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Normally managers get to talk about baseball during their press conferences, but as you can imagine, in “Summer Camp” the questions have been about a wide variety of topics. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has had to answer questions about a global health pandemic, social justice, and player accommodations. These all touch on roles we don’t commonly attribute to a baseball manager, but this year they are critical, and one is providing an environment where people feel safe talking about anything including how they are feeling.Rocco Baldelli recently said, “In any role. It's hard to focus on everything. So you have to prioritize the things that are most important to you to bring to all of your men and women that you work with, and I think a lot of what we've all experienced recently in Minneapolis and throughout the country. It's a very significant time. It's a very important time.” The Twins manager believes that the important thing is to give his players a voice, to provide an environment where they feel comfortable talking about any topic, even difficult ones. Even topics that really haven’t been addressed in baseball in the past. Returning to the game of baseball has bought a mix of emotions from players and others. There have been many positive COVID-19 tests around the game. Several players and coaches have decided to opt-out of their 2020 contracts due to COVID-19 concerns. Baldelli said, “One thing that we talked about was making sure that the guys know that they have a voice. We want to know how they're feeling. It's very important for all of us and for all of them to feel very open and free to talk about these things. Whether they feel good about things or they feel apprehension." According to Baldelli, this isn’t just touchy-feely millennial stuff. It serves an important purpose. All-Stars such as Mike Trout, Buster Posey and Sean Doolittle have spoken about how they are still contemplating opting out. But for the Twins to have a manager who understands that baseball is a part of their life, not their entire life, and that they can freely discuss their concerns is a positive. “It helps us, but more importantly, it helps the player to be able to say these things. We aren't going to be able to help until we have that open dialogue going. We have a good group for that. Our guys are really good about feeling good about talking about whatever they want to talk about.” Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond is forgoing about $6 million of 2020 salary. He wrote nine pages on Instagram explaining his decision. I included just the ninth page (below) in which he summarizes why he is opting out of the season. If you’re on Instagram, you’ll want to read the first eight pages as well (they’re short pages). Beyond COVID-19 concerns, of which there are plenty, social issues have come into play across our country. Baldelli continued “We've talked about and had conversations about things that I've never openly talked about in the game. And I know many people in our clubhouse have never openly talked about in the game. And I think it's very welcome. I think it's been a very empowering period of time for all of our people, to different extents maybe, for each one of us. But I think we've probably learned different things about ourselves, especially over the last few weeks, that some of us that have been in the game for a very long time have never really touched on and never really felt to this point.” Baldelli continued, noting that it isn’t just for leaders or managers to discuss, but for all of us to be willing and able to discuss. “I do think that anyone regardless of what position you're in - if you're in any sort of leadership position or if you're just just a human being that believes in things - but I think it is our job to consider constantly re-evaluating what is most important, and not be afraid to have conversations about things just because it's uncomfortable. If it's important, it's important and should be talked about.” With the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the subsequent response around the globe, Baldelli notes that it has created a lot of uncomfortable, but necessary, conversations. Again, he wants his players to feel comfortable talking about these topics within the team. Baldelli spoke calmly and clearly in his message, “Especially related to the George Floyd murder, essentially, especially related to that. Everything that's come from that has affected our group, a lot. We've come together as a group, numerous times to discuss this.” “I've never seen in baseball and in the short 20 years that I've spent in the game. I've never experienced that before when I tell you that it's empowering to be able to discuss things and talk about things and be vulnerable amongst your teammates and your fellow coaches and your staff members. And to tell people how you really feel about things that are important to you. That is very, very empowering and it feels late.” “But there is no better time than now to do it. I think I'm very proud of the way our guys have handled it.. All these discussions. I'm very proud of the way guys have stepped up and probably breathed in a way that they've never really felt before, where they're able to say these things. I think it's been a very welcome and beautiful thing that came from something so tragic.” Arguably the most important job of a manager - a baseball manager, a store manager, any leader - is to encourage communication and support and empower those you work with. It can be a good thing to put yourself out there. It can be a good thing to feel comfortable enough to discuss topics that are uncomfortable. And in doing so, be able to more easily discuss the issues that arise from playing a game, like baseball. Usually when someone says "these are challenging times" they are saying "challenges are being presented to us which we must overcome." That is certainly true now. But there can be another meaning, perhaps better understood if one adds a “The” and capital letters: These are The Challenging Times, the times in which we challenge ourselves, whether it be our beliefs, our biases, our relationships and even our history. As both a manager and a role model, Baldelli is in a position where he must handle both meanings, navigating a shortened season amid a pandemic while reaching out to players who are challenging themselves and their teammates with new visions of the world. For all of the impressive credentials and accolades on Rocco Baldelli’s resume, we may now be seeing his most important attribute as a manager. Click here to view the article

