This weekend, the Twins are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1991 World Series championship during their series vs. Nelson Cruz and the Tampa Bay Rays.
After finishing last in the American League West in 1990, the Twins had their sights set on a couple of high-priced free agents during the winter. In Twins' fashion, they didn't get either one.
It turned out all right.
The Twins wanted pitcher Mike Boddicker. They got Jack Morris instead.
Morris won 18 games during the regular season, was the American League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game, started Games 1 and 4 in the American League Championship Series and started Games 1, 4 and 7 in the World Series. Of course, that Game 7 start was a 10-inning complete game shutout.
The Twins also wanted Kirk Gibson. They got Chili Davis.
Davis led the Twins in doubles (34), home runs (29) and runs batted in (93).
Boddicker and Gibson both went to division rival Kansas City, who went 82-80 and finished sixth in the seven-team AL West.
The Twins would make baseball history, going from worst to first with a 95-67 record. They would defeat Toronto in five games in the American League Championship Series and Atlanta in seven games in the World Series.
It depends on who is putting the list together, but pretty much every list of the best World Series ever list either the 1991 Twins-Braves or 1975 Reds-Red Sox as the best ever.
I was working at the Mitchell Daily Republic in 1991 and was credentialed for the postseason. I went to the first two ALCS games before the series shifted to Toronto.
Question: Where was I when the Twins clinched the ALCS and the trip to the World Series?
Answer: Bowling in a couples league with Maren at The Village Bowl in Mitchell.
But I digress.
I also was fortunate enough to attend three of the four World Series games in Minneapolis, including the epic Game 7.
Question: Why did I miss one of the World Series games?
Answer: Oldest daughter Jenna was in first grade at the time and Game 6 conflicted with the Longfellow School Carnival, a big fund-raiser and one of the social events of the year in Mitchell.
The possibility of me missing the carnival was not a popular topic. So I went, much to the chagrin of a couple of other dads who truthfully seemed more upset about me not going than I was.
Luckily nothing much happened in that game. It's not like anybody made a great catch to rob an extra-base hit or hit probably the most famous home run in team history:
But then the next day I made the nearly five-hour drive to the cities. Seems to me I was at the ballpark by 3:00 for a 7:30 game.
Some day I would like to be able to find some of the stories I wrote during that postseason run.
Until that happens, here are some more pictures I took the night of Game 7: