Do you ever have a morning where you just don’t want to go to work? Things just don’t seem right in the world and all you want to do is pull up the blankets and go back to bed. Mother Nature and the Twins both seem to be in a funk this spring. It is no secret that we have had a miserable spring. Every once in a while we see a glimmer of hope—remember Easter Sunday?—only to fall back into the cold and the rain.
The Twins are experiencing the same misery this spring. There have been a few bright spots—Justin Morneau’s first game back since suffering a concussion in July 2010, Joe Nathan’s first save of the season against the Yankees which meant a win at Yankee Stadium, Joe Nathan’s first save at Target Field, and the unbelievable no-hitter pitched by Francisco Liriano just a few days ago. Not to mention the 8-3 win at Target Field on April 23, which happened to be my first game of the season. In between there have been an incredible number of low moments—trips to the disabled list for Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jim Thome, Kevin Slowey; a current win-loss record of 11 and 18; two rain-outs; playing in snow and cold. Am I forgetting anything? Oh, yes, we have stopped selling out games at Target Field after just one short glorious season.
Now I will be the very first to say that it is a long season, we have seen the Twins turn things around mid-season, the weather will get better, all the players will come back stronger and better, etc, etc, etc.
But what is amazing to me is how we are all affected by our world. In the 70s, all the talk was about biorhythms—regular biological cycles that affect our emotional, intellectual and physical abilities. It appears that this April we experienced the perfect storm: bad weather and bad baseball at the same time.
I really feel sorry for the Minnesota sports media and fans who were waiting for the Twins to be their salvation after a dismal winter of sports in the Twin Cities—from the Timberwolves and the Wild to all of the Gophers teams. All hope was on the fact that baseball was starting soon and the Twins would bring joy back to Mudville.
So now here we are in early May with bare trees, no flowering anything, grass barely turning green, cold weather, rain, rain, more rain, and a losing baseball team. I think the whole state is in a funk, and many of us are looking to the Twins to right this ship. Yes, we just had two wins in a row, which is great. But then there is another day off. The Twins have not had a chance to settle into their routine, get back to their winning ways, and make everything right in the world.
Is it too much to ask of this team that is still starting six players who were on the opening day roster? I don’t think so. Yes, there have been injuries, the offense is struggling, and the pitching has not been stellar. No pressure, guys, but it is time for spring to arrive and smiles to return to the faces of players and fans alike.
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