Interview #3: Sarah Gorvin-Baxter, the twin who is a Twins fan
And her Joe Mauer-loving cat
Background: Born in 1987, Sarah is a Minnesota native, growing up in Kennedy, MN, attended college at the University of Minnesota and spent a few years working there before moving to Phoenix, where she has lived the past 10+ years. She has fond memories of the 2000-2004 era of Twins baseball (particularly A.J. Pierzynski), but does not follow the sport these days.
In this interview, we covered rooting for those Twins, being a campaign prop during the Target Field funding effort and why she’s only been to one baseball game in the past decade.
Discovering Baseball with the Twins of the early 2000’s
What’s the first thing you can remember about baseball? Your dad?
“It was my sister. For some reason my older sister, in like 2000, somewhere around there, 2002, started watching the Twins in the summer. I don’t even know why she was watching it but it just kinda started to become a thing in our house. Like I remember babysitting, we babysat a lot, so I was over at the neighbor’s house babysitting and we had like Twins game on there. It was always just kind of like a nice memory.
So you were 13 and had never watched baseball until then?
“I remember my parents watching the ’91 World Series, like it was a really vague memory, but obviously I didn’t really know what was going on So yeah, it was probably like 13.
You didn’t play softball or anything?
“I didn’t play softball. The kids I babysat played T-ball, and then when I was in my junior year, sophomore or junior year of high school, my friends were on the softball team and they convinced me to do stats. So I did stats for I think two years with them.”
Did you know how to do that?
“I did! I think because of watching the Twins. I mean, I’m sure that there was a little bit of a learning curve but yeah, I mean, it’s not that hard. I always kind of enjoyed it, like trying to decipher and you know, figure things out. I really enjoyed doing it. I didn’t enjoy, cause I was such a homebody, I didn’t enjoy being away from home as much and traveling. And then it was always freezing (emphasis on freeeeezing), like it was so cold and I remember freezing my butt off wrapped in blankets just being frozen on the bench, but it was fun.”
So you just had games on in the background all summer?
“To start, yeah. And then you get to know the players. That was really the only time I was really invested in it. When it was Corey Koskie (a Twin from 1998-2004) and Doug Mientkiewicz (98-04) and A.J. Pierzynski (98-03), obviously. My sisters really liked Doug because of his thighs. (laughing).
My sisters really liked Doug because of his thighs. (laughing).
I was more interested in Pierzynski because I liked when catchers wore their helmets backwards and I’m sad that they don’t do that anymore because they have special catcher’s helmets now.”
“We didn't watch football, we didn’t watch really anything else other than, obviously we watched NASCAR, but we didn't really watch anything else. But for some reason like I think it's I think it's because they seem so down to earth. I remember my dad always laughing about how the outfield must sound because nobody could understand what Corey Koskie was saying ‘cause of his Canadian accent. (My dad) enjoyed it. I think it was more the personalities he liked.”
Metrodome Memories and Being a Campaign Prop
“My neighbor growing up was State Representative Jimmy Tunheim. And when we were in, we must have been in, like third-ish grade, that was when they were trying to get funding for the new stadium to demolish the Dome. For Jimmy Tunheim during his reelection bid, he came over and he said, can I borrow your twins?
My mom, got us dressed up. And he took us to the school library. We did a little photo shoot and his entire thing was. These are the twins I care about. And he didn't want funding to go to a new Twins stadium. I mean, it was a lie because eventually the funding (got approved), he actually voted for funding (Target Field).”
Note: Sadly, no video of this campaign stunt exists
“We drove down for a Twins game, this was like in the 2004-ish era. We drove down for the Twins game, so all six hours down. We went to the game and then we were supposed find a hotel or something.
And my mom being my mom like somehow, she got the one seat with like a little kid behind her and the kid kicked her seat the entire time, and she got so angry and everybody was so mad because of my mom, like, just ruining the whole thing. And so we drove the entire six hours back home that night, my dad was just like, ‘fuck this’.”
Your dad didn't say that.
“He didn't, but that was the general demeanor.”
“I think because of the uniqueness of the Dome and how there’s that weird, stupid roof… It was a pit. Like once you got in there the lighting was terrible, and it was sad… But it was unique, so…”
And around that time they were discussing contracting the Twins. (story here: ESPN: Expos, Twins could go in contraction plan)
“Yeah! That was scary. I think then it more of a peripheral, but then like, as a twin, they always have a soft spot. I didn’t want them to go away. It wouldn’t have hugely affected my life.”
“ You could go and get a ticket at the Dome for like 7 dollars, and it included a dome dog and it was super cheap.”
