Notebook: Twins-Red Sox Series Opener Postponed

[Nate Palmer]

The Minnesota Twins postponed Monday's series opener with the Boston Red Sox out of respect for the family of Daunte Wright and for the safety of fans.The Minnesota Twins were set to open their series against the Boston Red Sox Monday afternoon. While the weather wasn’t the best and a delay or postponement wasn’t out of the question, a postponement came for an entirely unrelated to weather reason.

 

Approximately 10 minutes before game time, serious steam started to surround the idea of a postponement of Monday’s game due to a curfew and protests in response to the overnight shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center by a police officer.

 

The Minnesota Twins released the following official statement:

 

“Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today’s game.

 

The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials. Information regarding the rescheduling of today’s game, and corresponding ticket details, will be released in the near future.

 

The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.”

 

 

It goes without saying that it has been a trying year for the greater Twin Cities area when it comes to police and community relations. It feels strange that the call to postpone would come so late, but in the end it is the right call when it comes to the gesture being made to remember Wright and to keep safety of fans and others connected with the teams in consideration as well.

 

 

Here's more from Twins President Dave St. Peter, via Dan Hayes of The Athletic:

 

 

It is another, in what feels like a series, of reminders that as much as we as fans love baseball it is still a game.

 

Wednesday Looking Like Donaldson’s Day to Return

 

While clearly on a different level of importance than the game postponement. Some comments were released about Josh Donaldson’s time table to return.

 

 

As Donaldson continues to struggle with muscle issues in his leg it seems clear the Twins do not want to mess with rain (or snow) as they work the Bringer of Rain back into the lineup. If Wednesday is the day, his bat will be very welcomed.

 

While there is no game or game recap today, there is plenty of more Twins chatter and analysis here at Twins Daily. I encourage you to go check it out!

 

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[AZTwin]

These statements make it seem like it was a political choice 1st and a safety issue 2nd. Getting old and making the product unwatchable. Just cancel the season already

[USAFChief]

These statements make it seem like it was a political choice 1st and a safety issue 2nd. Getting old and making the product unwatchable. Just cancel the season already

seems to me if it's unwatchable, you have an easy fix.

[woolywoolhouse]

Right choice (albeit a little late, but likely made as early as possible.) Some things are bigger than baseball.

[Squirrel]

These statements make it seem like it was a political choice 1st and a safety issue 2nd. Getting old and making the product unwatchable. Just cancel the season already

I don’t want to lead this discussion down the wrong path, but I don’t see how this decision was at all political. You seem to be making it so by suggesting it is. There is a lot of unrest in the community so for the safety of all involved, they decided to postpone. And Chief is right, if it is so unwatchable, something you have stated a few times now, the choice is simple. Don’t watch.

[AZTwin]

seems to me if it's unwatchable, you have an easy fix.

I haven’t been watching. I normally purchase Baseball channels or mlb Tv or both. This year I decided not to fund them further and just follow along on twitter for videos. Now I don’t even know anymore. It gets worse and worse each year

[amjgt]

 

Right choice (albeit a little late, but likely made as early as possible.) Some things are bigger than baseball.

 

I don't understand the "as early as possible" part of your post. If they did it for the reason they said, then what changed between 7am and 1:30pm?

 

Don't get me wrong, I support the postponement. I just think they really screwed up by waiting until the last minute, when most of the fans were already there, ready to see a baseball game. 

[woolywoolhouse]

After the protests moved into and closer to Minneapolis and the news conference with the Brooklyn Center mayor/chief of police (which made the matter worse), I'm sure the Twins had to get permission from MLB, Bally Sports, and the Boston Red Sox before OKing the postponement. They can't just make a decision like that on a whim without getting a number of OKs. (I'm assuming.) I wish the decision was made before fans were there. I remember a game in 2011 I attended that was rained out. It was raining all day; it was going to rain all night. Twins cancelled the game five minutes before first pitch was scheduled. That game was very clearly a "let's get people in to buy food and beer" decision. This one, I'm again assuming, required a number of signatures to finalize.

