MinnPost – Homer Hanky History

In these days, newspapermen and women need some cheerful stories, so it was a joy to read about a wildly successful marketing coup pulled off by the Minneapolis StarTribune (of which my grandfather was the managing editor during my childhood).  I’m sure that everyone else in America thought it the cheesiest thing in America when the Metrodome was filled with 65,000 fans waving handkerchiefs (and, not coincidentally, making more noise than a jetliner at takeoff) in 1987 and subsequent playoff years.  And with the Twins playing amazing baseball right now, we’re sure to see lots of old Homer Hankies brought out of hibernation and carried into Target Field this postseason.

Here’s a taste, followed by a link to the full article at MinnPost:

Terrie had conferred with the Twins and had their permission, but when she went back to them just before the playoffs the fellow she had talked to “got really white. He had no idea I was going to pull it off.” That meeting started an attempt by the Twins and Major League baseball to kill the Homer Hanky. If Terrie has her way nobody will ever let history contend baseball supported it. Twins officials were convinced they were going to be the “laughing stock of baseball.” They even threatened that the white hankies were going to distract hitters and force the umpires to cancel the games and the playoff series. She says they angrily charged such a cancellation would be Terrie’s fault.

via MinnPost – Homer Hanky history: The making of a successful promotion campaign.