Retiring Perkins grateful for 12 years with Twins

Perkins gets out, keeps ball MINNEAPOLIS -- As a kid who grew up in Minnesota, played baseball at the University of Minnesota, was a first-round Draft pick by his hometown team and went on to be a three-time All-Star in a 12-year career with the Twins, Glen Perkins knows how fortunate he was to have the career he had.

Perkins, 34, knew last year was going to be his final season in the Majors after a grueling 16-month rehab process following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. But this offseason, he never could come up with a way to announce his retirement, only for him to get scooped by general manager Thad Levine, who announced it at a Twins Caravan stop on Tuesday. But…