Article: It's too early for Gardenhire to know what he has on left side of Twins infield; The manager is looking for every assurance that third baseman Tony Batista and shortstop Jason Bartlett can hold down their positions.(SPORTS)(Patrick Reusse)

Byline: Patrick Reusse; Staff Writer

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- The first task for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire when he stepped on the field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium on Thursday morning was to seek out Terry Crowley. This will be Crowley's eighth season as the Baltimore Orioles' hitting coach, after having that duty for the previous eight years [1991-98] with the Twins.

Gardenhire and Crowley exchanged solemn thoughts on the death of Kirby Puckett for a few minutes, then Gardenhire had this question: "Should I be worried about Tony Batista as my third baseman?"

Crowley worked with Batista for 2 1/2 seasons, from the time he was claimed on ...

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