Cool Of The Evening: The 1965 Minnesota Twins

by Jim Thielman

In 1965, the Minnesota Twins were an endless surprise. Baseball was the nation’s sport, and it gave people a little break from the world. The Minnesota Twins’ powerful lineup drew huge crowds in cities such as New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. But in an upper Midwest storm-filled year, the Minnesota Twins were the perfect storm. When the World Series between the Twins and the Dodgers arrived Minneapolis was vibrant with red, white, and blue bunting. The Twins scored six times in the third inning of the first World Series game ever played in Minnesota. Decades after the 1965 World Series fans lined up for autographs of their heroes. This is the story of the team, the players, the games of the 1965 Minnesota Twins.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, History, Nonfiction

251 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Erik Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book if you're a Twins fan

[Aaron Sinner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Briefly: Disappointing

This book sets out to tell the story of the 1965 pennant-winning Minnesota Twins team. Despite being published in 2005, the book is intended for an audience that is already familiar with the 1965 Twins season. Rather than dwelling on the turning points and memorable moments of the season, the book focuses almost exclusively on the backgrounds for the cast of characters. It does a great job of explaining where each of the players and coaches came from and what brought them to the 1965 season. It also does a great job of describing what it meant to be a fan of the Twins in ’65.

Unfortunately, it expects its readers to remember the season, and so left this reader wondering when it would move from character backgrounds to the story of the ’65 season itself. Partway through, it becomes clear the player backgrounds aren’t digressions but rather the meat of the story itself. Once the book finishes covering the cast of characters, it does do a nice job of guiding readers through the ’65 World Series.

Cool of the Evening is a good book for what it is, but its ambitions are low enough to leave readers wanting more. A worthwhile read for Twins fans interested in the team’s early personalities and first season of success, but it’s helpful to have a passing familiarity with the ins and outs of the 1965 season before diving in.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about the Twins of the mid 60s. Thanks Clark.

[David Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was 12 years old when the Minnesota Twins went seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1965 World Series. This book by a local Minnesota writer provides a nostalgic recap of that wonderful season. He recreates the novelty of baseball in that era, and of the Minnesota franchise in only its 5th season. Great insights into the stars of both teams, the owners and coaches, and some of the background on how they grew up and what happened to them after that season.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair I am certain I would have enjoyed this more fifty years ago and had I been a lifelong (or even casual) Twins fan, and was less judgmental about writing in general. Maybe.