Washington Wizards

Wizards games are announced by Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. See also Category:Minnesota Twins players. All Wizards regular season games can be seen on Comcast SportsNet which is available in the Washington, DC area and other local areas. Although Minneapolis appears at first glance to be a "small market" city (3 million residents of the associated metropolitan area), the team routinely draws fans from as far away as Montana and Wyoming. Injured Reserve. The impact of the Twins on the Upper Midwest should not be underestimated. Bench
. In fact, in addition to the Twins, the Vikings and Gophers both have new stadium proposals in various stages of development.

Starters
. The Dome is thought to be an increasingly poor fit for all three of its major tenants (the Twins, the Vikings and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team). Following this game, the Wizards were swept by the Miami Heat (#1 seed in the 2005 playoffs), ending a stellar season. However, attempts to spur interest and push legislative efforts towards a new stadium have repeatedly failed. In Game 6, the Wizards won their first playoff series in 23 years defeating the Chicago Bulls 94-91 and became only the ninth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being down 0-2. In particular, the Twins receive no revenue from luxury suite leasing (as those are owned by co-tenant Minnesota Vikings) and only a small percentage of concessions sales; also, the percentage of season-ticket-quality seats in the Metrodome is said to be very low compared to other stadiums. In a Game 5 victory against Chicago they took their first lead in a playoff series since 1986. The Twins wish to replace the Metrodome with a new ballpark within the next half decade, claiming that the Metrodome generates too little revenue for the Twins to be competitive.

In Game 3 of the first round against the Chicago Bulls, the Wizards won their first playoff game since 1988. Their streak of three straight division titles, along with some bitterly fought games, have helped to create an intense rivalry with the Chicago White Sox during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The 2004-2005 season marked the first time the franchise had ever made the playoffs as the Wizards; the last time the team had made the postseason was in 1996-1997, when it was still known as the Bullets. Threatened with closure by league contraction in 2002, the team battled back to reach the American League Championship Series before being eliminated 4-1 by that year's eventual World Series Champion Anaheim Angels. The MCI Center is also home to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. From <! daterange+ ->2002 to 2004<!- daterange- ->, the Twins compiled their longest streak of consecutive league/division championships ever (previous were the 1924 World Champion-1925 AL Champion Senators and the 1969–70 Twins). Also that year the Wizards moved to the MCI Center located at 601 F Street in Northwest Washington, DC. Things turned around, and in <! daterange+ ->2001 to 2004<!- daterange- ->, the Twins compiled the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons since moving to Minnesota, going 85-77 in 2001, 94-67 in 2002, 90-72 in 2003 and 92-70 in 2004.

The names Seadogs, Express, and Monuments were also considered but rejected. After 1992, the Twins again fell into an extended slump, posting a losing record each year through 2000. They had changed it because the name Bullets carried a violent overtone. 1991 was also the first time any team finishing last in its division the previous year advanced to the World Series, with both the Twins and Braves accomplishing this unprecedented feat. On May 15, 1997, the Bullets officially unveiled their new name and logo. Paul native) Jack Morris. During the transition, the Bullets also played home games at Cole Field House, the home of the University of Maryland Terrapins, while waiting for the completion of their new arena in Landover, the Capital Centre (later known as the USAir/US Airways Arena.) Through the mid-1990s, the Bullets still played a few games per season in Baltimore. All three Series were decided in seven games, with the latter series ending in a dramatic 10-inning, 1-0 shutout by Series MVP (and St.

In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland and became the Capital Bullets, and they changed their name to the Washington Bullets the next season. In both of these World Series, the home team won each game, which had never occurred prior to 1987. And the season after that, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, no relation to the 1940s Bullets franchise. Louis Cardinals to win the 1987 World Series, then later defeated the Atlanta Braves to win the 1991 World Series. The next season, they changed their name to the Zephyrs. The Twins defeated the St. The team now known as the Wizards started as the Chicago Packers in the 1961-62 season. After several losing seasons in the Dome, the arrival of 1980s superstars Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett electrified the team and sent them to two World Series in five years.

