Minnesota sports journalist writes children's book about Joe Mauer just in time for his Hall of Fame entrance
'The Right Thing To Do: The Joe Mauer Story' is a new children's book sharing real life lessons from Joe Mauer.
Courtesy Joe Schmit
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From hometown hero to hall of fame, this summer, Joe Mauer will be enshrined as one of major league baseball’s greats. The career Twins catcher is a first ballot hall of famer. It’s only the third time a catcher has made it in the first ballot. The St. Paul native received 76 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association and will be inducted in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in July.
KSTP-TV Sports Director Joe Schmit has followed Joe Mauer through his career and also has a new children’s book coming out this week about Joe Mauer. The book is called “The Right Thing to Do: The Joe Mauer Story.” He joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: From hometown hero to Hall of Fame, this summer, Joe Mauer will be enshrined as one of the Major League Baseball greats.
JOE MAUER: To receive that call was amazing. And the emotion started to really flood after receiving that call.
CATHY WURZER: That's Joe Mauer talking to the media after the announcement last night. The career Twins catcher is a first ballot Hall of Famer. It's only the third time a catcher has made it in the first ballot. The Saint Paul Native received 76% of the vote from the Baseball writers Association and will be inducted in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in July.
Joining us right now is KSTP-TV Sports Director Joe Schmit, who has followed Joe Mauer through his entire career. And Joe also has a new children's book coming out this week about Joe Mauer. Joe Schmit, it's a pleasure. How are you?
JOE SCHMIT: Good, Cathy. How are you?
CATHY WURZER: I am great. Thank you. The timing for your book on Joe is spot on.
JOE SCHMIT: Well, we were going to push it for Christmas. And I said, I think we should wait for January. So it worked out pretty good--
CATHY WURZER: Yes, it did.
JOE SCHMIT: --because Joe going into the Hall of Fame. And quite frankly, Joe's a Hall of Fame human being too. So this book is all about values. And it has some stories that Joe did as a kid that will resonate with a lot of people.
CATHY WURZER: How fun has it been to follow the career of someone like Joe Mauer?
JOE SCHMIT: It's been pretty rewarding. I was trying to find the very first interview I did with Joe. And I believe it was between his sophomore and junior year. We kept hearing about this kid in Saint Paul by the name of Joe Mauer who was good in all these sports. And I went and interviewed him. And I thought, well, this guy is the shyest guy I've ever met. And he's so humble. And he just doesn't seem to get too rattled.
Well, guess what. That's the way he was the entire career that he had with the Twins. And I do have to admit, Cathy, that when I heard his name announced watching the MLB Network yesterday, I got some goosebumps because I thought, wow, this is a kid who you just saw with big dreams, had all the talent in the world, and just did everything he could to be a great teammate. And here he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only 1.3% of the players who make it to the Major Leagues are in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
CATHY WURZER: Right. And only three catchers evidently have been elected on the first ballot. I wonder, why is that so rare?
JOE SCHMIT: Well the first ballot is kind of supposed to be for the best of the best. It's Hank Aaron and Willie Mays and Ty Cobb and Ozzie Smith, those kind of players who basically changed the game. So it's a big honor.
Of the 273 players who are in the Hall of Fame, Mauer is one of 50 who went in on the first ballot. So it's a really, really big honor. And that's why some people thought Joe might not make it because he didn't catch his entire career. When he caught, the years that he caught, he was the best catcher in baseball by far. And you can actually take his numbers and put them up against Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez and Yogi Berra and some of these great catchers, and Joe's numbers stand out.
CATHY WURZER: There's been so much-- and rightfully so in the past few days, so much talk about Joe's career and what he has done and just how fantastic he is. Your book, though, which is very sweet, kind of looks at Joe as a human being. And everyone who knows him says he's just a wonderful human being. Why did you want to write a children's book about Joe?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, I have to admit that it was my publisher. I had written a couple of other books that are basically business inspirational books. And my publisher came up with the idea of writing a children's book because one of the stories I tell is Joe who walked a blind student to lunch every day. And I went and put my reporter's cap on and found the impact of what Joe did is still having 20 years later.
And I tell that story. And I did a TV story on it. And it gets a lot of response. People really like that story. So we thought, let's put it into a children's book for first and second graders, kindergartners, people like that, to get the lessons from Joe. When I approached Joe, Joe was hesitant on it because he was like, I don't want to make myself look like I'm some kind of hero.
And that's when we came up with the idea. 100% of the profits proceeds would go to charity. And on top of that, we're offering people a chance to donate books. And we'll distribute them to schools and book deserts in Minnesota. And that's happened. So we're going to donate books to over 500 elementary schools in Minnesota so far.
