1988 Bill Frisz Twins World Champions Team Set
It's nice to sit and watch live baseball again. This piece was started while watching some Spring Training games live on TV. First was part of the Twins tieing the Blue Jays, at 5 a piece. The second game of my double header was watching the Colorado Rockies lose to the Angels, 7-5. Because of course they would. To be fair, at this point of Spring Training, the games are decided more by the AA and AAA journeymen just hoping for a chance, than anyone that will play in the majors in 2020.
Because it's this early, there is always optimism. Thanks to a decent offseason, the Twins are being ranked as one of the legitimate World Series contenders. Thanks to a lousy, do-nothing offseason, the Rockies will likely battle the San Francisco Giants for last place in the National League West. Unless you're Dick Monfort, then you believe the 2020 Rockies will win 95 games.
Though one could look at the 1987 Minnesota Twins as a perfect example of "anyone has a shot!" I don't remember the exact number, but I think going into the 1987 season, Minnesota was a 1-150 long shot at winning the World Series. Defying all odds, they did it.
To commemorate this surprise achievement, the team put out a card set through their long time local photographer, Bill Frisz, in early 1988.
Simple borderless posed photos, printed on cards with a gold foil 1987 World Champions stamp in the corner. I'd seen the cards as singles and as complete sets at card shows in the early 1990's. For whatever reason, be it scarcity or whatever, they were always a lot more expensive than I felt they should have been, so I routinely passed on buying them. Despite feeling like the were very attractive cards.
Vaguely remember a rumor that Major League Baseball or the Players Union stepped in and tried to force the Twins to stop marketing them, due to a licensing issue. But my memory is hazy on that idea.
Either way, I've always wanted the set, but I finally pulled the trigger on buying it at the great St. Cloud Card Show that I wrote about a year or so ago.
The reason I decided to buy it last year, after turning it down multiple times 25-30 years ago, was that I wanted it for this story. I knew that it would provide a good base for writing about the 1987 World Series, at whatever point I decided to write about it. Not that I have a whole lot of specific memories, since I was 12 and just watching it on TV. Not fully understanding what was going on in the game.
The cards are organized by uniform number (which is kind of odd) and features the 1987 25-Man posteason roster, plus manager and coaches, with a couple of logos and a team photo to round out the 33 card set. Something else I found strange about the photos, all of the posed pictures shot inside the Metrodome show the Twins in their road uniforms.
The card backs list out performance in the 1987 League Championship Series, the World Series, then a composite line. I like this. It showcases the fact that weak hitting Lombardozzi really shined in the 1987 postseason. He didn't show this kind of potential before it, and never replicated it afterwards.
Lombardozzi's son was a top prospect with the Nationals in 2012, but never panned out. I remember when the Nats were interested in trading for the Twins' Denard Span after the 2012 season, reading that Lombardozzi Jr. was a player that Minnesota asked for. Ultimately, they took pitcher Alex Meyer for Span, instead. In the end, both Meyer and Lombardozzi flamed out.
1987 was Smalley's last season as a player, capping a strong career with a World Series ring. Today, Smalley is a part time broadcaster with the Twins television team. I like him a lot more than some of the others they've used in that role during recent years.
An X-Mess gift in 1987 that I still have. My official 1987 Twins Homer Hanky used to be kept between the pages, and it wasn’t there the last time I looked. I wanted to use it in this story, but couldn’t find it after nearly three minutes of looking. I know it's somewhere, but where?
Oliva is the only Twin to appear in both the 1987 World Champions team set and the 1978 Twins Retired Stars set I talked about a while ago.
Known for his slick fielding shortstop skills, I'm a little shocked to see that Gagne made 4 errors in twelve 1987 postseason games.
Another 1987 X-Mess gift. Always liked these rubber stamped faux-autographed baseballs. Never likely to have the real thing, so these are still a nice display piece. It's still sitting in this box, on my Twins shelf in New Baseballcardland, over 32 years later.
Gaetti was a star at third for the Twins for many years. Then went on to play for the Angels, Royals, (1987 World Series opponents) Cardinals and Cubs, for a lot longer than I expected.
He had a pretty decent postseason. Not noted here, but Gaetti fielded the final out of the 1987 World Series. "There it is! (Willie) McGee grounds to Gaetti, throws to Hrbek and the Minnesota Twins are World Champions!" That Herb Carneal audio call is forever burned into my baseball memory.
I think that most of these photos were taken early in the 1987 season. Players not with the team at that point are stuck with their team mug shot. And a rather blurry one for Larkin.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey Larkin! Don't worry about the lack of 1987 postseason success, just five years later, you'll get the walk-off game winning hit in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 1991 World Series!
Beyond the Game 6 Grand Slam, Hrbek didn't do a whole in the 1987 postseason. At least that home run was huge in tipping the scales in our favor.
The afternoon before this edition of the Strib came out, Minnesota beat Detroit to clinch the American League Pennant. Their first World Series appearance since 1965. To celebrate, the Twins were going to open up the Metrodome for free that night. As soon as the team returned from Detroit, they would come directly to the stadium, from the airport and greet the fans. My mom took my sister, Mr. Rux and I, to take part.
Not long after we arrived and were walking around the concourse, they had to close the stadium. The full seating capacity of 55,000 (for the Metrodome's baseball configuration) had been reached, so no more were being let in. Thousands of people collected in the streets outside. The team arrived on two busses, just before 11pm. Less than an hour after the plane landed.
