Classic Minnesota Twins!

Twins History In Motion: The Famous Bob Allison Catch

2012-02-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

The gif below is my latest entry in the photo series, honoring the great Bob Allison. The Sporting News excerpts to follow capture the quotes of that day, from principals such as Jim Kaat, Sam Mele, Billy Martin, and, of course, Allison himself. The full game box of Oct. 7, 1965 can be found here at BBRef.

Max Nichols was an excellent baseball writer for the Minneapolis Star. He achieved notoriety for casting the lone vote that prevented Carl Yastrzemski from winning the MVP Award unanimously in 1967. His vote went to Twin Cesar Tovar (see Joe Posnanski's story at link).

Please be patient! It can be a slow download, depending on your system!

I had over 360 still shots for use, but could only include 130 with the web tools available.
Other than the "jumpy" aspect, I have to say I'm pleased, overall, with the result !

I've always loved the emphatic out call given by umpire Ed Vargo on Allison's catch!
That, and the clapping spectators. For the life of me, it gives me a kind of JFK assassination film vibe.

Twins manager Sam Mele called it probably...

(excerpt just above, and following: by eventual

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Milt Richmon (UPI) for TSN)

These three things, besides his attempted peace-making role in the 1969 Dave Boswell - Billy Martin fight, should be remembered about Bob Allison by all Twins fans :

He was the ultimate, humble team player, so it would follow that...
He was a much loved, respected teammate - Michael Cuddyer is a modern clone
He played with an all-out football player's mentality, laying himself out on the basepaths as well as in the outfield - in fact, he may have been the most feared baserunner in MLB

All three of the above are obvious in the photos and newspaper accounts above.

As our own Hall of Fame Twins Announcer Herb Carneal ended his broadcasts:

"So long, everybody!" - TT

Ted Uhlaender and Torii Hunter in GIF

2012-02-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Oberve the action from July 16, 1968. Ted Uhlaender scores in this game at Metropolitan Stadium, under the tag of Red Sox catcher Russ Gibson. Gary Bell is backing up the play.

It illustrates my first real attempt at making a GIF (graphics interchange format) photo, with the hope of making this 60's fan favorite come alive before your very eyes! Kind of my training wheels and crayon drawing attempt at this format. Yes, I do hope to improve my technique.

As if I should be wiling away my life in such frivolous activities! I've got features in progress: Camilo Pascual's election to the Twins Hall of Fame, the August, 1970 "Bomb Threat" game, and myriad other nuggets awaiting daylight...but sometimes the heart is indeed a lonely hunter (heh-heh, no pun intended). I can predict my next gif will be a rather complicated struggle, with the subject matter being a certain, famous catch that saved a world series game for the Twins. See if you can guess which one...I plan on using that one as an avatar and Classic Twins feature post.

I think you'll agree. I'm yet a boy among men when it comes to making these creatures. I'm sorry
that I wasn't more careful to catch the maker's name for proper credit!

Meanwhile, enjoy this one above, to which I have no claim of creation, but found too much fun to pass up! It comes close to mimicking Monty Python's Flying Circus without actually being a Monty Python bit. As if you hadn't already realized...it portrays another (former) Twins center fielder of more recent vintage...Torii Hunter.

As Herb Carneal used to say: "So long, everybody!" - TT

Met Stadium Pictorial Part III: Construction Phases

2012-02-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

There are some really fine shots of primitive Metropolitan Stadium in the 1956 Metropolitan Sports Area Stadium Souvenir booklet. It was sold at the ballpark that first season, when it was home to the AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. The Millers were the top minor league team for the San Francisco Giants.

This is a continuation of the previous "pictorial" posts that brings readers back to the first Twins ballpark. Reminder: the Met was payed for by contributing bondholders to the tune of $8.5 Million in the mid-'50's.

Additional info on The Met can be found at SABR Biographies. Stew Thornley's article is a fine place to go for details.

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

Chuck Knoblauch & The Dollar Dog Rebellion: May 2, 2001

2012-01-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

The Odd Couple: Kelly and Knoblauch face down rowdies

I was there at the H.H.H. Metrodome to see the whole, mustard-slathered spectacle.

Wednesday night, May 2, 2001, was the defining evening for prodigal son Chuck Knoblauch, when he found out he was no longer the fair-haired boy of Twins glories past. In contrast, the original Biblical son received nothing like the rude, verbal ass-kicking and shennanigans that Knobby received in that series-ending game at the Metrodome. It was the venue's most surreal, darkest ballgame ever. It's the only time my team won when I wanted to wear a bag over my head in embarassment.

Above, right: behold the culprit of the evening!

It had all started so wonderfully for Chuck in Minnesota.

Bowman 1991 Rookie

After he was drafted #25 in the first round of the 1989 draft, he apprenticed for just parts of two years (A: 139 games, AA ball: 118 games) in the minors. Then there was the 1991 Twins World Championship and Rookie Of The Year award; there were the four All-Star selections, three top-20 MVP finishes, two Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards. He did all this with a single-minded pursuit that bordered on mania. I remember a televised, steamy game from Cleveland in '95 or so - he did everything, hitting for extra bases, stealing, fielding - he was a rocket-propelled runt. Sadly, when you coupled the off-season workouts with the mail order food supplements (some apparently of the legal variety) that transformed him from a slightly pudgy little fellow into an intense greyhound, you had a guy that became viewed as a diva. His relations with Twins Manager Tom Kelly became strained.

All the Twins could get
for Scott Erickson was...
Scott Klingenbeck.

The lean years for the Twins extended from 1993 through the end of the Millennium. Knoblauch learned, as current Twins catcher Joe Mauer discovered in the summer of 2011, that (A) the fruits of losing made for an unpleasant aftertaste and (B) stars get the lion's share of criticism for the losing. The Twins traded away the Greg Gagnes, the Kevin Tapanis, the Scott Ericksons in a series of money-saving maneuvers until all at once, it seemed as if Knobby, Kirby and (later) Paul Molitor were the only sure things for the Twins.

Once Puckett irretrievably lost his eyesight, Kelly was left with mediocrities like Rich Becker, Scott Stahoviak, Pat Meares, and Frankie Rodriguez to pencil into the lineup after Knoblauch at leadoff. His wife at the time found him uncommunicative after frustrating ballgames, despite his personal successes. He signed a contract in late-season 1996, but the losses still mounted - and by the end ‘97, he’d had enough, and made known he wanted out. He got his wish, forcing the Twins hand. Enter Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Brian Buchanan, and Danny Mota in February, whom the Twins wrangled away from the Yankees for his services.

Commence the white-hot hatred of Twins fans spurned. As history would demonstrate later, vengeful Minnesota fans make Glenn Close (“Fatal Instinct”) look like the school librarian by comparison.

Fan to Knoblauch:
"You will NOT ignore me !"

When A.J. Pierzynski returned to the American League in 2005, he elicited similar antipathy. Like Knobby, he brought a bundle in trade booty: Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. What is it about the state's sporting public that they can't look good fortune in the face and see it for what it is? It's a paradox that's hard to fathom...

The Game - Wednesday, May 2, 2001

Ordinarily, a game that’s scoreless into the middle innings would be noteworthy on its own merit, with stellar pitching by starters Joe Mays and Orlando Hernandez. That helped create a taught, tense affair. It should have been a fascinating game. But there was something else at hand. As I watched that game in left field, I felt an increasing discomfort with what was going on around me; a crazed anarchy was in the air, very unsettling. Boorish kids of college age were giving it to the Yankees and Knoblauch; it wasn't just the loudness - it was the meanness, bitterness, bile, and beach balls pinging back and forth that made this freak show. One frustrated gentleman was seen catching one of those bouncers, puncturing it, and telling the miscreants to "WATCH THE GAME," only to be rewarded with debris thrown his way as well. This took place while the Twins were mounting a rally in the 6^th inning.

A number of factors contributed to this evening's weirdness:

No, drunk guys. It does NOT say
"start the throwin'"

It was dollar dog night with little to no limit on how many hot dogs you could buy (or throw as handy projectiles on this night)
The Twins were just returning to respectability in ‘01, and thus general admission left field seats went for a paltry $10. That screamed one thing: “Come one, come all ye drunken frat boys!” (It’s a fact: cheap prices appeal to the rude, boorish set, as well as thrifty families)
Knoblauch’s 2^nd base days were over. He’d been replaced there by a young Alphonso Soriano. That meant he had the privilege of playing with his back to those same lower left field seats. Bullseye!
A popular FM morning radio station show in the Twin Cities was stirring the pot against Knoblauch constantly, especially fixating on the incident when he pushed a kid in Seattle

At 9:11 p.m., Doug Mientkiewicz singled in Matt Lawton and David Ortiz to put the Twins up by 3 runs off Mike Stanton and the Yanks in that 6th. This created an excuse for an erruption of bottles and dogs and objects to be tossed to the turf, at Knoblauch - and it became so intense that 3B Umpire Angel Hernandez felt he had no other choice except to signal Manager Joe Torre to order his Yankees from the field. Tom Kelly, in an ironic twist, emerged from the Twins dugout to be Knoblauch's savior, in an attempt to calm the knuckleheads.

