| 10 October 2010
The month of October opened with high expectations.
Minnesota turned the money generated from their new cash cow -- Target Field -- into the best Twins team of recent memory. Players like Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome, and Matt Capps were exceeding expectations and creating a lot of excitement in the Twin Cities. Heading into the postseason, we felt we could finally take down the East Coast powerhouses. This was the year.
Three games later Minnesota is turning their attention to the guaranteed-to-disappoint Vikings and Timberwolves. Baseball will be better next year, Twins fans reason.
Sense a trend? You should.
The Twins have lost 12 consecutive playoff games and haven't beaten the Yankees outside of the regular season since 2004. Even though history suggested another massive let-down, we were convinced that this year would be the exception. The 2010 Twins could be a team to remember, we figured, and most everyone was guilty of optimism.
Three games later, Twins fans aren't disappointed so much in being beaten by the Yankees in the ALDS for the fourth time as they are for failing to see it coming.
Is it fair that New York has twice the resources of Minnesota? Of course not. Baseball, as currently structured, is hardly a fair game. Teams like the Twins win many games in the regular season, dominating inferior foes. These teams are quickly reminded of their junior varsity status, though, when paired with powerhouses who, keeping to the high school athletics metaphor, have a student enrollment and sports budget that dwarfs other teams'.
But that's just the way it is. This is the game we love, and those are the rules we follow. Because of the poison of proximity or curse of family ties, the Minnesota Twins are the team we love, support, and follow closer than should be considered healthy.
If given the chance, no Twins fan would willingly jump ship in search of a more successful team. I may be a little jealous of the Yankees' resources, but I'm certainly not of their success. Occasional glory is far sweeter than constant contention. Baseball should be a cyclical sport, with fans getting the opportunity to watch home-grown players and efficient spending lead to a string of successful seasons. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
The Twins have had a string of successful seasons, and look to have another talented team next year. Soon enough, the sun will set on the 2010 ALDS, and Minnesota fans will get excited about baseball once again. After, of course, enduring the Vikings and Timberwolves seasons.
Other goals and expectations will arise, but in the back of every Twins' fan's mind will be the hope that someday, somehow, we'll finally be able to take down the Yankees.
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