Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Sports

Today is a day that I have been looking forward to since the end of September. It's Opening Day, a day sacred to baseball fans.

Two years ago the wait for Opening Day became a bit too long for a few friends and me and so we began our now annual trip to Fort Myers, Fla. to see the Minnesota Twins during spring training. It's warm, the players are relaxed and there isn't a bad seat in the house.

This year we experienced a new phenomenon. It was the phenomenon of not knowing who the heck anyone was. For someone who has prided herself on having the roster memorized, it was a tough pill to swallow. I found myself constantly asking "where did we get this guy again?" Minnesota isn't known for jumbling its roster, but this year that's what it did.

One of the great things about spring training though, is that everyone gets a chance to play. You will see everyone even if you don't want to. (Even though spring training games don't count, it's still unpleasant to watch management put in a non-roster pitcher in the top of the ninth when there's a 2-2 tie. And yes, we lost that one.)

In training, big hitters like Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer will only take two or three at-bats, leaving it up to the younger players to finish the game. While this seems like a bad thing, sometimes it's a blessing. The younger guys have something to prove and go out of their way to get your attention. Besides, Morneau only batted a .220 this spring. The low number prompted him to take part in a minor league game in order to get a few more at-bats in.

One of the players that impressed me most was Carlos Gómez. Gómez, acquired from the Mets in the historic Johan Santana trade, is known for his speed. When he stole second base and no one, not even the umpire, noticed, I could see where he got the reputation.

And while many Minnesota fans will miss Torii Hunter's theatrics in centerfield, I am happy to report that Gómez ran face first into a wall while chasing down a fly ball, so don't get too discouraged. That stunt, along with his sheer speed in the field and on the bases, has won Gómez the starting spot. To me, that makes the Santana trade a little more worth it, and takes a little sting out of seeing Santana in a Mets uniform.

Besides, I hardly noticed Hunter's absence at spring training. To me he was nothing but a distraction in 2007, and his inability to lay off the first pitch no matter what was thrown at him drove me nuts.

While Twins fans are used to seeing Santana on the mound on Opening Day that will not be the case. Livan Hernandez, who has eight opening day starts but has never won in the American League, got the nod for today's game.

Hernandez was one of the few players who failed to impress me. While you can't judge everything on spring training of course, the two starts I saw him make made me very uneasy. In a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Hernandez gave up six runs on nine hits. His next start was better, as he only gave up two runs.

Still, he seems to lack focus and control. In pressure situations, he crumbled like a badly built house of cards. Not good when you are up against formidable lineups like the Cleveland Indians, or even the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The rest of the rotation is extremely young. Boof Bonser and Scott Baker are returning, as well as Kevin Slowey. Nick Blackburn will get a chance to be a starter as well, since Francisco Liriano is going to be making two minor league starts before rejoining the Twins.

Liriano, who missed all of 2007 because of elbow surgery, looked pretty good in training. His once very violent delivery has calmed down quite a bit, which is good news to everyone. He struggled to throw all of his pitches, however. He did say in recent articles on twinsbaseball.com and the Pioneer Press that he is ready to go and start the season with the Twins. Still, the managers felt that Liriano wasn't comfortable enough, and want him to have a few more starts before joinig the team.

There are a lot of expectations riding on Liriano, and so the news he's not starting out with the Twins is a little disappointing. Many Minnesota fans expect him to be the ace, a spot that is very vacant right now. Hopefully his two minor league starts will help prepare him for that role. Keep in mind, his wife is due to have the couple's baby in Miami on Friday anyway, so he'd probably be missing the time just the same.

While I am a die hard Twins fan, I can admit it is a rebuilding year. The team needs time to get used to playing with one another and the younger players need time to adjust. The extremely young pitching staff needs experience in the majors before we can judge its true potential. That's not a bad thing. That's the logical side of me. The illogical side of me is hoping for another Cinderella run like in 2006. I wouldn't complain.

I recently read an article on twinsbaseball.com that said the Twins are "irked" by the low expectations for the team this year. In most polls, the Twins are picked to finish fourth or fifth in the very tough Central Division. I say, embrace it. 2006 was a season where no one expected anything, and look what happened.

Compare that with 2007 when everyone's expectations were riding high and Ron Gardenhire finished with his first ever losing season. Remember the players that weren't worth anything at one point? People expected little of Morneau after his dismal 2005 season, and now he's sitting pretty with a six-year, $80 million contract.

Being the underdog is the Twins' forte. If they are going to win, they are going to do it on the sly. And if they lose in terrible fashion, well, you weren't looking anyway.

Golburg is a senior print journalism major and sports editor of The Spectator.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools