-So I beat Coomer in our FSN debate on Wednesday night. As I said in the postgame show, I think Blagojevich's jurors must have voted for me.
-I spent the last two innings of the Twins' 2-1, 10-inning win in the well next to the Tigers' dugout. I got a sense of what it's like to have box seats at Target Field. I could smell the tobacco on Jim Leyland, who was standing to my left, and I could see the sweat on the back of Joe Mauer's neck.
-So Danny Valencia gets the game-winning hit and does the obligatory postgame interview, and of course Jon Rauch sneaks up behind him and smashes a shaving cream pie into his face. That's good for a hitter's eyes, right?
And I noticed in the on-field celebration that Orlando Hudson, who can't play because of a bad ankle, was jumping around in the middle of 25 guys.
Some baseball players are smart. Many are not.
-I've been assured by the Twins that Matt Capps is indeed their closer, but I would rather see Ron Gardenhire manage situationally. Of course, with Brian Fuentes' back hurting, it's an easy decision to use Capps in the ninth, but when Fuentes is healthy, I'd much rather see him use Capps. Fuentes and even Crain as situational closers. What's wrong with going right-left-right with the game on the line?
When a team employs a dominant closer, the team winds up pampering that closer, to keep him healthy and fresh. And once the closer begins making big money, the team feels he can justify his salary only by earning 40-plus saves, so he is used almost exclusively in those situations.
Gardenhire doesn't have to do so now. Neither Capps nor Fuentes will complain if they are used situationally.
