Thanksgiving is upon us once again.

We all know that Thanksgiving is supposed to be about families and turkeys and a rapidly-depleting supply of shopping days until Christmas.

In the minds of baseball fans, Thanksgiving is just a pit stop between the end of awards season and the beginning of the Winter Meetings.

I’ve decided to combine the more traditional Thanksgiving festivities with my burning need for more baseball.

In doing so, I’ve created a list of things that the Twins have given me to be thankful for in 2009.

Check out the special Thanksgiving slideshow at BleacherReport.com.

Jason Kubel is finally where he belongs, at the top.

After a career-best season in 2009, Kubel, 27, proved to be one of baseball’s premier designated hitters, working at a considerably lower rate than many of his contemporaries.

At this point, however, Kubel isn’t worried about getting a big payday.

That will come in time. He’s still young and has plenty of time to earn David Ortiz or Travis Hafner money.

For now, he seems content to be healthy and guaranteed a spot on the roster.

That may seem odd, but it hasn’t always been this way for Kubel.

In 2004 he was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Year after posting an impressive .352/.414/.590 line with 22 home runs, 100 RBIs, 42 doubles, and 16 stolen bases.

He destroyed minor league pitching all-year long, working his way up from Double-A to Triple-A, and eventually earning a September call-up.

In the majors he put up an impressive .300/.358/.433 line in 23 games and continued to establish himself as one of baseball’s most promising young hitters.

Kubel was so highly-regarded within the organization that he was placed on Minnesota’s postseason roster for the club’s first-round clash with the New York Yankees.

Kubel saw limited action in the postseason, but showed the poise and demeanor of a player who belonged in the big leagues.

After the Twins were eliminated, Kubel went to play in the Arizona Fall League to prepare for Spring Training where it was believed he would compete for the right field job.

It was during an AFL game that an outfield collision with AFL teammate Ryan Raburn changed Kubel’s career trajectory forever.

The collision caused severe ligament damage, including a torn ACL and meniscus. It was described in some reports that Kubel’s knee had “exploded” in the collision.

Then-general manager Terry Ryan didn’t try to cut any corners when describing the injury to the media.

“It’s a bad deal,” Ryan said. “It’s going to be a long ordeal.”

Those pointed comments led many to question whether or not Kubel would ever make it back from the injury, let alone play at anywhere near the level he had before.

Kubel underwent major reconstructive surgery on his knee and missed all of the 2005 season while recovering from the career-threatening injury.

He showed some improvement by Spring Training and was named the club’s Opening Day right fielder in 2006, but struggles relegated him Triple-A by mid-April.

Back in the minors he put up good—but not great—numbers and appeared to regain his once-vaunted stroke at the plate.

Kubel returned re-joined the Twins in May and put up solid numbers, hitting .291/.324/.485 in the first-half. It appeared as though he’d taken the express lane on the road to recovery.

Unfortunately, his surgically-repaired knee proved it couldn’t handle the strain in the second-half as his numbers slipped badly, to .163/.209/.233

In the end he was limited to just 235 at-bats, as a result of lingering knee pain.

He finished the season with a disappointing .241/.279/.386 line and just eight home runs and 26 RBIs.

Kubel knew as well as anyone that 2007 would be an important year.

After fading down the stretch the year before, he showed up with the intention of proving himself healthy and capable of playing every day.

Early in the 2007 season, his performance, or lack thereof, left many wondering if the knee injury had completely destroyed his career.

After his weak finish in 2006, Kubel hit just .237/.287/.301 through his first 100 at-bats in 2007, however, he seemed to finally get things on track in mid-May and hit an astounding .283/.349/.492 over his final 100 games.

By season’s end, Kubel had appeared in 128 games and garnered 418 at-bats, bouncing between designated hitter and left field.

Despite the shaky start to the year, he put up a solid .273/.335/.450 line with 13 home runs, 65 RBI, 31 doubles, and even managed to swipe five bases.

It appeared that he was well on his way back to the top.

In 2008, Kubel became the club’s permanent DH after Minnesota acquired left fielder Delmon Young from Tampa Bay in the offseason.

It was in that role that Kubel began to thrive. With less pressure on his knee from not playing the field he appeared in 141 games and received 463 at-bats.

Kubel made the most of those at-bats by posted a career-best .272/.335/.471 line with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs.

His big 2008, prompted the club to sign him to a two-year, $7.2 million deal that bought out his remaining arbitration years and contains a $5.25 million option for the 2011 campaign.

Kubel showed his gratitude for the investment by busting out in a big way in last season.

He set career-highs across the board by appearing in 146 games, tallying 578 at-bats and posting an imposing .300/.369/.539 line with 28 home runs, 35 doubles, and 103 runs batted in.

He was ranked among the top designated hitters in all of baseball last year. In fact, he was statistically neck-and-neck with Toronto’s Adam Lind for the best in all of baseball.

Kubel finished third in total runs behind Lind and Boston’s David Ortiz. He finished just behind Lind in nearly every other category including home runs, RBIs, doubles, total bases, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Five years ago, it looked like Jason Kubel’s career was over before it had ever really begun.

Today, he’s finally reached the end of the long road back and can look forward.

And rumor has it the view is pretty good from the top.

Thanks to the TwinsMVB.com post about fans’ allegiance to the team or the player and conversations with friends, I have been mulling over and over the idea of Joe Mauer one day leaving the Twins. Understand, this is not a nice, easy daydreaming topic. But, so it goes with the neurotic and obsessed.

I will not be so bold to stand on the side of the player OR the team. I just haven’t made up my mind yet. But the upcoming drama that is Joe Mauer’s decision on where to play after 2010 has forced me to at least think about where I might be leaning.

Let us consider the facts. First, Joe Mauer has two shiny Silver Slugger Awards next to two Rawlings AL Gold Glove Awards in his bloating trophy case – award sets that are consecutive. He is in the running, and some would argue is the front runner, for the AL MVP Award as well. Not to shabby for a Saint Paul kid out of Cretin-Derham Hall. Second point, Jorge Posada and Jose Molina, together, ALMOST make up a descent catcher. This, of course, makes the nightmare almost complete. Joe Mauer in…gulp, pinstripes.

Okay, slow down. We’re not there yet. Mauer will be merchandised with a high price point come the 2010 offseason, assuming the Twins don’t lock him up during the 2010 season. With the Yankees lack of real presence behind the plate, despite Posada’s brilliant postseason experience, they will undoubtedly be after him and one of the only teams unmoved by the sticker shock.

