Game 4 of these NBA Finals was a game of two halves - and two very different coaches.

In the first half, the Magic did exactly what was necessary to win the basketball game. In the second half, they did almost the opposite.

It was clear from the outset that the Magic had identified the only way they saw that they could win against the Lakers: hustle and effort. Out-hustle the Lakers on both ends of the floor, use Dwight Howard as the Windex Man, and stay aggressive on the offensive end with Turkoglu and Alston attacking the rim whenever a sliver of daylight welcomed them closer to the rim. Crisp ball movement lead to 4 wide open threes for Courtney Lee, who only nailed one of those shots to start the game, but it was obvious the strategy could work, and for the first half it did - sort of.

The thing is, even with the Magic drawing at least two fouls on Laker big men Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and a generally ineffective Lamar Odom, the Magic could only muster a 49-37 lead at the half. Dwight Howard's rebound total at the break was equal to that of the entire Laker team. And yet, if you're Phil Jackson walking into that locker room at halftime, you have to feel pretty confident.

Why? Rashard Lewis was a no-show. Stan Van Gundy played Dwight Howard all but 4 minutes in the first half, when the foul trouble on the Laker's top 3 big men could have been an opportunity to save Howard's strength for the second half while giving Marcin Gortat a chance to shred the likes of Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga down low. And if the Laker bigs, who were sitting on the bench with all that foul trouble, could come out in the second half and neutralize the effectiveness of a tired Dwight Howard, the game could be theirs if someone other than Kobe could hit some shots.

Just before the half, I commented to myself (since the only person in the room with me was my wife, and she was reading fan fiction online) that Phil Jackson had somehow managed to stay close in an abysmal first half through his usual patience - he did not give in to any temptation to put any of those big men in foul trouble back in the game, and allowed Kobe to try to just keep the team within striking distance until the break. And in the second half, it was clear his patience in the first half was rewarded.

Coming out of intermission, the Laker offense was crisp. Trevor Ariza lit a fire under his team, scoring 13 points in the third quarter, giving Kobe the help he sorely lacked in the first half. But the Magic came out in the second half looking much slower as a team. Dwight Howard was still running from end to end, but not quite as quickly as he did in the outset and for some reason, either fatigue or via a potentially questionable halftime adjustment, Rafer Alston wasn't looking to push the ball as hard as they did before the break. This allowed the Laker defense to recover quickly, stopping the ball movement that is the hallmark of Orlando's offense when running well. When it stagnated, Magic PG Rafer Alston began massaging the ball a little too much, prompting Stan Van Gundy to give in to the ultimate temptation that would lead to his undoing.

Instead of calling a timeout to coach up Alston and get his team flowing offensively, he substituted for him. Enter Jameer Nelson, the former starting point guard who missed most of the second half of the season due to surgery on his shoulder.

Nelson's game does not include much in the way of crafty moves toward the bucket, so with Alston absent, it left Turkoglu as the only Magic player capable of creating off the dribble. And as with every other appearance he's made in this series, Nelson's decision-making was erratic. In particular, he was late on several entry passes to Howard, who was still getting solid post position on Laker defenders even if he was getting to his spots a second later than he had been in the first half, and although Nelson logged 26 minutes of total time on the floor, he only mustered a box score of two points, three rebounds, three assists and one turnover.  Plus, his failed rotations are what left Laker guard Derek Fisher wide open from three to hit two key three pointers in regulation and overtime that sealed the deal for the Lakers.

Despite the errors of the head coach, the Magic still could have won this game. If they shoot better than 22-37 from the free throw line, they win - in fact, if Hedo Turkoglu makes his 4 key free throws he missed in crunch time, this team wins. If Rashard Lewis can hit anything from the field (and, for that matter, if he takes more than 10 shots in 4 quarters and overtime) they probably score enough to win. If they don't commit 17 turnovers, leading, in part, to 19 Laker fast break points, they win. And, I will submit to you if someone in a white jersey runs the floor hard enough to follow up Mickael Pietrus' missed layup late in the 4th quarter, the outcome of the game may have been different.

(Contrast that play with a very similar play in the first half where JJ Redick slips on his way to an uncontested layup and is able to toss the ball over his head to a trailing teammate who is able to finish the play. Where was the trailer in the second half?)