Nothing sounds grosser than a dome dog.
“Oh, they were good. So a family of five, we weren't, like, super well off or anything. But it was good entertainment, that was reasonable. And then as soon as they built (Target Field), tickets were, even in the upper deck, like $35 a piece or something like that.”
Target Field and living in Minneapolis
“I remember the first time I went, my dad's best friend, John, and his family were in Minneapolis and I was living in Minneapolis. I met them and we stood on one of the decks and Target Field is beautiful. Like, it is really, really pretty. And the skyline is right there and everything. And so it was fun to see it, but, like it was expensive. And then when we were in college, my parents came down and we went to a game and that was kind of the last time we went just because it was so expensive.”
OK, so do you live downtown? But I'm guessing your group of friends wasn't big into it.
“By the time we were in college, it was like, yeah, my group of friends wasn't into it, and I didn't know any of the players anymore, like I completely lost touch. And then it was so expensive. We spent more money on the bars rather than going to the Twins game.”
Well, you think you would have gone if tickets were $5-$10 like the Metrodome?
“Yeah, probably. We spent all of our weekends downtown anyway. The light rail ended right at Target Field at the new one. And so yeah, it was, entirely in walking distance and everything.”
Did anything change when they changed stadiums?
“I feel like it got more commercial and it kind of lost some of the charm, you know. And I didn’t watch on TV. I think part of the appeal (of the 2000-2004 run) is that they're scrappy underdogs, and they're not super polished and they don't have a huge budget.
And then once they got a fancy new field and everything, it's kind of like... And then I think that's kind of why I like rebel against Joe Mauer so much is because he seemed like, he had all this sponsorships and stuff straight out of the gate and it was, you know, they were well, wanting to replace Pierzynski, which I was sad about, obviously.
It just felt inauthentic. Kind of like Jimmie Johnson (the NASCAR driver).
He's probably a perfectly fine person and everything, I just think they saw him kind of as a cash cow that again, because he was a hometown hero. It just didn't feel as authentic and scrappy and you know, they weren't supposed to win. They weren't the best, I don't know.”
Anthony Rizzo
So you don’t follow baseball anymore?
“I think it's like an effort. So it's kind of like where I am with NASCAR right now, like I don't have anybody to follow like I need that like hook of a personality. So when the Cubs, when they were in the World Series with Anthony Rizzo, I followed that because Rizzo is a personality.”
What drew you to Anthony Rizzo?
“He’s adorable. And my mom was like, ‘Oh my God he’s the cutest thing ever!’ He’s with the Yankees now and that’s sad to me.”
There’s plenty of personalities to root for now, though.
“I know, but I’d have to do like research and put in the effort to find somebody.”
Living in Arizona and the 2023 World Series
“Watching the Diamondbacks when that (the Twins were eliminated), you know, like the kind of, like, allegiance switched over to the D backs this year just because you live here and they were again such an underdog, and they shouldn't have made it as far as they had.”
So how is that going to keep you rooting for the Diamondbacks now?
“Yeah, that's the hard part.”
Sarah has lived in Arizona since 2013 and been to only one game at Chase Field (that I took her to).
So you’ve been to one game since college? So one game in over 10 years and that was one I dragged you to?
“Yeah, but you didn’t drag me. I do enjoy it. Basically, if I can go, and it’s not a pain in the ass to get to, and it’s not $1,000, and I have a beer and relax…”
Then why don’t you just go to a Saturday afternoon game?
“‘Cause none of my friends would. It's a pain in the ass to get there (to Chase Field). Just to get downtown. There's a lot of nice bars and stuff that we don't go to because it's a pain in the ass.”
What about the light rail?
“For an hour. And then it’s a coordination thing. Like, everyone’s gonna park here and do all this planning. And yeah, we can make it happen but it’s so much effort.”
Being ignored as a casual fan
Part of the cord-cutting wave, she does not have any live TV provider right now (instead going with streaming options like Netflix, Hulu and MAX).
“It's like everybody has their hand out like you have to pay for literally every piece of it. You can't be a casual fan anymore. It’s literally blocked people out. You have to seek it out, you have to know when the games are on. If you want to go to a game, you have to do all this pre-planning. And to me, the value of that, because I’m a casual fan… It’s relaxing to go sit at a baseball game and drink a beer, but the legwork that needs to go into that makes it so that it’s not viable.”
So if it was easier to go to games, say in the 2023 season. The Diamondbacks were an underdog team with a fun group of players you would love. If they had gotten you into 2-3 games. You wouldn’t remember everything as a casual fan, like stats and batting averages and middle relievers, but the atmosphere and certain parts would’ve stuck.
