What follows are a few of Juan Berenguer’s comments that didn’t make it into today’s print edition:
So if you’re the (Twins) manager and you have that bullpen, how (would you have done) things differently?
I talk to my starting pitcher and I say, “Anything from the first innings, close game, anything (bad happens), you’re going out.†I’m using my bullpen.
The bullpen has bring me here so far to win 93, 94 games for the year and I going to use it. I will use it because I need to win three games and this is a short race. In New York you have … lose so many games. They going to say, oh, it going to happen again. I don’t want to fail from the beginning right away.
Are you a little biased being a former reliever?
Yeah, but … I want to see the Twins advance a little bit more. That’s nice for the fans and the new stadium. He should manage a different way because I know if Tom Kelly is in there, Tom Kelly bring all his bullpen right away. You know, want to give you chance.
What are you doing now?
I do a lot of things. I help my kids. My kid that play hockey, he did a couple tryouts for the Hawks in Chicago. But he get a minor league contract to go in the minor leagues, but he want to graduate. He go to Hamline University. He want to play one more year then graduate, I think, in May or June.
My other son (has had) a couple tryouts with the Twins. He’s a pitcher and outfield. … I want to take him to Florida, train him really good and see what happens from there.
And I do sales. I do sales with Freeway Ford, especially for Latinos and the Internet. I try to keep more time to myself. … I do a lot of charities. … Sometimes I go teach some kids. Say something on there, it’s nice to help the kids.
On playing with the Twins:
(Teammates) never called me Juan, my name. Everybody call me different names. I had no problem with that. Al Newman, he call me “Señor Smoke.†(Steve) Lombardozzi (call me) “Gasolino†and always pitching, “Hey, Gasolino.†Always try to make me more relaxed on the mound. I really enjoy playing with the bunch of guys who wanted to win. …
Tom Kelly know how to (direct). When I have a bad day and I be hit, he say, “Be ready the next day because you go right back in there†and he did. When you work with somebody who have confidence in you, you want to get back in there because you want to be helping the team.
I enjoy the team because everybody want to participate. Anybody say, “Lets go get together for dinner on the road,†(of the) 24 guys, 20 guys showed up. It’s amazing how these guys take together and do a lot of things together.
A lot of (times) it’s individual. You no can win individual. You have to be together. … That’s how you win some games and win the playoffs and win the World Series.
On how he came to pitch for the Twins:
(Manager Roger Craig) said I go try my best (to) bring you to San Francisco and be my closer and the middle reliever. He did. I really no like San Francisco. I wanted to be traded in to the American League, because I no like the National League because my success is to pitch high. I had a lot of problem to keep the ball down because it’s a completely different strike zone.
And the ballgame is faster in the National League because (players) bunt a lot and I’m a bad fielder.
I wanted to come back to American League because the hitter is more free swinger, try to be a hero and knock it out of the ballpark. …
That’s when I come into free (agency) and get a call from Tony Oliva. He said, “Why you not come over to Minnesota?†… I come in in spring training. I talk with Tom Kelly and I talk to Andy MacPhail, who was the general manager that year. He offered me year and the option. …
You played in a lot of major league markets, why did you decide to settle in the Twin Cities after you retired?
When I come over here my wife really fall in love. The schools and my kids enjoy and have a lot of friends. For me it’s better that my kids have more friends. They don’t have to care about go to different school, like Detroit, New York where the people a little more crazy. That the reason: The school is better in here than any other places.
