Chuck Knoblauch

During the period from 1991 through 1997, Chuck Knoblauch was the best second baseman in the American League, accumulating 38 Wins Above Replacement1 (WAR), significantly more than Hall of Famer and runner-up Roberto Alomar (31). Moreover, from 1995 through 1997, he was one of the top players in the AL regardless of position, tying another Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey, Jr., for the most WAR (22).

In 1991, Knoblauch won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and his team, the Minnesota Twins, won the World Series. Across the following six seasons, the speedy contact hitter made the All-Star Team four times, finished in the top 20 in MVP voting three times, won two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove.

But, after he was traded to the New York Yankees in 1998, Knoblauch was beset by a mysterious throwing problem which eventually forced him to become a left fielder and DH. Though he played on four consecutive pennant winners and three world champions, in his final five seasons he produced only 6.6 WAR, never again made the All-Star Team, and, by 2003, was out of baseball.

A right-handed batter and thrower, the 5-foot-9 Knoblauch played 12 seasons (1991-2002) in the majors, seven with the Minnesota Twins (1991-1997), four with the New York Yankees (1998-2001), and one with the Kansas City Royals (2002).

Born in Houston, Texas on July 7, 1968, Edward Charles Knoblauch was the son of Ray and Linda Knoblauch. Chuck had four sisters and one brother. He was named after two uncles: Edward Knoblauch, a minor-league outfielder who played more than 2,000 games from 1938-19552 and Charles Knoblauch, a minor-league infielder from 1936-1939.

Ray pitched professionally for eight seasons, peaking in the Double-A Texas League, before an arm injury ended his playing career in 1957. In 1961, he commenced a legendary career at Bellaire High School, coaching the baseball team to a 598-225 record over 25 years, including a Texas Class 5A record seven appearances in the state tournament. Ray’s teams won four championships and finished second three times. “The longer I’ve played, the more I learned how many people my dad touched,” said Chuck. “I can’t tell you how many guys have … told me what playing for my father had meant to them. He really left a remarkable legacy.”3

“I was young when I wanted to play baseball all of the time, maybe five or six years old,” Knoblauch recalled. “My dad was tough on me. When I got in [Bellaire] high school, and he was my head coach, he told me not to step out of line even an inch. He told me to listen, stay disciplined, and get after it. I did.”4 After graduation, Knoblauch was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 18th round of the 1986 MLB June Amateur Draft. But instead of turning professional, he decided to study agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.

Knoblauch had an excellent college career, batting .341, .365, and .364 in his three seasons.5 He set school career records for runs (206), hits (261), and stolen bases (83), and in 1996 was inducted into Texas A&M’s Hall of Fame.6

As a sophomore in 1988, Knoblauch earned the Aggies team MVP honor and was named the All-Southwest Conference (SWC) shortstop. That summer the right-handed hitter led the Cape Cod League in batting (.361) and was named its Outstanding Pro Prospect. He was later elected to the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame.7 Returning to A&M, he was chosen second-team All-America shortstop in 1989. The ’89 Aggies were SWC co-champions and set a school record with 59 wins.

In a prescient report, Minnesota Twins scout Marty Esposito wrote that Knoblauch was an exceptional competitor, aggressive baserunner, intelligent fielder, and line-drive hitter, who would be an ideal leadoff hitter.8 Consequently, after Knoblauch’s junior season, the Twins chose him 25th overall in the first round of the 1989 June Amateur Draft.

Knoblauch debuted with the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Twins in the Single-A Midwest League and batted only .257 in his first 40 contests. However, following a 17-for-44 streak, he was promoted to the Single-A California League, where he finished his first professional season by hitting .364 with 21 RBIs in 18 games with the Visalia Oaks.

