Some thoughts:

I think when the 2008 season is through, the Minnesota Twins will prove to be the perfect laboratory example of what a .500 team looks like. As of this date, they stand/sit at 23-24, 3.5 games back of the red hot Chicago White Sox. The optimist would say, "You know, the Sox have won 7 straight, but we're only 3.5 games back!"

This is also the kind of fan who was excited about the fact that a .500 team could sit in first place in their division.

The Twins rank 18th in the majors in runs scored, with 209. They have allowed 219 runs, which ranks 13th in the majors. That this team is only a game under .500 with a -10 run differential means there are a few blowouts in there, so a .500 record is probably a good indication of what kind of team they've been this year. Thus the Twins are contenders so long as the rest of the division underachieves. As Chicago is proving, any team that can right the ship and get hot has a chance to leave everyone else in the dust fairly quickly.

The recent series against the Texas Rangers was particularly frustrating and might be a microcosm of the season so far.

The Twins took a wild one in the first game of the series in a 7-6 thriller, with recent call-up Bobby Korecky being the hero of the day, taking the Win and getting his first major league hit of his career and the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an AL game since the DH rule came into effect.

The Twins' buzz didn't wear off in the next game, as the Twins clobbered the Rangers 11-4. Not only did the offense get going, but the Twins were afforded the luxury of resting the bullpen that night, with Perkins throwing 6 1/3 innings before turning the ball over to Brian Bass to finish the game. Bass was the only Twins reliever who did not work the game the night before, so the Twins were able to rest their bullpen for a night.

With a day of rest for the relievers and a 2 game win streak, the Twins looked in good shape to be able to take this series heading into Wednesday night's matchup against last year's requisite Twins FA bust, Sidney Ponson. Instead of the shellacking most of the fans in the Metrodome expected, Ponson and Twins starter Nick Blackburn engaged in a surprising pitcher's duel through a lightning quick first 5 innings.

Just as I was thinking, "Man, something's got to give," Blackburn and the Twins defense unraveled and the runs started coming. Incredibly, Manager Ron Gardenhire, he of the relatively quick hook this season, picked this game to let Blackburn pitch out of the jam. Unfortunately, Gardenhire miscalculated and Blackburn's stuff (and confidence) was gone. The Twins thus spotted the Rangers 4 runs and 2 runners on before starting the bullpen. By the time Rincon got the third out, 7 runs crossed the plate for Texas.

With that kind of blunder, I didn't even have to check the scores during my day yesterday to know that the Twins would inevitably lose and allow the Rangers to escape with a series split. Had Gardenhire pulled Blackburn at the first sign of real trouble, the Twins might have gotten out of the inning with only those first 4 runs on the board. Not a great situation, but not as insurmountable as a 7 run deficit. Plus, given this team's hitting deficiencies (i.e. the inability to hit the big homer in the key situation), a 7 run deficit can seem like a 10 run deficit.

Losing that game hurt. You know it had to. And the hangover from letting a series-clinching game get out of hand like that can be particularly bad for a young ballclub. Younger players can get too high on the highs of the game and too low on the lows. That the Twins didn't get rocked again yesterday is the only real surprise.

As if to further prove the point that this team is as good as it is bad, the Twins lost a 1 run game to end the series yesterday, mirroring the start of the series in reverse fashion. Now the Twins hit the road, heading back to Detroit for a 3 game set against the Tigers before another 3 at Kansas City. All these division games should give the Twins a chance to stay ahead of the rest of the pack in the division while staying close to current leader Chicago. This will only happen if the Twins can shake off that ugly end to their last series, get rid of the errors and stay out of the big innings on defense. We shall see.

It was the 4th inning, I believe. We'd just watched Nick Punto botch a play in which he smacked a bunt attempt off home plate which allowed the catcher to nail the runner at third. Making matters worse, Punto didn't run out of the box and thus got doubled up at second.

A possible big inning on the ropes, with a runner at second and 2 out, Carlos Gomez gets in the batter's box, his solo-jack the only run in the ballgame. After his first, violent, "oh my god, son, slow down before you bust a rib" swing, I look to my fiancee and my best man who are sitting to my left, and I say, "Holy shit! He's trying to win the game all by himself!"

I really should have bought a lottery ticket yesterday. Or something else that would have been more useful to me in the long run in terms of prognostication. For yes, Carlos Gomez practically crushed the White Sox all by himself, but all I got for it was the joy as I went to bed, knowing that the wheels had not come off for the Twins during the previous game.

Speaking of: no, Gavin Floyd did not 1-hit the Twins. The Twins only got one hit all by their lonesome. Floyd was like that guy at the bar who just happens to take the seat next to the insanely hot sorority girl who's piss drunk because her boyfriend just broke it off with her. Yes, she might take you home and you might have the best night of your life, but it's not because you're some good looking, irresistible peace of man-meat. It's because she's making this mistake all by her lonesome.

Yes, I just compared the Twins to a drunko sorority girl.

But back to Gomez and the cycle. Just a day after the Twins looked like a bunch of guys from AA taking their hacks after September call-ups, last night it looked like they knew what they were getting from Buehrle - especially Gomez and particularly in his next at bat after that triple.  He jumped on that pitch, it wasn't just a wild swing that happened to connect. Gomez is on a tear since getting a day off on April 23. Did he see something he'd missed in all those games previously, or did the day off slow him down just enough to help him get his head on straight? One never knows.

I know this - Buehrle looked like hell on that mound. Nothing was working. Look, when Nick Punto gets 5 RBIs on you in a night where he gets doubled up in a key situation on a botched bunt attempt, you know you had a bad, bad, bad night. Putrid. Horrendous. Worthy of trying to break a bat in the dugout.

To add insult to injury, Buehrle couldn't even do that right.

In contrast, Livan pitched a complete game. 'Nuff said. 

The Twins are looking solid, winning 6 out of the last 7 without Ron Gardenhire in the dugout. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. I can't bring myself to pile on a guy who just lost his brother. Can't do it.

Whatever - just keep running, Carlos! And hey, can you loan me some money to buy a lottery ticket? I have a wedding to pay for....

I was glad to see Boof pitch well last night. The curveball was working better than it had in any of his previous starts and made the Sox hitters look way off balance. When mixed in with his fastball, Boof clearly was able to stay a step or two ahead of Chicago's lineup all night last night. It was easily his best outing.

It was also very nice to see Delmon Young draw a walk in the late innings (a rarity) and catch Kubel hitting another homer. Joe Mauer got a triple (you know, good things happen when you get the ball out of the infield) and for once the offense was on top of the ballgame early enough to allow the starter to relax on the mound and just pitch.

But Boof really was the show last night. The key was, he kept his pitches down. Even his mistake pitches stayed low in the zone, which helped keep Boof in the game for 7 innings, good for the starting rotation's first win in 10 days.

Given the load the bullpen has had to bear in recent games, a long, quality start was key to the Twins having a chance at performing well in this home stand, something the team really needs early on while the entire division struggles out of the gate. If they can duplicate this kind of performance against the Sox again today and use that momentum through the series against Detroit over the weekend, the Twins have a shot at staying in the thick of it at least into the middle of the 2nd month of the season.

I'd be lying if I said I thought that was possible at the start of the year. Good thing for the Twins their mediocrity is contagious and seems to have affected the entire division. If the Twins can get some games on teams like the Sox while everyone's big boppers continue to struggle, it might extend the Twins' relevance in the division even further into the season.

The one ball Boof left out to dry got crushed into the LF home run porch by 3B Joe Crede, who is having a big-time year this year. Watching that home run, I am again reminded that the Twins, despite every effort by Jason Kubel and the occasional Justin Morneau sighting, continue to be a poor team in terms of slugging.

The Twins feel UNIBROW is turning out to be a solid addition at third and in last night's game he did deliver an RBI on a sac fly that provided an extra insurance run late. But the numbers are not as stellar as the spin out of Twins camp would make them seem. One still has to wonder why the Twins were reluctant to dip into the pool of proven every day third basemen that were available this offseason.

There are still guys available, as Ken Rosenthal's recent article suggests. Yes, the current crop of top names includes two players who are in the same division as the Twins, which would make a Brandon Inge or Joe Crede trade unlikely, but there were a lot of names on the third base market in the offseason like Miguel Cabrera, Scott Rolen, Troy Glaus, etc. While everyone else was swapping these big names, a 2nd tier trade could have been made that might have improved the Twins more significantly at that position. 

(No, UNIBROW did not qualify as a 2nd tier guy in the offseason and barely rates as one now, even if the Twins are pleased with his performance to date. Perhaps things seem more solid when compared to Nick Punto at the same position a year ago. Really, a .235 OBP is not sterling by any means.)