If you live by the jump shot, you die by it, both offensively and defensively. The Orlando Magic have to do some soul searching between now and game 5 to see if they can find the strength and energy to play a full 48 minutes on both ends of the court with the same energy they were able to muster in the first 24. And they have to decide which point guard they believe can lead this team toward winning three games in a row against a very determined Kobe Bryant and the rest of this highly talented Laker team.

Unfortunately for them, they have no more room for error. One misstep, and it all could be over. While I am not totally ready to write off Orlando in game 5, I think it's pretty safe to say their days are numbered.

I blame everyone.

I blame the media.

I blame John Madden.

I blame the Green Bay Packers.

I blame the Green Bay Packer fans.

I blame Brett Favre.

I blame me and you and every sports fan I know.

Because we created this monster, and now it just won't go away. We're all Dr. Frankenstein, and this one man will haunt us until the end of our days. We let this man get bigger than the game, and now he has a franchise and essentially an entire state of people who put more stock in who is the quarterback of their football team than they do the actual issues of the world.

People protested at Lambeau Field last week. Brett Favre's interview last night wasn't on ESPN, or even Fox Sports. It was on Fox NEWS. And it was the lead story instead of an interview with current Senator and Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain. As oil prices skyrocket, the housing market plummets, people lose house and home and employment, Brett Favre is the lead story on Fox News.

What the hell happened to this country?

I am a sports fan. I am a pretty avid one, at that. But I also take the time to read and pay attention to other things, like politics, the economy, and paying my own bills. I write a sports blog because I enjoy writing and I think I am particularly good at it. But I will never protest at the Metrodome if somehow the Twins trade Justin Morneau in his fading years (assuming they even spend enough to keep him that long). I certainly wouldn't be the television producer who chooses to lead with an interview with Brett Favre over a Presidential Nominee, and I sure as hell don't see why Brett Favre should be pandered to like this.

He's only one man - a man who happens to play a game for a living, at that. A man who now, it seems, feels if his image isn't included in the NFL logo (a la Jerry West), or at least in the Packer logo, his legacy is tarnished.

This may be an exaggeration, but I really am not so sure anymore. Brett Favre has spent this whole off-season going back and forth as to whether or not he wants to play, only to come to the final conclusion that, indeed, he is 100% committed to football just a couple of weeks before the beginning of Packers training camp. And he is stunned when he's told, "Sorry, Brett, but we've moved on."

He says he's fine with them moving on. Yet, if he's okay with that, why all this?

This should be seen as nothing short of unacceptable. But, here we are, with millions questioning what the Packers should do. Here Brett is, demanding not a trade, but an unconditional release, as he feels he has earned that right. He feels the Packers are not telling the whole truth about him. And yet, after hearing his interview with Greta Van Susteren, I am not sure what that truth really is.

Consider that Van Susteren is, in fact, a Favre family friend and an admitted Packer fan who owns stock in the team. Not surprisingly, he really didn't have anything to say of any real consequence, for there were no hard questions forcing him to do so.

He said he felt pressured into giving an answer, an "honest" one, back in March. But he knew - he had to know - that if he made that decision at that time and were to change his mind later, it would create nothing but trouble. But he did not seem to take it into consideration. He says, "It's unfortunate that it came to this." But he does not make the connection, conveniently, that it came to this because of HIM.

Favre did his best to do a little damage control while clearly attacking Packers brass for lying to the media and, thus, the public about Brett Favre. In essence, he blames the Packers organization, specifically Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy, for asking him for a decision too early for him to be able to make up his mind. Yet, he seemed pretty certain when he gave that tear-filled retirement press conference back in March.

Last night he was also abundantly clear on his current demands: "Give me my helmet, release me or attempt to trade me."

Van Susteren's comments to the AP ahead of the interview seem to indicate otherwise. From the AP story, Van Susteren said that, "while Favre said the Packers asked him for a list of teams to which he would accept a trade, he wants to be released to make sure he ends up on a competitive club."

Only in sports are employees remotely allowed to give demands of their employers. Even then, if they do make a demand, they should be prepared to get an answer they do not like (just ask Terrell Owens). However, Favre did not speak as if he were a subordinate. Favre spoke as if he were the owner of the Packers. He compared himself to Bart Starr in the interview and seemed to speak as if he were Vince Lombardi himself back from the grave.

This is partly true, if only because it is currently Favre who is haunting Lambeau Field.

As I said before, I do not just blame Favre for this mess. I blame us all for making deities out of mortals paid to play a game. I blame the "Brett Favre is Brett Favre" attitude people like John Madden trot out there not only to extol the virtues of a player, but to excuse their otherwise unacceptable behavior. And I blame everyone else connected to the sports world, for we have created the hype machine Favre is feeding off of, and nobody's truly called him out.

This may never happen, for Favre is insulated enough now to be able to pull a President Bush and choose who he speaks to and what softball questions he will answer, if any. Answers will never be extracted from this King of Beer Country. Why would you retire if you might have the itch? If you feel so entitled to making your own decision, why not tell the Packers you need more time and force them to leave the door open? Why agree to a press conference you know there's a chance will look like a sham within just a few months time?

Sadly, we know the answers, just as we all know where this is headed. Brett Favre will return to the Packers, lest the front office feel the wrath of their rabid fan base, willing to march on Lambeau Field rather than allow the team to make decisions on its own. And in a year, this whole drama will play itself out yet again, as the Packers wring their hands through another offseason and Favre sits in his home in Mississippi, sipping on a drink, riding his Snapper lawn mower, content to hold an entire organization hostage for one more year.

And the most we have gotten out of Brett Favre in this whole mess is a venting session with, basically, an influential fan....

They pressured me into a decision.

 

I wasn't committed then.

 

"Give me my helmet, release me or attempt to trade me."

 

Sounds like a lot of whining and demanding to me. This is, essentially, a tantrum from a 30-something millionaire quarterback. Brett Favre wants his way.When it's all said and done, Brett Favre will have whined his way back into a Packer uniform. Lucky for him, there's a lot of cheese up in Wisconsin to pair it with.

Good thing there aren't more important things going on in the world, huh?

 

 

 

Just when I think I can get a routine down on this whole blogging thing, life intervenes.

So, a day late and a dollar short, here it is...

I keep looking at this team, and I keep feeling something is missing. I know I have spent a lot of time talking about what the Twins could do to improve their chances of overtaking the White Sox and winning the division this year. It would be quite the feat to do so, considering all the talk that this team was "building toward 2010", and the simple fact that this team continues to hit insanely well with runners in scoring position without getting most of those runs off the long ball, which seems to be a staple of offense for every other team in the league.

Moreover, this team continues to win in spite of the continued struggles of Delmon Young, the undisciplined approach of Carlos Gomez and the disappointing year Micnael Cuddyer has had thus far, both from a health standpoint and a production standpoint . Plus, this team lost their set-up man for the year, forcing the rest of the bullpen to shift their roles and get used in situations they simply are not comfortable finding themselves in. Matt Guerrier is not a set up man yet. Brian Bass probably should not be in the majors. Jessie Crain probably should not be called upon as much as he has been, as this is his first season after major shoulder surgery.

Oh yeah, and this team has a ridiculously patchwork "platoon" manning third base.

Yet, here they are, within spitting distance of first place in the division, and most recently won 3 of 4 games against the Detroit Tigers, a division rival. This comes after a 3 game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox in Fenway. The bounce-back from that embarrassing series sweep might very well be a signal that this team is for real. However, the fact that they could not get a sweep of their own in the Detroit series, especially when they remained tied with the Tigers as they got into the 5th inning, shows there are still things missing from this ballclub.

I believe this team must address their killer instinct in the second half if they wish to propel themselves into the postseason and make any kind of significant run.

So, Bill Smith, GM of the Minnesota Twins, let's have a seat here. I would like to discuss a few things with you, if you don't mind.

You were with this team back in 2006, as an assistant GM under Terry Ryan. You watched this team make an improbable run to the playoffs, winning the division and earning a postseason berth against the Oakland A's in the first round. To some, getting Oakland in the first round might have been the better draw than to be in the wild card slot, taking on the Yankees.

Back then, however, some of us felt differently. This team thrived on being the underdog, being the little team that could. Had they had the opening matchup against the juggernaut Yankees, I believe this team would have answered that challenge as yet another mountain to climb and would have won that series. But that's a lot of "what-ifs". However, I think this attitude may be pretty similar this year, if the Twins continue this run and manage to somehow make it into the playoffs without any changes to the lineup or pitching staff.

What this team needs to take the next step and get into the playoffs and beyond is an infusion not only of confidence, but killer instinct. The utmost belief that when you go out on that field, you're not just looking for a chance to win, you're looking to beat the other team. You're taking this game from them and they will have to fight tooth and nail to take it from you. This is what great teams do.