They walked out on the field to an insane crowd pop. Some of the players and management talked over the PA, thanking the fans and pumping us up for the World Series. The NLCS hadn't been decided at that point, so we had no specific city to attack. But I was happy to take part
Welcome Home Bash at the Dome 87 was in reality a lot of boring sitting and waiting, until the ending. Which did rule. If I remember, they tried to keep us entertained with a mixture of Twins radio highlights, interviews and upbeat music. Back in 1987, the Metrodome had only one monochrome scoreboard, and no video board. So it's not like they could have thrown out some game footage, blooper reels or even league and team produced player/team biographies. (Hard to fathom watching baseball without those types of things now.) I remember some rather impressive extended instances of the stadium doing the wave. With nothing going on down on the field, everyone participated because it was something to do.
Searching for information on Bill Frisz online has turned up nothing. Though I am proud that my story on the 1978 Bill Frisz Twins sets is a top 10 page search return on the Googles! So I can't really say much about him. Other than the Twins card sets, Frisz produced the Twins annual postcard sets through the 1980's.
I picked this postcard up at a card show in the early 1990's. Smith was not on the 1987 World Series roster, but he's shown on the Sports Illustrated front cover, standing behind the pile of victory Twins. He bounced between AAA and Minnesota between 1986 and 1990. Quickly becoming a favorite of mine for how cool he was with fans after the game. I have a bunch of his autographed cards from Twins games.
Laudner was a steady catcher for the Twins during the 1980's. Coming up through the minors with the rest of the core in the early part of the decade. Then developing into the every day starter and an eventual All Star. Today he works as a part time broadcaster on Twins games.
For his pitching in the 1987 and 1988 seasons, Viola was a big star in the Twin Cities. Minnesota developed an ace to lead a rotation consisting of an aging future Hall of Famer (Bert Blyleven) and a big pile of mismatched spare parts.
1988 Fleer factory sets contained a 12 card bonus set, highlighting the 1987 World Series. Viola was card number 12 in the set, with a nice summary of his performance on the back.
Speaking of that big pile of mismatched spare parts that was the 1987 Twins pitching staff… Straker was pitching in the Mexican League before signing with Minnesota in January 1985. He pitched well enough in 1987 to hold a job for the season, but fell apart in 1988 and was out of the Major Leagues for good the next year.
Another mid-season acquisition that wasn’t part of the original 1987 Twins photo session. So you get a card featuring his post trade team mug shot. Despite only being a Twin for September (and the postseason) of 1987, his impact was great and exactly what the team needed to take it over the hump.
Baylor died after a bout with cancer a couple years ago. I paid tribute to our brief DH, and the first manager of the Colorado Rockies, shortly after. You can read that here.
Frazier was wrapping up a solid career as a relief pitcher in 1987, and retired before the 1988 season began. I remember nothing of his time with the Twins, but I remember Frazier for many years of calling Colorado Rockies games on TV. A broadcasting career that actually started with the Twins in 1993. He was pretty good on the TV, and would occasionally tell stories of the 1987 Twins team. These were especially fun to hear during a Rockies game.
Arguments can be made that Brunansky was the second most popular Twin behind Kirby Puckett, in the mid 1980’s. Before I was actively following baseball, I knew the names of Puckett and Brunansky as Minnesota Twins, before I could recognize any of the rest of the roster.
The 1987 Twins offensive core was Brunansky, Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti. Comparing 30 years ago to today’s game is hard to do, but the 1987 Twins would have ranked high on any list of powerful foursomes in baseball history. With their weak pitching, these four were key to any success the franchise found in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, Brunansky got off to a very slow start in 1988. Twins General Manager, Andy McPhail, panicked and traded Bruno to the St. Louis Cardinals (whom the Twins just beat in the World Series), for this guy...
Second base had been a large black void for the Twins, throughout the 1980’s. For whatever reason, McPhail grew enamored with Tom Herr at second base, and thought that he was the piece we needed to repeat as champions. To be certain, Herr was a better player than current options in Al Newman and Steve Lombardozzi, but Herr didn’t want to play for Minnesota. And he didn’t exactly keep that a secret. He also missed considerable time due to injury and was an all around failure in his Twins tenure.
Trading Brunansky left a giant hole in our lineup and outfield. Long time Twins spare part Bush, picked up extra outfield time in Bruno’s place. But there was a reason Bush was a fourth outfielder and not a starter.
Speaking of weak hitting second baseman... Newman was another Cranky Tom Kelly favorite, whose well below league average bat frustrated fans for years. Yet he played ALL THE TIME!
When the Twins traded Brunansky, the right field position was assumed to go to Mark Davidson. He couldn’t live up to the demands of starting and was gone after the 1988 season. Despite a cup of coffee with the Houston Astros in 1989, Davidson never again reached the Major Leagues.
Let's take a break from ripping on the 1987 Twins bench and take a look at a couple of team publications. Both of these were purchased at the Dome, during a Twins/Orioles game in 1988.
That weird reflection on the left side of the cover came from my old photo of the book, inside a magazine sleeve. The publication shelves of NewBaseballcardland have not been properly sorted, so I couldn't do a much better scan of it. Great photo choice by the Twins. Capturing the World Series victory pile-up in it's earliest stage. Gary Gaetti jumping onto a Tim Laudner bear hugging Jeff Reardon. With Kent Hrbek lumbering in from first base, where he caught the final out.
Before going into this purchase, I wasn't entirely sure what a media guide was. All I knew was it's a thick book with the World Series trophy on the cover... Simple... I want it! But I had no idea what reading this book would unlock.
All of these stats and bio's and recaps and timelines and lists and ranking and everything else about everything the Twins have done since moving to Minnesota in 1961! This reference translated quickly to following the game even closer. I learned how to interpret the information the game provides on a daily basis, from reading box scores in the daily newspapers since 1988, to what these stats, records and trends mean. I knew very little about the game itself before this source, but I started learning quickly, given an easy to digest format.
