Baseball has a big problem.  One that threatens the credibility of the game. 

No, it's not steroids, nor runaway contracts, nor mal distributed team revenue, though each of these is bad enough.

Baseball's biggest problem right now is tying its post-season schedule directly and unalteringly to T.V. network requirements.  In other words, games can only be played (or must be played) when the TV network decides.

This phenomenon has completely changed the post-season vis-a-vis how teams are built and compete during the regular season.  And, it demeans, diminishes and degrades baseball as a sport.  Furthermore, it is fundamentally unfair to the players who are expected to perform at peak levels as professionals.

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Ahab had Moby Dick, Achilles the noble prince Hector, and King Lear only madness--so in the broad sweep of tortured literary obsessions, this work is not without precedent.  

Joseph Campbell says a man needs to look his enemies hard in the face and announce they are bastards. 

Big game tomorrow or not, I am compelled:

I have long hated the Metrodome. 

Before it was planned.  Before it was built.  Before the Masters of the Universe, i.e. owners of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, conspired to bring baseball downtown, along with its multi-millions in luchre.  It was an inside job (sic, very sic), from day one, to cut Bloomington off and bring unassuming out-of-towners to Minneapolis and separate them from cash with the slogan:  there will be a baseball game tomorrow FOR SURE.

I still have my yellow SAVE THE MET sweatshirt in my closet, on a hanger, with its intricate reproduction of Metropolitan Stadium ironed onto the very spot where my sobbing chest sank during the last week of the 1981 baseball season.

But, I understand.  I get it.  Big rollers figuring a route to money through a development scheme is the Ur-text of America.   How can I complain?

Because the Metrodome has been, for 28 years, the flat-out worst venue for baseball on either side of the Mississippi, north of the Mason-Dixon line (there is Tampa's stadium after all)--and that includes minor league affiliates, small-town amateur parks and liberal arts college backfields.

If you chump the legions of Minnesota Nice, I say, have some decency: do it with class.

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Maybe it's just me, but if I get home late at night, or get up early in the morning, and if I didn't get a chance to listen to the game, or even if I did, I like to watch parts of archived games at MLB.com.

Their subscription is not cheap, though I consider it a good deal.  This year, they are launching a new product, with better video quality and more features.  And, they are not shy about charging for it.

After checking it out during Spring Training, it seemed like it was worth it. 

So, you can imagine the disappointment when the new NEX DEF media player and the video feed are experiencing major bugs.  And, then there's the fact that the archived games are unavailble after the game--at least I have been unable to find them.  And today, no highlights package.  So, I don't get to see Morneau's plunge into the dirt at second.

Seems like we are in the midst of a major FAIL to start the season at MLB.com.  I don't do television and I do like to use my own eyes when evaluating what happens in a baseball game.

So, while I'm not freaking (yet), I do wonder what others are experiencing out there in case there are fixes or ways around the MLB debacle.  Like, are the archived games somewhere?  And, how can we give them encouragement to fix their problems or refund some portion of their fees?

The whole four outfielders thing has been about the only show in town in Fort Myers this spring.  (The Mauer thing and his underreported back problem has been more about "no show.")  And, in theory, the competition has resolved itself with Cuddyer, Gomez and Young earning their respective spots, especially given Denard Span's struggles to not only hit for average, but also just to drive the ball and/or get on base via BB.

Yet, when asked, if you listen to Gardenhire, he says this:  "Denard, we ended last  year with him as our leadoff guy, and that's where we'd like to start again this year.  That worked out well for us and we'd like to give that another shot."  So, one would think that Span is going to start in the outfield and bat lead-off.

But then, who sits? 

Cuddyer?  Nope.  Gardenhire pretty much as said that Michael has earned his way back into right field.  The quotes are out there in the MSM. 

Okay, then maybe Gomez will sit?  Um, not so fast.  Gardy likes the way Fleet plays defense, and he thinks the team is more aggressive, more spunky with Gomez in the lineup.  Plus, let's face it, Gomez has looked good this spring, driving the ball, getting on base and even driving in runs.  Plus defense, plus speed, plus pressure on the other team.

So, that leaves Delmon.  But, DY has looked very impressive this spring, pulling the ball more, driving home-runs, making contact, getting hits.  He is one guy in the middle of the lineup who can really hurt the other team and does not back down.  Sure, he swings too much and plays LF like a sailor on shore leave, but his upside potential is huge.  Are the Twins really going to sit him so Span can bat lead-off?

All of which brings me to the question of this post.  At some point, Denard is going to have to sit, whether it's when he doesn't hit or get on base or when there is a tough lefty pitching.  And, then, who bats lead-off?  It's not like Gardy has been auditioning someone for this role during ST.  Seemingly, they have set it up so that Span is their only patient, OBP, speedy lead-off hitter.

Yet, he will sit.  And maybe even become the de facto fourth outfielder.  Then what?  Who is going to hit leadoff? 

