In response, Marble sent a lengthy, polite letter to Dave St. Peter, the Twins president. Hoch's response was more fiery. He sent out an e-mail, billed a news release that started with the sentence: "Lifelong fans are spit on by Twins."
Hoch and Marble started showing up in Twins jerseys and talking to legislators during the regular session in 1997. They were back in November, with a plan to camp out on the Capitol steps until Gov. Arne Carlson was able to orchestrate a successful special session that would lead to a new ballpark.
"We were going to stay for the long haul," Hoch said. "Then, the police came the first night and said, 'If you're here tomorrow, you're going to be arrested and taken to jail.' "
There were other attempts at dramatic action that were more successful. Number one on that list: Marble, Hoch and Paul Ridgeway, the famed logistics organizer for events such as Super Bowls, blitzed the state in a four-day period in the winter of 2001-02.
This was during the contraction scare. The trio compiled 200,000 signatures on a petition to save baseball in Minnesota. That petition was then presented to Commissioner Bud Selig.
Marble and Hoch also traveled to Wrigley Field and to new ballparks to the East in 1998, making a film that was an ode to baseball's traditions and what that means to Minnesota. They made a second film a couple of years later. Both have been shown at the Hall of Fame theater in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"Between us, I estimate we spent $80,000 working toward a new Twins ballpark," Hoch said. "And then down on the field, taking bows at the signing ceremony, were politicians we know opposed a new ballpark for 10 years. When I found out some of the people who were going to be there, it made me sick."
The Twins' St. Peter said: "We talked with the governor's office, and both of us thought it was important to include former Twins. Additionally, there were key politicians who made this possible, and we wanted to recognize them.
"The Twins appreciate the work of Joe Marble and David Hoch. Believe me, there were fans all over the state who were involved, who were extremely important in this effort for the past decade. If we had everyone who deserved to be introduced and applauded for their work that night, we wouldn't have had the first pitch until midnight."
The Twins have invited Marble, Hoch and others "helpful and supportive of the effort to build a new outdoor park" to a reception and an in-game party in the right field terrace suite on July 19.
"Two tickets to a Tampa Bay game?" Hoch said. "That's what 10 years are worth. Shame on the Twins."
Hoch has been recruited by Howard Hanson, the founder of the Resource Party, to run for governor. Hanson has been active on several issues, but he gained notoriety for his ardent opposition to special tribal fishing rights.
In the late '90s, Hoch and Marble saw the opinion polls in which slots at Canterbury Park was the one funding source for a ballpark that had public approval. Looking into tribal finances became a crusade for Hoch, to the point he remains involved in a legal battle in which he was sued by the Mille Lacs Band of the Ojibwe.
"The Twins do some sponsorship business with the tribes," Hoch said. "I look at that as the main reason they have been cool to our ballpark lobbying in recent years."
Asked about that, St. Peter said: "David Hoch is an interesting character. Joe Marble ... he just loves baseball."
Patrick Reusse can be heard weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP at 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. preusse@startribune.com