Customer Reviews

Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout (Tales)

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As a Minnesota Twins fan for some forty years, this may be perceived as a somewhat biased view...but I truly don't believe it is. Most of those who follow the game closely, and appreciate its significance on the national psyche for more than a century, will respect this straight-arrow summary--of Kent Hrbek's team, in particular; but, even more importantly, for the significance and integrity of the game in general. Though an unsung hero in terms of individual awards, he was, in the eyes of many objective baseball observers, as good as any--and better than most--first basemen to play the game. And he was an excellent clutch hitter (e.g., his grand slam homerun in the sixth game of the 1987 World Series) who knew the strike zone, and rarely swung at a bad pitch. But, as he emphasizes in his book, his two World Series rings, and the undying support of true baseball fans in the upper Midwest, and throughout the country, totally overshadow the fact that he was, inexplicably, overlooked for the individual honors which, in the view of many, he so richly deserved. He and others refer to his approach to the game as that of a throwback...the type of player from the game's glory days. This is arguably as high a tribute as can be given a player. And, because these qualities are, sadly, in short supply in today's go-for-the-money atmosphere, Kent Hrbek--nearly thirteen years after his early retirement--is still missed by those who love the game... for the game. And for all of those, "Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout" is highly recommended. --Ron Howe / Erskine, Minnesota

This book was a great, quick read of antecdotes from Hrbek's career as a Twin. He reveals a lot of suprising off-the-field information that baseball players rarely reveal in career retrospectives. If you were a Twins fan in the glory year runs of 1987 and 1991, you have to check this out.

After reading 'Tales', I felt like I had actually been in the dugout with the Twins. The book keeps moving, doesn't well on any point too long and provides just the right amount of detail. Hrbek and Brackin have delivered a baseball classic.

Hrbek's antics and honesty come through as genuine. He seems like a guy were he your neighbor you could just walk up to and have a nice, casual conversation. His views on baseball provide insight for the fan from the other side of the stadium fence. I remember watching him as a kid whenever the Twins came to Seattle, and he was always an impressive player. We ran into Hrbek on the street in downtown Seattle one day and he lived-up to his friendly guy image in person too.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in baseball or the Minnesota Twins in particular.

This autobiography reads like it was actually written by Kent Hrbek; it's fun, enjoyable, and not an in-depth introspective look back at his life. It hits the highlights of his career, briefly touches upon his upbringing, and has no tales told out of school from the dugout. If you're looking for depth, don't bother.

Hrbek comes across as a rare athlete who realizes that the important things in life are not being bowed down to and worshiped because he could hit a baseball. He's honest about his love of beer, his family, and not caring that much about conditioning.

Long-time Twins fans like me will relish this, but wish it had just a little more.

It was great to read about a player I felt like I knew growing up. The same Kent Hrbek emerges in this book - a fun loving outdoorsman who loves to eat and drink a beer, while happening to be one of the most talented baseball players of the 1980s and early 90s.

It's an enjoyable, quick read for any Twins fan of that era. For those looking for a "deeper side" of Kent Hrbek, you won't find it here. The book is a little weak on chronology -- jumping back and forward in time unnecessarily -- and repeats itself too much (as if co-writer Dennis Brackin was being paid by the page).

This was a fun book to read. Kent Hrbek had some great insights into baseball and the culture that surrounds it. However even more important, Kent Hrbek seems to be a grounded individual that would be fun to share a beer with and that comes through in this book.

I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. First, Kent Hrbek is a really likable guy who isn't out to impress anyone. He is a truly genuine individual, which is admirable and refreshing. He is also very interesting. No, this book isn't written on a graduate level, but who cares? It's about baseball, a team full of good guys, and one fun loving guy in particular. I read this book right before I read the book written by John Schuerholz. Wow, talk about opposites. The "genius" Schuerholz has no clue about things like the Hrbek charm.

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.