So, what about us small market fans here in Twins Territory? What do we think? Do I keep my allegiance to Mauer despite the possible pinstripe suit choking the life out of him? Or do I keep my allegiance to the Twins and the I-Hate-The-Yankees club (soon to be an expansion team)?

A friend of mine argued that any supporter of Joe Mauer should want him to go to the Yankees so he can get his rings and championships. However, that shows more Yankee bias than baseball logic. I found his logic A BIT flawed as the Yankees, though paid in full for their championships, are not the only team able to win a World Series. If they were, then send Mauer over there, as his performance at the Major League level has earned it for him. The Twins have Morneau, Cuddy, Kubel…four twins with 20+ homers, a still-improving leadoff man hitting over .300 and real production in the RBI column. Acquiring J.J. Hardy from the Brewers shows that the Twins are in it to win it. If Mauer were to stay with the Twins, it would be because he believes the organization can bring a championship back to Minnesota.

Now, let’s move into Yankee Fantasy World and say that they WERT to win every World Series trophy for the rest of Joe Mauer’s career. I would undoubtedly encourage his move to New York. As a player, Mauer has earned the right to be part of a championship team. I just happen to think that championship team is going to be the Twins very soon. I also think Mauer will feel more satisfaction from building that team than joining it.

I still don’t know if I’m more a fan of a team or a player, and using Mauer as a debate platform hasn’t worked out too well for me. But as I keep thinking about it I may have more ideas to dribble out.

The American League's best offensive player? Sure, in bizarro world.

In a postseason rife with egregious umpiring mistakes and base-running gaffes it was perhaps the fans who turned in the worst performance of all, selecting Derek Jeter as the American League’s Hank Aaron Award Winner. Now, if this award was given to the third or fourth best Yankees’ player every year that wouldn’t be an issue, but the Hank Aaron Award is supposed to be given to the best offensive player in each league. The award is voted on by fans at MLB.com who narrow down a field of 90 players to the final two recipients, but judging by the shocking results, BCS computers must have been involved somehow. How else could a player who had the worst OPS (on-base plus slugging) of any Yankee infielder win the award for best offensive player?

It’s not like Derek Jeter was bad in 2009 as he finished the season with a .334 average, 18 HR’s, 66 RBI’s and 30 SB’s. Jeter ranked 3rd in the AL in both batting average and OBP, while finishing 4th in runs and 7th in SB’s. Those are fine numbers for any player, but perhaps a bit magnified by the spotlight that always shines on the New York Yankees (it wouldn’t be the first time something Jeter did was blown wildly out of proportion). To put Jeter’s stats in perspective his Hank Aaron Award counterpart in the NL, Albert Pujols, finished with the following stat line: .327-47 HR’s-135 RBI’s-16 SB’s. Sure it’s apples and oranges, but clearly Jeter’s numbers (which he posted while playing for the game’s best offense) weren’t that overwhelming.

In a perfect world Joe Mauer would have won the 2009 Hank Aaron Award. Of course in a perfect world, there wouldn't be Yankees fans.

In fact, here is a list of the players who finished ahead of Derek Jeter in OPS: Joe Mauer, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeria, Ben Zobrist, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Adam Lind, Kendry Morales, Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, Jason Kubel, Carlos Pena, Michael Young, Evan Longoria, Shin Soo-Choo, Jason Bartlett, Justin Morneau, Hideki Matsui, Torii Hunter and Robinson Cano. That’s right, Jeter was fifth on his own team in OPS and couldn’t even crack the league’s top-20. Granted OPS isn’t the only way to tell how effective an offensive player was, but it is a good indicator of a batter’s combination of power and plate discipline. So, the league’s “best offensive player” finished behind J.D. Drew, Jason Bartlett and Shin Soo-Choo…well that just doesn’t quite add up.

But if Derek Jeter wasn’t the AL’s best hitter, then who was? It could have been his teammate, Mark Teixeria, who after a slow start, hit .292 with 39 HR’s and 122 RBI’s. Or, it could have been the upstart Ben Zobrist, who despite 130 less at-bats, finished with more HR’s, RBI’s, extra-base hits and an OPS 70 points higher than that of Jeter (not to mention his 17 SB’s, 91 walks and ability to play at multiple positions). Any number of players could have laid claim to being the AL’s top offensive performer, but one man stood head and shoulders above the rest. A man revered for his sideburns, sweet swing and love of all things American. A man who breaks more hearts in day than Mola Ram does in a lifetime. A man named Joe Mauer. While that  kind of hyperbole is normally saved for Jeter, the season that Mauer had was nothing short of historic. The 26-year-old catcher hit .365 with 28 HRs and 96 RBI’s, even though he missed the first month of the season with back problems (suffered while. Joltin’ Joe led the AL by a wide margin in batting average, slugging, OBP and OPS, all while playing Gold Glove caliber at the game’s most physically taxing position.

Joe Mauer had one of the best offensive seasons of the past few decades, and arguably the greatest ever by a catcher, but failed to garner an award he rightly deserved because of the media’s (and dimwitted Yankees’ fans) never-ending love affair with Derek Jeter. It’s not all that surprising, but let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen when it comes time to hand out the MVP.

I waited a few days so I could read most of the reports on the great Friday night comeback for the Yankees. Most of the talk in the papers, on the sports talk radio stations and on television was about the missed call and how it cost the Twins the game.

Too many people now are wanting instant replay for even more baseball plays, but I thought we were stopping at only home runs. Technology creeping into the game, like Democrats saying the new Health Care Plan won’t cost very much…now, but wiat a few years when they need even higher taxes. Pretty soon replay will be wanted for close plays at first, every close tag on every steal attempt and every play at the plate. Might as well have a TV monitor right behind the home plate umpire so he can consult things quickly.

But no one mentioned that Phil Cuzzi’s call had no affect on the game’s outcome, and all the great baseball plays and performances Friday night played second fiddle to “the mistake.”

Alex Rodriguez hits a bottom of the ninth two-run homer off the Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan to tie the game, breaking his “drought” of clutch post season baseball, Mark Teixeira then hits a game-winner homer two innings later to win the game. That was important for Tex, because although he had a great, MVP-type season, New York fans incorrectly legacy your time in New York based upon how you do in the post season. Tex got the monkey off his back well before that animal was even born.

Other big plays included Nick Swisher throwing behind Carlos Gomez, with Derek Jeter getting that tag out on Gomez before Delmon Young crossed the plate on Nick Punto’s fourth inning single. Kudos to Jeter for being in the right spot on defense once again, and for Swisher noticing Gomez’ base running blunder. 

Also, David Robertson’s great pitching job in getting out of that bases-loaded jam in the top of the 11th inning might have been the biggest moment.

However, many people think that Robertson never should have had the opportunity to get out of that jam due to the missed call on Joe Mauer slicing drive down the left field line. The ball glanced off of Melky Cabrera’s glove, landed in fair territory and bounced into the stands.

The ball was called foul and no one on the field argued for the Twins. Mauer eventually singled in that at bat, but if the correct call was made by umpire Phil Cuzzi, there is a big difference in having a runner on second with no outs than on first.

Right?

Absolutely. After all the Twins then hit two straight singles after Mauer’s hit, so he definitely would have scored the go ahead run.

Maybe, but probably not.

If Mauer was correctly awarded a ground rule double, there would be a runner on second and no outs. As I said earlier, a much different scenario for the Twins…BUT ALSO FOR THE YANKEES. Do you really believe the Yankees would pitch the same way with a runner on second and no outs rather than a runner on first and no outs?

No way. The Yankees would realize that only a single would give the Twins the lead and their best way to get out of the inning would to get a double play. I venture that if the Yankees were in that situation, they would have pitched around the next hitter Jason Kubel while they had that garbage reliever, Damaso Marte, on the mound.

They would not have allowed Marte to even get a sniff of the strike zone against the power hitting Kubel, even if it was lefty versus lefty. At best, Marte would throw four straight pitches far away hoping Kubel would chase. The Yankees would rather have had the strike out machine David Robertson (yes, that is I who sponsors his BR.com page) face Michael Cuddyer with runners on first and second.

This would allow a better chance for a strikeout, and a good possibility of a double play if Cuddyer hits a ground ball.

So, the basic situation would be the same whether Cuzzi made the correct call or not. Kubel would not have had the chance at getting a hit, but would have been awarded first base when Marte threw the fourth straight pitch out of the strike zone.

The Twins would have had first and second with no outs, Cuddyer coming up and Robertson coming in to pitch.

It is the same situation the Twins (and Yankees) were in AFTER the blown call.

And Cuddyer singled to center field and the third base coach held Mauer at third base, even with the weak armed Brett Gardner now manning center field.

Mauer was held for two reasons. First, the Twins had the bases loaded with no outs, no reason to risk getting Mauer thrown out at home with no outs, even with the weak armed Gardner in center. Second, Mauer was suffering from a sore hip, one he aggravated during Game #163 against the Detroit Tigers when he slipped and fell around first base on a ball into right field. But no one really knew about Mauer’s injury until after the game.

After Cuddyer’s single the Twins went in order with no runs scoring due to the great pitching of Robertson and good defense by the Yankees.

The same situation which happened with Cuzzi’s bad call. 

Many people have said that because of the bad call, Mauer would have been on third with Kubel’s single and would have scored on Cuddyer’s single. What is not understood is that the game changes upon every at bat and many times with each pitch. What a certain batter does at the plate determines how the offense (and the defense) plays the next hitter, whether it be pitch selection, pitch location and defensive positioning.

So, if Mauer was correctly awarded second base, the Twins still would not have scored a run in the 11^th inning.

But even if Mauer was sent in by the third base coach and scored, and the Twins tooka one runlead into the bottom of the 11th, do you really think the Yankees would have settled and only scored on Teixeira’s leadoff home run?

Me neither.

What we read while trying to remember who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year…

• Josh has written about Michael Pollan in the past. In the NY Times Magazine’s food issue, Pollan offers some “rules to eat by”, a preview of his forthcoming eating manual. He goes against type and suggests eating only heavily processed foods. Just kidding… Also in the food issue is a piece of the fascinating Calerie project.

• Putting aside our affection for superlatives, we’d prefer it if Esquire had named Kate Beckinsale just “Among the Sexier Women Alive” instead of going all-out. Nevertheless, she knows how to rise our lycans, if you know what we mean. (And no, we can’t believe that was the THIRD Underworld movie and there’s already a fourth in production, either.)

• Speaking of sexiest thises and thats, check out Deadspin/Jeff Pearlman’s humorous account of how Chiefs’ quarterback Elvis Grbac was accidentally named People’s “Sexiest Athlete.”  The last sentence of People entry was “His personality makes him attractive.” Unfortunately (and somewhat surprisingly), Tim did not spot a single Grbac jersey during his adventure at Arrowhead Stadium earlier last weekend.

• Speaking of Deadspin (we’re on a roll with the transitions), they detailed the seedy underground of NBA scorekeeping, where not everyone plays by the rules and the figures don’t always add up.

• In his review of Bored to Death, Tim mentioned how a bright yellow cover design (and a startling author’s name) led to the purchase of the funniest book he’s ever read. He did not mention that he often doodles possible cover designs for his hitherto unnamed and unwritten (and really unconceived) novel. Needless to say, he enjoyed this contest to re-design the cover of Vladimir Nabokov’s classic (and another very funny book indeed), Lolita.

• John S is obviously happy about the Yankees sweep of the Twins, but it’s good new for everyone (here meaning AL fans), since it means we no longer have to hear from TBS’ Chip Caray, who Joe Posnanski (and the rest of sane America) cannot stand. Speaking of the Yankees and American sports writers, Wright Thompson’s piece on the most expensive seats at the new Yankee Stadium is worth it for the pictures alone.

• And the final word on that Yanks-Twins series: This is the real reason Minnesota was so upset about Phil Cuzzi’s blown call down the left-field line. Who knows what Jason Kubel could have done with Mauer on second?

The Twins and the Tigers are so tied they need an extra game. And they tie that one as well, all the way to the twelfth inning. Throughout the game, one side or the other looked like it just about had things won, only to see the other team claw back. It was a closely fought and balanced a contest as baseball can deliver.

The Twins emptied their pockets and threw everything in. The game took all the players, from the bench and the starting lineup. Here’s what they did.

Alexi Casilla

After not starting in at least three weeks, he’s brought in as a pinch runner and ends up delivering the game-winning RBI in a sweet and simple single to right.

Nick Punto

With the bases loaded, snared a groundball from wily, troublesome Brandon Inge in the twelfth and threw home to force an out. Moments before, Inge ‘s uniform seemed to be grazed by a pitch that would have walked in a run, but the umpire didn’t make the call.

Justin Morneau

Having helped win at least 70 of the team’s 87 victories that made the tie possible, sat happily on the bench to cheer, and hugged Joe Mauer under a cascade of champagne in the clubhouse.

Scott Baker

Pitched six tense innings, with two strikeouts and two walks. Allowed an RBI single from Magglio Ordonez, followed by a world-deflating two-run homer in the third by Miguel Cabrera for the first runs of the game, but picked himself up and avoided a meltdown. Went back to allowing harmless fly ball outs for three more innings.

