Twins Respect Their Elders

For Opening Day, 2005, just like Opening Day 1999 and every one in between, Brad Radke will get the nod as starting pitcher for the Twins. This after a solid season in which his 11-8 record doesn't tell the story of how well the righty from Eau Claire pitched. And after Johan Santana became a 20-game winner and swept the Cy Young voting. The question is, is starting Radke the right call?

It took me a while to make up my mind on this one because I have an immense amount of respect for Radke, I like the fact that he's from the Midwest and I tend to lean right on matters of baseball...meaning I'm a traditionalist who doesn't like change. Besides, Radke has been more steady and consistent than any Twins pitcher over the past decade. He takes the ball, is all business and gives his team a chance to win each and every time out. Assuming he fights through his typically rough first inning. He is a leader on the team, respected throughout the clubhouse and has earned the title of a "crafty veteran." Still, Johan should get the Opening Day nod.

Santana emerged as the best pitcher in the American League, if not the Major Leagues, with his unprecedented second half. Granted, I never saw Sandy Kofax, Walter Johnson or Cy Young, but I've never witnessed such complete domination of major league hitters on such a regular basis. It's possible Santana will turn out to be a one-hit-wonder. It's also possible he could become a Hall of Famer.

My problem with giving Radke the starting nod is the same problem I have with some people who seem to have a tough time thinking Barry Bonds is winning too many MVPs. There are other good players out there, and they deserve to be MVP some too, is the unspoken belief some have. But in the grand scheme of baseball history, all that does is taint the accomplishments of super stars. When we look back at how many awards Babe Ruth won, do we think, "They should have spread that around some. There were other good players then." No, we think, "He must have been one of the best players of all time."

The point is, if we get the chance to witness one of the best players of all time, we need to recognize him as such. Everyone gets what they deserve, what they earn. That way, looking back, we can see who was the best, second best and so on.

With last year's performance, Johan Santana earned an Opening Day start. I would love to see Radke earn next year's nod. It's not like this is a huge scandal. Santana doesn't seem to care and he'll get a nationally televised start against the White Sox for his second start. But what if Santana goes on to have a Hall of Fame career and years from now, someone looks back and sees he started nine games on Opening Day? It should have been ten. Is it a big deal? No. It just comes down to getting what you deserve. And Brad Radke doesn't deserve to start the opener. Johan Santana has earned that right.