The Franchise: Minnesota Twins

The Franchise: Minnesota Twins
Author: La Velle E. Neal III
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2024-06-11
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 163727579X

In The Franchise: Minnesota Twins, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of an iconic team. This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans' history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the Twins' one-of-a-kind identity. Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it got to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it'll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.Twins fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.

Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins
Author: Dennis Brackin
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2010-03-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1610602692

A treasury of Twin Cities baseball history packed with photos from the archives. Major League Baseball came to the Minnesota prairie in the spring of 1961, and ever since, the Minnesota Twins have held a cherished place in the hearts of sports fans throughout the region. With Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett and beloved characters from Billy Martin to Kent Hrbek to Joe Mauer, the history of the Twins encompasses highs and lows, heroes and goats, but always nonstop excitement. Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History provides an in-depth and entertaining look at the team, its players, its stadiums, and the memorable moments through the years. Illustrated with photos from the Star Tribune’s archives, it is the ultimate celebration of a beloved franchise.

The Pride of Minnesota

The Pride of Minnesota
Author: Thom Henninger
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2021-05
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1496227115

The 1960s were a heady time to come of age. The British Invasion transformed pop music and culture. The fledgling space program offered a thrilling display of modern technology. The civil rights movement and Vietnam War drew young people to American politics, spurring them to think more critically about the state of the nation. And the assassinations Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 shook the United States to the core. During these turbulent times the Minnesota Twins were the pride of the North Star State--an elite team that advanced to the World Series in 1965 and played in dramatic pennant races in the years thereafter. After an uneven 1964 season the Twins set themselves up for a turnaround that would last the rest of the decade. At the end of his playing career with the Twins, Billy Martin was hired as third base coach in 1965, giving them a more aggressive base-running style. Mudcat Grant became the first African American pitcher to win at least twenty games in the American League, and Tony Oliva won his second batting title to help lead the Twins to the World Series, which they lost in seven games to the Dodgers. In 1967 rookie Rod Carew joined the Twins as they engaged in a historic pennant race but finished second to the Red Sox during their "Impossible Dream" season. In 1969 Martin took over as manager, and both Carew and Harmon Killebrew led the Twins to the American League Championship Series, only to lose to the Orioles, after which Martin was fired in part for a now-legendary bar fight. Bill Rigney took the helm in 1970 and steered the Twins to a second-straight division title and ALCS loss to the Orioles. In The Pride of Minnesota Thom Henninger details these pennant races, from the key moments and games to the personalities of the players involved, in the context of state and world events. Although the Twins won only one AL pennant in this stretch and failed to win the World Series, these memorable seasons, played in remarkable and compelling times, made for an important first decade in the team's early history.

In Pursuit of Pennants

In Pursuit of Pennants
Author: Mark Armour
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 526
Release: 2018-04-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1496206010

The 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Dodgers, the 1975 Reds, the 2010 Giants—why do some baseball teams win while others don’t? General managers and fans alike have pondered this most important of baseball questions. The Moneyball strategy is not the first example of how new ideas and innovative management have transformed the way teams are assembled. In Pursuit of Pennants examines and analyzes a number of compelling, winning baseball teams over the past hundred-plus years, focusing on their decision making and how they assembled their championship teams. Whether through scouting, integration, instruction, expansion, free agency, or modernizing their management structure, each winning team and each era had its own version of Moneyball, where front office decisions often made the difference. Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt show how these teams succeeded and how they relied on talent both on the field and in the front office. While there is no recipe for guaranteed success in a competitive, ever-changing environment, these teams demonstrate how creatively thinking about one’s circumstances can often lead to a competitive advantage.

Dick Bremer: Game Used

Dick Bremer: Game Used
Author: Dick Bremer
Publisher: Triumph Books LLC
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781641253819

"Dick Bremer's distinctive baritone has served as the soundtrack of Minnesota Twins baseball for over three decades. Millions of fans have enjoyed Bremer's observations, insight, and magical storytelling on television broadcasts. Now, in this striking memoir, the Minnesota native and lifelong Twins fan takes fans behind the mic, into the clubhouse, and beyond as only he can. Told through 108 unique anecdotes - one for each stitch in a baseball - Bremer weaves the tale of a lifetime, from childhood memories of the ballfield in remote Dumont, Minnesota, to his early radio days as the "Duke in the Dark," to champagne soaked clubhouses in 1987 and 1991 and his encounters with Twins legends ranging from Calvin Griffith and Harmon Killebrew to Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek to Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Game Used gives fans a rare seat alongside Bremer and his broadcast partners, including Killebrew, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Jim Kaat, Tom Kelly, and other Twins legends. Packed with Bremer's self-deprecating humor and passion for the game, this book is an unforgettable look at a lifetime of Twins baseball"--

Rod Carew: One Tough Out

Rod Carew: One Tough Out
Author: Rod Carew
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2020-05-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1641254033

An unforgettable story of insight, inspiration, and faith Growing up in a small town in the Panama Canal Zone, Rod Carew and his friends spent the long, temperate days hitting bottle caps with broomsticks, outfitted with mitts molded from paper bags, cardboard, and string. Each broomstick bat was customized by its owner; Carew's, slathered in black paint with yellow trim, bore in orange the number 42—that of his idol, Jackie Robinson. It was in this fashion, years before he would move to New York City in search of a better life, Carew honed the skills that would one day turn him into a perennial All-Star. For 19 seasons, Carew was a maestro in the batter's box. Uncoiling from his crouched stance, he seemed to guide the ball wherever he wanted on the way to a whopping seven batting titles and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If only everything in life had been as easy as he made hitting look. In One Tough Out: Fighting Off Life's Curveballs, Carew reflects on the highlights, anecdotes, and friendships from his outstanding career, describing the abuse, poverty, and racism he overcame to even reach the majors. In conversational, confessional prose, he takes readers through the challenges he's conquered in the second half of his life, from burying his youngest daughter to surviving several near-fatal bouts with heart disease. He also details the remarkable reason he's alive today: the heart transplant he received from Konrad Reuland, a 29-year-old NFL player he'd met years before. Carew explains how that astonishing connection was revealed and the unique bond he and his wife, Rhonda, have since forged with his donor's family. As Robinson once said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." As Carew recounts his story, Robinson's words take on an even greater resonance.

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins
Author: Steve Aschburner
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2008-05-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1600780768

Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Minnesota Twins documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Twins highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamous. Such moments include the World Championships of 1987 and 1991 and the miraculous years when Bud Selig almost contracted the franchise, as well as the outrageous number of losses by Terry Felton and when manager Billy Martin punched out his starting pitcher in 1969. Whether providing fond memories, goose bumps, or laughs, this portrait of the team is sure to appeal to the fan who has been through it all.

Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout

Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout
Author: Kent Hrbek
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2012-03
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1613210175

In Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout, this fan favorite looks back at his playing career in Minnesota. Many stories revolve around the championship seasons of 1987 and 1991. Hrbek also shares his memories of the late Kirby Puckett and of his close friendship with third baseman Gary Gaetti. Kent Hrbek’s Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout is a humorous, insightful, and at times heartbreaking story of one of the most memorable eras in team history, from one of Minnesota’s very own.

Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew
Author: Steve Aschburner
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2012
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1600787029

"A biography of baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew"--