Denard Span

Singled in the third to advance Matt Tolbert, who would move on to third on a sac fly and then score the Twins’ first run on Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello’s throwing error.

Jason Kubel

Hit a solo homer in the sixth to bring the Twins to within one run, trailing 3-2.

Michael Cuddyer

Hit triple to open the tenth inning, right after the Tigers had gone ahead on an RBI double from wiry, pesky Brandon Inge. Cuddy’s hit was no rocket to leftfield, but he powered around the bases like a runaway train, launching the whole inning.

Brendan Harris

Drew a walk in the tenth following Cuddy’s triple. Merely avoiding an out counted at this stage of the game.

Matt Tolbert

In addition to scooting home on an error, hit an RBI single in the tenth to answer the Tiger run from the top half of the inning. It was only enough to knot things back into a tie, but it kept the game alive.

Joe Mauer

Hit a lonely double that left him stranded in the first inning and, admittedly, didn’t particularly rattle Porcello. Stood firm at the plate, eventually earning a walk, during Porcello’s errant pickoff throw that allowed Tolbert to zip home. Followed Cabrera’s homer in the seventh with a single, but didn’t ignite a further rally. In essence, drew attention away from the lightweight players; looked serene all game long.

Jon Rauch

Part of Ron Gardenhire’s quick-on-the-trigger relief approach to winning the game, got his two men out in relief of Baker in the seventh.

Jose Mijares

Kinda blew it. Brought in to face Curtis Granderson, who has nearly apocalyptic trouble hitting lefties this season, and permitted a single. Gardy switched over to Mijares after only two outs from Rauch, ready to empty his bullpen to keep the game in reach. At this time, Detroit led 3-2. Mijares had every stat working for him, but Granderson outfoxed him in a long at-bat.

Orlando Cabrera

With a two-run homer in the seventh, put the Twins ahead 4-3, their first lead of the game. His home run swing just about lifted him out of his shoes.

Matt Guerrier

Relieved Mijares and shut down the scoring threat in the seventh. Fresh from that triumph, started the eighth by allowing Ordonez to clobber a home run to tie the game all over again. Got one out, then walked two. The whipsaw from joy to sorrow in this inning was harrowing.

Joe Nathan

Summoned in the eighth, with one out and men on first and second, score tied. Ridiculously scary situation. Faced tattooed, deadly Brandon Inge, and got a pop out. Faced surprisingly productive Gerald Laird and struck him out. Went on to complete the ninth, with the tie intact.

Jesse Crain

Started the tenth, fully aware that he’s several notches below Nathan but that it was now very much his turn. Gave up an RBI double to surrender the lead to the Tigers. At rock bottom, saw Tolbert hit the single that scored Cuddyer and re-tied the game, then started the eleventh.

Ron Mahay

Brought in with the same assignment Mijares had—giving Granderson an intimidating lefty to face. Struck him out swinging.

Bobby Keppel

Obtained what would be the last four outs, earning credit for the win. Survived a stomach-churning top of the twelfth by dishing out a walk, single, and intentional walk, then facing gritty, dangerous Inge. Brushed Inge’s jersey with a pitch that the umpire did not register, then served up the infield single Punto would turn into a fielder’s choice out at the plate. Finished the inning with a strikeout of Laird. Would have mopped brow but for bald head.

Carlos Gomez

Stayed patient enough to single, leading off the twelfth inning; was careful enough not to try a steal against Gerald Laird, instead advancing to second on Cuddyer’s groundout; ran fast enough to score on Casilla’s single; slid crazily enough across home plate to make a highlight reel.

Jose Morales

Struck out twice. And you know what? We forgive him!

Delmon Young

Made outs. But received an intentional walk in the twelfth to bring up Casilla, who would hit the game-winning RBI. So you know what? We’re happy Young was in the game!

Mike Redmond

Circled the field with the rest of the team after the win, wearing one of the instantly provided Central Division Champions T-shirts and hats that Major League Baseball wants everyone to buy. (The Tigers’ versions will be sent to a relatively impoverished nation with low baseball savvy and limited opportunities for Americans to encounter the patently false sartorial claims.)

Brian Duensing

Looked adorable drenched in champagne, and without, for now, a care in the world about starting against the Yankees tomorrow in New York.

And now there are four outcomes left, and three of them are favorable. Hold onto that for a moment: three of them are favorable. If the Twins and Tigers both win Sunday, there’s a deciding game 163 at the Metrodome. Same if the Twins and Tigers both lose.

If the Twins win and the Tigers lose—which would require the odds-stretching outcome of three-game sweeps by both the Twins and the White Sox—the Twins take the division at the last possible minute, having never been in alone first place before.

And then there’s the fourth possibility, a Tigers win and a Twins loss. That would end it right there, break the tie and break the spell. But for now, there’s still a last possible bit of magic.

It felt like it took magic for the Twins to escape two mighty perils on Saturday. They faced Zach Greinke, who’d beaten them five days ago. Greinke isn’t just pitching to be a spoiler, he’s pitching for the Cy Young award. The only stat hindering his case right now is the win total, so getting another W is crucial. The entire Royals team wants to help him toward that trophy.

Facing him is Nick Blackburn, going on three days’ rest. It looks like a matchup tilted wildly KC’s way. But both pitchers are equally masterful for six innings, and the scoreless void felt as big as the inflated Metrodome. Then it was Greinke who cracked.

Joe Mauer got the hit that busted open those zeroes, scoring Nick Punto on a single. It was a long, careful at-bat, the mirror of last week’s showdown between Greinke and Mauer—the one that Greinke won with a K. This time, Mauer, converted a Greinke fastball into a base hit.

It looked like the inning was going to contain just that painstakingly put together run, built from Punto’s walk and Denard Span’s sacrifice to nudge him onto second, and Orlando Cabrera’s groundout that parked him on third. But the Twins had more in store.

Mauer’s hit unlocked something in the game: he put doubt in Greinke’s mind. With two outs, Jason Kubel doubled and then Greinke hit Michael Cuddyer to load the bases.

If you want to win a Cy Young, you’ll have to face more than a few of these situations, and bend them to your will. Greinke may still get the award, but it won’t be for this inning—he gave up a mighty three-run double to Delmon Young. Twins 4, Royals 0, most formidable pitching obstacle overcome. Greinke was finished after six innings.

The Royals tallied a run via a solo homer from Mike Jacobs in the next inning, but the 4-1 lead was comfortable enough for Blackburn to start the eighth. And once again the perils of baseball are made manifest. For to put it simply, baseball is not easy.

