MINNEAPOLIS — At Hockey City Pub in St. Paul, in the moments after Joe Mauer's election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, many fans shared similar reactions.
"Awesome, well-deserved!"
"It's so cool that it's his first-ever ballot and he actually gets it, which is so fun."
"One of the greatest Minnesota athletes in history, so to see him in the Hall of Fame, is sweet."
And only seconds into the conversation, fans point straight to Mauer's character.
"Gave back to the community, was a role model for the kids. That's why I'm a Mauer fan, 100%."
One of Mauer's biggest fans is his high school football coach at Cretin-Derham Hall Rich Kallok.
"Joe deserves it. Not just because of how he played but because of the man he is and the kind of young man he was in high school," Kallok said.
Just last month, Mauer dropped by to deliver an autographed baseball for his former coach's grandson, an aspiring catcher, on his 11th birthday.
"That's the kind of young man he is and still is. He's gracious and doesn't expect anything out of it. It's what he does," Kallok said.
Having never left Minnesota, in retirement Mauer remains active — off the radar — with local charities like the Highland Friendship Club.
As an athlete, Mauer was named top senior high school baseball player and football in the nation, by USA Today. Kallok thinks if he'd gone the gridiron route, he might be looking at Canton instead of Cooperstown.
"He'd be playing on Sundays, and they might be looking for him for the Hall of Fame," he said.
But Mauer cemented his legacy as Minnesota legend, by playing for the Twins and turning down more money elsewhere to retire here, a Hall of Famer.
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