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Last week, MLB Network released their Top-100 Players Right Now, and the only Twins players to make it were Carlos Correa at number 14 and Byron Buxton at number 39. As we all know, a healthy Buxton is not the 39th best player in the league; he is more towards the top ten. This dynamic duo for the Twins is amongst the best in the league, but could it be the best duo the Twins have ever had? 2022 marks the first time since MLB Network started making their top-100 lists in 2014 that the Twins have ever had two players in the top 40. Buxton and Correa have the potential to be the best duo in Twins history in 2022. After watching Buxton hit .469 with five home runs in 32 at-bats and Correa hit .350 with three home runs in 20 at-bats, it's easy to dream about this duo. Who would they have to pass to become the best single-season duo in Twins history? Let's look at the top five. Rod Carew and Lyman Bostock, 1977 In Rod Carew's historic 1977 season, in which he won MVP and bid to hit .400 (finished at .388), he and the late Lyman Bostock combined with being the best duo in Twins history when they combined for 13.7 fWAR. Carew accounted for 8.6 WAR while Bostock accumulated the other 5.1 WAR in a career year when he had a career-best 142 wRC+. Carew, on the other hand, had the best offensive season in Twins history, leading the league in runs (128), hits (239), triples (16), batting average (.388), on-base percentage (.449), and OPS (1.019). However, this team only went 84-77 and finished fourth in the AL West. Joe Mauer and Denard Span, 2009 Joe Mauer missed the first month of the 2009 season and still managed to have the fourth-best single-season WAR total of any catcher (8.4). Mauer's MVP season was a driving force in the Twins making it to the playoffs. Mauer and centerfielder Denard Span combined for 12.5 fWAR in the Twins' last season in the Metrodome. Mauer led MLB in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444), and led the American League in slugging percentage (.587) and OPS (1.031). He hit a career-high 28 home runs and drove in 96 runs. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove honors. Span was no slouch himself, hitting .311/.392/.415 (.807) with an American League-leading ten triples. Mauer was the driving force in this duo, but every Batman needs a Robin. Bob Allison and Tony Oliva, 1964 In a season where Tony Oliva had a historic debut season, winning American League Rookie of the Year, his counterpart, 1959 AL Rookie of the Year Bob Allison, was equally good. Oliva posted 6.2 WAR, and Allison was right there with him, posting 6.2 WAR. Allison hit .287/.404/.553 (.957) and had a career-high 161 wRC+. Oliva led the AL in hits, doubles, batting average, and runs as a rookie. He also hit a career-high 32 home runs. Oliva had the best OPS as a rookie in Twins history (.916). Harmon Killebrew accumulated 4.8 WAR, completing a legendary trio of Twins legends, along with these two legendary Twins. However, the Twins finished 79-83-1 in 1964, so three players can only do so much for a team. Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew, 1969 Debatably the top two players in Twins history made up for the fourth-best duo in Twins history in 1969. Killebrew posted a career-high 7.1 WAR and won the AL MVP award while hitting the most single-season home runs in Twins history (49) during Billy Martin's lone season as Twins manager. Killebrew led MLB in RBI (140) thanks to a fantastic 23-year-old table-setter named Rod Carew. In Carew's third big league season, he was worth 5.0 WAR while leading the American League in batting average (.332). After a subpar sophomore campaign in 1968 in which his wRC+ dipped to 96, he had an outstanding 138 wRC+ and never let that figure dip below 100 for the final 17 years of his major league career. This Twins team went 97-65, winning the AL West. Unfortunately, they got swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs. Zoilo Versalles and Tony Oliva, 1965 In one of the strangest seasons of all time, Zoilo Versalles led the American League in runs (126), doubles (45), triples (12), and total bases (308). In a career where he was only worth 13.1 WAR over 12 seasons, he accumulated 7.0 WAR in 1965 alone to win the AL MVP award. Tony Oliva followed up his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign with a solid 5.1 WAR season in a less fluky season. In MVP voting, Oliva finished runner-up to Versalles while leading the AL in hits (185) and batting average (.321). This Twins team was one of the best in history, going 102-60 but losing to Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series in seven games. Where do Buxton and Correa fit? Last season, Buxton and Correa combined for 10 WAR. These aforementioned duos all had at least 12 WAR, so it will take something special for Buxton and Correa to join this list. However, if Buxton would have played in 60 more games last year at the same level he played at in the 61 games he was on the field for, he would’ve been worth 8.4 WAR while Correa posted 5.8. If these two guys combine for 14 WAR, they are the top duo in Twins history. Of course, it will take some luck, health, and very good production, but these are two of the most talented players the Twins have ever had, so if anyone can do it, it’s them. What do you think? Where do you think Buxton and Correa could fit in on this list? Leave a comment and start a discussion. Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