Miguel Olivo doubles to lead off the inning. It’s a walloping hit that bounces back off the rightfield wall to become a ground rule double instead of the homer it more closely resembled. Ron Gardenhire is in no-chances mode, so Blackburn is pulled after great and glorious service.

Lefthander Jose Mijares comes in to face Alex Gordon. Both players have intermittent success, and interludes of trouble. Mijares can shut down a string of batters, then flail to find the strike zone. Gordon has potential seething from every pore, but has yet to rack up the stats to match. So, who will prevail today?

It’ll be Gordon. He lofts a home run to right, scoring Olivo as well. The Twins’ lead is down to one.

Then it’s erased altogether. After Mijares allowed the next batter to reach on a single, Jon Rauch lumbered up to the mound. This inning now has the distinct tang of failure, but Rauch might be the right man to put a stop to that. He’s a giant presence up there, and he likes to throw strikes.

Which, in this instance, can be swung on. Willie Bloomquist singles to fill the corners. There are no outs, and if we don’t get a few right now, there will be no tomorrow either.

Rauch bears down. Mitch Maier hits a double play ball, but those two outs are poor consolation for the run that scores. The game is tied.

Rauch gets the third out against formidable Billy Butler. There’s a lot to feel good about—it’s only a tie, Butler’s been stopped in his tracks, and this immense inning is finally over. But it feels like a turning point, and not turning a happy direction. The second peril of the day rises up—we’ll have to do more than beat Greinke; we’ll have to beat the whole team.

In the bottom of the eighth, we see the difference between playing a game and playing for your life. The Tigers won’t start their showdown against the White Sox until tonight, but they’ll end up playing tight and tense. And losing, for a second time.

The Twins faced the toughest pitcher they had to beat to keep their improbable run alive, and they kept him from winning. And in the eighth, Michael Cuddyer came up to the plate and took an extremely pretty cut, looked high off to left and tossed his bat aside with joy.

Home run, Twins ahead to stay.

Playing loose, like there’s no tomorrow.

Minnesota Twins (87-76) at

New York Yankees (103-59)

(RIDICULOUSLY BIASED) OVERVIEW

The Yankees are the best team in the AL, but they’re taking on the Twins, who just completed one of the most incredible comebacks to win a division (down three with four to play). Fortunately for them, that makes them hot. Unfortunately for them, that makes them spent. I can definitely foresee an’03 Yankees World Series type situation, where the Twins feel as if they’ve already won their crown just by getting this far. Plus, the division race has left their rotation a little out of whack, forcing them to use rookie pitcher Brian Duensing in Game 1.

THE LINEUPS

As I insisted repeatedly earlier this week, the Yankees have the best lineup in baseball. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez are the best three-four hitters in the league, but the lineup is also deep with seven guys who have over 20 home runs. A lot of that, of course, is due to the new Yankee Stadium, but a lot of it is also great production from guys like Nick Swisher, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano.

The Twins, on the other hand, have Joe Mauer, the best hitter in the league in 2009, but not much beyond that. Justin Morneau is hurt. Their second best hitter now is Jason Kubel who, though he did have an impressive season in ’09, is not going to strike fear into a lot of pitchers’ hearts. And the fact the Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert and Jose Morales are all getting significant numbers of at-bats is not all that intimidating.

THE ROTATIONS

The Yankees have a lot of questions around their rotation heading into the post-season. CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte both finished the year with disappointing starts (and Sabathia still has that “Can he do it in the post-season?” question hanging over his head after bad performances in 2007 and 2008), and A.J. Burnett had been shaky since early August before apparently settling down in his last four starts. Let’s not even discuss Joba Chamberlain, who was so unreliable that the Yankees chose the longer division series in order to avoid using a fourth starter.

Thanks to this, the Twins will actually be able to use their three best starters after Duensing goes in Game 1, although not in the order they would probably like: Scott Baker, their most consistent pitcher all year who they’d probably like to guarantee at least one start, won’t go until a possible Game 4. Nick Blackburn will be available for Game 2 on Friday, and ex-Yankee Carl Pavano (vengeance game!) can go on Sunday in Game 3. None of these names worry Yankees fans the way seeing Justin Verlander twice would have, but none of them are pushovers, either. If each of them can give the Twins six or so good innings, they can hand the ball off to a great bullpen.

LINGERING QUESTIONS

TIM: Jason Kubel had 27 home runs this year. And you call this a regulation league?

JOHN: Yeah, that shocked me too. I was all ready to call him one of the weakest hitting DHs in recent memory. But I guess he’s blossomed.

TIM: Don’t Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn sound like character names from The OC or any show on the CW?

JOHN: Probably Gossip Girl. I can definitely see a Nick Blackburn trying to steal Blair Waldorf away from Chuck, or Scott Baker becoming Dan’s rival for Serena. The bigger question: Is anyone who’s reading a MLB preview post going to get those references?

TIM: The Yanks beat the Twins all seven times this season. How’d the regular-season sweep work out for you last time in the Division Series?

JOHN: Would have been great if not for those damn bugs.

TIM: Doesn’t the Metrodome and the fact that the Twins seem incapable of losing an elimination game there scare you?

JOHN: Not really.

TIM: I watched that game against the Tigers; how exactly did the Twins finish fourth in the league in runs?

JOHN: I know I should say “small ball” here, but it’s really Joe Mauer. You’ve got to appreciate Joe Mauer. People talk about pitching around Pujols in the NL, but even when Morneau is healthy, there’s a huge drop-off from the Twins best hitter to their second best.

TIM: What’s a Yankee fan’s attitude toward the Division Series these days? You more or less dominated it for a while, and now you’ve lost three straight—the last two in fairly surprising fashion. How disappointing would it be to lose this one?

JOHN: I’m terrified of the Division Series at this point. I desperately want Bud Selig to expand it to seven games; losing in the division series hurts so much more because it’s so quick and anticlimactic.

TIM: How much more disappointing would it be to lose this one in three, with Carl Pavano shutting you out in the clincher?

JOHN: I’m mainly just upset that if Yankees sweep, they’ll have to exact revenge on Pavano for the $40 million he essentially stole from the team on the road.

TIM: Your prediction?

JOHN: You serious? Yankees in a sweep.

Yankees Need a Big Postseason From CC

The Yankees are back in the playoffs after finishing 3^rd in the AL East last season. The hottest team in baseball may be the Minnesota Twins, winners of 17 of their last 21, including an extra game in extra innings. Do they have enough talent to match their momentum?

The Red Sox seek their third World Series title in six seasons, but can they get past the Angels, who are talented and inspired by the loss of Nick Adenhart?

