| I dropped my brother
Greg off at work on
July 22, and told him that tonight at the Twins game I would see
Shannon Stewart's first homerun as a Twin. Of course, Stewart did
homer in the frustrating loss to Seattle. Greg apparently has
selective memory because he is insisting that he was the person who
actually predicted the homerun. Anyway, Greg's favorite non-Twin has
always been Shannon Stewart. Fortunately for Greg, Stewart is now a
Twin and he no longer has to cheer against his favorite team when
Stewart is involved in the game.
The reason Shannon Stewart has been my brother's favorite player
for the past five years is simple. My brother and I would often go
to Twins games early and stand above the visiting team's dugout
during batting practice in an attempt to receive autographs. We were
fairly successful (I have Cal Ripken, Jr., Barry Larkin, and Johnny
Damon among many others) but Shannon Stewart was easily the most
friendly player we ever had the pleasure to talk to. Not only did he
sign autographs for us, but he also threw up about fifteen pieces of
Bazooka Bubble Gum from the dugout to my brother. Of course, being
the impressionable youth that he was, he has had a special place in
his heart for Shannon Stewart since that day. In fact, he frequently
would name his fantasy baseball teams "The Shannon Stewart Fan
Club".
The recent trade with the Blue Jays is one that probably cannot
be analyzed simply by looking at the stats and abilities of the
players who were involved. I, for one, was a huge Bobby Kielty fan
(his parents used to sit directly in front of me at Twins games),
but something needed to be done. As the Twins Geek
illustrated, this trade my have sent shockwaves throughout the
clubhouse in order to inspire the team. After a slow start with the
Twins, Stewart has been on fire the last few days. Again, there are
some sample size issues, but thus far the trade has been a win for
both teams.
Finally, for a more pessimistic look at the trade (from a Twins
fans' perspective), I must recommend reading Aaron's blog
entry. He was Bobby Kielty's biggest booster, so it is
definitely not a surprise that he did not like the trade. Only time
will tell if it turns out to be the spur the team needed to get into
the playoffs.
Finally, Stewart was the 2003 Minnesota Twins MVP. Greg could not
have picked a favorite non-Twin to be his favorite player entering
this year. Stewart has been the catalyst as the Twins have blown
back into contention in the second half of the season.
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