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Multiple unvaccinated Twins players must sit out this weekend’s series in Toronto due to Canada’s COVID policies. While the medical community almost universally hails the efficacy of the vaccines, the worst doctor we could find thinks the Twins are getting a raw deal.
Dr. Gary Van Lowe, a retired family physician from Chanhassen, says the players (Max Kepler, Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagan, and Trevor Megill)  are probably in better shape than their vaccinated teammates.
“I was doing my own research just this morning,” said Van Lowe, “And realvaccinetruth.biz said the vaccines have little microchips in them that allows the government to turn you into a human microwave. I got right up off the toilet to see if any of that was in the newspaper. Not a word.”
The 61-year-old, whose frequent malpractice settlements earned him the nickname “Mal” from Fairview Southdale's attorneys, said the lack of further media coverage points to a larger conspiracy.
“I don’t think they’re doing this just to screw over the Twins in a critical road series,” said Van Lowe, nursing his “seventh or eighth” Mich Golden Light on the 17th tee box at Deer Run in Victoria. “Could it be to mess with the Vikings and Wild, too? Good luck finding that out in the Red Star (sic) from Michael Bland (sic).”
Van Lowe, who left medicine in 2015 after a series of lurid sexual harassment accusations from fellow doctors, nurses, and the entire front of house staff at the Eden Prairie Buca di Beppo, now runs a medical consultancy firm for insurance companies looking to deny benefits.
“The jury is still out on this vaccine,” he said, wobbling over a putt on 17. “All I know is that Betty White was perfectly healthy before she got the jab. Makes you think.”
Van Lowe ended the interview in order to ask the beer cart driver if she needed a ride home.

Though Opening Day was pushed back one day from Thursday, April 7 to Friday, April 8 due to rain, snow, sleet, high winds, and just about everything in between, the lingering Friday cold did not keep a group of hardy fans away from Target Field. Attendance was announced at 35,462 in the 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners, though the actual number appeared to be smaller.  Even though the day’s high in Minneapolis reached a higher-than-originally-forecasted 46 degrees, wind gusts of up to 22 miles per hour kept many fans on the cool side, especially those in the shade. By the end of the game, that was everyone except those in the sunny outfield.
“We were in 210, which was in the shade. It was a struggle; it was windy,” said Kyle Nelson, who attended the game with some frozen friends. “I don’t think any of us were bundled up great. I didn’t bring gloves, which I regretted. My hands were cold the whole game,” he said. 
Friday’s Home Opener, though chilly, was not the coldest opening game in Target Field History- 2013’s Home Opener holds that crown. That day only reached 36 degrees. Target Field’s warmest Home Opener to date was in 2010, the first year of the stadium, and was a downright balmy 68 degrees. Friday was certainly not.
“I was in the shade the whole time- there’s not a lot of opportunity for warmth,” said Shayla Houser. “The warmest part of my day was being on the field with the flag. There was no wind for a little bit of that, and it was right in the sunshine,” she said.
Houser was part of a group of season ticket holders who were invited on the field before the game to unfurl a giant American flag for the Star Spangled Banner, making her one of the first fans to set foot on Target Field’s new grass since it was replaced in March. It was the first time the playing ground has been replaced since the stadium's opening season in 2010. 
For many fans attending the game, a little cold was not about to keep them from carrying on their tradition of attending Opening Day. Megan Knops has been to all but two Home Openers since 2006. Houser has not missed one since 2014. And the cold was not going to keep Nathan Timm away either. Friday’s game was not even the coldest Twins game Timm has attended; he recalled going to both games of a split doubleheader vs the Miami Marlins on April 23, 2013 on what was a brisk mid-30s and cloudy day. 
Timm got his picture taken with Jim Kaat, who alongside Tony Oliva, threw out the game's first pitches to Kent Hrbek and Tom Kelly in celebration of Kaat and Oliva's upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame inductions.  
When the Twins announced early Wednesday morning that Opening Day was delayed until Friday, it was met with mixed reactions. While some lamented that moving the game now prevented them from going due to work or other obligations, others supported the decision.  “I’m glad they made that choice, it is worth it to wait an extra day to not have to play on a day like yesterday. Because at least today we had sunshine and it was dry,” Houser said.
Twins fans unable to attend Friday’s rescheduled game were given the opportunity to exchange their tickets for any 2022 home game. 