The schedule should also help the bullpen rest their weary arms. The day game today precedes an off day on Thursday, followed by a night game against Detroit on Friday. The same is true of the space between the closer of the home stand and the night game on May 6th against the Sox in Chicago. If the Twins can get another good start out of Nick Blackburn that goes into the 7th and (hopefully) beyond, the 'Pen might be in nice shape to stare down the demon that is the Detroit Tigers lineup.

My next post will probably be a double bill, with my first true Come to Jesus article and a bit about my bachelor party on Saturday night as an added bonus.

Until then, say it with me, Twins fans...BOOOOOOOOF!!

Along with my stunning analysis/journal of this summer's Twins adventures, I am also going to start a new feature on this space: my weekly "Come to Jesus" talk.

Given the nature of sports these days, I have absolutely no doubt that on a weekly basis at least one sports figure will say or do something that under normal circumstances (and no, I would not say making a living as an athlete is considered a "normal circumstance") would prompt someone - a parent, mentor or boss - to have a long chat with them on how to quit doing the stupid thing they are doing and get headed in the right direction.

Fittingly, my "Come to Jesus" feature will generally be posted on Sundays. But I thought I'd give you a little preview today. I was watching last night's laughable Eastern Conference matchups, flipping between Detroit deciding to play like a contender for a night and Boston smacking around Atlanta. In particular Mike Bibby seemed woefully overmatched.

Granted, much of Bibby's problems were self-created. Not only were the Boston players (particularly Rajon Rondo) particularly keen on stopping him, the Boston crowd, which is always known for civility and grace, took to booing Bibby every time he touched the ball. Why, might you ask?

If you were under a rock the last couple of games, you might have missed it. Mike Bibby, the point guard the Hawks acquired around the trade deadline as part of a push by their front office to make this team more competitive en route to the playoffs, had some choice words for Boston Celtics fans following their game 1 loss. Bibby's keen analysis of the Boston crowd was limited to saying that the bulk of the people backing Boston these days are just jumping on the bandwagon. Naturally, Boston had some issues with this. Atlanta thus got properly bitch-slapped on the court last night, though that probably would have been the result anyway.

So Mike...come have a seat...

First - if this is what you have to do to be OK with all the shit you're getting from the crowd, hey, that's your prerogative.  Why go to the media about it? Why must you be yet another idiot who goes out after a loss and gives the opponent even more bulletin board material? It's not like they needed any extra motivation to hand you your ass in this series to begin with. Why make it harder on you?

Second - You do realize you play for Atlanta, right? You're not in Sacramento anymore, and this is not the early part of this decade. Both organizations you have played for in the last few years have been pretty lame in recent memory. Hell, your current organization hasn't been in the playoffs since Lenny Wilkens roamed the sidelines and Dikembe Mutombo was under the age of 40.

That last playoff appearance was in the lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season, when the Hawks went 31-19 and were bounced from the playoffs in the 2nd round. That season, the Hawks average attendance was a respectable 13,273, vs. the league average of 16,738.

In the 10 seasons that followed, the Hawks were flat out bad, never reaching a .500 record in that span with a rock bottom .159 win percentage in 2004-2005. Average attendance that year? 14,456. To put a finer point on that, the percent of capacity that represented in their home court was an anemic 72.3. Only Charlotte had a lower percentage of the seats filled for their home games. This season, the Hawks averaged 16,280 fans and a percentage of 86.9. Note that the Hawks organization actually had a shot at the playoffs this year with a .451 record.

(That's right, in the East you only needed to win 45% of your games to extend your season.)

That win percentage was above 40 for the first time since 2002 and (not coincidentally) the percent of butts in the seats was above 80 for the first time in that time span. So, given these numbers, clearly Hawks fans were just jumping on the bandwagon this season. Why not call Hawks fans out as well?

I know, I know...last year you were playing for Sacramento, a franchise and city known throughout the league as one of the best home crowds around. Perhaps your comparisons to your old stomping grounds would bear out that, indeed, Boston fans are bandwagon fans and nothing more. Surely Sacramento fans will stick with your team through it all, through fat times and lean times, right?

In 2005-2006, your Kings made the playoffs in the tough Western Conference on the strength of a 44-38 record, but lost in the first round. The attendance at Arco Arena ranked 14th in the league with an avg. of 17,317. Your team also sold 100% of their seats.  Good job, Sacto.

