Yeah, we love The Hold Steady. Anyone have a problem with that? This interview session with lead singer Craig Finn ran Sept. 24, 2006. He was a great sport:

Craig Finn might be one of the biggest Twins fan living in New York City. The Twin Cities transplant was the frontman for the now-defunct local band Lifter Puller and currently fronts The Hold Steady. If you haven’t heard of them, take the advice of an old Twins advertising slogan: Get to know ‘em. The Hold Steady’s new CD, “Boys and Girls in America,” comes out Oct. 3, and the band is playing two shows here, Oct. 24-25 at First Avenue. Finn was in town over the weekend and took time to discuss his giddiness over this year’s team and how his love of the Twins has only grown stronger since he moved into the enemy territory of the Big Apple six years ago.

*On the link between baseball and the music scene, Finn says: “When I was first in the indie rock and punk rock scene, it wasn’t cool to like sports. But especially baseball now, being on tour, I talk about baseball all the time. … Almost every night, I work the baseball into my between-songs banter. … A lot of people in the Twin Cities music scene are big Twins fans. If you’re in an underground band, you can find a kinship with a team that is starting Boof Bonser and Matt Garza.”

*He once said he would move back to the Twin Cities if the Twins got an outdoor ballpark. Should we book him a moving van for 2010? “I’m there. I want to be. I’ll tell you what: I’m getting season tickets, even if it means I’m not eating. I’m on the list for season tickets. Some friends of mine and I want to figure to figure out a way to have a place somewhere around there so we can fly in for games if we’re not living there. But my goal is to be there. The new stadium is great news to me.”

*A random fact about attending a Yankees/Twins playoff game at Yankee Stadium a few years back: “When the friend I was with pulled out a Homer Hanky, we were doused with full beers.”

*Who do you love? “Ron Gardenhire is the best. I would love to hang out with him. He’s the coolest. And look what he gets out of his players. I love when he gets ejected, too.”

*A request: “I like it when people bring Twins stuff to me at shows. I always lose caps — I wear them, and then I take them off and leave them places. I go through like one a week. So please, bring Twins caps to a show and throw them onstage.”

*This year’s Twins team is his “favorite ever,” but why should someone love baseball in general? “Baseball is great, and it’s every day. Other people drink and smoke. It’s a pretty healthy crutch, when you stack it up next to everything else.”

*A secret wish: “I want one of our guitar riffs to be the entrance music for a Twins relief pitcher. I’ve heard Pat Neshek is a big metal guy. I don’t know if he’d be into us, but …”

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