The letters on the backs of the imbeciles' shirts spell out

"Watch Your Back Chuck" when properly arranged. Nice!

At the same time, PA announcer Bob Casey was intoning with a perturbed urgency:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is an important, championship ballgame. If the trouble in leftfield does not end, the game will be forfeited and the Yankees will win. NOW QUIT THIS!"

Everybody's welcome..unless your name is "Chuck"

After 12 minutes, following the ejection of a posse of unrulies from General Admission, play finally resumed. The Twins A.J. Pierzynski took a strike three called, and the Twins bullpen came on to stuff New York the rest of the way. That would have been the end of it, except that yet another flurry of Chuck-shucking happened in the 8th inning...resulting in another 5 minute delay. That stoppage promoted the umpiring crew to more seriously consider a forfeit ruling. But the threat passed when fans witnessed more ejections, and they yielded to sanity, finally. Shockingly, the game took only 3:01 to play. As a footnote, the Twins won, 4-2.

For his part Kelly was livid not only with the fans, but he also felt the stadium's sound system was playing so loudly that he couldn't convey his message to the offending patrons. ''It was a terrific game, and in my mind it was ruined,'' Kelly said. ''Hopefully, they can clean it up around here.''

"What in the name of the Wide

World of Sports is going on here?"

To his credit, Knoblauch understood that just a small minority was responsible, and resisted downgrading Minnesota fans and Minneapolis: ''They need to turn the page. It's been four years. I don't know what's going on here... Even after all this, I won't say anything bad about the city,'' Knoblauch said. ''It's probably a bunch of 16-year-olds who don't have a clue who Chuck Knoblauch is."

As it is, this bit of clarification is needed: had Chuck had a sense of humor about himself during his career, and not taken himself so seriously, he might have endeared himself as one of the more beloved Twins before he left. It may have mitigated the ugliness of May 2, 2001. So, in that sense he had it wrong: Twins fans felt they DID know him, and some felt he deserved this treatment. If you can imagine.

I don't foresee similar flareups with the returns of Joe Nathan, or Michael Cuddyer or Jason Kubel in the future.

Chuck in The Big Apple: A classic case of
"Be careful what you wish for."

In the final analysis, there should be some credit given to Twins management; they had doubled the security contingent in left after situations on a relatively minor scale disrupted the Monday game. But with the opportunity for the Twins to win the 3-game series at hand, a 16,000 fan walkup besieged the Ticket offices Wednesday. It caught the Twins off guard with their surprising success of that early 2001 season, according to Dave St. Peter. It was their biggest, mid-week attendance in 13 years in April or May.

In retrospect, I don't think it can be disputed that Chuck Knoblauch was by far the best second baseman in MLB over 1995-1996. Furthermore, if you focus on peak performance, he had the best all-round years for any Twins second baseman in their history. That would include Rod Carew (with the exception of his ridiculous 1977 MVP season - but of course, he was a first baseman by then!).

The July, 1998 issue of Baseball Digest lays it out...

High Heats Stats also takes this to a greater, detailed level in it's analysis of Knoblauch's superior seasons, "Five Fascinating Facts About Chuck Knoblauch." Truly illuminating, that he was besting a Hall of Famer in Roberto Alomar.

It can be posited that getting players like Guzman and Eric Milton, by bettering the product on the field, helped keep the franchise of the Twins in Minnesota, and staving off contraction in 2001. Just another reason that residual bitterness towards Chuck Knoblauch is misguided and stupid.

As our announcing friend Herb Carneal put it:
So long, everybody!" - TT

Information from a May 4, 2001 Online Athens article was also extremely helpful in this recap.

Here's a You Tube video from '97 that foreshadows Knoblauch's eventual departure from Minnesota.

Then there's this story on what Chuck Knoblauch is up to these days, from a summer, 2011 StarTribune feature

Bleeding Yankee Blue posted this interview with Chuck in Aug., 2011.

Coming Post: Twins "Mystery" Player #1

2012-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

Mystery Twin playing for Orlando AA
of the Southern League in 1990 ( from
Twins Rally magazine, May, 1990).

Coming up at Classic Twins is a story about this Twins player from the 1990's. He would go on to become rookie of the year, a four time all-star, gold glove winner, to go with two silver slugger awards, and 3 top-twenty finishes in the MVP voting. His acting ability once helped the Twins win a World Series game.

He went from top of the heap in popularity, only to make the all-time "most despised" list of Twins players . His story makes him one of the most improbable and intriguing personalities in franchise history. He was also the focal point of one of the most bizarre games ever played at the Metrodome.

To be posted later this week...

As our old friend Herb put it, I repeat: "So long everybody." - TT

Let's just say he was a" lock"
for immortality in Twins Territory!

If you couldn't figure out who this is, even with pictures, clues, etc., I'm assuming you probably can't remember the name of your first girlfriend...don't feel bad, sometimes I can't either!

Kodak Snapshots - June '63 At The Met

2012-01-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lenny Green takes his pregame cuts

It all looks so carefree and unburdened. A sunny, 1960’s summer day at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. From analyzing data from blurred scoreboard images, I’ve deduced this is the game the 1963 Twins played against Chicago White Sox on June 20, 1963, albeit without complete certainty. It was not uncommon to wait days for film developing, up to and beyond a week for rolls to arrive back from a photo lab in the Twin Cities back then; thus, pictures taken in late month may not have been developed until after the first of July, in this instance.

Everybody was ready for a foul ball.

Usually, close up inspection of the board helps pinpoint the exact day, time of day, year, who was on the mound – but these images have the appearance of pregame warm-ups, what with the lack of game data on the board operated by Charlie Wilcox. The visiting team name is blurry at best, but the characters suggest “CHICAGO” to my eye. Have a go at it yourself, if you wish!

           Note the unpadded expanse of outfield fence!
              Plus, there was no shade -  the second deck
              was finally constructed during the 1965 season.

I said it was “carefree.” As if they lived in a big, TV sitcom world of Deputy Fifes, Dick Van Dykes and Jethro Bodines. We know better. The day of this game was almost exactly 5 months before President Kennedy's assassination. Buddhist monks were immolating themselves that summer in the streets of Saigon to protest government raids on their pagodas, in the effort to crackdown on communist infiltrators in unstable South Vietnam. Also bedeviling them was the constant threat of Chairman Khrushchev and the Russian Bear, and...the unsettling arrival of yet another cheesy Elvis movie in theatres that fall (Fun In Acapulco). The horror!

Crewcuts, curls and Twins caps!

I look at the people and wonder about their lives. So many families, and Dad’s with their kids! They came, and plunked down their hard-earned cash – nobody used credit cards then - to purchase tickets the day of the game. They paid $1.50 for those outfield bleacher seats (rich guys $3 for those lower, main mezzanine seats), when the median household income per year was $5,807. They raptly watched even the warm-ups, with only the organ fills, Bob Casey’s announcements, and the impossible fielding antics of Vic Power around first base to occupy them. That they were enriched and enjoyed a day at the ballpark without the broadcasting of pop music over the PA is enviable to me. The between-inning announcements and video board hype (hysteria) in today's ballparks severely distract from the game's simple essence, in my humble opinion.

Dailey had that one magical year - '63

On this game day, the fans saw Harmon Killebrew and Earl Battey hit roundtrippers. Ace Twins closer Bill Dailey relieved Jim Kaat in the sixth after the latter couldn’t get past the first five batters in the frame . Yes, the guys in the 'pen certainly had to earn their money the hard way! Dailey shut down the Sox the rest of the way, giving up only 2 hits over the next four innings, along with four strikeouts. He would come into ballgames that year riding in a convertible, to the tune of “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey? (Louis Armstrong, You Tube video below).” That was considered a spectacle 49 years ago.

All things considered, I wouldn't mind time-traveling back to that day, to enjoy a Schweigert hot dog and a Schmidt tall one in the cheap seats!

1962 game program ad

As our broadcasting buddy Herb Carneal ended his broadcasts, I say "So long everybody!"

Photos courtesy of Radio Sputnik (Flickr photos)

Remembering Steve Howe: 1985

2012-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

[SOME IMAGES ENLARGE BY CLICKING]

After last out, '81 World Series

It was the summer of 1985. The nation and world witnessed the musical spectacle of Live Aid for African hunger relief on July 13th. This was followed shortly thereafter by the MLB All-Star Game, hosted in Minneapolis three days later. That contest was a joy for me to attend with my great buddy from high school days - so many iconic players (see lineups at previous link) from that era - but the game itself was an incredible snore fest as excitement goes. Minneapolis' Prince was still riding a wave of pop music stardom after his 1984 "Purple Rain" release. It was an undeniably dynamic music scene flowering for Twin Citians, as the world had seemingly become smaller, more unified, and right in their own backyard. Pride, purple and otherwise, was gushing statewide for a population with a chronic need for affirmation and national praise. That is made obvious in this All-Star pregame 30 min. newscast video from WUSA's (NBC-Minneapolis) broadcast of July 16.