 

I don't understand the "as early as possible" part of your post. If they did it for the reason they said, then what changed between 7am and 1:30pm?

 

Don't get me wrong, I support the postponement. I just think they really screwed up by waiting until the last minute, when most of the fans were already there, ready to see a baseball game. 

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

 

I don't understand the "as early as possible" part of your post. If they did it for the reason they said, then what changed between 7am and 1:30pm?

 

Don't get me wrong, I support the postponement. I just think they really screwed up by waiting until the last minute, when most of the fans were already there, ready to see a baseball game. 

They say the decision was made "after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials."

 

Look no further for a cause of delay, as they all are busy people.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

And to be totally fair, not watching just leaves more time to post online, as well as less relevence, due to ignorance of happenings. I've fallen into that pit before.

[amjgt]

 

They say the decision was made "after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials."

 

Look no further for a cause of delay, as they all are busy people.

 

When I hear that, all I can think is... "we were hoping things would cool down, but they didn't."

If at 8am, after consulting literally nobody the Twins would have said "out of respect for the tragic events.... the game is postponed." And they could've told anyone with a problem with that to pound sand.

 

THAT would have been a statement.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

I don’t want to lead this discussion down the wrong path, but I don’t see how this decision was at all political. You seem to be making it so by suggesting it is. There is a lot of unrest in the community so for the safety of all involved, they decided to postpone. And Chief is right, if it is so unwatchable, something you have stated a few times now, the choice is simple. Don’t watch.

 

It's political because it clearly assumes a specific narrative.  After all, the game would not have been cancelled had this incident not occurred, even though 2 other people also died in gunfire last night.  Why does the death of this individual, mentioned by name in the press release, matter more than the death of those two other individuals, to the point of warranting postponement of regularly scheduled events?  The answer is clearly because it's assumed that a white cop gunned down a black person for little/no reason whatsoever, a conclusion that (although possible) can't possibly be drawn right now.

 

As such, the Twins organization is supporting a specific narrative that millions disagree with, and has largely metastasized along party lines--it is clear which side of the line the Twins have chosen to be on, as is their right as an organization.  That said, it is political, and a non-political path could easily have been taken, for example if the release was something along the lines of the below;

 

"The Minnesota Twins are aware of an incident between an office of the law and a citizen that ended in the citizen's death.  We are further aware of reactions to this incident, as well as the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, that we believe have created an unsafe environment for our players, staff, and fans.  We urge everyone to demonstrate respect for the justice system, and to allow a full investigation of the incident to be conducted before any conclusions are formed."

[Channing1964]

I don't understand the "as early as possible" part of your post. If they did it for the reason they said, then what changed between 7am and 1:30pm?

 

Don't get me wrong, I support the postponement. I just think they really screwed up by waiting until the last minute, when most of the fans were already there, ready to see a baseball game.

I see that point...why not say so at 8am instead of making everybody show up park, and sit there in the rain until you make up your minds.

[Shaitan]

 

These statements make it seem like it was a political choice 1st and a safety issue 2nd. Getting old and making the product unwatchable. Just cancel the season already

 

Was it political when they cancelled the game after the I-35W bridge fell too?

[LVTwinsfan]

Was it political when they cancelled the game after the I-35W bridge fell too?

That bridge was pretty close to the metrodome, they may have not wanted a lot of traffic in that area

[Squirrel]

 

It's political because it clearly assumes a specific narrative.  After all, the game would not have been cancelled had this incident not occurred, even though 2 other people also died in gunfire last night.  Why does the death of this individual, mentioned by name in the press release, matter more than the death of those two other individuals, to the point of warranting postponement of regularly scheduled events?  The answer is clearly because it's assumed that a white cop gunned down a black person for little/no reason whatsoever, a conclusion that (although possible) can't possibly be drawn right now.

