You can't use the word ``bravery" in sports without separating athletic bravery from real-life bravery. You can't compare what athletes do to what soldiers and firefighters do.
But there is an element of bravery in sports, and Denard Span and Orlando Hudson displayed plenty of it late Sunday night.
Jon Rauch came on for the Twins with a three-run lead in the ninth. With two on and two out, Vlad Guerrero hit a fly to shallow center. Hudson sprinted back. Span sprinted in. They both dove for the ball. Hudson hit Span in a sensitive area. Span's leg caught Hudson's left wrist.
Both lay on the ground in pain. After a few moments, Span rose. Hudson stayed down longer, finally getting up and walking off the field without help.
It was a strange and worrisome way to end a pretty good homestand.
Target Field continues to shine. The place is just beautiful. The Twins are 30-20 and in first place. (My column for the Monday paper points out that the Twins are off to one of their best two-month starts in recent history, and I give much of the credit to Hudson and shortstop J.J. Hardy for solidifying two positions that have been in flux for most of the past eight years.)
But Hudson and manager Ron Gardenhire seemed worried about Hudson's wrist after the game. I asked Span if he was worried about Hudson, and Span quietly said, ``Yeah...Yeah, I am."
One reason Hudson and Hardy have been so pivotal is that the Twins just don't have much depth at those positions, especially with Brendan Harris struggling. Now either Harris or Alexi Casilla may be called on to play second every day. Because Harris is struggling and isn't known for his ability to turn the doubleplay, I would expect Casilla to get the call if Hudson can't play on Monday.
