Longdistancetwins

I know I voted for Tovar and Gladden; can’t remember about Gardenhire. It’s pretty rare for me to “win” in elections. This has made my day!

Glad to know someone else appreciated Bobby Randall… I saw Hrbie’s grand slam in a NYC bar while waving a greasy paper napkin as my homer hanky. It left me speechless. As I walked home to my apartment after the game, I was listening to Jim Kaat on a national radio broadcast. He called it “the greatest moment in the history of the Minnesota Twins.” I had to agree, and thought, “Who better to comment on that than Kitty?”

Perfect. Who can say this any better?

Too many (as been named), but since Tony-O was my first love, and is still very much with us, I’ll stick with that.

Bert’s 28 is retired, judging by the illustration I see above on Twitter, so that horse has left the barn. There is something to be said for retiring numbers of Cooperstown Hall of Famers who go in as Twins and played honorably there for a long time. Others (like Hrbek) can be debated. (If you told me in mid-1976 that Bert’s number would be retired by the Twins, I would never have believed it. It’s great that life is funny and unpredictable at times.) Didn’t know that great fact that Kitty would have won the Cy Young in 1966 had it not been for the retiring Sandy Koufax (I didn’t become a fan until 1967).

I became a Twins fan as a kid in 1967, so I remember Chance as “The Man” when it came to pitching in that eventful year. But, you are right, outside of the no-hitter, he is sort of forgotten in Twins history.

You are brave to start the new year on this sad topic. After the 2019 playoff, I believe I started a topic with the suggestion that that playoff may have been the most humiliating series of losses in Twins history (after suggesting a few close seconds). I’m sticking with it.

Offerings in the dumpster. I love it! Thank you for sharing your creativity.

Good one. Absolutely no memory of him…

For those who are subscribers, The Athletic did a story on Danny Thompson last year, just out of the blue: https://theathletic.com/1976368/2020/08/06/a-lucky-man-how-danny-thompson-refused-to-let-cancer-stop-him/?source=user_shared_article

Of course I agree on Tovar! But I’d certainly consider Smalley, as well. For quite awhile he was the best player on the team. And then he had that reprise with the team for the 1987 championship that counts for something in the sentiment department.

I get this: I’ve been a Twins fan since 1967, but the teams I paid least attention to were those of the late 1970s and 1980. Ironically, all the attention paid to the “Terrible Twins” of 1982 revived my interest, so I could fall in love early with that core.

Yeah, the pleasant surprise when they handed the shortstop job to Danny Thompson in 1972 was seeing that he could indeed hit—especially when shortstops weren’t expected to. He became a favorite player for me at that point.

I don’t think you are alone: I believe Kirby really changed the way the people of the Upper Midwest related to their team (I’m far away, but the change was obvious from my vantage point).

Not to speak ill of those who are gone, but, from what I’ve heard Willie did not have Tony’s charm and kindness off the field.