The Twins on Wednesday officially announced a decision that had become a foregone conclusion in recent days to anyone with a weather app: They postponed Thursday's scheduled home opener and rescheduled it for Friday.
In this case, it was the lesser of two evils: Thursday is showing a likelihood of rain with a projected high of 38. Friday looks overcast but dry, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. As we say here often as we put on brave faces and head outside: It could be worse.
That said, this is not necessarily unusual for early April in Minnesota.
What was unusual, and perhaps became the basis for years of unfair comparisons, was the first month Target Field was open in 2010.
In that year, the average high temperature during April was 66 degrees. That's a full 11 degrees warmer than a normal year in Minneapolis.
An April in Minnesota has not topped 60 degrees for a monthly average high since then, and many Aprils have been considerably colder. Two, in fact, did not crack 50 degrees for an average highs in what is typically baseball's opening month.
First impressions being what they are, though, I have the sense that some Twins fans still remember 2010 and have unrealistic expectations.
That was, after all, our first taste of sustained outdoor MLB action in almost three decades. For most of the life of the Metrodome, it was the same temperature at game time in early April, mid-July and late October.
