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Twins fans, Mauer’s high school coach react to Hall of Fame
Fans are quick to note Mauer’s character when discussing his athletic accomplishments
MINNEAPOLIS — At Hockey City Pub in St. Paul, in the moments after Joe Mauer’s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, many fans shared similar reactions.
“Awesome, well-deserved!”
“It’s so cool that it’s his first-ever ballot and he actually gets it, which is so fun.”
“One of the greatest Minnesota athletes in history, so to see him in the Hall of Fame, is sweet.”
And only seconds into the conversation, fans point straight to Mauer’s character.
“Gave back to the community, was a role model for the kids. That’s why I’m a Mauer fan, 100%.”
One of Mauer’s biggest fans is his high school football coach at Cretin-Derham Hall Rich Kallok.
“Joe deserves it. Not just because of how he played but because of the man he is and the kind of young man he was in high school,” Kallok said.
Just last month, Mauer dropped by to deliver an autographed baseball for his former coach’s grandson, an aspiring catcher, on his 11th birthday.
“That’s the kind of young man he is and still is. He’s gracious and doesn’t expect anything out of it. It’s what he does,” Kallok said.
Having never left Minnesota, in retirement Mauer remains active — off the radar — with local charities like the Highland Friendship Club.
As an athlete, Mauer was named top senior high school baseball player and football in the nation, by USA Today. Kallok thinks if he’d gone the gridiron route, he might be looking at Canton instead of Cooperstown.
“He’d be playing on Sundays, and they might be looking for him for the Hall of Fame,” he said.
But Mauer cemented his legacy as Minnesota legend, by playing for the Twins and turning down more money elsewhere to retire here, a Hall of Famer.
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Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
