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I know you're a man of integrity, but please re-play these postseason games on rookie mode or whatever and just squash every team all the way to the World Series.

I've said this in a few different places, and I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself on this for anyone. My wife and I adopted four children that each has some level of Sioux blood in their veins. As part of that, and because I've always had a fondness for the Sioux culture, my wife and I reached out to connections through foster care and previous employment to discuss ways to assist our children in understanding and knowing their culture. Already, they've each faced comments in school (my children are ages 5-8) that I never knew existed, which absolutely breaks my heart. One particular tribal chief knew of my baseball writing and got onto the topic of sports teams with me once. I asked him about changing names, including the names of teams like the Braves and Chiefs, which aren't considered inherently "racist" by "woke" non-Native people. While I'm quoting this, it's generally paraphrased, but his response was this: "The Sioux and all other tribes in these lands have seen treaties broken, their women raped, their children brutally murdered, sacred lands stolen and desecrated, and all of this brushed off as 'manifest destiny.' Then, when naming a sports franchise came along, in order to sell ball caps and t-shirts, they put a picture of the most grotesque version of an Indian that they can think of and use some nomenclature they use to describe our people in order to sell all those things." "Changing those names is like an ice cube off the side of the peak of the Titanic of the glacial iceberg of things that have been done wrong to my people. There are much more important things for me to fight for, but if someone else puts in the time and the effort to get that ice cube chipped away, I will support it." I have been a fan of changing the Braves' name ever since that conversation...and I've been a Braves fan my entire life. Let's just say that I'm not popular among Braves fans for that take.

I did a very small amount of online research to try to establish a timeline on name and mascot changes. 1969 - Students at Dartmouth College began promoting a team name change from "Indians". The change was made official in 1974. 1970 - University of Oklahoma retires "Little Red" mascot. 1971 - Marquette University abandons "Willie Wampum" mascot. The team name was changed from "Warriors" to "Golden Eagles" in 1994. 1972 - Stanford University drops "Indians" nickname and logo. 1972 - Dickinson (N.D.) State changed its nickname from "Savages" to "Blue Hawks". These are only the very earliest examples I found, and nickname/mascot changes became much more widespread not long afterward. Here in Minnesota, the State Board of Education passed a resolution in 1988 encouraging all school districts to remove Indian-related mascots. With all due respect, I find it impossible to believe that anyone who pays even casual attention to sports did not know that such nicknames were considered offensive "until a few years ago".

Mod note: let’s quit the squabbling

Native American here and the names do not bother me. History is history and a name change isn't going to change anything.

I taught for a year out on the Three Affiliated Tribes (Fort Berthold) Reservation. When I started there I exclusively used the term Native American and they laughed at me. They preferred the term Indians. It was a bit odd to me, but they would wear Braves, Chiefs, etc. headgear. I don't recall seeing any Chief Wahoo though. I do recall them not being a fan of the Washington Redskins name or gear, and they were pretty vocal about that one. Most of the students and adults seemed to defer to the Sioux tribes opinions about UND's name though, as most of them didn't identify as Sioux. I assume that the same would hold true for other specific tribal names such as the Seminoles and Aztecs. My Take: Chief Wahoo was definitely bad, and Washington should definitely change their name. The specific tribal names should be left to the tribes. IDK about the generic names like Braves, Chiefs, and Indians though. IDK the percentages across the board, but I can anecdotally say that the students I had seemed to view those more as homages then insults. There might be better information I'm missing and I'm welcome to hear it.

In an odd twist St. Mary's of Winona used to be called the Redmen. The name originally had nothing at all to do with native americans but eventually the image and mascot appeared. When a native american group asked them to change over 30 years ago they did. In a similar way I have always wondered how a town name like Savage can continue to exist. Turns out it was named after some guy named Savage. If any team should be allowed to have the Indian name it would be Shakopee since presumably the tribe would have influence over the images and narrative but even they changed names. In my book its ok for anyone to not be offended but biggentleben's 4th paragraph above kind of explains it all on why it would be offensive to many and should therefore be removed. Not being offensive to me personally (or to any other one person) should not be the standard for keeping a name.

Thanks for acknowledging the possibility that you may be part of the problem and willing to listen. The problem is this: naming a mascot after a now-living ethnic group--we don't do this to any group except First Nations people. Troy is long gone. So are the Vikings. The Pirates are not an ethnic group. Cavalier is type of mounted soldier, again not an ethnic group. The tribes that many many of these names derive from still exist, and their people are largely marginalized and are non-represented in major sports and universities. Their names, even in a positive light, shouldn't be white American's play things.

Dale Murphy suggested that the Braves change to the Hammers in honor of Hank Aaron. I'd be all in favor of that.

There have been plenty of question marks surrounding the 2020 MLB season and there are some that still wonder if sports should be happening at all during a pandemic. However, MLB is going to continue moving forward with their plan for each team to have a 60-game schedule with Opening Day slated for July 23-24. Every team’s full schedule was released on Monday night and here is what that means for the Twins.Here’s a breakdown of what was known about the schedule going into Monday’s release: All teams will play 10 games against each team in their division, so 2/3rds of their schedule will be against division opponents.The other 20 games will be played against the corresponding regional division in the National League. For the Twins, this means playing teams from the NL Central.Out of those 20 games, six will be with the closest natural rival. For the Twins, this means playing the Brewers six times.Every team has six total off-days throughout the season.Before the full schedule was released, fans learned the Twins would be opening the 2020 season on the north side of Chicago against the White Sox. This likely means a pitching match-up of Jose Berrios versus Lucas Giolito starting at 7:10 Central. Chicago is expected to be better this season after adding some key pieces, but most prognosticators have them slated to finish third in the AL Central. After three games in Chicago, the Twins have an eight-game home-stand that includes two games with the Cardinals, four games against Cleveland, and two games versus the Pirates. Minnesota’s next eight games are on the road with two games at Pittsburgh, three games in Kansas City, and three game in Milwaukee. Next on the schedule is seven home games against the Royals (4 games) and Brewers (3 games). From there, the club goes on the road for 10-games with three in Kansas City, three games in Cleveland, and four games in Detroit. Following this, the club heads home for seven games with three against the White Sox and four against the Tigers. Also included in Minnesota’s final month of the schedule is two games in St. Louis, before coming home to face Cleveland in what could be a pivotal series in deciding the division winner. Minnesota’s last road trip includes four games against the White Sox and three games against the Cubs. This allows the team to end the year at Target Field with two games versus Detroit and three games versus Cincinnati. Notes on the schedule: The Twins get seven home games against Cleveland which means the Twins will only play in Cleveland for three games.Minnesota’s inter-league schedule includes six games against Milwaukee, four against Pittsburgh, four against St. Louis, three against the Cubs, and three against the Reds.In September, 15 of their 23 games are against AL Central opponents.August might be their easiest month with 18 of their 29 games against the Pirates, Tigers, and Royals.What are your thoughts on the team’s 60-game schedule? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

One of America's best writers explains why he uses the word "Indian" (I used to teach this back when I was university composition teacher). http://mrsfrontier.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/3/6/57367529/unauthorized_bio_sherman_alexie_2016.pdf

And then you have the case of Carlos Carrasco, opting to play while battling leukemia. Yikes. Wish him the best.

That 37 games in 38 day stretch looks rough. But if this actually goes down, it's going to be super fun for the rest of us!!!

I was thinking Cleveland Rocks. They'd play that Ian Hunter song every game. Or maybe the Drew Carey version. Either way, it'd be fun.

I have no thoughts other than pure joy that there is in fact a schedule!

Antibodies generally last at minimum 6-9 months, similar to flu vaccines. I sure hope the season is done by December. The bigger issue is if there are different strains caused by mutations.

This. The 60 game ‘reduced sentence’ came with an assumed forfeiture of 60 games-worth of salary...played and paid games. That’s the ultimate hammer. (For Pineda, that’s roughly $3.7M, against his $10M salary, and his career earnings are about $36M). The suspension and the abbreviated season couldn’t have come at a worse time for Pineda, and I feel bad for him in that regard. But no way do I see a reduction as a practical or realistic outcome.

The real games may be less exciting than the simulated ones...

Yes

I've been waiting for this article to come up again. Before Covid wrecked everything we all had a very spirited debate about what the lineup should be, with differing opinions, discussions and arguments. It was great. And so much more fun than debating whether Max Kepler is a closet racist. Nash, I came up with the same lineup you have for much the same reasons. Arraez is just too PERFECT as the leadoff guy. Donaldson and Cruz are right where they should be against LH-Pitching or RH-Pitching and Kepler makes the most sense at cleanup...if he's a guy that can hit 30-40 HR's and a LH bat, that's where he belongs. Most of my lineups have had Polanco hitting 3rd, but then I started moving him around in the 5th-8th spots. He's a great fit a 5th because he switch hits and is one of the most consistent hitters the Twins have. Both he and Kepler have tremendous potential as RBI guys so I had also settled on Polanco hitting 5th. Then came the question of where to hit Sano. 6th seemed like the best spot. He too could be an RBI monster and with Kepler and Polanco consistently getting on base ahead of him he will have plenty of opportunities. This is where it gets interesting and I was surprised we came out the same. Rosario fits at #7. He's a LH hitter to hit behind Sano. He has power, he's been a 100-RBI guy. But I ended up with Garver there because his power and on base ability is just to good for #8. Maybe Eddie hits 7th when Garver is out of the lineup or there's a RH pitcher he's hit really well well against on the mound. Finally, as much as I always wanted Buxton to hit leadoff having Arraez there and Buxton 9th is as good as your going to see with a #9 to #1 transition in a lineup. This is a lethal lineup and one that stacks up extremely well against the Dodgers, Yankees and Houston.

mod note: you too. Quit the bickering

A lot may depend on how quickly Sano is back. If he’s cleared relatively soon and it appears they will only miss him for a week or so, it would be easy to use Gonzalez, Adrianza, and Astudillo, each of whom started at least 10 games there last year. If Sano is out longer, or if Donaldson tests positive and Sano has to go back to third, etc., then look at something from the list above.

Viruses mutate. People can get the flu or common cold, several times in a season, even with a vaccine. Unfortunately we still aren't sure yet if Covid is like Measles, or if Covid is like Flu, or somewhere in the middle.

Baseball fields are private venues. I would assume as long as fans aren't there that law wouldn't apply.

I definitely understand the sentiment of being biased towards the Twins, fans of every team certainly do feel that way. I do however objectively feel like the Twins are far and away better positioned especially in the bullpen. We already had the breakouts, and in most cases like May and Duffey the metrics backed them up as studs. It could play out where one of or both teams have those breakouts and the Twins falter, but the odds aren't in their favor given the ability our relief arms have already shown.

See, it's this kind of strawman argument, even meant humorously, that sets people's teeth on edge. It amounts to trivializing actual offense.

Is there really any human being who’s life is worth “celebrating”? If one digs deep enough one can discover unsavory information about pretty much anyone, living or dead. Where does one draw the line as to whether an individual’s “bad” behavior outweighs his/her “good” behavior to the point that that life should not be “celebrated”? Isn’t that a decision for the hearts and minds of every individual? So, IMO we need to either rip down all statues/memorials dedicated to an individual or leave them all alone and let people decide on their own whether or not to “celebrate” an individual’s accomplishments.

Since we last checked in, David Price and King Felix opted out. As the days go on and more players see the challenge other teammates have with the virus, like Freddie Freeman, we will see more opt out. Update: Nick Markakis opts out after speaking to Freeman.

Congratulations ! It is true, you are # 1, Ashbury. I enjoy your posts. Just sign me, "Number Two"

I googled it and found this: https://ccamuseum.org/2018/04/28/1981-the-pekin-chinks-high-school-team-becomes-the-pekin-dragons/ That was the first of a long list of in the search results. The name was changed in 1981. And yes, it was as bad and blatant as it sounds. I think at the time they came up with it, no one thought it was bad, that it was somehow an homage, as these things usually go. But yes, it was a racial slur toward Chinese people, not, say, as in a chink in your armour. It was bad.

Isn't this a good thing for Sano and the Twins? He is asymptomatic and shouldn't have to worry about missing any of the season. I take this as a positive for him.

What now?

This simulation was so realistic I could see this happening in real life. Rosario and Balazovic get traded, and then immediately destroy us in the playoff. We trade for an ace and he's a non-factor, Sano strikes out a bagillion times... but hey, at least we finally got a playoff win!

