Minnesota Twins Eccentricity & Ephemera: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 19)

Thome is my homie!

Rounds 1-18 Results:

1. Herb Carneal
2. Tom Kelly
3. The Metrodome
4. Jack Morris
5. Win Twins Theme
6. Dick Bremer
7. Bob Casey
8. Target Field
9. Metropolitan Stadium
10. Judge Harry Crump
11. Paul Molitor
12. Dan Gladden
13. Ron Gardenhire
14. John Gordon
15. Star Tribune Sports Section
16. Nelson Cruz
17. Sue Nelson
18. Jim Thome

“Deep in Twins Territory, there’s a legendary story—’bout a man with an ox in the batter’s box, he hit one to Missouri”. Not only the line from a great commercial, but also pretty accurate in describing Jim Thome’s Minnesota Twins career. Though only a Twin for 11 active months, Big Jim christened Target Field and became an instant fan-favorite. Everyone loves the guy who hits massive home runs—especially in the Land of Harmon Killebrew—and it certainly helps to be as nice of a fellow as Thome is.

Next: Nothing—we’re down to the nitty-gritty! This is your last opportunity to get one more of these four eccentricities—a movie, a Bear, a blogger, & a transit system—on the list.

Little Big League

• When the Baby Boomers starting getting nostalgic in the 1990s, baseball was on the tip of their cinematic tongues. In 1994, an art-imitating-life story of the woebegone Twins hit theaters. Filmed at the Metrodome and featuring the vocal talents of John Gordon’s “Wally Holland”, Little Big League and its adolescent Billy Heywood gave young Twins fans a dream scenario. Whether teaching us math or exploring baseball’s brand of humor, Little Big League remains an all-time classic in these parts.

TC Bear

• When you attend a baseball game as a child, you aren’t concerned with stats or standings (okay, maybe I was, but I digress). You simply marvel at the grandness—sights, smells, sounds—of it all. It is very possible your first Minnesota Twins memory (even if you have trouble accessing it in grey matter folds) is high-fiving TC Bear in the Dome/Target Field concourse or observing his silly antics on the pregame field or atop the home dugout.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Imo/Photothek via Getty Images

Batgirl

• By the mid-2000s, the times were a-changin’ in MN baseball journalism. With the rise of high-speed internet, Twins blogs (everybody wave!) began popping up all over the web. In that virtual Wild West, perhaps none were so influential as Batgirl. No, not Barbara Gordon—Anne Ursu of Minneapolis. From 2004-2007 her LEGO re-enactments, Boyfriends schtick, and hilarious snark carved out new ground in Twins coverage. Baseball didn’t have to be all grizzled, cigar-chomping beat reporters. Even without clubhouse access, fan coverage could be just as compelling—and almost certainly more entertaining!

Photo by Wayne Kryduba/Getty Images

Public Transportation

• As it involves elected officials and taxpayer dollars, public transit is always a hot-button issue. But regardless of success/failure, Twin Cities public transportation has moved thousands of paying customers from home/work to Target Field. In my own experience: the Northstar Train served me in north and northwest Metro living stops. When in the south metro, I’d catch the Light Rail from MOA. From 2010-2018, I only drove-and-parked to a handful of Target Field outings. I have even taken a city bus from my grandparents’ home in Fridley to the ballpark! For folks who lack reliable transportation or loathe city gridlock, TC Metro Transit is a significant positive factor in baseball outings.