Sure, not a big deal in some ways, you only leadoff one inning a game.  Yet, lineup construction is very important to overall run production, and besides, there is that "tone" thing, and we all remember what happened to Gomez last year as he didn't produce in that role.

So, I think the Twins have painted themselves into a bit of a corner on the four outfielders issue.  Yes, it's a good problem to have.  Yes, they will all play.  But what they have not done is to really determine how to deal with leadoff on days when Span sits.  Which, for all we know, could be, and likely should be, most of the time.

On February 15th, men report to Florida and Arizona, and the end of something is near--winter, time with the wife, bad basketball teams-- and guys dream about summer.

So, here we are at the end of that raw beginning, and as meaningless as it is, there are opportunities not only for dreams, but insight.

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How many times have you given up on the Twins this year?

For me, it started with dropping 2 of 3 to Baltimore at home, followed by that lost weekend in Chicago where it was like every pitcher had their pants pulled down and force-marched from the mound as Chicagoans roared in delight. 

That was early June.  Luckily I was busy that weekend and wasn't  fully devestated.

But, then they go to Boston and New York and cough up leads and swing with open palms like they are in a bitch-slap competition and have stars in their eyes.  And, I will never forget Everett's bad throw in the 8th in Kansas City, leading to a loss when they could have had first place.

And, there were the Seattle series.  Both of them late on the Coast.   I clicked the radio off a couple times, put the wine back in its bottle and swore them off for the rest of the year.

There were the Gomez misplays on Vlad's drives in Anaheim, the Nathan blown saves on that same big trip, Punto's fumbles at short.  And, of course, the Pridie thing last week in Toronto.  That one still hurts.

And, of course, who can forgive the middle relievers?  Ever.  Didn't it start in Chicago with Neshek letting Crede go deep  on a grand slam in April?   Then there were consecutive games in Detroit where they rolled over us late in the game, using Crain and Guerrier like cloth napkins after a big meal.  Runs, runs, runs.  They even fed the Tigers just last weekend, well after the Motowners had shown themselves to be baseball frauds.

It's been a tough year.  I can't really understand how the Twins are 4th in the league in runs scored.  Or how the bullpen went from their main strength to their main weakness.  Or how the defense, from Buscher and Everett's erratic arms to Casilla's too-quickness has let them down time and again. 

Weren't pitching and defense the very Bibles of Gardy's orthodoxy?

Let me say this plain:

How the hell are they still in this thing?

Not only in it, but, looking at the schedule, realistically, they have a damn good shot at winning the division.  Especially now that Crede, Quentin and Konerko are DL'd  in Chicago.

The Twins are one Jermaine Dye hamstring pull away from being in the playoffs.

Even in 1987 you could at least imagine a scenario for why they might win it--how they were just dangerous enough to get it done.  You know, Puckett, Hrbek, Brunansky, Gaetti, Gagne, Viola, Blyleven, Reardon.  Guys who could beat you late, in a dark alley, whether with fists or broken bottles.  You just didn't want to go back there with that group.

And I still see poor Darrell Evans, wandering just a little too far off third in the 7th inning in Game 3 in Tiger Stadium--no one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd-- as Gaetti takes Laudner's throw and tags him out--Gaetti squeezing it and chicken hopping toward the mound.  The Twins were dangerous back then.

But, this year,.... this year has been the most unlikely climb out of failure and defeat that I can remember.   They don't look dangerous.  No one on their team really scares you.  But, they're hanging around.  A bunch of young kids that don't know when they've screwed up once too many, or didn't get the job done once too often.

They just don't get it.  Baseball is about failure.  And they've shown a propensity for being able to ignore that second to no one.

Are they setting us up for the ultimate disappointment?  Will my radio, one day soon, land in a heap on the floor after smashing into the wall?

Just what do they think they are doing here?

I'd rather be lucky than good.  Or, at least, I like to say that.

Since the Twins haven't been good lately, they might as well be lucky.

Seems like Carlos Quentin, leading homerun hitter in the American League and a strong candidate for MVP, has just been lost for the season.  He is about to undergo wrist surgery and have a pin inserted.

Quetin injured the wrist in Cleveland, was it on Tuesday?

Now, they doctors are saying they will re-evaluate his "situation" in three weeks, and maybe it's just me.  But, if you have a screw inserted in your wrist and you are a power hitter, do you really think it would be possible to come back in a month?

No way.

Give me a break. 

And the Twins just caught a big one.

Question is:  Will they be able to capitalize? 

The American League Central may end up as a race to the bottom at this point.

I know that the Twins were not supposed to contend this year, and that I should be happy that we are even in the race, gaining experience, the thrill of a pennant chase--all that.

But, at a certain point, you want to win games.  We are now entering September and we are at that point. Who knows if we ever get this close again for a decade?

This road trip, 14 games in 15 days, has been billed as the be all and the end all of the Twins season, and to the extent that it is, things are not looking good. 

Joe Nathan has blown two saves against teams that are less than solid offensively.  Jesse Crain has been battered in the late innings and come back to the hotel with a pair of losses.  The offense has come up punchless in three, make it four games, leaving decent pitching performances on the table.

