Next week, the Minnesota Twins will host the Atlanta Braves at Target Field. This of course comes on the 35th anniversary of what many believe to be the greatest World Series ever played. Greater still that “our guys” came out victorious, of course.
I was five years old (just weeks away from 6) in October ‘91, meaning two things:
- I have memories of that Fall Classic
- Those memories are scarce, what with my preoccupation towards acclimating to kindergarten, beating Soda Popinski on Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, and/or playing with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sewer set.
So, this week I’m plumbing the depths of my baseball memory banks to bring you seven—in honor of the Series going the distance—personal recollections from the 1991 season:
Memory #1: Homer Hanky Mania!
- My aunt came over to watch Game 1 on our 19” RCA cathode ray tube TV. As stated, I didn’t know what was going on—but she brought a fresh-off-the-press Homer Hanky and I remember running around the living room waving it whenever something exciting happened!
Memory #2: Part of the magic!
- I should probably give myself a little credit, as I had earlier been part of the ‘91 magic. My Dad and I and grandfather were at the August 16th game where Jose Canseco made like Miguel Sano in RF and the Twins beat the rival Oakland Athletics with an epic comeback! I honestly don’t remember any of it, but my Dad tells me I was cheering as loud as anyone.
Memory #3: Simply the best!
- The clip linked above is from the VHS video “Simply the Best: The Story of the 1991 Minnesota Twins”. When I really began following Twins goings-on in 1996, I found that tape in my Dad’s media center (remember those—with the wooden swing-out cabinets to store VHS tapes?!) and watched it so many times that I can quote most of the dialogue verbatim to this day. It seems quaint now, but at the time it was only five years after the fact.
Memory #4: Everyone Loves Kirby!
- For those who lived through the Kirby Puckett Era of Twins baseball, this is easy to understand. For those who didn’t, it’s tough to get a grasp on. But Kirby transcended the game on the field. While “watching” (a term loosely used here ) the ‘91 World Series, I couldn’t have told you which team was which, much less anything more complex. But I knew Kirby(yyyyyyyyyyyyy) Puckett! That name—that smile—that ebullience—that roly-poly frame. It didn’t hurt that he always came through in the biggest of moments. Early Twins fans had Harmon Killebrew—later iterations had Joe Mauer. Those in the middle? We had #34.
Memory #5: Black Jack!
- I was long sleeping by the time Jack Morris finished his Game 7 masterpiece. But even just reflecting on its existence makes me marvel at the feat. Looking at how starting pitchers are used in today’s game, it seems almost inconceivable that in my lifetime, a SP would not only complete nine innings in the deciding game of the World Series, but also be allowed to go back out for a 10th frame! Utter insanity!
Memory #6: The original broadcasts!
- Up until about 10 years ago, my Dad had VHS recording snippets of original ‘91 World Series broadcasts. This included the entirety of Game 6 coverage—CBS pregame show, the game, and WCCO coverage afterwards! As with the highlight video, I watched these until the tape literally disintegrated (I tried converting them to DVD a decade ago and the magnetic tape was too brittle for the machine to read it). As a child, I of course had no idea that the music being used was from Kevin Costner’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” film—I just thought it was the soundtrack to the most epic World Series of all time!
Memory #7: Sweet dreams!
- My most endearing memory of the 1991 season is now part of family lore. Being of elementary school age, I was in bed dreaming about Hulk Hogan & Superman before any last outs of World Series games were recorded. But in the hysteria of wanting to know if the Twins prevailed—and my Dad wanting to include me in this momentous event—he’d promise (and deliver) to come up and “whisper in my ear” whether MN won or lost. I only went to half-day afternoon kindergarten (maybe this explains my penchant for history but lack of math/science expertise?), and I’ll never forget the next morning him excitedly conveying the Puckett-driven events of the night before as he left for work. There would, indeed, be a “tomorrow night”.
Perhaps someday I’ll get to experience a Minnesota Twins world championship when not barely out of diapers or under a curfew (although, if it takes too long those conditions could swing around again). But for now, these memories are all I have of the hometown ball club being champions of Major League Baseball.