Tomorrow is Another Day

Is there actually a debate about the virtue of making the playoffs? In the NFL, a case can be made for moving up in the draft rather than squeaking into the last playoff spot, as the higher the draft choice (particularly in the first round) the more value he (generally, though not always) provides to their team. The baseball draft is less certain, and thus, any argument about moving up in the draft rather than making the playoffs seems dubious at best.

There may be some virtue in finishing dead last or close to it for a few years (witness the Astros), but the virtue in finishing with the 8^th overall pick versus the 12^th overall pick or the 12^th overall pick versus the 16^th overall pick is likely negligible. The Twins, if they don’t make the playoffs, will still not be bad enough to earn a top five pick, so there’s really no reason to dwell on the draft possibilities any further. I shall not do so here.

I’m really here to talk about the movies. This past weekend, TCM featured “Gone With The Wind.” I’d never actually watched the entire movie, and I appreciated the TCM introduction in which I was warned that Margaret Mitchell’s take on the Civil War was not only politically incorrect, it is just downright offensive, but it was, after all, a movie. I could probably navigate my life appropriately and think my own thoughts even if I were to see it. So, I saw it, and Scarlett was right about one thing: tomorrow is another day.

In Twins territory, about a week or so ago, I was already thinking like Scarlett, that indeed tomorrow was another day, or next year was another year. But then came this past weekend, and the sweep of the Giants. Suddenly, we can live for today just a bit longer.

So, let’s all agree, as Twins fans, that we truly want them to make the playoffs. While most of us probably don’t realistically expect the Twins to actually make a run at a championship. Nevertheless, getting there is better than not getting there at all. As I’ve written before, strange things can happen in the playoffs (witness: losing 18 games in a row). Why not us, why not now? Well, there are a lot of reasons, centering upon hitting (clutch or not so much), pitching (seriously, Pagán is still being used in important moments), and the intangibles of, well, whatever intangibles championship teams have that don’t fully seem to be present in the Twins this particular year.

But, just because a team probably won’t win a championship is no reason not to try. Just because I can’t become a male model, best-selling author, or world-class athlete is no reason to give up showering, writing, or trying to stay in shape. All of these things would seem to benefit me somehow in the long-run, so I’m still a believer in the Twins doing all they can to get to the playoffs and seeing what happens when they get there. Teams get hot and opponents get cold.

As the series sweep against the Giants showed, it’s not over ‘til it’s over, and it’s not over yet. A week ago, it kind of seemed over. It may seem that way again in another week, but not today, Satan. I will not be taken down that dark road of wishing away the season and seeking for it all to be over, so the pain will end. I’m sorry, that was a misprint, I meant “so that the Pagán would end.”

Let’s be optimistic today. There’ll be plenty of time for pessimism in Minnesota in another week or so. After all, the Vikings season is about to open, and then tomorrow will be another day, but as for now... today is still in play.