Last year, your Kings did not make the playoffs, finishing with a 33-49 record. Still, Sacramento fans filled the stadium, and 100% of the seats were sold. Kills my argument, right?

I say there are some mitigating factors here: the Kings may have finished dead last in the division, but the teams you played were much more of a draw and your win percentage was almost .100 above that of woeful teams like the 2006-2007 Celtics, meaning fans had more of a chance to spend their money to come see a game and see their team play well, perhaps even win. Plus, your team was still only 3 spots out of the playoff mix. One win streak combined with a fortuitous losing streak from one of the teams ahead of you, and you're right in the thick of it.

Let us also not forget that you played in Sacramento. What the hell else is there to do in Sacramento??

Now, this season the team you started out with, the very Sacramento Kings I lauded just a few sentences ago for having the best fans in the NBA, finished 27th in attendance. Your old home averaged 14,150 per game and only 81.7% of the seats being filled. The win percentage was .463, but the Kings finished 10 games out of the playoff hunt. Are the fans in Sacramento fair weather? Yes. Should you have called them out, too? No. The thing is none of this is unusual. This is how fans spend their money. Unless you're the Chicago Cubs, fans pay depending on how you play.

I realize this point might be lost on you, being that you've earned approximately $68M in your career, but the Average Guy has to be a little careful about the money he spends. He probably has a mortgage, he has a car he has to gas up, he wants beer (both at the game and in his fridge), but that's getting more expensive due to a hops shortage, he wants a lot of things. Life's just getting more expensive. If he's going to drop $30 on a basketball game (at least - for cheap seats), he wants his money's worth. It's understandable, if you know what it's like to actually pay attention to things like price tags.

So Mike, do yourself a favor. Take your tail, put it squarely between your legs, go back to Atlanta and shut up. Try making a three pointer, thank your fans for paying the tickets that pay your salary, and try helping your team win a game or two. Maybe a few more of those "fair weather fans" will be in those seats next year to root you on to another early playoff exit. Now, suck it up and go shoot some threes. Good talking to ya.

Oh, thank you, Carl Crawford. You were the only reason I continued watching that atrocity of a baseball game last night. 

My "loyal readers" will be pleased to know that I did get beer last night. Unfortunately, that sojourn to the liquor store along with an unplanned stop at the nearby video store to peruse the bargain DVD bin meant I did not sit down to take in last night's Twins...Rays...contest until the middle of the 5th inning, which was just after the...Rays...proved Mr. Bonser's nickname to be onomonopoeic in terms of the sound I make every time he takes and then leaves the mound after getting "Boofed".

Luckily, I had a nice, cold (light) beer in my hand as I watched Carl Crawford take the batter's box.

Maybe I did not make it clear enough in my last post, but I am fairly certain Carl Crawford may be the dumbest major league player in terms of "Baseball IQ" not named Manny Ramirez. I was so happy to see Crawford get picked off at first base, it almost took away the pain of watching the Twins slog through the game, down 4 runs.

The Twins might have gotten back into the ballgame, had Delmon Young been able to continue a rally that found him at the plate with M&M boys occupyng first and second. Get a double, and the lead is cut in half. However, Young seems to be fitting into his Twins uni just fine, as he promptly grounded out to end the inning.

I am becoming concerned with how Delmon Young seems to look more like just another Twins slugger-turned-slap-hitter thanks to Joe Vavra's instruction. During spring training, that kid was driving the ball and (wonder of wonders!) actually found a couple of those balls making it past the warning track and into the seats. Now that we've started this season, it looks like he's trying to perfectly mimic Joe Mauer's penchant for keeping everything on the ground. This is NOT what the Twins need Young to be doing. If they are actually interested in winning games, they need their guys to be looking to make big hits in big situations. That entire AB, Delmon wasn't using his legs, wasn't swinging with authority, nothing indicated he felt he was free to try to make this a ballgame. It looked like he was trying to mash that thing into the turf.

I find with my newfound fandom all the frustrations fandom can (and often does) bring into one's life. All the armchair observations I could make in the past with a certain amount of objectivity are more acute and painful now that I really care about the outcome of every game. And thus, I come to realize that the Minnesota Twins and their coaching staff simply might not care much about winning games anymore. It seems they are in the midst of a stubborn quest to force everyone to play the "Twins Way". They care more about being the "little guys that can" than actually getting the job done. And it's already starting to piss me off.

But, it's Friday. I can't get down too much. And Carl Crawford got picked off at first. So my night wasn't a total waste.