I wasn't planning on watching the Twins game last night, but because of a power outage, I couldn't see Dallas in its entirety so I ended up watching part of what was a great game, especially if you are a Twins fan, For one of the rare times in this early season, both the Twins starting pitching and hitting showed up the same night to play. Maybe the Angels are worse than us!
I'd like to comment on the number 42 event. I love it when baseball does this. Jackie Robinson WAS a pioneer for the game and I like the way that baseball chooses to remember that. It's fun when you see every single player on the field wearing the number 42. HOWEVER, I'm sure it's confusing for fans who tune in late and don't know WHY it's being done. My brother and wife were two of those fans.
I was also pleased to see that "42" (the movie about Jackie Robinson's life) was the number one movie in America last weekend. It was the first baseball movie ever to break the $20 million mark on its first weekend.
Back to the game...
Just when you think Joe Mauer forgot HOW to play the game, he turns in a night like last night. He ended up a triple short of the cycle, but let's face it, with his speed, that probably wasn't going to happen anyway. What he did accomplish was pretty spectacular all by itself. His four hits, including the homerun and double, were JUST what the doctor ordered for this ball club. His average has now climbed to .346 on the season.
Better? Kevin Correia IS looking like the one small hope in our pitching rotation. He evened his record at 1-1 yesterday, but he did it by bringing his season ERA under 3.00 AND going seven strong innings. He HAS been good, and he has been good consistently.
Oswaldo Arcia WAS sent back down after the game yesterday. He got a hit in his first at-bat BUT he also dropped an easy fly ball in left field. Wilkin Ramirez is back from paternity leave and the Twins are sticking with Aaron Hicks for now.
As to Hicks, his batting average stayed at .047. He walked in his sole plate appearance last night.
Pedro Floriman is STILL batting .333 in the number 9 spot. IF we are going to keep Aaron Hicks in the lineup, at this point it would seem to make sense for Floriman and Hicks to exchange spots in the batting order, at least for a while. Hicks would end up getting one less at-bat a game on the average, and Floriman would get one more. It's the little things like that can make just a big enough difference between winning and losing close games, and I'm always a little frustrated when Gardy doesn't DO those little things.
One more comment. What happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday was sick, twisted, and perverse. It doesn't matter if we ban high powered guns or not, these acts of violence WILL continue because the heart of man is depraved. IF people want to hurt or kill people, they will find a way. Last week it was a guy with a knife in Texas and he ended hurting over a dozen people, a couple very seriously.
Yesterday it was a madman (or group of madmen) who decided that they needed to make a statement in the most violent way possible. The problem with these types of violent episodes is that deep down inside we know we can never adequately punish the persons responsible. Three died yesterday. Well over a hundred more were injured. Even finding all of the perpetrators and lining them up against a wall today and shooting them in front of a firing squad wouldn't be enough to "balance the scales." They hurt too many for even their quick deaths to satisfy our need for justice.
So what's the answer?
Knowing and acknowledging that evil exists in the world is the first step in slowing it down. We have to realize that some people don't need or deserve rehabilitation and counseling. Sometimes what they need (what society needs) is for them to be is punished to the full extent of the law. That is justice. Sometimes the ultimate crime deserves the ultimate penalty, the ultimate punishment. And we have to accept that.
I think our biggest fear is that acts of terror like this will go unpunished and they will continue on an even grander scale. If there ever was a time to arm and protect yourself and your family, this would be the time. We do not live in a safe world. Events like yesterday's just drive that point home.
Government is not big enough to protect everyone. And IF it was, I would fear it more than the people who did what they did yesterday.
Government's job is protect the innocent by punishing the guilty. That is justice.
Sometimes I think we try so hard as a country to protect everyone that as a result we end up punishing the innocent by taking away THEIR rights while coddling those who need to be punished. In effect we trade liberty for the illusion of greater security. And I say the "illusion of greater security" because of what happened yesterday. We are not safe as long as there are evil people who wish to do evil. In other words we ARE NOT SAFE.
What we need are tougher penalties for those who use guns (or any other kind of weapon) illegally. I don't mind making it harder for those who have a criminal past, or those who have had bouts of mental illness, to be deprived of weapons, in fact I think that's just common sense.
And I don't want to turn what happened yesterday into a case for gun rights. Yesterday would have happened ANYWAY. But I DO remember that in the Oklahoma bombing case, only Timothy McVeigh was put to death. His co-conspirators, who planned the whole thing with him (Michael Fortier and Terry Nichols,) were merely given jail time.
That was not justice. And without justice we ARE less safe as a society.
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