What Was the World Like the Last Time the Twins Won a Playoff Game?

[RandBalls Stu]

Many readers may not remember a world where the Minnesota Twins put the finishing touches on a satisfying playoff victory. Fortunately, Twins Daily has access to a host of seasoned fans and codgers who can tell you about the strange world of October 5th, 2004.

Image courtesy of Flickr/Alan Tarkus

I’m going to say it: the Twins are going to win the AL Central and make the playoffs this year. This is great!

Unfortunately, once they clinch, the conversation will immediately turn to Minnesota’s incredible playoff drought. This isn’t great!

That said, some of you may wonder what the world was like on October 5th, 2004, when Johan Santana went to Yankee Stadium, scattered nine hits over seven innings, and defeated New York 2-0.

As an Old, let me tell you what it was like.

The upcoming home games in the playoff series would be played in the Metrodome, a beautiful, multipurpose dump that stood where US Bank Stadium is today. It kind of sucked, and I miss it every day.

Target Field was still a parking lot. The North Loop still had cheap rent.

There weren’t any iPhones yet. They were three years away. You texted your friend about what kind of jail Phil Cuzzi should be in after Game 2 on a Blackberry like everyone else did.

You texted this because Twitter wasn’t a thing yet and Facebook was just getting started on college campuses. Maybe you poked somebody else at Stanford about Jacque Jones, but I really doubt it. Why would you do that.

To read a thorough recap of the game, you could wander over to aarongleeman.com. This was the week the Strib featured AG and Twins Daily co-founder John Bonnes in one of those clickbait photos that the media relied on in 2004. Gleeman picked the Twins to beat the aging Yankees in five games. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

By the way: You might think all the players in Game 1 would have retired by now. WRONG. Lew Ford just wrapped up another season with the Long Island Ducks.

If you were going to quote Netflix-and-chill unquote between games 2 & 3, you would have to play the long game of renting a physical DVD and getting it from the US mail 2-3 days later. They wouldn't introduce streaming until 2007. The DVD was probably an American Pie sequel or Lord of the Rings.

The Minnesota Vikings were on a bye week after starting the 2004 season 2-1. They would go on to a disappointing 8-8 regular season, back their way into the playoffs, and thrash Green Bay at Lambeau Field as Randy Moss mortified Joe Buck with the “disgusting act” of…wiggling his butt.

ALSO: Daunte Culpepper is undefeated at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. Compare his perfect 1.000 winning percentage to Aaron Rodgers’ .636. Love you, Daunte.

ALSO ALSO: The Vikings Love Boat scandal would occur exactly one year and one day after the last Twins playoff victory.

The number one movie in the country was Shark Tale, an animated comedy featuring the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and many, many others. My kids had this DVD. I remember less than nothing about this film.

The number one song in the country was "Goodies," by Ciara ft. Petey Pablo. Ciara is now married to veteran Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

ALSO: Russell Wilson was a high school sophomore the last time the Twins won a playoff game.

The game was played the same day as the only Vice Presidential Debate of 2004. The less said about both participants the better.

Also that day, three Americans won the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction. In layman’s terms, this is why Byron Buxton can’t stay healthy.

ALSO: Byron Buxton was 10 years old when this game was played. Twins analyst Glen Perkins was a junior at the U. Walker Jenkins wasn’t born yet.

ER was still airing new episodes. ER! The first episode of ER aired in 1994. Scott Erickson threw a no-hitter that year against a Brewers lineup that contained Brian Harper.

The big musical act at the recently completed Minnesota State Fair was…Clay Aiken, I guess? American Idol was still a huge deal. People would get real upset if, like, Bo Bice didn’t advance to the next week. So don’t ever let anyone tell you these were the good old days.

I was 33 then. My grandparents were still alive. My youngest child was 10 months old.

I’m 52 now. My grandparents are long dead. My youngest child is a college sophomore.

All things being equal, I’d like to see a win. And don’t put the highlights on a DVD, I don’t have anything to play it with.

Image license for incredible photo of Nick Punto diving into first base at the Metrodome like an idiot.

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[LewFordLives]

That series still breaks my heart. We had em on the ropes and then it all went to hell.

[Parfigliano]

Phil Cuzzi is still F-ing up baseball to this day.  The more things change....

[BobAzar]

Also, George Lucas still owned Star Wars, and Revenge of the Sith had not yet been released. (I like to measure things based on Star Wars)

[AceWrigley]

Lew Ford had the highest WAR (+4.5) of all Twins positional players in 2004. My brain is still trying to wrap itself around this one.

[HrbieFan]

Not sure how much coin you had in 91, but I didn't get my bag phone until 1995 and charges were $2 per minute or more. Pagers weren't just for drug runners then either. 

Parents could still spank you and they didn't end up in jail. Kids behaved, you feared teachers and respected your elders. You were also happy to get job. 

[Parfigliano]

Kids would stay off my lawn.

