Jackson is happy Twins still in business

The former Indians closer is reviving his career with Minnesota.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- Five months after the Minnesota Twins were targeted for elimination, no player is happier that the team still exists than 37-year-old relief pitcher Mike Jackson.
Had Commissioner Bud Selig been successful in eliminating two franchises during the off-season, chances are that Jackson, the former Indians closer, might have been one of the 50 major leaguers who would have become unemployed.
Instead, Jackson is trying keep his career alive while he seeks his fifth postseason berth since 1997.
"I'm thankful that things worked out that they didn't contract, and I hope they won't at the end of the season," Jackson said.
Not popular: Two months after the Minnesota courts ruled Major League Baseball could not contract the Twins this year because of the team's lease with the Metrodome, contraction isn't a popular subject in the Twins clubhouse.
"These kids aren't worried about [contraction]. All they are concerned about is winning," said Jackson. "We have a good team here but we can't control what the league does or what ownership does.
"All we can control is what happens on the field, and that's what we are focused on since spring training," said Jackson, the Indians' closer in 1998 and 1999.
"Whatever is going to happen is going to happen regardless of what we feel."
A non-roster invitee to spring training, Jackson said he was happier than most of his teammates when teams reported to Florida and Arizona in February.
"It was a relief for me period because I didn't know if I would be going to spring training," he said. Jackson missed the entire 2000 season with a shoulder injury after he signed with the Phillies as a free agent.
Revived career: Last year, Jackson, who had 94 saves with the Indians from 1997-99, revived his career as a setup man for the Houston Astros, posting a 5-3 record with four saves.
Released by the Astros, Jackson felt a sense of relief when the Twins decided to take a chance on him.
"Once we realized that this team wasn't going to be contracted, I think everyone settled down and felt relief knowing they weren't about to go to another club or not even playing like myself," Jackson said.