CALVIN GRIFFITH
Game 71 | July 23, 1958 | Calvin Griffith
Civic officials brought Griffith to Minneapolis to make a case for moving his struggling Washington Senators team into the new Metropolitan Stadium. Griffith was most impressed and did move the team here for the 1961 season. The key meeting with Griffith was at Cedric's Restaurant at Vernon Avenue and Highway 100 in Edina. The building today is a funeral chapel owned by long-time Dunker Bill McReavy.
Game 137 | November 16, 1965 | Calvin Griffith
Basking in the glow of the Twins making it to the 1965 World Series, Griffith told Dunkers that moving his team from Washington to Minnesota was the best thing he had ever done. Nephew of Hall of Famer Clark Griffith, Calvin remained in the game until 1984 when profitability issues led him to accept an offer from Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad. Calvin Griffith, not always popular with the fans because of his tight budget, became a beloved figure after the sale and lived an additional 15 years before dying in 1999 at age 87.
Game 191 | April 7, 1971 | Calvin Griffith, Frank Lane
Shortly before his 75th birthday, "Trader" Lane was hired as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. He made more than 400 trades over his long career in baseball--some 241 with the White Sox alone. He traded future Hall of Famers and major stars such as Norm Cash, Rocky Colavito, Roger Maris, Red Schoendienst and Early Wynn, and once traded his manager, Joe Gordon, to Detroit for their manager, Jimmy Dykes.
Game 235 | July 2, 1975 | Calvin Griffith, Lee MacPhail
Succeeding Joe Cronin as American League President in 1974, MacPhail was visiting each major league team in 1975. The Twins had led the American League in attendance in the 1960s, but owner Griffith told the audience that he was going to need help unless attendance improved soon. In 1974 the Twins drew just 662,401 fans, an average of just 8,603 per game.
Game 430 | September 15, 1992 | Calvin Griffith
It had been eight years since Griffith sold his Minnesota Twins to Carl Pohlad. He said that he hated to let the team go, but that he realized he could no longer compete in the world of free agency. Calvin attended games regularly after selling the team and mixed frequently with fans. He died in 1999 at age 87 and was buried in Washington, D.C., a city he rarely visited after moving the Senators to Minnesota after the 1960 season.