[GopherJeff]

Also: "House" started it's TV run and "Friends" ended its.

And in 2004 Matt Bush was picked ahead of someone named Justin Verlander in the MLB draft.

[AceWrigley]

1 hour ago, HrbieFan said:

Not sure how much coin you had in 91, but I didn't get my bag phone until 1995 and charges were $2 per minute or more. Pagers weren't just for drug runners then either. 

Parents could still spank you and they didn't end up in jail. Kids behaved, you feared teachers and respected your elders. You were also happy to get job. 

Heck, when I was in high school you got in trouble if you were caught out in the hall during class time without a pass.

[Dave The Dastardly]

Civility was clinging by its fingernails but still valued and I retired from public education. The two are not connected... well, not closely.

[BA Papi]

Due to the length of his baseball career now, Lew Ford definitely deserved the create-a-player treatment on my Triple Play 2001 team. Outfield of Willie Mays, Torii Hunter, and Lew Ford 🤣 . Also back then, it was watching "Freaky Friday" with Lindsay Lohan on the computer since we didn't have a DVD player yet. A shared Tracfone to use to call home when I got back to town from a Little League game. And oftentimes watching "Wake Up Sports" on at 6:20 a.m. if the game wasn't on via antenna or too late to watch.

[WinTwins162]

Okay, I had to try to come up with the names in the VP Debate without looking and could not do it- maybe fortunately I had forgot about both of them.

[Lauriee23]

I was actually at the last *two* Twins playoff wins.  I was living in NYC 2003-2006, and went to game 1 of both of the 2003 and 2004 series.  

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Thanks for a wonderful(?) trip down memory lane and making me think about how old I really am!  I’m looking forward to Twins fortunes changing this year.   Disappointed to not hear from “old man shouting at clouds” or “drunk college sophomore at the U”.  We need those kinds of characters more often!

I used to be superstitious in that the two Twins World Series triumphs came when I moved to Iowa each time.  First, to take my first teaching job in the fall of 1987, and, after I had moved across the border to Minnesota, in 1991 when I moved back to Iowa again for grad school.  Unfortunately my third time around didn’t work out as well in 1997, so I have stayed in Illinois ever since.  Added benefit, lots of incredibly cheap aftermarket tickets for Twins games at Comisky/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate field.

[CRF]

I had my "widow-maker" heart attack on the morning of Oct 8, 2004. There had to be a correlation between that, and the series with the evil empire. I survived, but the Twins didn't. I want to be around to see another WS trophy. 

[DJwessmix]

ESPN had a mock trial, trying to determine whether the Cubs or the Red Sox's "curse" was worse, and who would end theirs first.

Lots of talk about a goat and the trading away of Babe Ruth. National media ALWAYS talked about those two teams. 

Amazingly, the Twins helped the Red Sox win a world title ths year (2004), by not tendering a contract to one of their best situational hitters, but one that was loathe to hit the ball the other way: David Ortiz (used to drive Tom Kelly bonkers).

[spanman2]

7 hours ago, HrbieFan said:

Not sure how much coin you had in 91, but I didn't get my bag phone until 1995 and charges were $2 per minute or more. Pagers weren't just for drug runners then either. 

Parents could still spank you and they didn't end up in jail. Kids behaved, you feared teachers and respected your elders. You were also happy to get job. 

I had a bag phone in '95 also...60 minutes/$40 per month...I even went with the antenna on top of the trunk of my '86 Chevy Celebrity (1st car my Granpa purchased at a farm auction for $300).  It was a car and I was happy!

[Jocko87]

10 hours ago, LewFordLives said:

That series still breaks my heart. We had em on the ropes and then it all went to hell.

 

Two years, 11 days after the last postseason win, by the way.

[Boswell]

10 hours ago, Lauriee23 said:

I was actually at the last *two* Twins playoff wins.  I was living in NYC 2003-2006, and went to game 1 of both of the 2003 and 2004 series.  

We need you for October 3!

[glunn]

15 hours ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Thanks for a wonderful(?) trip down memory lane and making me think about how old I really am!  I’m looking forward to Twins fortunes changing this year.   Disappointed to not hear from “old man shouting at clouds” or “drunk college sophomore at the U”.  We need those kinds of characters more often!

I used to be superstitious in that the two Twins World Series triumphs came when I moved to Iowa each time.  First, to take my first teaching job in the fall of 1987, and, after I had moved across the border to Minnesota, in 1991 when I moved back to Iowa again for grad school.  Unfortunately my third time around didn’t work out as well in 1997, so I have stayed in Illinois ever since.  Added benefit, lots of incredibly cheap aftermarket tickets for Twins games at Comisky/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate field.

Can you at least Zillow some houses in Iowa?

[singlesoverwalks]

Of course, the Twins won two games in that series, because Joe Mauer hit a clutch double down the Dome's left field line that was duly called fair by the left field umpire who was right on top of it and HAD ONE JOB.