With apologies to the other sports, there’s nothing better than the baseball postseason. Here now, is a quick look at each Division Series, with some predictions.

Minnesota vs. New York

The prevailing thought is that the Yankees will trounce the Twins. After all, they went 7-0 against Minnesota during the regular season, and the Twins just clinched their spot last night, then had to fly to New York to play game one in a span of 24 hours. This should be an easy series for the Yankees.

However, the Twins are on a roll. Jason Kubel and Mike Cuddyer are not household names, but they have stepped up their offensive production in the wake of Justin Morneau’s season-ending back injury. Denard Span is the type of pesky, base-stealing player similar to others who have given the Yankees fits in recent postseasons, like Chone Figgins of the Angels. If the Twins’ bats continue to hit well, they’ll have a chance against the Yankees.

Like the Twins, the Yankees can swing the bats. Their lineup is the deepest in the game. Derek Jeter has received some attention as a potential MVP candidate, yet he is 8^th on the team in slugging. Unless the entire lineup goes into a slump simultaneously, the Yankees will put runs on the board.

Where the Yankees have a big advantage over the Twins, in theory, is in starting pitching. Their entire rotation, led by C.C. Sabathia, has the ability to go deep into games if need be, and get key outs via the strikeout. The Twins don’t have a true strikeout pitcher on their staff, relying on contact outs, and their rotation is largely untested in playoff situations.

The Yankees also have the superior bullpen when compared to the Twins. Joe Nathan has struggled against the Yankees for his career, and the rest of the setup men enter this series having expended a lot of energy getting the Twins this far. With Joba Chamberlain relegated to the bullpen for this series, the Yankees can trot out Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera late in games to protect leads and win ballgames. It’s a simple formula that will provide a simple result: Yankees in three.

Boston vs. Los Angeles

The angle many are taking with this series is that the Angels’ basestealing prowess will overwhelm the Red Sox catchers and give them the advantage in the series.

The problem with this theory is that the Angels can’t steal first base, they need to get on via a hit or a walk. With Jon Lester and Josh Beckett slated to pitch in the first two games of the series, that will be a difficult task for the Angels’ lineup to accomplish. The Angels could capitalize with their speed against Clay Buchholz and/or Daisuke Matsuzaka, but by then they could trail 2-0 in the series.

Both teams are capable of scoring runs in bunches. The Angels have improved at drawing walks, and their lineup is built to sustain long rallies. The Red Sox were one of the top offenses in the game, despite the well-chronicled struggles of David Ortiz. Right now, Ortiz is hot, and the combination of he, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Bay in the heart of the order could provide the Sox with some big innings.

The big difference between these teams is in the bullpens. Brian Fuentes of the Angels led the AL in saves (48), but he blew seven opportunities and struggled with his command for much of the season. The rest of the Angels’ bullpen has been mediocre, which is a departure from previous seasons.

Meanwhile, Boston can rely on power pitchers Billy Wagner, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon with leads in the late innings. While Bard has allowed a few big home runs down the stretch, his fastball is tailor-made for postseason dominance; he could be the breakout player of the postseason.

If Boston pitches as they are capable of, this could be a short, sweet series for Red Sox Nation. I’ll take Boston in 4.

With the Minnesota Twins finally claiming the final spot in baseball’s postseason with last night’s 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers to claim the American League Central title, the playoffs have finally been set. Of course, that means only one thing: it’s time to make predictions!

Of course, those predictions will likely go up in smoke almost immediately after I post them, but so be it. Someone has to be willing to make them – I might as well put myself out there and endure the ridicule.

With that out of the way, its on to the predictions:

National League:

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies:

The Phillies come into the playoffs with a few question marks – most importantly in their bullpen, which was the reason, ironically, that they won the World Series last year. The Rockies, on the other hand, have rocketed through the final weeks of the season – much like they did back in 2007 when they stormed to the World Series.

Despite losing talented starter Jorge De La Rosa for this series because of a groin injury, I like the Rockies to make it through this series. Despite the powerful Phillies lineup and the 1-2 punch of Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, I think the Rockies have enough depth through their lineup and bullpen to find a way to win the series. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they’re hot.

Winner: Rockies

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals:

The Dodgers have scuffled mightily down the stretch, and have as many questions as anyone at this point. Chad Billingsley has had a rough few weeks, and their offense has also had question marks up and down it.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are armed with two great players anchoring their lineup in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, and they have three excellent starting pitchers with Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Joel Piniero. The one Achilles heel that they have, however, is the back of their bullpen, where closer Ryan Franklin has been a train wreck lately.

I’m still going to take the Cardinals, though, because I don’t want to be on the other side of Pujols and that starting rotation.

Winner: Cardinals

American League:

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels:

The Red Sox have seen their pitching staff round into form of late, with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz pitching as well as any group in baseball. Combine that with a reinvigorated David Ortiz and midseason acquisition Victor Martinez, and the Red Sox are again ready to contend in October.

The Angels also have a strong team once again, with John Lackey and Ervin Santana anchoring their rotation and Cuban revelation Kendry Morales anchoring their lineup. They do, however, have a much weaker bullpen than in the past, starting with Brian Fuentes, their closer, who isn’t nearly as good as the departed Francisco Rodriguez, whether he had over 40 saves this season or not.

These two teams seem to meet every year in the playoffs in the division series, with the same results – the Red Sox knocking off the Angels. I think that’s going to happen again this year.

Winner: Red Sox

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

The Twins have stormed into the playoffs, winning 17 of their last 21 games (including last night’s win) – all without their second-best player, first baseman Justin Morneau. But they’ve gotten huge contributions from players like Jason Kubel, Denard Span and Michale Cuddyer that have helped carry them in Morneau’s absence, and, as always, the pitching staff is consistent.

The Yankees, on the other hand, are well rested and confident, as they probably should be. But there’s no doubt that they have some serious problems. Their starting pitching could be a mess – CC Sabathia has been more than shaky in the postseason, A.J. Burnett is already getting into his own head, as the Yankees revealed when they took one of their better hitters out of the lineup in Jorge Posada to allow Jose Molina to catch Burnett in Game Two, and Andy Pettitte is fighting a balky shoulder. Plus, the Yankees bullpen is very shaky outside of the great Mariano Rivera.

With all of that being said, it’s still probably the smart pick to take the Yankees. But I think the Twins, like several other wild card teams in years past, are riding a hot streak right now, and I think they can jump their past history against the Yankees and topple Goliath.

Winner: Twins

World Series pick: Cardinals over Red Sox

Baseball is a sport of endurance. For 162 games over six months, the 30 teams in the major leagues struggle to survive the grueling campaign, leaving only eight teams standing when the postseason begins.

