The Art of Being an Outsider

What a game. After being targeted (but amused) by my many Yankee-fan classmates, I was able to connect with two other classmates who were interested in going to the Friday night Twins vs. Yankees game here in the Bronx. The price was steep, but it was worth it. As Eman (fellow Minnesotan and Twins fan), David (Yankees fan from Manhattan), and I climbed onto the bus to begin our trip to the stadium, the banter had already started. We were stared down as we moved from the bus to the subway. Once aboard the subway, we were surrounded by an intimidating sea of navy blue and white; as the train filled up, a Yankees fan started telling us that Joe Mauer would be wearing pinstripes in two years. I've heard that talk before from classmates, and Eman and I always say that there's no way he'd desert his beloved Minnesota, but this fan was insistent. The funniest part was that this young Yankees fan could have been no older than 10 years old.

As soon as we got to the stadium, it was mayhem. There was a constant stream of people arriving from all parts of the city, all wearing navy blue and white. We heard all about how the "Twins suck!" and that the "Yankees will sweep 'em!" One man had even brought a broom to demonstrate his point. Surprisingly, we found a group of Minnesota fans right outside of the stadium! After exchanging hi-fives, we were approached by a cameraman and were interviewed as a group since we stuck out so much. He asked where we had come from, and when I said that we (Eman and I) live in the Bronx, his eyes widened as he repeated in shock, "The BRONX?!" He had never heard such blasphemy before, a Bronxite rooting for the enemy.

Yes, we live in the Bronx! And yes, we're rooting for the Twins!

Our seats were great, as far as I'm concerned. We were in section 422, row 6, slightly to the left of home. The only part of the field we couldn't see was foul territory in the deep left -- which turned out to be a source of controversy late in the game. Luckily, the rain that had been predicted held off until after the game, and it was an absolutely beautiful night -- high 60s, little wind, and an electric atmosphere.

Getting ready for the big game, in a big, brand-new stadium

As for the game, we could not have asked for a better time. In sports movies, there's always a bit of comic relief provided by hecklers, and it seems those hecklers always have New York accents. Well, I felt as if I were in a movie. Coming from behind us were shouts like, "Who taught ya how ta pitch?" and other not-so-savory comments that made the game even more entertaining. Also, between innings, shots of the crowd were shown on the big screen: there were shots of "normal people" interspersed with celebrities who had shown up, like Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly (both of whom were booed), Mike Bloomberg, and Reggie Jackson.

At this point, Mauer was up to bat, and the Twins were winning 3-1. Too bad they couldn't carry it to the end.

The game itself was incredibly tense and exciting. My voice is still not back to normal, two days later, from all the yelling I did. I couldn't believe it went to 11 innings; I definitely got my money's worth. As for the outcome, I still feel disappointed that the Twins couldn't pull through in the end, but the game itself was the best I could have hoped for, for sheer entertainment value. Also, the experience of being one out of eight Twins fans there (an exaggeration, but not by much...) was fun. Eman and I were amused by the hecklers and felt no shame (although possibly a bit threatened) in cheering loudly when things were going well for the Twins. This meant we couldn't get a clean picture, though:

Silly Yankees fans

All in all, it was an incredibly fun way to spend a Friday night. I'm looking forward to watching the Twins come back at the Metrodome tonight...