1988 was also the first year I was getting into buying baseball cards. Of course reading baseball card backs was like reading a tiny version of a personalized media guide. I consumed this information as much as I could. I studied the cards as I acquired them, piecing together a history of the game from the tiniest of chunks. Picking out favorite players throughout the league, just from reading card backs and box scores.
Here's that future Hall of Famer that anchored the Twins rotation with Frank Viola. Blyleven appeared to be done after the 1988 season, and didn't resign with Minnesota. He signed a deal with the Angels for 1989, and had his best season in almost a decade. The 1989 Twins could have really used that season from him. Maybe they would have beat Oakland, and not traded Viola to the Mets at the July trading deadline?
No... the Viola trade brought two key pieces to lead the Twins to the 1991 World Series trophy. So it’s probably better that things turned out the way they did.
Lefty relief specialist acquired from the Phillies in the summer of 1987. Too late for the photo shoot, so he too gets a team issued mug shot for a card. Schatzeder first came up with the Montreal Expos in the late 1970's, and rounded out his career with a couple of seasons with the Houston Astros, after his Twins stint.
The key addition to the Twins core, just before the 1987 season began. Gladden batting leadoff turned out to be the last piece the Twins needed to win. Maybe if the Giants would have kept him, they would have beat the Cardinals in the NLCS? But I doubt the Twins win without him in 1987. A definite fan favorite in Minnesota, I remember Gladden as friendly to kids, and a great autograph signer before and after the games.
Minnesota auditioned several catchers to back up Tim Laudner in 1987. Signing Butera as a free agent in the spring of 1987. (Meaning he gets the mug shot card instead of an on field pose.) This would be his second tour with the team, after a couple seasons in the early 80's, as Laudner's competition for catcher of the future.
He didn't get much of a chance to show his wares during the 1987 postseason. Going 2 for 3 in his ALCS start, then a lowly defensive replacement in the World Series. Not even getting one at-bat...
Years later, Sal's son Drew made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins. Not much of a hitter, but a strong enough defensive catcher to carve out a decent career as a backup. Drew has bounced around after four seasons with the Twins. He is currently in Colorado Rockies camp, with a decent shot at winning the Rockies backup catcher job.
Star center fielder and sealed set cover guy, with a classic baseball card pose. Better vertical centering would help here, but it's still a great card.
Before I bought this team set, I thought it used the same pictures as the 1987 Bill Frisz Twins Postcard set, only shrunk down to standard card size. (Though, these are just slightly larger than 2.5” x 3.5”.) It had been years since I looked at the postcard set, but I quickly noticed that the postcards all feature the Twins in their home white uniforms. However the World Champion team set shows them all in the road grays. Despite posing in the home Metrodome.
Knowing their pitching wasn't going to be strong enough to carry them, they took a chance on aging knuckleballer Joe Niekro. Trading a backup catcher to the New York Yankees to bring a new arm to the race. His best days behind him, Niekro battled (and cheated) over the Summer, giving Minnesota all he could.
But what I -and every other Twins fan- remember most about Joe Neikro, comes from this game against the Angels, on August 3rd, 1987.
Journeyman reliever who pitched for eight teams between 1978 and 1992, arguably had his best run during his four year stint in Minnesota. Definitely a win vulture, he went an amazing 33-13 in 211 games for the Twins.
As key as the Dan Gladden acquisition was, nabbing Reardon from the Montreal Expos was probably even bigger. The Terminator was also a nice guy and excellent autograph signer at the Metrodome.
While he was dependable and usually got the job done, a look at those stat lines tell you the story of Reardon often making his save opportunities interesting.
30 years before the Houston Astros, the 1987 Minnesota Twins were also accused of cheating. According to the story, it was widely believed throughout the American League, that the Twins had a camera in center field, wired to a monitor in the Minnesota dugout. A player or coach would then relay the catcher's signals to the batter. This was never proven, but an interesting coincidence.
Don't forget the long standing rumors that the air conditioners were fired up higher when the Twins were batting. In theory, creating a current inside the dome that would both push home runs out, as it sucked them towards the outfield walls. Again, never proven, and rather ridiculous. Regardless of what Sparky Anderson, Bobby Valentine and Whitey Herzog would like you to believe. Chalk it up to gamesmanship from the grizzled old vets.
To commemorate the 1987 season, the Star Tribune published: Magic! A well put together book recapping the World Series and the season long run to get there. Filled with great photos taken by and for the Strib. I remember seeing hundreds of these on display at the Crapids Target in the winter of 1987.
The pitching coach of doom... Yeah, he was the pitching coach for two World Series teams, that won with veteran pitching staffs. When it came time to develop pitchers coming up from the minor leagues, Such couldn't guide them at all. From 1992 through 1998, the Twins developed exactly one quality starting pitcher, Brad Radke. He got nothing out of some fairly touted pitching prospects during that era. A key reason for all those terrible Twins teams of the mid to late 1990's. Yet he kept his job through annual massive criticism.
45 walks in 50 innings for the 1970 Washington Senators, then a season and a half with the AAA Denver Bears. Looks like control problems derailed his career as a pitcher.
Bullpen coach. I don't know a whole lot about Stelmaszek. He did sign a 1974 Topps card for me before a Twins game once. I didn't dig it out to scan it either. Should have.
Renick spent a few seasons trying to crack the Twins lineup, and also spent significant time in Denver. That's kind of cool. I can relate to that. Wonder if he ever ate at Frank the Pizza King? They would have been open in 1968! I miss Frank's pizza...
