Searching for hints

Did we learn anything during the Twins' Opening Day loss in Chicago?

Not really.

Let's kick it around anyway.

Maybe my first and foremost takeaway from Opening Day is that it didn't feel like Opening Day. Two bad teams opening in one of baseball's worst ballparks on what promised to be (but wasn't) a cold day - that's a really bad idea.

Major League Baseball has flourished in a lot of ways under Bud Selig, but starting the season in Australia has robbed the openers in the continental US of their specialness.

Let's start this with a Top 15 list of places the Twins should open each season:

1. Miami. The Marlins' ballpark is funky, the weather is almost bound to be good (even if there is a little of the customary southern Florida light rain), and it's a two-hour drive from Fort Myers. A Twins fan could watch the final spring training games, then attend the season opener. Perfect.

3. Houston. Warm weather, easy flight, and a team the Twins might even have a chance to beat on Opening Day.

4. Texas: See: Houston. Except for the part about winning.

5. Atlanta.

6. Cincinnati: Risk of colder weather, but Opening Day in Cincinnati should be the real opening day every season.

7. Yankee Stadium. Risk of colder weather, but what's better than Opening Day at Yankee Stadium?

9. San Diego. Long flght to the coast, but perfect weather and a pretty good ballpark.

10. Los Angeles: See San Diego.

11. Anaheim: See Los Angeles.

12. Queens: A watered-down version on Opening Day in Yankee Stadium.

13. Baltimore. It's become a great baseball town again, with a great ballpark.

15. Pittsburgh. Perhaps the only ballpark in America that is remindful of Target Field, and better than Target Field. (Although part of the reason it's better is that it's bordered by two rivers.)

Back to the Twins' opener, and the hints that may have appeared within:

1. Joe Mauer did not look natural at first base. I think he can win a Gold Glove there, but he whiffed on one tough grounder and bobbled an easy one.

2. Josh Willingham's bat looked slow all spring, and he looked overmatched in his first at-bat against the exceptional Chris Sale, but he drove three balls to the outfield, and hit a couple of them pretty well. That's actually an encouraging sign.

3. Aaron Hicks, the subject of my Tuesday column, got two hits, but still has to prove he can hit big-league pitching from the left side.

5. The Twins have to be really glad they didn't dump Anthony Swarzak last spring.

6. Brian Dozier has developed into a nice player, a quality defender who can drive the ball. He is not a leadoff hitter. He doesn't get on base enough.

7. The Twins have better prospects than the White Sox, but the Sox look like they're better prepared to make a jump in the victory column this season. Abreu could be a force, and the Sox have a real ace in Sale. The Sox might have the best combination of speed and power they've had in a long time, after years of looking like a slow-pitch softball team.

-------------------

I hope Mike Zimmer isn't going to let Johnny Manziel's flamboyance dissuade him from drafting the kid. I don't think the Vikings will have a shot at Manziel, anyway, but writing off Manziel because of his personality may be like the Falcons trading Brett Favre because he partied too much.