The world did not cave in because Tim Laudner, Ron Coomer, Dan Gladden, Ron Gardenhire and many of us had no use for what Joe Mauer was trying to do with that bunt the other night. Everyone came back the next day and the Twins' B-lineup shut out Cleveland's B-lineup. (Of course, Cleveland always has a B-lineup these days, so winning 1 of 3 still feels hollow.)

Mauer got Wednesday off, Francisco Liriano was wild enough to be very effective and the Twins had a comfortable enough lead to let Anthony Slama pitch the ninth inning – one single, two strikeouts. Delmon Young had three hits and three RBI in the No. 3 spot in the order, but I'll do the few remaining skeptics the favor of acknowledging that the final hit and final two RBI came on a hard ground ball that would have been fielded if it hadn't taken a wild hop that almost defaced shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera on its way to left field. The bigger point is that even a superstar-in-progress like Mauer can be roasted for making a really bad move. And, yes, it was a really bad move. And if he spent Wednesday thinking through what others were saying – the former players, not the blog commenters – then something good will come of this. Even the best players have teachable moments. Mauer doesn't have to become Kirby Puckett with his "You guys should jump on my back, I'm going to carry us" bravado. But Mauer needs to develop an aura of confidence so that others will jump on his back without having to say much. (Think Jim Thome in his prime.) What interested me about the bunting brouhaha was not that fans were outraged, but that Twins baseball elders were so willing to chastise. That doesn't happen every year. As Jim Souhan wrote on his blog: "I've talked to a lot of people I respect at the ballpark, and, when speaking privately, they're all unanimous - it was an embarrassment for our guy." I'm kind of imagining that Delmon commercial from last year when he goes to get wisdom from Carew, Killebrew and Oliva, although I'm not sure I'd want to see Laudner, Coomer and Gladden in orange robes and surrounded by candles. Certainly, the dialogue would be bawdier. "See the @#$% ball, HIT the @#$% and ..." (I'll let you finish that one.) For the next eight years, there will be a cadre who will go on and on and on about how the Twins should never have signed Mauer to his $168 million deal. Its numbers – barring the unforeseen – will always be dwarfed by the crowd that would have marched on Target Field if the Twins hadn't struck a deal with him. I'll make dollar bets with any of you and take the "Mauer is going to Cooperstown" side. That doesn't mean he's above criticism. Mauer needs to get used to his work being looked at even more closely -- good and bad.