Latest / Hangin' Out with Bob / The "magical" 1987 Minnesota Twins (with Jon Lawrence)

Transcript

The "magical" 1987 Minnesota Twins (with Jon Lawrence) · Hangin' Out with Bob

0:06
OK, hello, and welcome to Hanging Out with Bob,
0:09
podcast hosted by me, Bob at Home. Thanks for
0:16
joining us, and let's get started. Well, I'm
0:22
really looking forward to this podcast. My guest
0:24
today is John Lawrence, my friend from Northeast
0:27
Minneapolis. John has been a guest on a couple
0:29
other podcasts. Both John and I share a love
0:32
for Minnesota sports teams, and today our focus
0:35
will be on the 1987 Minnesota Twins and their
0:39
run to a World Series championship. John, welcome
0:41
back for another episode of Hanging Out with
0:43
Bob. Yeah, good morning. First of all, John,
0:50
where were you in 1987? Were you in school? Were
0:53
you working both? Um, yeah, actually both. I
0:56
was in college at the time. Uh, and then also,
1:00
uh, working, uh, full time pretty much, um, paying
1:05
my way through college. That was at Minnesota
1:08
State Mankato? Uh, it was before, well, 87. Yeah.
1:13
Um, I think I started at Minnesota State in 87.
1:17
So yeah, so part of the season, um, you know,
1:22
was before Minnesota State and the very end was
1:25
while I was at Minnesota State. Yep. And in 87,
1:28
I was working at Prudential. I was in that office.
1:31
It was my eighth year with the company. I said
1:32
that office that was on uh, 394 on the west end
1:36
of Minneapolis, the original prevention building.
1:38
Right, right, right. And that summer when we
1:40
were following the twins, we moved to the building
1:43
that was, uh, 494 Bass Lake Road in Plymouth.
1:46
So that was a memorable summer in a lot of ways.
1:49
And it was a year before my daughter was born.
1:51
It's that long ago. So, okay. Well, John, I know,
1:54
uh, you're a huge twins fan and a fan of major
1:57
league baseball, just like me, but what were
1:59
you expecting of the twins going into that 87
2:02
season? Well, 86 was a disappointment. I was
2:07
pretty excited about the twins. You know, they
2:10
had that young corps that came up and the 84
2:14
season when they made a run, I think they probably
2:19
were leading the division into August and then
2:23
they kind of had a little bit of a downturn there
2:26
at the end of the year. But from that point forward,
2:29
I was expecting big things from the team. I remember
2:33
in 85, I was out golfing at Theatre Worth by
2:40
myself and a guy came along and we decided to
2:47
golf together and he was from New York and he
2:51
was in Minnesota, he was starring at the Guthrie
2:56
Theatre in a play. And so we're we were both
3:00
baseball fans and he was a big Mets fan and I
3:02
said, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if the
3:04
twins and Mets are in a World Series down the
3:07
road against each other. And the Mets were in
3:11
the 86 World Series champions the next year.
3:14
And the following year, the twins were world
3:16
champions. So that was a bit prophetic. Yeah.
3:20
I remember I wasn't really all that optimistic.
3:23
at the start of the 87 season because it was
3:25
the year before in 86 where they had a record
3:28
of 71 and 91. They were 20 games below 500. I
3:32
think there were 21 games behind California,
3:35
the Angels which won the division that year.
3:37
And even that year at the Metrodome, their attendance
3:40
was 1 .26 million, which was only the, well,
3:44
it was the second lowest in the American league
3:46
behind Seattle. So it was hard to get excited.
3:48
I think we got kind of excited, like I said,
3:50
in 84. And it's like, are these guys ever going
3:53
to do it? You know, what's going on? But then
3:56
as Gomer Pyle would say, surprise, surprise,
3:59
surprise, because they had a magical season in
4:02
1987. And how magical? Well, they won the World
4:04
Series. All right, beat the Cardinals St. Louis
4:11
Cardinals four games of three and all four of
4:13
the twins wins came at home at the Metrodome
4:16
It was the 27th season for the twins franchise
4:19
in Minnesota their sixth season at the Metrodome
4:24
And overall, it was the 87th season as a franchise
4:27
in the American League. I had to look this all
4:30
up. I didn't memorize. Of course, the first World
4:33
Series championship was in Washington, D .C.
4:36
Here's a baseball question for you, John. Do
4:39
you remember what year the Washington Senators
4:42
won their World Series? It was in the Babe Ruth
4:46
era, I know. That was in the 20s, for sure. Yep,
4:50
you're definitely in the ballpark, so to speak.
4:52
It was 1924, the roaring 20s. Calvin Coolidge
4:56
was president. Prohibition, the nationwide ban
4:59
on alcohol, had been in effect for nearly five
5:03
years. Can you name at least one player from
5:06
that 24 senators team? I would guess Walter Johnson.
5:09
Yep, that's the only one I can think of too.
5:12
And for the benefit of our listeners, Walter
5:14
Johnson was a pitcher, and he was one of the
5:17
first five players elected to the Baseball Hall
5:20
of Fame. We're doing a little sidebar here, John.
5:23
Can you think of any other of those players that
5:28
made the Hall of Fame? There were five players,
5:29
they called them the five immortals. That's a
5:32
good trivia question for baseball fans. See how
5:35
many you can guess out of that five. You got
5:36
one already, Walter Johnson. Ty Cobb I would
5:39
guess. Let's see. So you got to come up with
5:44
guys that were already retired for several years.
5:49
Maybe, I don't know, that would have been probably
5:55
too early for Gehrig. Honus Wagner maybe? Yep,
6:01
you've got three of the five. There's two others
6:03
you need to guess. Sion? No, no, no, that's not
6:08
one. That's okay, you got 60%, which is pretty
6:13
good. The other two, okay, we'll say it again.
6:16
Walter Johnson, who was a pitcher. Ty Cobb, who
6:18
played center field. Honus Wagner was a shortstop.
6:22
But then you've also got a pitcher named Kristy
6:24
Matthewson. And then the other one, probably
6:26
maybe the most famous baseball name of all time,
6:28
Babe Ruth. He actually was with that group. The
6:32
Babe, the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, they called
6:35
him. But anyway, the twins started out as the
6:40
Senators for the benefit of people that might
6:42
not have known that. Okay, well, back to the
6:48
87th season. that incredible twin season. Now
6:51
I know that you, in previous podcasts you talked
6:54
about, you've gone to the Metrodome a lot to
6:56
watch baseball. That year in 87, did you see
6:58
a lot of games? I did. And I got very, one of
7:02
my kind of personal traditions was to go to the
7:06
first series of the year, but never the first
7:09
game of the year. So I like to get an early glimpse
7:13
of the team. And I happened to go to the second
7:16
game of the season that year. It was a matinee
7:19
game. I was working evenings. And there was this
7:26
new player for the Twins named Dan Gladden. And
7:29
so they were playing a tight game with Oakland.
7:32
Actually, they were behind most of the game.
7:35
And Gladden wasn't in the regular lineup that
7:39
day but in the ninth they had a big rally and
7:45
a lesser hitter catcher was coming up and I think
7:51
the bases might have been loaded or two runners
7:54
in scoring position for sure and they brought
7:56
in Dan Gladden as a pinch hitter and he delivered
8:02
game -winning, you know, uh, two RBI base hit,
8:06
uh, to walk, to walk off. And there was just
8:10
something about, you know, he was, you know,
8:13
he'd, he'd only been in Minnesota for 10 days
8:16
at the time. Cause they, they, they didn't trade
8:18
for them until the very end of spring training.
8:21
And, uh, so here is this, you know, super fiery
8:25
guy and, and, you know, is personality came shining
8:29
through right then and there. He played hard.
8:31
Yeah. You know, so that was, you know, got the
8:36
juices flowing for this might be a little different
8:38
kind of year. So you saw a lot of games there
8:41
because you just had a feeling something was
8:43
going on with this team. Yeah, I did. So I went
8:45
to a lot of matinee games occasionally, you know,
8:47
I was working evenings. So, you know, I like
8:50
to go to afternoon games. Full disclosure, John.
8:54
I actually didn't go to a single Twins game that
8:56
year. No kidding. But I did follow the team very
8:59
closely, both on TV, because it was still free,
9:03
on the radio. And then like most people then,
9:07
I took the newspaper. I got the Star Tribune.
9:09
And I would read that every day, look at the
9:12
box scores and the standings. And they had some
9:14
good beat writers. It just was something I always
9:17
looked forward to. Yeah, I was the same exact
9:19
way. uh, consume as much twins as I could in
9:24
every media possible, uh, and then went to some
9:28
more games. Yep. Yep. Got another sidebar, John.
9:31
Do you remember who the twins TV and radio announcers
9:34
were in 87? In 87. Well, so let's see, I think.
9:40
Was that Gordon's first year? It was. That's
9:43
what I was thinking. Touch them all. Touch them
9:44
all. Yes, exactly. So it was Herb Carneal and
9:47
John Gordon on the radio. They were on the radio.
9:49
And how about TG? Two completely contrasting
9:52
styles, by the way. Yeah, right. Herb has just
9:55
wrote, matter of fact, straightforward. No gimmicks.
9:58
Yeah, exactly. Mr. Smooth. Guy from Virginia,
10:02
I think he was a kind of a crooner type voice.
10:06
And then John Gordon was just really excited.
10:09
Noising, greedy. Touch him all. Yes, exactly.
10:12
Let's see, television. Would Killebrew have been
10:15
an analyst? Yeah, you got one from the legendary
10:19
Twins Hall of Famer, Herman Killebrew. But there
10:22
was another guy. He was just a straight ahead
10:24
announcer. He wasn't like a former major leaguer.
10:28
I'll be impressed if you can guess, because he
10:29
was only here for a year. Yeah, the guy from
10:32
John Miller, maybe? You get the first name right.
10:35
It was John Rooney. John Rooney, okay. And he
10:37
was here for a year and then he went to the White
10:39
Sox. Yep. And he stayed there long enough till
10:41
the White Sox won the World Series, which was
10:44
in 2005, I think. 2005. And then the next year
10:47
he went to the St. Louis Cardinals and they won
10:49
the World Series. Wow. He's the only... I don't
10:51
know where I read this, but he's the only TV
10:54
announcer for baseball that went, that announced
10:56
for two different teams that won the world series,
10:59
you know, consecutive. He was, he was the Don
11:02
Baylor of announcers. But he's been with St.
11:05
Louis now for like, this is his 20th year. So
11:07
that's, he's from Missouri himself. So he's kind
11:10
of a legend there. So yeah, he, those were the
11:12
announcers. Okay, I love these sidebars anyway.
11:19
Yeah, we're talking about the twins in 1987 season
11:22
Just some facts to get out of the way that they
11:24
won the American League West that year They finished
11:26
two games ahead of the Royals Kansas City Royals
11:29
They faced Detroit in the American League Championship
11:32
Series and they beat the Tigers in five games
11:35
to win the pennant their first since 1965 And
11:38
in that series, the Twins won their first two
11:40
games at home against the Tigers. They lost the
11:44
third game. It was a Saturday afternoon game
11:46
in Detroit. Close game, but they lost. But then
11:49
they bounced back and won games four and five.
11:51
So they won the pennant. And then, again, they
11:53
played the Cardinals in the World Series. Well,
11:57
like they did with Detroit, they won the first
11:58
two games at home, but then they lost all three
12:00
at St. Louis. And a lot of people were starting
12:02
to think, oh, here we go, you know, but they
12:05
managed to come back and within the safe confines
12:07
of the Metrodome and won games six and seven.
12:10
Those are the facts of what happened in the,
12:12
in 87, you know, the division, the pendant, the
12:14
world series and so on. And for fans like you
12:17
and me and millions of other twins fans, you
12:19
know, we were just starving for some kind of
12:20
championship. So we're happy with it. It was
12:22
all good stuff, but baseball, it's a long season.
12:25
162 games, regular season, plus the playoffs
12:27
if your team is good enough to get to it. And
12:30
what I wanted to focus on in this podcast, John,
12:32
are some of the significant events or highlights
12:34
that helped make the 87th season so magical.
12:41
I'm going to list by some dates. If you can kind
12:44
of guess when I give a date, fine, go ahead and
12:46
blurt it out and feel free to comment to what
12:49
I've listed is what I consider like some major
12:52
highlights of the season. So the first one. is
12:54
September 12th, 1986. Oh, that would be Tom Kelly
13:00
becoming manager. You are right. The twins were
13:03
having a bad year, and on September 12th they
13:06
fired Ray Miller, the manager, and they made
13:09
Kelly the interim manager. He was only 36. He
13:15
got that job as interim. And then as we all know,
13:17
um, it was upgraded to permanent manager for
13:20
87. Carle Polat took a chance on him. He's a
13:23
good baseball guy. He knows baseball. And so
13:25
he was at 36. He became the manager of the twins.
13:30
Um, and I think he definitely proved he was ready
13:32
to, uh, lead a team too, from, from the get -go.
13:36
Right. You might not have remembered Tom Kelly
13:38
as a baseball player. He was barely was he in
13:41
the twin system? He played for the twins for
13:45
Maybe one September in I think he succeeded Craig
13:54
Cusick as the kind of backup first baseman type,
13:58
you know, so it would have been in the early
14:00
80s. Okay. You know, as probably Killebrew was
14:05
probably still with the twins at the time. And
14:07
he was, you know, probably Carrying around killer
14:11
bruise equipment bag Yeah, cuz I think he was
14:15
he was managed by Jean mox Okay, a little bit
14:19
of an influence there as well. Yeah, so yeah,
14:23
so I remember him as a ballplayer and He was
14:26
a lefty too, right? Cuz he was just batting practice,
14:28
you know, he'd throw a left -handed hit a cigar
14:30
all the time He had a cigar in his mind crazy,
14:32
even though you couldn't smoke in the metrodome
14:34
in a cigar Okay, the next highlight, or should
14:38
I say harbinger, October 5th, 1986. This is kind
14:42
of obscure, but I think it's interesting what
14:44
happened on that day. Boy, that would have been
14:48
right after the season. So yeah, I'm not sure.
14:51
You're very close. The Twins had just finished
14:54
the 1986 season in sixth place in the American
14:57
League West. But after that final game, it must
14:59
have been a kind of a fan appreciation thing
15:01
or something. Because Burt Blylevin, pitcher
15:03
Burt Blylevin, he told the Metrodome crowd that
15:06
day, he said, if the Twins can come back together,
15:09
or come together as a unit in 1987, he said,
15:13
quote, hopefully we can bring a World Series
15:15
to Minnesota, unquote. Man, that's crystal ball
15:18
there Burt did a pretty good guess or prediction
15:20
I guess so I just thought it was interesting
15:22
He said, you know, right if we can if we can
15:25
get if we can play like we're capable playing
15:27
Maybe we can bring the World Series back, right?
15:29
Yeah, and you think about it in retrospect all
15:32
of their young Really talented players were coming
15:36
together You know, Tom Kelly was the right manager
15:40
for that group But but all of those guys were
15:45
in Entering their prime. Yeah, right. They did,
15:48
you know, they had they'd made their mistakes
15:51
as young players, but you could definitely see
15:53
the talent, you know, and so the makings of the
15:58
87 team were definitely there. They needed a
16:02
little, a little more. Yeah, yep, and we'll be
16:04
getting to that along here too. Okay, the next
16:07
important date or highlight, November 24th, 1986.
