So long 2007 Twins

I'll have more later about the playoffs, but I wanted to use this post to wish the 2007 Twins farewell and good luck this offseason. It was an unfortunate year of injuries and players not quite playing to potential. It was a year without Liriano and not much Mauer. It was however a year of great playing by Hunter and Santana, and even Morneau. It was a year in which Silva wasn't quite so bad. It was the year the Kubel broke out and started to look like a force on this team (though you wouldn't know it the way Gardy plays him).

I'm sad that the Twins couldn't do more this year to make the playoffs, especially considering the run they had last year. But I do have hope. Next year we'll have Liriano, and I have reason to believe that Baker, Garza, and Slowey will improve on their seasons. We may not have Hunter, but we may very well have some other good bats depending on how our new GM uses the money that Hunter wanted.

The Twins have a lot to improve upon. I can seriously say that I see this team either dominating next year, or falling to last. It's all going to depend on the postseason, but we can talk about that more later.

For now, let's relish the good moments, realize that the bad have come and gone, and remember this season as an unfortunate missed attempt to carry the magic from last year. It's someone else's year, but the Twins still have hope. May next year be better, and may they learn from their mistakes.

Go Twins!

New Low

Okay, I thought when the Indians left town for the last time, this team would finally relax a little and try to finish the season with a little dignity. However, Friday night I guess they had other plans.

Here's the weird thing, I didn't find out about Friday until Saturday night. I had noticed that the Twins scored 6 runs in the top of the 9th, but I went to bed figuring they had it won. When I checked the recap for Saturday's game and saw they lost, I noticed in the recap that they had lost 6 in a row. "That wasn't right, I thought. I knew about the 3 to the Indians, and the one to the Royals before that. But last night they were up 10-4, don't tell me they lost.

They did.

It's one thing to give up two runs to tie it against a first place team like what happened on Tuesday. But to score 6 and then give up 6. That's a whole new level of anti-clutch.

What the F happened to this team. Seriously. MVP and batting champ. Cy Young winner. Manager of the year runner up. How the hell could this team have fallen so far so damn fast. It's ponderous. It's f'in ponderous.

Two weeks ago we had just taken the third of four from Baltimore and the Twins were still hopeful to make a run for a playoff spot. Two weeks later the Twins have gone from contenders to a joke. I thought I had typed my last entry for the year. That they would just cruise along until the end. But this... this is something that can't be ignored.

This team needs a closed door meeting. Something. This is a freakin' joke. Who let this happen? Ryan? Gardy? Who? Pohlad? This team needs a kick in the pants, and quick. Ending the season like this would be tragic and pathetic. I certainly hope that something better happens quickly, because I don't want to head into the 6 months of offseason with this last month in my memory.

Surrender

Holy cow, have the Twins quit or what? I check the score this evening about midway through and the Twins are up 5-2. I check in again toward the end, and the Indians had tied it up. I knew, just knew, that the Indians would end up winning. Heck, they had won the last 4-5 games against the Twins. The end of our games against the Indians can't come fast enough.

I'm happy for Cleveland though. They've put a lot of work in that team and they have fought very hard for about 3-4 years. If anyone deserves a shot at the playoffs, they do. I wish them the best of luck. After all, someone has to beat the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels.

Speaking of, the blankety-blank Yankees are in the Wild Card lead. Again their cash has allowed them back into the race. I'm so freakin' sick of this team!!! Give them a payroll like all the other teams, and they wouldn't be able to compete. Because of them, the Red Sox are also overspending. This pretty much locks out Toronto, Tampa and Baltimore. And it drives up prices. Although to be fair, it's the record contracts to Zito and A-Rod (done be teams other than BOS and NYY) that really do it.

And to top it off, the freaking Cardinals (the Yankees of the NL (in playoff terms, not money)) are in the playoff hunt again, and they have no better a record that the Twins! What I wouldn't give to go back in time and send the Twins to the NL Central instead of the Brewers. Then of course, I would've gotten to see many more Twins games over the last 10 years.

Back to the Twins. I'm so disappointed. This team is better than this. Better than rolling over for the Indians. Better than losing this many one run games. They had both the MVP and batting champ last year, and their biggest problem is offense? Sheesh.

TR, you got your work cut out for you. We have pitching. Plenty of it. We don't need another Ponson or Ortiz. Or Rick Reed. We need a 3B. We need a CF (let's face it, Hunter's gone). We need a DH the likes of Pronk, Thome, or Thomas. We need some bats in that lineup. And we need them NEXT YEAR. At least for the Twins, there is next year. But not so sure after that. No telling what will happen with Santana and his contract. And that man deserves a WS championship with the Twins.

Sigh. Lots to get off my chest. Lots of frustration this season. And finally I can get interested in NFL again, after so many years of still being interested in baseball playoffs at this point. Too bad I'm so out of it that I didn't realize Addai of the Colts was one of the top RB's. Maybe I should do what I need to be doing, and that's studying for my next actuary test. Or spend time with my children. Or get a Wii. Or play more tennis. Or this or that...

Twins... I love you guys. But it's time to finish gracefully, and prepare for a 2008 that will blow everyone away.

Out.