Each week commenter Stu helps you remember a Minnesota sports figure you might have otherwise forgotten. This works out well for all of us. Stu? -------
The Hunt Down
Name: Bernardo Brito Nickname: El Pupo (literally, "the Pupo") Claim to Fame, Minnesota: this minor-league masher tallied 299 taters in the lower levels, but muddled mightily on the major-league level. He played just 40 games over the course of three seasons for the Twins, while spending seven seasons in Triple-A. Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: like fellow Dominican David Ortiz, Brito found his professional power stroke after taking leave of the Twin Towns, albeit for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, where the Pacific Rim Pounder parlayed his power into a place on the 1996 All-Star team. He finished his career as the DH/hitting coach for the Sioux Falls Canaries in 1998, which led to this hideous baseball card. His brief presence still lingers, though, as Sioux Falls voters recently approved the building of the new Bernardo Brito-Mary Hart Events Center for Boat Shows and Things*. Where He Is Now: as of 2010, he is the head coach at the Dominican Baseball Academy. Is He on Twitter: I guess it's possible. Glorious Randomness: Brito's last appearance with the Twins was in 1995, the same season that the franchise used 22 pitchers, from Brad Radke and Eddie Guardado to Mo Sanford and Vince Horsman. *Name pending, but I think they have to go with this.