16:11
We're still in 86, but these are all big events.
16:13
November 24th, 1986. We must have acquired a
16:19
player, but I'm not sure which one. Not a player,
16:22
but you remember Andy McPhail? Oh, yeah, yeah,
16:26
yeah. He was promoted to executive vice president
16:28
of baseball operations for the Twins. The young
16:30
genius. Yeah, executive vice president of baseball
16:34
operations is a very nice title. Basically, he
16:36
was a general manager. That's what it was. But
16:39
he started the makeover, the twins roster. And
16:42
I think that was one of the better decisions
16:44
Polad made. For sure. You know, in my research,
16:47
I learned that Andy McPhail is exactly one day
16:50
older than me. Oh, no kidding. He was born April
16:53
5, 1953. I was born April 6, 1953. And speaking
16:58
of April 6, there's a well -famous twin. who
17:01
has the same birthday as me. I think I've told
17:03
this before, but I don't expect you to remember
17:05
it. Burt Blyleven. Oh, wow. We have April 6th
17:09
birthdays, but he's two years older. He was born
17:10
in 51, but he had the same birthday. Well, I
17:13
always remember when the Twins games were on
17:15
TV and he was the commentator. If it happened
17:17
to be his birthday, you wouldn't hear the end
17:19
of it. Oh, right, right, right. Did I tell you
17:21
it was my birthday today? Yes. So, OK, the next
17:25
highlight. This is kind of a fun one. December
17:27
10th, 1986. You know, it's football season, Christmas
17:32
has come along. Well, that day, with the help
17:36
from uniform models, Tom Bernanski and Ken Herbeck,
17:40
Bruno and Herbie, the twins unveiled their new
17:43
pinstripe uniforms for the 1987 season, which
17:46
I know you remember. And I bring that up only
17:48
because... The uniforms are quite a change from
17:51
those beltless polyester uniforms, the white
17:54
at home and the kind of a powder blue on the
17:57
road that they'd had since the early seventies.
18:00
And both the home and away uniforms were unique
18:03
in that they both had pinstripes. Like traditionally
18:06
teams, home teams would sometimes wear white
18:08
with their stripes, but the twins away uniforms
18:11
also had pinstripes. And I don't believe that
18:12
was very common, at least in the late eighties.
18:15
And the jerseys, it was a nice change that the
18:18
twins home jerseys had twins across the front
18:20
like they always did. But the way ones had Minnesota,
18:23
which they'd never done before. It was an all
18:25
capital letters. And then they also had. the
18:28
M cap. Yes, instead of the TC, they had an M
18:33
sound. It was a new look. What did you think
18:36
of this uniform? I thought they looked really
18:38
cool. Yeah, I was not a fan of the change of
18:41
the cap. I loved the TC cap that was iconic.
18:45
But the uniform was classier look, a better look.
18:52
So, you know, you took the good with the bad.
18:55
I'm not a huge uniform critic anyway. You know,
18:59
it's, you know, whatever. Yeah. Who's wearing
19:02
the uniforms? That really would matter. Can you
19:04
play baseball? So, yep. Okay. Next highlight.
19:08
Finally into 1987, January 9th, 1987. January
19:15
9th. Just going to take a wild guess. Trade with
19:21
the Expos for Jeff Reardon. That's coming up.
19:25
This one, January 9th. Relief pitcher Juan Berenguer.
19:29
Signed with the twins as the free agent. Senior
19:31
smoke, El Gasolino. I think you went by that
19:35
a few times. Did you know, John, that Juan Berenguer
19:38
was the first Panamanian pitcher to appear in
19:41
postseason play? No kidding. And only the eighth
19:43
Panamanian player to participate in the World
19:46
Series. Right, Rod Crew was one of the others.
19:48
Yes, yes, yes. And I'm glad where Juan Berenguer
19:51
was pitching for the twins and not against him.
19:53
He was kind of a mean looking dude. I mean, he
19:55
just hadn't seen him before. He had that he was
19:57
kind of husky, right? And he had longish hair.
20:00
Yeah. And he had a big mustache. And he would
20:05
have been intimidating on the mountain if I had
20:06
to go in the batter's box and had him looking
20:08
at me. I think I would have been a little nervous.
20:10
We mentioned he had a couple of nicknames, Senior
20:12
Smoke and El Gasolino. But I guess his teammates,
20:15
do you remember what they call them? No. They
20:18
call him Pancho Villa. The Mexican Revolution.
20:22
I love it. So, alright, next highlight. February
20:27
3rd, 1987. You might want to go back to your
20:35
previous answer. Jeff Reardon. Yes, that was
20:38
Andy McPhail's first big deal or major trade.
20:41
It was actually a six player trade with the Expos.
20:45
And a lot of names that I don't even remember.
20:48
But anyhow, they got him. We got Tom Nieto too,
20:51
I think in that. Yeah, Tom Nieto, the catcher.
20:55
And Reardon came in exchange for pitchers, Neil
20:57
Heaton. Yeah, he was the best. He was the best
21:00
player we gave up in that deal. Yorkus Perez.
21:03
Yeah. And then Alfredo Cardwood and catcher Jeff
21:07
Reed. They must have. Jeff Reed was a decent
21:10
prospect. Right. And and Heaton was actually
21:15
a pretty good pitcher. He was what Tom Kelly
21:18
always described as just good enough to lose.
21:21
So he lost a lot of three to two tape. Games
21:25
for the twins. So it was you know, he would pitch
21:28
good, but they would lose and I'll tell you what
21:31
the rear know it that thick dark beard and the
21:35
fastball I mean and he had great control. I mean
21:37
he didn't give up a lot of home runs He just
21:39
was great. That was and his nickname was the
21:42
Terminator Yeah, sometimes they call him it but
21:44
man what an acquisition he turned out to be I
21:46
mean he was the perfect guy for that team. Yep
21:49
It worked out perfectly. So yeah. Okay. Quite
21:52
a good back end of the bullpen then. Oh, yeah.
21:55
Behringer and Reardon. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Yeah.
21:59
To talk about shutting that teams down. They
22:01
really did their job there. So, okay, the next
22:04
date and you've mentioned this earlier, but I'm
22:06
going to say March 31st, 1987. That was Dan Gladden
22:12
being acquired right at the end of spring training.
22:15
Yeah. Yeah. And, and yeah, just the perfect catalyst
22:19
for just what that team was missing. Well, he
22:23
was, he was a, he was, he was a Charlie Hussle
22:25
type guy too. I mean, he played real hard, ran
22:28
hard, never dogged it, never, you know, loafed
22:30
a first base on a grunt infield ball. He played
22:33
aggressively in the outfield and he could hit
22:36
the ball. He could hit for power. He could do
22:37
everything. He was just a really good heart and
22:39
nose guy and they were lucky to get a guy like
22:41
him on the team. And yeah, he fit in with the
22:44
professionalism of a lot of the other ball players
22:47
that they had. And he was about the right age,
22:49
about the same age as the other. emerging you
22:53
know talent that they had so yeah he was he was
22:58
a great fit yeah and you know an extra outfielder
23:01
for the Giants you know they own they had three
23:04
really good outfielders and he was the fourth
23:06
and he was you know kind of blocked Yeah. You
23:11
know, to play a lot in San Francisco, and they
23:17
wanted some pitching, I think we gave up for
23:19
him, which didn't amount to anything. Right.
