Travis Hafner

[Shawn-O]

Great column by Reusse today in the Sunday StarTribune. I'll save you the trouble of registration on their site. Here's the article:

Fan base grows for Sykeston slugger

Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune

July 25, 2004

Dennis and Diane Hafner sold their oil delivery company to Cenex several years ago. A remnant of the Hafner Oil Company does remain in Sykeston, N.D.: a gas pump in the Hafners' front yard.

"The local people get a number from us to punch into the pump," Diane said. "They fill up when they want, and then we send them a bill for their gas at the end of the month."

Sending out those bills is only a portion of Diane's workload. "I'm the town auditor, and I also manage the Country Cafe," she said. "The town bought it a while back, so we would still have a cafe in Sykeston."

Diane estimates that Sykeston's population now rests at 174. A look at the phone book suggests a good share of these folks are named Hafner, although Diane said there are two distinct branches of the family.

"We're related to Travis, but as very distant cousins," she said.

Travis Hafner's parents are Terry and Bev. Troy is his older brother. Terry and Troy are partners in a typically large North Dakota farm operation -- 3,000 acres, covered this summer with wheat and beans.

Travis, 27, is otherwise occupied as the slugging designated hitter of the Cleveland Indians. Hafner, in his first full big-league season, entered the weekend batting .327 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI.

Those numbers received an alarming boost over an eight-game stretch around the All-Star break. He went 18-for-32 with eight home runs and 20 RBI. Last Monday and Tuesday in Anaheim, he was 7-for-8 with five home runs and 11 RBI. No Cleveland player had put up 11 RBI in two games since Hall of Famer Earl Averill did it in 1930.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, standing in the Metrodome's home dugout at midweek, was asked if he had taken note of Hafner's outburst for these AL Central rivals.

"He's a monster," Gardenhire said. "We started seeing that last August."

Hafner opened the 2003 season as Jim Thome's replacement at first base. He started slowly and was sent back to Class AAA for a month. He returned to Cleveland on July 12 and started showing power -- 10 home runs in his final 60 games.

On Aug. 14, Hafner hit for the cycle at the Metrodome in a game started by Brad Radke. The Hafner delegation from Sykeston included Bev, daughter-in-law Connie and grandsons Taylor, 7, and Tanner, 5.

Terry and Troy were back home, harvesting barley. The Indians will make their next visit to the Metrodome on Aug. 20-22. This time, the complication for the Hafner farmers will be 1,800 acres of wheat that will be ready for harvest.

"Unless it rains," Troy said. "Then, Dad and I probably will be able to make it."

There are always the satellite dishes. Troy was the first to take the plunge. Then, Terry and the grandparents, John and Mary Jane Hafner, joined in.

"Grandpa keeps the satellite tuned all day long to where he's going to find the Indians games," Troy said. "That's the only thing he watches on the satellite -- Travis' ballgames."

Sykeston residents without a satellite can catch the local lad's heroics at the Wild Mustang bar. The proprietors, the Hawks family, invested in the dish two years ago, when Travis first appeared in the big leagues with Texas.

"Everything stops in here when Travis comes to plate," Maureen Hawks said. "We even stop our bingo on Wednesday nights until he's done batting. Everyone in Sykeston couldn't be prouder of Travis."

Hafner started his baseball career in Sykeston's tee ball league. "When he was in the third or fourth grade, he was supposed to write something on what he wanted to be when he grew up," Terry said.

"He wrote that he wanted to be a ballplayer. It's a little scary to read it now. He even had the years figured out almost exactly when he would make it to the majors."

Asked if he is amazed by his kid brother's emergence as a power-hitting force, Troy said: "I figured that was what he wanted to do, so he probably would do it. He always had a great work ethic -- for baseball."

And farming? "Not as much with farming," Troy said.

Terry laughed into the phone and said: "He had no interest in farming. When Travis was a little kid, he was out in the front yard for hours, throwing rocks in the air and chewing up bats. I kept telling him, 'Hit 'em toward the field, not toward the house.' "

On Monday night, Hafner turned around a pitch from Anaheim's Troy Percival for a three-run home run in the 10th inning. Reporters descended on his locker.

"I'm not one for a lot of media attention," he said. "I guess it's nice."

Among the close-up witnesses to Hafner's Anaheim explosion was Darin Erstad, the Angels' first baseman. Erstad comes from Jamestown, N.D. Sykeston is an hour from Jamestown, and Travis was born in a hospital there.

Erstad was the overall No. 1 draft choice in 1995. He played for the Jamestown Merchants amateur team as he waited to sign with the Angels.

Hafner was a 31st-round pick for Texas in 1996. He didn't sign until June 1997. He played for the Merchants in 1996, and in a few games in 1997. Another current big leaguer, Arizona infielder Tim Olson, also played for the Merchants.

Tom Gould was an organizer of the Merchants in 1989. He also has become a consumer of satellite baseball.

"I've seen Travis hit some bombs, but the home run off Percival was unbelievable," he said. "Strong as a bull and the nicest guy you could meet -- that's Travis."

Smart, too. He was the valedictorian of Sykeston's Class of '95. "Yup, he had to beat out the seven other seniors," said dad Terry, laughing again.