But every once in awhile, the baseball season for two of those teams will come down to the final weekend, with either a division or the wild card spot up for grabs. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, it will go down to the final day of the season.

And then there’s what happened with this year’s race for the American League Central title. The Detroit Tigers led by seven games at one point in September over the Minnesota Twins, and later led them by three games with four games to play. But the Twins managed to beat the Tigers last Thursday, and then swept their final three games with the Kansas City Royals. Meanwhile, the Tigers could only get one of their final three games, beating the Chicago White Sox Sunday afternoon, setting up the rarest of pleasures for a baseball fan: a one-game, winners-takes-all playoff game.

Does it get any better than that?

The Twins have long been one of baseball’s model franchises, a small market team that consistently manages to compete with the big boys by doing things the right way – through drafting and developing talent, as well as making shrewd decisions (most of the time) in trades and free agency. With a win last night, they would be gunning for their fifth AL Central title in eight seasons under manager Ron Gardenhire.

The Tigers, on the other hand, are one of the wealthier teams in baseball, with owner Mike Illitch using the wealth from his Little Caesars empire to fund expensive contracts for Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and others. The game was a perfect dichotomy of the two halves of the baseball world – the rich teams that can afford to fill many of their holes through free agency and by taking on money in trades (like when Detroit accepted Dontrelle Willis’ albatross of a contract to help get Cabrera from the Marlins), and the small market teams that have to be smarter and more creative than everyone else to get the job done at the same level.

And if the game could have any more suspense than a 163rd game already has, this one did. Inning after inning, play after play, the game just became greater and greater. First there was Cabrera, fresh off a weekend where he got in a fight with his wife while drunk late at night while the Tigers were fighting for their lives, hitting a two-run home run to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Then there was a comeback by the Twins, capped by another two-run homer by another Cabrera – Minnesota’s shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who came to the Twins in one of those savvy trades at midseason from Oakland.

The game continued in this back-and-forth manner, with great plays being made all over the place. Detroit third baseman Brandon Inge made a diving grab in the bottom of the ninth that almost certainly would have allowed the winning run to score from second base. Inge then knocked in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning, as his double down the left field line was able to score Don Kelly, who hustled hard all the way from first base, and whose feet first slide allowed him to blast through Joe Mauer’s block of home plate. After making a huge blunder by diving for a ball to lead off the inning (which led to the tying run scoring), Detroit left fielder Ryan Raburn caught a line drive and fired a strike to the plate to nail the Twins’ Alexi Casilla at the plate for the inning’s, preventing what would have been the game-winning run.

Those kinds of plays kept happening all the way until the bottom of the 12th inning, when Casilla bounced a single through the right side of Detroit’s infield, bringing around Carlos Gomez with the game’s deciding run, and handing the Twins a 6-5 win.

It was a classic game, the kind that any sports fan could become engrossed in without much effort. It was the kind of game that you didn’t want to see come to an end. Now the Twins, having beaten one of the higher-spending teams in the sport, flew last night to New York to take on the team with the highest payroll by far, the New York Yankees. Meanwhile, the Tigers will head home after choking their way through the final two weeks of the season.

That’s the beauty of this time of year in baseball. For six months, the baseball season seems like it’s never going to end. Then, all of a sudden, October is upon us, and each pitch takes on a life of its own.

That’s why, year after year, we get sucked into the baseball playoffs. It’s like watching a great play being performed by the greatest actors on the biggest stage, over and over again.

The Yankees have known for pretty much the last three months that they would be playing in the postseason, tallying 103 wins for the best record in the Bigs, and an eight-game margin in the AL East. The Twins have known about their inclusion in the playoffs for less than 24 hours by the time the series starts in the Bronx, as they squeaked in thanks to a thrilling 6-5 victory in 12 innings in a one-game playoff with Detroit. On paper, the Yankees have the distinct advantage, having swept all seven games in the season series.

The Yankees win if: They avoid the expectations they have succumbed to in the playoffs in the recent past. The end of Joe Torre’s tenure in New York was marked by teams that grossly underachieved come October. It’s been eight years since they lifted a banner in the Bronx, and the pressure is mounting by the day. And they could get caught looking past the Twins to the prospect of a meeting with either their arch-enemy Red Sox or their playoff albatross Angels in the ALCS. Across the board, the Yankees have the superior talent (lineup, bullpen, starters). But a defeat or two at the hands of the Twins could bring out the boo-birds and the thoughts of “here we go again,” both in and out of the clubhouse.

The Twins win if: Their starting pitching keeps things together just enough. Offensively, the Twins aren’t going to blow anyone away. Losing top RBI man Justin Morneau hasn’t helped, but it has made the team refocus its efforts on small ball and producing runs station to station. It may be too much to ask for a staff who’s most experienced postseason performer is Carl Pavano against the most prolific offense in the majors this season. But with a strong bullpen anchored by perennial All-Star Joe Nathan, young starters like Nick Blackburn, Brian Deunsing, and Scott Baker may not need to be exceptional, but merely solid to give them a chance.

The X-factor: The Twins’ momentum. The Twinkies finished the season with 17 wins in the final 21 games to win the Central, all since Mourneau went down to injury. They have a proven star and leader in Joe Mauer, good veterans in Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel, and just enough offensive cover to sustain their small ball style. They’re a plucky, hard-nosed team that lives off solid defense. Sound like 2007 Rockies? Also, keep in mind that while the Yankees won all seven meetings this year, six were decided by two runs or less, and momentum in the postseason can be the great equalizer.

The verdict: I wish I had the courage to say the Twins would topple the odds and the Yankees, but the combination of a possible letdown, exhaustion, and the Yankees strong lineup make the ALDS another uphill battle for the Twins. Ultimately, Jeter, A-Rod, and Mo will survive and advance. Anything more than four games would be a distinct surprise.

-Matthew De George ‘10

Alexi Casilla sloeg het winnende punt binnen (Bron: Keith Allison-Flickr)

De Minnesota Twins hebben zich dinsdagavond geplaatst voor de play-offs door de beslissingswedstrijd tegen de Detroit Tigers met 6-5 te winnen. Alexi Casilla sloeg Carlos Gomez in de twaalfde inning binnen (video) voor het beslissende punt.

De twee teams voerden een ware show op, waarin beide teams aanspraak maakten op de overwinning. Helaas voor de Tigers trokken de Twins aan het langste eind. De Twins spelen vanavond hun eerste  play-offwedstrijd tegen de New York Yankees. De Tigers, die vier wedstrijden voor het einde van de competitie drie overwinningen voor stond, zijn klaar.