But, last night, WTF?  Can anyone explain to me why Harris was in the game, in the 9th inning with a one-run lead?  Isn't the manager's job to put his best defenders on the field and maximize the chance of winning?

Harris is not a defensive whiz, to say the least.  And, if you watch the losing play carefully you can see that Nathan had the guy at third, made a decent throw, not even all that hard.  But, Harris does not move his glove into backhand position, but rather, tries to scoop it down low moving across his body.  And, he misses it.

I know.  Nathan gets the error.  A throw right at Harris's chest and the Twins are likely in 1st place this morning.

But, still, Gardy has got to bring Everett in to play SS and move Punto to third late in games when they are winning.  Even if the game goes into extras, he still can pinch hit Buscher for Everett and move Punto back to short.

It's the kind of managerial oversight that you don't often see anymore.  And, I wonder if Gardy will acknowledge his mistake on the radio show this morning.

Sure, baseball takes a million turns, and I am the first one to admit that a change like that changes what would have happened on the field.  But, could it get any worse than it did?  Giving up two runs on a single hit in the bottom of the ninth?    And just why did they bring in Everett as a free-agent if they are not going to use him--one of the best shortstops of his generation?

The Twins are finding ways to lose games.  And last night's, while there were accessories, has got to be laid at Gardy's feet.

Short diary, but I found this kind of interesting, as I think will some of the numbers-based people on this site.

As you may know, there was a hell of a Democratic primary this year.  Trying to figure out the polls and who would win and in what state got to be quite the enterprise on the Internet.

One person, Poblano by web-name, basically distinguished himself on several sites, far and above any other prognosticator, poll or pundit.  Actually, he now has a national reputation for being able to call election results.  He called, in advance, many primaries with a level of accuracy that had the Web buzzing about who this guy really was and how his methodology, regression analysis, worked.

Well, today the secret is out .  He was none other than Nate Silver, from Baseball Prospectus, whom many of you will recognize as the creator of the PECOTA projection analysis.

I don't really follow numbers that carefully, but I find the intersection of politics and baseball, at least in terms of analysis, to be somewhat intriguing. 

Also that, in spite of all the money and attention and power in politics, the guy who pegged primary results closest honed his skills trying to understand baseball.  That's as American as apple pie.

I kind of like that.

Last month, after the Twins lost a tough series in Texas, against what was then one of the worst teams in baseball, I posted the following Taoist parable about the difficulty of understanding just what is "good" or "bad" about any given outcome:

A man who lived on northern frontier of China was skilled at interpreting events.  One day, for no reason, his horse ran away to the nomads across the border.  Everyone tried to console him, but his father said:  "What makes you so sure this isn't a blessing?"

Some months later his horse returned, bringing a splendid  nomad stallion in tow.  Everyone congratulated him, but his father said:  "What makes you so sure this isn't a disaster?" 

Their household was richer by a fine horse, which the son loved to ride.  One day he fell and broke his hip.  Everyone tried to console him, but his father said:  "What makes you so sure this isn't a blessing?"

A year later the nomads came in force across the border, and every able-bodied man took his bow and went into battle.  The Chinese frontiersmen lost nine of every ten who fought.  Only because the son was lame did the father and son survive to take care of each other. 

Truly, blessing turns to disaster, and disaster to blessing:  the changes have no end, nor can the mystery be fathomed.

I bring this up today in regards to Delmon Young and the disastrous play he made in the game Tuesday.

Apparently, in the clubhouse after the game, Twins players walked around in shock, even though they had won the game, feeling bad for Blackburn (who got a no-decision despite pitching well) and Nathan (charged with his first blown save on a harmless looking slicing flyball to left).  

Even Gardy started his post-game presser with a halting, dispirited comment to the effect of   "Well,  we won, but this is basically unacceptable..."

So, fast-forward to Wednesday.  Twins down five runs and two outs in the ninth.  KC on the verge of breaking a long losing streak.  Unfortunately for them, because the game on Tuesday went 12 innings--because of Delmon's ill-advised play--they now do not have access to their closer, Soria, and both lefties, Mahay and Gobble each pitched two innings as well and were unavailable. 

So, KC has to go with the best pitchers available, bringing in Peralta as the ninth got out of control, and the Twins come back to tie and eventually win in 10 innings.

The point:  like the twists and turns of life itself, at the heart of baseball is a kind of inscrutability.  Delmon screws up and seems like he has brought a serious negative aura to the clubhouse,  yet as a direct result of the extra three innings of pitching his play caused, the Twins find a way to win the next night, against KC's B-team relievers.

Blessings become curses, curses blessings.  The changing circumstances of baseball has no end;  nor can its mysteries be fathomed.

But, Delmon, catch the ball anyway next time.  Will 'ya?  Or, as the Twins "See ball, hit ball" commercial suggests--maybe Delmon really is an enlightened being capable of making these things turn out in the end.