The Washington Wizards are a National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C.. The 1982 season brought the team indoors, into the Metrodome, which is in downtown Minneapolis near the Mississippi River. C - #34 Peter Ramos (Puerto Rico). The Mall of America now occupies the spot where the "Old Met" stood. SF - #24 Jarvis Hayes (Georgia). Through 1981, the team played its games at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, a suburb south of the Twin Cities. SF - #10 Damone Brown (Syracuse). The team continued to post winning records through 1971, but then entered a decade-long slump.

F/C - #36 Etan Thomas (Syracuse). They were defeated in the World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the championship drive cemented the team's relationship with the people of Minnesota. PF - #51 Michael Ruffin (Tulsa). The Twins were eagerly greeted in Minnesota when they arrived in 1961, and they advanced to the World Series in 1965, driven by the exciting play of superstar first baseman Harmon Killebrew. G/F - #7 Laron Profit (Maryland). This fact is reinforced by the stylized TC logo worn on road caps, and by their mascot, TC Bear. SG - #8 Anthony Peeler (Missouri). Paul (and, presumably, the entire state).

G - #3 Juan Dixon (Maryland). The "Minnesota" designation, instead of "Minneapolis", comes from the fact that the team is intended to represent the "Twin" Cities of Minneapolis-St. F/C - #5 Kwame Brown (Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Georgia). Team nickname: Nats, short for Nationals. Also sometimes called Griffs by inventive headline writers, in reference to the club owner. PG - #2 Steve Blake (Maryland). One of the songs from the musical, You Gotta Have Heart, is frequently played at baseball games. SG - #20 Larry Hughes (Saint Louis). The plot features a middle-aged man named Joe Hardy who sells his soul to the Devil so the Washington Senators can win the pennant.

PG - #0 Gilbert Arenas (Arizona). The longtime competitive struggles of the team were fictionalized in the book The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, which became the Broadway musical and movie Damn Yankees. C - #33 Brendan Haywood (North Carolina). The team played its games at Griffith Stadium, sharing it with the Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues (who played some of their games there). SF - #1 Jared Jeffries (Indiana). [1] (http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/castro.asp). PF - #4 Antawn Jamison (North Carolina). It is falsely claimed that prior to the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro tried out for the Senators as a pitcher during the early 1950s.

41 - Wes Unseld. During one portion of its history, the team was so notoriously inept that it inspired San Francisco Chronicle columnist Charley Dryden to joke: "Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." This was a play on Light Horse Harry Lee's remembrance of George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." The team's difficulties on the field also inspired the book The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (see below). 25 - Gus Johnson. That, along with its poor early years, resulted in the team being remembered mostly for its failures rather than its successes. 11 - Elvin Hayes. After that, the team fell into mediocrity quickly. Don Nelson. During the period <! daterange+ ->1907 to 1927<!- daterange- ->, the team's line up boasted the presence of Walter "The Big Train" Johnson and they won the 1924 World Series. They also appeared in the 1925 and 1933 Series and came very close in 1945.

Chris Webber. They and their expansion-replacement in 1961 would remain officially the "Senators" for good, although space-saving headline writers continued to refer to them as "Nats" frequently. Rasheed Wallace. In 1959 the word "Senators" finally appeared on their shirts. Ben Wallace. By the 1950s, "Nationals" was pretty much passe. Rod Strickland. Baseball guides even said "Nationals or Senators" when listing the nickname.

Brent Price. Newspaper articles for decades used the names "Senators" and "Nationals" (or "Nats") interchangeably, often within the same article. Robert Pack. Otherwise, the jerseys either read "Washington" or carried a plain block "W". Gheorghe Muresan. During <! daterange+ ->1905 to 1906<!- daterange- -> the team actually wore "Nationals" on their jerseys. Bernard King. The Washington ballclub was known by two nicknames, the Nationals and the Senators, for most of its history prior to moving to Minnesota.

