Rochester stop for Twins Winter Caravan will be a private affair
Jan. 16—ROCHESTER — The annual Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan will make a stop in Rochester, but the event will not be made available to the public this year.
The Twins will be in Rochester on Tuesday, Jan. 23, as part of their annual tour prior to the start of the upcoming season. The contingent that features Twins players, coaches, alumni and broadcasters will make a private showing at the Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital.
Scheduled to be on hand for the Twins are radio announcer Dan Gladden, players Willi Castro and Caleb Thielbar and mascot T.C. Bear. Gladden is a former Twins player.
They will be in Rochester from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. and then head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a 6 p.m. event later that day.
Thielbar, a veteran left-handed relief pitcher, went to high school in nearby Randolph. He will be part of the same tour that will make a private stop in Randolph on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Later that day the Twins will do a public tour at Treasure Island Resort and Casino at 6 p.m. in Welch.
This marks the 62nd year the Twins have done a Winter Caravan.
— —
Ernie Yake, a minor-league player in the Minnesota Twins organization currently resides in Rochester.
The 25-year-old Yake is from the Seattle area but moved to Rochester with his girlfriend.
Yake has been training and working some at Rochester Batting Cages. He will soon be on the mend as is scheduled to have hernia surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
"He was on a good path, gaining weight and getting stronger," said Jeff Milene, the owner of Rochester Batting Cages. "Now he has to lay low for seven weeks."
Yake is an infielder who can play second base, third base and shortstop. He played his college ball at Gonzaga University and 2023 was his third season in the Twins organization. He split time at three different levels last season, including playing 11 games for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.
— —
Caledonia's Noah King hit a personal milestone in his men's college basketball career this past Saturday.
King is in his first season at Division II Upper Iowa University, but the 6-foot-2 guard scored his 1,000th career point in college basketball. King reached the milestone with 17 points as Upper Iowa posted an 88-84 win over Quincy University.
King began his college career with a pair of seasons at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He earned Second Team All-America status a year ago as he averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
King is considered a sophomore in terms of eligibility. He has started all 14 games for Upper Iowa this season. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game. He is also second on the team in assists (2.4 per game) and fourth in rebounding (3.9).
King had approximately 750 points during his career at Kirkwood. He now has scored 258 points at Upper Iowa.
Upper Iowa is currently 9-5. The team switched conferences this season from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Peacocks are 4-2 in conference play.
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
.
