Cheer for the Minnesota Twins Today

The Major League baseball playoff picture is basically set and the postseason games will begin soon. If your favorite team happened to make it in this year, congratulations. Many of you, however, need to put your support behind a new team for the time being (not a change of allegiance, just someone to root for while your team rests up for next year). If you're in that situation, why not consider cheering for the Minnesota Twins?
They're not exactly chic like the New York Yankees or surrounded by historical drama like the Boston Red Sox, but the Twins have a lot to offer and there are plenty of good reasons to cheer for them.

Cheer for them because they're a team full of young guys who have played together in this organization for years and are all entering their prime.

Cheer for them because whether you noticed or not they're the hottest team in baseball.

Cheer for them because they are actually still in baseball.

Or maybe because they've got guys named Pierzynski and Mientkiewicz

...or because that same Mientkiewicz once dove for a grounder, fielded it, and then blew a bubble with his gum while tossing the ball to the pitcher for the out at first.

...or because they also have Denny Hocking, a utility player who can play every position other than pitcher or catcher and has played each of those positions at least once during 6 of the last 7 seasons. (he didn't play a game in left field in 2002)

Cheer for the Twins because they have one of the coolest old logos ever.

...or because their home caps have the letters "TC" on them and more than a few people have probably wondered why.

Cheer for them because Johan Santana could be the 2004 AL Cy Young Award winner, and you can be the one to tell your friends about him.

...or because Eddie Guardado has a knack for getting people out and I'm not sure anyone knows why.

...or because LaTroy Hawkins has been solid all year.


Cheer for the Twins because while teams like the Yankees have dozens of celebrity fans like Billy Crystal and Regis Philbin, a list of famous Twins fans might include entries such as "Matt, Page 3's most beloved writer." And I'll take that list any day.

Cheer for the Twins because Brad Radke was practically born on Page 3 grounds.

Cheer for them because they're the only dome team in the playoffs--and Astroturf is tough to play on for 81 games.

Or because of the fact that although their fans wave Homer Hankies and they play in a building nicknamed the "Homer Dome," it's been more than a decade since a Twin had a 30+ homerun season.

Cheer for the Twins because they won down the stretch when they most needed to.

...because they were 7.5 games out of first and didn't even have a winning record at the All-Star break

...because they're Rivawesome.

Jon likes McDonald's Sweet and Sour Sauce; so does A.J. Pierzynski.