Your favorite #1 memory

[John Bonnes]

To countdown the days til pitchers and catchers report, we're going to list the Twins with those numbers (thanks to this awesome list) and let you can reminisce about one of them. So who is the poster boy for day #1....

 

Reno Bertoia, 1961

Billy Martin, 1961

Bernie Allen, 1963-64

Billy Martin, 1965-68 (Coach)

Billy Martin, 1969 (Manager)

Eric Soderholm, 1971-72

Rich Reese, 1973

Sergio Ferrer, 1974-75

Jerry Terrell, 1975-77

Larry Wolfe, 1978

Jesus Vega, 1980

Tim Corcoran, 1981

Ray Smith, 1982

Houston Jimenez, 1983

Alvaro Espinoza, 1984-86

John Moses, 1988-90

Jarvis Brown, 1991-92

Alex Cole, 1994-95

Otis Nixon, 1998

Jay Canizaro, 2000, 2002

Jason Kubel, 2004

Luis Castillo, 2006-07

Orlando Hudson, 2010

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2011-12

 

Wow - now this is quite a list. Billy Martin to Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Which makes one speculate exactly what would have happened if Martin ever coached Nishioka. Now THAT would have been entertaining.

 

I'll go with Otis Nixon, who I watched lose two fly balls in the teflon roof in his first ever home game with the Twins. As bad as things might be this year, I predict we won't see our team openly miss two fly balls in the home opener. At least not indoors.

[Fatt Crapps]

I'd personally like to hear Dave's opinion on Yoshi.

[Craig Arko]

An epic meeting would have been Billy Martin and Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

 

I'll go with Billy because he was a friend of my wife's family, and had a bit to do with how she was able to bring Mickey Mantle to show and tell when she was in grade school.

[Rick Niedermann]

In 1969 a friend and I went along with my father to the Playoff game with Baltimore at the Old Met. They allowed us to park our camper in the lot of the stadium. About an hour after the game we decided to walk back to the players entrance/exit and see if we could get some autographs. Didn't have any luck. So we started walking back to the camper and Rich Reese pulled up in his sports car and asked us if we needed a ride home. We told him that our camper was just down the way. But he did sign our program which I still have to this day. Along with Rich, earlier during batting practice I was able to get autographs from, Bob Allison, Bert Blylyven, Dick Woodson, and Sandy Koufax. He was an NBC announcer back then. Just thought alot of Rich for worrying about a couple of kids. He's my number 1 #1.

[Willihammer]

Infield pop fly, shoulders shrugged

 

turning towards center field

 

walking away

[East Coast Twin]

I'll go with Rich Reese just because he later became CEO of Jim Beam Brands.

[edavis0308]

Infield pop fly, shoulders shrugged

 

turning towards center field

 

walking away

 

bahahahahahhaahaah. I feel that I have read some American literature for the day.

[Top Gun]

Billy Martin was the greatest manager, coach, and player ever, the drinking and friendship with Mantle will never be forgotten. I loved every minute of it. He is #1 in all of baseball.

[MWLFan]

Houston Jimenez. I was working at the Dome in concessions and a bunch of us workers would take trips to other parks when we could. This year, 1983 really? wow I am old, anyways...we are old at Old Comisky Park and sitting in the funky seats below field level. It was kind of like watching a Basketball game at the Barn from the Press Seats if you can imagine that on a baseball field. So we are sitting there and it must have been September because we were talking about the new players with the Twins and out there on the field is this small little guy running around in the most ilfitting uniform you have ever seen.Imagine Ben Revere in Kent Hrbek's Baby Blue uniform...if it was a old timers game uniform for 2013 Rex. We were just amazed the Twins couldn't get a Uniform that fit the bat boy. Then the Bat Boy starts stretching and warming up with the team and we are wondering whose 13 year old kid is being allowed this kind of access. Finally when the Twins take the field, we missed the intros earlier probably on a beer run, this little guy takes the field at Shortstop. Jaws drop, giggles ensue and more beer is purchased. The rest of the Series Houston Jimenez was our hero, never mind that his power was somewhere below Chris Cates. We were spitten and quite drunk so just his appearance solicited catcalls, whistles, U-STAN!!! U-STAN!!! U-STAN!!! chants. I am not sure they ever found a uni to fit him in retrospect.

[luke829]

Jarvis Brown easily. The guy was a perfect Willie Mays Hayes clone: ran like Hayes, but hit like s**t. Plus he won a ring without having to lift a finger.

[ashbury]

Since the city of any size nearest to me is Reno NV, I have to go for Signor Bertoia. When they brought a AAA team to town I thought "the Bertoias" would be a better nickname than the Aces but I got overruled. Care to guess which city should call their team the Cepedas?

[snepp]

edit: massive brain cramp

 

 

Edit again: Alex Cole catching the final out of Erickson's no-hitter, and nearly blowing it when colliding with the shortstop.

[Thrylos]

This one:

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8422/7742696358_f0d426b6d1_o.jpg