Wow, born in 1925, and he's still kicking around at 94 years old today. I get what Bill Frisz was trying to do by fitting Terwilliger's career playing stats into the limited space on this card back, but it's pretty hard to read. Even by my standards.
Terwilliger played for both the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints between 1952 and 1957. Wonder if he ever went to Let It Be Records? I miss Let It Be Records...
I like team photos on cards. And this is a great example. Bill Frisz didn't even have to draw a fake outfield fence to cover up the bat boys in front... Something I hated about Topps team photo cards when they were re-introduced in the early 2000's.
To the degree that the bat boys are even named on the card back! There's also a few names of team personnel listed that I remember hearing on radio and TV broadcasts back in the day. Laurel Prieb, Dick Martin, Jim Wiesner and Jim Dunn are still names I recognize as much as the most obscure bench player of that era.
Major League Baseball used to produce a yearly book of stats and records of the previous season, one for each league. The American League had the Red Book, while the National League had the Blue Book. I received this for X-Mess 1987. As fascinated as I would be with the Twins Media Guide, seven months later, this book served as an appetizer. While not as detailed, this book covered all 14 AL teams equally. Giving me a great source of information that was consulted fairly often during 1988. Usually while following Twins games on radio, or while sorting baseball cards.
While the card front features just a simple logo on a white background, the same exact logo on white image was used in the 1987 Bill Frisz Postcard set, purchased during the Welcome Home Bash at the Dome. That set included a few players that played minor roles during the 1987 season, but were left off the post season roster. Meaning the got no recognition in the World Champion set. In interest of giving them a chance to shine, here are the players in the postcard set, not featured as a World Champion:
Really tall Twin, who pitched for the team during parts of seasons between 1984 and 1987. Smithson was sent to AAA Portland (OR) early in the 1987 season, mainly because hie pitching was really poor. His demotion came as roster clearing, after Minnesota made a curious trade for a needed veteran starting pitcher. Resulting in a card that still just doesn't look right at all...
For as long as Carlton pitched for Minnesota, why was Fleer the only card company to make a Steve Carlton Twins card? Surely Topps could have passed on one of the backup catchers to include a certain Hall of Famer in it's 1988 set.
Salas had stints with the Twins dating back to 1985, but never claimed the catching job full time. He was shipped to the New York Yankees in the June 1987 trade that brought Joe Niekro and his emory boards to Minnesota.
Another 1987 Twins backup catcher, Nieto even was a part time back up catcher in 1988. After the 1988 season, Nieto was included in the trade that got Tom Herr the hell out of Minnesota. Sometimes you have to overpay to get someone to clean up your mistakes. Minnesota had little choice but to package Herr, Nieto and future Montreal Expo, Eric Bullock to the Philadelphia Phillies for this guy...
We could have just gotten his shoe in return and it would have been a win for the Twins. Unfortunately, Rawley flopped in Minnesota, then retired after the 1989 season. But it didn't matter, Herr for Rawley was a trade that I'd still make today. Rawley was a nice guy who signed every autograph requested of him, from what I saw at Twins games. I never saw Herr sign an autograph.
Going all the way back to the 1984 Bill Frisz Postcard set for this one... From just looking at card backs of the era, I never understood why the Twins chose to dump Tuefel in favor of the endless parade of failed second base options they employed between 1986 to 1990. Tuefel put up equal or better number in that span than anyone the Twins played at second. He could have been the perfect stopgap to Chuck Knoblauch. Who finally took over the position in 1991, and starred there through 1997. Chuck even wore the same uniform number as Tuefel.
Klink didn't pan out for the Twins, but pitched a few decent seasons for the Oakland Athletics and Florida Marlins, during their 1993 debut season. Left handed relievers can always get a job.
Portugal never clicked in Minnesota, but went on to a long Major League career as a starting pitcher with the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.
What a terrible photograph I took of this newspaper... A few days after winning the World Series, a ticker tape parade was held in downtown Minneapolis. I remember staying home from school and watching it on the TV. Being late October, I'm sure it was frigid out there, and the blizzard of paper scraps probably provided little warmth. Sure was impressive on TV though...
Because it's this early, there is always optimism. Thanks to a decent offseason, the Twins are being ranked as one of the legitimate World Series contenders. Thanks to a lousy, do-nothing offseason, the Rockies will likely battle the San Francisco Giants for last place in the National League West. Unless you're Dick Monfort, then you believe the 2020 Rockies will win 95 games.
Realistically, that isn't happening.
To commemorate this surprise achievement, the team put out a card set through their long time local photographer, Bill Frisz, in early 1988.
Simple borderless posed photos, printed on cards with a gold foil 1987 World Champions stamp in the corner. I'd seen the cards as singles and as complete sets at card shows in the early 1990's. For whatever reason, be it scarcity or whatever, they were always a lot more expensive than I felt they should have been, so I routinely passed on buying them. Despite feeling like the were very attractive cards.
Vaguely remember a rumor that Major League Baseball or the Players Union stepped in and tried to force the Twins to stop marketing them, due to a licensing issue. But my memory is hazy on that idea.
Either way, I've always wanted the set, but I finally pulled the trigger on buying it at the great St. Cloud Card Show that I wrote about a year or so ago.
From this table! The guy who sold it to me is missing from the photo.
But I've saved this ever since the day after it happened!
Star Tribune October 26, 1987
Let's start flipping through the team set, and see how the 1987 World Champions were honored.
1987 World Champions #4 - Steve Lombardozzi
Some really poor registering on Lombardozzi's card. Looks like the Magenta negative slipped.