Developments with the local nine at the H.H.H. Metrodome were also part of that equation.

The Tom Kelly era of prosperity had not yet arrived. The club was merely trying to find a way to win, but getting to respectability was a long road for the Class of '82.

Go ahead. See if you can guess who
was the Twins original 2nd sacker in '61.
(box link at BBRef.)

Meanwhile, the 1985 season began as a year of hope for Minnesota, which ultimately became one of frustration for the Twins organization and it's fans. The 1984 team had tantalized fans with a playoff run, ultimately falling apart on the season's last weekend like a cheap umbrella in a driving rain (see link, Gary Gaetti story). Then, after the team started out with a 27-35 W-L record under Billy "Slick" Gardner, the Twins made Ray Miller the new manager on June 21st. He brought with him his reputation as the long-time, successful Orioles pitching coach, handy since the first order of business was improving the pitching staff. Frankie Eufemia was the only pitcher with an ERA under 4.20, and the staff overall sat at 4.97. There would be no overtaking the division leading K.C. Royals with that collection of arms. Remember: that record was compiled before the start of the Jose "The Chemist" Canseco / steroids era...

Clearly, Miller was not a man short on confidence in himself as a pitching Svengali. His corporate, "all-business" approach appealed to the Twins business hierarchy of Owner Carl Pohlad and team president Howard fox. His predecessor, Billy "Slick" Gardner," was too bourgeois, too glib for their tastes. Miller, instead, was a man of ambition and slick ideas. His cozy relationship with the press and managerial ambitions had put off Baltimore pitchers and fellow coaches. His first idea was to upgrade the talent on Twins pitching staff. Bert Blyleven was reacquired on Aug. 1 from the Indians, and his pitching was an immediate shot in the arm for the young Twins. But Miller and the braintrust had another move in the works:

(Sporting News clips, above and below, authored by Patrick Reusse, 1985)

If Miller meant that Steve Howe hadn't been caught red-handed by police searchlights and sirens, scoring blow in some abandoned warehouse district by that "drug-free for 19 months" reference, well...he was technically spot-on. Point being: the Twins were desperate for pitching, and were gambling they could keep Howe on the straight and narrow in calm, bucolic Twins Territory. Miller had been a Miracle Maker with those elite Baltimore staffs, after all. He might have told you so himself. No matter that Howe's rap sheet was prolific by then. Or that he had pronounced himself clear of his abuses on multiple occasions (only to relapse again and again) and had been suspended by Bowie Kuhn for the entire 1984 season. He was available, and still had a great arm at 27. The Twins were so tantalized by his ability and track record, seeing him only as a left-handed stud commodity, instead of the sick man he was. Desperate times, desperate measures, and the Twins had a new set-up man for Ron Davis.

Vintage Ray. I had to smile reading that last quote - remembering how he could deliver that clinical, thoughtful quote for the media that was long on style, high on the BS meter...

Howe's first appearance as a Twin was fabulous, especially when you consider he'd been off the mound and away from live hitters for 44 days:

Miller pitched Howe 6 times in his first ten days after joining the Twins roster. Considering the layoff, that's a considerable workload; you can't help but think the Twins manager was so tickled, he couldn't help but keep running out his shiny, new toy. As a consequence, Howe was hung with the loss three times in that period - during which time he had to be working out the rust. He'd have these sterling 1-2-3 innings, but also innings where he'd be victimized by his lack of knowledge of AL hitters like Cecil Cooper, or Alvin Davis. A mixed bag, but his talent was obvious.

With the exception of that first game, we really didn't have a large enough sample size of Howe's past effectiveness over a long period. Witness his Twins stats in summary:

Year	Age	Lg	W	L	ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	WP	BF	ERA+	WHIP
1985	27	AL	2	3	6.16	13	5	0	19.0	28	16	13	1	7	2	10	1	94	72	1.842

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/7/2012.

BF - Batters faced ERA+ -100* [lg ERA/ERA] Adjusted to the player’s ballpark(s).

WHIP - (BB + H)/IP For recent years, leaders need 1 IP per team game played

[View his game-by-game appearances at
The Steve Howe Files - Classic Minnesota Twins]

That brings us to the night of September 12, 1985.

The Twins gave Howe permission to appear on ABC's Nightline. I remember watching that episode that evening, feeling particularly proud of Howe for having the courage to go on the show and talk with Ted Koppel and fellow guest Pete Gent about his addiction. The current, widespread use of cocaine, and The Pittsburgh Seven were the context for the episode. His answers were intelligent, and searingly honest. Cocaine, he said, was not the problem in his life. It was life itself:

"Life in general and people and places and things and success a lot of times are people's problems," he said. "At least it was for me. My sole existence of what I did in life was what I did on the ballfield.. ..When nothing else matters and you don't feel that you're going to be able to perform up to your capabilities and someone gives you an avenue to deaden that pain ... you're going to do what you can do so that people are going to like you and accept you."

This excerpt from Μιnneapolis-Star Tribune writer Patrick Reusse takes the narrative from there. It's from his blog of July 23, 2011 at 1500ESPN.com; it had the tragic backdrop of Amy Winehouse and Derek Boogard as background context:

"...Steve Howe was mentioned earlier because I've always looked at him as the poster boy for athletes that made claims of sobriety and attempts at treatment that were in actuality complete frauds.

I was covering the Twins' road trip to Chicago and Cleveland in mid-September of 1985. The Twins had signed Howe, already a renowned cokehead, five weeks earlier.

The Twins were flying to Cleveland after the game of Sept. 12. Howe was given permission by the Twins to appear on a "Nightline'' panel that night, then fly into Cleveland the next day. The subject was cocaine abuse among athletes. Pete Gent, the former Dallas Cowboy receiver and a recovering addict, was also a guest.

Howe went to the Chicago television studio, talked about his recovery, then went searching for cocaine. He didn't show up in Cleveland for three days, and then asked the Twins for his release.

Twin Cities reporters spent much time on phones from Cleveland hotel rooms, trying to find Howe. I did talk to Gent in Michigan. He didn't have a hint as to Howe's whereabouts.

On the second night in Cleveland, reliever Ron Davis and I ran into one another entering and exiting an elevator. I asked the question of the moment: "Do you know anything about Howe?''

R.D. said that he and Howe had been out drinking a couple of nights earlier in Chicago - drinking well past midnight - but it was simply alcohol and Howe remained sincere in his attempt to avoid cocaine.

I was 4 ½ years removed from treatment at that time. Relying on the information I received in 30 days at St. Mary's Rehab Center, I told R.D. that drinking large quantities of beer was not the best method for Howe to stay away from cocaine.

And parsing out painkillers to be used in smaller quantities surely wasn't the best way for Derek Boogaard's enablers to greet him one day after his discharge from treatment.

P.S.: Howe died in a one-vehicle accident in Montana in 2006 at age 48. There was a trace of meth found in his system. "

Complete fraud? I prefer to think Steve Howe overestimated his ability to control his darkest passions, and that he had no idea what a deep hole he was in. While it's fairly lacking in human compassion, Reusse's post makes it abundantly clear that Howe's companions did him no favors; with no excuses - Steve's participating in the common, jock fraternity hi-jinks makes HIM responsible for his relapse. Ron Davis did not gag and carry him off on those excursions. But I have to wonder: had he the support system, with enlightended, college-educated teammates that players of today have, like Josh Hamilton (and now with Sean Burroughs joining the Twins) - what could he have done with the rest of his career?

Howe grew up in Michigan, in a lower, middle-class family. Going from that, the college atmosphere, and then straight to the media cauldron of L.A. during the cocaine boom, it had to have been a jolt.The history of the L.A. Dodgers is dotted with players who have been linked over time with chemical abuse: Don Newcombe, Lou Johnson, Pedro Guerrero, Darryl Strawberry, Manny Ramirez, Bob Welch, Kenny Landreaux, Andrew Lambo... are also on the list with Steve Howe. Them and others I'm sure I've forgotten, playing in a great, beautiful city, but a tough one for young players to navigate...we all want to think we'd be the hard-headed ones, that wouldn't succumb to the pressures, the temptations. That those other guys had some kind of weak chip. But how would WE handle fame, it pleasures and pains? I'm not sure I'd like to know that answer for myself.

I'll let my friend, super Dodger Fan and blogger Evan Bladh of Opinions of Kingman's Performance close the post with his personal reminiscences (NOTE: not all links in Evan's piece are functioning - will remedy at some point!):

Dodger fan Evan Bladh (right), Dodger legend

Tommy Lasorda, Bladh’s wife, Esperanza in 1998.

