Minnesota Sports Fans

It is well known that Minnesota sports fans expect the worst when it comes down to a big game for their team. Whether this stems from the Vikings’ 0-4 record in early Super Bowls or a general Midwestern lack of self-confidence,  I don’t know. Nor do I know whether this defeatism is at all unique to Minnesota or is typical of small-market cities. I do know that, in contrast, New York fans expect championships from their teams, even when the Giants, Knicks and Yankees are clearly performing at sub-par levels. It was, therefore, a rare case of “euphoria,” as one columnist described it, when the stars magically aligned: the Twins put together a 12-game win streak and the Timberwolves routed their first-round playoff opponents and opened their second round with two upset wins over the Nuggets. Could this really be happening in Minnesota?
Yesterday, things were back to normal. After fooling the national media, which had overlooked them all year, to label them favorites to win the NBA championship, the T’Wolves lost the next three games, badly, to Denver. The Twins, after compiling an astonishing 16 wins in 19 games to creep within a half-game of first place in their division, came home to face their nemesis, the Yankees, and fell flat. Minnesotans are free to despair once again.