The unionized Minnesota teachers working full-time before July 1, 1989, have been blessed with the "Rule of 90,'' the negotiated benefit allowing them to add years of service to age and when those numbers totaled 90 … voila, retirement.
There is also a Rule of 90 in Major League Baseball starting with the 162-game schedule in 1961: If a team wins 90 games, it has had a fine season, and if it loses 90 games, it has had a putrid season.
The Twins arrived in 1961, and for purposes of convenient math, the decades are assessed thusly: 1961-70, 1971-80, etc.
In the franchise's previous life as the Washington Senators, there was a famous slogan: "Washington — first in war, first in peace and last in the American League.''
For the Twins of this decade, it's more cumbersome: "Minneapolis — first in lakes, first in bike lanes and lost in Target Field.''
Consider the Rule of 90:
Twins (1961-70), six seasons with 90 wins, one with 90 losses, .549 winning percentage; (1971-80), no seasons with 90 wins or losses, .493; (1981-90), one season with 90 wins, three with 90 losses, .466.
Twins (1991-2000), two seasons with 90 wins, five with 90 losses, .460; (2001-2010), five seasons with 90 wins, none with 90 losses, .548; (2011-present), no seasons with 90 wins, five with 90 losses, .436.