Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout

by Kent Hrbek

Imagine a story in which a young man grows up so close to a major- league ballpark that he can see the stadium lights from his front yard. He pretends to be the team's star during neighborhood ball games and fantasizes about one day playing for his hometown team. Stop imagining. Kent Hrbek made those childhood dreams come true. Hrbek was born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota, site of the Twins' first Minnesota home, Met Stadium. The kid who dreamed about being a Minnesota Twin played 14 seasons for the franchise, helping the club win two World Series titles. His jersey is now one of five retired by the Twins, hanging alongside the likes of Tony Oliva, the hitter he emulated as a child. It's a fairytale story. But it's only part of Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout. There's a cruel reality to the story as well. Hrbek was a 20-year-old playing in Class-A ball when he learned that his father was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. He endured two serious knee injuries before playing a full minor-league season. And he played hurt most of his career, downing Tylenol as if they were M&Ms. Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout is the story of those dreams and realities. Enjoy the humorous tales of pranks pulled by him and his zany teammates, revel in the personal dreams that came true and ponder what might have been had Hrbek not shown such disdain for conditioning and diets. Savor the story of the hometown hero who remains to this day fiercely loyal to his Twins. Savor it, because the reality for modern-day baseball fans is that larger-than-life characters like Kent Hrbek have all but passed from the scene.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Baseball, Memoir

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Zach Koenig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the fact that Kent Hrbek is a "hometown boy" here in Minnesota and won two World Series championships with the Twins, for some reason I never really considered him to be a fan-favorite of mine. Perhaps it was because his on-field stats (only a couple really good seasons, although I will allow that he was very impressive at the first base bag) were quite a bit nostalgia-inflated here in Minny, or maybe it was because he doesn't come across (in personal appearances or interviews) as a state ambassador like Harmon Killebrew. Either way, I never warmed to his status as "Minnesota hero".

I was given this book as a birthday present, and decided to take this approach towards it: giving Hrbek a chance to explain the sort of person he is and tell some good stories. As it turned out, while a few of the stories were interesting, this book only confirmed to me that Hrbek is just a guy who happened to be really good at baseball and, while enjoying the experience while it lasted, doesn't want to continue dwelling on it (at least, when it doesn't go against him, that is).

The main thing that bothered me about this book was how Hrbek conflicted himself on so many occasions. For example, though it is clear that he enjoyed the camaraderie of baseball and lauds the game as a team sport, which it is, he also uses his two World Series rings as a sort of "shield" to any criticism thrown his way. It was kind of like "sure I got fat at the end and maybe alienated some teammates...but I got the rings so I must have done something right". What he fails to put into perspective was that, while he was a key contributor on the '87 team, by 1991 he was already in decline both in the field (decreased mobility due to weight) and at the plate (less power).

Also, I got the feeling from reading the book that Hrbek is a very opinionated man (nothing wrong with that), but doesn't own up to anything he may have done wrong, making excuses throughout the book for different scenarios. Instead of owning up to the fact that he put on so much weight at the end of his career that it expedited his departure from the game, he tries to rationalize the situation by explaining his dislike of intense physical fitness. Again, I understood the point he was trying to make (he wasn't going to work out 24/7/365 like many guys), but that still doesn't excuse the original action. The same thing happened in his somewhat murky relationship with teammate Gary Gaetti, as they were the best of buds until Gaetti found religion and got a bit too preachy for Herbie. Hrbek was still wrong to judge Gaetti for that, and no amount of excuses will change that.

Thus, I was very disappointed with this "memoir" and cannot recommend it to even Twins fans who enjoyed Hrbek in his heyday. Though some of the stories are interesting, the meat of the book (Hrbek's thoughts about the game of baseball) is too conflicted to really be taken seriously.

[Arlo Deutsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading the stories from the 82-95 seasons. I especially enjoyed reading about the 87 and 91 World Series wins and reading personal stories that could only be shared by a player. I also like learning about Hrbek.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must for any Twins fan's collection. If I wasn't a Twins fan I probably wouldn't have appreciated this nearly as much. Spoken from the heart, Hrbek tells it like it is as he chronicles his career and particularly the Twins '87 and '91 championship teams. At times it gets old hearing about drinking beer and the negative things said about some members of the team, but overall a very real picture from Kent's perspective.

Also this book really hits home for anyone from the North Dakota/Minnesota/South Dakota area. Kent talks about the area and his love for the outdoors around the upper midwest. Growing up there it took me back and the pages turned as I felt like a kid again playing baseball/hockey in the backyards as he did.

Must read for any Twins fan! Also suck it Atlanta fans!

[Luke Koran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Joe Mauer, there was only one Minnesota hometown hero in the world of professional baseball. In his short though lively autobiography, "Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout", the kid from Bloomington, Minnesota covers his experiences in the Twins organization,, the big (and small) names he's had the pleasure of interacting with (and pranking), and what it was like to bring - not one - but two World Series championships to his hometown team. As one of only a handful of former players to have their uniform number retired by the Twins, Hrbek's story deserves to be told in a feature-length book. I just wish that he had thrown in a couple dozen pages filled with stories from the dugout, which would have pushed the book over the magic number of 200 pages. (Thanks for responding to my letter and autographing a baseball card for me when I was a kid, Herbie!).

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was like taking a walk down memory lane. While the book was entirely through Hrbek's eyes, and I certainly got more insight than I had when I was a little girl listening to games, it brought back memories. The writing is a very casual style and as a result it made me laugh multiple times. Sometimes it jumps through time and back, but it's more or less laid out in a logical order.

I've gotta say, that a non-Twins fan might not find it that interesting, and those who are Twins fans who don't remember the '80s might not like it quite as well either. All in all, I loved it, but it's definitely not for everyone.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to give this book 3.5 stars. It's not the most elegantly written book I've read, but it's an interesting story, and one I had a personal interest in, as I cheered for the Twins in their 1987 and 1991 World Series.
I think my biggest issue is the way he subtly jabs other players, and then tries to sound like he isn't saying anything negative by adding "But that's just the way I think" or some other disclaimer. I appreciate his candor, but I think he spins a few things while at the same time saying he's just making observations.
All in all, it was an enjoying read and a good insight into the Twins.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so the prose isn't quite in the baseball literary tradition of Malamud or Kinsella, but how can you not love Kent Hrbek? He's a big lout who who loves to fish and hunt and got to play ball for his home town team and help them win two World Series championships. Hrbie tells it like it is and makes no apologies. Sure, he should have lost a little weight, but he played his heart out and gave me some baseball memories I will treasure forever. This is a quick, fun read that every Twins fan who waxes poetic about 1987 and 1991 should definitely read.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kent shares a lot of interesting stories and facts from his days in Bloomington to his days in the Dome to his days as a retired guy fishing on MN's 10,000 lakes. He is not shy about his opinions, which I found surprising at first, but really appreciated and admired. I wish he would have gone more in depth in some topics, and that's the only reason this book didn't get five stars. I heart Kent and loved this book. It was a fun, quick read, and I'm really glad I read it while the Twins are in the hunt for a postseason berth!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun remembering Kent and other Twins players and the games.