CATHY WURZER: Lovely. Lovely. Say, what are some of the lessons from Joe Mauer in the book?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, there's the one. We do talk about the story with Mike, the young man who Joe walked to lunch every day. This is also a tribute to Joe's dad and his mom. And Joe lost his dad a little over a year ago. And there's a lesson in there where Joe broke a window playing baseball. And Joe wanted to run away and hide. And his dad made him go over to the house and talk to the lady and pay for the window.
And it's sweet lessons like that that are in the book. Joe was always the first guy picked. And when he was the captain of the team, he would always pick somebody who was never the first person picked. All these little lessons that Joe learned. And when I wrote the original story in my book Silent Impact, I asked Joe-- I said, Joe-- this is 15 years after he walked Mike to the lunchroom every day and sat him down at his table. Mike normally ate by himself.
And I said, Joe, why did you do this? And Joe's answer was because it was the right thing to do. So when it came time to name the book, it was pretty easy to name it The Right Thing to Do because that's really what it's all about.
CATHY WURZER: Obviously, those values instilled by his parents. I mean, his family is so important to him.
JOE SCHMIT: And you know what, all the Mauer boys are like that. There are three boys. They grew up in Saint Paul. They certainly didn't have-- they weren't poor, but they weren't rich. And they had to work. I mean, Joe had chores. He did the dishes. I mean, there were things that they did before they played baseball. And there's no question that the parents, who are both pretty good athletes themselves, but they instilled these values in all the Mauer boys. And it's just part of who he is.
We had a book launch at Target Field, a private party, on Saturday night. And Joe was there and took pictures and signed autographs. It was grueling. I was tired by the time I was done. And Joe had all the attention. And he's just a gem of a human being. And the humility that he has just comes across.
CATHY WURZER: By the way, Joe, where can folks find the book?
JOE SCHMIT: We have a website called joemauerbook.com. You can buy books there. You can donate books. People are donating books to their local schools or buying books to donate to their local schools. And it's been great. So joemauerbook.com.
CATHY WURZER: And before you go, I know you've written books in the past, what gives you joy when it comes to writing kids' books?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, I never thought I would be a children's author. And now I'm kind of thinking, I wonder if I could take this Right Thing to Do and write more books about people who are in the spotlight to inspire young kids because I remember when I was a kid. No matter what you say, we idolize these kids. We wear their jerseys, these players and so forth. And a lot of them have these backstories where they do the right thing. And I thought, well, maybe this is a whole new deal. And the fact that it's all going to charity is good for the soul.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. Joe Schmit, it was so much fun talking to you. Thank you. We'll see you on the TV.
JOE SCHMIT: All right. We'll be there. We'll listen to you on the radio, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Thanks, Joe. Joe Schmit, sports director at KSTP-TV.
JOE MAUER: To receive that call was amazing. And the emotion started to really flood after receiving that call.
CATHY WURZER: That's Joe Mauer talking to the media after the announcement last night. The career Twins catcher is a first ballot Hall of Famer. It's only the third time a catcher has made it in the first ballot. The Saint Paul Native received 76% of the vote from the Baseball writers Association and will be inducted in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in July.
Joining us right now is KSTP-TV Sports Director Joe Schmit, who has followed Joe Mauer through his entire career. And Joe also has a new children's book coming out this week about Joe Mauer. Joe Schmit, it's a pleasure. How are you?
JOE SCHMIT: Good, Cathy. How are you?
CATHY WURZER: I am great. Thank you. The timing for your book on Joe is spot on.
JOE SCHMIT: Well, we were going to push it for Christmas. And I said, I think we should wait for January. So it worked out pretty good--
CATHY WURZER: Yes, it did.
JOE SCHMIT: --because Joe going into the Hall of Fame. And quite frankly, Joe's a Hall of Fame human being too. So this book is all about values. And it has some stories that Joe did as a kid that will resonate with a lot of people.
CATHY WURZER: How fun has it been to follow the career of someone like Joe Mauer?
JOE SCHMIT: It's been pretty rewarding. I was trying to find the very first interview I did with Joe. And I believe it was between his sophomore and junior year. We kept hearing about this kid in Saint Paul by the name of Joe Mauer who was good in all these sports. And I went and interviewed him. And I thought, well, this guy is the shyest guy I've ever met. And he's so humble. And he just doesn't seem to get too rattled.
Well, guess what. That's the way he was the entire career that he had with the Twins. And I do have to admit, Cathy, that when I heard his name announced watching the MLB Network yesterday, I got some goosebumps because I thought, wow, this is a kid who you just saw with big dreams, had all the talent in the world, and just did everything he could to be a great teammate. And here he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only 1.3% of the players who make it to the Major Leagues are in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
CATHY WURZER: Right. And only three catchers evidently have been elected on the first ballot. I wonder, why is that so rare?
