Notes to Remember From Monday Roundtable

By Dan Schlossberg

One-liners that surfaced during the Monday Roundtable that ended Hall of Fame weekend:

Enjoying the rare Central New York sunshine are (left to right) Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, J.P. Morosi, Jim Leyland, and Joe Mauer.Photo byDan Schlossberg

• A former Double-A catcher who spent 18 years in the minors (11 as a manager), Jim Leyland said, “I hope I’m an inspiration to other guys out there not to give up”
• Jim Leyland’s son Pat manages the Kannapolis Cannonballs but he never questions anything the kid does
• Even though only 22 managers reside in the Hall of Fame, the Eras Committee won’t consider them again until they vote for the Class of 2027
• After completing an unassisted triple play, Troy Tulowitzki casually tossed the ball to Todd Helton — who threw it into the stands without thinking and had to trade a signed bat to get it back for the Colorado shortstop
• Helton considered former Colorado manager Clint Hurdle his confidante
• Todd Helton has two extremely athletic daughters
• A difficult interview, Helton thanked the writers “for making the most of what little I gave you”
• Joe Mauer’s mother is the best athlete in the family, according to her Hall of Fame son
• The first catcher to win three batting titles, Mauer broke up three no-hitters in the ninth inning
• Mauer is the first Hall of Famer born in the ‘80s and the youngest overall at 41
• After striking out one night against Felix Hernandez, Adrian Beltre regrouped and hit a home run he says “is still traveling in the Texas night”
• Beltre’s son Adrian is starting his college career as a combination shortstop and pitcher
• Ten 10 Twins alumni dominated the dias of Hall of Famers who watched the speeches by the four-man Class of 2024

Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is the author of Home Run King: the Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron. He covers baseball for forbes.com, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Memories & Dreams, and other outlets. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.