“Wow, Steve Howe….

In Steve's rookie year with the Dodgers in 1980, he was practically unhittable. I remember him walking in from the bullpen with a swagger, a real confidence, and he was just a rookie. He always seemed to have this smirk on his face. The kind of look that said, "Go ahead and TRY to hit this."

A first round pick of the Dodgers in 1979, Steve had pitched the Michigan Wolverines to the College World Series in 1978. He pitched for one half season in AA San Antonio and the next year he was the Dodgers closer and eventual rookie of the year [edit note: Howe became a focal point of the World Series Champ ’81 Dodgers bullpen, pitching the last 3.2 innings of the final game]. His numbers as a Dodger were astounding. His problems with sobriety were tragic.

I can't help but think that if Howe had surfaced in another era…in an era where cocaine wasn't the rage that it was in the early 80's, he could have been a Hall of Famer. Instead, he's the poster child for the drug abusers in MLB during the 1980's.

I had completely forgot about the "Nightline" situation and his failure to report back to the team after that national TV appearance. The sad thing about Steve is that he just never could pull himself away from the drug. He was truly ill and as much as he tried to sober up, I always had the feeling that he thought he could control his addiction and continue to function, even as a casual user. I have nothing to back that statement up with, it's just an opinion.

I remember that many were simply fed up [with his situation]… I don't think there was much sympathy out there for him nor much of an understanding of addictions like there is today.

I looked back at some LA Times articles that chronicled Howe's departure. All of the following was mentioned in his obituary on April 29, 2006:

Howe asked to be released so he could get a change of scenary. "It came down to fight or flight," he said. "Certain people in this town had a lack of understanding towards me, and in this situation I chose the flight instead of the fight."

Lasorda's quote from that time shows how little his addiction was understood. He said, "I'd tell him, "it"s against the law and it"s harmful to your body." He'd say to me, 'You're right, you're right.' And then he'd go out and do it."

As good, ol' Herb Carneal used to end his broadcasts,

I say too: "So long, everybody!" - TT

Twins Jerseys On The Red Carpet: A Pictorial Time Capsule

2011-12-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

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!"

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

Ben Revere Wins Gibby Award: Defensive Play of The Year!

2011-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

What a fine touch to end the year for our Ben Revere!

Nice interview by the suits at MLB with a nice, young guy. Check out my story link to Ben's catch from last summer! And don't miss the hilarious gif post of Ben's tumble versus Kansas City in July!

As Herb Carneal would say, "So long everybody!" - TT

Twins Shortstop RX: 2011 And 1968 In Focus

2011-12-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

The 1968 and 2011 seasons were pivotal and comparable in Minnesota Twins history. Most significantly, both were massively disappointing years in which the teams underachieved following a near-miss pennant ( defeated on last weekend of '67) by the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox and a Central Division championship in 2010. Both squads were hit by crippling injuries (Harmon Killebrew, Oliva in '68, and Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, et. al. in '11). Lastly, both editions saw the Twins employing legions of middle infielders to fill the most important defensive position on the diamond. By 1967's end, the play of Zoilo Versalles at shortstop had regressed* so much that the club determined to replace him come hell or high water for Twins 1968 season. The former, with a generous helping of chaos is what they got...extrapolate Jackie Hernandez' errors out to a full season of drudgery, and you get an idea of the team's quandary.

*Specifically, from offensive standpoint. BA had fallen to .200, few extra basehits (29 in 626 plate

appearances), and k'd 113 times. He did contribute 50 RBI, scored 63 runs, and played 160 games.

The 1968 Twins shortstop platoon...

	Age	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	RF/G
Jackie Hernandez	27	79	66	48	571.1	341	119	197	25	43	*.927*	2	4.00
Ron Clark	25	43	38	33	348.2	173	56	106	11	14	.936	-1	3.77
Rick Renick	24	40	30	23	262.2	149	50	91	8	13	.946	-7	3.53
Cesar Tovar	27	35	20	9	185.2	95	31	59	5	9	.947	-0	2.57
Frank Quilici	29	6	5	5	43.0	21	8	11	2	3	.905	-2	3.17
Rod Carew	22	4	3	1	22.0	9	4	5	0	2	1.000	0	2.25
League Average											.962		4.81
Team Total		162	162	119	1433.1	788	268	469	51	84	.935	-8	4.77

The sick part of me wishes they had kept running Hernandez out to short for the entire season.

Just to see what horrors he could have wrought. See nifty July, 1968 story on him at Baseball Digest!

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 12/17/2011.

The remedy was to bring in a ringer. And his name was Leo Cardenas.

Dec. 7, 1968: Arno Goethel (St. Paul Dispatch &
Pioneer Press) for The Sporting News

Calvin Griffith and his generals in the Twins front office were the benefactors of the Cincinnati Red's philosophy of trading players before they turned 30. Only 3 seasons previous, the Redlegs had dispatched the "Old At 29" Frank Robinson to Baltimore for Milt Pappas (and we know how that worked out for Cincy, what with the "old man" taking home the Triple Crown for batting in 1966). The three time All-Star Cardenas had become a favorite bullseye for Red's Manager Dave Bristol. Thus, from the Queen City of Johnny Bench and Pete Rose was he sent packing for the North Star State of Killebrew, Carew and Oliva:

Leo, looking pleased as can be
in his early Cincy days

LEO CARDENAS: his defensive line in '69...

Year	Tm	Lg	Age	Pos	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	RF/G	lgFld%	lgRFG	Awards
1969	MIN	AL	30	SS	160	159	155	1455.0	912	310	570	32	*126*	.965	17	*5.50*	.966	4.96	MVP-12

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/16/2011.

Cardenas simply made the Zoilo Versalles era a distant memory, turning in a sparkling year offensively and defensively. Calvin & Co. looked like geniuses, despite their forking over the crafty Jim Merritt for the man known as "Mr. Automatic " (link to classic Topps card "Marvin Miller post).

Cardenas (left) congratulates Rich Reese (scoring), with

Frank Quilici and Rick Renick." Mr. Automatic" turned in the all-time

best Twins shortstop year in the field in 1969, all things considered.

The 2011 season for the Twins was similarly vexing, and not only for the multiple players they shifted in and out of the starters role at short. This modern edition was also painted into a corner by injuries, poor performance, and the twin terrors of quiet dissension and malingering. Tsuyoshi Nishioka achieved a level of notoriety not seen in Minnesota with his unorthodoxy, not covering second base for putouts, and just the way he'd field hard-hit grounders ("He looks like he's getting paved," quipped Minneapolis Star Trib columnist Jim Souhan). Then there's Trevor Plouffe - one could never be sure if his throws to first would arrive in the first sackers numbers, in the family jewel box, or in a fan's beer in Row A. Here were the Twins' choices at short - contributors to arguably the worst record in club history:

2011 TWINS SHORTSTOPS - boots, bombs and busts to the max!

	Age	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	RF/G
Tsuyoshi Nishioka	26	60	59	57	508.1	278	96	172	10	34	.964	*-11*	4.47
Trevor Plouffe	25	45	45	44	396.2	195	73	111	11	33	.944	-20	4.09
Alexi Casilla	26	36	36	30	306.2	162	56	101	5	23	.969	-2	4.36
Matt Tolbert	29	31	22	21	210.0	110	41	66	3	19	.973	-3	3.45
League Average											.973		3.98
Team Total		162	162	152	1421.2	745	266	450	29	109	.961	-36	4.16

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/17/2011.

No, Trevor. We didn't like
watching this mess either.

2007 Topps Heritage card

It doesn't take much number crunching, or the scouring of modern metrics like total zone fielding metrics (i.e, "Rtot," see my sabermetrics page for definitions), to see the patient was bleeding on the table (like so many grounders through the 5-hole) with the docs apparently off shooting 18-holes somewhere. Some horrid, ugly numbers in that chart above! This time, the Twins have resolved to replace their woes with competency, if not flash and hardware. The 2012 shortstop trade equivalent to Leo Cardenas would be Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies. The pipes we're smoking would have to be pretty big indeed for us to think that the Twins would shell out for his booty (pardon the phrase). The recent acquisition of Josh Willingham slammed the Twins money vault shut. Wishful thinkers, don't even go there! Instead, we give you...[drum roll]...Jamey Carroll, acquired by the Twins on November 16th:

JAMEY CARROLL

Tm	Lg	Age	Pos	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	RF/G	lgFld%	lgRFG
LAD	NL	37	SS	66	54	48	504.2	214	78	132	4	27	.981	-5	*3.18*	.971	4.40

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/16/2011.

While definitely not blowing you away with numbers and hype, Carroll looks to be a guy who can make all the routine plays, if not being a great range guy (3.18 as compared to the National League average of 4.40 for 2011). It is legit to view him with some reserve. It took him until age 29 to become a full-time player, and he never played as many as 120 games in any one season until 2010. I'm viewing him as a super utility man in the Nick Punto mold. He doesn't have Punto's track record as a fielder, but he hits for a better average. Yes, I am aware of that RBI thing (17 in 146 games in '11). He has never played as many as 70 games at short in any of his 10 seasons, but does possess a .987 fielding percentage at the position, lifetime. My gut reaction is that he may yet wind up as the Twins everyday second baseman, and that Alexi Casilla will finally remain healthy and nail down short for a whole season. Then, too, there's some likeable minor league kid named Brian Dozier, winner of the 2011 Twins Minor League Player of the Year award. He very likely will get an opportunity to show his stuff in the 2012 Spring Training camp.

As it's doubtful they Twins will be able to crow as they did in acquiring Cardenas 43 years ago, they will hopefully recoup some satisfaction in knowing order has been restored at short. By SOMEBODY out there!

As our old friend Herb Carneal would conclude his broadcasts:

"So long everybody!" - TT

Tony Oliva: Traveling The Rutted Road To Glory

2011-12-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

[NOTE: try clicking on photos, get larger size]

"Oliva's got real quick hands, like Stan Musial, and he's got bat control like Willie Mays. Tony always gets a piece of the ball - like nobody I've ever seen."

- White Sox Manager Eddie Stanky, Baseball Digest, Aug. 1966.

The National Baseball Hall Of Fame announced on Monday the voting result of its Veteran's Committee, in honoring the "Golden Era" stars of the 1947-72 period. Long-overdue recognition finally awarded Ron Santo. The former Cubs third baseman was among the greatest players of the modern era, and his choice was entirely fitting. I join the chorus of others wishing he had been elected long before he passed away just over one year ago.

Q: Who was the best hitter you ever faced?

"Tony Oliva. Because, he could hit any pitch, anywhere. He did not have a weakness." - Hall of Famer Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Baseball Digest, Aug., 1992

Pre-injury, Tony Oliva was a

multithreat, all-round player.

He was widely regarded as

a prodigy in his first, spectacular

seasons.

As I am a long-time, ardent fan of both Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, I had already concluded that the result would not be to my liking well before the voting took place. Understand, my initial infatuation with baseball is due, in no small part, to the fabulous Twins teams of the late 1960's, when I was a tyke. These teams had rosters filled with lyrical, alliterative names like Rich Reese, "Pepe" Tovar, Leo Cardenas, Rod Carew, Jim Perry, and, of course, the late, great, Harmon Killebrew. These names, especially when rendered over the radio by announcing great Herb Carneal (1965 All Star Game audio link), were as much a part of my childhood summers as the buzzing cicadas, Dairy Queen shops and cornfields surrounding my small town in south-central Minnesota. The drive from my home to Met Stadium in suburban Bloomington, Minnesota was a short one, maybe 35, 40 minutes. I looked forward to pregame batting practice in that erector-set of a ballpark. It used to be farmland, cornfields too. Once inside the ballpark, you'd see the expanse of green, with those Twins players looking like giants, or mythical gods to my small eyes. I marveled at Oliva taking batting practice in his prime, before knee injuries and age took their toll. He could spray the ball anywhere. The first game I can recall attending was actually a Met Stadium doubleheader against the defending champion Detroit Tigers (July 29, 1969, BBRef Box) in which Tony, The Killer and Carew each hit homers. A nice way to start as a fan, I think you'd agree...

"He was as good as any hitter of his time...Better."

- Lou Piniella, Hall Of Fame Press Release, Nov. 29, 2011

I knew that the Hall's voting board probably realized its oversight in not selecting Santo, or Gil Hodges long ago. The "Old Timers" Committee was revamped in 2001 to help correct situations such as this. I had already digested the opinions of Aaron Gleeman from a 2005 post, in which he basically dismantles the notion of Oliva as a viable candidate from purely a statistical standpoint. A truly admirable piece of writing, and analysis - there's a reason why Aaron's baseball opinions are so respected. His conclusion: many others with stats similar to Oliva's are NOT in the Hall, and others - in his view, Dick Allen - are more deserving. When you make adjustments to Allen's length of career to approximate Olivas (total at bats, games played), as Gleeman did, you definitely get the impression that Allen was the better, more valuable player.

Sept. 1, 1969 (BBRef box), : was there ever a more perfect image of extension & balance?

Joe DiMaggio revisited! Closer to the current era, Adrian Gonzalez and Don Mattingly come to mind

as being similar, complete hitters, and also because they hit left handed.

Ahem! While not trying to place myself in the position of arguing the candidacy of Oliva over Allen, I do not find it a stretch to say that Oliva was, indeed, the better player over their first 8 seasons (which ran concurrent, starting in 1964, when they each won the Rookie of The Year Awards in their respective leagues). Oliva, at the plate, running the bases, tracking flyballs, throwing out baserunners, being a buoyant presence in the clubhouse, made the Twins a better team than did the divisive Allen for his Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox, the Phillies again, Athletics...am I forgetting any there? In any event, you get the point. Dick "Don't Call Me Richie" Allen was a great, albeit flawed performer. Even though he was Elizabeth Taylor* in cleats, jumping from team to team...

*or Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Anniston, for you younger kids, on the Nocturnal All-Star Team of Love

"...The guy I watched was Tony-O...When I got to the big leagues, people assumed that Harmon Killebrew must have been my favorite player as a kid. But I always focused on watching Tony swing the bat and hit the ball to all fields."

- former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek, Tales From The Minnesota Twins Dugout, 2007

Scroll to the :20 second mark to see Oliva

inside-outing a pitch to left ca. 1969

Bear in mind also that this was the period of great rightfielders like Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson...pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle. Then add to this picture the fact that Oliva played in small market Minneapolis-St.Paul. Barry Larkin also has the same dilemma as a Hall of Fame candidate, playing his whole career in Cincinnati. Gleeman's picture is incomplete, as he apparently never saw Oliva in his prime. You can make the numbers say what you want - they do matter. But you are remiss in not weighing the opinion of people who saw and played against him. His contemporaries. That should be factored for any other eligible candidate, for that matter. Their word has to count for something. For without the anecdotal, eyewitness comments of his peers, you only get a sterile, one-dimensional, statistical view of the player. I think their comments in boldtype speak volumes.

Minneapolis Star Tribune photo: Opening Night,
Oakland vs Twins April 6, 1973

Put it this way: do you see similar comments in print about Ron Santo being "the best third baseman"? Or best hitter, baserunner, fielder, etc.? Not really. At least, not that I'm aware of...this isn't to say Santo wasn't a great player. You'll notice they were saying those things for and about Tony...and I'm merely stating that Oliva deserves a nod of respect, or consideration when people speak of the elite players of his time, though the excellence of his play is fading from the collective memory; the legion of sportswriters, scouts, and players who witnessed Oliva in his time are replaced by a new generation unfamiliar with him, and puzzled by the buzz over a fellow with "only" 220 homers and .304 lifetime average.

Check Tony's first, excellent years in the table. Pitchers in the 1960's were throwing downhill off a 15-inch high mound (10" today). That was just crazy! No wonder nobody was scoring or going yard very much! It was a notorious pitching-dominated era, as countless others have pointed out. He yet compiled a marvelous power/speed profile during a challenging period:

Ask yourself: had Tony's two second-place MVP finishes been firsts instead, what would that have done for his HOF chances? BOLDFACE numbers denote league-leading totals.

MinnPost's Steve Aschburner's take on the "Cuban Cruncher," as Linkugel and Pappas refer to him below, makes an intriguing point. He correctly stated that Oliva bested Bill Mazeroski, Orlando Cepeda, Bruce Sutter and Jim Rice consistently (often decisively) in the voting by the Hall Of Fame committee during his initial candidacy years (1982-1996). Ironically, each has leapfrogged Tony, and have been inducted in the years since he went off the main ballot. His argument, if I may paraphrase it, appears to be "if them, why not Tony?"

Batting against the White Sox, 1971, Met Stadium

"Oliva, not [Jose] Canseco , is the greatest Cuban hitter who ever lived."

-Camilo Pascual, who scouted and signed Canseco for the Oakland Athletics, in "The New Face of Baseball: The 100-Year Rise And Triumph of Latinos."

While interesting, I find problems with Aschburner's logic: it can be used to justify a lot of bad or illogical choices. I think players like Tony, Roger Maris, Don Mattingly, and Garry Templeton were Hall of Fame talents who've been given scrutiny by voters in recent years, and who lit up their leagues for an abbreviated time. And therein is the distinction I draw. At some point, we have to pay attention to the Hall's 10 year minimum standard of high calibre play. If we are to have this hallowed museum where we profess to honor only the greats, only the people that fit the criterion, then we have to follow through. Tony and these guys don't fit in.