“Yeah, absolutely. But there’s so much legwork involved. Also they could put in nicer bars, a better atmosphere. That would make it more appealing. I always loved the idea of the Chili’s at Chase Field (note: it was a T.G.I. Friday’s and now it’s Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers).
I think that sounds really pleasant, but to get to that, how much is it?”
The ticket price varies, but includes a $40 food credit at the restaurant. Details here.
You should go do that one time this year.
“Yeah, I’d be up for that.” (waiting on my commission check, Dbacks)
“I would be much more inclined to do that than go sit in a stadium seat, honestly. If it was $30-40 to go there, I would be much more inclined to go and be, that’s a better experience to me. I enjoy a nice bar, and that sounds cozy.”
I brought up the Progressive Field renovations in Cleveland that will add more patios and bars to the concourse, which I wrote about here: Progressive Field Reimagined
“That’s fascinating! I would do that! That actually gets me excited about… I don’t know why…”
But you wouldn’t be watching the game.
“Yeah, but it’s there if you want it. But as a casual fan, there’s something else there. I think, people talk about baseball’s the most boring game in the world to watch, so I think if they wanna get… I would pay for an experience like that. Obviously they (Diamondbacks) are not marketing that as much if I haven’t heard about this yet.
I’m all about a nice bar, and that sounds nice. You can sit there for three hours and watch the game casually.”
“I don’t think I could get out of there for less than $100. Getting down there, even if you take the light rail, you’d buy two tickets for that. I would need one beer. Shawn would probably need two… or three. So you’re talking $40 in beer, plus game tickets.”
So if you wanted to, spur-of-the-moment, go to a game…
“Yeah, that’s $100. I might want to eat something. $200 probably then, all said and done.”
There are bars around the stadium you pregame at.
“But they’re expensive.”
So baseball’s not important to you.
“No, it’s not critical. It used to be something passive I could follow. They’ve taken away that option.”
My Takeaways
I wonder how much the people in charge of things at MLB would care about Sarah’s story. She has happy memories growing up of watching the Twins, listening to Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven and family trips to the Metrodome. But for her, going to a baseball game is not something she would actively seek out. If invited, she would say yes. But since her family and social circle are also apathetic toward the sport, that won’t happen.
Will she ever become a die-hard fan who buys jerseys and goes to 20 games a year and watches the rest? No. But look how hard it is to be a casual fan. The game doesn’t seek you out. They try the theme nights, giveaways and other offers. But those aren’t building interest organically. If the Diamondbacks, as Arizona’s hometown team, were easily accessible, they would reach more people. Sarah mentioned how they have tv on in the background after work and while making dinner, but it’s usually something like reality TV. If they can just click on a Diamondbacks game at 5pm during a road trip and have that in the background while going about their day, they are passively getting more involved.
As she said, she’s drawn to the personalities and underdog stories. These are things baseball has 150 years worth of experience doing well. But it’s out-of-sight, out-of-mind. If the game gets on TV, and she happens to hear them mention that Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers ticket, there’s a chance she’ll go. That chance last season was 0% because she didn’t know it existed.
The thing I realized was that looking at baseball from the perspective of a very casual fan, there’s still value to the sport and to the individual in including them. The problem is, there’s no value to the casual fan. Diamondbacks games are blacked out unless you pay $24.99 a month for the team-specific MLB.tv package. The cost of going to the game as a couple is north of $100 and 90-120 minutes of travel time from east Mesa, AZ. But a movie for 2 is less than $50. Dinner and drinks is less than $100. And the travel time to these is less than 20 minutes even in rush hour.
The Diamondbacks do not have a shortage of seats during the regular season. Those empty seats are not earning revenue. But if Sarah and Shawn are drawn to a game twice a year and watch from the restaurant, you’re talking at least $200-$300 in revenue you didn’t have before. And if it’s an enjoyable experience, maybe they go back a couple times the next year.
She talks fondly of going to games with her family, loves Uncle Bert and the Twins who represent her homeland while she’s living 1,000 miles away in the desert. She’s willing to put in her own effort and dollars, but the sport has to put effort in, too. I know the idea of doing anything that doesn’t produce loads of extra cash is anathema to ownership, but loyalty is a two-way street.
Her aversion to the homegrown Joe Mauer was interesting. I loved Joe Mauer, but he did feel robotic and corporate at times, so some people don’t like that.
I’m curious to talk to other casual (at best) fans and see what their experiences are.
By the way, her cat Bo was a huge Joe Mauer fan. It caused much turmoil in the household, apparently:
