It was a decision made in the best interests of their respective franchises, fans, players and staff. Collectively, they arrived at the same conclusion: Monday was not the day to play games.
For Twins, Timberwolves and Wild, Monday was the right day for a break
It was no day to play. It was a day to say, "Not here. Not again."
April 13, 2021 at 10:30AM
The Twins, Wolves and Wild were in contact with each other Monday morning, the day after the unnecessary death of Daunte Wright. They exchanged notes and shared feelings about the best way to proceed while a community grieved the loss of one of its own.
They also were in contact with local and state officials, as well as league offices. The Twins were aware that Minneapolis was considering installing a curfew but weren't sure if it was going to happen. As the Twins prepared to play Boston at soggy Target Field, the decision was made to postpone the afternoon game. And there is a chance the Twins and Red Sox won't play on Tuesday either.
Playing games Monday would have been a blunder. A community still aching from the killing of George Floyd last May just had its wound reopened.
"Our community has been through a lot," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "We have a trial taking place just blocks away from Target Field. Emotions across our community, emotions across our organization are raw. Based on the events of the last 24 hours and as information has started to come to light, playing a baseball game today felt a little less important."
The Wolves, who hosted prospective buyers Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore in town Monday, and the Wild, looking to avoid a sweep by St. Louis, soon arrived at the same conclusion: that there are more important things going on in this town today than games.
The hundreds of National Guard members positioning themselves around Minneapolis on Monday and the implementation of a 7 p.m. curfew attested to that.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by a veteran police officer Sunday afternoon during a traffic stop. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Monday the car Wright was driving had expired tabs, and there was a warrant out on him for a gross misdemeanor. Wright got back into the vehicle as officers were trying to take him into custody and was shot by the police officer, who can be heard on the body camera footage yelling, "Taser! Taser!"
Gannon deemed it an "accidental discharge." Others view it as another Black man unjustly killed by police.
As news of this killing spread Sunday, and Sunday night turned into Monday morning, protests turned into violence.
Not here. Not again.
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That disheartened feeling returned as I monitored the rock-throwing and looting breaking out in Brooklyn Center and in parts of Minneapolis as Sunday night went on. I watched while Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher aired a Facebook Live drive-along as he and other officers attempted to disperse people who were looting a shopping mall in Brooklyn Center. Police alerts from different parts of Minneapolis landed on social media. Bedtime: 4 a.m. Later Monday, I drove down Lake Street around lunchtime and saw a shop and a gas station that were attacked the night before. The shop was being boarded up, the gas station roped up.
Not here. Not again.
And then there was a stunning confluence of developments in about an hour span on Monday. Brooklyn Center releasing bodycam footage of the encounter with Wright, footage from the Floyd encounter being shown during the Derek Chauvin trial, and the Twins postponing their game against the Red Sox.
"All of us, all of us, especially us in Minnesota right now, are tired in a lot of ways of having these types of conversations," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "There's a huge disappointment and sadness when you have to wake up to these things."
The Twins took a knee on Opening Day last year for racial justice and donated $25 million to support that cause. This year, a "Justice For George Floyd" banner runs along the bottom of the fence in left-center field, below the bullpens. But as the Chauvin trial continues, this community is stunned by another officer-involved shooting of a Black person.
No, Monday wasn't the day to play games. It was about taking time to figure out a better way.
Naz Reid led the Wolves with 25 points off the bench, Anthony Edwards added 21, and Minnesota made sure Charlotte didn’t leave Target Center with another victory.