No, it's not what people want to hear and read. Not me. Not Steve Aschburner. Certainly not Tony; while being at his core a high-spirited, kind man, he has also expressed frustration with the voting process. He wants acknowledgement as being one of the greatest players of all time, which is natural. Who can blame him? Players tend to be less inclined to use strict HOF guidelines to gauge their worth. Again, all the quotes I'm supplying attest to his talent. He brought the goods, the numbers, the greatness...but it was for only eight years, if we are being honest with ourselves. While we could quibble over including his 1973 season to tack on another year for consideration (when he came back after recuping for most of '72), even that year is nowhere near Tony's performance of his 1964-1971 period.

1970: with daughter Anita, Fathers - Kids game at Metropolitan Stadium.
Minnie Mendoza (center) and Jim Kaat (left, head on hands) are visible.

"He was one of the best hitters I ever saw. And it was not only what he hit, but when. He always seemed to be getting big hits."

- former big leaguer/current Chicago Stinking White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson,

Nov. 29, 2011 Hall of Fame Press Release (check link to Denard Span's comments, You Tube).

I'm reminded of Ted Williams quoting Whitey Ford who asked:

"You mean, Tony Oliva's not in the Hall of Fame yet?"

So, were left with this: Tony and Jim Kaat will have to wait another three years before they can come up again in rotation for the voters to consider. Perhaps Oliva will have to make peace, as will his fans, with the prospect that he will have even less backing the next time, in 2014, and will remain on the outside looking in. He'll be graceful, no doubt. And we'll do well to make do, remembering the excitement, joy, and memory of our very own, Tony-O.

As our Hall of Fame Broadcaster Herb Carneal ended his postgame, I say to you:

"So long everybody!" - TT

Calvin Griffith's comments, The Sporting News, Feb. 26, 1966

The Naming of The Twins: Nov. 26, 1960

2011-11-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

On this day 51 years ago, Calvin Griffith (MPR link) announced his decision to name the new Minnesota franchise that was relocating to the Minneapolis-St.Paul area for the 1961 season. Among his choices was the "Twin Cities Twins," referencing the Northstar cities straddling the Mississippi River and their joint venture to field a major league ballclub. It was Griffith's intention to placate the two cities, and create unity after years of rivalry as minor league baseball cities. He eventually compromised, settling on "Minnesota Twins," thus making the entry the first MLB team to be named after a state, and not a city. The "TC" symbol, though, was retained on the caps.*

The recent relocation of the Minneapolis Lakers to L.A. in April, 1960 was unquestionably on his mind, and he didn't want discord to undermine the franchise's viability in the future. The area would indeed embrace the team of Versalles, Becquer, Allison, Killebrew, Pascual, Kaat, Battey and Lenny Green. The naming decision was published in a story by iconic Minnesota sportswriter and broadcasting legend Halsey Hall (SABR link) ten days later in "The Sporting News."

* "Twenty Cubans" was Jim Kaat's tongue-in-cheek response when asked by a rival team player for the meaning of the cap symbol. The Twins were renowned for fielding rosters with multiple players of Hispanic ancestry since the 1950's.

1961 Minnie And Paul logo
courtesy of Fleer Sticker Project.
The logo was created by artist
Ray Barton in 1961 for $15.

Details, details. The 5 and 7 year-old money figures Calvin cites at the bottom of this section undoubtedly did not match the current economic realities, inflation, etc.,in Minnesota at the time. Yes, fudging details, omitting relevant info...they were Griffith's twin guns he brought to many a negotiation! Star hurler Jim Grant was quoted as saying Griffith handled nickels as if they were manhole covers, alluding to the difficulty in wringing wage increases during salary talks with the Twins President. A formidable adversary in all things economic, and a pretty fair baseball mind! As far as I am aware, the middle section is the first national reference to the Twins team logo (left).

The "Gerald" (Gerry) Arrigo acquisition is a key one in Twins history - not so much for what he did as a member of the Twins staff, but for what he was worth in trade. The Twins picked up super-sub Cesar Tovar on Dec. 4, 1964 from the Reds. This was perhaps Calvin’s greatest trade steal of the 1960’s (with the possible exception of the 1963 Jim Perry for Jack Kralick deal).

You now know the fine trivia answer "Eddie Lopat" to the question: "Who was the Twins' first pitching coach?" Take a look at several of his young Twins rookie pitchers at the April, 1961 Baseball Digest (Google Books). Carl Yastrzemski, of course, had Minnesota ties from his season as a Minneapolis Miller in 1960, playing at Metropolitan Stadium. He later would help to famously end the Twins season as a member of the Boston Red Sox with his performance during the final series of the year (game stats) in 1967.

As our Hall Of Fame broadcaster Herb Carneal ended his broadcasts, I say:"So long, everybody!" - TT

Participate in Hall of Fame Poll: Oliva, Kaat, Tiant, Hodges, Minoso, Santo or Reynolds?

2011-11-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Your input is desired at the Classic Twins Facebook page. Would love to see who the favorites are before the vote! Vote early, vote often, and get your cigs at the door!

You should check out the new Hall of Fame ELO Player Ratings system at BBRef. It looks to be a fairly objective system of rating the best players in history. Now that I think of it, I should probably have made this the latest link of the week. I believe I will make it happen!

TOP ROW, L-R: Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Charley Finley.
BOTTOM: Allie Reynolds, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Tony Oliva, Buzzie Bavasi.
(SUPER good size available for view, click image)

As our Hall of Broadcaster Herb Carneal would say: "So long everybody!" - TT

Lost Met Stadium: A New Page At Classic Twins!

2011-11-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Feel free to check out "Lost Metropolitan Stadium," a new sidebar feature document that will be appearing in the sidebar for your looking pleasure!

I hope you're ready - it might get you wistful. Angry. Nostalgic. Or any number of nebulous, human emotions.

As our Hall Of Fame announcing friend Herb Carneal saith: "So long everybody!" - TT

Bert Blyleven: 1971 Scorecard "Twins Twinkler" Feature

2011-11-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

Jim Perry, 1971 Scorecard

[Another in the 2011 Bert Blyleven Hall of Fame Series]

Before The Sporting News - or Sports Illustrated - or any other syndicated publication got wind of Bert Blyleven...

"Wind" in a manner of speaking...

...one could only count on local and regional Twins publications to hype the talents of our curveballing prankster.

Enjoy this spread, complete with ads, from a 1971 Twins scorecard, a "Twins Twinkler" player feature.

To remind: "Twins Twinkler" was a staple feature in Twins scorecards dating back to the first season in 1961.

See link to view another great curveballer in Twins history in his "Twins Twinkler" spread!

(click to read isolated image)

Personable. Poised. Not yet publicly profane. And a curveball that made batters pee their pants.

His life's possibilites, prodigious. Thus, I end my pain in the posterior alliterations.

As our old friend Herb would sign off: "So long, everybody!" - TT

Jim Kaat: Up For Election To Baseball Hall Of Fame

2011-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva will be under consideration for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Dec. 4 (story and stats at MLB.COM). They definitely offer up some solid credentials for the Veterans Committee to consider. The expectation is they'll be considerable dark horses, and will finish far back in the voting. At this point, I thinketh Gil Hodges and Ron Santo would have to be the front runners for the honor. Another former Twin, Luis Tiant should make a strong showing also...that despite his wooden acting chops...(see vid)!

Too bad. I was too young to remember seeing Hodges and Santo play. Hodges was the Mets manager when I became a fan in my kidhood. He went at the cigs like a smokestack, but was otherwise the man of moderation. Skippered The Amazin' 1969 New York Mets to a World Series Championship. Died before the '72 season got underway. Santo is among the greatest third basemen in NL history. A very emotional, demonstrative (see pic!) team leader. Not to take away anything from those two - I'm sure their long-time, respective fans in Brooklyn/L.A. and Chicago wouldn't - but it would have been nice if the Hall would have honored them long ago, before they passed on.

As it is, our guy Kitty is quite humble about just being on the ballot, according to this link.

The well-spoken Kaat and especially Oliva were top echelon players in their 1960's heyday. And are still very much alive to enjoy the honor next July. Kaat was the ultimate gamer, pitched in 4 decades, won damn near 300 games, and reinvented himself late in his career as a starter AND reliever, a la Dennis Eckersley. That is to name but a few of his highlights. He ocassionally pops up these days on MLB network broadcasts. Heck, he could go in on the merit of his skill at the mic alone. As James states below, Kaat had bad timing: barring his hand injury incurred while sliding into second in the 6th inning of a game against Chicago on July 2, 1972* (game box, BBRef) Kaat may have had his career year (and narrowed the gap to 300 wins). He was 10-2, with a 2.07 ERA at the time (left: check fab Topps 1972 baseball card!).