In 1990, Knoblauch advanced to the Double-A Southern League and moved from shortstop to second base. In 118 games for the Orlando Sun Rays, he batted .289 and led the team in on-base percentage (.389) and doubles (23) as Orlando compiled the circuit’s best regular season record before falling in the playoffs. With only 31 whiffs in 432 at-bats, Knoblauch was the hardest batter to strike out in the Southern League.9 “When I got moved to second base in the minors, it was hard on me,” he recalled. “I thought that meant I couldn’t play short, but now I see that it was just trying to get me to the big leagues faster.”10

Knoblauch was a non-roster invitee to Twins spring training in 1991 and batted .388.11 He was so impressive that he became Minnesota’s Opening Day starter at second base, batting second in manager Tom Kelly’s lineup against the Athletics on April 9 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Knoblauch committed an error and went 0-for-3 against Dave Stewart in Minnesota’s 7-2 defeat, though he later reached on a walk. He collected his first two hits the following evening, a liner to right and an infield single against reigning Cy Young Award winner Bob Welch.

On May 31, the Twins were in fifth place in the AL West, with a record of 23-25, 5½ games out of first. But from June 1 through June 16, they won 15 straight, vaulted into first place, and stayed there for the rest of the season. Having finished last in 1990, the Twins, along with the Atlanta Braves, became the first teams ever to win their division the following year.12 Knoblauch, who had a 20-game hitting streak in the September stretch run, contributed a batting average of .281 and 25 stolen bases in 30 attempts and was a nearly unanimous (26 of 28 first-place votes) choice for AL Rookie of the Year.

The Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays four games to one in the League Championship Series. Minnesota’s 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, featuring five one-run games — four decided in the final at-bat — was later selected by ESPN as the Greatest of All Time. After winning the first two games, the Twins lost the next three, and needed to win both games as the Series returned to Minnesota. They won Game Six, 4-3, on Kirby Puckett’s home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.

With a tense Game Seven scoreless in the eighth inning, Lonnie Smith was attempting to steal second base when teammate Terry Pendleton smacked a long fly to left-center. Knoblauch and Twins shortstop Greg Gagne — aware that a base-stealer sometimes can’t see where the ball is hit — faked a double play. The trickery appeared to work when Smith hesitated at second base. He advanced to third on the play, but no further, and never scored.13

Dauntless starting pitcher Jack Morris shut out the Braves through 10 innings. In the bottom of the frame, Knoblauch’s sacrifice bunt moved Dan Gladden to third with one out, setting the stage for Gene Larkin’s series-winning base hit.

Knoblauch became the second-most popular Twin behind the beloved Kirby Puckett.14 Fans appreciated the enthusiasm he exuded when diving for balls and sliding hard into bases. He appealed to a wide spectrum of rooters. His youthful good looks made him a favorite of young women, while adults looked upon him as a well-behaved son.15

But most of all, he appealed to kids. He recalled being recognized by a group of youngsters as they were boarding a plane in Denver. Knoblauch recounted, “One of them said, ‘Hey that’s Chuck Knoblauch.’ Then they all came over. I went back and sat with them for a while on the plane. I like kids.”16 Another young fan wrote, “Dear Mr. Knoblauch: I think you are the greatest. When I grow up, I would love to be just like you because you are my hero.”17

Knoblauch took a step forward in 1992, making the AL All-Star team, scoring 104 runs, and batting .297 with a .384 on base percentage. The Twins won 90 games and finished second, six games behind Oakland. In 1993, he slipped to a .277 batting average and a .354 on base percentage as the team regressed to 71 victories.

In 1994, Knoblauch became the Twins’ primary leadoff hitter, and his career took off. He batted .300 (.312) for the first time, was an All-Star again, and led the AL with 45 doubles in the strike-shortened, 113-game season. At that rate he would have threatened Earl Webb’s single-season record of 67 doubles set in 1931.

