In 'powerful gathering,' Twins opt not to play
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkFirst, Taylor Rogers stood before his teammates in the annex clubhouse at Comerica Park, a little more than three hours before Thursday night's game was scheduled to proceed.
"I donĄ¯t believe that we should play today," he said as he addressed the team.
Then, Nelson Cruz stood and said some words, as did Trevor May. Later, at the end of an emotional meeting in which players voiced their opinions and shared their thoughts, they took a vote. Every player raised his hand, electing not to play against the Tigers, in a united show of support and solidarity.
"It was a very powerful gathering," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "The players were in solidarity in the decision. We ultimately, formally raised their hands and unanimously voted not to play out of respect for all and going in the direction we did. IĄ¯m very proud of the way it was handled by our group, respectfully and thoroughly in a very powerful moment, I think, throughout baseball."
Across the field, in the home clubhouse, former Twins manager and current Tigers skipper Ron Gardenhire was having a similar meeting with his club, which also voted not to play Thursday's game. The contest will be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader starting at 12:10 p.m. CT on Friday, when teams around the league will unite in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day.
Similar discussions were held around the country, with game after game across the league postponed on Wednesday night and Thursday as players and teams took a stand in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday night.
"The players made a decision not to play, to use whatever platform we have to call attention to a question around why they aren't playing," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. "And maybe, somebody's going out there and asking -- a younger child or another person is saying -- 'Well, why? I want to learn a little bit more about why they made that decision not to play.' And maybe that's a way to make an impact.
"It's a small way. We're not saying that's going to solve all of these challenges. But if we have a chance to use our platform as an organization to potentially call attention to the why and as a result, a few more people get educated by that and we can talk about it a little more and our players can, and we're standing behind members of our community that are really hurt by some of what has transpired, not just in the last six months, but for a long time, then I think that's our responsibility."
Falvey and other leadership figures in the Twins' organization have been aware that they hold a particularly visible place in the national discourse surrounding racial justice -- and also in their own community -- because of the police killing of George Floyd in South Minneapolis in May.
Team owner Jim Pohlad responded by announcing a $25 million donation towards racial justice and rebuilding in the Twin Cities community. The Twins also unveiled imaging in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Target Field, took down a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith due to an incident involving a racist speech, announced a front office mentorship program aimed at bringing more underrepresented minorities into baseball and saw several players and coaches take a knee during the national anthem on Opening Day.
Baldelli has been in Major League Baseball since 2003, when his seven-year playing career began long before his transition into coaching. He's been encouraged to see the progress made by those around the game of baseball in not only being open to these discussions, but also taking a leading role in many cases.
He never thought he'd be sitting in a press conference at a ballpark discussing issues of racial inequality. But he's glad to be in the game at this moment, having these important discussions with his players and hopefully contributing to positive change.
"It doesn't feel good to ignore things that you know are wrong," Baldelli said. "It doesn't mean it's always easy to talk about all of these different topics. But when you get on a personal level and you have these kinds of conversations with people you care about, they mean more to you. That's what I think baseball, that's what a lot of people have really opened their eyes to in a lot of ways.
"The fact that we're even talking about these things means we're all moving in the direction that we should be moving in. I never thought I'd be discussing this with any of you or with our players or our staff members on such a grand scale and in such a meaningful way. The amount of emotion we've seen from different players and staff members over the last six months is more than I've ever seen in my entire life."
As Falvey said, this is only a start as to how those around the world of baseball -- and of sports as a whole -- can effect meaningful change. Members of The Players Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 current and former baseball players, pledged to donate their Thursday and Friday salaries to efforts to combat racial inequality and aid Black families and communities impacted by recent events.
Baldelli isn't fully sure of what comes next, though he said the Twins have been holding such discussions in their clubhouse. But he hopes this postponement is another meaningful step in the right direction.
"I think itĄ¯s something that a lot of people are thinking about, but I know that I donĄ¯t have the answer for that," Baldelli said. "I just know that what we decided to do today was most definitely the right thing to do for our group, and we feel very good leaving the ballpark today about the way that it was handled and the message that it sends to everyone in our clubhouse and outside of our clubhouse.
"I also think that the impact of what has been going on in sports is going to be felt throughout, and if it wasnĄ¯t meaningful, if it wasnĄ¯t something that we thought was sending not only the right message but also can push us towards getting more of the result that I think people are looking for, which is the acknowledgment of all of the different inequalities that continue to exist in our country and not ignoring those things."