Infield Playing In
With Phillies runners on second and third, one out, down 4-5 in the 8th inning, the Twins, as is their practice, brought the infield in for a potential play at the plate. Instead, the next batter hit a soft popup over first base, which a second baseman playing at normal depth probably would have caught. […]
Twins ’26
August 28: For the fourth (or fifth?) time I can officially declare the Twins’ playoff pursuit over. Being swept by the Padres pushed them to the brink, but losing two of three to the lowly A’s in not particularly close fashion was the coup de grace. In addition to the mathematical difficulty and the number […]
Vikings Finale
The Vikings closed their disappointing 2025 season with a win over the Packers in a “meaningless” game that was thrillingly satisfying for its small moments as much as its decisive 16-3 final score. First, the victory gave the Vikings a winning record for the year, 9-8, and meant they technically finished ahead of the Lions, […]
World Series ’25
Every great baseball game–and the Dodgers’ 5-4 seventh-game win was a great one–has a myriad of small moments a little flip of which might have altered the outcome. That, plus the amateur’s ability to see and second-guess so many of these moments, is one of baseball’s enduring virtues. Here are some of the things I […]
Twins Wait Till Next Year
The 2025 Twins’ 70-92 season is officially in the books. Because they traded away one-third of their roster at the trading deadline, the last two months have effectively been a try-out for the 2026 season. All the free agents were sent away early. There will be new ones next year–there had better be!–but it is […]