How do you accomplish this?

For one thing, listen to your manager a little: bolster this bullpen. You acquire a set-up man who can help shorten the game to get the ball to Joe Nathan with the lead in the ninth. This need is even more acute since you have a manager who refuses to use Nathan in any other situation that might stretch him beyond the obvious "save" situation. Giving Gardy someone else to call upon in the 8thwho can shut opponents down will take care of this problem.

Knowing that opponents only really have through the 6th or 7th inning to get ahead of you is a gigantic mental boost, and certainly can affect this team's confidence level. Plus, having one more shut-down guy along with Joe Nathan could really boost the killer instinct level in this pitching corps, something particularly lacking in that bullpen. As a fan sitting either at home on the couch or in the stands, I feel a large amount of uneasiness whenever Gardy goes to the mound to call upon the bullpen. If I do not have confidence, as a fan, how do the players feel?

I think it is also time to start punishing your young players for not playing up to major league standards. This is not necessarily your province, but you might want to suggest it to your Manager, after you listen to him a little.

When Casilla blows play after play at second, sit him for a day. Let him think about how important defense really is to this ballclub. The same should be true for Delmon Young. Make him work harder on his defense, make sure he shows improvement in the field and at the plate, or else send him down and keep Denard Span in the majors.

In fact, perhaps this should be done with Carlos Gomez. He's flailing at the plate. The patient approach Casilla shows at the plate clearly has not rubbed off on his best buddy on the team, and yet there has been no effort to minimize the negative impact his recklessness has on the rest of the lineup and thus, this team's chances of winning. Move him to the 9th spot until he figures it out, or demote him to the minors when Cuddyer returns.

Accepting anything less than a winning approach to the game is not something a team should do at any level, in any stage of a building process. If you do not show your players that their continued mistakes will not be tolerated, they will not learn. There must be consequences for a clear lack of willingness to learn from one's mistakes.

What might help mitigate these factors would be some added pop to the lineup, particularly against left-handed starters, as your manager suggested. Craig Monroe has shown signs of life, but clearly is not a guy who can be counted on to produce on a consistent basis against righties. Mike Lamb's acquisition has been a bit of a bust. Making a move to acquire, say, Adrian Beltre might be a worthy endeavor. You lose nothing in terms of defense, and you add a solid, right-handed power bat at a power position. Not a bad move, depending on what you have to give up to acquire him and how much of his large salary you can get the Mariners to eat.

Making this kind of move would signal the exact opposite of the signal sent in the second half of last year, when this team clearly threw up the white flag and traded Luis Castillo to the Mets for prospects.  This would be a boon not only to the fan base, but I think to the rest of the team. Certainly your stalwarts in the middle of the lineup, Mauer and Morneau, would know that they will not be the only ones carrying the load as this team starts the pennant race in earnest. More firepower in the lineup breeds further confidence and the belief that the game is theirs and you have to take it from them.

This is killer instinct. It starts from the top. Teams that win championships do so because their front office has that instinct - the willingness to make bold decisions to take advantage of opponents' weaknesses while mitigating their own. The rest of this division is weak this year. The Twins are pretty strong, Mr. Smith. Make your team stronger. Show that this is not a stepping stone year, that you're willing to throw it away if the team does not win as currently constructed. Some tweaks and a slight shift in thinking could have you, Mr. Smith, as the GM who finally made the Twins a champion.

The first step toward winning a championship is always made from the top. Show your killer instinct, Bill Smith. Make some moves, hold some guys accountable and see if you can make this team a contender a year or two early. You might be glad you did.

I think your phone is ringing. You probably want to get that; it might be the Mariners calling back...

Twins fans, we got our wish. Manager Ron Gardenhire took Joe Nathan out of the deep freeze in all 3 ballgames thus far in their series against Detroit, and - wonder of wonders - they won all three ballgames.

Granted, each situation was practically tailor-made to bringing in the closer to get the almighty "Save" Gardy clearly considers when deciding whether to bring Nathan into the game. The only slight deviation was the first game of the series, when Nathan pitched the bottom of the 9th in a tie ballgame. However, given the amount the rest of the bullpen was forced to pitch in the previous series, thanks to Nathan's lack of use, he's the only guy with a fresh arm Gardy could have used in the situation. If you think Gardenhire clearly learned a lesson from the Red Sox series, I say no.

