Twins don SU2C shirts to show support for Ryan

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- To show their support for general manager Terry Ryan, who recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his neck, all 110 Twins players and staff members wore matching black Stand Up To Cancer T-shirts on Saturday for their first full-squad workout.

Ryan, 60, was diagnosed with squamous-cell carcinoma earlier this month after a lump was found in a lymph node in his neck. He underwent surgery on Feb. 11 at the Mayo Clinic and was released from the hospital three days later.

Ryan also received a positive report from doctors at the Mayo Clinic on Thursday, and is currently resting at home in Minnesota.

Twins director of baseball communications Dustin Morse came up with the idea for everyone to wear the SU2C shirts, and manager Ron Gardenhire thought it was a great gesture.

"It was good idea by Dustin, I thought, for Terry and anybody else who is going through this," Gardenhire said. "I've always said the Twins try to do the right things. ... Another circumstance presented itself, and Dustin rose to the occasion. He's our mighty media man. So I thought it was pretty cool."

Left-hander Brian Duensing, who is one of the longest-tenured Twins in the clubhouse, said he was proud to show support for Ryan and others who have been affected by cancer.

"We always think of ourselves as a family, and he's one of the members of our family," Duensing said. "He's run into a little bit of a tough time here, and we wanted to do something to support him. We thought this was a good way to do it."