Twins wax nostalgic
LOS ANGELES -- No player in a Twins uniform had set foot in Dodger Stadium since Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Jim Perry and their mates played in the 1965 World Series.
That was, until Friday night.
On the 40th anniversary season of that Fall Classic, Interleague Play brought the teams together again for a three-game series this weekend. Only a handful of current Minnesota players had experienced the ballpark in Chavez Ravine. Most came while playing with National League clubs.
Twins closer Joe Nathan, who pitched for the Dodgers' bitter rivals in San Francisco from 1999-2003, remembered packed houses and meaningful pennant-race games.
"It was a great place to come and pitch. There's some history here," Nathan said. "It was always entertaining down in the bullpen when it was Dodgers-Giants. It's a pretty good environment."
Left-hander Terry Mulholland spent part of the 2002 season with the Dodgers and is a veteran of several NL clubs.
"This is one the better parks to pitch in," Mulholland recalled. "The cooler air keeps the ball from flying."
A former New York Mets infielder, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire played at the ballpark in the early-to-mid 1980s.
"It's been a pretty good while since I've been here," Gardenhire said. "The ballpark's changed. Different seating, new hallways ... the clubhouse is the same. I don't know why they didn't change it."
More memory lane: Former Twins pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant was the Game 1 winner of the '65 series, and the first African-American in the American League to win a World Series game. Grant visited the cramped visitor's clubhouse before the game and joined FSN North's Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven as a guest television analyst Friday.
You think he was a little nostalgic?
"Are you kidding?" a beaming Grant said. "There are thousands of memories that come up. All kinds of stuff trigger memories. There were memories, dreams. Over the next 48 hours, I'll make sure my '65 World Series ring is shined."
Even Grant's Game 4 loss at Dodger Stadium brought him a fond memory about a Hollywood screen legend.
"I think of me losing a bet to Doris Day," he recalled. "She bet me a hot dog that I wouldn't beat them. I had to pay her the hot dog and watch her eat it."
In the 1965 regular season, Grant went 21-7 with a 3.30 ERA and also became the first AL African-American pitcher to win 20 games.
The Dodgers on Friday held a ceremony to commemorate the World Series they won in seven games over Minnesota, and invited former stars Maury Wills, Wes Parker and Willie Davis.
Briefly: Second baseman Luis Rivas, on the disabled list with a strained oblique, isn't ready to swing yet. Rivas tried to hit soft tosses in the batting cage, but felt discomfort. He is able to take infield practice without problems, however.
The Twins signed ninth-round pick Erik Lis, a first baseman from the University of Evansville. Lis was assigned to Elizabethton of the Appalachian League.
There will be no batting practice taken before Saturday's game because celebrities will be taking the field for the annual Hollywood Stars softball game.
Coming up: Carlos Silva gets the ball when the Twins face the Dodgers at 9:10 p.m. CT. Another sinkerballer, Derek Lowe, will pitch for Los Angeles.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
That was, until Friday night.
On the 40th anniversary season of that Fall Classic, Interleague Play brought the teams together again for a three-game series this weekend. Only a handful of current Minnesota players had experienced the ballpark in Chavez Ravine. Most came while playing with National League clubs.
Twins closer Joe Nathan, who pitched for the Dodgers' bitter rivals in San Francisco from 1999-2003, remembered packed houses and meaningful pennant-race games.
"It was a great place to come and pitch. There's some history here," Nathan said. "It was always entertaining down in the bullpen when it was Dodgers-Giants. It's a pretty good environment."
Left-hander Terry Mulholland spent part of the 2002 season with the Dodgers and is a veteran of several NL clubs.
"This is one the better parks to pitch in," Mulholland recalled. "The cooler air keeps the ball from flying."
A former New York Mets infielder, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire played at the ballpark in the early-to-mid 1980s.
"It's been a pretty good while since I've been here," Gardenhire said. "The ballpark's changed. Different seating, new hallways ... the clubhouse is the same. I don't know why they didn't change it."
More memory lane: Former Twins pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant was the Game 1 winner of the '65 series, and the first African-American in the American League to win a World Series game. Grant visited the cramped visitor's clubhouse before the game and joined FSN North's Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven as a guest television analyst Friday.
You think he was a little nostalgic?
"Are you kidding?" a beaming Grant said. "There are thousands of memories that come up. All kinds of stuff trigger memories. There were memories, dreams. Over the next 48 hours, I'll make sure my '65 World Series ring is shined."
Even Grant's Game 4 loss at Dodger Stadium brought him a fond memory about a Hollywood screen legend.
"I think of me losing a bet to Doris Day," he recalled. "She bet me a hot dog that I wouldn't beat them. I had to pay her the hot dog and watch her eat it."
In the 1965 regular season, Grant went 21-7 with a 3.30 ERA and also became the first AL African-American pitcher to win 20 games.
The Dodgers on Friday held a ceremony to commemorate the World Series they won in seven games over Minnesota, and invited former stars Maury Wills, Wes Parker and Willie Davis.
Briefly: Second baseman Luis Rivas, on the disabled list with a strained oblique, isn't ready to swing yet. Rivas tried to hit soft tosses in the batting cage, but felt discomfort. He is able to take infield practice without problems, however.
The Twins signed ninth-round pick Erik Lis, a first baseman from the University of Evansville. Lis was assigned to Elizabethton of the Appalachian League.
There will be no batting practice taken before Saturday's game because celebrities will be taking the field for the annual Hollywood Stars softball game.
Coming up: Carlos Silva gets the ball when the Twins face the Dodgers at 9:10 p.m. CT. Another sinkerballer, Derek Lowe, will pitch for Los Angeles.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
