Twins fondly recall 2002 fun; reunion on Monday
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ten years ago, approaching a promising 2002 season, the Minnesota Twins nearly had their franchise wiped out.
Then they finished three wins short of the World Series.
"It was one of those `take that' kinds of things,'' said manager Ron Gardenhire, reflecting on his first year running the team. "Take that, baseball.''
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Gardenhire's bunch of outspoken, scrappy, prank-prone characters used strong chemistry, the best defense in the majors and a relatively weak division to win 94 games and reach the playoffs for the first time since the 1991 championship season.
The Twins will mark the 10-year anniversary of that team as part of their home opener festivities on Monday, when they host the Los Angeles Angels to start their third season at Target Field. Doug Mientkiewicz, Eddie Guardado, Brad Radke, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie and Denny Hocking are scheduled to take part in a pregame rally downtown, throw out ceremonial first pitches and lead the singing during the seventh-inning stretch.
After a plan hatched by baseball's owners to get rid of the Twins and the Montreal Expos for financial reasons was thwarted in a Minnesota court, they became the sport's classic overachievers by reaching the American League championship series with a bargain-store budget. A young group of players drafted and developed by the organization that learned and matured together in the minors began to flourish at just the right time, making Twins games a popular way to spend a summer night again in Minnesota.
"We had an attitude,'' said first baseman Mientkiewicz, now a hitting coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system. "We finally got good, and we knew what we were walking into. We were like, `You can't take that away from us now.'''
Gardenhire was given the job before he knew whether the job would still exist.
"We're very proud of this baseball team, and it was a slap in the face to say we were going to get contracted,'' he said. "The expectations from the outside world weren't that high, but we all felt pretty good about ourselves, so we just ran with it.''
The Twins love their reunions, having held several celebrations of their 1987 and 1991 championship teams over the years at milestone anniversaries. The 2002 team didn't win a title. But purely from a popularity standpoint, it's up there with any in the franchise. And considering the dark contraction cloud that hung over their heads entering that season, their accomplishments were remarkable.
The Angels are a fitting opponent for this event. Outfielder Torii Hunter and relieetitive team,'' Blackburn said. "We've picked up a lot of guys after last season, and I feel like it's been a good change. I personally have confidence going in with this team.''
The Twins will find out quickly whether that's true. The Angels are on their schedule nine times in the first 31 games. Two-time defending AL champion Texas comes to town after Los Angeles leaves, and a seven-game road trip to New York and Tampa Bay is followed by three games at home with Boston.
That's 16 of the first 19 games against five of the top six AL teams from last year. And that was before Albert Pujols joined the Angels.
C.J. Wilson was added, too, at the price of $77.5 million over five years. The lefty will make $10 million this season, and his first start for his new team will come Monday.
