The Minnesota Twins had an off-day in San Diego on Monday ahead of their two-game series against the Padres, so reliever Brandon Kintzler was doing some sightseeing when he got word that he had been traded to the Washington Nationals. He now has one heck of a story to tell.
"I was in the middle of feeding a rhino and a giraffe," Kintzler told Casey Stern and Brad Lidge on MLB Network Radio. "Have you ever fed a rhino before?"
Kintzler, who was presumably feeding said animals in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and not, say, the Gaslamp Quarter, added that he was excited to be joining the Nationals and hadn't yet talked to Washington General Manager Mike Rizzo about his specific role in the bullpen.
"I'm sure when I get there they'll figure that out," Kintzler, 33, said. "Obviously, I've done it all, so I'm just excited to be a part of the race."
As the Twins' closer this season, Kintzler has 28 saves in 32 opportunities, with a 2.78 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Unlike most late-inning relievers, he doesn't rely on swing-and-miss stuff (5.4 strikeouts per nine innings) to get batters out.
"My plan to attack hitters in the ninth inning, I think that works well," said Kintzler, who credited Twins bullpen coach and former closer Eddie Guardado for much of his ninth-inning success over the past two years. "I know everyone likes strikeouts, but you know, sometimes strikeouts lead to walks, and I was just all about just attacking the hitters and it worked well for me in that situation, so we'll see what happens."
Dying to play
Morris Claiborne is willing to risk his life despite the mounting research linking the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy to football. The veteran New York Jets cornerback has suffered three documented concussions over the past decade, but that hasn't altered his view about playing the game that he loves.
"A lot of people don't believe me when I say this," Claiborne told the Daily News in a candid discussion about CTE and concussions. "But I would die out there on that football field. This is my life. This is what I do. I give it all. I would die out there."
"If I was concussed that bad where they said you can't go back out there or you'll potentially lose your life, I got to go," he added. "I got to go play. I got to go play."
Claiborne, 27, admitted that many people might disagree with his position given all the dangers associated with such a violent sport, but was adamant that he has the right mindset.
"This is what I do. This is all I know," Claiborne said. "I might die lying there sitting on the couch. ... I don't want to coach. I want to play football."
Sports quiz
Brandon Kintzler was originally drafted by this team in 2003?
Sports answer
The New York Yankees drafted Kintzler in the 40th round.
Sports on 08/02/2017