He did use Nathan in both save situations in the two following games, which I am sure gave Gardy much consternation. However, ensuring that you win this series is vastly important from an emotional standpoint. Win this series, especially if you win 3 in a row, and that sweep at the hands of the Red Sox might not sting so much anymore.

Yesterday's game looked like a pretty easy victory through the first 7 innings. Brendan Harris was having the game of his life, Joe Mauer hit a 2-run homer, and starter Scott Baker was humming along, looking set to potentially pitch through the 8th to hand the ball over to the bullpen with a comfortable 6-2 lead.

Then, Alexi Casilla's inexperience struck like that bad rash you keep thinking has gone away only to reappear on the morning of your big date with that girl from accounting you'd taken 3 months to work up the courage to ask out.

On a single to left by Tigers SS Ramon Santiago, LF Delmon Young fired the ball back into the infield to Twins SS Alexzi Casilla, who inexplicably fired the ball to first base to try to get Santiago out at the bag. Casilla's throw was way off the mark and went into the dugout, advancing Santiago to third. Perhaps Baker's pitch count, which was creeping close to 100, was the main factor, but one cannot discount the emotonal toll this one play must take on a young starter late in the game on the road. This one play completely rattled Baker and allowed Granderson's ensuing 2-run shot to occur. Suddenly, it's a 6-4 ballgame and an overused middle-relief corps was called upon once again to try to get the bell to Nathan in the 9th.

Even my much better half, God bless her, was asking the question Twins fans have been asking for a while now: why not use Nathan here? Now, this is a slightly different situation, since Nathan had pitched both the previous ballgames and threw a lot of pitches to get the save Friday night.

Let this sink in for a moment: such is the state of confidence we have in this bullpen here in Twins Territory. If it's not Nathan, all bets are off.

The bullpen certainly made things interesting, as Jesse Crain was able to get a big strikeout on Miguel Cabrera, but was lifted for LegoMan (seriously, Dennys Reyes looks like a lego), who let the runners advance on a wild pitch, which led to an RBI grounder by pinch hitter Ryan Raburn.

Brian Bass then came in for Reyes and, incredibly, pitched well to get Marcus Thames out to end the inning, leaving the ninth to Nathan.

But the Twins still had a chance to get some insurance runs in the top of the 9th. After Gomez weakly grounded out to right, Alexi Casilla roped a double into RF, a play that might have gone 3 bases had Casilla not hit the brakes as he was making his way around second. Perhaps Scott Ullger was giving him the stop sign, but the ball was not coming in as quickly as Casilla made it seem, thus he was at second, instead of third.

In a solid AB, Mauer struck out (props to Zumaya - Mauer does not whiff much), which allowed the Tigers to walk Morneau to pitch to the DH. Kubel comes in for Craig Monroe, with Zumaya, a righty, on the mound. A wild pitch advances both runners, so insurance runs are now in scoring position. Unfortunately, Kubel walked. Yes, I say it's unfortunate, because with the bases loaded, Delmon Young comes to the plate.

To say that Young does not exactly inspire confidence in clutch situations like this would be an understatement. And, this lack of confidence was not brought into question after Young struck out in a particularly ugly AB, flailing on a strike-out pitch in the dirt.

But Nathan closed the door in the ninth and Twins fans changed channels content that at least for one more night, they did enough to eke out the win.

But I'm a fan who has three wishes, and the Twins are my ever-frustrating Genie in the Lamp. One of them seems to have come true, sort of: Ron Gardenhire's at least decided to use Joe Nathan. Unfortunately, he's still only using him in obvious save situations, but at least it's something.

My other two wishes I shall bring in my second post of the day, as I finally have my second iteration of, and my first ever SUNDAY iteration of my Come to Jesus series.

Until then, go eat something. It's breakfast time.

Just for the hell of it, let's consider the possibility that the Twins might actually go shopping for some help to stay in the playoff race this year.

I know, I know. But I am in a dreaming mood. I spent all last night in my bed, dreaming I was playing in the World Cup. And I don't even like soccer that much. So I figure if I can spend a night dreaming I am a world class athlete, I can spend a few moments here dreaming that the Twins might actually try to go for winning a World Series instead of just hoping it falls in their collective laps.

