April 16, 2018

It’s times like these when playing baseball indoors makes a lot of sense

If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted anything since Friday, it’s because an April snowstorm barreled its way through the Twin Cities and laid waste to the remainder of the Twins/White Sox series.

So far this season, the Twins opened in 38-degree weather, played the coldest game ever at 27 degrees and have had four games canceled due to inclement weather or snow. It’s enough to make any Twins fan long for the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the dome with the inflatable roof that the Twins called home for nearly 30 seasons.

I’m not advocating for the return of the dome, or domed stadiums in general, but in a pinch, why not let the Twins play indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium?

Twinkie Town has some strong opinions about why the home of the Minnesota Vikings would not work for the Twins, including the lack of real dugouts, tiny dimensions (301 feet down the right field line) and seating problems. However, if the Twins front office and team put up with all of the Metrodome’s quirks — and it had plenty — for nearly 30 years, I’m sure they could handle a week of strange baseball in a football stadium and actually complete some games.

The question has been asked and answered.

Extra innings…

-Meanwhile, if the weather won’t cooperate at home, you can always leave. The Twins hit the road this week for a two-game set against the Cleveland Indians in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Although both teams are playing abroad, the team’s schedule shows that it is being treated as a home series for the Twins. The forecast? Partly cloudy and 85 degrees on Tuesday and a chance of showers and 85 degrees on Wednesday.

-This is also Round 1 for the Twins and Tribe, the two teams predicted to battle all season for the American League Central title. Corey Kluber, the defending AL Cy Young winner, gets the ball for Cleveland on Tuesday, while the Twins will counter with Jake Odorizzi.

COMMENTS

Hi, I’m Rolf Boone, Twins fan.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.