However, city history does carry some weight. Cleveland football fans believe that Kosar is theirs, not part of the Ravens’ history. Washington baseball fans point to the Senators (both of them) and the Nats as “theirs”. That’s fine. Just as Minneapolis old timers think of Willie Mays’ single summer in town as part of their history, city lovers should hang on to their history.

But as far as claiming franchise championships and hanging banners…that belongs to the franchise.

The fact is that the roots of the Twins’ franchise go back to Washington. You are right, the pennants of 1924, 1925, and 1933 don’t hang in the Metrodome, and I personally think that is a joke. To honor those teams and players as part of your franchise past makes sense, and is not a slight to Washington, nor does it take your memories of the team away from you.

The Dodgers, Athletics, and to a lesser extent the Giants consider their previous incarnations as part of their history. At McAfee Colisseum you see the world championships of the Philadelphia A’s celebrated as well the Oakland champions of the 70’s and 80’s. The Dodgers never let you forget their Brooklyn past, and although the Giants emphasize their history in S.F., you will see old New York Giants like John McGraw honored along with SFers like Willie Mays.

Not the case in Mnnesota. You will not see ANY Washington player honored who did not play in Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew, yes, but no mention of Johnson, Harris, Goslin, Cronin, or Vernon.
You’ll see the pennant and world championship teams of 1965, 1987, and 1991 mentioned, but no reference to 1924, 1925, and 1933. That’s the way it should be. I don’t blame the Twins for not mentioning Walter Johnson during the Hometown Hero contest, but it galls me that MLB prohibited us from using him.

The point is that the history of the Washington Nationals/Senators does not belong with the Minnesota Twins any more than the history of the Montréal Expos belongs to my team. They belong to the city where those events actually happened.