The Twins, however, finished 53-60, 14 games out and in fourth place. Knoblauch lamented, “[The losing] is hard to take, mentally. It was real tough, not having been through it my entire life. Every team I was on won games… Like you can’t describe the feeling you had winning the World Series, you can’t describe the horrible feeling of every night going out there, trying to play your best, and getting beat up, getting beat around.”18

Knoblauch set his best marks so far in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, 19 and OPS+, stolen bases and WAR in 1995. He was beaten out for All-Star honors by Roberto Alomar and Carlos Baerga, though he ended up having the best season of the trio. After a mid-season game in which Knoblauch got two hits and a walk, stole a base, and scored two runs, Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald said, “He can hit, he can run, he can bunt. He can hurt you in a lot of ways. He’s always driving me nuts. To me, he’s one of the best leadoff guys in the game.”20 McDonald wasn’t alone. In both 1995 and 1996, STATS named Knoblauch baseball’s best leadoff hitter.21

Still, the Twins lost 88 of 144 games and tied the Toronto Blue Jays for the worst record in the majors in ’95. By then, the losing had made Knoblauch miserable. He moped around his house, slumped on the couch, and stared without speaking for hours. Then-wife, Lisa, said, “He became withdrawn, snappish, and crabby.”22

In August, near the team’s hotel in Seattle, Knoblauch ignored a 15-year-old boy who asked for an autograph. The boy yelled, “Knoblauch, you suck,” to which the player whirled, pushed the kid against a wall, and gave him a curse-laden reprimand. The teen claimed Knoblauch tore his shirt and scratched his neck. Police were called, but no charges were filed. The boy later apologized. Knoblauch said, “I made a mistake, an unfortunate mistake.”23

During spring training of 1996, Knoblauch won a one-year contract worth $4.67 million in an arbitration hearing. Although it was less than the four-year, $17.8 million deal he initially requested, he showed no signs of discontent and even came to spring training six days early. “I like that Knoblauch and Paul] Molitor are doing extra work,” said Kelly. “That rubs off on the younger players.”24

Knoblauch continued his string of excellence. His 140 runs scored — still a Twins record as of 2021 — ranked third in the majors. He established personal bests in batting average (.341), on-base percentage (.448), slugging percentage (.517), OPS (.965), OPS+ (143), and hits (197). His 8.7 WAR was third-best in the AL and fourth in the majors, behind all-time greats Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez. Knoblauch also led the AL with 14 triples and made his third All-Star team.

Shortly after the Twins won 10 of 11 games in August, improving their record to 62-60, Knoblauch signed a five-year contract for $30 million, making him the highest-paid second baseman in the majors. “Despite what was speculated, I never wanted to leave the Twins,” he said. “This is a very happy day for me. Now I can finally call Minnesota home.” The signing came five weeks after Kirby Puckett announced his retirement and the Twins believed they had their new franchise player.25 Minnesota finished 78-84, 21½ games back in fourth place.

Although most of Knoblauch’s offensive stats decreased in 1997, he was an All-Star again and stole a Twins record 62 bases. Minnesota wound up 26 games under .500 though, and again Knoblauch became unhappy. He butted heads with almost everyone, even screaming at the venerable Molitor for daring to criticize him.26

In late September, only 13 months after signing the five-year contract, he requested a trade. On February 6, 1998, his wish was granted. The Twins traded Knoblauch to the New York Yankees for Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, and cash.

Minnesota fans turned on Knoblauch and booed him when he returned to the Metrodome. One resentful rooter wrote, “[Knoblauch] has been an arrogant brat, who got too much too soon and decided that his talent [was] wasted playing for the lowly Twins.”27

A member of the club’s front office said, “During the seven years Knoblauch was in Minnesota, he evolved into a bratty tyrant who ran roughshod over the people around him. Hardly anyone — from his teammates to the clubhouse kids to the valets who park the players’ cars — was unhappy to see him leave.”28

That included Kelly. The following spring training, Kelly praised his players for their attitude and enthusiasm, making it clear one reason for the positivity was that Knoblauch was gone. “You give a guy $30 million … announce you want to build your team around him and then five months later he’s saying he wants out … because he doesn’t think this team can win,” Kelly said. “How do you think guys feel when they’re told by one of their teammates they can’t get the job done?”29

Later, Knoblauch said of Kelly, “I love him, looking back on everything, I do, but … people pay attention to what he says — the people of Minnesota, the fans. And I think that’s why there was so much hate or hostility toward me when I came back. He probably thought I was abandoning them … but I just wanted to win.”30

