I love baseball. I was 18 months when I went to my first game. It was in the Metrodome (a moment of silence, please.) I was 3 when I had my picture taken with Kirby Puckett on family day. I could tell you the entire line-up of the Minnesota Twins before I pronounced my own name properly. Pucket, Gaetti, Gagne, Herbeck...All the World Series stars. They were my friends, I knew them personally.
At 19, I met Tony Olivia, courtesy of a first-date. Tony O. delivered our tickets personally and proceeded to sign and take pictures with us. We watched the game from 4th row behind home plate.
At 23, at Twins v. Red Sox, Johan Santana pitched a ball to David Ortiz. Big Papa smacked it down the left-field foul line and it bounced into the stands. He ran it for an easy double. That "bounce" landed right in my hands (to be fair, a friend caught it for me, but it still counts!) It also happened to be my birthday.
This year is a historical marker for the Minnesota Twins. Outdoor baseball has arrived in Minneapolis and I couldn't be happier. There is nothing greater than a hot dog, cold beer and a baseball game on real grass under real sky. It's American. Today, as baseball season kicks off around the country, I have high hopes for Twins baseball. And with that, an emphatic, "We're gonna win, Twins!"
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