One year after 'widowmaker,' he's back at Twins fantasy camp

La Velle's 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions on Sundays.

. . .

Stan Dickman couldn't help but smile when he received the email in November.

"I need a new road jersey," it read. "They had to cut off the other one."

Dickman, the executive director of the annual Twins Baseball Fantasy Camp, chuckled as he told the story.

"I had to get him a new jersey," Dickman said. "It's one of those miraculous things."

The email came from Jamie Green, who is fortunately still among us.

Green, a year ago, fulfilled a dream by participating in the fantasy camp. The dream lasted three pitches before Green suffered a heart attack and crumpled in the batter's box. And it was a "widowmaker," when the largest artery of the heart is blocked and the odds of surviving plunge.

Fortunately, two doctors were also participants in the camp and rushed to his aid until an ambulance arrived. Doctors cut off his Twins jersey to treat him.

Rehabilitation included going for walks and breathing exercises. He visited his cardiologist in March, who cleared him for activities. Green, 62 and living in Mounds View, continued his walking schedule, tweaked his diet and added daily push-ups to his routine. He now is up to three sets of 30 push-ups over the course of a day.

Green also signed up for a 60-and-over baseball team with his brother, John, and has spent the summer playing baseball. All of this with an eye toward returning to fantasy camp, which is operated by Dickman and includes former Twins players and coaches as staffers. This year's group includes Ron and Toby Gardenhire, Matthew LeCroy, Kent Hrbek, Tommy Watkins, Glen Perkins, J.C. Romero, Devin Smeltzer, Jacque Jones, Bert Blyleven and Frank Viola. Campers stay in a hotel and head over to the Twins spring training facility for daily workouts and games.

"As the summer [league] season progressed, I got stronger," Green said. "I said, 'John, I definitely am going to do this. I just want to go down there. I need the closure.' I think there's other people who might need the closure on this too."

On Thursday, Green chatted on the phone while changing planes in Atlanta. He was on his way to Fort Myers, Fla., where fantasy camp began on Saturday. And, this time, to see the whole thing through. He's even hoping that his first game is on Field No. 6, where he collapsed nearly a year ago.

"I'm sitting here having dinner in Georgia as I'm headed on the way down," Green said. "I got re-married this past November. So I've got a lot of things going on. And I'm looking forward to going down here and getting through a whole camp this year. No incidents."

Rubio: good, not great

Ricky Rubio retired on Thursday after taking some time away from Cleveland to work on his mental health. That ended a career that began with six seasons with the Timberwolves, where he proved he could distribute the ball with the best while his shooting was left to be desired.

He began as a prodigy, a 14-year-old playing professionally in Spain. He was a boy playing with men, making men look like boys. When he threw a pass, he made the ball have eyes. His vision and anticipation were elite. Jaws dropped when NBA players saw him at the 2008 Olympics.

"He will come to the NBA to steal my job," Chris Paul said.

Rubio was drafted by the Wolves in 2009, when then-GM David Kahn selected him with the fifth pick and Jonny Flynn with the sixth. Steph Curry went seventh, which won't be forgotten here.

Rubio was a good player, averaging eight assists in five of his first six seasons. But he never became the great player the Wolves needed him to be. If he had only found a jumper.

Perspective overseas

Travelers were on hold at Tokyo's Haneda Airport for several hours on Tuesday following the tragic collision between a passenger airplane that had just landed and a coast guard aircraft that was taxiing on the same runway. The coast guard plane was part of earthquake relief efforts.

One traveler was Duluth native Chris Plys, a member of the decorated U.S. men's curling team.

Plys, in the Nagano area on a coaching trip, was out sightseeing in Tokyo on Monday when his group was alerted to the earthquake, which was on the other side of the island. A one-hour train ride turned into four hours as the main tracks were shut down for inspection. They were due to return to the U.S. on Tuesday and arrived seven hours before takeoff to find a packed airport. Plys' flight was boarding when the collision occurred.

"It was one of those things where you felt sick to your stomach," Plys said. "The airport got super quiet, and we're sitting there watching our phones for updates."

Plys' flight was delayed four to five hours, but he didn't care. Five of the six crew members of the smaller aircraft were killed. On X, formerly Twitter, Plys posted his relief that all 379 people on the passenger plane were safe.

"Life is bigger than a missed connection," Plys wrote.

Plys is preparing for the U.S. championships at the end of this month and soon will begin his next, and final, Olympic cycle. He plans to transition into coaching following the 2026 Olympics in Italy.

... AND TWO PREDICTIONS ...

Lions win Sunday

The Vikings' season will not end well on Sunday when the Lions pull away to a 26-17 victory. The Vikings' slim playoff hopes will be snuffed out, and an offseason of intrigue will begin.