*After breaking his hand at second on a 6-4 forceout in that 6th inning, Kaat pitched to 11 more batters, finally giving up the mound in the 8th when Wayne Granger relieved. His 7-2/3 innings were the last he pitched that year. Grit and determination personified! Adding a footnote to this footnote, the Twins promoted Dave Goltz from AAA Tacoma after that ballgame to replace the injured Kaat. He made his debut on July 18.

It's a nice list of guys for the committee to mull. I submit: honor these and the other stars in the near-future; let's include these Twins now! I love the picture below, from old Commiskey Park:

Pitching to Earl Battey. The batter is Pete Ward.

Twins vs White Sox, May 17, 1967 (box score: Baseball Ref.)

For the record: Kaat has to go down as one of the most cerebral, cagey

pitchers of all-time, as well as being in the top 5 starters in Twins history.
If you're not counting Rich Robertson and Scott Klingenbeck.

Here's a link to Kaat's game stats from his outstanding Cy Young-worthy 1966 season. Only the great Sandy Koufax ('66 game logs) stood in his way, in the time when only one award winner was selected from among all the major league teams.

And now for you reading types, Bill James expounds in his absorbing "What Ever

Happened To The Hall Of Fame?" 1995/Simon & Schuster at Google Books:

His stats are on par with these pitchers:

(those starred are in the Hall of Fame)

Similar Pitchers

Compare Stats to Similars

Tommy John (923)
Robin Roberts (917) *
Fergie Jenkins (891) *
Eppa Rixey (875) *
Bert Blyleven (854) *
Jamie Moyer (851)
Early Wynn (849) *
Burleigh Grimes (846) *
Frank Tanana (845)
Red Ruffing (839) *

Source: Baseball Reference

As a life-long Twins fan, I'll readily admit, there's a certain "greedy pig" factor at play here. We Minnesotan's got our Bert Blyleven in this year, and now we're back at the trough again. More-more-more! So be it. But you have to admit: the statistical evidence above, plus Kaat's career longevity, competitive spirit, and post career have to be factored in his case.

As Hall of Fame Twins announcer Herb Carneal phrased it:
"So long, everybody!" - TT

1976: The Twins Bill Campbell As Baseball's Original Free Agent Signee

2011-11-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Thirty-five years ago today, November 4, 1976, was a momentous day in baseball history. It was the day that Major League team owners bid on the first group of free agents. I view the list (below), and have to marvel at the top flight pool of future Hall of Famers (Jackson, Fingers) and All-Stars (Bobby Grich, et. al.). Minnesota's Bill Campbell (Classic Twins post on Soupy) and Eric Soderholm* were in that group.

The Sporting News called it a "gold rush," but it was more a willy-nilly cattle drive of the game's top stars to market, to continue the Wild West motif that was the 1970's. And our very own Bill was numero uno - the FIRST official signing under the new agreement between Marvin Miller, the Players Association, and Major League Baseball. It was a formal end to the system known as "The Reserve Clause."

*Great interview with Soderholm at Baseball Alamanac. Sheds light on difficulty of squaring off against Calvin Griffith in contract negotiations. Recalls comment Griffith made to Pedro Ramos during contract squabble: "If you don't like the offer, you can go back to Cuba and cut sugar cane" (Google Books link).

Calvin Griffith

This clip is from the Minneapolis Tribune Sports section of the previous day (11/3/76) . Tom Briere's piece allows an insight into the mindset of then-Twins President Calvin Griffith* on the eve of that momentous draft. Cal comes across today as curiously detached, and stand-offish; you have to wonder if he truly understood the weakness of his bargaining power in this new format:

[Keep clicking news clips to get larger sizes]

*Link to my "Meeting Calvin" post. The modern psychology of players, media relations, economics...it was getting apparent to the Twins hierarchy that the game was passing Griffith by. They would appoint a 4-man management team that year, ease him out of the team presidency.

And with that laissez-faire attitude, you could have guessed this would result:

Of course, the '76 draft proved to be highly damaging to the Twin's chances to seriously contend for the pennant in 1977, when the club fielded an offensive juggernaut (batting stats) that was bereft of quality starting pitching. The 1977 draft would deal another more serious blow to the team's depth of talent , with the defections of Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle. Sans them, the Twins would not factor in a pennant race until another turnover of youth, the Puckett-Hrbek-Gaetti-Viola Twins of the 1980's, would surface and win it all ten years later.

For those of you interested, here are the results of that draft day as described in the Jan. 1, 1977 edition of The Sporting News (again, Jack Lang's article:

Click for larger image

Only two day's earlier, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter had defeated imcumbent President Gerald R. Ford in the general elections. The country was moving on after Watergate, Vietnam, the '60s, and the heartbreak that came with them. Undoubtedly, the old order of power was "gone with the wind," as Ronnie Van Zant* sang - and now, so too was The Reserve Clause in baseball that had bound players to their teams. The freed bird flew, and the Twins had lost their uber-closer.

*link: Van Zant was a big-time baseball fan, an enthusiastic ballplayer as a boy in Jacksonville, FLA.

Bob Fowler was the Twins beat writer from the Minneapolis Star
who submitted team summaries to The Sporting News in the late '70s.

Overall, this episode in team history set an organizational operating template that has lasted into the present day. More often than not, the Twins are still one of the clubs that draft, develop and then lose top-flight players long before their talents have regressed. Exits by Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, and now (possibly) Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Joe Nathan in 2011 are bitter reminders that teams in markets like Minneapolis-St. Paul have a fairly small window of time for contending.

It's paradoxical that while baseball has changed so much in the last 35 years, one thing is still very much the same - the very democratic and rewarding institution of free agency has also made it very heartbreaking for loyal fans like ours in Minnesota to see the Twin's best and brightest move on to the Bostons and Californias of the world.

As our buddy at the mic, Herbie Carneal,

would say: "So long, everybody." - TT

1977 Topps Baseball Card.
Undoubtedly, the airbrushing
over the Twins logo was a
clever way to rub our noses in it.

Twins Cards & The 2011 World Series: Visiting The Low Brow

2011-11-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

My little eye spies Earl

up by the top of the Tall

Boy, a 1961 Topps (pic 1).

(Pic 1.) Visiting childhood memories:
a time machine to days long past.

The Low Brow pub in Minneapolis is a fine, relaxing little place to go with friends for a bite to eat OR enjoy a cold one while talkin' baseball. Nice, easy to find, and the wait staff were top shelf in accommodating us. It's not really a sports bar. In fact, you have to look hard to find any other photos of sports and baseball figures, beyond the cards. Still, it's a great venue for viewing a ballgame with a buddy.

"Dirty Al" and I took in it's sublime pleasures last Friday during Game 7 (ESPN box score). Just not the Ranger's year, my friends! Even so, we could enjoy the Cardinal club's professionalism, while taking in the bar's marvelous baseball card collection under glass.

Dirty Al befriending young Harmon's

1961Topps card image, his first visit to

Target Field, April 20, 2010 (box)

Half the fun, of course, was picking out Twins heroes and sharing stories of years past in the menagerie. I'm my trademark, Cliff Claven-style, I discoursed on the wonders of the Twins 1961 Topps set; "You see, Dirty Al, for example, the players had just emigrated from the nations's capitol, and were pictured hatless - owing to the fact that the Topps card company did not have sample info on the new Minnesota team logo."

Well, that, and it was a hell of a lot easier than airbrushing "TC's" onto 20-plus Senators caps of the year previous. As you'd expect, the Claven in me was only partially correct with the facts! Take a look at the 1961 Twins Group #1, 1961 Twins Group #2, and 1961 Twins Group #3 from the set!

Pic 2 from bar. The vintage cards pre-Upper Deck, pre-card

speculating commodity hoarders, are still the best & most

character laden hunks of cardboard on God's green Earth.

But that's just me.

Spotted this trademark

Hrbek fielding pose

(1987 Topps) under glass.
High sentimentality factor!

I will plan to revisit this fine, little gem of a pub. With good friends.

As Herb Carneal, our good friend at the mic for so many years, saith:
"So long everybody!" - TT

"A Tale of 4 Twins Pitchers:" Kodak Snapshot Picks, 10/30/11

2011-10-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Another entry in posts spotlighting candid photos of Twins players, 1961 - present.

Click on them for the larger versions.

The key here is "candid," regular, fan shots, not those glossy ones taken by the "professional" Walter Iooss-types. As is my want, the great majority of these are black and white : timeless, quaint, boring, whatever you please to call them...they're what I like!

