Santana

I had expected to write a long dissertation analyzing the recently reported trade for Johan Santana, the Twins' beloved ace and the best pitcher on the planet. But Jim Souhan, of the venerable Star Tribune, seems to have practically written exactly what I was going to say here. So, read his story.

My feelings on this? Well, I'm pissed off, I feel betrayed, and I feel like crying. Additionally, I sort of feel like bombing Shea Stadium, as well as their pansy-ass little new stadium going up next door (the new Twins ballpark would waste it). But also, I have to see this from a business perspective. The Twins gave Santana a fair deal, 4 years, 80 million. He didn't bite. He wanted a longer contract. A longer contract means a riskier move on the part of the team especially for a pitcher. Look at the Kevin Brown fiasco a few years ago. Heck, look at Liriano in 2006. So many things can go wrong with a pitcher. It's such a risky proposition. So, you have to sort of give the Twins credit for making a smart decision there.

But as Souhan points out, if a trade was necessary, did the Twins get the best package? Probably not, and that pisses me off. If the Twins are to trade the best pitcher on the planet, they damn well better get all they can. It seems they probably didn't, especially compared to the Yankees' earlier offer with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera. That is exceedingly irritating. But it is good he didn't go to the unholy Yankees. They are a team crafted with pure evil.

The biggest losers, no doubt, are the legions of loyal Twins fans (see writer). We go to the games, we buy the "Santana" merchandise, we do all of that. But most importantly, we invest parts of ourselves in this team, in this unifying ideal. And when good things leave, we get sad. Especially when someone like Johan leaves, someone the community adopted. Especially when we are buying the Twins a beautiful new ballpark in downtown Minneapolis. I mean, I know the trade was a smart move. All practical reasoning points to it. But why then am I so angry and sad about it? It's because baseball far transcends practical reasoning, or the petty squabbling of business. Baseball is an intensely personal game, the love of which is passed down from fathers to sons, mothers to daughters. And when something is intensely personal, of course consequences are going to hit hard. Especially when you are cursed to be in love with a baseball team from Minnesota. Aside from a few sublimely glorious seasons (see 1987, 1991), there hasn't been a whole lot to get genuinely excited about. And when yet another star leaves on exodus to bigger markets and higher salaries, it's just a little depressing. So I'm sad. And that's the end of it.

Except for the fact that spring training starts in less than three weeks....

And the Twins are definitely going to win it all this season.


If not for blind optimism, why even bother?