November 7, 2001 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on results of Major League Baseball owner meeting, where a vote took place to contract teams in the league. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig says baseball's owners overwhelmingly voted to continue the process of contracting two teams before the 2002 season starts.
November 8, 2001 - MPR's Andrew Haeg reports that Minnesotans continue to ponder life without the Minnesota Twins. The team is a prime candidate for elimination if Major League Baseball carries through its intended plan to contract the league. If the Twins are shut down, businesses will lose customers….and local community organizations will lose an important benefactor.
November 12, 2001 - Major League Baseball owners vote to eliminate two teams before the beginning of next season prompted many listeners to call Morning Edition’s comment line. Host Cathy Wurzer presents a snippet of the commentaries left within the in-box.
November 13, 2001 - If Major League Baseball goes through with plans to eliminate the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos, it will mark a historic moment for the game. This would be the first league contraction in 100 years and the end of one of the charter members of the American League. MPR’s Jim Bickal interviews Bill James, one of the country's leading authorities on the history of baseball and author of the book The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.
November 13, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson interviews Fay Vincent, Major League Baseball's former commissioner, who weighs in on MLB’s owner vote to contract two teams.
November 15, 2001 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump says he'll announce soon whether he'll require the Twins to play baseball in the Metrodome next year (2002). Crump heard arguments from the the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, the Attorney General's office, and the Minnesota Twins.
November 16, 2001 - MPR’s Tom Scheck shares details on Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump ruling that the Minnesota Twins must play baseball in the Metrodome next season. In an order filed, Crump ruled in favor of the injunction request filed in prior week by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.
November 16, 2001 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minneapolis businessman Harvey MacKay about a group of state business leaders that will meet with Governor Jesse Ventura to discuss the future of the Minnesota Twins. The group is working on a proposal to buy the team from owner Carl Pohlad. They're also exploring ways to get a new ballpark.
November 19, 2001 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on public event at the Metrodome to support the future of the Minnesota Twins. At a rally coordinated by the grass roots organization "Keep the Twins at Home," fans expressed support for Major League Baseball in the state. The Twins are one of a handful of teams considered top candidates to be eliminated through baseball's contraction plans.
November 19, 2001 - Twins fans are breathing a cautious sigh of relief following a court order barring Major League Baseball from eliminating the Twins before the end of 2002, when the team's Metrodome lease runs out. Both the Twins and Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig say they plan to appeal the ruling. Former Twins slugger Kirby Puckett, now an executive vice president with the ballclub, says he's waiting for something a bit more concrete than the injunction, but he says there's no doubt the ruling helps baseball fans.