Michael Jordan. The Blues were champions of the Western League in 1898, taking the league by a game-and-a-half from the Indianapolis Hoosiers. Gus Johnson. Byron "Ban" Johnson, president of the Western League, changed the name to the American League in 1900 and major league status was awarded a year later. Juwan Howard. The Kansas City Blues were a charter member of a the Western League, a minor league at the time. Bob Dandridge. in 1901 when the American League was formed, and played there through the 1960 season.

Phil Chenier. The franchise originated in Kansas City, Missouri in 1894, moved to Washington, D.C. Manute Bol. Bear is the Twins' mascot, introduced in 2001. Michael Adams. T.C. Wes Unseld. The club has several well-known, harmless hazing rituals, such as requiring the most junior relief pitcher on the team to carry water and snacks to the bullpen in a bright pink Barbie backpack and many of its players, both past and present, are notorious pranksters.

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. The party atmosphere of the Twins clubhouse after a win is well-known, the team's players unwinding with loud rock music (usually the choice of the winning pitcher) and video games. Elvin Hayes. Former manager Tom Kelly and current manager Ron Gardenhire run and encourage a hard-nosed, fundamentals-first attitude toward playing and winning baseball games. Walt Bellamy. The Twins are affectionately known among their fans as the "Twinkies." Despite the cream-puff sound of that nickname, the Twins have a reputation as a hard-working, hard-playing club. The team and its famous (or infamous) domed ballpark, the Metrodome, were featured in the 1994 motion picture Little Big League.

The team is owned by Minneapolis businessman Carl Pohlad, the third owner of the club (following Clark Griffith and his son Calvin). They are in the Central Division of the American League. The Minnesota Twins is a Major League Baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elizabethton Twins
Gulf Coast League Twins.

Fort Myers Miracle
Beloit Snappers. New Britain Rock Cats. Rochester Red Wings. American League
.

Pitching saves: Eddie Guardado, 45 (2002). Pitching ERA: Walter Johnson, 1.14 (1.14). Pitching strikeouts: Walter Johnson, 313 (1910). Pitching wins: Walter Johnson, 36 (1913).

Strikeouts: Bobby Darwin, 145 (1972). Walks: Eddie Yost, 151 (1956). Hitting streak: Ken Landreaux, 31 games (1980). Stolen bases: Chuck Knoblauch, 62 (1997).

Extra-Base hits: Tony Oliva, 84 (1964). Triples: Goose Goslin and Christian Guzman, 20 (1925 and 2000). Doubles: Mickey Vernon, 51 (1966). Singles: Sam Rice, 182 (1925).

Hits: Rod Carew, 239 (1977). Runs: Chuck Knoblauch, 140 (1996). Runs batted in: Harmon Killebrew, 140 (1969). Home runs: Harmon Killebrew, 49 (1964 and 1969).

Batting average: Rod Carew, .388 (1977). 44 Bob Casey. 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball). 34 Kirby Puckett.

29 Rod Carew. 14 Kent Hrbek.   6 Tony Oliva.   3 Harmon Killebrew.

Bob Casey, the public address announcer for the first 44 years of Twins baseball (<! daterange+ ->1961 to 2004<!- daterange- ->). Frank Viola. Zoilo Versalles. César Tovar.

Kevin Tapani. Rich Rollins. Jeff Reardon. Pierzynski.

A.J. Jim Perry. Camilo Pascual. Tony Oliva.

Joe Niekro. Al Newman. Jack Morris. Doug Mientkiewicz.

Shane Mack. Gene Larkin. Chuck Knoblauch. Tom Kelly.

Jim Kaat. Kent Hrbek. Brian Harper. Eddie Guardado.

Mudcat Grant. Dan Gladden. Greg Gagne. Gary Gaetti.

Scott Erickson. Chili Davis. Tom Brunansky. Bert Blyleven.

Juan Berenguer. Bob Allison. Rick Aguilera. Tom Kelly and Paul Molitor often work with the Twins in scouting and assistant coach roles, though neither are in the dugout during games.

Note