I’m not a Twins fan. I’m a Twins admirer.
Why? Minnesota does it right. They don’t have to spend $200 million like the Yankees and the Red Sox. They don’t have to pick off the best players from small market teams. They don’t have half their games on national television.
So, what do they have? The Twins have Ron Gardenhire, a coach who does it the right way. He steals bases, teaches defense and occasionally bunts.
They have Joe Mauer, a hometown hero who actually stayed put. The best hitter in the game and one of the great guys in the game.
They have pitching—no not a specific pitcher but a farm system that turns out players year-in and year-out. They have Rich Anderson, one of the best unknowns in the major leagues today. He works with pitchers about as well as anyone in the league.
They have Central Division titles. They’ve won six of the last 10.
But MLB fans are aware of the success of the Minneapolis team. Twins fans know it. The thing that Minnesota really wants is a World Series Championship.
Casual fans will look at the Twins and say that they haven’t pulled off the big one. They will say that the Yankees, the Phillies or the Red Sox are the best of the best.
They’re ignoring the obvious: MLB is set up for the big dogs to win.
Minnesota isn’t a big dog; they’re just the top franchise in the game today.
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