23:22
No, that was a great acquisition. So you've got
23:24
Berringer, Reardon, and Gladden. That's pretty
23:27
good pickups right there. And Al Newman, right?
23:30
You're right. I've forgotten about him, but yeah,
23:33
he was on that team as well. I remember. Yeah,
23:35
I think, I mean, he was one of the offseason
23:37
acquisitions. Yep. Again, not a star but kind
23:41
of a glue guy and it seemed like whenever they
23:44
did put him in there He wasn't hurting them,
23:46
you know, he wasn't committing errors. He just
23:48
he's just a good good solid player So and the
23:51
thing about glad and I think it was great. He's
23:53
still part of the twins, right? No, he's been
23:55
an announcer now for I think he started in 2000
23:59
and he's just been a good steady What does he
24:02
he doesn't have a Gordon always to touch him
24:05
up. I think God and just says Gone! The guy hit
24:08
a lang ball. Gone! If he says anything, sometimes
24:13
he doesn't even tell you that. Sometimes he forgets
24:16
he's on radio. We can only hear him if he talks,
24:19
but I'm glad he's around. It's just good to have
24:21
him with the organization. I like his brand a
24:23
lot. Okay, next date. April 7th, 1987. Opening
24:30
day? Well... It was the day after my 34th birthday
24:34
like Burton. I plug in my birthdays April 7th
24:37
It was their home opener Okay, and the twins
24:41
beat the athletics 5 to 4 her bag hit a single
24:44
in the bottom of the 10th inning So it was a
24:46
great way to start the season, you know And you
24:48
said that you actually went to the next day or
24:51
it wasn't the next day, but it was the next game
24:53
Okay, so you were there for that series that
24:55
opening home in? Even know The first series of
25:01
the year, typically there's an off day in the
25:03
middle of the series. Right, they always take
25:04
the next day off. But you didn't need it for
25:07
weather. Right, yeah, yeah. But yeah, there was
25:11
an off day in the middle of the week there. And
25:15
so, yeah, I was at the second game of the, second
25:19
home game of the year. Okay, yep. Well, yeah,
25:21
that's a great start. Okay, the next date I'm
25:24
going to give you, April 21, 1987. That's okay,
25:29
it's kind of obscure but the only reason I bring
25:31
it up is That day gives me they had top Seattle
25:34
six to one to improve their record to ten and
25:37
four So they got a hot start in 700 ball, but
25:40
what surprised me I guess is as reading this
25:42
is the twins would actually go on to play just
25:45
500 ball between April 21st and the beginning
25:49
September Okay, they were played 500 they got
25:52
to a good start but it was always enough just
25:55
to keep them either at or near the top the whole
25:57
season long so and When they were home forget
26:00
it. I mean they were unbeatable at home well
26:03
And that part of that was a function of their
26:05
pitching because they had two great starters
26:08
and then it was whatever they could scrape together
26:13
for the rest of the rotation. My guess is when
26:19
Blylevin and Viola pitched they were probably
26:21
about a 650 winning percentage or better. They
26:26
had less striker than anybody else. All the rest
26:29
of the cast of characters are way under 500.
26:33
Okay the next important date May 22nd 1987. This
26:39
was a game in which Frank Viola lost a pitchers
26:43
duel to the Detroit Tigers Jack Morris, one of
26:47
our own, St. Paul guy. That dropped Viola's record
26:50
to two and five. You start off kind of slow.
26:53
No kidding. But Frankie would go on to post a
26:55
15 to 5 record the rest of the regular season.
26:58
And then, of course, he was three and one in
27:00
the postseason. So he really came on. He had
27:04
a great year and really came through when they
27:06
needed him at the end. Remember his nickname
27:08
that year? Sweet Music. It wasn't just that year,
27:11
but what was it? Sweet Music. Yep. Frankie Sweet
27:14
Music Viola. I can still remember the banner.
27:17
Yep. Some guy hung a banner in right field corner.
27:21
That's a Frankie Sweet Music viola. Yep. Yep.
27:24
Yep. Okay. Next date. June 7th, 1987. June 7th.
27:31
Early June of 87. Don't know. That's OK. Again,
27:35
these are kind of obscure. But when you read
27:36
them, you go, oh, that's kind of cool. On that
27:39
day, Andy McPhail, he tried to boost the Twins
27:41
pitching staff a little bit. Like he said, they
27:43
had the two good starters. But after that, they
27:46
just needed help. They obtained a knuckleballer
27:48
by the name of Joe Necrol. Joe Necrol. Probably
27:51
replace Steve Carlton. Well, that's coming up
27:54
later. That's coming up later. They got him in
27:57
a trade with the Yankees. And we'll get a little
27:59
bit more on Joe Nikro in a bit, but did you know
28:01
that in 1987, they went to the World Series,
28:05
Nikro set a major league record for waiting 20
28:08
and a half years since his debut to reach a World
28:13
Series game? Oh, wow. That was like the longest
28:15
anybody ever waited that actually made it to
28:17
the majors. So Joe Nikro. I got more on Nikro
28:20
coming here, too. OK, July 14th, 1987. What usually
28:24
happens in mid -July? Oh, that'd be the All -Star
28:27
game. Yep. Yep. Now this didn't affect the twins
28:31
directly, but I just bring it up because Kirby
28:33
Puckett was actually the only twin in that All
28:35
-Star game. He went 0 for 4. They lost the National
28:38
League 2 to nothing, but it went 13 innings.
28:40
It was a long game. Do you remember where that
28:42
game was played? Where? Yeah. I'll be really
28:45
impressed if you know this. I wouldn't have known.
28:48
Let's see. So it would have been an American
28:50
League city. Yeah. Yankee Stadium? Yeah. It's
28:54
as good a guess as any. It was actually in Oakland,
28:55
in Alameda County Stadium. All right. Scoreless
28:58
through 12 innings. Okay. And a guy by the, well
29:01
you've heard of him, Tim Rains. Tim Rains. Played
29:03
with the Expos. The Rock. Who are now the Washington
29:05
Nationals, right? Right. But he had a two run
29:07
triple in the top of the 13th inning. And it
29:10
was the National League's 14th win in the last
29:13
16 All -Star games. I remember growing up, the
29:15
National League seemed to win every year. They
29:17
just did. Well, it was a time when the All -Star
29:20
game, they really took that game seriously. I
29:23
mean, nobody was just putting a half. They were
29:25
going all out to win. And it meant a lot to the
29:30
players to be able to brag and say, our league's
29:32
better than the others. Kirby Pockets stayed
29:35
in the whole game. Nowadays, Managers want to
29:38
make sure everybody gets in gets to do something
29:40
and you know, they didn't have home run contests
29:44
in or Celebrity softball games. They just you
29:46
know, there's a baseball game. That's all that
29:48
matters the starting pitcher I would guess probably
29:50
won five innings. Yeah. Yes. Unfortunately, I
29:53
don't have that with me Especially in a scoreless
29:56
game. Yeah, you know that the starters used to
29:58
stay in for you know multiple innings as opposed
30:03
to these days when maybe two innings at most.
30:06
What was the year I think it was in the 2000s
30:09
that they they called a game they just called
30:11
it a tie because it went too long. Yeah a tie.
30:14
No that isn't right. Okay you next highlight
30:17
July 31st 1987 you mentioned this player before
30:21
but That's okay. That is when they got future
30:27
Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in a trade from the
30:29
Cleveland Indians. Only one of his 329 victories
30:33
came with the twins. He'd get 240 of those with
30:37
the Philadelphia Phillies. They were just trying
30:40
to shore up the pitching staff in any way they
30:42
could. He was pretty spent by then. They were
30:46
desperate to find something, but that wasn't
30:49
it. Right, right. Good for him. He hung around
30:53
and he ended up collecting a ring, even though
30:55
he wasn't in the postseason roster. He was there
30:57
and just being part of the team. So he got to
31:00
say, yeah, I want a World Series. OK, next highlight,
31:03
August 3rd, 1987. This is a fun one. I remember
31:07
this one really well. August 3rd. I'm going to
31:12
just take a... guess Don Baylor added to the
31:15
team? Not quite. We're getting there. This was
31:17
on a Monday evening, August 3rd, 1987 in Anaheim.
31:22
In Anaheim. Knuckleball pitcher Joe Nicrow. was
31:25
ejected from a game against the California Angels
31:28
after being caught with a nail file, emery board,
31:31
whatever, on the mound. He parlayed his notorious
31:34
deed into worldwide fame. It included an appearance
31:37
on Late Night with David Letterman. I've seen
31:39
that one. Yep, I was watching on YouTube just
31:41
the other day. I just want to refresh my memory.
31:44
He came out wearing a carpenter's apron. and
31:47
he was carrying a power sander this is while
31:50
he was serving his suspension you know for having
31:52
that nail file and i remember david letterman
31:55
asking joey says so you're telling me that you
31:57
did not doctor the ball that night to which joe
32:00
nico replied do i look like a doctor very good
32:06
um now do you by any chance remember the name
32:09
of the umpire who saw that nail file fall out
32:12
of his pants pocket it was a local angle oh okay
32:16
uh Then I'd guess Tim Cheetah. Tim Cheetah of
32:19
St. Paul. Yep. He was a graduate of Creighton
32:22
High School. Yep. Later named Creighton Durham
32:24
High School and University St. Thomas. And he
32:27
was a full -time major league ump from 1986 through
32:29
2012. So yeah, Cheetah was an ump for a long
32:32
time. One of the better. Yeah, he was. And I
32:35
hear him on Berero or good stuff from time to
32:37
time just talking about baseball. So yeah, it
32:40
was Cheetah that actually got him. Right. Future
32:43
bartender Tim Cheetah. oh gosh okay oh next date
32:49
these are dates actually okay August 29th and
32:51
30th 1987 okay well it was a Saturday and Sunday
32:58
in Milwaukee Kirby Puckett went 10 for 11 against
33:02
the Brewers and the twins took over first place
33:05
for good in the American League West after that
33:07
weekend. They'd never once, you know, fell out
33:10
of first place. It was kind of a momentous weekend
33:14
for him. And the Twins is like, we're not giving
33:16
this up. So I remember where I was for those
33:19
games. That was really something. Yeah. Yeah.
33:23
10 for 11. I mean, well, and here's a little
33:26
quick sidebar. I remember that weekend because
33:28
that night, I think it was Sunday night, but
33:31
For some reason, Sid Hartman was on the radio.
33:34
It might have been, well, it couldn't have been
33:35
recorded because it was the evening. He had Paul
33:37
Molitor on as a guest. And at that time, Molitor,
33:40
who's also from St. Paul. From Creighton High
33:42
School. Creighton High School, yep. And he was
33:44
on talking to Sid because he was a close personal
33:47
friend. Right. But he was asking Molitor about,
33:49
you know, about Kirby Puckett. And of course,
33:51
Molitor being the nice guy he was said, yeah,
33:54
Kirby is great. And, you know, he was fantastic
33:56
this weekend against us and that kind of stuff.
33:58
But Molitor, for those that don't follow the
34:01
twins that closely. The greatest years of his
34:03
career weren't with the twins but he did play
34:05
for the twins and then he went on to be manager
34:08
of the twins for what five or six years at least
34:10
2015 to oh it's 2015 to 2018 yes and in 2017
34:15
he was manager of the year so but they went in
34:17
a different direction so he's not that but uh
34:20
Molitor is definitely part of the twins history
34:23
so okay all right we'll go back to the 87th season
34:26
again okay September 1st 1987 You mentioned this
34:32
guy before all right that must be done that was
34:34
done dealer Don Baylor of course is a great DH
34:37
He's probably best known for that played with
34:39
a number of teams, but we got him in a trade
34:41
from the Red Sox That's who we came from so right
34:43
he actually only hit one home run while he's
34:46
with the twins Okay, but it was a pretty big
34:48
Home run that was in that game six against the
34:51
Cardinals in the World Series What was your reaction
34:55
when you heard that he was traded for Baylor?
34:57
I remember my reaction night, but what did you
34:59
think when you well? Baylor was definitely big
35:03
reputation as a professional. He had been with
35:06
the Red Sox the year before when they were in
35:08
the World Series. He had been with the Angels
35:11
when they were in the World Series. That was
35:15
my joke of he's the Don Baylor broadcasters because
35:19
it was like no matter where this guy was he shows
35:23
up in the World Series. thought, you know, um,
35:29
you know, this here's a, here's a good ball player,
35:31
you know, add it to the lineup. That was already
35:33
really good. Yep. I remember thing too. I says,
35:35
I hope you still got something left. Right. And
35:38
he did, he actually helped the twins a lot in
35:40
the, in that championship drive. He got in the
35:42
world series. He had five hits, three runs, that
35:46
one home run. And then he batted in three runs.
35:49
So he really helped them out. And that was it.
35:51
That was his, and he was gone. Did they add?
35:55
Smalley was on that team as well, but I think
35:58
I don't know if he was a late addition I think
36:01
he was not not with the team in spring training
36:04
No, no, they they picked him up and I think he
36:06
got to play in the World Series But it was kind
36:08
of almost like a pinch hitter type thing. He
36:10
wasn't starting so small again. Yeah, that's
36:13
a good point You got to be on the team at least
36:14
they got a championship. So Okay next important
36:17
date We're just about done. It's September 27th,
36:21
1987. That must have been when they clinched
36:23
the American League West. They clinched a tie
36:29
that day. It was a Sunday afternoon. They beat
36:31
Kansas City 8 -1. Burt was pitching. They won
36:35
the game. Gave them a 56 -25 home record. It's
36:40
a 691. It's almost 700 ball at home. It was best
36:43
in the majors. Now, did you happen to go to that
36:46
game? Because I know you went to a lot of games
36:48
that year. I don't think no, I was not. Okay.
36:51
Okay. I wasn't. I was actually golfing that afternoon.
36:55
But then after the game, I think I was watching
36:57
the TV and bar or restaurant or something that
37:00
showed the highlights. But I was excited that
37:02
they even clinched it high. Now they're really
37:05
close. And I remember watching the 6 o 'clock
37:07
news and the 9 o 'clock news or 10 o 'clock news
37:10
just to see highlights of that game. Because
37:12
it had been 17 years since the verge of clinching
37:16
anything. So it was definitely a big deal. And
37:18
of course, since we're doing September 27th,
37:21
we have to go to the next day, September 28th,
37:24
1987. Alright, so that must have been when they
37:29
clinched the division. Do you remember where
37:32
the game was? Texas? Yes. Yeah, I knew it was
37:36
Texas or Kansas City because they played the
37:39
last two series. Yep. In those two cities. Yep.
37:42
And none of their regulars played. They beat
37:46
the Rangers 5 -3 that Monday night to clinch
37:48
the division title. It was their 29th road victory.
37:52
Now remember I said above they won 56 games at
37:55
home. They won 29 games on the road. So they
37:58
were definitely not road warriors, but they won
38:00
that night and they clinched the division title.
