Sports are fascinating for so many reasons, but one of them is how quickly we forget things -- how quickly the story changes -- at the conclusion of a dramatic game. As time goes on, we won't remember much of anything about Game 6 of Wild vs. Blackhawks except for the bounce that Patrick Kane turned into the winner, even though 100 plays before that could have been just as important.

Another prime example comes from today's Twins game.

If Glen Perkins works a clean ninth inning, the main story after the game would have been a fifth consecutive victory in five starts for Phil Hughes -- who was dominant again in six innings of work. We would have talked more about Chris Parmelee being the hitting hero again with his second two-run homer of the game. And we would have wondered if Aaron Hicks, a day after being called out by Twins brass, was still mired in his funk after an 0-for-3 (albeit with a walk and a run scored, but also a strikeout).

Instead, the usually steady Perkins gave up the lead in the ninth. The game extended to the 10th, where Hicks wrote a great story of redemption -- or at least "message received" -- by plating the winning run with a single to left after a solid at-bat.

Hughes is 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in his last five starts, and it would have been 5-0 with one more out from Perk today. He has allowed just one walk to go with 23 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings in that span. That's worth a story in itself, but Hicks ... he stole the day.

Older Post

Who hates Iowa? Not on Gophers AD Norwood Teague's watch

Newer Post

Commenter Stu Presents: The Packers' Increasingly Lost Offseason, Draft Edition