The Rotation and the "Cold Out" Phenomenon

I hate postponements. I, like most of you out there in Twins world, was completely jacked up for tonight's game against the hated White Sox. I found out about 3 hours before game time that there would, in fact, be no game. I guess I'll survive, but the night is going to be much less exciting.

The big news stemming from this is, of course, the news announced by La Velle of how the Twins are planning on setting up the rotation: Silva tomorrow, Santana on Sunday, with Ponson, Boof, and Ortiz pitching in the series against the Yankees. The obvious response is . . . whaaaaaa???

I was fine with the idea of not skipping anybody in the rotation the first time through and giving Johan, Boof, and Ortiz an extra day of rest. I thought it was a reasonably good idea to make sure everybody got a start within the first five games, and that Santana could actually use the extra rest. But now? Circumstances have changed. Six days between starts is a little too long, and for Boof and Ortiz that's what they'll be facing. If the Twins were planning on skipping Ponson, it would also make him available for long relief if (and some will undoubtedly say "when") Silva struggles tomorrow. This also jumbles the rotation up more than I would prefer to see at this point, although it does accomplish the goal of separating the sinkerballers (Silva and Ponson) in the rotation -- which the Twins reportedly wanted to do out of spring training originally. I imagine that if Ponson struggles this is just going to open the floodgates of criticism even wider than they already are.

Finally, a note on this "cold out" stuff. I know it's frustrating, and I know it just adds fuel to the fire for those who want to disparage the new Twins stadium because it won't have a roof. I wish things were different, and that the new stadium was going to have a roof (and, for that matter, that it was going to be built in a better location, a little outside the city where it could have plenty of parking on-site). Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, and the result will be some situations like this where it's too cold or wet to play, especially early in the season, and (I think to a lesser extent) in late September and into the playoffs. If this week proves anything, it's that this phenomenon is not limited to Minnesota. Games have been postponed in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and a plethora of Minor League sites due to snow, wetness, and cold. There will be years where this happens a lot, and years where it just isn't an issue. The schedulers should be able to minimize the number of games played in cold-weather climes. Going to games in April might be a tad uncomfortable, but overall I think the experience is going to be vastly improved by the new stadium throughout most of the season. Be thankful for the improvements, and grin and bear the problems. Almost anything would be better than the Metrodome, at least on the whole.