It's a good time to leave Minnesota. I don't say this because I didn't like it. I love my 'sota, but I don't think I could stand living there knowing that the three most beloved sports figures in the Twin Cities have left in less than a year.
First it was KG, who is legendary in his own time. You know you're good when you pop up in rapper's lyrics. I once went to a Wolves-Nuggets game back in 2002. Denver had a terrible team and the game was pretty much meaningless. I watched in awe as KG basically destroyed Denver. He never took a night off. He was so hyped, he pretty much supplied all of the electricity for the Target Center. Watching him, I knew I was watching a very special ballplayer, the rare breed of athlete who wears his heart on his sleeve, and plays to his full potential night in, night out. He actually cared about the game. He's a baller for life.
Then the beloved Torii Hunter went to the Angels in the off season. I've seen him stretch a single to a two-bagger, then distract the pitcher enough that he stole third virtually uncontested, because he knew exactly when to steal. He came up clapping his hands and shrugging to the Twins bench, his infectious smile and laugh lighting up the dugout. I'll really miss his media interviews. Now he'll be making $90M. Not bad for a poor kid from an Arkansas ghetto.
And the real reason I'm writing this: Johan Santana signed with the Mets yesterday. He is the best pitcher on the planet. No really, he is. Ask the experts. He is lights-out. And I know that the people of Minnesota loved him there.
It kills me to see these guys in other jerseys. For me, Hunter and Santana will always be Twins, and KG will always be synonymous with Minnesota. There is a black hole in the athletic universe, and it is in Minneapolis. What a wasteland. By the way, Randy Moss will be playing in the Super Bowl. Just to beat the dead horse.
