Twins Jerseys On The Red Carpet: A Pictorial Time Capsule

2 above photos: Billy Gardner models prototype 1/17/61
He was the first player ever seen in the uniform of the Minnesota Twins.
This model was scrapped in favor of a modified script before spring 
training (see press photo with Don Lee, below).

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING (POWDER) BLUE!

Clean, economical, and razor-sharp detail grace the Twins 1960's throwback home jersey and new road 2010 version.  Our fine, young diamond gladiators Denard Span and Scott "Joe Don" Baker did the new duds proud on Nov. 9, 2009, at the Mall Of America in Bloomington. One complaint...would it kill ya to show just a bit of old school stirrup?? This aint bedtime, fellas.

Starsky and Hutch, revisited. Kent Hrbek and Tom Brunansky were the "Men about town" one fine, spring day in '87. The jog to the top of a Minneapolis apartment building, capturing the lovely vistas of Minneapolis' skyline and HHH Muffindome , looks as if it's turned Kent (aka: "Shamu") a mite dewy with perspiration. Bruno's apparently gone misty in memory over his victorious '85 Homerun Derby. Perhaps a Butch and Sundance comparison would have been more fitting!

Of course, it's easy to forget we Twins fans first spied young Kirby Puckett in the powder blue road uni, in a televised game at "The Big A" in Anaheim (as it was called then) versus the Angels on May 8, 1984. Actually, some of us preferred to have the image of those threads erased from our memory, to be honest. There is also this nice, candid of him sporting the home batting practice jersey, in about that same year.


Cesar Tovar (right, below)looks downright apprehensive in the 1972 road uni. Maybe he's not relishing a batting duel against knuckleballin' Wilbur Wood of the Chicago Stinking White Sox, as this photo was shot at old Comiskey Park (photo link). The Topps '72 card of Harmon in handsome pinstripes, the last of him in that model, captures him in a typical threatening-but-strangely-benign pose. That was just before Topps' photographers descended on spring training camp in Orlando to capture the Twins new prisoners of polyester. Perhaps Cesar just felt clownish, especially with that ridiculously large Minnie & Paul sleeve patch!

     Lotsa stirrups and shoe polish! Harmon Killebrew in 

polyester double knits was never as imposing OR 

    stately as he was in the 1960's original retro jersey. 

     Lithe and lean Tony Oliva cut a dashing cover model

when the Twins ditched  the pinstripes in ''72.

Justin Morneau models the 1980's throwback with joyous aplomb in

November, 2008. It was to be worn during various home dates during 

the Metrodome's final season in '09.The original had an expandable

waistband, and was a pullover jersey (well, beginning in '73 anyhow). 

  102 losses in '82? You'd be bummed being associated in any way with that too.

And now for some actual, Paleozoic Twins history: before the first season in '61, new Twins pitcher Don Lee has just been given the very first world-release sneak peak at the Twins road jersey on Feb. 18, 1961(for the "Minneapolis Twins," (as described in the photo caption-see link "Naming Of The Twins"). Team owner Calvin Griffith: "Repeat after me...it's a $2 laundering fee!" Go to this Google Docs link to see another similar photo, with a group of Twins admiring the new togs.

Go to link at Google Docs to up size for below:

 

As Herb Carneal concluded every Twins broadcast: "So long everybody!" - TT