Nineteen year-old rookie Bert Blyleven (ca, Spring, 1970) in no way, shape or form, should ever have been allowed out of his mother's house. Hanging around calloused gentlemen of the athletic persuasion has spoiled many a fine lad...nevertheless, while waifs his age in his native Netherlands were home churning out barrels of butter, young Bert was bending curveballs past some big-time hitters in his first Twins spring training. Such it was that his manager, Bill "The Cricket" Rigney wanted badly for this diamond in the rough to remain with the big team to start the season. But, the skipper was voted down, as these things happen, by the Twins braintrust (*cough* IDIOTS!). But Bert would get the callup to replace the injured Luis Tiant on the roster, pitching his debut on June 5, 1970 (boxscore and PBP), a 2-1 victory over the new Washington Senators. The first batter (guess who!) homered off him, but he pitched 7 innings, with 7 strikeouts, and 1 walk. Game time: 2:01!! According to legend, he lit up venerable teammate Bob Allison afterward for his first hotfoot!* Apocryphally, the good-natured Allison guffawed "THAT was one Hall Of Fame-worthy hotfoot, young man!

*see cool Baseball Almanac "quote about..."

Bob Miller (ca, 1969 spring training) was known to his mother as Robert Lane Germeinweiser, and he was one of 4 Bob Millers who pitched in the Majors during the '50s and '60s. He goes down as "the guy that got Twins manager Billy Martin fired."* See, Calvin Griffith had wanted Martin to give the assignment to Jim Kaat. Martin, of course, defied him, and started poor ol' Bob in the deciding game of the 1969 ALCS..and, regrettably, Bob layed down a big, ol' stink bomb on the Met Stadium mound. It completed a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, after which Billy was fired, setting up the hire of Rigney. Heretofore, he'd been a capable reliever for the Dodgers and Cardinals and Mets. He'd played on 2 World Championship teams, 4 division winners, and 5 pennant winners. He also played for 4 last-place, 100 loss clubs! There's some diversity for ya! He played with All-Stars, from Walker Cooper (1942) to Greg Nettles (1985), outfielders like Stan Musial (as an 18 year-old rookie in 1957) and Curt Flood (a pioneer in challenging Baseball's reserve clause), and Tony Oliva. He threw to catchers like Cooper, Choo Choo Coleman, John Roseboro, former Twin Rick Dempsey, Manny Sanguillen, and Jerry Grote. He pitched for 3 Hall of Fame managers (Leo Durocher, Casey Stengel, Walter Alston). Interestingly, our little Johnny Appleseed / Forrest Gump played for the New York Mets in both 1962, and in their "Gotta Believe" World Series year of 1973; in the former, the Mets had what is generally regarded as the worst season ever in the modern era with a 40 win - 120 loss record. Regarding that '69 playoff loss: with all those Bob Millers on the market, is it possible Billy Martin just happened to pick the wrong one out of the litter...?

*Admittedly, punching out staff members, carousing, and being generally insubordinate could be construed as legit reasons to fire people in most lines of work. Billy being Billy was an idea incompatible for a number of people in the Twins front office.

Camilo Pascual (ca. 1961): some say he threw a "yellow hammer"...or a yakker...an "Uncle Charlie"..."hook"..."inshoot..."big wrinkle" - go right ahead and try to use any one of these in the regular conversations of polite society - just look out for the nice men in white carrying the sleeveless jacket just for you! Then again, use the terms around your baseball friends in reference to the legendary tosses of Camilo Alberto Pascual ("Little Potato" to his family back in Cuba), and they'll buy you a beer for your obvious wordsmithery. Fidel Castro's favorite pitcher is 5th All-time (Wikip. stats) for the Twins in wins (145), games started (331), 2nd in shutouts (31), 4th in innings pitched (2,465), and 3rd in strikeouts (1,885 @ twinsbaseball.com). Put it to you this way: when you're name is oft-mentioned on the short list of the greatest curveball pitchers ever - Koufax, Blyleven, Pascual, Satchel Paige - you're entitled to all the cigars you can carry home from Havana in a wheel barrel.

Jack Kralick, (ca. 1961) here is totally fulfilling our expectations of the off-beat lefthander (i.e., an earlier version of Bill "Spaceman" Lee). He appears to be impatiently pulling out another stick or juicy fruit. CAPTION: "Why, oh WHY do these photo hounds have to steal the time I could have otherwise devoted to hazing rookies?" In other parts of the blogosphere, his countenance has been described as "ominous," as in something wicked this way comes. Perhaps this portends later circumstances during his career in which he was a perfect pain in the axis for sportswriters to deal with. His surliness earned him one less tooth and a side order of facial lacerations compliments of future roommate Gary Bell's fist in 1965. Seems their tiff was over which television channel to watch ("Masterpiece Theatre"? "F Troop"? So many choices...). Now, we wouldn't want to paint the Twins original Black Jack as a co-defendant at the Nuremburg Trials; for a clearer view of the man, check out this superb book excerpt from Terry Pluto's "Colavito" (1994). He receives props here for throwing the first no-hitter in Twins team history, on Aug. 26, 1962. And for anticipating Ben Revere's jaunty streetcap-style 50 years early!

Do you have any favorites among this bunch? Feel free to comment!

"So long everybody!," as our good friend at the mic Herb Carneal used to sign off - TT

1991 World Series Highlights Summary

2011-10-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

For your scholarly pleasure, here is Michael Rand's capsule feature on the 1991 World Series from the Friday, Oct. 28, Minneapolis StarTribune edition.

A fine group of nuggets these are, I'd say. I'm only upset that I didn't come up with them first...alas, I have to work for a living!

For larger print: 1-click image, 2-click "show original" (left) & 3-click image again

"So long everybody!," as Herb Carneal used to say - TT

Remembering Kirby Puckett's Game 6 of the 1991 World Series

2011-10-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

October 26, 1991. It was twenty years ago today...

It was the day that defined the legacy and history of Kirby Puckett's career with the Twins.

Without him carrying the Twins to the promised land and Game Seven, things could have ended so differently..."Jump on my back guys." That's what legends are supposed to say.

Heroes get remembered-but legends never die

When most non-Minnesotan's think about him, their thoughts must undeniably drift back to The Catch and The Hit during Game Six (Box score/play by play) of that epic Fall Classic . That he was able to muster such a performance on this stage says volumes about him as a clutch, "money player."

It's odd. You can recall stalwart, talented guys like Ernie Banks, or more recently for Twins fans, Rod Carew. Their numbers are there for us to see, of course. You can read them and say "They were good." But they never got into a series. So, there was no dramatic, national, defining moment that burnished their myth and legend. Bill Clinton never got his Gulf War. Huey Lewis never got acclaim for his serious, jazz horn albums (damn that Brian Setzer!). Kind of a sad thing for those players, really. The stories told about them won't have the same resonance, the same life breath of awe, that guys like Kirby or George Brett, or Joe Carter, or even Bill Mazeroski and Jim Leyritz (for God's sake) have for coming up big on the biggest stage of them all.

I've certainly been getting
my Twins jollies, posting
scads of Twins post season
memories to Twitpics of late!

Ah, but Kirby surely got his! Now enjoy Twins history as it was...

These calls go down as the best remembered in announcer John Gordon's career.

And here's the entire at bat, with added commentary, and Jack Buck's

famous, national television call:

As our old friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, would say: "...So long, Everybody!" - TT

Photo Courtesy Heinz Kluetmeier/CBS (SI)

Harmon Killebrew: Hall Of Fame Acceptance Speech, Aug. 11,1984

2011-10-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is another installment in a series honoring the principal figure in Minnesota Twins history

As seen at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cooperstown, N.Y.

His words speak for themselves.

As our friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, would say it "...And the count rides along." - TT

Twins Highlights for 2011: Mr. Thome's 600th In Multiview

2011-10-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

In 2011, we Twins fans had the wonderful distraction of watching Bert Blyleven join the Hall of Fame ranks.

We beheld the sad passing of Harmon Killebrew (Homerun Derby, Hulu).

We could gaze at the tranquil, Minneapolis skyline behind the Target Field confines.

We stared in puzzlement & disappointment at the difficulties of newcomer Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

We stared some more at the Minneapolis skyline, while our team of recruits flailed...

But for sheer on-field pleasure, I don't know what kind of smoldering wreck 2011 would have been without the exploits of Gentleman Jim Thome and his quest for career homerun 600...

This photo set originally appeared at Starlins And Pinstripes blog (Tumblr)

The milestone game was at Comerica Park in Detroit, August 15th, 2011 (game log at BBRef).

Jim was traded 10 days later back to his original team, the Cleveland Indians.

It was an amicable parting of ways for him and the Twins, a means for him to

play yet with a team that was contention for the pennant. In short, it wasa way to say

"Thanks" for all the good he did for Minnesota in his short stay with the club.

As our dear, old friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, put it: "...And the count rides along." - TT

Twins Heroes of October on Twitpics

2011-10-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Oct 18. '87: #Twins def #Cards, 8-4 Gm2, #Blyleven wins.... on Twitpic

I've been downloading a trove of photos from Twins postseason history, 1965, '87, 91, the 2000's, what have you. Try the title link, see if you can recall some or most of these that are online!

That wacky Carlos Gomez scoring, Game 163, 2009.

As our old friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, would say "...And the count rides along." - TT