Kirby Puckett is the most remembered Twins player to pass away earlier than expected. As Twins Daily celebrates Black History Month, here are three African American players that passed away in the prime of their careers. Herman Hill, CF Died: December 14, 1970 It’s incredible to consider what Hill could accomplish and overcome in his life. His parents worked as sharecroppers in the Deep South, and he was one of 15 siblings. His family eventually moved north, like many African Americans at the time. Hill missed two years of school due to illness as a younger child, so he was older than his peers. He tried out for the Baltimore Orioles as an eighth-grader, but he went to high school and became a three-sport star. His best tool was his speed, which held true during his professional career. He made his professional debut in the Twins organization as a 20-year old in rookie ball. Because of his age, he moved quickly through the system before debuting at age-23 in 1969. That season at Triple-A, he hit .300 and got on base over 34% of the time. He was primarily used as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement that season as he went 0-for-2 in his plate appearances, but he was able to score four runs. In 1970, he played in 27 big-league games and recorded his first hits at the MLB level. He went to Venezuela to participate in the winter league season that winter. On December 14, 1970, Hill drowned in Venezuela, a tragic end to a budding young career. Lyman Bostock, OF Died: September 24, 1978 Lyman Bostock was a rising star in the Twins organization that looked like he would eventually challenge teammate Rod Carew for AL Batting Titles. In his first two big-league seasons, he hit .323 and .336, which ranked him fourth and second in those seasons. During the 1977 campaign, he finished second in average (.336), fourth in runs scored (104), and seventh in on-base percentage (.389). At the season’s end, he ranked in the top-10 for WAR and in the top-4 for Offensive WAR. He hit free agency at the right time and eventually signed with the Angels for five years and $2.3 million. Bostock struggled in his first season with the Angels and even donated some of his salary to local charities because he believed he hadn’t earned it. On September 24th, he went 2-for-4 with a double in his final big-league game against the White Sox. Just hours later, Bostock was shot and killed as a passenger in a vehicle in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. He was in his age-27 season at the time with a bright career in front of him. Walt Bond, OF Died: September 14, 1967 Bond was a monster of a man. He was 6-foot-7 and weighed nearly 230 pounds. According to Baseball-Reference, he was the tallest man to play center field in major league history until Aaron Judge tied him in 2018. He debuted with Cleveland in 1960, but he wouldn’t earn a full-time role until his age-26 season with Houston. In two seasons for the Colt .45s, he hit .258/.322/.397 (.719), including a 20 homer season in 1964. His first season in the Twins organization was 1966, and he dominated at the Triple-A level. In 122 games, he batted .316/.385/.529 (.914) with 38 extra-base hits and a 42-to-36 strikeout to walk ratio. Minnesota called him up in 1967 for a cup of coffee, and he responded by going 5-for-16 (.313) with two extra-base hits in 10 games. Leukemia cut his season short that year, and he passed away in September at the age of 29. Do you have any memories of these former Twins players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Last week, we focused on the 1960s Minnesota Twins. This week, I shared my choices for the Twins All-Decade Team of the 1970s. First, I wrote about the top hitters and then the pitchers yesterday. Today, I'm excited to share a fun conversation about the 1970s Twins with the one and only Patrick Reusse.The Twins had some solid-to-mediocre seasons in the 1970s, generally within a few games of .500 in either direction. However, there were several really great players, members of the Twins Hall of Fame and even members of baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. In addition, they had several players that had some really great seasons. You all know Patrick