 

As such, the Twins organization is supporting a specific narrative that millions disagree with, and has largely metastasized along party lines--it is clear which side of the line the Twins have chosen to be on, as is their right as an organization.  That said, it is political, and a non-political path could easily have been taken, for example if the release was something along the lines of the below;

 

"The Minnesota Twins are aware of an incident between an office of the law and a citizen that ended in the citizen's death.  We are further aware of reactions to this incident, as well as the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, that we believe have created an unsafe environment for our players, staff, and fans.  We urge everyone to demonstrate respect for the justice system, and to allow a full investigation of the incident to be conducted before any conclusions are formed."

That is your interpretation that it is political. So I restate, don't make it political here. It's been proven that we cannot have these kinds of discussion at TD for all the partisan primping and talking points and disingenuous rhetoric and name calling that usually follows and does nothing but inflame. So, once again, stop and turn around. This decision was about the safety and welfare of those in and around Target Field and with respect to the family involved. You can think all you want about the decision that was made, that is your right, but don't turn this into a political hash and rehashing.

 

 

[Old Twins Cap]

Public safety is not a political issue. 

 

The Governor has declared a curfew and the National Guard is on the scene. 

 

Play Ball!

 

Not a good look.

[Twins_Fan_For_Life]

I was at that I-35 bridge game. Absolutely surreal. Fans and players all on their cell phones trying to find family and loved ones. And then they played the game because they didn't want 20000 people leaving the Dome and clogging the streets well First Responders we're busy trying to deal with the emergency. They postponed the game the next day. Series with the Indians

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Public safety is not a political issue. 

 

The Governor has declared a curfew and the National Guard is on the scene. 

 

Play Ball!

 

Not a good look.

 

Couldn't agree more.  When curfews must be imposed, sports should not occur.  If the statement from the Twins had referenced only public safety, no rational person would find this political.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I don't suppose there is news as to plans for any upcoming games yet?

[Aggies7]

I have a strong feeling this will not be the last home game to have a non-weather, non-covid related postponement this year for the twins

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

I don't understand the "as early as possible" part of your post. If they did it for the reason they said, then what changed between 7am and 1:30pm?

 

Don't get me wrong, I support the postponement. I just think they really screwed up by waiting until the last minute, when most of the fans were already there, ready to see a baseball game. 

well, based on the time frame, I'm guessing that enough passed for people to have some meetings and talk it through.  It's certainly not unreasonable given the situation.  

 

I'm not sure the consternation... it's not like the game won't be made up. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I haven’t been watching. I normally purchase Baseball channels or mlb Tv or both. This year I decided not to fund them further and just follow along on twitter for videos. Now I don’t even know anymore. It gets worse and worse each year

To bring you up to speed:

 

The Twins would be undefeated, if not for the games when the other team scored more runs.

[LVTwinsfan]

To bring you up to speed:

 

The Twins would be undefeated, if not for the games when the other team scored more runs.

up until yesterday they were undefeated in 9 inning games, all their losses were in extra innings

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

up until yesterday they were undefeated in 9 inning games, all their losses were in extra innings

Right. If not for the stupid rule where the other team gets to start the inning with a runner on second...

[LVTwinsfan]

Right. If not for the stupid rule where the other team gets to start the inning with a runner on second...

Im not a fan of that rule either, but the Twins are gonna have to figure out how to play those games

[flpmagikat]

 

These statements make it seem like it was a political choice 1st and a safety issue 2nd. Getting old and making the product unwatchable. Just cancel the season already

 

alot of places closed early due to the uncertainty of the situation and fact that there is a 7pm curfew and national guard already deployed. maybe all those places really decided to close to gain political points, but I doubt it.

[railmarshalljon]

 

 

It is another, in what feels like a series, of reminders that as much as we as fans love baseball it is still a game.

 

Well put, Nate. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Yes, let’s try better to toe that line.

[railmarshalljon]

 

That bridge was pretty close to the metrodome, they may have not wanted a lot of traffic in that area

 

Unrelated, but the "veterans" at the hospital I work at always reminisce about that day. First and only (pretty sure) Code Orange we've had. It was pandemonium with all hands on deck we were running out of drugs we literally should never run out of. Funny thing to live throught such "interesting times"