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There are enough bad-faith actors and clout-seekers spewing anxiety-inducing nonsense 24/7 on Twitter to make it seem sometimes like the site should just be fired toward the sun on one of Elon Musk's spaceships or at least actively avoided.
But even in 2022, there are enough — just barely enough — moments of genuine interaction and whimsy to still make it worthwhile when curated properly.
Thursday's prime example, at least as it appeared on my feed, was a seemingly random highlight from a 1978 Twins game — the only relevant time element for its appearance on this day being that it is the 72nd birthday of the primary participant, former Twins infielder Mike Cubbage — that I just couldn't stop watching.
After watching it a few times and sharing it with followers, a (brief) astute observation was returned from one of them:
So now here we are: Three ways that amazing play from the second game of a July 16, 1978 doubleheader at Fenway Park would be different if it happened today.
1. Indeed, it would have been overturned. Cubbage was pretty clearly safe, and thereby justified to be angry. The inning would have resumed with runners on first and second and one out. In this case, the Twins were trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning at the time and Baseball Reference says their win probability decreased from 43% to 36% just from that one play. They ended up losing 3-2, and maybe they would have won the game without that bad call (not that it would have mattered much in a 73-89 season, but still).
2. The bonkers reaction from Cubbage and manager Gene Mauch — he of the heroic bat-tossing as the video continues — would not have happened. That level of anger these days is usually reserved for arguments over balls and strikes, which are not reviewable. Had the play happened today, Cubbage simply would have signaled to the dugout for a review, the shot of Mauch would have been him on the phone, and cooler heads (probably) would have prevailed after the umpires gathered.
3. Not for nothing, but the aesthetic would have been so much different. Cubbage was a few days shy of his 28th birthday at the time but could have fooled people into thinking he was a 40-year-old librarian with those glasses. His feet-first slide back into first? Does that ever happen any more?
And I'm guessing someone might have told poor Cubbage not to stray more than about 16 inches off first base because where was he going, anyway? In his entire MLB career — including the bulk of his career spent during five years with the Twins compiling a .266 batting average and .715 OPS — he stole six bases and was caught 15 times.
The final kicker: Even with a minutes-long delay for arguments, bat-tossing and bat picking up, the entire game lasted 2 hours, 22 minutes. We'd still be in the bottom of the sixth these days instead of heading home at that point.