Reusse. His writing career began in the Twin Cities in 1968, covering the Twins starting in 1970, and he was a Twins beat reporter from 1974 to 1978. He became a columnist and has continued to cover the Twins ever since. He continues to be a columnist for the Star Tribune. He also is a key contributor at SKOR North where he has a weekly (Monday's) Reusse on Baseballpodcast and also Reusse Unchained. Whether writing or talking, Reusse tells some great stories and fortunately, he was willing to spend an hour talking about those 1970s Minnesota Twins stories. Within the podcast, we hear his stories about Rod Carew, Gene Mauch, Lyman Bostock and many others from the decade. You won't want to miss his story on Bobby Darwin. For my money, there isn't a person around who is more knowledgeable on the Twins history (though you can probably make a strong case for Clyde Doepner, I'm sure). I enjoyed the conversation and all the stories, and I think you will as well. Please listen and let me know what you think. (Note - there are several places where the audio isn't real great. It's the beauty of recording with cell phones) You can subscribe to the Get to Know 'Em podcast on iTunes. or follow Libsyn for new episodes here as well. Please leave ratings or feedback. And did you know that you can listen to the Get To Know 'Em podcast by asking Alexa to "Listen to the Get To Know 'Em Podcast." PAST EPISODES Episode 1: Get to know Niko Guardado (Actor and son of Eddie Guardado) Episode 2: Get to know Pat Dean, Brent Rooker Episode 3: Get to know Royce Lewis, AJ Achter Episode 4: Get to know Devin Smeltzer Episode 5: Get to know Jaylin Davis, Tyler Wells Episode 6: Get to know: Travis Blankenhorn, LaMonte Wade Episode 7: Get to know: Matt Wallner (and Ten Minutes with Tyler Wells) Episode 8: Get to know: Caleb Hamilton, Austin Schulfer, Nick Anderson Episode 9: Get to know: Andy Young, Billy Boyer (and Ten Minutes with Tyler) Episode 10: Get to know: Wesley Wright (Twins Pro Scout) Episode 11: Get to know: John Manuel(Twins Pro Scout) Episode 12: Get to know: Marshall Kelner(Mighty Mussels broadcaster) Episode 13: Get to know: Dick Bremer (Twins broadcaster, author) Episode 14: Get to know: Anthony Slama (former Twins pitcher, entrepreneur) Episode 15: Get to Know the 1960s Twins (with Dave Mona) Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to view the article

May 23, 1991 Kirby Puckett Has Second 6-Hit Game http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_105636_zpswcgiqwij.jpg Kirby Puckett collected 6 hits for the second time in his career, going 6-for-7, scoring 2 runs in an eleven inning loss to Texas at the Metrodome. Kirby had 5 singles and a triple. His 6th hit, a single, came in the eleventh inning. The game was tied 5-5 entering the eleventh, but the Rangers were able to score 5 runs off of Steve Bedrosian. Kent Hrbek drove in Shane Mack in the bottom of the eleventh, but the Rangers hung on to win 10-6. There have only been two 6-hit games in Twins history, both by Kirby Puckett, one is each of the Twins’ championship seasons of ‘87 and ‘91. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_105248_zpsg9mlivpp.jpg May 23, 2009 Anthony Swarzak Pitches 7 Scoreless in MLB Debut Anthony Swarzak pitched seven scoreless innings in his Major League debut versus the Brewers at the Metrodome. He gave up 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3. Swarzak struck out Prince Fielder on three pitches in the first for his first Major League strikeout. The Twins went on to win the game 6-2. Joe Mauer was 3-for-3 with a walk, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored, hitting his 9th home run of the season. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_105847_zpsudfpo3os.jpg May 24, 1973 Bert Blyleven One-Hitter Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout at Metropolitan Stadium as the Twins beat the Royals 2-0. George Mitterwald and Danny Thompson drove in the Twins’ 2 runs. Blyleven pitched three one-hitters in his career, two in 1973 and another in ‘74. Jim Kaat also pitched a one-hitter for the Twins in 1973. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_105410_zpsm0bretv3.jpg May 24, 2013 Joe Mauer Breaks Up No-Hitter The Twins extended their losing streak to 10 games with a 6-0 loss in Detroit. Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez was tossing a no-hitter until Joe Mauer broke it up with a one-out single in the ninth. It was the third time that Joe Mauer had broken up a no-hitter in the ninth inning. Cesar Tovar broke up five no-hitters in his career, tied for the Major League record. He broke up four no-hitters as a Twin, and another while playing for the Texas Rangers. He broke up two no-hitters in the ninth inning in 1969. He broke up the other three prior to the ninth inning. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_105520_zpssyokwh3b.jpg May 25, 1977 Lyman Bostock Ties MLB Record for Outfielder Putouts Centerfielder Lyman Bostock tied a Major League record with 12 putouts in a 9-4 Twins win to sweep a doubleheader at Fenway. The Twins had beaten the Red Sox 13-5 in the first game. Dave Goltz (Rothsay HS class of ‘67) was the winning pitcher in game 1 with Tom Burgmeier (St. Cloud Cathedral class of ‘61) earning a 3 ⅔ innings save. Paul Thormodsgard earned the win for the Twins in game 2. Though “Thormodsgard” sounds like a good Minnesotan name, but he was actually born in San Francisco. However, Tom Johnson (St. Paul Murray class of ‘69) pitched the final inning of game 2. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160522_110215_zpsntnnkffs.jpg May 25, 1997 Kirby Puckett’s Number Retired Culminating a three day celebration of his career, the Twins retired Kirby Puckett's #34 before a dramatic 7-6, 10-inning victory versus the Oakland Athletics. The Twins led 6-4 entering the bottom of the ninth, but Rick Aguilera allowed 2 runs, blowing his 4th save of the season. He held the A's scoreless in the tenth, however, and picked up the win when Rich Becker delivered a two-out, walk-off single, driving in Matt Lawton, pinch-running for Terry Steinbach. Keep in touch with the Twins Almanac by following @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter.

It was 1977, Jimmy Carter had just become President. New York City celebrated the opening of the World Trade Center and suffered through a 25-hour blackout in the middle of a hot summer. Two guys named Steve (Jobs and Wozniak) gave us the Apple II computer.The Vikings were beaten by the Raiders in the Super Bowl and Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown. In the movie theaters we were introduced to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Rocky Balboa. We also lost the King, Elvis Presley. But for one 14-year old kid from North Dakota the highlight of the year was a 19-12 Twins win over the White Sox in Metropolitan Stadium. This was my first and only trip to the Met. The Twins had a pretty good team, led by Rod Carew, Larry Hisle, Lyman Bostock and 20-game winner Dave Goltz. The game was played on Sunday, June 26th and the promotion was Carew's jersey day. From the farm to the big city I made the trip with my parents and two of my sisters, ages 15 and 11, from eastern North Dakota to Bloomington, home of Met Stadium. My mother was a native of Mahtomedi, Minnesota so I know that we had other things on the agenda for this trip that included visiting family and friends. However, I was so caught up in seeing a Twins game I have no memory of anything outside of the ballpark and game. Our hometown is in the Red River valley, near Grand Forks, with a population of about 1,200 people. I was a farm kid, so at the time I was bit overwhelmed by the "big city" and spent a lot of time with my mouth open looking up. My sisters would tell you they were more sophisticated and not fazed by it all, but I know better. Thanks to Baseball-Reference I can look at the box score for this game and jog my memory about some specifics of the Twins' 19-12 win. But the game was just part of a crazy day full of events experienced by a family out of their element in the Twin Cities. As we walked into the stadium we were handed a crisp, white Twins #29 jersey with Carew on the back. This became my prize possession as Rodney was my favorite player at the time. It would be nice to say that I still have the jersey, as it would be a great keepsake. But when I was a kid, if you had a jersey with the name and number of your favorite player, you wore it. And wear it I did. So much so that it did not survive long enough for me to outgrow it. The two jerseys my sisters received are long gone as well although they did not prize theirs nearly as much as I did mine. My next vivid memory is of walking into Met Stadium, looking through the opening and out onto the field. I couldn't believe the green grass, the white, straight foul lines and what seemed to me a massive stadium. I couldn't wait to get to my seat. The heat takes a toll At this point circumstances delayed our arrival to our assigned seats. It was one of those hot, muggy afternoons in Minnesota; the box score listed the game time temperature at 87 degrees. The game was a sell-out, so the combination of the weather and all the people made the stands a hot and cramped place. Here is where it gets interesting. My 11 year old sister, who probably had not eaten much if anything leading up to the game, was overcome by the heat and fainted. My father had to scoop her up and carry her into the stadium. Doing the math on my father's age in June 1977 put him at 51 years old, ironically the same age that I am now. My dad was a strong man, about 6-feet tall and worked a lot of physical labor during his life as a farmer. But at this time of his life, to say that he did not take care of himself and was not physically fit would be an understatement. So picture near 90 degree weather, humidity, a crowded stadium, and a 51-year-old man carrying an 11-year-old girl. Add to that, the pack of cigarettes my father had already polished off earlier in the day. A certain recipe for disaster. So it should be no surprise that my father got heat stroke and needed medical attention himself. My mother, being the even-tempered one in group, managed to find some security people, who in turn got my father and younger sister to the first aide room. The air conditioned room did wonders for my dad and sister. The medical staff put some fluids into my sister and got her back on her feet. They got my dad cooled off and I'm certain something was said to him about it not being a good idea to smoke on such a hot, muggy day. I was certainly concerned for the well-being of my sister and father, but at the same time I was a selfish 14-year old whose main concern was getting inside the ball park and finding my seat. So I was happy to see the two of them bounce back. We got to our seats in plenty of time. Finally, the game We had great seats, directly behind home plate, about 20 rows up. Whenever my dad attended a game he wanted to have the best seats. I inherited that trait from him. I did not know this until just a few weeks ago but our seats were actually compliments of one of my dad's best friends, a man he served in the navy with during World War II. This man and his wife were also responsible for getting my parents together. So I am eternally grateful to him for helping to make this memory possible, and for making ME possible. I learned of this and several other tidbits from this trip thanks to a letter given to me by one of my other sisters. She was working in New York that summer, this letter was written by my mother on June 29, 1977. It reviewed all our activities over the course of our three day trip. As mentioned above, I forgot about everything except for the game. The White Sox and Twins entered the game tied for first in the AL Central, with the Sox at 38-30 and the Twins 39-31. Bill Butler made the start for the Twins that day and future Cy Young winner Steve Stone took the hill for the visitors. There were a few interesting personalities on the field that day. Besides Carew, there were two other members of the Hall of Fame in uniform. Bob Lemon, a 207-game winner for the Indians in the 40's and 50's, was the Chicago manager. Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League was the third base coach for the Sox. The scoring started quickly with the Twins leading 2-1 after one inning. In the second inning, after Butler held Chicago scoreless the Twins put up six runs to take the lead 8-1. Carew plated two runs with a single and three batters later Glenn Adams hit a grand slam. That ended the day for Stone. In the third inning the White Sox chased Butler from the game, getting four runs when Lamar Johnson and former Twin Eric Soderholm hit home runs. Two more runs were scored against Butler's replacement, Tom Johnson, so in the middle of the third the Twins were up 8-7. I was happy to see Johnson in the game as he was my favorite Twins pitcher that year. The lead swelled to 12-7 at the end of three as the Twins managed four runs on four singles and a walk. The White Sox got one in the fourth and two more in the fifth to counter the Twins' three-run fourth. After the Twins had their first scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth their lead was 15-10. Record days for Carew and Adams Johnson settled in and retired 11 of the next 12 batters to shut the door on the visitors from Chicago. But with the game no longer in doubt there was still some drama unfolding on the field. Adams, a part time outfielder, in right field this day, was having a career game. He doubled in two runs in the first, hit the grand slam in the second, singled home another run in the third giving him seven RBI on the day. In the bottom of the seventh he came to the plate with the bases loaded, his sacrifice fly scored Carew and set the single game standard for runs batted in by a Twin with eight, a mark he shares today with Randy Bush. Carew had come into the game hitting .396 on the season. He came up for the final time in the bottom of the eighth. On the day he had already managed three hits in four at-bats - a double in the first, a two-run single in the second, a run-scoring ground out in the third, and a single in the fourth that scored a run. He also walked and scored in the seventh. This would be his last plate appearance of the day. As it turned out, it was the last time I saw him hit in person because it would be the late 80's before I got to another Twins game. With the 3-4 effort Carew's average was right at .400 or .401 for the season. A hit would put him over .400 and an out would