2012 Topps Stephen Lombardozzi
Lombardozzi's son was a top prospect with the Nationals in 2012, but never panned out. I remember when the Nats were interested in trading for the Twins' Denard Span after the 2012 season, reading that Lombardozzi Jr. was a player that Minnesota asked for. Ultimately, they took pitcher Alex Meyer for Span, instead. In the end, both Meyer and Lombardozzi flamed out.
1987 World Champions #5 Roy Smalley
1987 was Smalley's last season as a player, capping a strong career with a World Series ring. Today, Smalley is a part time broadcaster with the Twins television team. I like him a lot more than some of the others they've used in that role during recent years.
A double and two walks in 4 pinch hit appearances are great numbers for a limited World Series exposure.
1987 World Series Program
An X-Mess gift in 1987 that I still have. My official 1987 Twins Homer Hanky used to be kept between the pages, and it wasn’t there the last time I looked. I wanted to use it in this story, but couldn’t find it after nearly three minutes of looking. I know it's somewhere, but where?
1987 World Champions #6 Tony Oliva
Former Twins great Tony Oliva was the hitting coach for the 1987 team.
The career Oliva could have had if it weren't for injuries.
1978 Bill Frisz Tony Oliva
Oliva is the only Twin to appear in both the 1987 World Champions team set and the 1978 Twins Retired Stars set I talked about a while ago.
1987 World Champions #7 Greg Gagne
Not to be confused with Verne's son Greg. Spelled the same, pronounced completely different.
1987 World Champion Twins "Autographed" Baseball
Another 1987 X-Mess gift. Always liked these rubber stamped faux-autographed baseballs. Never likely to have the real thing, so these are still a nice display piece. It's still sitting in this box, on my Twins shelf in New Baseballcardland, over 32 years later.
I have to keep it in the box in order to preserve that sweet vintage Target price tag!
1987 World Champions #8 Gary Gaetti
Gaetti was a star at third for the Twins for many years. Then went on to play for the Angels, Royals, (1987 World Series opponents) Cardinals and Cubs, for a lot longer than I expected.
He had a pretty decent postseason. Not noted here, but Gaetti fielded the final out of the 1987 World Series. "There it is! (Willie) McGee grounds to Gaetti, throws to Hrbek and the Minnesota Twins are World Champions!" That Herb Carneal audio call is forever burned into my baseball memory.
1987 World Champions #9 Gene Larkin
I think that most of these photos were taken early in the 1987 season. Players not with the team at that point are stuck with their team mug shot. And a rather blurry one for Larkin.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey Larkin! Don't worry about the lack of 1987 postseason success, just five years later, you'll get the walk-off game winning hit in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 1991 World Series!
And no Twins fan will ever forget that one.
1987 World Champions #10 Tom Kelly
Wow! Cranky Tom Kelly, not looking cranky!
According to the bio on the card back, Tom's nickname is "Tom."
What a wacky guy!
1987 World Champions #14 Kent Hrbek
Now with oversized action rubber arms!
Star Tribune October 13, 1987
The afternoon before this edition of the Strib came out, Minnesota beat Detroit to clinch the American League Pennant. Their first World Series appearance since 1965. To celebrate, the Twins were going to open up the Metrodome for free that night. As soon as the team returned from Detroit, they would come directly to the stadium, from the airport and greet the fans. My mom took my sister, Mr. Rux and I, to take part.
Not long after we arrived and were walking around the concourse, they had to close the stadium. The full seating capacity of 55,000 (for the Metrodome's baseball configuration) had been reached, so no more were being let in. Thousands of people collected in the streets outside. The team arrived on two busses, just before 11pm. Less than an hour after the plane landed.
They walked out on the field to an insane crowd pop. Some of the players and management talked over the PA, thanking the fans and pumping us up for the World Series. The NLCS hadn't been decided at that point, so we had no specific city to attack. But I was happy to take part
Welcome Home Bash at the Dome 87 was in reality a lot of boring sitting and waiting, until the ending. Which did rule. If I remember, they tried to keep us entertained with a mixture of Twins radio highlights, interviews and upbeat music. Back in 1987, the Metrodome had only one monochrome scoreboard, and no video board. So it's not like they could have thrown out some game footage, blooper reels or even league and team produced player/team biographies. (Hard to fathom watching baseball without those types of things now.) I remember some rather impressive extended instances of the stadium doing the wave. With nothing going on down on the field, everyone participated because it was something to do.
The Twins likely made an absolute killing on unplanned concessions and souvenirs that night.
They even sold us some official Minnesota Twins Mini-Soaps!
Not the one in this picture. This was a replacement from years later. My first soap bar was thrown away years ago. It died an ironic death, as the wrapper had gotten wet, which ruined it. Soap ruined by water.
And a full set of 1987 Minnesota Twins postcards, produced by Bill Frisz.
Searching for information on Bill Frisz online has turned up nothing. Though I am proud that my story on the 1978 Bill Frisz Twins sets is a top 10 page search return on the Googles! So I can't really say much about him. Other than the Twins card sets, Frisz produced the Twins annual postcard sets through the 1980's.
1986 Bill Frisz Postcard Roy Smith
I picked this postcard up at a card show in the early 1990's. Smith was not on the 1987 World Series roster, but he's shown on the Sports Illustrated front cover, standing behind the pile of victory Twins. He bounced between AAA and Minnesota between 1986 and 1990. Quickly becoming a favorite of mine for how cool he was with fans after the game. I have a bunch of his autographed cards from Twins games.
Perhaps some day I should do a Top Whatever of In-Person Roy Smith autographs?
