Twins Move!

[Paul Pleiss]

If the Twins were to sold and/or relocated mid-season to another city/state, let's say Portland, OR, would you remain a Twins fan or find a new team to root for?

 

If you choose a new team/organization, which team, and why?

 

I probably keep following the Twins, at least in the interim until I can settle on a new organization and get up to speed on their prospects, and the way their front office does business. I'd probably always have a soft spot for the former MN Twins, but I'd likely find a new team to root for. Being that I now live in Seattle, there's a chance I just go full blown Mariner fan and latch on, but teams like Houston, Atlanta or Washington are also intriguing to me because of the young stars and/or the respect I have for their front offices. Hell, maybe I'll even become a Marlins fan because of the heinous statue beyond CF.

[Squirrel]

I'd be tempted to become a Cardinals fan. I live in Chicago and think the Cubs are pathetic and it would be fun to cheer on the adversary; just like I do now cheering on the Twins amidst the ChiSox fans.

[snepp]

I'd probably follow a few ex-Twins, cease following any specific MLB team itself, and go all-in on the local Canaries.

[Riverbrian]

Like the North Stars... I'm done.

 

I didn't follow the Stars to Dallas and I wouldn't follow the Twins either.

 

I'd suppose my new team would be the team that fills into my viewing area. Brewers?

[Hawkeye12]

Like the North Stars... I'm done.

 

I didn't follow the Stars to Dallas and I wouldn't follow the Twins either.

 

I'd suppose my new team would be the team that fills into my viewing area. Brewers?

 

I'd probably stick with the Twins (or Vikings too) even if they moved. I did stick with the Stars in the move to Dallas so they're still my NHL team. Had the Wild started within a couple years of the move, I'd probably have jumped to them, largely because Jon Casey (my favorite player on the North Stars) got traded from the Stars the off season they moved and would've been a good excuse to switch.

 

If the Twins got contracted and I had to pick a new MLB team, I'd probably go with the Yankees, Royals, or Rockies.

[twinsnorth49]

Supporting the team that displaced yours is sacrilege. I get force fed the Jays a lot but I just can't bring myself to support a sports team from Toronto. Brewers and Royals are closest geographically and most likely the teams I would go to see live, so I guess them.

[cmathewson]

I don't even want to speculate. They have a 30-year lease. I'll be dead before they move.

[Thrylos]

I'd be a Twins' fan forever, regardless if they move or not. There are Twins' fans and Minnesota fans. Different beasts. And the Twins have fans in more than Minny... That's the "home team", and all good, but they are more than that.

[longstrangetrip]

I've been in this position twice before...with the Lakers and the North Stars. So I don't have to speculate as to what my attitude would be. I would actively cheer against them. I might retain some allegiance to players I liked for awhile, but I would want the team to fail.

 

Yes, I am a vengeful creature...need to work on that someday.

[Brandon]

Whose gonna follow a traitor?

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I would remain a Twins franchise fan. It's been a love/hate relationship ever since my grandfather took me to my first major league game in old Griffith Stadium in Washington to watch the hometown Senators lose to the Detroit Tigers. Go figure. Thus began my difficult childhood as a Washington Senators fan, living in North Carolina. I was bullied by 11 year old Yankee and Indian and Giants fans, who taunted me by saying: "Washington? You pull for the Washington Senators? They are: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League". What other franchise has a taunt all its own? I did have two brief shinning moments in 1987 and 1991...but the last three years of Twins' losses have given me flashbacks of the Senators of the 1950's:Herb Plews, Clint "Scrap Iron" Courtney, Angel Skull, Lyle Luttrell, and little Albie Pearson. Now decades later ,I can hear the sing song chanting: "Last in the American League, last in the American League" as I drift off into another night of restless sleep, dreaming of dropped pop-ups by Twins shortstops, a grand slams by J.J. Hardy in an Orioles uniform and Red Sox David Ortiz, and a bat flip by Go Go Gomez in a Brewers uniform as he homers at Target Field and slowly walks round the bases sneering at the hapless Twins' pitcher. I hear Gomez speaking in Spanish...and it sounds like..."pitch to contact". If only I'd been born in New York or St. Louis!

[pierre75275]

Well...I moved to FL (dont hate me) and I am still a fan so if they returned the favor I cant say that would change anything

[70charger]

Just as I don't follow or care about the Lakers and the Stars, I wouldn't follow the Portland Pretentious Morons (I can only assume that's what they'd name their team).

 

Luckily, having lived in Dayton for a time as a child, I have a backup in the Reds.

[70charger]

On the other hand, I could say that I liked Portland's baseball team before they were cool.

 

#hipster #streetcred #hashtagsdontactuallyworkonTwinsDaily

[Seth Stohs]

Knowing so many of the players on the big league club and in the minor league system, I'd absolutely still follow them.

 

I don't think I'd care about the Brewers. I know I wouldn't care about the Cubs. No way on the White Sox. I don't mind the Royals or the Rockies, and I definitely would be a Cardinals fan.

