Here's how it works when you cover a game on the West Coast with ridiculously early newspaper deadlines:
Joe Christensen, our Twins beat writer, writes a running game story and hopes the game ends early enough that he can slam a couple of quotes in for the last editions. I write an early opinion or feature column and hope the game doesn't destroy my topic.
Monday, I wrote about the Twins' lack of an ace or a closer, and Scott Baker momentarily proved my point. (Although Jon Rauch temporarily rebutted my point about the closer on Tuesday, pitching well in the ninth and earning the save.)
Tuesday, I spoke with Justin Morneau in the afternoon and wrote a column about his intensity and how he's trying to temper it this season, at least in workouts. Then Justin singled and homered in his first two at-bats, allowing my column to stand up, with a few tweaks, the entire night.
One mistake a lot of readers make is assuming that sportswriters are fans. Well, some of us are, but those are the worst people in our business. Most of the people who cover teams for reputable publications are not fans and wouldn't allow themselves to be fans.
We don't cheer for the teams we cover. We are, though, allowed to cheer for good storylines. So, Tuesday night, I was allowed to pull for Morneau to make my column better. Also, because Morneau is one of the most likeable and accountable players I've covered in 20 years in the Twin Cities, I do like to see him succeed.
I've been saying all spring that I forsee a huge season from him. He's relaxed, he's cut back on his grueling workouts, he's more cognizant of taking care of his back, and he has Jim Thome to talk to about all of those things.
Other thoughts after Game 2: