BUY ON AMAZON: Kent Hrbek’s Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout (Tales)
Big first baseman Kent Hrbek was one of the games true characters, a throwback whose personal tastes were every bit as Ruthian as the monstrous homers for which he is remembered. At a time when professional athletes were discovering the benefits of personal trainers and dieticians, he frequently expressed his preference for a diet of junk food and beer. He and teammates like Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, and late Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett played the game with a passion seldom seen in modern sports, and brought fun and humor into the Twins clubhouse. It was a place where a manager had to ban the cleaning of fish in the trainers room, and where practical jokes were more commonplace than scouting reports. It wasnt all fun and games, however. Hrbek and Gaetti became best friends, but had that friendship strained when Gaetti found religion and tried to push his beliefs including no beer onto Hrbek. Finally, late in his career, Hrbek battled serious shoulder injuries before retiring.
Kent Hrbek played 14 seasons for his hometown Minnesota Twins, helping the franchise to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. A .282 career hitter with 293 homers, he’s one of five Twins to have his number retired. Since retiring, Hrbek has been active in charity work for Lou Gehrig’s disease, hosts the Kent Hrbek Outdoors TV show and is a special assistant with the Twins.
Dennis Brackin has worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune since 1981, winning several national APSE (Associated Press Sports Editors) awards for reporting. He covered the Twins throughout Hrbek’s career, and the two are native Minnesotans who share the same birthdate (May 21) and fondness for practical jokes. Brackin is currently an assistant sports editor at the paper who oversees Major League Baseball coverage.