JOE SCHMIT: Well the first ballot is kind of supposed to be for the best of the best. It's Hank Aaron and Willie Mays and Ty Cobb and Ozzie Smith, those kind of players who basically changed the game. So it's a big honor.
Of the 273 players who are in the Hall of Fame, Mauer is one of 50 who went in on the first ballot. So it's a really, really big honor. And that's why some people thought Joe might not make it because he didn't catch his entire career. When he caught, the years that he caught, he was the best catcher in baseball by far. And you can actually take his numbers and put them up against Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez and Yogi Berra and some of these great catchers, and Joe's numbers stand out.
CATHY WURZER: There's been so much-- and rightfully so in the past few days, so much talk about Joe's career and what he has done and just how fantastic he is. Your book, though, which is very sweet, kind of looks at Joe as a human being. And everyone who knows him says he's just a wonderful human being. Why did you want to write a children's book about Joe?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, I have to admit that it was my publisher. I had written a couple of other books that are basically business inspirational books. And my publisher came up with the idea of writing a children's book because one of the stories I tell is Joe who walked a blind student to lunch every day. And I went and put my reporter's cap on and found the impact of what Joe did is still having 20 years later.
And I tell that story. And I did a TV story on it. And it gets a lot of response. People really like that story. So we thought, let's put it into a children's book for first and second graders, kindergartners, people like that, to get the lessons from Joe. When I approached Joe, Joe was hesitant on it because he was like, I don't want to make myself look like I'm some kind of hero.
And that's when we came up with the idea. 100% of the profits proceeds would go to charity. And on top of that, we're offering people a chance to donate books. And we'll distribute them to schools and book deserts in Minnesota. And that's happened. So we're going to donate books to over 500 elementary schools in Minnesota so far.
CATHY WURZER: Lovely. Lovely. Say, what are some of the lessons from Joe Mauer in the book?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, there's the one. We do talk about the story with Mike, the young man who Joe walked to lunch every day. This is also a tribute to Joe's dad and his mom. And Joe lost his dad a little over a year ago. And there's a lesson in there where Joe broke a window playing baseball. And Joe wanted to run away and hide. And his dad made him go over to the house and talk to the lady and pay for the window.
And it's sweet lessons like that that are in the book. Joe was always the first guy picked. And when he was the captain of the team, he would always pick somebody who was never the first person picked. All these little lessons that Joe learned. And when I wrote the original story in my book Silent Impact, I asked Joe-- I said, Joe-- this is 15 years after he walked Mike to the lunchroom every day and sat him down at his table. Mike normally ate by himself.
And I said, Joe, why did you do this? And Joe's answer was because it was the right thing to do. So when it came time to name the book, it was pretty easy to name it The Right Thing to Do because that's really what it's all about.
CATHY WURZER: Obviously, those values instilled by his parents. I mean, his family is so important to him.
JOE SCHMIT: And you know what, all the Mauer boys are like that. There are three boys. They grew up in Saint Paul. They certainly didn't have-- they weren't poor, but they weren't rich. And they had to work. I mean, Joe had chores. He did the dishes. I mean, there were things that they did before they played baseball. And there's no question that the parents, who are both pretty good athletes themselves, but they instilled these values in all the Mauer boys. And it's just part of who he is.
We had a book launch at Target Field, a private party, on Saturday night. And Joe was there and took pictures and signed autographs. It was grueling. I was tired by the time I was done. And Joe had all the attention. And he's just a gem of a human being. And the humility that he has just comes across.
CATHY WURZER: By the way, Joe, where can folks find the book?
JOE SCHMIT: We have a website called joemauerbook.com. You can buy books there. You can donate books. People are donating books to their local schools or buying books to donate to their local schools. And it's been great. So joemauerbook.com.
CATHY WURZER: And before you go, I know you've written books in the past, what gives you joy when it comes to writing kids' books?
JOE SCHMIT: Well, I never thought I would be a children's author. And now I'm kind of thinking, I wonder if I could take this Right Thing to Do and write more books about people who are in the spotlight to inspire young kids because I remember when I was a kid. No matter what you say, we idolize these kids. We wear their jerseys, these players and so forth. And a lot of them have these backstories where they do the right thing. And I thought, well, maybe this is a whole new deal. And the fact that it's all going to charity is good for the soul.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. Joe Schmit, it was so much fun talking to you. Thank you. We'll see you on the TV.
JOE SCHMIT: All right. We'll be there. We'll listen to you on the radio, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Thanks, Joe. Joe Schmit, sports director at KSTP-TV.
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