(Tom Jirik wrote columns in several newspapers in Iowa from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s.  This column originally appeared in the The Boone Today November 11, 1987)

My wife and I went up to Minnesota last week.  You know, home of the homer-domer and home of the World Champion Minnesota Twins.

In case you didn’t know, we are both natives of the Gopher State.  I don’t want sympathy or anything, but moving to the Tall Corn State has been pretty dramatic for us.

There is the animosity toward the University of Minnesota Gophers.  And most Iowans seem to think the temperature drops 25 degrees as you cross the Minnesota-Iowa border.

There is also the misconception held by Iowans that Minnesotans have a lower level of intelligence.

Given all of that, no wonder my wife and I have developed a Minnesota complex.  We found ourselves denying our birth land.  “We are going north for the weekend,”we would say.  “Minnesota?” folks would ask in disbelief.  “No,….Boxholm.”

Then along came the Twins.  As is typical of Iowans, no one really thought the Twins would do too well.  I admit their past performances certainly didn’t give any indication of greatness.  Nobody thought they could win anything this year.  Folks called them the “twinkies.”

Then, all of a sudden, the Twins were in the pennant race.  Almost magically, Minnesota Twins fans were popping out of cornfields allover here.  Some of the very same people who ridiculed us were walking around saying, “How about those Twins!”

We thought it was some kind of trick.

Then the Twins were in the World Series and practically everybody we knew was rooting for the Twins or the Cardinals.  Even the people who had earlier admitted that they wouldn’t be caught dead in Minnesota were chanting, “Win Twins.”

We were suddenly greatly confused.  Confused, but happy that people were suddenly recognizing Minnesota as a state and not just a state of confusion.

Still, we thought, this must be some kind of trick.  Folks from Boone rooting for the Minnesota Twins.  Naw.  Can’t be.  It was kind of nice though.

We realize that some of you out there probably were Twins fans even when they were in last place.  And some you probably haven’t told a Minnesota joke…. ever, but you are the minority.

Now we’re waiting for all the hubbub to die down.  We know that sooner or later it’s not going to be OK to be from Minnesota anymore.  All you native Iowans will go back to your nasty little Minnesota jokes and we’ll have to fold up our homer hankies and put them away so that we are not conspicuous.

Maybe we should organize a Minnesota transplant support group.  There must be others out there who are feeling downtrodden and persecuted.

Aside from all that, Iowa’s all right.  But did you hear the one about two Iowans who were walking down a country road…..