Among Twins fans attending Opening Day, the Carlos Correa signing was a common source of excitement- and even a bit of disbelief- for Opening Day. 
“Once the lockout ended and we started making some moves, I knew baseball was really coming back. I was really excited,” said Knops. “I couldn’t believe we signed Carlos Correa until he stepped in the batter’s box today. I was like ‘wow, he’s really here,’” she said.
Houser views the Correa signing as a turning point in the franchise and something fans should be excited about.
“I was excited regardless [for the season], but that’s me. But I was in a state of shock for probably like 12 hours or so until I processed it, and actually seeing him on the scoreboard and in a Twins uniform today was pretty wild,” Houser said. "I think the fact that they actually pulled the trigger on that and did something that costs money shut up the whole, ‘the front office doesn’t spend money thing,’ and the fact they’re kind of shutting that narrative down should be a reason for people to be excited in itself," Houser said.
For Nelson, the Correa signing completely changed his perspective on the season.  “I was not really that excited at all for the year until the Correa singing, It showed we were really trying to win this year,” he said. 
While these fans toughed it out (and still had fun, according to all of them), other fans opted to not dawn their heavy parkas and hand warmers to attend the game and are instead looking forward to some pleasant summer nights to cheer on the Twins- sans the layers of clothing.
Ryan Stanzel, a New York native residing in the Twin Cities who describes himself as both a Yankees and a Twins fan, said that his ideal temperature to attend Twins games is 76 degrees, “but not more than 82.” He noted that the long baseball season provides ample opportunities for fans to get to a game.
 “There are 81 other chances to go, and the Masters are on TV.” Stanzel said.
Twins fans will not have to wait long for more game opportunities; the Twins play three more games vs the Mariners, followed by a two-game series vs the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning on Tuesday.
Despite the Opening Day loss, optimism for the upcoming season and happiness to just be back at the ballpark again was a common theme.
“I am a very optimistic person, so I think we can make the playoffs and maybe win the division," Knops said, "I’m just really excited- I think the group could be very special."
And for Timm, even on chilly days, and even when the Twins do not quite come away with a win, there is no better place to spend the day than at Target Field. 
"A day at the ballpark is better than any other kind of day," he said. 

Recently, Tracy and I sat down during my lunch break on a Tuesday afternoon. She and I had spoken previously during a chance meeting through a mutual acquaintance, but this was the first time I really had the chance to get to know her and pick her brain. 
When I tell you I went through a full range of emotions during our chat, that would be putting it lightly. It was the most informative, amusing, heartfelt conversation I have had with another baseball fan to this point in my life. Tracy has an infectious personality. She is passionate about baseball, and she is one smart woman. She knows the game. She gets the game. She lights up when you talk to her about not only her job but the players as well. She has created a strong relationship? with players past and present. 
Tracy is everything that Minnesota sports encompass. From a young age, she wore number 6 after her favorite player (Tony Oliva) and today can ask the hard-hitting questions of the players because they respect her. 
Before going to college at the University of Kansas, Tracy had her sights set on being a sports reporter. She had grown up a Minnesota sports fan and was excited at the prospect of reporting on her favorite childhood teams or any teams wherever she landed. However, that all changed when she had her mentorship with Darcy Pohland in 2009 at WCCO. During her internship, she had a chance to see how things were done behind the scenes, the creation of the story, and then bringing it to life. She fell in love instantly with the idea of creating an account of a story that the fans would love. Being a fan herself, she knew that helping the public understand their hometown favorites was vital to the sport and the community as a whole. 
When she completed her degree, she worked a short stint in Kansas City at WDAF-TV (FOX) where she produced morning and weekend newscasts before coming back home to Minnesota. Tracy found herself back at WCCO, where her passion for producing first started. She started working with faces like Don Shelby, Amelia Santanello, Frank Vascellaro, and Mark Rosen. 
She also met Peter Nelson. Peter ran a blog covering the Minnesota Twins. Blogging was a new idea to the sports world; giving people a different perspective of the game outside of highlights and "SportsCenter" moments. The blog was a split from regular sportscasting. The blog was more or less a relaxed version of things that happen at Target Field. Stories like "Eating our way through Target Field" - a piece where they ate every food on the concourse to give the fans their experience and what to expect and how things taste. They undoubtedly brought some laughs and probably stomach aches. 
