September 30, 2014
A job well done for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire comes to an end
This is a post about job security, tenure and the notion of a job well done because when you’ve been a manager of a professional sports team and have survived the whims of ownership, fickle fans and overpaid athletes for 13 years, you’re doing something right. But that all came to an end Monday for... Continue Reading »
July 27, 2014
Remember the Portland Mavericks? I’m embarrassed I don’t
Frankly, I’m embarrassed. I was born and raised in Portland, Ore., and yet I must confess I knew next to nothing about the Portland Mavericks, a short-lived, independent baseball team that occupied Civic Stadium for five seasons. The Portland Mavericks’ home opener in 1973. That was until I saw a new documentary about the team... Continue Reading »
March 28, 2014
Remembering the Twins’ Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett, who patrolled center field and played his entire 12-year career for the Minnesota Twins, would have been 54 this month. His birthday was March 14. But Puckett, a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2001, died in 2006 at the much-too-young age of 45 from a stroke. His life following the game was tragic,... Continue Reading »
January 10, 2014
Pitcher Jack Morris belongs in the baseball hall of fame
Better luck next time, Jack Morris. Morris, the longtime starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who also spent one incredible year with the Minnesota Twins, failed to gain entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame this week after spending 15 years on the ballot. I was sure he was going to get in this year... Continue Reading »
December 31, 2013
The ‘homerdome’ is going, going, gone
The state of Minnesota and the sporting world said goodbye to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on Sunday, the often ridiculed dome with the air-supported roof hosting an NFL game (the Minnesota Vikings actually won) for the last time before it is demolished to make way for a new home for the Vikings. Hubert H. Humphrey... Continue Reading »
December 24, 2013
Twins finally spend a little money on free agents
If the Minnesota Twins, my favorite baseball team, fail to produce a winning campaign in 2014, I can at least look back to the off season of 2013 and say they tried. That’s because the Twins, not historically known for big free agent signings, appear set to reverse the losing ways of the past three... Continue Reading »