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was thrilled to have Knoblauch, saying, “For crissake, the guy hit .400 off us last season! Whenever we played the Twins, our entire focus was on how to get him out. He’d ignite every one of their rallies.”31 Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez admitted being jealous of his then-buddy, Derek Jeter. Rodriguez predicted the shortstop-second base combo of Jeter and Knoblauch would be “like [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen [of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls], like [Joe] Montana and [Jerry] Rice [of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers].”32

In 1998, all Knoblauch’s slash-line33 numbers dropped again, although he hit a career-high 17 home runs and scored 117 runs. But while Knoblauch’s offense was at least average, his defense began to go to hell in a handbasket. He’d come to the Yankees with the highest fielding average of any second baseman in history34 and had won a Gold Glove the previous year. From 1992 through 1997, Knoblauch averaged eight errors per year, but in his first three seasons with the Yankees, the figure increased to 18; the most baffling of which came on short throws from second to first.

In his first 35 games, Knoblauch made four throwing errors, causing Ian O’Connor of the Daily News to write, “The errors were lame. The toss from second to first is among baseball’s simplest chores.” Nevertheless, the Yankees won 114 games. They moved into first place on April 30, increased their lead to 15 games by July 31, won the AL East by 22, and ended their season by sweeping the Padres in the World Series, with Knoblauch hitting a three-run homer to tie Game One in the seventh inning. So, the errors didn’t cause significant problems. Besides, Knoblauch made only two throwing errors in his final 77 games. “I don’t have any throwing problems right now,” he said. “So what’s the point of talking about it? Those days are over.”35

In 1999 Knoblauch scored 120 runs, hit a career-high 18 homers and had an OPS of .848. It would be his last above-average offensive season. Again, the Yankees won the World Series in a sweep, this time over the Braves. But Knoblauch’s fielding woes worsened. He made four errors in April, three in May, and a whopping eight in June. The Yankees were in a tighter race, so concerns about Knoblauch’s defense were magnified. Yankees manager Joe Torre said, “Last year, [the media] were talking about other things with him, but we were winning and [Knoblauch’s errors were] no big deal… Unfortunately, when things aren’t going well, all those demons keep coming out.”36

The New York press hounded him with stories titled, “Knob Taking Turn for Worse,” and “For Yanks, Chuck’s Play Now a Tragedy of Errors.”37 By the end of the season, he had made 26 errors, 12 of which were throwing38 and would have made more if not for several sprawling saves by first baseman Tino Martinez.39

To become a major league baseball player, Knoblauch had to be a tremendous athlete. His ability to hit 95-mph fastballs required extraordinary coordination, eyesight, and reflexes. None of which were necessary to execute routine, short throws from second base to first. The problem was entirely mental; Knoblauch had gotten performance anxiety, or as golfers say, “the yips.”

It had happened to other baseball players. Fellow second baseman Steve Sax had similar problems in 1983 but conquered them. Catcher Mackey Sasser could gun down would-be base stealers, but was nearly unable to throw the ball back to the pitcher. The most famous case afflicted Pirates pitcher Steve Blass in 1973. After finishing second in NL Cy Young Award voting after a 19-win, 2.49 ERA season the previous year, Blass’s career rate had been 3.0 walks per nine innings prior to 1973. For 1973, the rate was nearly three times as high (8.5). Sent to the minors in 1974, Blass walked 103 in 61 innings with Charleston and retired after the season at age 32. Since then, a pitcher’s sudden, severe loss of control has been known as “Steve Blass Disease.”40

Knoblauch had the toughest season of his career in 2000. He missed 59 games, mostly due to injuries, and his OPS declined almost 100 points, falling below average for the first time since 1993. His fielding woes also came to a head. He avoided any throwing errors through mid-May, then made four in the next three weeks. On one, after fielding a routine grounder, his throw to first made it only halfway. Wayne Coffey of the New York Daily News called the error “horrifying.”41 After another, Knoblauch sounded like he might give up baseball if he couldn’t conquer his problem. “If you don’t continue to do something well, you drive yourself crazy,” said a frustrated Knoblauch. “I know I can play. But everybody has a breaking point.”42

