Minnesota
Minnesota’s Postseason Run Points to a Bright Future
There are two ways to look at the Minnesota Twins 2023 postseason run. On one hand, you could mute excitement by choosing to focus on the Twins winning just a single game in the American League Division Series. That hurts even more after splitting on the road in Houston and holding an advantage when returning home. Conversely, you could be ecstatic about the playoff monkey being gone and multiple streaks ending.
When the Twins knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the Wild Card series, they ended a streak that has hung over the head of the state for so long. Nothing about the Twins in the postseason has mattered for years because 0-18 became the narrative. Until that streak ended, it was a mind-numbing retort from anyone looking to downplay excitement.
After John Schneider lifted Jose Berrios, and Minnesota went on to win Game 2 of the wild card series, they proved there was even more out there. Ending an inability to win a postseason series since knocking off the Moneyball Oakland Athletics, it quickly became a possible thought that Rocco Baldelli’s club could play spoiled and knock out the reigning World Series champion.
No matter what level of realism existed behind it, there was a buzz during Game 3 and Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Astros. Even after Sonny Gray got behind 4-0 in the first inning, Twins fans remained on their feet for multiple innings and got excited again as the team made a late surge. It wasn’t expected that Jose Urquidy would stifle the bats in Game 4, but the entirety of Target Field was shaking as Byron Buxton stepped in and Max Kepler struck out.
Those feelings don’t go away simply because the run has ended. This franchise is in a good place with youth, and it’s clear that the leadership has continued to trend towards an infrastructure of sustenance. It’s great that the talent returning has Minnesota in a good place, but the desire to do something with it is higher than ever.
There have been multiple seasons in recent history where Minnesota is projected to win the AL Central. Ron Gardenhire made a habit of winning the division only to have his teams fall short in the playoffs. Minnesota needed to re-establish that ability on yearly for years, but now the desire will and can be for something more. The Twins making the playoffs can’t be met with the refrain that it won’t matter. Advancing past a better team, or being the better team someone wants to take down, is the next step.
Ultimately, winning a World Series is what every player and team strives for, but only one organization accomplishes that each season. As we saw coming from a watered-down AL Central this season, anything can happen once you make it to the postseason. The fanbase and those in the clubhouse know that they can do damage when making it into October, and now forcing that issue has to be the goal.
It’s cliché to hear players repeat a desire to win a division, grab a ring, or some other months-long endeavor during spring training. The youth on this team has now experienced it, and so too have some veterans who otherwise had not yet played past September. They’ll be hungry to put value behind the 162-game grind, forcing those games where everything matters is necessary.
Minnesota should be the favorite to win the AL Central next season, and they’ll be well-positioned for some time. Continuing to invest in the organization and force the issue of constant end-of-season relevance is no longer just a nice thing. This postseason run set a new standard, and now it’s time to embark on it.
Minnesota
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Minnesota
An Unusual Airport Is Closing in Minnesota
A small airport with a bigger claim to fame is closing in northern Minnesota after more than a half-century of operation. The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport is so named because its runway crosses the US-Canada border, reports Minnesota Public Radio. In fact, it’s been hailed as “the world’s first binational airport,” notes the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Despite the bragging rights, however, the airport has been mostly used by hunters and fishermen, and the cost of maintenance has proven to be too much. The airport has a 3,297-foot runway, of which 2,350 feet are in Minnesota and the rest in Canada, per the Grand Forks Herald.
“It’s a tough decision to close an airport ever, but the evidence was all there that now was the time,” says Ryan Gaug of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The airport opened in 1953 and is one of six now that straddle the border—but only Piney-Pinecreek has a paved runway. “It’s always been the No. 1 fun fact that I’ve shared with friends, family, coworkers, colleagues here at MnDOT,” says Gaug. The agency has jointly owned the airport with the municipality of Piney, Manitoba, in Canada, but the town ended the arrangement because it was unable to meet the cost of maintenance. As such, “a colorful era in the history of Minnesota aviation” ends on Friday, per the Herald. (More Minnesota stories.)
Minnesota
Two St. Stephen residents involved in injury crash on Highway 55 near Buffalo
Two St. Stephen residents were involved in an accident Christmas Eve morning.
The accident took place at roughly 7 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 55 and Highway 25 in Buffalo, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Road conditions were listed as wet at the time of the accident.
St. Stephen’s Hunter Merten, 24, and Amber Burns, 25, were heading west on Highway 55 when their Ford F150 collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep was heading east on Highway 55, and was allegedly turning northbound onto Highway 25 at the time of the accident.
The Jeep’s driver, 22-year-old Dakota Dimond of Maple Lake, was transported to Buffalo Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to the incident report. Burns was also taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
All persons involved were wearing seatbelts.
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