Twins’ visit a hit with fans, students
A heavy blanket of snow covered baseball diamonds around the area Tuesday and Ely was just coming out of a long stretch of below-zero temperatures.It may have seemed to be an odd time to be talking baseball, but baseball was on the minds of hundreds of area students and residents.The reason was the Minnesota Twins’ annual winter caravan stop in Ely, which included an assembly before public school students and a luncheon attended by about 175 people at the Grand Ely Lodge.A Twins delegation including outfielder Lew Ford, pitcher Grant Balfour, former Twin and current radio announcer Dan Gladden, television announcer Clay Matvick and several team representatives were in town.They signed autographs, mingled with fans, promoted the 2005 Twins season, and even helped raise funds for local youth baseball.The lunch event doubled as a fundrasier for the Ely Baseball Association, which sponsors four local summer baseball teams.And by all accounts, the day was a hit - perhaps even a grand slam - for the Twins and event organizers.“We’ve just been overwhelmed by the hospitality in Ely, at every stop we have made,” Matvick told those gathered at Grand Ely Lodge.The EBA, which spends about $25,000 annually to support youth baseball in Ely, got a headstart toward meeting its budget needs for 2005.“It’s a great event for us,” said EBA President Clarence Jordan. “The Twins have been very good to work with and we’re thankful they have made Ely a stop on their caravan. There is a lot of support for youth baseball and a lot of interest in Twins baseball here, and they see that when they come to Ely.”Local event sponsors included the EBA, Grand Ely Lodge, the Ely Echo and WELY Radio, the area broadcast affiliate for Twins baseball.The Twins, who were at Duluth Monday night and stopped at the Minntac mine in Mt. Iron on the way here, started their Ely visit with a stop at WELY and continued on to the school, where they spoke to students gathered at Washington Auditorium.The Grand Ely Lodge event capped off the festivities and included lunch, the showing of the 2004 Twins highlight video, autographs and a question and answer session.Ford, who stepped into the starting lineup last season and hit over .300 for much of the year, said he was optimistic the Twins would contend for a fourth consecutive playoff berth.Both Ford, who hails from Texas, and the Australian-born Balfour were stunned by the winter weather.Gladden had visited Ely previously and vacationed at the Grand Ely Lodge.He directed many of his remarks at the Ely high school and Legion baseball players in attendance, encouraging them to devote time to the game in order to improve.Many in the crowd left with door prizes including autographed bats and balls, Twins bobblehead dolls, Twins game tickets and Grand Ely Lodge gift certificates.The delegation was one of four separate Twins contingents who will trek throughout a five-state area, combining to make nearly 60 stops in two weeks.In existence for nearly 20 years, the Twins’ winter caravan has included stops in Hibbing and Virginia in recent years , a visit to Fortune Bay Resort in 2002, and now consecutive stops in Ely.
