Those are the words to the Minnesota Twins theme song, a song I sang many times while I lived in Minnesota through the 80's. It was a catchy tune and for a 10-year old kid watching his heroes play some small-ball in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, it was magic. Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Frank Viola...the players back then were classics and while the Twins were for the most part just a lackluster team, it didn't matter; I was a Twins fan and my dad took me to several games each summer to watch these guys play as we took advantage of cheap kids nights and the constant promotions such as bat night, ball night, cap day and my all-time favorite: spatula night. Yup, somebody sponsored a night where the first 10,000 fans would get a free BBQ spatula, chrome, cedar and all. No, this wasn't the pussy 2000's where everything has rounded edges, is made of plastic and poses no health hazard or protects people's feelings...these were weapons, plain and simple and nobody cared because everyone was just stoked to get a nice, free spatula. See, we were thankful for our gifts back then, not evil and plotting what the best way to f*ck the whole thing up was...
This, is a Homer Hanky from the 1987 World Series, which the Twins won over the St. Louis Cardinals. I still have my Homer Hanky somewhere and I wish I had it yesterday. Yesterday I saw one of the greatest baseball games of all time. The 1-game playoff between the Tigers and the Twins in the 163rd game of the season was an all-time classic. I won't bore you with the play-by-play; there's this thing called the Internet where you can search out the details if you choose.
It was great to watch baseball again; made me feel like a kid. That's due in large part to the Twins being the team and the HHH Metrodome being the place. Just seeing that giant Hefty bag in right field, the speakers hanging from the white dome above brought back memories of homeruns by great Twins of the past, fly-balls getting lost in the roof, the haze of the popcorn machines and concession stands moving in around the 3rd level like a fog by the 7th inning. Man, I miss that. Angels games are alright, Dodger games keep you guessing on who's most likely to stab you, Mariners games are great because of the atmosphere but nothing can replicate that baseball experience for me like the Twins in the HHH Metrodome.
Sadly, this is the last season of baseball in the Metrodome as the Twins will be moving to their own super-new, shiny outdoor field which I'm sure will be great...but true Twins fans will always be glancing over at the Metrodome from their seats at Target Field and longing for the days gone by, the sights, sounds, smells and everything that made the Metrodome great. The announcer in the game said yesterday after the Twins won, "The Metrodome isn't going to let go of the Twins that easily..."
This was supposed to be the last game here...think again...
So, my interest in baseball is renewed as the Twins head into the post-season to meet up with the Jankees, who are overhelming favorites...but don't count out the talent level of the twins and the power of the HHH Metrodome and the Homer Hanky...
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