Tracy loved the blog. Brimming with ideas and armed with her knowledge of the sport from watching it her whole life, and her drive to bring Minnesota the unknown side of sports, Tracy soon found herself on the field, in the dugout, and in the clubhouse. She spent time creating relationships with the players that have solidified not only her spot as a producer for WCCO but also as a friend to the players. They trust her, and sometimes in a media scrum, they will ask her first over reporters if she has any questions. Because she has earned the players' respect, she has also earned the right to ask hard-hitting questions as well.  
Tracy got to spend a whole day with the grounds crew to give fans an inside experience of what game day is like for the guys. It was one of her favorite days spent at Target field. The blog was an opportunity to not only grow in her passion for baseball but professionally as well. Tracy is now the point person for all Twins events for WCCO because she knows what a good experience is for Twins fans and doesn't shy away from an assignment or event. 
Tracy's respect for the players is so apparent. While she understands that getting the news is important, what’s even more important is treating the players as what they are: people. It’s important for her that people see the human side of the game, the people that make the game happen, and the fun the players have off and on the field. When we sat down to talk, there was not a moment when a smile was not on her face talking about our hometown team. She told me her favorite memories, about the players that she caught on the diamond over her years as a producer. 
One of my favorite stories was about Brian Dozier. Dozier learned Spanish in college because he knew that if he was going to play baseball, he would need to know how to not only understand the language himself but speak it for his teammates who couldn't speak or understand  English yet. She loves learning little nuances about the players because it helps her form a story for the nightly news or the blog she helps to oversee. 
Tracy is the producer for sports segments Sunday through Thursday for WCCO. She has also won an Emmy, but I had to find that on google because, in her humility, she didn’t bring that up. She is so humble she makes me rethink my goals for my life in sports and the glory of behind-the-scenes work. She works long hours, but they don't feel long because she does what she loves. We talked about the "behind the scenes" of the stories she gets to hear on the field, see in the dugout, and bullpen. One thing I was not expecting was to hear how excited about Opening Day she was, only to not be able to enjoy it like other fans. 
Opening Day of baseball for Tracy, one of Minnesota's biggest fans and season ticket holders is a little different these days. Instead of watching the game and seeing the guys take the field, she is in the writing room, working on getting out information, editing, and creating footage for the news that evening, making sure she gets the things that fans want. 
As a fan, she knows what resonates with people. She knows that fans want to know: information like new foods at the field, deals for tickets, opening day information, special giveaways, events, and the little surprises that the fan only catches a glimpse of to get them excited for what is coming up next in a game or news story. In the half-hour of news that we see every night, only three minutes of that is set aside for sports. Her job is to write, edit, and organize the sports segment for all sports teams in Minnesota. 
Of those three minutes, if there is a feature story, only one and a half minutes is dedicated to that feature. That is not a lot of time to bring you every single highlight, so she has to know … which is why it's so important to know the who, why viewers would care about the who, and what it means to the community. On TV, the audience sees a three-minute sports segment. Behind the scenes, anywhere from four hours to three days of work went into it.
There are sometimes stories that Tracy doesn't have planned. That happened one day with Twins' favorite Tony Oliva. During a Twins event, Tony grabbed Tracy and said, "Follow me. Record this." Tracy, completely confused, followed Tony because, let's be honest, who wouldn't, and what she saw confused her even more. Tony grabbed a jersey and handed it to a lady who immediately broke down in tears, hugged Tony, and was on her way. Confused, Tracy found out later just what the story was, and the beginning of the story made the two minutes she caught worth everything. 
It is those moments that Tracy lives for. The stolen moments and the respect of the players make them want to come to her with not only their ideas but also their appreciation. Tracy shows up. She doesn't make a scene. Tracy remembers that baseball is a "good ole boys club" and that she is in their space when at Target Field. She keeps in mind that she represents the team, WCCO, herself, young women, and Minnesota whenever she steps into her role at work. She garners respect by carrying her self-confidence, knowledge, kindness, and hard work ethic. She is intelligent, funny, and her laugh is contagious. Tracy may be behind the scenes, but she is in front of the Twins bringing us all the things we want to know as fans, a Queen of the Diamond.
You can follow Tracy on Twitter: @partray.