The key in 2006, he said, was to get the extra run.
And then it was back to Ford, who split time in the outfield and as the designated hitter.
“What are the adjustments a player has to make between playing in the field and being the designated hitter?” Gordon asked the outfielder.
“I haven't really figured that out,” Ford said.
The crowd laughed as he was apparently joking.
Of course, it took Ford a while to realize that Metrodome crowds weren't booing when he was introduced.
In contrast with the jovial Ford, a quiet Bartlett addressed the crowd. The California native wasn't too excited about the cold weather, but he said he was still happy to be on the caravan.
“It's nice to be here to see the fans, the little kids with smiles on their faces.” he said.
After a meet-and-greet with the fans in attendance, the players and coaches packed up and hit the road for an evening stop in Fargo.
The first leg of the caravan continues through Thursday. Other stops include Grand Forks and the Minnesota communities of Detroit Lakes, Fosston, Crookston, Thief River Falls, Warroad, Red Lake High School, Bemidji and Brainerd.
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