It seems that the premise of your point here echoes a false equivalency running rampant on this issue. Statues are not "history". History is taught in museums. In textbooks. Statues are there to celebrate a legacy. They have little historical value beyond reminders to consult real historical information. Instead, their value is mostly tied up in their worthiness to be celebrated. In the case of Calvin Griffith and many others, their worthiness has been legitimately dismantled. His place in history is no less secure. His name will appear in wikipedia or whatever form our encyclopedias take next, as well as in various things the Twins have done and will do in the future to remember their team, and will always exist in the annals of time. What was done by the Twins is to stop pretending this man's conduct deserves celebration. The same argument can be used for every statue in the south. Confederates were traitors and racists. Their cause was romanticized and bastardized by history that was part coping and part manipulation. Not a single man who served in that army, fought under that banner, and joined in that cause deserves "Celebration" They were racist traitors. However, museums and textbooks across the country will make note of Robert E. Lee's brilliance as a strategist. At the conduct of the soldiers that could be rightly called bravery in the middle of a war. That is where they belong: no longer romanticized, merely a part of history. Statues to celebrate them, just like Calvin Griffith, should not be confused as "history". They are monuments to a legacy. A legacy that was falsely conceived and one that can change as time and information changes. Unfortunately, we've always had the information, and it took far too damn long in terms of time, but we've reached the point where those false legacies that deserve no celebration are meeting their end. It's not erasing history - history can neither be erased or preserved with some statue - it is righting a wrong. Undoing a folly that should have never been done in the first place. Wrapping yourself in some bogus false equivalency only preserves the original mistake of making the damn statue in the first place.

I miss baseball too

For once I’m grateful for Golden Gophers.

No. Most teams got rid of similar names in the 1980s or earlier. Which is nearly 40 years ago. More than a generation ago.

That may be what you thought. And that may be what the people who chose the name thought. But that is of little to no importance. I'm reminded of something that the character Borat (as portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen) once said. I'm not going to use quotation marks because I don't remember the exact quote but this is close. (Disclaimer: keep in mind this is not real. It's a line said by a fictional character.) I don't understand people saying I don't respect women. I love and respect women! In fact, just the other day I complimented a friend of mine on the size of his wife's breasts! Even though a tribute may be well intended it may not be well taken.

Clear evidence that there IS a benevolent higher power, no?

It’s an interesting footnote because, like you said, it’s basically impossible to be that bad without actively trying. And it’d be hard to do without the specific environment where someone owns two teams and intentionally shuffles all good players to one team. I don’t even know if a team could be that bad solely through trades.

It's not a hill I would die on. Call them the Spiders if that's what the city wants. I was explaining someone else's joke, using some hopefully interesting historical points. The team that year really was one of a kind. WAR doesn't reveal one single pitcher with more than a handful of innings who was even replacement level for the day. That's hard to accomplish unless you actually try; apparently that's what the owners did.

Kid just can't catch a break. I blame Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Yet Washington, the laughingstock of baseball for literally 5-6 decades, turned around and named another team the Senators the NEXT SEASON after the original Senators left. The Cleveland Browns, a team with a legacy of sucking and/or heartbreak left after some really sleazy owner behavior and yet the city named the next team the Browns, too. I think you’re putting way too much stock into events that happened 121 years ago. Does anyone honestly care about what the 1899 Spiders did? The only connection would be the city, name, and logo. I think it’s a little silly to think too hard about ownership legacy on a franchise that dissolved in the 19th century before the American League even formed.

Garver #4 against lefties, Kepler #4 against righties.

Last year Kepler had reverse splits L vs R. Re-upping his game vs RHP would make this awesome lineup even deadlier.

Cleveland should go back to being the Spiders!

Pineda made a mistake. The penalty is what it is. It was already reduced by good graces. That the season is shorter is irrelevant. All of the players are penalized by the short season. Reducing Pineda's penalty only takes away from one of the few hammers the league has for discipline.

The Twins will probably benefit from this. The season has been delayed to a time when Rich Hill will be ready to go. The starting staff is deep. If there are injuries or anyone falters, then Big Mike is ready for the stretch and playoffs. If the staff looks good, Big Mike can bolster the pen. No problem!

The way I look at it he was suspended for 60 games. The 60 games was based on a 162 game schedule. MLB thought the rule he broke was worth about a third of a season (37%) The amount of games between when he started is suspension was 21 last year and 39 this year. Now that percentage goes to 75% of the games available (81) for him to play. If MLB really thought what he did was worth 37% percent of games, they should switch his games this year to 9 games, I am pretty sure they could double that to 20 games this year and most would think that is fair. But I guess that is up each person to decide.

Trov basically already made my points. The simple fact here is he was given a punishment according to the rules in place. Did COVID change "normal"? Yes. But the situation sucks for everyone. Pineda isn't getting a worse deal than you or I or any other society member. He knew the penalty and he accepted it, and now life has piled more stuff on him in the meantime. Is it unfortunate? Sure. Should he "get a break" because of it? No.