Thanks to a 20-7 May and heroics from Trevor Plouffe, Eddie Rosario, & Brian Dozier (to say nothing of Torii Hunter’s fancy footwork), the 2015 Minnesota Twins had set optimism—and expectations—extremely high. Eventually, the worm would turn—and it did in the dog days.
It’s not like the ‘15 Twins played poorly—they were basically a .500 team from June through August. But that boundless, we’re-in-first-place-for-the-first-time-in-4-years-and-are-gonna-win-the-World-Series-whee! energy had dissipated
by falling 13 GB the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central (even if still in Wild Card contention).
Through the wonders (horrors?) of social media, I was able to unearth my in media res thoughts on the ‘15 team—and hoo-boy was I angry on occasion when that new car smell wore off.
Hate for Hicks
This all started when I saw Aaron Hicks make an egregious CF error in Texas that lost a ballgame late. I never 100% forgave him—especially when he never quite lived up to the billing with bat or glove in a Twins uniform.
It probably did not help that my time as a Twins fan had to that point seen the likes of Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, Denard Span, & Byron Buxton man the center swath. In other words: a high bar to clear—which Hicks only eclipsed as an enemy combatant.
Apologies to a Twins Legend
On numerous occasions, I’ve debated deleting this from cyberspace. An embarrassing outburst born of frustration and expectations. But no one learns from the past by erasing it—so I keep it as a yearly “Facebook Memories” reminder of why cynical outbursts don’t pay in the long run.
What I of course did not know at the time was that Joe Mauer was still experiencing concussion-related symptoms from his 2013 ball-off-the-noggin behind the plate. I expected the usual .320+ batting average and 20+ home runs (not .265 BA, 10 HR, and a career-low .718 OPS)—while #7 was having difficulty just hearing loud noises without extreme headaches and focusing his eyes/mind.
So, a formal apology to Joseph Patrick Mauer. I will kneel in penance at your bronze likeness the next time I am at Target Field.
A New York (Rough) State of Mind
Yes. The answer to that questions was, is, and will perhaps forever remain yes (at least until Zebby Matthews, Brooks Lee, Luke Keaschall, and aging vet Buxton defeat them in Game 7 of the 2030 World Series).
It got so bad the next night that I went Matt Monitto on the bit…
The 2015 season would still contain some positive surprises for Twins fans. But that August, the burden of unexpected early success which couldn’t be sustained had me pining more for Teddy Bridgewater’s Purple presence than pennant race fever.
