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From: ephender

Date: Oct-7

The WCCO.COM Web team has to admit, we're not all that enamored with this year's edition of the Homer Hanky.

Granted, the fact that the Twins are in the postseason at all seems to have caught quite a few by surprise, but the team has been at the ready with Hankys in other close seasons. So there's really no excuse for apparently recycling the exact same piece of cloth they distributed last year.

But in lieu of spreading unnecessary discontent at a time when we all need to accentuate the positive, we decided it would be more fun to reminisce about our favorite Homer Hanky designs from years past. Here's what we came up with.

Oh, and click here to see pictures of all the official designs (and a few unofficial ones as well, in our opinion).

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I'm A Fan Of 1987 -- Alison Lorge, WCCO.COM Web Producer

It's a classic -- an original. I may have been only 5 when they gave these out, but I remember thinking it was special. It brings me back to being a sleepy little kid and having my parents wake me up after the Twins beat the Tigers to get into the Series. They packed me up and we went down to the Dome, yellow tambourine in hand.

I remember that night, waiting up "late" to surprise the Twins as they returned. I remember thinking I was part of something special, and happy that I got to stay up and cheer on my team with the adults. The 1987 Homer Hanky is a classic, and it will always remind me of that year and that night. I was proud to wave it then, and I'll be proud to wave this year's too!

1991's Got The Memories -- Karna Bergstrom, WCCO.COM Web Producer

While I do have memories of the 1987 series and love the original Homer Hanky, I'm going to have to give props to the one cheering on our second World Championship, The 1991 Homer Hanky took all the good qualities of the 1987 original, but took it to the next level with "The Magic Is Back" and the classic Twins logo. (So much better on the players' jerseys that the generic "Minnesota.")

But picking the 1991 Homer Hanky also holds some good memories behind it ... my mom letting me skip school to attend the World Championship parade and celebration. I climbed a tree to wave at the players and crowded into the Metrodome to scream and cheer for our champions. I even walked away with a commemorative ball with all the players' signatures ... Viola, Newman, Puckett, Hrbek ... I studied that ball for hours, twisting and turning it, trying to recognize the signatures.

So, for aesthetic reasons and for my personal connection to the series, my choice would be 1991. But honestly, I love them ALL. (Except 2004, what were they thinking?!?)

1991, All The Way -- Sara Boyd, WCCO.COM Web Producer

Though the infamous giant baseball of 1991 would be enough on its own to make me dub this hanky my personal fave, my adoration for "The Magic Is Back" goes a bit deeper. In 1992, my family and I took a long, long road trip to watch the Twins during spring training in Fort Meyers, Fla. Getting a glimpse of Twins greats, like Kirby Puckett, Chili Davis and Kent Hrbek would've been exciting any day but the year after they were crowned World Champions? Now that was a thrill.

For every day that we headed out to the Lee County Sports Complex, I had two things in hand. My Little Slugger baseball mitt and my 1991 Homer Hanky -- which I totally used as a security blanket that entire trip. The greatest moment of all came on the second day of spring training, when in between warm-ups, the team came out to talk with the fans for a bit.

In 1991, I was 7 years old and pretty small for my age.
So perhaps it was that -- or maybe the fact that my mother gave me a little shove in his direction -- but whatever the case, on that day, in 1992, Kirby Puckett reached out and grabbed my hand. With almost zero effort, the great outfielder then hoisted me up on his shoulders and continued to sign autographs. So really, 1991's Homer Hanky could've been a step up from a used Kleenex, but because, for a moment, it touched Kirby Puckett, it'll always go down as my favorite of all time.

Why I Like 2002 -- Toby Collodora, Executive Editor of WCCO.COM

It's classic.  It takes you back to the roots of the Homer Hanky.  And for those of us who were 8 and living in Iowa in 1991, it's the first Homer Hanky that we remember -- I mean really remember.  It's red, it's got the classic baseball and we are proud of our team that after 11 years of mediocrity, finally made it come together.  Besides, 2002 was the last year the Twins actually made it to the ALCS.

I'm not a fan of the blue 2003 hanky.  Blue's just not right.  And I know the '87 hanky said "championship drive" as well -- but come on.  It's 2009, and this is a Homer Hanky.  It should say so.  That being said, is it going to stop me from waving one?  Hell no.

A Hanky Tie, Of Sorts -- Eric Henderson, WCCO.COM Web Producer

Well, to be clear, my all-time favorite Homer Hanky is the one I drew myself as a third-grader in 1987. My mother saved each and every front page of the Strib during that miraculous postseason, but for some reason chose not to drop change on embossed snot-catchers.  To be fair, it was their first year in existence.  She made up for it in '91, but throughout my childhood, I had tacked up on my wall the slightly yellowed handkerchief my father let me work on with a red felt tip marker.

In the same spirit of nostalgia, my favorite real Homer Hanky design is the one from 2006, the one with the immortal shaking-hands logo.  Of course, 2006 was not really a magical postseason if memory serves, other than Sept. 25, when they clinched the AL Central Division championship while the Detroit Tigers (who clinched a berth for the first time in nearly two decades) watched.  Of course, they ended up making it to the World Series as a wild card team and we were swept out in the first round.  Ah, memories!

As for the worst, both 2003 and 2004 are strong contenders. I can't look at the 2003 one without being drawn to the "Every Fan Counts" graphic which, I'm sorry, reminds me of trying-too-hard video game graphics. It makes me want to grunt "E ... A ... Sports! 'Tsinthegame!" The 2004 design looks like '80s scanimation at best.

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So what's your choice as the best of all the Homer Hankys?

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