38:03
So, and do you remember watching the game? I
38:05
definitely watched it. There's no way I was going
38:06
to miss that. I think what I remember most was
38:09
cool about it was Harmon Kilber actually was
38:12
announcing that bottom of the night. Right. And
38:14
it was fun for him to, I think somebody hit a
38:17
line drive to Lombardozzi or something like that,
38:19
that clinched the division for them. And he was
38:22
really happy for them about that. Do you remember
38:24
after the game, they brought cameras into the
38:27
locker room, and Harmon, and probably Rooney
38:29
was there too, but I just remember Harmon was
38:32
interviewing Kirby Puckett. Yeah, I kind of vaguely
38:35
do remember that. It was cute because... Herman
38:41
Killebrew for people to know him was probably
38:43
one of the nicest guys that ever lived. Great
38:45
baseball player, but just a gentle man. I mean
38:47
he wouldn't hurt a lead, but with his last name,
38:50
Currie Puckett kept calling him Killer. Killer,
38:52
right. He always called him Killer. But it was
38:56
affectionate of his sound, but it just sounded
38:58
funny here. All people would call a killer Herman,
39:00
you know, he's the last guy. But that was a fun
39:03
memory. Okay, the next date, we're gonna go to
39:05
October 7th, 1987, so. We're in the postseason,
39:10
but what happened on that night that What do
39:13
you think happened that October 7th? So that
39:17
would have been And they wouldn't they wouldn't
39:20
have won the ALCS yet So they must have won that
39:24
must have been the first game of the ALCS. Yep
39:26
That was game one and the thing that I remember
39:28
most about that was Guyetti homered in his first
39:31
two at bats. Yes, two homers in that game. Yes.
39:34
Yes. He had a great series. He did. He did. Well,
39:37
I think he was MVP of the series. Sounds right.
39:39
But they actually needed more because they needed
39:42
a they had a four run rally in the eighth inning.
39:45
Okay. That game and they beat Detroit eight to
39:48
five. Okay. I mean, Detroit, they were no slouches.
39:50
They won 99 games or 98 games that year. They
39:52
were good. Good team. But it was a great start
39:55
to the playoffs. And I just remember I was only
39:58
watching on TV, but I remember just how noisy
40:01
it was. I mean, it was a packed house. There
40:03
were no, and there were no cordoned off seats
40:05
in the right field bleachers. Every seat that
40:07
was available was sold and filled and it was
40:10
loud. Oh man. Well, I, was there anything to
40:14
the fact or anything to the rumor that Sparky
40:17
Anderson actually got sick at that game or it
40:19
was so loud that, and maybe he was just. worked
40:22
up but he actually like left the dugout and threw
40:24
up or something because maybe that's just uh
40:27
i've never heard that maybe that's just a urban
40:29
myth but i think the noise got to the sparkler
40:32
because it was so loud okay and here's one of
40:36
my favorite highlights of this whole podcast
40:38
october 11 1987 um well they uh That was probably
40:47
the clinching game, game five of the series?
40:51
You're close. It was game four. But do you remember
40:57
probably the play of the game? Well, I'll tell
41:00
you what my play of the game was that I remember.
41:02
It was in the, what inning was that now? Okay,
41:06
Detroit was a bat. And remember Darrell Evans?
41:10
Darrell Evans. He was on third base leading off.
41:14
Anyhow. Lauder the catcher Tim Lauder. Yep. They
41:17
did a pickoff attempt. He threw the guy Eddie
41:19
and they nailed Evans right third base. Yeah,
41:22
that was a big point. Because they were they
41:23
were about to rally. I mean, if they had scored,
41:27
who knows what would happen right that thwarted
41:29
the rally and the twins went on to a five to
41:32
three win that night. And a huge three to one
41:34
lead in the series. So that to me was probably
41:38
the most One of the most exciting plays of the
41:40
whole playoffs, because it came at just the right
41:42
time. And he threw, Laudner just threw a bullet.
41:45
I mean, it was just a perfect throw. And Evans
41:47
was totally caught off guard by that. So that
41:50
was a huge play. Okay. And then I'm kind of giving
41:53
this away. October 12th, 1987. That would have
41:57
been a day game in Detroit. Yep. Yep. I think
42:02
he hit a home run in that game, I believe. And
42:05
they, they won. the ALCS that day. And then there
42:16
was another occurrence that evening. Yep, we're
42:19
getting right to that. Just for the record, that
42:21
score was nine to five. They won it decisively.
42:24
And Reardon was on the mound. He closed it out.
42:27
But yeah, you're right. Just as memorable as
42:30
that game itself was, was that evening. Mind
42:33
you, they're flying home from Detroit, which
42:34
isn't that far away from the Twin Cities. But
42:38
yeah, you describe, you tell how you remember
42:40
it. Yeah, so they talked about after the game,
42:44
they were in the post game and, you know, there
42:48
was going to be a flight back to the Twin Cities
42:50
and they were talking about meeting the team
42:53
at the airport and then they... Somehow there
42:57
was an announcement that there would actually
43:01
open up the Metrodome for a reception. And me
43:05
and my buddy said, yeah, we're going down there.
43:07
Oh, you went? I did. Oh, wow. I did. It was free
43:10
and open. And I didn't live too far from the
43:15
Metrodome. And so me and my buddy went down there.
43:18
And I remember walking probably 10 blocks to
43:24
get to the Metrodome. And there we sat and watched
43:28
as the team entered through the tunnel in the
43:32
right field corner. Yes, yes. There was a garage
43:34
door there. And that's where the team came through.
43:38
And, you know, the most memorable thing was Baron
43:43
Gera and his trench coat and his briefcase. Yeah,
43:45
what's a briefcase? Like the secret agent man.
43:50
What was in that briefcase? Well, And then were
43:54
there 50 ,000 people? Yes, it was packed and
43:57
it was loud. It was just like the ALCS or the
44:01
World Series. It was very loud. Maybe a half
44:08
an hour total duration of once the team got there.
44:12
There was a couple of people said a few things
44:16
and whatever. And I think they might have introduced.
44:20
people and you know out on the mound. And then
44:23
that was pretty much, you know, I watched it
44:26
on television. I don't know if it was WCCO or
44:28
whatever, but a local channel. And I remember
44:30
the two things I remember most about that were
44:32
one that showed Gary Guyetti and he was actually
44:35
crying. Yeah. I mean, well, it made emotional
44:37
for him. He was the MVP of the series and just
44:39
the fact that this was so spontaneous too. It
44:43
wasn't planned weeks in advance. Totally organic.
44:45
And I might be wrong, but I don't believe there
44:48
was any kind of disturbances. I don't remember
44:50
people, you know, vandalizing downtown. Correct.
44:53
It was just a bunch of happy people. Right. Exactly
44:56
right. Just excited. It was a feel good event.
44:58
Yeah. And uh you know there was yeah it was great.
45:02
And I remember the other thing I remember was
45:04
Herb Carneal spoke. You know he was the long
45:06
time announcer for the twins. Right. I remember
45:08
he he was saving this I could tell but he said
45:10
you know nobody better overlook the twins. He
45:13
goes. Yeah. To overlook the twins, it would be
45:16
either a giant mistake or a cardinal sin. They
45:20
knew it was going to be either the Giants or
45:22
the Cardinals in the World Series, but Herb came
45:25
up with that. I'm impressed that you were at
45:28
that celebration. I remember watching it and
45:30
thinking I would have liked it in there. Okay,
45:33
we're just about through our highlights here,
45:35
but let's go to the next one. October 17th, 1987.
45:44
17th probably would have been game one. Game
45:47
one, yep. The twins one big, 10 to one. Viola,
45:51
oh yeah, here's the story that I get to kick
45:53
out a member thing with Viola. He had a brother
45:56
that was supposed to get married that day. Viola
45:58
was supposed to be best man. And Frank said,
46:01
you know, I think his brother's name is John
46:02
because John, I'm kind of busy. I got a pitch
46:05
in the World Series. Will you ever forgive me?
46:08
Right. And well, his brother got married and
46:10
Viola went on to win. And I'm sure everything
46:12
worked out fine. But I remember that was an angle
46:14
they're playing. He was supposed to be at his
46:16
brother's wedding and he's pitching in the World
46:17
Series instead. And I remember one of the most
46:20
exciting plays of that game was Gladden hit a
46:22
grand slam. It was in the fourth inning. He scored
46:26
seven runs. It was a 10 -1 win that got seven
46:28
runs. So it was a big, big game. So, okay. Now
46:32
we're going to jump ahead here, the next highlight
46:34
at least, October 24th, 1987. All right. So that's
46:40
a week later. That's probably game six. Mm -hmm.
46:46
That's speaking of grand slams we get we got
46:49
to from my Seat in the upper deck. Oh you were
46:56
that game right field. I watched Kent Hurbeck's
46:58
imitation of an airplane as he was rounding first
47:02
base after hitting a grand slam. And, uh, you
47:06
know, they, they started out losing that game,
47:08
you know, and that was an elimination game. They
47:11
were losing like five to two in the early innings.
47:15
And we're like, Oh, this isn't good. And there's,
47:20
uh, there's Kent Herbeck hitting the grand slam
47:24
and Baylor hit a home run that inning as well,
47:27
I believe. His home run in the bottom of the
47:29
fifth actually tied the game at five to five.
47:31
Okay. And then in the sixth, the twins kind of
47:33
blew the door open. That's when Herbie hit the
47:35
grand slam. But yeah, it was, it was funny about
47:38
that too. I was watching the game with my folks
47:40
actually up in Columbia Heights. And as soon
47:42
as that home run was hit, my brother Dave called
47:44
me after Baylor's home run, which only tied the
47:47
game, but that was such a big deal to come back.
47:49
He goes, Twins are going to win the World Series.
47:52
Yeah. I hope you're right, man. Well, it was
47:54
encouraging to see them, you know, blow them
47:56
out in that game. Eleven to five, I think, was
47:58
the final score. And then game seven, of course.
48:01
So. Right. And then, of course, the next day,
48:03
October 25th, 1987. Oh, also from my upper deck
48:11
right field seed, I watched. We went to both
48:14
games. Yeah. Well, they sold them in pairs. OK.
48:17
OK. So yeah, I watched her back throw his arms
48:21
up in the air as they won their first ever World
48:25
Series and first Minnesota championship since
48:31
the Lakers. Which nobody saw. Nobody before the
48:37
season was predicting the twins in one of the
48:38
World Series. I was at a friend's house watching
48:42
that game. There were about 10 of us at that
48:44
game just whooping it up. My folks were at that
48:47
game. They actually went to the game. At that
48:49
time in 87, my dad was 58 and my mom was 55.
48:53
So they went to the game. They were on the third
48:55
base side down the third base line. but they
48:58
were at the game and my dad who was a he was
49:01
kind of well he was very stoic Swede didn't show
49:04
a lot of emotion but he said that was something
49:06
yeah that was that was really something to be
49:09
there he goes incredibly loud okay all right
49:13
the next highlight we've got just a couple more
49:14
John October 28th 1987 28th, so I'm gonna guess
49:22
that was the parade the parade. Yeah, you got
49:25
it. You got it I was there as well downtown Minneapolis.
49:28
Yes. Okay on Marquette Avenue. I believe it was
49:31
where I was perched and And watch Kirby Puckett
49:35
in his bomber hat. Yep, the aviator helmet on.
49:38
Yep. Well, it was it was a cold day. It was October
49:40
29th. Very windy. And the people are there. A
49:44
lot of the players had their wives, the girlfriends
49:45
in the car. They were in convertibles, right?
49:47
So they're exposed to the elements. Right. They're
49:50
just sitting there freezing, probably. Right.
49:52
But I I know it wasn't the largest ever parade,
49:56
but it was probably one of the most densely populated.
49:59
It's almost like the cars didn't have room to
50:01
go down the street. I mean, it was just And it
50:03
was ticker tape, just like. Right. And you know
50:05
what the confetti was made out of? No. Shredded
50:09
bills from the treasury, from the Federal Reserve.
50:14
They handed out bags and bags of this shredded
50:18
up money. Oh, that's amazing. I did not know
50:21
that. Yeah, but it was it was just like he pictured
50:24
Tickettape Ridge. Just right full of people and
50:27
confetti flying over the place and just just
50:30
wild. I went to the parade, but I actually went
50:33
with my brother Dave and my sister -in -law Mary
50:35
and my then seven month old nephew Luke. Now
50:38
he's 38. Yeah, but we went to Saint Paul. We
50:42
parked several blocks from where we stood. We
50:45
actually stood. At the bottom of the steps basically
50:47
is a cathedral in St. Paul. The parade was coming
50:51
from 94. That must have been a cold ride from
50:53
St. Minneapolis. Oh, no kidding. But anyhow,
50:55
they got off the freeway ramp and then they were
50:58
going down that hill. Is it Kellogg? I don't
51:00
remember what that steep hill is. But as they
51:02
went past us at the cathedral, we saw every player
51:04
was like from me to the end of my living room.
51:06
We just waved at everybody. And I remember Puckett
51:08
had that aviator. Probably kept his ears warm
51:11
because it was cold. It was cold. But man, what
51:14
a blast. It was like the hat Rocky wore in Rocky
51:18
Bowl. flying squirrel yeah oh god but man it
51:24
was fun well it was it was the first time we'd
51:27
seen a championship since the Lakers yeah first
51:30
in the second half of the 20th century at least
51:32
so right okay and then my last highlight here
51:36
October 29th 1987 the day after Don't know a
51:43
snowstorm. No, actually that's when they went
51:46
to the White House. Oh, okay All right, and they
51:49
had a celebration for there. It's amazing because
51:51
now it seems like any Super Bowl team or World
51:54
Series team It's yeah months several months,
51:57
but like four days later. They just went there
52:00
and Right and did it so and the thing that I
52:04
remember the most about it was we talked about
52:07
him earlier Steve Carlton was with the group
52:10
and he had never he had nothing to do with the
52:12
postseason. Yeah, but he was there. He was the
52:14
one who was wearing the sunglasses. Oh wow. And
52:17
what's funny is I can't remember what's the pioneer
52:18
press of the Star Tribune, but in the picture
52:21
he's standing with all these other twins. They
52:23
all had suits on, but Carlton's got the glasses
52:25
and the caption identified him as a Secret Service.
52:32
Very good. Yeah, they didn't even realize it
52:35
was Carlton. Steve Carlton, secret agent man.
52:39
Oh gosh, yeah. Well, just a couple more takeaways,
52:46
John, about this season, which was pretty amazing.
52:48
You know, with only 85 wins in that regular season,
52:52
the twins won the World Series with, at that
52:54
time, the fewest regular season wins since Major
52:57
League Baseball expanded to 162 games. Right.
53:02
In fact that 85 win season was later surpassed
53:05
in 2006 by the Cardinals. They were 83 and then
53:09
the Rangers I think when they won their World
53:12
Series I think they might have only won 82 or
53:14
81 Well, you know that and that was like ten
53:17
years ago, right around 2015 I guess the lesson
53:20
is all that really matters is how you play when
53:22
it counts and they got to the Their a team was
53:25
much better than an 85 win team. Yeah, they You
53:30
know, they gave up the last six games of the
53:32
season after they clinched. They had all their,
53:36
uh, you know, they, they did not play to win.
53:39
Right. And so that was a little bit misleading.
53:43
And then, you know, if, if Viola or Blylevin
53:47
was on the mound, they were as good as any team
53:49
in baseball. Um, and, and they proved that. Yeah.
