Wet day at ballpark

Not to be completely self-referential (or maybe to be completely self-referential), one of the most dramatic changes in the Twins over the last 15 years has been the changes in the media that cover them.

When I covered the team in the '90s, there were plenty of days when it was a handful of writers and maybe a stray TV guy hanging around. You should have seen the scene in the clubhouse the last two games - a handful of cameras, loads of print, TV and radio people surrounding every player who walks to his locker.

That's it - I'm no longer speaking to the media.

-Not to make too big of a deal out of it, but I hate the idea of defensive indifference in a relatively close game. It's one thing if you're up by 8 runs in the ninth, but the Red Sox were up by three with one out and Joe Mauer at the plate, and they gave Denard Span second base.

Defense is all about getting outs, and by giving Span second base, the Sox eliminated the chance of a doubleplay, or of throwing Span out trying to steal.

When you are competing with someone, isn't the idea to avoid letting them do exactly what they want?

-I kind of like rain during games. It's atmospheric.

Not that I'm trying to make any kind of point.

I do like the way he's swinging the bat this year. After slow starts his previous two years as a Twin, he's hitting .346 through nine games.

-Kevin Slowey left the game after five innings, then took forever to show up for the traditional postgame interview. I figured he drowned in one of the hydrotherapy pools.

I have no problem with athletes saying they don't want to talk. Freedom from speaking is a form of freedom of speech. But if the understanding is that you're going to show up and conduct an interview, and you plan on doing so, don't keep 40 people waiting an extra half hour. I mean, we all needed to go watch the Wolves as soon as possible.

-I find it amazing that people intentionally walk Joe Mauer to get to Justin Morneau. I also find it amazing that I agree with the move.

-Jesse Crain is a classy, hard-working guy, so I pull for him, but when he's not on he leaves way too many pitches over the heart of the plate.

It is interesting, how few pitchers hit 94, 95 mph in the post-steroid era. Crain still throws 94, and his breaking pitch is nasty when he's right, but he doesn't have enough stuff to live in the middle of the plate.

Current-if-ever-changing-bullpen pecking order: Rauch, Guerrier, Neshek (who looked outstanding Wednesday), Duensing, Crain, Mijares, Mahay.

The Twins called up Ron Mahay for two reasons: Jose Mijares has been horrible; they don't want to be limited to using their other lefty reliever, Brian Duensing, in get-one-lefty situations.

-David Ortiz's bat is slower than dial-up.