Twins manager Ron Gardenhire didn't mince words during his pre-game meeting with writers.
``This is almost a do-or-die type thing,'' he said. ``You don't want to go into New York down 0-2. Try not to put pressure on guys but this is one we need to get. It's very important..''
The postseason is about cashing in on scoring opportunities and not giving away outs. And it doesn't matter who steps up. For every Derek Jeter there's an Adam Kennedy unexpectedly coming through on the big stage.
While it would be nice for Joe Mauer to make his presence felt, a clutch hit by J.J. Hardy or Denard Span with the bases loaded is just fine.
(*)Let the griping begin. Umpires make mistakes,and there needs to be instant replay available to HELP them. How can an umpire down the right field line not see that Delmon Young's liner to left was a catch?
(*) I'm trying to stop being a psychologist, but the Twins sounded like a loose bunch while we were in Gardy's office before the game (media is not allowed into the clubhouse before postseason games).
``I've been hearing a bunch of guys yelling,'' Gardenhire said. ``That tells me they are pretty loose.''
We could hear them too.
(*)Apparently, I set off a little storm on twitter last night when I tweeted this on @lavelleneal
``Fans didn't bring it tonight at Target Field. I expected more''
Some replies:
``Was at the game. Agreed for the most part''
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La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts.
Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.
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