MPR's William Wilcoxen reports on Minnesotans returning to the national pastime, after taking a week off from baseball to mourn the lives lost on September 11th, 2001. The Twins turned in a sparkling performance in front of a small crowd at the Metrodome. Several fans and players said it felt good to get back into the swing of life's routine.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Before taking the field for their baseball game, members of the Twins and the Detroit Tigers stood along the base lines with their caps over their hearts in a moment of silence. At home plate stood a cousin of Charles Burlingame, the pilot whose hijacked jet was crashed into the Pentagon. On her arm perched a bald eagle, which peered out toward second base, where the Roseville high school choir then led the crowd in God Bless America, as well as the National Anthem.
[SINGING]
Some of those attending the Twins' first game after a week of postponements said, going to the ball game was a part of reclaiming their day-to-day lives from last week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast. Tim [INAUDIBLE] said he had no hesitation about coming to the game.
SPEAKER 1: We had tickets for the game and never even considered not showing up. We love baseball, and I didn't think there was any security risk at all, so it was not a problem.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: [? Ann ?] [? Hoogland, ?] on the other hand, said, she did have to overcome some doubts before attending with her husband and daughters.
SPEAKER 2: Just crowds, and I didn't know if baseball was the most appropriate patriotic thing to do today.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Ultimately, [? Hoogland ?] says, she determined a family outing would be good for the household. The attendance of fewer than 11,000 is considerably less than what the Twins were drawing before the week off. The empty seats disappointed fans such as Heidi Becker.
SPEAKER 3: I thought it was more patriotic to show up than not to. And I was quite disappointed on the turnout here. I was hoping there would have been more support for the Twins. And going back to baseball, it's American pastime, and it's what we need to get back to.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Jim [? Wasmiller ?] of Wahpeton, North Dakota says, he and a friend make it a habit to come down for ball games on Tuesday nights when the Twins are home. After dabbing condiments on his hot dog, [? Wasmiller ?] said it was good to be back to his routine after the interruption forced by a terrorists plot.
SPEAKER 4: I think this guy took away all of our stuff for a week. And we want it back, so I think we should go back and get it, get back living again. And I think it's very upsetting that one person can do that. But he managed to do it for a week. But I don't think we should let him do it any longer. We've mourned enough. I think it's time to get on with things.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Other fans were more like Linda [? Lotte, ?] who says she's still struggling with what happened last week but found comfort in bringing that struggle to the ball game.
SPEAKER 5: It helps us feel a sense of community. And right now, we all need a sense of community, so it's a great place for us to gather.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: The Twins jumped out to an early lead, and fans were soon caught up in the drama of a no-hit bid by pitcher Brad Radke. Radke's no-hitter finally ended in the eighth inning when he allowed two home runs. But the Twins 8-3 victory over the Tigers left them feeling better than they have for the past week. Afterwards, Radke said, getting a game under their belts again was good for the team.
BRAD RADKE: The past week's been a lot of stuff happening. And I don't think anybody's minds were on baseball. And now, I mean, once this game's over, I think we're still going to have the thoughts in our heads, you know? But it was good to get this game over with.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Catcher AJ Pierzynski, who drove in runs with two doubles, said his teammates were excited about playing again. He attributed that to factors, including the leadership of manager Tom Kelly.
AJ PIERZYNSKI: It felt like opening day tonight. It was a lot of emotion in the crowd, a lot of emotion on the bench, a lot of emotion in the players, and I think it was good to get out there. You never know how you're going to do or if you should be out there or what's going to happen when you do get out there.
And I just think that our team handled it very well. I mean, we went out and did what we did. And TK gets a lot of credit for handling us the right way and talking to us about things and saying, you know, it's your job. You have to get out there. The president said, go out and do your jobs. And tonight, the guys just did that very well.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: The Twins' season has been extended through the first week of October to make up the games that were postponed last week. I'm William Wilcoxen, Minnesota Public Radio.
Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.
Views and opinions expressed in the content do not represent the opinions of APMG. APMG is not responsible for objectionable content and language represented on the site. Please use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report a piece of content. Thank you.
Transcriptions provided are machine generated, and while APMG makes the best effort for accuracy, mistakes will happen. Please excuse these errors and use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report an error. Thank you.