Football
Associated Press 17y

Twins begin series with Indians, hoping to offer diversion 2 days after bridge collapse

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Interstate 35W bridge provided an
eye-catching view of downtown Minneapolis as it snaked through the
city and over the river, framing the Metrodome's white, puffy roof
in front of the glittering skyscrapers.

Manager Ron Gardenhire and thousands of his team's fans drove
that stretch of freeway every time the Twins had a home game, until
Friday. The bridge's fatal collapse two days earlier erased a major
access point to the area around the stadium, one of many ways this
catastrophe has affected life for Minnesotans.

"Every time I take a different route, I'll think about it,"
said Gardenhire, who commutes from his home in the suburb of Little
Canada. "That's what's going to happen here for a couple years."

Far more importantly, though, there were lives lost to mourn.
Before the Twins and Indians began their four-game series, there
was a moment of silence in honor of the victims and a video
tribute.

The team placed a red, white and blue decal -- shield-shaped,
just like the roadside signs that mark the interstate system all
over the country -- reading "Interstate 35W" on the padding behind
home plate. The Twins wore a smaller version of that logo on their
batting helmets, and they were hopeful a good game could provide
some therapy to a shaken community.

"It's a game, so it's supposed to be fun. Hopefully it can
help," first baseman Justin Morneau said.

Earlier this week, the home clubhouse was filled with tension
and frustration. Popular second baseman Luis Castillo was traded
for two minor-leaguers on Monday, and the non-waiver trading
deadline passed the next day without an acquisition. Two-time Cy
Young Award winner Johan Santana sounded off on his disappointment
with the direction and philosophy of the franchise to the Star
Tribune newspaper, saying it didn't "make any sense" for him to
be here.

Then came the collapse, about an hour before Wednesday's game
against the Kansas City Royals. Thursday's game was postponed, and
the mood around the ballpark was much different.

"All that stuff doesn't really matter," Morneau said. "It's
just a game. It's important, because we're fighting to get in the
playoffs, but at the same you don't want to take it too
seriously."

The Indians led the Twins by 5½ games in the AL wild-card race
when Friday began, with two other teams in between. They were
trying to figure out where they fit in, too, after arriving the
night before.

"Obviously people are going through a lot, and it's a tough
time for the city," center fielder Grady Sizemore said. "If we
can keep their minds off it, that's great, but we're not trying to
make people forget about it. You just want to do whatever you
can."

Though rescuers and inspectors were combing through the crumbled
concrete a half-mile away, fans felt staying on schedule was the
right thing to do.

"Life goes on. Everyone here that's a regular at the games,
being able to see each other and talk about it is good because the
last time we talked about it was Wednesday night when this
happened," said Marcus Skogman, who came from the northern
suburbs. "Everything's a healing process."

Michelle Jensen, who lives in northeast Minneapolis, is a
regular at the Dome. But she decided not to go to Wednesday's game.

"Something told me not to come," Jensen said.

The Twins spent some anxious moments tracking people down.
Reliever Pat Neshek, who grew up in the Twin Cities and has dozens
of friends and family who were frequent commuters across 35W, was
glad to hear his sister-in-law was running late on Wednesday. She
lives a half-block from the bridge and was five minutes away from
driving across it when it collapsed.

When right fielder Michael Cuddyer lived downtown last season,
he drove across the bridge every time he went to the store.

"It's just hard to believe that it's so close," he said.

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AP freelance writer Mike Cook contributed to this report.

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