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Homer Hanky slogan rallies Twins fans
Nobody would have blamed Twins fans for lacking belief in post season success, but a phrase born in the clubhouse is now contagious.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins fans helped send a rare October feeling airborne this week. In a matter of days, red Homer Hankies with the words “We Believe” went from a hopeful slogan to an emphatic statement.
Now, after two historic, emotional wins washed away years of post-season futility, the message has become contagious.
“It’s really exciting,” said Jenni Smith, who was among many Twins fans who paid a visit to the team shop at Target Field on Thursday. “I wasn’t at the games, but I wanted to get here today. I got the new Hanky, the Homer Hanky. I think the last time I got one of these, I feel like was in 1987.”
Mary Ann Boes also made a special shopping trip with her one-year-old grandson, Michael, to pick up some Homer Hankies for her family.
“The last one I have is 1987 and that’s when his Mom was born,” Boes said. “So I needed one for him.”
While the Hanky is a beloved playoff tradition, the “We Believe” rallying cry it carries is unique to this year’s team.
“What people probably don’t remember is the slogan came from the Clubhouse,” said Heather Hinkel, vice president of brand marketing for the Twins.
Hinkel said the slogan is a direct quote from outfielder Max Kepler from late July. After a dramatic come-from-behind, 10th-inning win over Seattle, Kepler was asked to sum up how the clubhouse was feeling.
“We believe,” Kepler said.
Hinkel said the feeling never left the team, but she knew putting the slogan on the Homer Hanky might raise some eyebrows.
“It’s one of those things where you’re either going to get the lovers or the haters who are going to say, ‘We Believe? What if this is another Minnesota sports team leaving us hanging?'” Hinkel said. “But anything that you can find that resonates with the clubhouse, is something that you really need to stop and listen to. When you’re a sports marketer and you come up with a slogan from the front office, or from, marketing, but none of the players believe in it, it’s never going to take off.”
Though plenty of fans also carried belief into the series, there’s no doubt it took flight when rookie Royce Lewis ignited the crowd with a first-inning two-run homer in game one, and it kept soaring from there. By the time the Twins won game two and claimed their first post season series win since 2002, it was hard to tell who was feeding off of who.
“We believed and it came true,” Hinkel said. “You can’t ask for a better outcome than that and seeing people wave their hankies and hang on every pitch and hang on every run… they believed in the team and that’s when we felt like, we truly have something here.”
Even Vikings quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who attended Tuesday’s game with his family, said he could feel something special in the air.
“Just the energy man,” Cousins said when he was asked about the atmosphere at the game. “We got there a little bit late as Royce hit that first home run and the place just erupted and I was like, is this what US Bank is like when we hit a touchdown to Justin? This is great energy. I love this.”
That’s a feeling that never gets old.
“I mean, if you looked around the last two games, we had a younger demographic that was coming through the gates and that’s really cool to see for us with a lot of people thinking that our sport is aging and our fanbase is aging, it’s like, no, come and see… there’s still a lot of young folks here,” Hinkel said. “Especially in moments when the ballpark is full and is electrifying is really when you know you’re making lifelong fans.”
“It’s just exciting to see happiness and joy and Minnesota having a winning team,” Boes said. “And just for the future, to give us hope that we could be going to win that World Series. It’s been a long time.”
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Prosecutors charged 45-year-old Trevor Joseph Wunderlich with second-degree murder in the death of his 68-year-old mother, Charlene Gail Wunderlich.
HUGO, Minn. — The man who was the “person of interest” in the north metro search Monday night was charged Thursday morning in the murder of his mother.
Prosecutors charged 45-year-old Trevor Joseph Wunderlich with second-degree murder in the death of his 68-year-old mother, Charlene Gail Wunderlich.
According to court documents, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call from a home in the 15000 block of Ingersoll Ave. at approximately 5:55 p.m. on Sept. 16.
Dispatchers said they “could hear noises on the line consistent with an ongoing assault or struggle.”
When deputies arrived they found Charlene Gail Wunderlich on the kitchen floor severely injured, according to the criminal complaint. Deputies tried to “detain the defendant, but he ran into the basement of the home and fled out a rear door.”
Charlene Gail Wunderlich told the deputies that her son beat her before she lost consciousness. She was rushed to the hospital but died from her injuries.
Law enforcement agencies across the metro launched a manhunt for Wunderlich. Sheriff’s officials warned the public not to approach him as he was considered dangerous.
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, a resident in the 9800 block of 152nd St. N saw a man matching Wunderlich’s description in their trailer. KARE 11 spoke to the woman who owns the trailer, and she says her dogs were growling at the trailer, and when she opened the door Wunderlich was sleeping inside.
The woman said she screamed to her son who was working on the property to call 911. Her son had a brief conversation with Wunderlich and then Wunderlich ran down the road with no shoes to another property where, according to officials, police arrested him.
According to court documents, in 2021 Wunderlich was sentenced to 203 days in prison for violating a domestic abuse no-contact order. While serving that sentence, he was convicted of fourth-degree assault against a correctional officer.
The FDA recently approved the first pill to help symptoms of postpartum depression.
Having a baby is an exciting time in many parents’ lives. But for some parents, that excitement can come with postpartum depression and other emotions that can be difficult to talk about.
Dr. Lisa Saul, the national medical director of women’s health at UnitedHealthcare, visited KARE 11 News at Noon to share tips for parents and loved ones affected by postpartum depression.
First of all, what is it? The Mayo Clinic states that postpartum depression usually begins during or up to a year after a pregnancy. The symptoms include depressed mood, mood swings, crying excessively, difficulty bonding with the baby, withdrawing from friends and family, feelings of worthlessness, and additional symptoms.
The experience is more common than you might expect, as it affects up to 15% of people, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill to treat postpartum depression. This medication may lessen symptoms.
Saul also recommended talking about your feelings to loved ones and healthcare providers for support.
August was a promising month for employers, as 14,400 jobs were added.
Minnesota employers logged a remarkable August as they recorded the largest monthly increase in jobs in two years, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
In August, employers added 14,400 jobs. Employment grew by 0.5% in the state, exceeding the national average of 0.1%, according to DEED’s release. Unemployment rates increased to 3.3%, which still is lower than the national rate of 4.2%.
“We added the most jobs in a single month in two years, reflecting employers’ ongoing appetite to hire more workers,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a statement. “September is Workforce Development Month in Minnesota, offering a reminder of the initiatives underway to invest in our economic future by recruiting and retaining workers and making sure Minnesota is creating the jobs of the future right here at home.”
Leisure and Hospitality jobs saw the most growth in Minnesota in August, increasing by 1.6%. Education and Health Services and Professional and Business Services also saw notable increases.
As for wages, DEED reported that the average private sector hourly wage is $37.74, which is a 5.9% increase over this year.
“Wage growth has consistently outpaced inflation, which is a good thing as we work to attract and retain talented workers for our labor force,” said Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyen in a statement.
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