1987 World Champions #15 Tim Laudner
Laudner was a steady catcher for the Twins during the 1980's. Coming up through the minors with the rest of the core in the early part of the decade. Then developing into the every day starter and an eventual All Star. Today he works as a part time broadcaster on Twins games.
After a quiet ALCS, Laudner had a very good World Series.
1987 World Champions #16 Frank Viola
Nice retro inspired pitcher pose there!
Not the blow away stat line I expected from the World Series MVP, but it got the job done.
Star Tribune October 7, 1987
For his pitching in the 1987 and 1988 seasons, Viola was a big star in the Twin Cities. Minnesota developed an ace to lead a rotation consisting of an aging future Hall of Famer (Bert Blyleven) and a big pile of mismatched spare parts.
1988 Fleer World Series
1987 World Champions #17 Les Straker
Speaking of that big pile of mismatched spare parts that was the 1987 Twins pitching staff… Straker was pitching in the Mexican League before signing with Minnesota in January 1985. He pitched well enough in 1987 to hold a job for the season, but fell apart in 1988 and was out of the Major Leagues for good the next year.
His one start against Detroit in the ALCS was a massive disappointment, but his two World Series starts were acceptable.
1987 World Champions #18 - Don Baylor
Another mid-season acquisition that wasn’t part of the original 1987 Twins photo session. So you get a card featuring his post trade team mug shot. Despite only being a Twin for September (and the postseason) of 1987, his impact was great and exactly what the team needed to take it over the hump.
Baylor died after a bout with cancer a couple years ago. I paid tribute to our brief DH, and the first manager of the Colorado Rockies, shortly after. You can read that here.
Baylor did do some damage for the Twins...
1987 World Champions #19 - George Frazier
Frazier was wrapping up a solid career as a relief pitcher in 1987, and retired before the 1988 season began. I remember nothing of his time with the Twins, but I remember Frazier for many years of calling Colorado Rockies games on TV. A broadcasting career that actually started with the Twins in 1993. He was pretty good on the TV, and would occasionally tell stories of the 1987 Twins team. These were especially fun to hear during a Rockies game.
Only one postseason appearance in 1987. He pitched well and got a ring to close out his career.
1987 World Champions #22 Keith Atherton
Another solid bullpen piece for a couple of seasons in Minnesota. Set in between a couple years with the Athletics and another season in Cleveland.
He pitched okay in the 1987 postseason.
1987 World Champions #24 Tom Brunansky
Excellent in the ALCS, not as much in the World Series.
Star Tribune October 7, 1987
The 1987 Twins offensive core was Brunansky, Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti. Comparing 30 years ago to today’s game is hard to do, but the 1987 Twins would have ranked high on any list of powerful foursomes in baseball history. With their weak pitching, these four were key to any success the franchise found in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, Brunansky got off to a very slow start in 1988. Twins General Manager, Andy McPhail, panicked and traded Bruno to the St. Louis Cardinals (whom the Twins just beat in the World Series), for this guy...
1988 Fleer Update Tom Herr
Second base had been a large black void for the Twins, throughout the 1980’s. For whatever reason, McPhail grew enamored with Tom Herr at second base, and thought that he was the piece we needed to repeat as champions. To be certain, Herr was a better player than current options in Al Newman and Steve Lombardozzi, but Herr didn’t want to play for Minnesota. And he didn’t exactly keep that a secret. He also missed considerable time due to injury and was an all around failure in his Twins tenure.
McPhail owned up to it, later saying the Brunansky/Herr trade was his biggest mistake as Twins GM.
1987 World Champions #25 Randy Bush
Trading Brunansky left a giant hole in our lineup and outfield. Long time Twins spare part Bush, picked up extra outfield time in Bruno’s place. But there was a reason Bush was a fourth outfielder and not a starter.
These stats aren’t an anomaly. Bush was always a better complimentary piece than a full time starter.
1987 World Champions #26 Al Newman
Speaking of weak hitting second baseman... Newman was another Cranky Tom Kelly favorite, whose well below league average bat frustrated fans for years. Yet he played ALL THE TIME!
Well, he was an Expo. So that’s something...
Just not much...
1987 World Champions #27 Mark Davidson
When the Twins traded Brunansky, the right field position was assumed to go to Mark Davidson. He couldn’t live up to the demands of starting and was gone after the 1988 season. Despite a cup of coffee with the Houston Astros in 1989, Davidson never again reached the Major Leagues.
He didn’t get much of a chance in the 1987 postseason.
Let's take a break from ripping on the 1987 Twins bench and take a look at a couple of team publications. Both of these were purchased at the Dome, during a Twins/Orioles game in 1988.
From this game...
Minnesota Twins 1988 Team Yearbook
That weird reflection on the left side of the cover came from my old photo of the book, inside a magazine sleeve. The publication shelves of NewBaseballcardland have not been properly sorted, so I couldn't do a much better scan of it. Great photo choice by the Twins. Capturing the World Series victory pile-up in it's earliest stage. Gary Gaetti jumping onto a Tim Laudner bear hugging Jeff Reardon. With Kent Hrbek lumbering in from first base, where he caught the final out.
However, that banner in the upper left corner is redundant, and takes away from an overall nice and clean layout.
Minnesota Twins 1988 Media Guide
And the graphic designer could not have done a better job on the 1988 Media Guide cover.
Before going into this purchase, I wasn't entirely sure what a media guide was. All I knew was it's a thick book with the World Series trophy on the cover... Simple... I want it! But I had no idea what reading this book would unlock.
All of these stats and bio's and recaps and timelines and lists and ranking and everything else about everything the Twins have done since moving to Minnesota in 1961! This reference translated quickly to following the game even closer. I learned how to interpret the information the game provides on a daily basis, from reading box scores in the daily newspapers since 1988, to what these stats, records and trends mean. I knew very little about the game itself before this source, but I started learning quickly, given an easy to digest format.
1988 was also the first year I was getting into buying baseball cards. Of course reading baseball card backs was like reading a tiny version of a personalized media guide. I consumed this information as much as I could. I studied the cards as I acquired them, piecing together a history of the game from the tiniest of chunks. Picking out favorite players throughout the league, just from reading card backs and box scores.
No idea what it was, but something about baseball really clicked with me when I was 12.
Too bad for me that I didn’t like other people enough to go and actually play it!
1987 World Champions #28 Bert Blyleven
Here's that future Hall of Famer that anchored the Twins rotation with Frank Viola. Blyleven appeared to be done after the 1988 season, and didn't resign with Minnesota. He signed a deal with the Angels for 1989, and had his best season in almost a decade. The 1989 Twins could have really used that season from him. Maybe they would have beat Oakland, and not traded Viola to the Mets at the July trading deadline?
No... the Viola trade brought two key pieces to lead the Twins to the 1991 World Series trophy. So it’s probably better that things turned out the way they did.
Blyleven actually pitched better than Viola in the 1987 postseason.
1987 World Champions #31 Dan Schatzeder
Lefty relief specialist acquired from the Phillies in the summer of 1987. Too late for the photo shoot, so he too gets a team issued mug shot for a card. Schatzeder first came up with the Montreal Expos in the late 1970's, and rounded out his career with a couple of seasons with the Houston Astros, after his Twins stint.
Great in the ALCS, not so great in the World Series. Decent numbers overall.
1987 World Champions #32 Dan Gladden
The key addition to the Twins core, just before the 1987 season began. Gladden batting leadoff turned out to be the last piece the Twins needed to win. Maybe if the Giants would have kept him, they would have beat the Cardinals in the NLCS? But I doubt the Twins win without him in 1987. A definite fan favorite in Minnesota, I remember Gladden as friendly to kids, and a great autograph signer before and after the games.
Today Gladden is a fixture at color commentary on Twins radio broadcasts, and one of the best I've heard in that role.
Those are some solid post season numbers too.
Sports Illustrated October 26, 1991
A Grand Slam in Game 1 gave Gladden a Sports Illustrated cover.
1987 World Champions #33 Sal Butera
Minnesota auditioned several catchers to back up Tim Laudner in 1987. Signing Butera as a free agent in the spring of 1987. (Meaning he gets the mug shot card instead of an on field pose.) This would be his second tour with the team, after a couple seasons in the early 80's, as Laudner's competition for catcher of the future.
He didn't get much of a chance to show his wares during the 1987 postseason. Going 2 for 3 in his ALCS start, then a lowly defensive replacement in the World Series. Not even getting one at-bat...
2010 Topps Chrome X-Fractor Drew Butera
Years later, Sal's son Drew made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins. Not much of a hitter, but a strong enough defensive catcher to carve out a decent career as a backup. Drew has bounced around after four seasons with the Twins. He is currently in Colorado Rockies camp, with a decent shot at winning the Rockies backup catcher job.
Which should tell you all you need to know about the 2020 Colorado Rockies...
1987 World Champions #34 Kirby Puckett
Star center fielder and sealed set cover guy, with a classic baseball card pose. Better vertical centering would help here, but it's still a great card.
Fairly quiet during the ALCS, Puckett really turned it on for the World Series.
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Kirby Puckett
Before I bought this team set, I thought it used the same pictures as the 1987 Bill Frisz Twins Postcard set, only shrunk down to standard card size. (Though, these are just slightly larger than 2.5” x 3.5”.) It had been years since I looked at the postcard set, but I quickly noticed that the postcards all feature the Twins in their home white uniforms. However the World Champion team set shows them all in the road grays. Despite posing in the home Metrodome.
Why make the players change clothes just for different sized photos?
Sports Illustrated October 21, 1991
Kirby gets a Sports Illustrated cover too!
1987 World Champions #36 Joe Niekro
Now that's a mug shot!
Knowing their pitching wasn't going to be strong enough to carry them, they took a chance on aging knuckleballer Joe Niekro. Trading a backup catcher to the New York Yankees to bring a new arm to the race. His best days behind him, Niekro battled (and cheated) over the Summer, giving Minnesota all he could.
His lone appearance in the World Series was a good one.
But what I -and every other Twins fan- remember most about Joe Neikro, comes from this game against the Angels, on August 3rd, 1987.
Roll the video!
Love that smirk on his face when he knew he was busted!
1988 Classic Yellow Joe Niekro
And thank you Classic for making one of my all time favorite baseball cards the next year!
The best part is the umpire looking at the emory board Niekro intentionally threw on the ground while trying to hide it.
1987 World Champions #40 Juan Berenguer
Journeyman reliever who pitched for eight teams between 1978 and 1992, arguably had his best run during his four year stint in Minnesota. Definitely a win vulture, he went an amazing 33-13 in 211 games for the Twins.
The Tigers barely touched him, but the Cardinals sure kicked him around...
1987 World Champions #41 Jeff Reardon
While he was dependable and usually got the job done, a look at those stat lines tell you the story of Reardon often making his save opportunities interesting.
Sports Illustrated November 2, 1991
There's Roy Smith (#23)! Standing behind Mark Davidson's head, on the outskirts of the victory pile.
Star Tribune October 7, 1987
Don't forget the long standing rumors that the air conditioners were fired up higher when the Twins were batting. In theory, creating a current inside the dome that would both push home runs out, as it sucked them towards the outfield walls. Again, never proven, and rather ridiculous. Regardless of what Sparky Anderson, Bobby Valentine and Whitey Herzog would like you to believe. Chalk it up to gamesmanship from the grizzled old vets.