 

But yeah, not a big fan of the question.

[cmathewson]

I moved to NY and continue to wear my red TC hat with the blue bill from the 70s. I will never root for another team.

 

I'm still a North Stars fan, but I can't bring myself to root for the Stars. I do root for the Wild, though.

 

I was too young for the Lakers, but I'm also not a pro basketball fan, so I couldn't care less about the T-Wolves, aside from the desire for my home state to represent in the NBA for a change.

[pierre75275]

one team i could never follow would be the brewers. I am still bitter about the contraction thing and Bud Selig trying to buy out his competition on MLBs dime.

[Monkeypaws]

I'd become a neutral, or a Red Sox fan. I wouldn't give a rat's ass for the Twins, or what ever they became anymore though. Nothing emphasizes the greed and business side of pro sports more than franchise relocation.

[clutterheart]

What kind of hypothetical is this? Its the best time to be a MN sports fan:

Twins? Locked in

Vikings? Locked in

T-Wolves? Locked in

Wild? Locked in

 

If you only follow the big 4 sports, you don't have to worry about this for decades!

 

But I supposed the gopher basketball team could move to North Dakota...that would be interesting

[Thegrin]

I have not watched an NHL game since the North Stars were stolen. I doubt I'd ever watch or listen to another MLB game again.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

My dad grew up in Western Ohio in the 50's and 60's, so the Cincinnati Redlegs (Reds) would be my "new" team. I already half-heartedly cheer for the Reds since they are in the National League and are not one of the Twins' rivals.

 

 

I could never be a Sox fan (either shade), or Detroit, or the Yankees.

 

When there was a threat of contraction, I did briefly entertain the idea of becoming a Giants fan, but fortunately it never came to that.

[Mike Sixel]

I might be moving to Portland....so that would make it easy!

 

Otherwise, no chance I'd stay a Twins fan. I remain one because they and I are both here, not out of love for their FO and approach.

[Boom Boom]

My second team has always been the Oakland A's. I like the way they do business. Trading players when their value is the highest, drafting well, and finding value in fringe free agents.

 

It's sort of the way the Twins needed to operate to be successful in the Metrodome except without the sentimentality.

[ericchri]

I'm a Minnesota sports fan first and foremost having grown up in Minnesota. I actually haven't lived in Minnesota for almost 20 years now, but being on the Eastern edge of North and South Dakota and my parents still being in Minnesota, my ties haven't changed. If the Twins left, I'm not sure if I'd manage to be much of a baseball fan anymore. It would depend on which team got shoehorned into being the "local" team, I guess. The Rockies I could go for, the Royals too. I don't think I could stand either Chicago team, and the Brewers just don't do anything for me.

 

Minneapolis is in reasonable driving distance. Nobody else is. I don't even make it to games often, once or twice a year at best, but not being able to at all would just suck. But I do know that I'd be only vaguely interested in a few of the players on the team, but would pretty much actively root against the Twins once they were gone. I can't imagine I would lose my Minnesota fandom regardless of where I lived, but once a team wasn't from Minnesota it wouldn't be my team anymore.

[Longdistancetwins]

I moved to NY and continue to wear my red TC hat with the blue bill from the 70s. I will never root for another team.

 

Hey, me too--as in, I wear my red late '70s Twins cap on softball fields in NYC. It's quite a conversation starter because baseball fans know it's old. I guess I'll know who you are if I run into you!

 

As for loyalties, I asked myself that question during the contraction discussion. I've concluded that you can't force a rooting interest, it just has to "flow," and it can surprise you where your emotions lead. The only New York team that I truly care about is the New York Rangers. Go Rangers!

[nicksaviking]

I still cheered for the Stars in Dallas so I'm sure I'd still cheer for the Twins. My interest in hockey began to wane exponentially though after the hockey team moved. I don't think that would happen with baseball but I'd probably eventually turn into a passive observer.

 

Just like during the contraction scare I absolutely WOULD NOT cheer for the Brewers. As if Bud Selig's franchise gaining the Minnesota market wasn't part of the contraction plan. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of that minor victory.

[iastfan112]

I'd stop rooting for the Twins for sure and I'd probably lose interest major league baseball for quite some time. Being from Iowa originally, I'm guessing I'd end up rooting for the Royals. A small market team in a city I like and a nice stadium. Doesn't hurt that they haven't been all that competitive when the Twins were(during my lifetime) so there's no antipathy on that front either.

[RedBull34]

I would stop, that's basically betrayal. I would also probably root for the Rangers (they used to be my favorite team when I was 12 and it was A-Rod, don't hate me.)

[iTwins]

I couldn't cheer for the team after they moved. That kind of betrayal would be too hard to forgive. That being said, I don't know where my allegiance would fall next. I couldn't cheer for any other AL Central teams (I despise them all!) and I couldn't switch to the NL (Ew, pitchers batting...) I supposed I'd end up with either Oakland or Tampa Bay. I like the way both clubs operate. Thankfully, this is a problem that I won't have to actually think about!