Why? I'll Give You 137 Million Reasons Why

I am from Minnesota. I am a huge Twins fan. This weekend our ace, the best pitcher in baseball signed a $137 million dollar deal to complete a trade to the Mets. Ugh. Remember The Simpsons episode when Dustin Hoffman was a substitute teacher that Lisa fell in love with? When he told her he was leaving for another teaching assignment he told her, "That's the problem with being middle-class. Anybody who really cares will abandon you for those who need it more." Well apprently The Mets "needed" Johann Santana more.

All this got me a little nostalgic for my home state and I thought, "Well what does a middle class state like Minnesota have if everyone great leaves?" Well, they've got giant statues, that's what. I found this blog of a family who made it there mission to see all of the giant statues that are roadside attraction in Minnesota - The Big Stuff Project. Yes I've seen the World's Largest Ball of Twine in Darwin, The World's Largest Prairie Chicken in Rothsay and of course, pictured above, Rocky Taconite who watches over the taconite transfer station in Silver Bay, MN. Take that NY Mets. Keep Johann Santana, we've got Rocky Taconite.

Whilst looking through the Big Stuff Project I came across this,

The Hold Steady are my favorite band right now, so I just had to find a way to fit them in. In their song Stevie Nix they reference the Thunderbird with the line "The carpet at the Thunderbird has a burn for every cowboy that got fenced in." That's good enough for me!

First of all the Hold Steady rock, second of all they are referring to the old Thunderbird Motel in Bloomington, MN where I attended my first ever comic book convention. Ahhh nostalgia, you wash away the pain of dashed baseball dreams. The only better salve for baseball pain? Pitchers and catchers report in less than 3 weeks. Hope will spring anew for a Twins fan like me and knowing that Rocky Taconite could be our opening day starter will only help......

-L