Un-Terrific

Home field advantage for a one game playoff in the AL Central was decided by a coin flip. Do you know that it is a proven fact that this was unfair in my playbook? Why wasn't it the team who had a better record against the team they were playing? The Wild Card spot would go to the team with the better record against their division. The Twins and Sox had identical records against their division. Guess who beat the other team more? The Twins. Out of 18 games vs. CHW this year, the Twins won 10. How can home field be decided by a coin flip? I don't know if playing in the Metrodome would've changed the score, but it would've changed the atmosphere. Perhaps J. Morneau would've been at his best. Perhaps Cuddy could've beaten Griffey's throw. Definitely, Thome's bomb would've gone further.

Did anyone watch the game last night? Un-terrific is the best thing I can say about it. Honestly, I shed a couple of tears. Cal Ripken Jr. announced on TBS that he thought this would be a game ending 8-7. After 5 innings or so, he changed his mind and made the correct prediction that it would end 1-0. It would've been nice if the Twins weren't the 0 in that score.

ESPN proclaimed that they knew from the start that this was a rebuilding year. They cried for us about losing Torii and Johan. Admittedly, it was horrible news to lose those guys. Still, I hope I'm not alone in believing from the beginning of this year that it wasn't a "rebuiding season" for us. As far as I'm concerned, it never is. The Minnesota Twins are constantly a team of "young guys" scattered with very few veteran players.

You know that no one expected the Twins to win. When I say "no one," I'm talking specifically about the commentators on ESPN. When I say "win", I don't just mean last night's game. ESPN didn't expect the Twins to come close. Coming close is what I think everyone who watches Minnesota's professional sports teams expected. Minnesota teams are experts at "coming close".

It cannot be denied that this was a fantastic season. Even if I believed we would at least make it to the playoffs and even if this was based solely on faith and not on any sort of evidence, I remain a believer in the Minnesota Twins. If this has been a rebuilding season, the AL Central is ours next year. Maybe Young will hit bombs like he was supposed to. Maybe Frankie Liriano will keep his composure and maybe Carlos Gomez will stop swinging at every first pitch like a blind spaz. The young guys are veterans now. I'm talking to you, J. Morneau & J. Mauer. Justin, I know you don't like smiling or talking. Joe, I know you don't want to seem anything but humble and modest, but it's time to be heroes. You wasted your chances last night. It has to happen next year.

As an aside, congratulations to J. Mauer on the batting title. Let's face it; 10 A.J. Pierzynskis = 1 Joe Mauer.

You're the best, Joe.