MINNEAPOLIS - The network that broadcasts Minnesota Twins games says the flap over reports that a popular tradition is ending is simply a misunderstanding.
On Tuesday night, legendary Twins pitcher and Fox Sports North (FSN) broadcaster Bert Blyleven tweeted that the network had pulled the plug on 'Circle Me Bert', a fun segment during which he uses a telestrator to draw a circle around Twins fans who bring a sign to the game. The promo was done in conjunction with the Minnesota Lottery.
"I want to thank all the fans that made signs over the past 15+ seasons," he wrote. "Doesn't mean you can't still bring signs! Go Twins"
Social media reaction to Blyleven's post was fast and furious, with fans taking FSN to task for ending the tradition to launch a new concept called the 'Winner's Circle.'
Not so fast. On Wednesday, an FSN spokesperson told KARE 11's Lou Raguse that 'Circle Me Bert' isn't going away at all, and that Blyleven will continue to circle fans during broadcasts. In a Twitter post, FSN asserted that the 'Winner's Circle' is in addition to 'Circle Me Bert' and that the two concepts together would involve even more Twins fans who bring signs.
“Now we are moving into a different feature for Minnesota Lottery that is more broad-based than just those who are attending at the game. So we are going to include social media and digital as part of this,” said FOX Sports North General Manager Mike Dimond.
The post was different in tone to the one Fox Sports North tweeted Tuesday night, that read "Bert broke the news! We’re launching a new @mnlottery 'Winners Circle' concept so fans at the ballpark AND watching at home can get involved! Signs are still encouraged."
“That was misinterpreted that it’s going away and it’s not. They’re both going to exist, and Circle Me Bert is really going back to its original form," added Dimond. “Our conversation around this and the confusion around that piece of it is how it got misunderstood in a meeting with Bert, I think. I wasn’t in that meeting, but I can imagine that just the same kind of confusion and lack of clarity existed there that exists here.”
Reaction to the tweet was largely dominated by outspoken Bert supporters.