53:54
And they had to prove it. They did it. They had
53:56
to do it. So. The twins also became the first
53:58
team to win the world series, despite being outscored
54:01
by their opponents in the regular season, having
54:04
scored 786 runs and allowing 806 runs. So they
54:09
gave up 20 more runs than they scored. But again,
54:11
all that matters is they won the division. They
54:13
won when they had to. So Kelly, Tom Kelly, TK,
54:17
he became the fifth manager to win a world series
54:19
in his first full season on the job. and one
54:22
of seven total as of 2023. There's been a few
54:25
after that were first year, but he did in the
54:27
first year. And then the Metrodome, as you know,
54:29
we talked about how loud it was. I don't know
54:32
what this really means, but they said that the
54:34
peak levels were measured at 125 decibels, which
54:37
is the same as the jet engine or something. But
54:39
all that really matters, it was loud. It certainly
54:43
was. Is there any other takeaways you want to
54:46
mention about that season, John? Well, I... You
54:51
know just my personal memory, you know, I loved
54:54
that team before that season you know the guys
54:59
coming up in the early 80s, you know came up
55:02
together and You know add add Puckett to the
55:06
mix in 84 and he was an infectious. Yes, very
55:09
yeah very charismatic But they grew up that season
55:14
in a lot of ways, you know, Frank Viola was a
55:16
great pitcher, but he was Not. He was a fiery
55:23
New York kind of guy, but when things didn't
55:25
go well, he was not mature about it So if they
55:29
could get under his skin, he was not the same
55:32
pitcher But you could see glimpses of brilliance
55:34
and that that season, you know it he came to
55:37
fruition as a ball player and Just what a fun
55:41
group. Yep, you know that was they were they
55:44
were a blast You know the Hurbeck and and gaiety
55:47
tag team wrestlers speaking of wrestling They
55:51
had their pseudonyms wrestling pseudonyms and
55:54
that's right. Yeah. You know, they, they would
55:57
have wrestling matches in the locker room, you
55:59
know, foe, foe wrestling. Her back must've been
56:04
a fun guy to have on a team too. He was just,
56:06
yeah, just went away for Riley hometown kid that,
56:10
uh, you know, just a big lovable, uh, you know,
56:14
goof that happens to also, um, be a great player.
56:19
Yeah. And he, throughout the early eighties,
56:22
he was their best player. He was, you know, until,
56:25
you know, even, even in Puckett's, you know,
56:28
first couple of years, he was charismatic and
56:31
energetic, but, you know, he hit like four home
56:35
runs in two seasons. And then he got that leg
56:37
kick in 86 and, and all of a sudden here came
56:40
the power and he became, you know, You know,
56:44
a Hall of Famer. Up until that time, you know,
56:49
it was Herbeck's team for sure. And then, you
56:52
know, all the rest of the cast of characters
56:55
came together. I know I do still believe. Well,
56:59
it doesn't matter. But I still think that if
57:02
Herbeck had stayed healthy and maybe maybe worked
57:04
a little harder, that he could have been a Hall
57:06
of Famer. I mean, he had as good a glove as any
57:08
first baser had and he had power. He's a good
57:11
player. I'm glad you played with the twins, you
57:13
know, right? Puckett and Blyllar were their only
57:17
Hall of Famers from that team other than, you
57:18
know, the likes of Carlton and Baylor who weren't
57:22
the core of the team, you know, they were just
57:24
kind of garnishments at the time, but there were
57:30
quite a few players in that team that were playing
57:32
at a Hall of Fame level and they just didn't
57:35
have the longevity, but they were playing, you
57:38
know, Hall of Fame caliber play. Yeah. For, for
57:43
that stretch of time. And you know, you know,
57:47
great gag me. Nobody ever mentions the guy he's.
57:50
Great shirts. You know, he was, he was Omar Veskel
57:53
without the name or, or, uh, you know, Ozzie
57:57
Smith without the cartwheels. Right. You know?
57:59
Yeah. Good point. He was, he got to every ball.
58:03
He did it without flash. He just and he was a
58:07
Tom Kelly kind of guy. Yeah. Yeah, you know And
58:11
you know the glue the defensive glue that that
58:14
he one of the biggest underrated Parts of that
58:17
team was how good of a defensive team they were.
58:20
They were very good. Yeah. And, uh, um, at every
58:24
position, you know, not, not just up the middle,
58:27
but they're, they're corner guys, Herbeck, great
58:29
first baseman, Guyetti, a great third baseman.
58:33
And, uh, uh, Bruno and right field guy left.
58:37
Right. A very professional right fielder with
58:39
a big arm and Gladden could, could outrun the
58:42
ball and, and pocket in his younger days. And
58:45
that was. Part of his younger days, he could
58:48
really go get it in center field. Yeah. Oh yeah.
58:50
Yeah. You know, it's a great team, fun team.
58:53
I'm glad we had him. I'm glad we can talk about
58:55
it. Well, you think about it in 1987 now, again,
58:59
this is 38 years and I can't believe it. State
59:02
of Minnesota had just three professional sports
59:04
teams, right? The Twins, the Vikings and the
59:06
North Stars. It would be another two seasons
59:09
before the Wolves would even start playing. The
59:12
Vikings had been 0 -4 in the Super Bowl. They're
59:14
still 0 -4 in the Super Bowl. And the North Stars
59:18
had lost to the New York Islanders in the Stanley
59:20
Cup finals in 1981. So in 87, the Twins became
59:24
the first Minnesota pro sports team. in the second
59:27
half of the 20th century to win the championship.
59:29
And for fans of the Minnesota sports teams like
59:32
you and me, that was huge. So it was. I was going
59:39
to tell you one more quick thing about Joe Nicrow.
59:43
You know, they said he'd been 20 and a half years
59:45
from the time he debuted to get pitching World
59:47
Series. He pitch had one appearance in the World
59:50
Series. I'd almost forgotten about this. It was
59:52
game four twins lost seven to two. He was in
59:55
st Louis He pitched the fifth and six innings
59:57
allowed one hit while striking out one and allowing
1:00:00
no runs So when he was there, he did a good job.
1:00:03
So right. Do you remember the twins? released
1:00:06
bobbleheads for All the players after the World
1:00:10
Series. I don't recall that and I I can imagine
1:00:14
Joe Negro But you can imagine his bobblehead,
1:00:17
you know in the back pocket Little nail file
1:00:20
right right Exactly, you know Joe Joe Negro reminds
1:00:28
me of a Beatles joke, you know Joe Negro his
1:00:31
brother Phil was a knuckleballer as well and
1:00:35
he was The better of the two brothers and it
1:00:38
was like when someone asked John Lennon if Ringo
1:00:43
Starr was the greatest drummer in the world and
1:00:48
Lennon said he's not even the greatest drummer
1:00:50
in the band. It's kind of the same thing, you
1:00:55
know, Joe Nicrow wasn't even the best pitcher
1:00:57
in his family. Well, thank God for the Minnesota
1:01:04
Twins of 87. It gives us something to talk about
1:01:06
38 years later. This has been a blast, John.
1:01:13
I'm glad we were able to get together. We could
1:01:16
talk about this off the podcast, too, forever,
1:01:19
and not run out of stories. So it was great.
1:01:22
Thanks again for getting together with us. And
1:01:27
again, to our listeners, thanks for hanging out
1:01:29
with me, Bob Edholm, and John Lawrence, my friend
1:01:31
from Northeast Minneapolis. We hope to join us
1:01:34
for the next episode of Hanging Out with Bob
1:01:36
wherever you listen to your podcasts. And until
1:01:39
then, bye. you