Twins 5, Cleveland 1: Lohse unflappable
Lots of Ford stories, and 1 more on Friday
I stood outside the Metrodome in Minneapolis on a cool August Friday evening, feeling much as I might have had I been a Muslim fulfilling his lifelong dream of making a pilgrimage to Mecca. I eagerly called my wife, and I called my best friend, asking them both the same question: "Guess where I am??" Susan, of course, was thoroughly underwhelmed, though in her defense, she was happy for me. Clearly, though, the significance of the moment did not register with her. My friend Rune- now HE understood. I met him in Minneapolis when we both were living there, and he's as big a Twins fan as I am. He was jealous. I just smiled.
So, there I was, heading to a Twins's game in the Metrodome for the first time in 12 years. Sure, it was "just" a baseball game, but being back in the Twin Cities brought back a lot of memories. It had been almost 2 1/2 years since I'd been back in town, and I'd forgotten how comfortable and familiar the place felt. It was like putting on a familiar pair of comfortable shoes that had been in the back of my closet. Sure, it had been awhile since I'd tried them on, but once they were on my feet they felt as if they'd never left.
I treated myself to the most expensive ticket in the Metrodome- $35.00 for a seat 19 rows up from the 3rd base line. It was a great seat, and it was definitely worth it. The fact that the Twins beat Cleveland 5-1 made the whole evening just about perfect.
I've never been a big fan of the Metrodome- it has all the charm and ambience of a funeral home with the fans set on "high"- but none of that mattered Friday night. I got to see the team I grew up worshipping. On the outfield wall were portraits of some of my boyhood heroes- Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew. Looking at those pictures, I couldn't help but think of a few other Twins who helped to make my childhood what it was- Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven, Larry Hisle, Dean Chance, Bob Allison, and a host of others. How often as a child did I want to be like them? More times than I could possibly remember
I thought of all of those summer days when I listened to Twins games on WCCO Radio as I fished with my father or my grandfather. The Twins never were very good then, but somehow listening to their games gave me, if only for a couple of hours, the imagination to envision myself outside of my small hometown in far northern Minnesota. I loved...nay, I adored the Twins. As far as I was concerned, life began on Opening Day, and it only got better as the summer went along. I lived and died with the Twins. There were few occasions I suffered more than when Nolan Ryan spun a no-hitter against the Twins in 1974. Futility seemed part of the bargain, but I didn't complain, because I loved the Twins, and I dreamed of someday playing for them.
Unfortunately, reality caught up with me, early and hard. No scout seemed interested in a pitcher with a 65 MPH fastball or a catcher/first baseman who couldn't hit a curveball if his life depended on it. Of course, I also dreamed of playing for the Minnesota North Stars, but then I found out that in order to do so, learning to skate was considered a prerequisite. Yep, my athletic dreams didn't exactly correspond with athletic reality. Ah, well; sometimes unrequited love carries it's own sweet memories.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening, made even better by the Twins victory. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Susan and/or Rune could have been with me. As it was, I was content to share the moment with 25,000 of my new closest friends. We all left happy.
