- I'm not sure how long Minnesota's post-game celebration lasted on Tuesday, but looking back on their bleary-eyed performance in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium the next night, can anyone say that their two-fisted champagne guzzling pictured above was wise? Many are now questioning such behavior on a school night.
--snip--
The statistics: Tuesday's win over Detroit ended at 9:45 p.m. ET, with the first pitch at Yankee Stadium scheduled for just after 6 p.m. the next evening. You've got your celebration, your flight, your checking in to a New York hotel, and of course eight hours of restful sleep (laugh track). Those numbers don't add up.
And consider these: The Twins were 0-7 against the Yankees this season (now 0-8), and 3-23 in New York over the past eight regular seasons. Plus they are two-time losers to the Yankees in first-round playoff series.
Two, if the Twins had somehow beat the Yankees in Game 1, they would have been hailed for "staying loose," etc.
Three, what exactly was someone supposed to do? Ron Gardenhire would have been reviled if he'd try to lay down the law. And yes, maybe a couple of veteran players could have stepped in early and said something. One thing I've noticed, though: the only teams that don't celebrate (much) are the teams that don't have much to celebrate; teams that are supposed to win, or that win without any sort of drama, or that are supposed to win more.
That's not the Twins. The Twins weren't supposed to win and, now that they have, they're certainly not expected to win more.
You'd have liked the Twins' Game 1 chances just a bit more if they'd gotten a bit more rest. Maybe the next time they have to play a Tuesday playoff because of the Vikings, they'll remember this.*
* And yes, I know this will never happen again.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Rob Neyer
Neyer is a senior writer at ESPN.com. He began his career with legendary baseball author (and now Red Sox executive) Bill James, then joined Stats Inc. and wrote about MLB, the NFL and the NBA. Neyer joined ESPN.com in 1996, and it's believed that he's written more words for the site than anybody.
Neyer moved to Kansas City in 1976, just in time for the Royals' first division title, and fell in love almost immediately. He attended the University of Kansas the same four years as Danny Manning, and is now happy to wait another 20 years for the Jayhawks' next championship.