Monday was one of three times the Twins, Wild and Timberwolves were going to play at home on the same day this spring.
But a major pro sports day in the Twin Cities was quickly interrupted by safety and ethical concerns in the wake of the fatal shooting of a Black motorist, Daunte Wright, by a police officer Sunday in Brooklyn Center.
The Twins, with an afternoon game scheduled at Target Field against the Boston Red Sox, were the first to postpone as news of a curfew in Hennepin County percolated.
"The right thing to do was for us was to not play today, rooted in respect for the Wright family but also rooted in our mind in the safety of all of those involved … our fans, our staff, our players and the broader community," team President Dave St. Peter said.
The Timberwolves, scheduled to play the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Target Center, and the Wild, with a game against the St. Louis Blues set for Xcel Energy Center, also postponed games as Gov. Tim Walz issued a 7 p.m. curfew for Hennepin, Ramsey and Anoka counties.
"We spoke to the Twins and Timberwolves to see how they were approaching things — I think we all just figured it was the right thing to do," Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said.
Wright's death came with tensions already high during the trial in Minneapolis of Derek Chauvin, a former police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd. Because of perceived safety concerns in downtown Minneapolis, teams like the Red Sox are staying outside the city, and most Twins home games in April are being played during the day.
"All of us, all of us, especially us in Minnesota right now, are tired in a lot of ways of having these types of conversations," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "There's a huge disappointment and sadness when you have to wake up to these things."
Wright was fatally shot during a traffic stop by an officer who intended to fire her Taser, not her gun, Brooklyn Park police chief Tim Gannon said Monday.
Walz activated National Guard troops in anticipation of civil unrest.
Minnesota United postponed its virtual season kickoff event as well.
Tuesday's Twins game also seems likely to be postponed, especially because of the threat of weather delays after a 1:10 p.m. start.
All three teams again have home games scheduled for Wednesday, and the Twins are supposed to end their homestand on Thursday.
"We would obviously like to play games when it's appropriate to play them, but at this point those are decisions that will be made here in the days to come," St. Peter said.
The Timberwolves had prospective new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore in town Monday to meet with the team, and they were going to be courtside at the game against Brooklyn. The Wolves did not set a makeup date for Monday's postponement.
Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns took to social media to say "This has to stop" while posting a photo of Wright and his son, Daunte Jr.
Outside of Minnesota, the story reverberated. Before tipoff of Orlando's NBA home game against San Antonio, players, coaches and referees formed a circle at midcourt with arms interlocked and heads bowed. Aaron Hicks, a former Twins outfielder, chose not to play for the Yankees. Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins spoke of "a long road ahead."
The Wild rescheduled its game for May 12.
Major League Baseball was on hiatus because of the COVID-19 shutdown last year during demonstrations in Minneapolis following Floyd's death, social unrest that certainly would have postponed some games at Target Field.
The Twins had a game at Detroit postponed on Aug. 27 as players protested racial injustice and inequality following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
"I didn't hear of any specific conversations about not playing, but I do know that some of our players were very aware of what was going on in Brooklyn Center," Baldelli said. "I'm sure there were some that were very aware of all the details and how it relates to the emotions in the community, how things can happen when there are incidents like this."
