Good morning/afternoon, Twins fans! A two-game winning streak has rekindled a few embers of optimism in Twins-world. Is three in a row too much to ask?
* * *
Today I’d like to throw out the following discussion topic, which is related to the Twins for those who weren’t born into Twins fandom. How do/did/should you pick a favorite team when obvious factors such as geography don’t matter?
I am a Twins fan because I was 7 years old when the Senators moved to Minnesota and it was obvious that our family should switch allegiance from Cleveland (where my father was born) to the new local nine. Similarly for the Vikings and the other Minnesota sports franchises with which I’ve lost contact. (Anyone remember the Minnesota Muskies?)
A more cerebral choice of team happened for me in 2008 when cable TV returned to our empty nest after a few years’ absence. In the previous decade, I had become a huge fan of the game everyone except Americans calls football. The Fox Soccer Channel had Premier League games from England on Saturdays. I quickly fell into watching the English games on Saturday mornings; after a month or two I decided that it would be more fun if I chose a team for which to cheer.
But how to choose? My patrilineal ancestors came from the region of Essex, north of London, but that was 370 years earlier, when witch-burning was more popular than football, so there didn’t seem like much of a connection there. So what criteria would make sense? Here are some of the things that made led me to Aston Villa Football Club:
Not the Yankees! I couldn’t root for one of the then-current Big Four: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal. That also worked against other London clubs and other mega-rich clubs. Villa had a rich American owner (Randy Lerner, infamous for his ownership of the Cleveland Browns), but nothing like a Russian oligarch or an Arab sheikh.
Not the Pirates! I didn’t want to root for a hopeless team through seasons of losses, relegation, and descent into obscurity. Villa were solidly in the top half of the Premier League and were challenging for the “top 4” spots that qualify for the Champions League. There was definitely hope!
Club history and personality. William McGregor, chairman of Aston Villa, founded the English Football League in 1888, so there are few older teams and none with more illustrious history. Villa Park in Birmingham is renowned as one of the best grounds in England. A traditional, four-sided football ground, it has stood in basically the same configuration since 1897, with obvious upgrades over time (such as seats).
Team personnel and style of play. The 2008 Villa squad played aggressive, high-tempo football with numerous exciting players (including Ashley Young, James Milner, Gareth Barry, and American goalkeeper Brad Friedel) and a likable manager in Martin O’Neill (currently managing Ireland). They won more than they lost and usually made even the losses exciting.
Villa and I have been through a lot together in the last 14 years. A couple of years of success, followed by steady decline and relegation in 2016, when they posted the second-worst record ever since the Premier League was founded in 1992: Just 3 wins (and 8 draws) in 38 matches. Dawn came with the purchase of the club by a pair of wealthy and engaged owners, one of whom also owns the Milwaukee Bucks and has led them to success. Now back in the Premier League, the new season is only two games old, but there are sure to be a lot of ups and downs ahead and you know that I’ll be watching every minute, except the games that start at 4:30am PT, which I’ll watch later!
Have you ever deliberately chosen a team? Did you choose the Twins rather than having them chosen for you? How did you decide?
* * *
On the mound for the Twins is Tyler Mahle, in his third start since becoming a Twin. In his first start, he looked like a Twins’ pitcher; in his second he looked like the pitcher the Twins hoped he would be. We’ll hope for more of the latter today.
For the Royals, it’s lefty Daniel Lynch, who most recently shut out the Dodgers for 5 innings. We all know how easy that is.
Today’s starting lineups are below. Another “real” lineup for the Twins, despite the day game after night game and no off days.
Go Twins!