Twins Decade in Review

Twins fans last memory of the 2000s is a panicked Nick Punto scrambling hopelessly back to third base.

A microcosm of Twins baseball in the aughts.

Twins fans last happy memory of 2000s is Carlos Gomez leaping triumphantly in the air as Bobby Keppel, Mike Redmond, Matt Guerrier, and Matt Tolbert rush to meet him.

A microcosm of Twins baseball in the aughts.

Whether the moment is a should-be utility player sucking the life out of 55,000 screaming fans, or five mediocre players celebrating an improbable victory, the Twins decade featured its ups and downs.

Like any team (other than the Pirates) the Twins of the aughts had their good moments, and their bad moments. They appeared in half of the American League Division Series, but only 1/10 of the American Championship Series, and, of course, zero World Series.

They created a persona of scrappiness: the Minnesota Fightin’ Fundies – a perception that plagues them, albeit incorrectly, into the 2000-teens.

They created a small market blueprint.

They created a franchise mantra of pitching, speed and defense.

They created memories both good and bad.

Starting next Monday, I am going to write a year-by-year review of Twins baseball in the 2000s. Ten years in ten days. Suspiciously convenient, I know.

Until then, here is some shameless self promotion:

Follow me on Twitter.

Check out my Get to Know Em Twins Blogger interview at Topper Anton’s Curve for a Strike. While there, make sure to read the other Twins blogger interviews, and Topper’s Twins analysis as well. Always a fun site to read.

Also, thanks to Seth Stohs for the shout out on his site. Seth Speaks, as I am sure you are all aware, is a must read for Twins fans.

If you are here for the first time, peruse some of my archives, and by all means feel free to come back again. I will try to keep you entertained.

Thank you to everyone who followed my foray into Twins blogging in 2009, and hopefully you look forward to reading Undomed in 2010 as much as I look forward to writing it.

And with that, happy New Year to all.