FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Rocco Baldelli said that Saturday was probably the most nervous day that he's had in baseball. But over the course of a successful day, he made a pair of managerial debuts, avoided Florida traffic and -- most importantly -- dodged any pranks from old friend Kevin Cash during the Twins' 10-5 victory over the Rays in Minnesota's spring home opener.
"I settled in well and talked to all of our guys on the bench, and [bench coach Derek Shelton] and the rest of the guys were there," Baldelli said. "The highlight for me was, obviously, it was nice winning the game, but it was nice to see all the guys come out, play well, play with great energy. It was a really nice night here."
Baldelli had decided to attend both of the split-squad games scheduled for Minnesota's first day of spring play. His adventure started in Sarasota, where he made his Twins debut in a 7-2 loss to the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium at 12:05 p.m. CT.
But he wasn't there to watch the Orioles shake hands -- he was gone before the sixth inning so that he could make the 87-mile drive down Interstate 75 to Fort Myers with plenty of time to spare before the 5:05 p.m. CT nightcap against the Rays.
So, did half a game of experience soothe Baldelli's nerves a bit before the night game against his former team?
"I would say yes, a little bit, but you're also on edge because you never know what Kevin Cash is going to do," he said of the Rays manager.
Baldelli admitted that he did find his mind drifting at times into the Rays' dugout, with his old friends and colleagues, during the game.
"You know what's going on over there in some ways, so you do look over there and have those thoughts, because I know those guys so well," Baldelli said. "I have enough, certainly, to worry about, and we're focused on what we're doing in our dugout, too."
But even so, with the help of Shelton, his staff and his players, Baldelli took to his unfamiliar role in his own dugout. During his time with the Rays, he was on the bench with Cash and new Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, talking through situations and strategy while handling responsibilities for the outfielders and some baserunners. On Saturday, Baldelli began watching the game in a different way.
"It's hard to do and simulate, because when you have other roles, you have other responsibilities, so you're focused on those responsibilities," Baldelli said. "Now, the responsibilities have changed, and you're relearning a lot of things and learning a lot of things for the first time."
Cash had pledged to reporters in Port Charlotte on Friday that he would refrain from pranking Baldelli, but the new Twins skipper had made no such promises, and Baldelli didn't let his special day get in the way of a little fun.
Though he didn't go into specifics, Baldelli said that there were a "few things" that he did to Cash, including a photo collage of the Rays' skipper that appeared on the Hammond Stadium scoreboard for an extended period of time.
"I think it might be 1-0, us," Baldelli said. "The score certainly can change. ... It's fun, and I anticipate there will be plenty more."