Royce Lewis Teaches Minnesotans to Love Again

[RandBalls Stu]

"I have a coffee date on Saturday. My co-workers tell me I’m smiling again. Thank you, Royce.”

Image courtesy of © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

One year after tearing his ACL for the second time, Twins top prospect Royce Lewis has returned with a vengeance, keying two major victories against division rivals Cleveland and defending champion Houston. Perhaps more importantly, he’s let a long-suffering, repressed, emotionally exhausted fanbase open its heart to the world of the possible. A world where good things happen to good people.

Royce Lewis is teaching Minnesota how to love again.

“I had given up on dating,” said Mathew Bell, an Apple Valley-based accountant. “The apps just did nothing for me. But now, seeing what Royce can do…I’m opening my heart up. I have a coffee date on Saturday. My co-workers tell me I’m smiling again. I’ve started running and I’ve lost five pounds without changing my diet. Thank you, Royce.”

“I woke up today and the sun was shining on my face,” said Heather Cook, an Eden Prairie school teacher. “It’s the first day of summer vacation. My husband made breakfast before leaving for work and set up a playdate for our kindergartner, so I’d have the whole day to myself. We’d been going through a pretty rough patch this spring, but the last week feels like we’re turning a corner, much like Royce Lewis when he rounds third base during his home run trot. Thank you, Royce.”

It doesn’t even have to be major life events. Even the smallest little grace notes are being credited to Lewis.

“I forgot to put my Friday afternoon Coors Lights on ice,” said Twins Daily co-founder Parker Hageman. “I was stuck at work and knew there was nothing I could do about it. But my wife texted me and said the local convenience store was giving away free ice for some summer promotion, so she picked up a bag when she stopped for gas. She filled the cooler with ice and Silver Bullets. Does this happen without Royce? I don’t think so.

“The mountains on the can turn blue when it’s cold,” added Hageman, who went to St. Cloud State.

Even the most hardened cynics are open to the possibility that happiness is real, that joy is something mere humans can touch and feel, thanks to Lewis.

“I’ve often said that nothing good will ever happen to Minnesota sports fans because we’ve been abandoned by an indifferent universe,” said Jon Marthaler, a firebrand local podcaster and soccer journalist. “I still believe that we’ll never see the light of God’s love. However, Royce Lewis makes me question that for a good 5-10 seconds before I get grumpy again. That hasn’t happened in years. Decades, even. Thank you, Royce.”

The Twins play Cleveland at 7:10 pm Friday.

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[Datwinsdude]

I've stopped beating the dog and screaming at the neighbors kids.  God bless Royce and AK!

[Rod Carews Birthday]

And the sun shines a little brighter this week. . . .

[Steve Lein]

Text thread with my friends last night:

Edited June 2, 2023 by Steve Lein

[DJL44]

I can get behind any passive-aggressive (Minnesotan?) putdown of St. Cloud State.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

For his next trick, Royce Lewis will take a 200 million dollar pile of money, light it on fire, and make it magically reappear

 

[Twinsrule1991]

SCSU and Coors Light catching strays. You LOVE to see it.

[ashbury]

This moment feels like the point in an action movie where the hero has just saved the world, before the Final Boss shows up against whom the hero will have to save the galaxy.

[jimbo92107]

"I couldn't even hug a tree, for fear of rejection. Now, thanks to Royce, I feel okay hugging trees again."  - Heard in a coffee shop, Minneapolis

[Dave Borton]

Would you believe that I felt so good about MN once again that I cancelled our airline reservations to Arizona for Feb and Mar 2024?

Nah, I kept 'em.

[roger]

Enjoyed the read, thanks.

[MABB1959]

Funny but so true at least for me.  That and the news of potentially being able to watch games again made my week!

[Nine of twelve]

Lewis is healthy, on the major league roster, and playing well. Kirilloff is healthy, on the major league roster, and playing well. Next season I hope and expect the same for Miranda, Lee, Wallner, and Julien. Larnach leads the team in RBI. Varland, Ober, and Duran are becoming anchors of the pitching staff. The pipeline is opening up.

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

As an SCSU alumnus I found the jab quite funny. 
Thanks Royce!

[John Bonnes]

Here's my favorite behind-the-scenes thing about this story. Stu was dealing with technical problems so the story came in late morning. At that time, both Seth and I were busy so I sent a text message to our founders to see who could jump on it, edit it, and publish it ASAP. 

Parker Hageman, who has done that about twice in the past five years, responded that he was free and would get right on it. 8-)