Morneau top AL player in May

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: June 4, 2007 - 10:55 PM

ANAHEIM - Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is living large.

On Monday, Morneau was named AL player of the month for May. He hit .380 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 21 runs scored in 27 games. It's the 15th time a Twins player has won the award, and the first for Morneau.

Since the award is sponsored by a television company, Morneau will receive a 52-inch LCD television.

It doesn't stop there.

Morneau is like most Canadians who revere legendary hockey commentator Don Cherry. Since Anaheim and Ottawa are playing Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals here on Wednesday, Morneau has left tickets for Cherry and sidekick Ron MacLean to watch tonight's Twins-Angels game.

"He's a legend," Morneau said. "He's one of the people I've always wanted to meet."

According to Morneau (the search for the footage is underway), Cherry gave Morneau a "thumbs up" on his show after Morneau got back in the lineup a day after getting his nose broken on May 12. A Canadian toughness thing.

And that's not all.

Morneau and his girlfriend have tickets for Game 5 Wednesday night in Anaheim. He'll fly back to the Twin Cities on Thursday before their interleague series on Friday against Washington at the Metrodome.

Morneau is picking Anaheim to win, which could get him in trouble up north.

"I think it's better for the Wild and Vancouver if they lose to the team that wins the Stanley Cup," Morneau said diplomatically.

The countdown begins?

Joe Mauer had a good workout on Monday and will catch five innings today in an extended spring training game at Fort Myers, Fla.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said if that goes well, Mauer could catch in another extended game or join Class A Fort Myers for a short minor league rehabilitation stint with plans of joining the Twins on Friday.

"Mauer did great," Gardenhire said. "Had a good workout. Everything feels really good.

Mauer has been out since May 5 because of a strained left quadriceps muscle.

Bartlett sits

Shortstop Jason Bartlett didn't start on Monday, one reason being that Gardenhire wanted to let Luis Rodriguez play and that left-handed hitters have been effective against Jared Weaver.

But Bartlett also made an error on Sunday (while trying to make a tough play) and cut off a throw on Friday that could have been in time to nail a runner at second.

"Give Barty a little bit of a blow," Gardenhire said. "He's had a lot of action the last couple of days. Made a lot of nice plays. A couple of not so nice plays, but really has played pretty good."

Etc.

• Outfielder Rondell White was shut down for a few days because his torn right calf muscle wasn't improving. He has restarted a running program, but is still out indefinitely. White has played three games all season.

• Class AA New Britain infielder Matt Allegra, who batted .323, and Class A Beloit pitcher Robert Delaney, who had 13 saves and a 0.53 ERA, were named the Twins minor league player and pitcher of the month for May.

La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com

Recent Twins stories

Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon wants to come back, but will explore other options - June 4, 2007

Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon wants to come back, but will explore other options - Johnny Damon soaked it all in as he shared a float with first-timers Nick Swisher and Jerry Hairston Jr. for the New York Yankees' championship parade through the Canyon of Heroes on Friday. The whole scene made him a little wistful. More