It nearly came on June 15 at Yankee Stadium when he made three throwing errors in a 12-3 loss to the White Sox. In the third inning, Knoblauch fielded a leadoff grounder, but his throw pulled Martinez off first. Two innings later, with two outs and a man on third, Knoblauch again fielded a routine grounder and threw wide to first, allowing a run to score and the White Sox to take a 5-3 lead. In the sixth, with runners on first and second, his relay on a potential inning-ending double play went far to Martinez’s right and eluded his dive, again costing the Yankees a run. After each miscue, the jeers got louder, the last eliciting a deluge of boos.43 When the next batter doubled, forcing a pitching change, three infielders gathered at the mound. Knoblauch, however, stayed at his position, a lone, dejected figure.

When the inning ended, he told Torre, “I don’t know what to do. I’m tired of hurting the team.”44 Torre advised Knoblauch to leave the stadium immediately to avoid post-game questions. After the game, concerned teammate David Cone said, “We all hope he doesn’t make a rash decision under stress or emotion.” 45 Torre said, “He’s hurting. I’m concerned about his welfare.”46 Knoblauch described subsequent phone calls from teammates as a “suicide watch.”47

Knoblauch was bombarded by advice. Fans suggested he go home to his Mom and Dad for a few days, have a catch with Tino Martinez in Central Park, go to the minors for serious retraining, not go to the minors (it would destroy his confidence), play third base for a few games, see a therapist, and finally, just have fun.48

Knoblauch was never sent to the minors, but made three more throwing errors in the next two weeks. The day after the three-error game, Torre had told Knoblauch, “You’re my second baseman,”49 but soon after became Torre’s part-time DH. After missing most of August with an injury, Knoblauch played second in 18 of the Yankees final 26 regular-season games and although he made no errors, the Yankees had lost faith in him. He did not play in the field in the playoffs and never played second base again.

In 2001, Knoblauch was exiled to left field. He had his lowest OPS (.691) and OPS+ (83) since coming to the majors and, when he became a free agent, the Yankees did not re-sign him. With the Kansas City Royals in 2002, he played his final season, batted only .210, and had an OPS of only .584. In 1,632 games over 12 seasons, he batted .289, scored 1,132 runs and stole 407 bases.

After two books and a congressional hearing50 exposed the use of performance enhancing drugs in MLB, Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former federal prosecutor George Mitchell to investigate in 2006. In the Mitchell Report, trainer Brian McNamee testified he had injected Knoblauch with illegal human growth hormone (HGH) at least seven times during the 2001 season.51 “I did HGH,” Knoblauch admitted. “[But,] it didn’t help me out. It didn’t make me any better. I had the worst years of my career from a batting average standpoint. And I got hurt. So … it was not performance-enhancing for me.”52

When the Twins held the 20-year reunion of the 1991 Championship team in 2011, only five players did not attend. Knoblauch was one. Surely remembering the 2001 game in Minnesota when still-bitter Twins fans pelted him with hot dogs, beer bottles, and golf balls,53 he said, “What if I took my [kids] with me … and I get booed by a whole stadium? What do I say to them? That was my biggest fear.”54

Knoblauch struggled with his marriages as much as with his throwing. Thrice divorced, Knoblauch was arrested for assaulting his second wife, Stacey, in 2009. She told police that he hit her in the face and choked her after he had been drinking heavily and taken the anti-depressant, Xanax.55 Knoblauch pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to a year’s probation.56 In 2014, he was arrested for assault again, accused this time by ex-wife, Cheri, the mother of his two children, Charleigh and Jake. According to a police report, Knoblauch grabbed Cheri, smashed her head against a wall, and threw a humidifier at her.57 Thereafter, his planned induction into the Twins Hall of Fame was cancelled.

Knoblauch’s early career was terrific. He won a World Series in his rookie season, became one of the best second basemen and the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and was loved by the fans of Minnesota. Even in the darker years with the Yankees, his team won the World Series three times.

