When homeruns are hit, other teams’ fans get a little excitable. Truthfully, it can be a little embarassing for a modest Minnesotan to watch. Other teams’ fans high five and bump their painted man-chests together. They spill adult beverages on their neighbors. They taunt the opposing pitcher with naughty words and suggestions about uncomfortable places a baseball could be theoretically stored.
But not in Minnesota. In Minnesota, we will celebrate our homeruns with…a polite handshake.
That’s the word from the Minnesota Twins front office, who announced that a new lightly animated sign in Target Field will show the Twin Dudes from the original 1961 logo modestly exchanging a conventional handshake as our hometown heroes touch ’em all.
Actually, I like it. Just as legendary Vikings Coach Bud Grant instructed his players who score a touchdown to “act like you’ve been there before” and shun unseemly celebrations, our Twins will kill ’em with kindness, and a tinge of self-confident passive aggressivism. Very Minnesotan indeed.
– Loveland
The Same Rowdy Crowd 
So the stadium itself will take a tactful, Minnesota-nice approach to celebrating home runs. Meanwhile, people like me will be too busy spilling overpriced beer and fiving high to notice the “lightly animated” signage.
Foreigner!
Ya know, it is possible to be excited and still be well behaved–fans in St. Louis do it all the time. There is a good reason they are considered to be the best fans in all of baseball.
The Red Sox series with the Twins is scheduled for early April. I was hoping to make it out there…there is NO WAY I’m leaving Maine to go to Minneapolis in early April. You guys did this on purpose, didn’t you? Nice…Ha.
Mrs. Fay–Early April in the glorious Spring sunshine with the scent of blossoming honeysuckle in the air. Heaven! Stop at L.L. Bean on the way. Layering should do it.
Come on over, Mrs! I would say that Big Papi can probably line you up with some pills that will keep you warm, but that wouldn’t be very Minnesota Nice.
The Fays are looking forward to visiting one of our favorite cities and taking in a Nice baseball game. I think we’ll wait, though, until the snow melts.