Twin Killing

Less than one week ago, the Detroit Tigers looked as though they had taken care of business by splitting a 4-game series with the Minnesota Twins, and holding a 2-game advantage with 3 games to play. Four games and five days later, the Tigers went the way of their hometown economy, and there are no bailouts in baseball. Forget about bailouts, the Tigers could not even get calls they deserved, like when Brandon Inge's baggy shirt was clearly grazed by a Bobby Koppel pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th.

Even with this blatant error by home plate umpire, I still didn't feel bad for the team from America's armpit. Though I should, their football team just won their first game in nearly 2 years, their basketball team has quickly fallen from contender to also ran, and who cares how good their hockey team is, because its hockey. But I can't feel for a team whose leader was getting arrested after coming home drunk at 5am, the day before a game the Tigers desperately needed to win. How can you pull for a team with a leader who shows that much carelessness towards his job.

The Twins on the other hand, are a team I can support without much persuasion. They play the game the right way, get by with a limited payroll, and have had continued success under manager Ron Gardenhire. This is a team that just won 17 of their last 21 without their slugging first baseman, former MVP Justin Morneau. And even without Morneau behind him in the lineup, this year's MVP Joe Mauer has continued to carry this Twins team. This team of rag tags and vagabonds doesn't have the lineup to be in the playoffs, doesn't have the pitching to be in the playoffs, but they certainly have the heart, and they have the manager. Give me a team with heart, a great manager, and a wealth of confidence, and I'll show you a team with a chance to pull off the virtually impossible.

So while Minneapolis celebrates like crazy for the second consecutive night, and the Twins are enjoying a few adult beverages and a 3-hour flight to the Big Apple, the Yankees are sleeping comfortably in their own beds. Don't get too comfortable Yankees, because I have a few words of advice, don't sleep on these Twins.