This is Twins Territory

By Scott Doucette

Lately I've been listening to a lot of bickering from people who call themselves Twins fans. Yes, the team from Minnesota has struggled this year. But guess what? That is going to happen from time to time. Baseball is a game that requires much from it's fans; patience, dedication, and unwavering attention to detail. All virtues which have eluded a vastly underwhelming generation of "Twins fans".

My father has been a Fenway Fanatic for over 50 years and he recently celebrated his team's first World Series Championship. That's right. One championship in 50 years. 50 years in which Carl Yastremski, Fred Lynn, and Jim Rice all won MVP's. 50 years in which Carlton Fisk hit the foul pole in game 6, Dwight Evans won 4 consecutive gold gloves, and Roger Clemens struck out 20 batters in a game. Twice. All that greatness and only one championship in 50 years. But he also went through 50 years in which bad trades led to playoff woes, Bill Buckner pulled a "buckner" and Rico Petrocelli hit .240 anually. But my old man loved Rico Petrocelli and he cheered for his team every year, even when the Sox hit a combined .236 as a team in 1968. He loved the subtle nuances of a game that will reward those who truly appreciate it. Baseball doesn't need sausage races, T-shirt rocket launchers, kiss cams, or Twingo. The game itself is all a true fan needs. And maybe a dome dog.

So I pose a question to those of you who grumble "Punto sucks" or "we need a power hitter" and then hastily switch off the game to catch the season finale of Heroes: are you a true fan of the game? Did you follow our team through the dreadful mediocrity of the mid to late 90's or do you merely want to enjoy the good times? Because I'll tell you something, Nick Punto is a piece of crap. But he is our piece of crap and it doesn't matter if you like it or not. I for one, do not. I'd love to have A-Rod or Miguel Cabrera at the hot corner, but we don't. We have a sissy little Piranha who works his ass off every night. To be honest, I think half of the players on our team have below average talent, yet, expectations are set very high. This is because the Minnesota Twins are a baseball organization with the right idea. The Twins do not sacrifice integrity for press coverage and they do not hump the bottom line. Likewise, the Twins don't sell out every home game and they don't lead the league in revenue production. They don't contend for championships on a yearly basis and they don't have a rich history like the Yankees or Red Sox. But they do win games with class and they don't put players on the field who lack heart (Ponson gone, Bartlett benched). Love 'em or loathe 'em, they are the Twins. It's time to quit the bitching and get on the bus for good or go back to watching reruns of Happy Days. I guarantee the Fonz won't disapoint you nearly as much as our lack of power.