November 10, 2024
The Twins were sold 40 years ago. Here’s how it all went down
Twins Territory got hit with a double whammy this past season. The first “whammy,” if one can say that, was the team’s terrible second-half play, including an August collapse that caused the Twins to go from a sure fire thing to undeniably out of the picture. The second was the announcement that the Pohlad family,... Continue Reading »
October 20, 2024
The day celebrated sportswriter Gary Smith profiled Calvin Griffith and the Twins
You never know when you’re going to have a Minnesota Twins moment. Once again my son and I found ourselves in the Centralia/Chehalis area of Washington state — which, by the way, is known as the Twin Cities of Lewis County — visiting an antique store. The store owner had stack upon stack of old... Continue Reading »
June 23, 2023
Twins win over Red Sox features rare complete game
The Twins looked pretty good on Thursday, so good in fact it’s as if the team capped a long winning streak, or opened up a substantial lead in the division over their closest rival, or clinched a playoff spot. But let’s not get too excited because Thursday’s 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox means... Continue Reading »
October 1, 2022
One of the few silver linings of 2022: Joe Ryan’s pitching
Joe Ryan pitched six innings of scoreless baseball, earned his 13th win of the season and set a new single-season strikeout record for a Twins rookie with 151 strikeouts, eight of them in Friday’s 7-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. It appears this was Ryan’s last start of the season so he finishes the 2022... Continue Reading »
March 8, 2022
Billy in October 1969: A man without a job
With manager Billy Martin at the helm, the Twins won the American League West Division in 1969 and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the postseason, the first year of AL Championship Series play. The Twins battled the O’s in the first two games and were blown out in the last to be swept 3-0 in... Continue Reading »
February 2, 2022
Cesar Tovar gets Twins’ Hall of Fame nod
Utility man Cesar Tovar, former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and Dan Gladden, a key fixture on the Twins’ two World Series winning teams, have been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. Cesar Tovar avoids a Thurman Munson tag while getting the slide sign from Tony Oliva. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/kBYQXginyI — Jeff (@MNTwinsZealot) February 2, 2022... Continue Reading »
December 13, 2021
A stroll down memory lane with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Kaat
It never fails: A current or former Twins player is in the news and before long I have stumbled across something online that is entirely new to me. Who has been in the news? Former Twins Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, both of whom were recently elected to the Class of 2022 of the National... Continue Reading »
November 24, 2021
Even worse than I imagined it to be
Calvin Griffith’s tenure as owner of the Minnesota Twins came to an end in 1984, the year he sold the team. But for all intents and purposes it really ended on Sept. 28, 1978, a date which will live in infamy for Twins fans. That’s when the old cherub shot off his mouth in the... Continue Reading »
November 12, 2021
The enduring mystery of Luis Tiant’s 1 season in Minnesota
Luis Tiant, the beloved Boston Red Sox pitcher, forever immortalized for a pitching motion that had him looking at second base before he whirled home, spent a season with the Twins in 1970. The #MNTwins released Luis Tiant 50 years ago today. Over seven seasons from 1972 to '78, Tiant averaged 243 innings pitched, 17... Continue Reading »