To commemorate the 1987 season, the Star Tribune published: Magic! A well put together book recapping the World Series and the season long run to get there. Filled with great photos taken by and for the Strib. I remember seeing hundreds of these on display at the Crapids Target in the winter of 1987.
Rounding out the 1988 Bill Frisz World Champions Twins set, would be a card for each of the coaching staff.
1987 World Champions #42 Dick Such
Cranky Tom Kelly is loyal...
1987 World Champions #43 Rick Stelmaszek
Bullpen coach. I don't know a whole lot about Stelmaszek. He did sign a 1974 Topps card for me before a Twins game once. I didn't dig it out to scan it either. Should have.
Not much for power, but he could sure draw a walk!
1987 World Champions #44 Rick Renick
The Twins third base coach.
He coached third base.
1987 World Champions #45 Wayne Terwilliger
First base coach... I forget where he coached.
ENHANCE!
1987 World Champions Twins Team Photo
I like team photos on cards. And this is a great example. Bill Frisz didn't even have to draw a fake outfield fence to cover up the bat boys in front... Something I hated about Topps team photo cards when they were re-introduced in the early 2000's.
To the degree that the bat boys are even named on the card back! There's also a few names of team personnel listed that I remember hearing on radio and TV broadcasts back in the day. Laurel Prieb, Dick Martin, Jim Wiesner and Jim Dunn are still names I recognize as much as the most obscure bench player of that era.
1988 American League Red Book
Major League Baseball used to produce a yearly book of stats and records of the previous season, one for each league. The American League had the Red Book, while the National League had the Blue Book. I received this for X-Mess 1987. As fascinated as I would be with the Twins Media Guide, seven months later, this book served as an appetizer. While not as detailed, this book covered all 14 AL teams equally. Giving me a great source of information that was consulted fairly often during 1988. Usually while following Twins games on radio, or while sorting baseball cards.
1987 World Champions Team Logo
The second to last card in the set. It's pretty much blank backed, so I wasn't going to bother showing it. But why not?
While the card front features just a simple logo on a white background, the same exact logo on white image was used in the 1987 Bill Frisz Postcard set, purchased during the Welcome Home Bash at the Dome. That set included a few players that played minor roles during the 1987 season, but were left off the post season roster. Meaning the got no recognition in the World Champion set. In interest of giving them a chance to shine, here are the players in the postcard set, not featured as a World Champion:
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Mike Smithson
Really tall Twin, who pitched for the team during parts of seasons between 1984 and 1987. Smithson was sent to AAA Portland (OR) early in the 1987 season, mainly because hie pitching was really poor. His demotion came as roster clearing, after Minnesota made a curious trade for a needed veteran starting pitcher. Resulting in a card that still just doesn't look right at all...
1988 Fleer Steve Carlton
Even Steve looks shocked to be in those clothes...
For as long as Carlton pitched for Minnesota, why was Fleer the only card company to make a Steve Carlton Twins card? Surely Topps could have passed on one of the backup catchers to include a certain Hall of Famer in it's 1988 set.
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Mark Salas
Salas had stints with the Twins dating back to 1985, but never claimed the catching job full time. He was shipped to the New York Yankees in the June 1987 trade that brought Joe Niekro and his emory boards to Minnesota.
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Tom Nieto
Another 1987 Twins backup catcher, Nieto even was a part time back up catcher in 1988. After the 1988 season, Nieto was included in the trade that got Tom Herr the hell out of Minnesota. Sometimes you have to overpay to get someone to clean up your mistakes. Minnesota had little choice but to package Herr, Nieto and future Montreal Expo, Eric Bullock to the Philadelphia Phillies for this guy...
1989 Upper Deck Shane Rawley
We could have just gotten his shoe in return and it would have been a win for the Twins. Unfortunately, Rawley flopped in Minnesota, then retired after the 1989 season. But it didn't matter, Herr for Rawley was a trade that I'd still make today. Rawley was a nice guy who signed every autograph requested of him, from what I saw at Twins games. I never saw Herr sign an autograph.
You know, all this mess could have been avoided had the Twins never traded this guy...
1984 Bill Frisz Postcard Tim Tuefel
Going all the way back to the 1984 Bill Frisz Postcard set for this one... From just looking at card backs of the era, I never understood why the Twins chose to dump Tuefel in favor of the endless parade of failed second base options they employed between 1986 to 1990. Tuefel put up equal or better number in that span than anyone the Twins played at second. He could have been the perfect stopgap to Chuck Knoblauch. Who finally took over the position in 1991, and starred there through 1997. Chuck even wore the same uniform number as Tuefel.
To the bullpen!
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Joe Klink
Klink didn't pan out for the Twins, but pitched a few decent seasons for the Oakland Athletics and Florida Marlins, during their 1993 debut season. Left handed relievers can always get a job.
1987 Bill Frisz Postcard Mark Portugal
Portugal never clicked in Minnesota, but went on to a long Major League career as a starting pitcher with the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.
Star Tribune October 29, 1987
What a terrible photograph I took of this newspaper... A few days after winning the World Series, a ticker tape parade was held in downtown Minneapolis. I remember staying home from school and watching it on the TV. Being late October, I'm sure it was frigid out there, and the blizzard of paper scraps probably provided little warmth. Sure was impressive on TV though...
Guess that makes it appropriate to close out this story with this last card in the set:
1987 World Champions World Series Logo
You know, seeing all these old photos and baseball memories almost make me nostalgic for the Metrodome...
But that's just crazy talk!
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