Outdoor baseball! Ha-haaa, that’s what I’m talking about! Who wouldn’t like the smell of the air provided by an open-air stadium. Whether the air is industrial or fresh (in L.A. you either learn to appreciate smog and the Santa Ana winds that blow it away…or you move), it all smells good to me. Thus, I know one person who is going to be a little quicker picking up his press credentials for Twins baseball this year. Last year was actually my first time experiencing the electricity of Opening Day baseball. But all of that “Crack of the bat, crunch of the peanuts, smell of the grass” stuff managed to resonate, and kept me tuned in to the long patient season. So now I’m geared up for the 2010 Twins season.
Now the first thing I have to say (you know there is a complaint coming), is that I did not like the shipping-off of outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers. Perhaps it was a move to make sure there was enough monetary room for the “Center of the Minnesota Universe” a.k.a. Joe Mauer. But as someone who gets occasionally annoyed by the presence of stiff, slow, lumberjacks in baseball, Gomez was the physical and personality embodiment of what I can like most about baseball.
My affinity for fast athletes aside, what we do know, is that Gomez was not the key to the Twins winning the 2009 American League Central Division. What we also know is that the Twins’ (seems like) back-to-back MVPs, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are the core reasons that the Twins were 2009 American League Central Division Champs. And other than that, we know that the Twins are the envy of the baseball World when it comes to scouting hidden talent, so there’s generally a surprise player tucked into their annual campaign somewhere, so the year seems to set up well for even greater success.
Now usually the Twins developing-player jewels are quickly wooed to some large, metropolitan, Major League franchise once their blossom begins to unfold. But in the case of pitcher Francisco Liriano, an injury during his blossoming period a couple of years ago may have saved the overall potential of this years’ Twins’ bouquet. I’m sure that the executive offices of the Twins knew that this “Mo’ (Mauer) Money, Mo’ Problems” year was coming, and decided that holding on to the temporarily muted growth of Liriano was better than incurring the skyrocketing price tag of former Twins “Sinatra on the Mound” Johan Santana. And so now the Twins have a rather fortuitous mix of hometown and damaged goods discounts. I’m pretty sure the Yankees could and would pay Mauer more than the Twins could ever dream of, but I sure wouldn’t leave the legendary fawning that Mauer gets around here either, if I were him…keep it in the family.The 2010 Twins’ tune was humming right along until the recent news of a pending injury to seminal superstar pitcher Joe Nathan came through the wire last week. (Teeth sucking sound) Oooh, that hurts! And so perhaps the tune of the 2010 season begins with a more humble crescendo than desired, but you know what? Out-door-stadium, baby! The fans are going to have to yell a little harder now anyway considering Heaven will be the roof, and fresh cut grass will be the rug below. And of course always remember the old local slogan for the rough times in the new Target Field stadium: “If you don’t like the weather in Minnesota…wait 10 minutes.” Twinkie Time!
