Dear Friends,
One. That is all it takes to start a new trend. A single instance. Almost 7,000 days elapsed between days the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club won a playoff game, which is almost inconceivable, especially considering that they advanced to the postseason five times in that span.
The losing streak is blessedly over. There might have been some tears of joy shed. Yesterday’s 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays was a thing of beauty. Pablo Lopez showed up to the ballpark wearing a vintage #57 Johan Santana jersey, and then he pitched like his boyhood hero. Rookie Royce Lewis (the first Twins player who, to me, has the ineffable Kirby Puckett swagger) hit home runs in his first two at bats. Carlos Correa made a defensive play that (literally) only Carlos Correa can make. Jhoan Duran threw pitches that scorched the baseball because of the wind resistance, like when an asteroid enters the atmosphere. And there was joy in Mudville.
And, truthfully, there was extra joy in defeating the Toronto Blue Jays because the Toronto Blue Jays are evil. Earlier this year the team punished relief pitcher Anthony Bass for the mere act of sharing a post on social media that suggested boycotting Target for their promotion of “Trans” clothing for kids. The team called it an anti-LGBTQIA++ “hate” post. They perp walked Bass in front of cameras to offer a self-flagellating apology for his wrong think. A short while later, while expanding on his Christian views in another interview, he was insufficiently enthusiastic about sexual perversion so the Toronto Blue Jays released him—that is, fired him. You apparently cannot play baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays without openly celebrating child mutilation.
So I will really be partying when the Twins send them off to a long, cold winter up north today beginning at 2:38 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Speaking of baseball and evil, here is a doozy of a story. Former Major League pitcher Trevor Bauer lost his career and his reputation when a woman accused him of sexual assault two years ago. He went from one of baseball’s elite pitchers to throwing off a mound in Japan. Now, Bauer has not always carried himself in a manner that generates sympathy or the benefit of the doubt. He’s arrogant and cocky and hasn’t made a secret of his promiscuity.
But he also didn’t assault the woman in question.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Square Inch to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.