Reusse: Figuratively — and literally for some — the power went out on the MLB All-Star Game swing-off

We live on the dark side of the street in our first-ring Minneapolis suburb. Let’s just consider the past decade. I’m guessing the average is 4 1/2 nights per summer when our power goes out and you look at the houses across the street and into the cul de sac, and you know what can be seen?

Lights. Maybe the glow of TVs.

And when it’s a storm that takes out a big area for a substantial length of time, our covey of homes are always the last to have the power return.

On Tuesday, with the long summer days still upon us, I started watching the All-Star Game. Some rain had occurred, not an actual storm, and that had passed. As Paul Skenes was about to walk to the mound for the National League, there was the telltale flicker, then poof, there went the power.

Even if I hadn’t been watching TV at that moment, I would have known this from the aspersion offered by the bride from the upstairs viewing area. It was loud enough to conclude that she must have been watching an episode of “The Valley,” the latest hit on Bravo revealing flaws in America’s privileged youth.

We can all agree on this, can’t we? Major League Baseball would be much better off in its outreach if Andy Cohen had been its commissioner for the past decade and not Rob Manfred.

As for Xcel: While I’m hopeful that getting out of the burden of paying naming rights at the St. Paul hockey arena somehow will improve its reliability over here near Hwy. 100, it must be admitted they are quick with cellphone updates as to when a customer can expect a return to power.

The first estimate was 9:30 p.m., causing me to go old-school. I got in the vehicle, turned on the game and drove around a couple of lakes. When I got back, we had power and I settled in to watch the conclusion of the All-Star Game.

There it was, in living color: the American League’s brilliant, Byron Buxton-led, two-run rally to tie the game in the top of ninth. Buxton, the fastest player in the league, slaps a ball past first base and you know it will be a double. Bobby Witt Jr., maybe the second-fastest, performs the same slap with the same result.

That’s some old-school ball right there, and Steven Kwan follows with a trademark, two-out chop hit to bring in Witt from third. Then, Aroldis Chapman arrives — 37, and back throwing 100 mph with a minuscule ERA as the closer for the Boston Red Sox.

And for those who still take daily note of the Grand Old Game, Boston fans are having a good chuckle at the sight of the Red Sox going into the All-Star break with a 10-game winning streak, in third place in the difficult AL East and one game behind the Yankees.

Most of the baseball “insiders” saw it as a blunder when the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to San Francisco on June 15. Wrong again, insiders. Devers, still owed $250 million and pouting in Boston about being moved off third base with the signing of Alex Bregman, has been a disaster for the Giants: .202 and two home runs in 109 at-bats heading into Friday night.

Meantime, manager Alex Cora and the Red Sox have a hot streak, young talent and a 37-year-old closer back on a possible Hall of Fame track. And after Chapman blew away the NL in the bottom of the ninth, here came the Big Reveal for most of the nation (including me):

There would be a swing-off to decide this once-terrific showcase. Only item missing was a movie clip of Cameron Frye and Ferris Bueller sitting along the left field line, harmonizing, “Hey, batter batter batter batter … Swiiiing batter," as an introduction.

“Great,” thought many viewers: “We’ll get to see a possible muscle contest between Shohei Ohtani for the NL and Aaron Judge for the AL to decide a winner.”

Or maybe not, since Ohtani and Judge both had been subbed out early and had private planes waiting at the nearest airport. The hint you might not see baseball’s biggest two in a first-ever swing-off was Judge offering his post-start interview in street clothes.

The geniuses in Manfred’s brain trust who approved a tiebreaking swing-off as an All-Star decider in 2023 might not have remembered the part about the biggest names starting, leaving after a couple of at-bats, and not being likely to do both of these things:

Which it wasn’t, until our guy Buxton gave himself an opportunity for an All-Star Buck Truck after that leadoff double.

I would like to give you my deepest thought on what seemed blasphemy for the grand All-Star history of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron and Rod Carew and Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson, but just as Tom Verducci finished with a quick interview of AL leadoff swinger Brent Rooker, our power went.

Estimated return 1:30 a.m., read the Xcel message.