put him under. Everyone in the stadium wanted to see Rodney end the game over the magical .400 plateau. His average was at .444 after the second game of the season on April 10. But a 0-5 showing in the second half of a doubleheader that day dropped him to .286; it had taken him 69 games to get back to .400. Adding to that, he had already scored four runs in the game, if he managed to cross the plate again the five runs would be a Twins' record. Carew did not disappoint. He not only got his fourth hit, but it was a home run. The two RBIs gave him six for the day and the five runs in a game still holds up today, since tied by Tim Tuefel in 1983, Paul Molitor in 1996 and Luis Rivas in 2002. It is interesting that all of these players played a lot of second base in their careers. Carew and Molitor were not playing second when they set the record but they both came into the majors at that position. Why did I have to get that hot dog? So where was I when Carew hit this home run? Well, as much as I love baseball, and the Twins, you cannot get between a growing 14-year old and his appetite. I thought I could dash up to the concession stand after the Twins batted in the 7th inning, get myself a hot dog and return before the Twins' turn at bat in the eighth. Needless to say I got stuck in line and the top of the eighth turned into the bottom of the eighth. I soon heard the thunderous ovation while the Twins were batting. I was curious what it was. As I got back to my seat my dad was waiting for me with a big grin on his face. "Did you see the home run?" He says. Followed by, "How was the hot dog?" There were no TV's in the concourse in those days like there are now so I was clueless. I could not believe I missed seeing the Carew home run. I learned my lesson that day, when I'm at a ball game I will most often stay in my seat from first pitch to final out (barring emergencies of course). The White Sox got two in the ninth off Johnson to make it 19-12. Besides the big days for Carew and Adams, Butch Wynegar was 3-4 with three runs and an RBI. Smalley and Mike Cubbage each had a pair of hits. Johnson had an interesting line as the winning pitcher: six and two-thirds innings, ten hits and seven earned runs. Johnson went on to win 16 games out of the bull pen that season. Adams finished 1977 with a .338 average in platoon duty on 290 plate appearances. Carew kept his average over .400 for the next 12 games, falling below for good after a July 11 game against his future team, the Angels, in Anaheim. He would finish at .388 and win the AL MVP award. By defeating the Sox the Twins broke the first place tie in the AL West. They held the lead until July 2, when they lost to the White Sox in Chicago. After holding at least a share of the division lead since April 30 the Twins managed to get back into first place on August 12, flipping between first and second until August 16. From that point they finished the season 16-26, giving them a record of 84-77 and a fourth-place finish behind the West champion Royals (102-60), the Rangers and White Sox. Going back home After the game it was back to the farm, where the days were hot and the mosquitoes big and hungry. I got back to the business of driving my big brother crazy by breaking most of the equipment on the farm. It's no wonder I went into computers. The summer ended quickly as it always did. But the rest of the season I could listen to the game on the radio and picture myself sitting behind home plate watching the game. This ended up being the last real family adventure I was able to take part in with my siblings and parents. Before the next year ended my mother had passed way, then my sisters and I got busy with high school, then college, then families and careers of our own. I cannot remember the next Twins game I saw in person, but it was at the 'Dome, either in 1987 or 1988. Around the year 2000 I was finally able to find the time to get to ball games on a regular basis. Since then I have been able to attend several games each year. I may not ever see another game like that 19-12 contest from back in 1977 but I do know I won't miss another big home run because of a hot dog. Game photos from my father All the photos with this post were taken by father, William J. Shide (1925-1995). He loved baseball, his big family and his many hobbies, one of which was photography. However, it was my mother, Helen Shide (1925-1978) that really fostered my interest in baseball and the Twins. She was a Twin Cities girl, she told me about this team in her home town that played baseball, she also helped me organize my baseball cards. I believe it was her idea to take the three "little kids" (that was the term of endearment our six siblings bestowed on us) to the big city to see my favorite team. Want to see images from the game? View the gallery here. 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