The Covid sickness that hit coach Tommy Hottovy created a memorable video https://www.espn.com/mlb/ as he discussed his case - it is good to watch since so many act like the Covid-19 is just another flu. As the TD contributor Doctor Gast states - the video is mostly about the pain of separation. Should you want to know more about the survival from this virus you might want to read this San Francisco report - https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/What-they-don-t-tell-you-about-surviving-15347792.php or this description of the Brain Fog that comes after the virus by the American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/09/aftermath-covid-19. The choices of Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman and Jo Ross not to play should be applauded for their courage just as the Twins decision to protect their oldest coaches was wise and prudent. As much as I want to see and read about baseball I do not want to read about tragedies. When we are young we all make poor decisions based on our own sense of mortality. I made climbs, ran rapids, and pushed the envelop thinking that nothing could happen to me. My son, at age 21 did the same thing, and he died as a result. Age does not protect us. Nor does physical fitness. This is a serious time and now we learn that there is a new swine flu that might follow Covid. It is frightening. And maybe time to remember how we can be chopped down by microscopic organisms in the prime of our life. Baseball players are constantly facing injury - concussions, thoracic injuries, Tommy John surgery, broken bones. The good thing about them is that they heal. Bad backs ruined careers and freak accidents like the gas that Christy Mathewson was exposed to during training. His respiratory system was weakened and resulted in contracting tuberculosis, from which he died in Saranac Lake, New York in 1925. He was only 45. Tuberculosis also took seven other players who are mostly lost to memory because their careers were too short and too long ago. We watched drugs ruin careers like Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry, two more who had a HOF path ahead of them. And Sandy Koufax had his amazing career stopped at its peak because of arthritis. Like so many elderly people I can only relate too well to the pain that he suffered from this debilitating disease. I remember when J R Richards suffered a stroke and had to leave the field. This great Astros pitcher seemed like a sure HOF player, a person who would hold all the Astros records - he averaged 16 wins per season his first five years. In 1980 he was 10 - 4 with a 1.90 era and he was in magnificent physical condition. In two years he was homeless and sleeping under a bridge. He went on to the ministry and preached to those same homeless individuals. It was a big fall from the top. Jimmy Piersall suffered from mental illness and a potentially great career was ruined by bipolar disorder and still he was so good he managed 17 years. When it comes to disease what baseball fan does not know of Lou Gehrig and ALS - now called Lou Gehrig Disease. The Iron Horse was toppled and dead at age 38. He seemed invincible but disease does not avoid the strong and healthy. Ross Youngs died at age 30 of Brights Disease (a kidney disease). He played 10 years with a 322 BA. Dave Parker, former Pirate and one of my favorite players lives with Parkinson's disease a serious and long term disease that impacts so many aspects of your body functions. Kirk Gibson lives with Parkinsons and Dee Gordon plays baseball with it. But this is serious and life changing. HOF pitcher Addie Joss from Wisconsin attended St. Mary's College (later part of Wyalusing Academy) in Prairie du Chien and the University of Wisconsin. "In April 1911, Joss became ill and he died the same month due to tuberculous meningitis. He finished his career with 160 wins, 234 complete games, 45 shutouts and 920 strikeouts." Wikipedia provided this list of type 1 diabetes sufferers from MLB Ron Santo, Chicago Cubs (1960–1973) and Chicago White Sox (1974) infielder, type 1, deceased (2010 at age 70). Sam Fuld, Chicago Cubs (2007–2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011–2013), and Oakland Athletics (2014–) outfielder, type 1.[13] Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners (2006–2010, 2015), Texas Rangers (2010–2012), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2013), Cleveland Indians (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2015), and Detroit Tigers (2016–) pitcher, type 1.[14] Brandon Morrow, Seattle Mariners (2007–2009) and Toronto Blue Jays (2010–2014) pitcher, type 1.[14] Dustin McGowan, Toronto Blue Jays (2005–2008, 2011, 2013–2014), Philadelphia Phillies (2015), and Miami Marlins (2016–) pitcher, type 1. Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers (1947–1956), type 2, deceased (1972 at age 53). Bill Gullickson, Montreal Expos (1979–1994), type 1[15] Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds (2015–), Type 1 James "Catfish" Hunter, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1965-1974) and New York Yankees (1975-1979) pitcher, type 1, deceased (1999 at age 53 of ALS) There are more stories of Alzheimer's that may have come from concussions, cancers, and other, but finally, we should look to the Spanish Flu - "the flu took: Cy Swain, a minor leaguer from 1904 to 1914 who slugged 39 home runs in 1913; Larry Chappell, a big league outfielder for the White Sox, Indians and Boston Braves between 1913 and 1917; catcher Leo McGraw, a minor leaguer between 1910 and 1916; catcher Harry Glenn, a minor leaguer from 1910 to 1918 who spent time with the 1915 Cardinals; minor league pitcher Dave Roth, who played between 1912 and 1916; and minor league pitcher Harry Acton, who played in 1917." https://baseballhall.org/discover/1918-flu-pandemic-didnt-spare-baseball The Twins have their own tragic stories too - Danny Thompson, a promising shortstop was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 26, in 1973. He played four more seasons and died ten weeks after his final game. Walter Bond - died of Leukemia in the closing weeks of the 1967 baseball season — a year during which he had made the Twins' roster coming out of spring training. Wikipedia entry says this about the end - "Bond made the team and batted .313 in part-time duty during the season's first month. But the Twins released him on May 15, and although Bond caught on with the Jacksonville Suns, his declining health forced him to the sidelines after only three games.[2] He entered a Houston hospital for treatment, but died there at age 29. Said his physician, Dr. Hatch Cummings: "He showed the strength of character and will that only champions possess. It was an exhibition of courage, and in the best tradition of baseball." We want baseball, but we can live without it if it comes down to a threat to players health and lives.