But, after Knoblauch retired, it seemed he just wanted to forget his baseball career. An interviewer reported that Knoblauch’s home contained no reminders of his Rookie of the Year Award, Silver Slugger Awards, or four World Series Championships. He left boxes of memorabilia at a previous home and told his real estate agent they contained only junk. In one, the agent found Knoblauch’s Gold Glove.58

As of 2021, Knoblauch lived in Houston and, according to his LinkedIn page, had been the COO for Charleigh, Inc. for a decade. Yes, negativity pervaded his personality — the brooding way he reacted to losing, the run-in with the 15-year-old fan, his contentious departure from the Twins, and, finally, his marital problems. But, what set the negativity in stone was his epic throwing problem. “Something obviously went wrong,” Knoblauch said, “but I have no idea what it was. I couldn’t overcome it. I got to thinking too much and I couldn’t shut it off. It was bright lights, big city and I was having this serious issue in front of millions of people. … If you care so much about something, it’s hard not to make it a life or death thing.”59

Last revised: August 26, 2021

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Malcolm Allen and David Bilmes and checked for accuracy by SABR’s fact-checking team.

Sources

Unless otherwise noted, statistics come from baseball-reference.com.

Notes

1 WAR measures a player’s value in all facets of the game by deciphering how many more wins he’s worth than a replacement-level player. https://www.mlb.com/glossary/advanced-stats/wins-above-replacement (last accessed July 22, 2021).

2 Jeff Lenihan, “Hungry For More,” Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), February 23, 1992: 18C.

3 Richard Justice, “Legendary Bellaire Coach Knoblauch Dies,” Houston Chronicle, March 19, 2002, https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Legendary-Bellaire-coach-Knoblauch-dies-2070432.php (last accessed November 14, 2020).

4 “Knoblauch: I Think My Three Years at A&M Were the Best Years of My Life,” April 23, 2020, https://texags.com/s/36046/knoblauch-i-think-my-three-years-at-am-were-the-best-years-of-my-life (last accessed July 22, 2021).

5 http://thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=1088. (last accessed July, 16, 2021).

6 https://12thman.com/honors/texas-am-athletic-hall-of-fame/chuck-knoblauch/135. (last accessed July 11, 2021).

7 https://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/index.html?article_id=2737. (last accessed July 11, 2021).

8 https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/chuck-knoblauch-scouting-report-1989-february-11. (last accessed July 11, 2021).

9 Knoblauch 1991 Leaf baseball card. https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/158/cid/74646/1991-Leaf-396-Chuck-Knoblauch (last accessed July 25, 2021).

10 “Knoblauch: I Think My Three Years at A&M Were the Best Years of My Life.”

11 Lenihan, “Hungry For More.”

12 Oliver Macklin, “Worst to First: 13 Improbable Turnarounds in MLB History,” December 19, 2020, https://www.mlb.com/news/worst-to-first-mlb-teams-c212138822 (last accessed July 22, 2021)

13 Bill Plaschke, “First Smith Wasn’t Running, and Now He’s Not Talking,” Star Tribune, October 29, 1991: 9C.

14 Jim Souhan, “What’s On Second? Knoblauch, The Anchor of the Twins’ Infield,” Star Tribune, March 1, 1993: 1C.

15 Lenihan, “Hungry For More.”

16 Lenihan, “Hungry For More.”

17 Dennis Brackin, “Mr. Popularity,” Star Tribune, August 18, 1992: 1C.

18 Tom Larson, “Knoblauch Sees a Bright Future,” St. Cloud Times, January 11, 1994: 1B.

19 OPS is short for On-base percentage Plus Slugging percentage. It has become popular because it is easy to calculate and correlates well with the runs a batter produces. OPS+ indicates how much a player’s OPS is above or below average. An OPS+ of 127 is 27 percent above average.

20 Rachel Bachman, “Stevens Saves Day for Twins,” Star Tribune, July 20, 1995: 1C.

21 1996 Stats Baseball Scoreboard and 1997 Stats Baseball Scoreboard.

22 Frank Lidz, “Second Wind Having Grown Increasingly Cold with the Twins…,” Sports Illustrated, March 9, 1998, https://vault.si.com/vault/1998/03/09/second-wind-having-grown-increasingly-miserable-with-the-twins-chuck-knoblauch-joins-the-yankees-with-the-hope-that-hes-finally-lost-that-losing-feeling (last accessed May 13, 2021).

23 Lidz, “Second Wind Having Grown Increasingly Cold with the Twins…”

24 Jim Souhan, “Knoblauch Doesn’t Want to Chuck it All,” Star Tribune, February 21, 1996: 1C.

25 Jim Souhan, “Knoblauch Isn’t Going Anywhere,” Star Tribune, August 24, 1996: C1.

26 Patrick Reusse, “Fans In No Position To Criticize Trade,” Star Tribune, February 7, 1998: C5.

27 “Sports Mail,” Star Tribune, February 15, 1998: C2.

28 Lidz, “Second Wind Having Grown Increasingly Cold with the Twins…”

29 Bill Madden, “Kelly Puts the Knock on Knob,” Daily News (New York, New York), March 1, 1998: 104.

30 Amelia Rayno, “Unpacking Memories,” Star Tribune, September 22, 2011: 1C.

31 Lidz, “Second Wind Having Grown Increasingly Cold with the Twins…”

32 Ian O’Connor, “For Knob, Game All Business,” Daily News, July 23, 1998: 80.

33 A batter’s slash line consists of batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and on-base percentage plus slugging percentage. These four simple rate statistics combine to rather accurately describe a player’s offensive ability.

34 Peter Botte, “Knob Taking a Turn For Worse,” Daily News, June 11, 1999: 108.

35 O’Connor, “For Knob, Game All Business.”

36 Botte, “Knob Taking a Turn For Worse.”

37 Ralph Vacchiano, “For Yanks, Chuck’s Play Now a Tragedy of Errors,” Daily News, July, 1, 1999: 103.

38 Jack Curry, “Mystified As Ever, Knoblauch Goes Back to Work,” New York Times, June 17, 2000: D1.

39 Botte, “Knob Taking a Turn For Worse.”

40 Jerome Holtzman, “’Blass Disease’ Still a Mystery,” Chicago Tribune, June 16, 1988: 4-3.

41 Wayne Coffey, “Just When You Thought…,” Daily News, June 4, 2000: 90.

42 Anthony McCarron, “After Another Bad Throw, Chuck Throws a Tantrum,” Daily News, May 12, 2000: 97.

43 Buster Olney, “After Three Errors, Knoblauch Walks Out,” New York Times, June 16, 2000: D1.

44 Curry, “Mystified As Ever, Knoblauch Goes Back to Work.”

45 Olney, “After Three Errors, Knoblauch Walks Out.”

46 Vic Ziegel, “1st Pitching Woes, Now Second Problem,” Daily News, June 16, 2000: 100.

47 Curry, “Mystified As Ever, Knoblauch Goes Back to Work.”

48 “What Should the Yankees Do About Chuck Knoblauch,” New York Times On The Web, June 19, 2000, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/sports/backtalk/061900upon-further-review.html (last accessed January 29, 2021).

49 Harvey Araton, “They’re Not Just Throws In the Dirt,” New York Times, June 17, 2000: D1.

50 Jose Canseco, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big and Game Of Shadows (New York, Regan Books, 2005) and United States Congress House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, 2005.

51 Christian Red, “Knoblauch Agrees to Deposition,” Daily News, January 29, 2008: 64.

52 Rayno, “Unpacking Memories.”

53 Peter Botte, “Maniacs In Minny Drive Knob to Cover,” Daily News, May 3, 2001: 80.

54 Rayno, “Unpacking Memories.”

55 Staff Report, “Ex-Yank Busted In Wife Beat,” New York Post, September 30, 2009, https://nypost.com/2009/09/30/ex-yank-busted-in-wife-beat/ (last accessed December 8, 2020).

56 “Knoblauch Cops Assault Plea,” Daily News, March 17, 2010: 79.

57 Michael O’Keefe, “Oh, Knob Again,” Daily News, July 25, 2014: 12.

58 Rayno, “Unpacking Memories.”

59 Rayno, “Unpacking Memories.”