On winter's third strike, Twins bow out

The Twins had already played in worse weather this year, at home and on the road.

So they took a lashing for postponing Sunday's third game against the Mariners, citing the cold and snow.

"It's lame," Monica Surber said as she jogged past Target Field on Sunday afternoon. "They could have gotten enough innings in to count for a game."

The delay came a week after the Twins jabbed fans reluctant to go to Thursday's frigid home opener.

"Am I missing something? Aren't we supppsed to be the #BoldNorth?" Twins President Dave St. Peter tweeted last Monday.

On Sunday, St. Peter said Major League Baseball and players for both the Mariners and Twins supported the decision to postpone Sunday's 1:10 p.m. game, the third in the series.

The Twins are "pretty beat up from playing in 27 degrees yesterday," he said about Saturday's second game.

The White Sox started their home season Thursday, playing in the snow and cold, as did the Twins during last week's series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. During that series, the Twins played in blowing snow and temps in the mid-30s that felt like 22 with the wind. But from New York to Detroit, nine other baseball games have been postponed due to wintry weather.

"We knew this was going to be a challenge each and every day," St. Peter said about the Mariners series. Asked about his tweet, he said: "I think in this world you make decisions one day at a time."

The cancellation, which the Twins tweeted at 9:51 a.m., means the Mariners will make a one-game stop at Target Field May 14.

The temperature hovered just below freezing at what would have been game time and less than an inch of snow fell in the Twin Cities as of 7 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

The forecast had called for an inch or two of snow Sunday afternoon for the Twin Cities, then another inch in the evening with temperatures in the high 20s. Flurries started just after 2:30 p.m. in Minneapolis, and became heavier as the afternoon went on.

A few people took to Twitter to question the decision to reschedule. One said it's another reason to have a baseball stadium with a roof, another questioned if we're really the "Bold North."

The Twins are scheduled to play host to Houston Monday night with gametime temperatures expected to be in the mid-30s.

At the Caribou Coffee adjacent to Target Field, a dozen customers sipped warm drinks as the snow fell Sunday.

Shift manager Cole Herman said he'd served a handful of disheartened customers who hadn't known about the change in plans and showed up anyway.

One lady sidled up to the counter to order a big "cup of disappointment," he said, when she heard about the cancellation.

Reed Petitpern, a recent transplant from Detroit, was walking near the field Sunday. He found the change in plans confusing. "It really wasn't that bad, weather-wise," Petitpern said. "I'm just wondering why."

Carmane Teetzel, out on errands, called the cancellation "sad." If she could be outside, she said, it seemed like the Twins could manage it, too.

"I feel like people are so used to Minnesota weather," Teetzel said. "I don't think it's that cold."

But Kyle Torfin, who came from Elk River and didn't know the game was postponed, said he was glad to hear the news. He would have left after an inning anyway.