Notebook: Twins-Red Sox Series Opener Postponed

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Red Sox were, or are, on a 6-game Win streak.

 

I liked the idea of Happ starting today, and Dobnak entering the game after any rain delay.

 

As someone upthread said, this might not be the last time a game is cancelled for these reasons.

 

I’m going to guess there is a 7-inning double header Thurs.

[GNess]

 

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."

 

Most everything can be politicized. You note that "millions disagree" well you could find millions who think Elvis is still alive. Standing up for what you think is right is what the Twins are doing. That doesn't require an assessment of who is on what side.

[nicksaviking]

I fail to see why the team can’t both have a concern for public safety and also support serious human rights issues at the same time. Why do they have to be chastised if there are multiple factors at play?

[LVTwinsfan]

Most everything can be politicized. You note that "millions disagree" well you could find millions who think Elvis is still alive. Standing up for what you think is right is what the Twins are doing. That doesn't require an assessment of who is on what side.

I don’t believe the Twins were standing up for what they thought was right today. I believe it was a safety issue 100%. If they cancelled games every time there was an injustice in the world, games would never be played.We, the posters on this site, are the ones who are trying to politicize it.

[flpmagikat]

 

I don’t believe the Twins were standing up for what they thought was right today. I believe it was a safety issue 100%. If they cancelled games every time there was an injustice in the world, games would never be played.We, the posters on this site, are the ones who are trying to politicize it.

 

Right. I know not everyone that posts and follows the team lives in the twin cities, but I would say the general vibe around st Paul where I live is people just don't want this to blow up like it did last spring/summer.

[amjgt]

This is a difficult precedent to come back from. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad precedent, but it definitely is one. It’s nearly impossible for the Twins to play a baseball game the day after the next time a MN law enforcement officer gets killed in the line of duty. Not because those two events are similar, but because they are inherently linked. And maybe they shouldn’t play in that case, but as a poster said above, you can’t cancel a game every time there’s an injustice or tragedy (edited to add: or maybe you can... we’ve just had a relative lot recently) and who becomes the arbiter of that.

[Squirrel]

 

This is a difficult precedent to come back from. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad precedent, but it definitely is one. It’s nearly impossible for the Twins to play a baseball game the day after the next time a MN law enforcement officer gets killed in the line of duty. Not because those two events are similar, but because they are inherently linked. And maybe they shouldn’t play in that case, but as a poster said above, you can’t cancel a game every time there’s an injustice or tragedy and who becomes the arbiter of that.

It wasn't cancelled because of the event itself. It was cancelled because of safety concerns in the area due to the events. I know the Twins said 'in respect of the family', but that was linked to the unsafe public areas around the stadium. If the next time someone is shot, resident or police officer, and a protest ensues, and the area becomes unsafe for fans, players, staff, etc., I'm sure the decision will be the same. And they will likely say 'in respect of', but it will primarily be because of safety issues in the area. If there aren't safety issues in the area, you won't see them postpone a game. When you have a situation where a curfew is imposed and the national guard are called in and there are protests that could easily turn to riots, you postpone whatever it is. The Twins can't be the only business in the area that closed down because of this. I don't think this is a precedent to shut down every time there is an injustice or perceived injustice ... unless the area is unsafe to open up for business as usual.

 

The sad thing about this discussion for me, is people saying 'the next time ...' In my perfect dreamworld, there wouldn't be a next time.

 

I think it's time to move away from guessing intent and 'the next time' and trying to guess actions of 'the next time.' Hopefully the Twins will get the series in, one way or another, whether here or elsewhere.

[amjgt]

I know that was the main reason. Most people know that was the main reason, but it was framed as something else. I just think that that framing will make it difficult to not respect a fallen officer the next time it happens. After all, they rely on law enforcement officers for stadium security.

[Squirrel]

 

I know that was the main reason. Most people know that was the main reason, but it was framed as something else. I just think that that framing will make it difficult to not respect a fallen officer the next time it happens. After all, they rely on law enforcement officers for stadium security.

Okay ... so let's move on, please. And I'm asking as a moderator. Thanks.

[amjgt]

Will do

[twinfan]

If i were a fan who came from miles away to see the game and it got cancelled at the last minute, I would be very angry. As it happened, all Minnesota games in all sports were cancelled yesterday. And at least 1 player (Aaron Hicks) did not play for his team. But is this going to happen in every city every time someone gets killed? I don't think that most fans would like this at all. I know that Yankee fans are screaming at Hicks for not playing. A friend of mine who lives in St Paul says that the police in Brooklyn Center have a bad reputation because of some of the population who came from somewhere else (Liberia) to live there.. I just don't know. I hope this country gets it's act straightened out. This just cannot go on.