ABOUT EARL BATTEY
Role in Twins history: First regular catcher when the franchise moved from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota before the 1961 season. Four-time All-Star and standout on the 1965 AL championship team.
Ironman: Despite a serious beaning in 1961 that required hospitalization, Battey played at least 125 games every season from 1960 through 1965.
Oh, that arm: The catcher had a cannon arm, throwing out almost 40 percent of would-be basestealers during his career.
Honors: He won a Gold Glove three years in a row starting in 1960, and in 1960, '63 and '65 was among the top 10 in MVP voting.
After baseball: Battey fulfilled a promise he had made to his mother, earning his college degree and then becoming a high school teacher and coach at Ocala, Fla. He died of cancer in 2003.