Not surprisingly, we learned a lot about the Twins in the 3 game set against the Red Sox that concluded yesterday with a horrendous 18-5 loss. Most Twins fans will say this team desperately needs some more oomph at third base. While that is true, particularly if it's a right handed hitter at third, I get the feeling the Twins don't see it that way. They see their platoon of Brian Buscher, Mike Lamb, Nick Punto and a sprinkling of Brendan Harris as being good enough. Given the dearth of trade options at the hot corner, other than big names from teams whose asking price would simply be too high for the Twins, it's probably safe to assume the current 3.5 man platoon at third will be the procedure going forward.

What is abundantly clear after the sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox is that this team has to bolster their late relief corps (and really ALL their relief corps save for the underused Joe Nathan) if they want to stay in and win close ballgames down the stretch. Unless Gardy decides to FREE JOE NATHAN and give him the ball for more than an inning every once in a while.

Sweep notwithstanding, many eyes are on the Twins now, as they came off a ridiculously hot stretch and still sit just 3.5 games back from division leading Chicago heading into a 4 game set at Detroit before the All-Star break.

All the chatter from ESPN.com to other bloggers to columnists from the Star Tribune, says that many instinctively feel that this is the time for the Twins to try to make a move to stay in the hunt. Indeed, now is the time, as opposed to waiting until the Trade Deadline to try and wring something out of what's left on the market in the 11th hour, or worse - trying to make a move on someone on waivers after the deadline. Many GMs over the years have been quoted as saying moves you make get worse as the deadline gets closer, since the teams you're trying to deal with know you're up against a deadline.

If you peruse the list of guys Tim Dierkes over at MLB Trade Rumors has put together as possible relief trade bait as we go forward, you see some interesting possibilities. The A's, Rangers and Pirates all seem to have a lot of guys available, with the top options clearly currently under the employ of Billy Beane. Since Beane doesn't seem to like to play with the Twins front office, I'd doubt that anything will be done there.

A couple of former Twins made the list in LaTroy Hawkins and "Every Day" Eddie Guardado, but both men are far removed from their halcyon days experienced while in a Twins uniform. High impact they are not.

The moves that might be within the Twins reach (again, if they're even in the mood to make a move) all seem to come from NL teams that should be looking to sell. According to this list, the Rockies are not only looking to move Matt Holliday, but could also be willing to let go of relievers Brian Fuentes or Kip Wells. Given their fall from the highs of last year's deep run in the playoffs, maybe they're looking to unload some guys and make room for prospects for a relatively small return.

Perhaps Damaso Marte of the Pirates would be a good pickup? He's a lefty, which might give the Twins the option of sending Breslow back to the minors for a little more seasoning. Or, they could keep Breslow in order to have a couple of lefty middle relief options and send Bass back down to the minors where he belongs for now.

And finally, the Nationals are always in selling mode, so Jon Rauch could be an option. As Dierkes points out, he's racked up some saves in the absence of Chad Cordero (17, in fact), so he's shown he can put guys away at this level, albeit in the NL.

The Twins also have issues when it comes to putting guys in the right situation to perform mop-up duty if and when the starter has to get pulled early, as evidence by Boof's poor outing in relief of Livan yesterday. Peter Gammons made the comment on ESPN just a couple days ago that the trouble with finding good long relief on the market is that all the good long relievers are currently starters in the NL, and thus would come with too high a price tag. So there might even be options out there that might make Boof expendable, but one must be careful.

The question, as always, is whether the Twins front office is looking to make a move. One might glean quite a bit of knowledge in terms of the Twins thinking depending whether or not a move is made. If they do not make any moves to greatly impact either their lineup or their bullpen, it probably means they're going to wait and see if, more by luck than by effort, they make it into the playoffs by staying the course. If not, oh well, they clearly are not looking to stray off the course of building toward 2010.

If they do make a move, however, it shows that they are actually willing to take some risk to gain some larger reward. Twins fans might appreciate that, given the investment they have made into this team not only by putting their tax dollars into the new stadium, but supporting this team over their long home stand in the last few weeks. The surprising success of this team over the first part of the year has brought back quite a few fans who'd gotten fed up with this organization at the end of last season and decided against venturing to the Metrodome last August and September.

If the Twins want to keep those butts in the seats through the dog days of summer, they might do well to keep putting a competitive product out on the field in 2008. And Twins fans might have a little more to dream about as the summer rolls along.