Doug Wolter: Twins got good with just a few smart tweaks

May 28—I'm taking a jog around the sports block today. Be patient. I'm not as spry as I used to be:

The Twins tweak

Admit it. You thought the Minnesota Twins should have made bigger, more splashy deals after their totally unexpected 2021 disaster, a year when they should have won the AL Central Division but instead folded up like a cheap tent.

Here they are in first place again, looking as shiny as a new penny.

Who knows what will happen in September, but give the brain trust lots of credit for avoiding what most teams in their situation would have done. The common wisdom was that they needed to blow it all up; their window of contention had closed and it was time to: (a) sign a bunch of free agent superstars, primarily in the pitching department, or: (b) begin the lengthy and laborious task of building from the draft.

Actually, they did neither. They did deal some established players, like Jose Berrios, Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson, but for the most part they brought in mid-level talent — some of it risky. One of those risks, pitcher Joe Ryan, has outperformed everyone's predictions.

Except, perhaps (might I say it?) the Twins themselves. We thought they were fooling us when they said they expected to turn things around with what they did, so we chuckled up our sleeves. Yeah, we knew that Cruz was aging, but we thought his bat would still be missed big-time. Turns out, it isn't.

The Twins, I suspect, actually believed what they were telling us — that they could, unlike a lot of other big league clubs with much higher payrolls — fix things quickly, just because they're smarter than everybody else.

Could it be that they actually are?

Donaldson's fate

The Twins are probably especially glad they don't have Josh Donaldson on their payroll today. The third baseman (now a Yankee) was suspended for a game recently for calling White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson "Jackie," which was intended as a snide remark dating back to a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated where Anderson compared himself to the great Jackie Robinson.

"I kind of feel like today's Jackie Robinson. That's huge to say. But it's cool, man, because he changed the game, and I feel like I'm getting to the point where I need to change the game," said Anderson, who is black.

Now I don't know about you, but I think it takes a lot of chutzpah to compare yourself to the iconic Hall of Famer who broke baseball's color barrier. Seems to me that that kind of self-adulation invites remarks of the kind Donaldson made.

The problem is, however, that Anderson took major offense. He wanted Donaldson punished, and MLB complied. Now (and we had to expect this) Donaldson has been called a racist, and he may be looked upon as such for the rest of his career.

This public flogging will only create more tension on the ball field, as players struggle to navigate through a new landscape where acceptable and unacceptable behavior changes to the whims of a woke nation. I think it would have been better if someone in authority on the Yankees staff had taken Donaldson aside privately and told him to zip it. But of course, that would be too easy.

Local prep stuff

It's Saturday, and that means the section high school softball tournaments continue. First-round Section 3A and 3AA baseball tournaments begin. The Worthington Trojans open Section 2AAA baseball play on Wednesday, June 1.

I'm intrigued about which team will win the 3A and 3AA softball tournaments. Today in Section 3AA, Luverne (top-seeded in the south) takes on Dassel-Cokato (No. 2 north) at 11 a.m. in Marshall, and Pipestone Area (No. 2 south) plays Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (No. 1 north) at the same time, same town. The winners go head-to-head in a 3 p.m. game for the right to advance outright to the championship in the double-elimination tourney.

Also today, in Section 3A, Edgerton/Southwest Christian (No. 1 south) plays KMS (No. 2 north) at 11 a.m. in Marshall, and on the other side, same time, same town, R-T-R (No. 2 south) plays Lac qui Parle Valley (No. 1 north). The winners meet at 3 p.m. for a fast-track to the championship.

E/SWC and Pipestone Area have been such state tournament regulars over the last dozen years or so, it's literally a shock when either of them misses. I would never count out the Dutchmen or the Arrows, but it's going to be tough this time.

Luverne swept Pipestone Area in a doubleheader on April 19, 6-3 and 12-7. But in Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta, PA (11-9) faces a team that's 20-1.

E/SWC (14-5) hasn't played R-T-R, LQPV or KMS in the regular season. None of them look easy. R-T-R is 17-5, LQPV is 19-2 and KMS is 15-6.