If folks want to post stuff during the game as comments to this– feel free. I’ll probably write up a post about the game later tonight. I suppose we could compile the greatest hits from a comment thread– I’m not sure how best to handle games this season and am open to suggestions.

There’s also a WinTwins on Twitter where I’ve nattered a little so far in case anyone does the Twitter thing and wants to follow that chatter. If I end up doing anything interesting there, I might repost things here or work them into this site somehow.

So last night the Nationals won their first game in their new ballpark with a walk-off homerun. Against Atlanta. Sweet!

So far today I’ve watched Kansas City beat Detroit in extra innings. Excellent! Right now Kansas City leads the A.L. Central and Detroit is in last place.

As I write this, Cleveland and the White Sox are all tied up (7-7 in the 7th).

Johan is pitching well for the Mets, though he hasn’t gotten a hit yet (darnit). Luis Castillo laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line and then stole a base. They say Castillo had surgery on both his knees during the offseason and that they’ve been “cleaned up” and he feels “rejuvenated”. I think I may have to watch the mets this year as Santana and Castillo really are two of my favorite players.

And now I see that A.J. has already been involved in a controversial play or at least a weird one where he actually stepped on someone’s back. That scamp A.J. you just never know what he’ll do.

And the Yankees didn’t play today because of weather, which is always fine by me. Oddly enough, the station that would be showing Yankees coverage chose to air a rerun of the Yankees-Twins game that was the Yankees Home Opener in 2003. Was freaky as I flipped through stations to see what was going on to find myself looking at Guzman and Koskie batting for the Twins. I guess that game was memorable for Yankees fans because Matsui hit a grand slam– me? I’ve apparently blocked that out.

Here at Wit’s End (home of yours truly and Kevin Austin) we have DirecTV. Have never springed for any sort of sports package, but all this week DirecTV is offering a free preview of their MLB Extra Innings package so I’ve been having a blast today flipping between games. Usually with two games on at once that I can switch between (thanks to a dual tuner DirecTivo).

I’m not at the Dome as we don’t have tickets to the opener, but I’m totally fine with that given it’s still snowing like crazy outside and the crowds on opening day tend to be annoying. Plus I can sit here and flip between all sorts of baseball games. Has been a blast so far. And we can have cocoa and watch the snow fall while watching baseball. Weird, but cool.

You can get a free “Opening Night” cap at the Dome tonight. Well, it’s not so much “free” as “included with your ticket purchase” if you know what I mean and I think you do. And I imagine it’s limited to the first 5,000 or 10,000 fans or something like that, I’m too lazy to check. That’s the first free hat of the year at the Dome, I believe this season they’re “only” giving away four or five different caps at the Dome (as opposed to last year when there were something like seven hats or hat-like-things as giveaways).

I’m posting mostly to point out that Amazon.com’s “Gold Box Deal” today is for MLB caps for $9.99. They’re doing it in honor of Opening Day (nevermind that the season has already started, it’s Opening Day for more teams than not).

So for today only you can buy a Twins cap or one for another MLB team if you’d like for just $9.99 each. Not a bad deal for the official caps.

I guess you’ve all seen the video by now. Being baseball fans, a lot of you probably saw it live like I did. I think it will always be a touchstone memory, one that lives in slow motion in your head like being in Dealey Plaza when Kennedy was shot, or the Polo Grounds for the Shot Heard Round the World. Even now, though a few hours have passed, it already feels unreal. And yet, there it is:

I saw Jon Miller beat the living crap out of the President of the United States on national television.

I still don’t know what set him off. Maybe Bush pushing the Mitchell Report as part of baseball’s “cleansing process” reminded him too much of Gitmo. Maybe it was the thought of Joe Morgan getting a GM job. Whatever the reason, one minute they’re chatting amiably – though clearly with some stress – and the next Morgan is looking on while his broadcast partner pummels the leader of the free world. It’s almost a strobe-flash moment, one single frame locked into my mind, before the Secret Service dragged Miller away and the President arose, bloodied but unbowed, to finish the interview with Morgan.

I’m touched. It might be the bravest thing any of our chief executives has ever done.

And if this is how the season starts, where do we go from here? If George Will has taught us anything, it’s that baseball always has some new drama to top the last.

Almost all of the archives for last year are offline right now. Consider this a fresh start! I intend to post more this year and hope that others will as well.

I’m still working on some behind-the-scenes stuff so the design and some functionality may be a bit wonky for the next couple of weeks. Let me know if you have suggestions or if you like anything in particular or notice anything that’s terribly broken.

The story “FSN to interview Twins right after games, even losses” informs us that FSN will be grabbing the players as they leave the field for interviews, even after losses. Okay, fine, I’ve got no problem with that so long as the reporters ask reasonable questions and the players don’t mind.

Oh-oh, danger ahead:

The interviews usually will be conducted by FSN North’s on-the-field reporters, a group that will include Smalley and former Twin Ron Coomer as well as Telly Hughes and Marney Gellner. Byle said it will be necessary to use “common sense” in the line of questioning. The slippery slope will be asking questions that interest viewers, while not offending the team.

Ron Coomer and “common sense” do not belong in the same paragraph– I’m just saying, is all. And who is Telly Hughes? Since there’s no mention of Ron Johnson, I’d guess that Telly replaces him. Marney just had a baby and will be on maternity leave ’til June.

This article reveals that Mike Redmond will be on the radio with Gladden for three minutes or so once a week before the first pitch. Could be good. And Al Newman will be part of an hour-long pre-game show on opening night. Hooray for Al! Can he please replace Coomer? Pretty please? And they’re gonna try to get more player interviews on the radio postgame show and not have a regular postgame interview with a coach. Well, it’s really not been as much fun without Al Newman.

Those good bits are followed by more bad news:

[Executive Producer Jeff] Byle wants field-level reporters Coomer and Smalley to join the conversation with play-by-play man Dick Bremer and analyst Bert Blyleven more frequently during games this season. Coomer will be part of FSN’s first telecast on Tuesday night.

Why?!? More Roy Smalley is fine and good, but we really really don’t need any more Coomer than we got last year. In fact, less would be better. None at all would be best.

Some possibly good news:

The network also will attempt to have a Twins player wear a microphone for each Tuesday home game.

A.k.a. the only time that Little Nicky Punto shines! Okay, that’s mean. I like LNP and hope he plays well this year. It also sounds kinda like they’ll have a sound guy chasing a player around trying to put a microphone on them. Fun! I hope they put a microphone on Mike Lamb because “he’s a bit odd” which I guess is another word for “sarcastic” at least as far as the Strib is concerned. Sarcasm is good.