More on Eduardo Escobar, fear of cats and belief in a smile

Two more items on Eduardo Escobar, Twins infielder, and now an occasional left fielder and DH:

*The Rod Carew cat that was mentioned in Thursday's column as having caused considerable angst for the ailurophobic Escobar (that means he doesn't like cats) also made an appearance in the home clubhouse at Hammond Stadium this spring.

Escobar's teammates convinced Carew to bring the cat to the ballpark. Once there, the cat was placed in a buggy, which it seemed to enjoy.

Then, Escobar was convinced to come to an area away from the main clubhouse, where he spotted the cat in the buggy. Eduardo retreated and then spent the rest of the morning peeking around corners to make sure the Carew cat was nowhere in the vicinity.

Baseball humor, folks.

*Escobar came to Dustin Morse, the Twins' communications director, early this season and said he wanted to make community appearances that might have a positive impact on young people – particularly Spanish speakers.

On Friday, Escobar will spend time at an elementary school in south Minneapolis where 90 percent of the students are Hispanic. He will tell his story of having been raised in poverty and of struggling to understand English once he came to the United States – as a message of hope to youngsters who might have similar issues.

He also plans to tell the kids to smile often … a key to a better outlook on life, in Eduardo's view.