Miguel Cabrera

De wedstrijd in het uitverkochte Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota stond bol van de spanning. De Tigers kwamen op een vroege voorsprong tegen startende werper Scott Baker van de Twins. In de derde inning sloeg de controversiële Miguel Cabrera met één man op de honken en een 1-0 voorsprong een homerun, waardoor de Tigers op een 3-0 voorsprong kwamen.

Orlando Cabrera

De Twins scoorden in de derde inning een punt door een fout van werper Rick Porcello en in de zesde inning door een homerun van Jason Kubel. Orlando Cabrera sloeg vervolgens in de zevende inning, net zoals zijn naamgenoot bij de Tigers, een homerun met een man op de honken en boog daarmee de achterstand om in een 4-3 voorsprong. De volgende inning maakte Magglio Ordoñez de stand weer gelijk. Met een 4-4 stand ging de wedstrijd naar extra innings. Derde honkman, Brandon Inge, bracht in de tiende inning de Tigers weer op voorsprong.

Eén=drie

In de gelijkmakende slagbeurt sloeg Twin Michael Cuddyer meteen een bal naar het linksveld, die niet goed werd behandeld door linksvelder Ryan Raburn waardoor een éénhonkslag werd gepromoveerd naar een driehonkslag. Cuddyer kwam vervolgens over de thuisplaat en het stond weer gelijk. De Twins verzuimden daarna om ook nog met één uit en een man op het derde honk het winnende punt binnen te slaan.

Nick Punto

In de twaalfde inning kregen de Tigers drie man op de honken. Maar dankzij het goede verdedigende werk van tweede honkman Nick Punto en twee keer drie slag van werper Bobby Keppel konden de Tigers niet scoren.

Alexi Casilla

De Twins deden dat dezelfde inning wel. Alexi Casilla sloeg met mannen op het eerste en tweede honk een bal naar het rechtsveld. Rechtsvelder Clete Thomas, kon daarna Carlos Gomez niet meer op de thuisplaat uitgooien, waardoor de Twins wonnen.

The Detroit Tigers have seemed to own the A.L. Central and have been leading the division for the entire second half of the year. If you asked anyone who will win the division in July, August, or September the answer would be the Tigers. And if anyone was going to compete with them, you would likely think that would be the White Sox. Now we have a situation, after the last day of the regular season, that looked very unlikely. The Twins have stuck around the entire season and have flown under the radar. In the beginning of August the Twins were only three games back, but still were in third in the division. They will fall off eventually I thought…but no, the Twins never did. In the month of August the Twins didn’t gain any games on the Tigers, but actually lost a half a game, but the Sox are the ones the tailed off. In one month the Sox went from one and a half games back to seven. The Tigers and Twins played above average baseball, while the White Sox played bad baseball, but enough about the Sox, the Twins were the ones in the race and can take the division tonight with a win at home against the Tigers. Improbable…I’d say so.

                The Tigers are full of household names with enormous contracts. Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen, Maglio Ordozez, Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrelle Willis  all make over 10- million dollars a year and are all names that baseball fans have heard of. The Twins have three players making over 10-mil, who are the three best players on the team and deserve the money they’re making…Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan. If you look at the rest of the Tigers roster, it includes other household names such as Justin Verlander, Brandon Inge, Placido Palanco, and Curtis Granderson. Then there are others who have been talked about all year, like Edwin Jackson who had a great start, but has been average ever since and Rick Porcello, a rookie who has showed signs of greatness, but has struggled at times. Now, besides Joe Mauer, who have we talked about on the Twins? Minnesota has made this great end of the year run without all star first basemen Justin Mornaeu, but was replaced with Michael Cuddyer, who by the way has 32 homeruns and 94 RBI’s. The Big name from the Tigers with that huge contract, Miguel Cabrera only has one more home run than Cuddyer and seven more RBI’s. At catcher I don’t even have to mention, Joe Mauer, who gets all the credit he deserves and will win MVP this year. Jason Kubel is also a player no one hears about, but has put up sensational numbers. Kubel is batting .300, with 27 homeruns and 102 driven in, which leads the Twins. Kubel has produced all year and has better numbers then Guillen, Ordonez, and has stats similar to Cabrera. Cuddyer, Mauer, and Kubel have had sensational years, but they are only part of the reason for this improbable comeback, it is the players who bat around them. If you look at this team, you do not see a playoff team, but that’s what they are…a team. The rest of the Twins lineup is as follows

2B- Alexi Casilla

SS-Orlando Cabrera

3B-Brendan Harris

RF- Denard Span

CF- Carlos Comez

LF- Delmon Young

Have you heard of half of them?

Forget hitting for a second…everyone knows that you make and win in the postseason with pitching, but when you look at the Twins you might get a little confused on how they made it this far. They rank 23^rd in team ERA, and 25^th in batting average against. There starters consist of Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn, Brian Duensing, and Francisco Liriano. This pitching staff has an ace, Scott Baker, who could be one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, but besides that not much. Pavano is known for his injuries in New York, Liriano who had a phenomenal rookie season, hasn’t pitched that well since, and Blackburn, who has been average all year, until his last four starts, where he has won all of them.

The Twins pitching isn’t full of an all star cast and either is there hitting, but what they do well is win. No matter what, they make a team of mostly no name players into a winning one. They do have some stars on this team, but one is injured and one is a closer. This might be one of the most improbable teams to make the playoffs in the recent history, and personally I would love to see a team with the 24 highest payroll in the MLB make the playoffs. If they make it everyone will be rooting for them, just like the Rays last year, and remember all the Rays did was make the World Series.

Jeff Passan is a writer for Yahoo! Sports and formerly of The Kansas City Star.  A newspaper, for those who did not know (yes, newspapers do still exist).  And apparently he is a bitter man.

Passan recently wrote a column for Yahoo! Sports ridiculing Tony Faust’s assessment that the Minnesota Twins, in particular soon-to-be MVP Joe Mauer, were stealing signals from the Detroit Tigers.  Passan is quick to discredit Faust’s analysis by claiming quickly that the latter “does not play baseball, nor is he a scout.”  He later continues to attack Faust by insinuating that it is completely made up.  That Faust “manufactured” it.

Joe Mauer: catcher! MVP! batting champ! sign stealer?!?!

In another column, Passan takes another shot at Faust by playing off the conspiracy theory aspect a la “the grassy knoll.”  In this shot, Passan attempts to paint Faust as a bit loopy.

Is Faust accurate?  Well, I am not sold that Mauer was stealing signs to relay to Jason Kubel.  The video and Kubel’s reactions did not seem to fit the theory.  But it is interesting how quickly Passan tries to de-legitimate the claim by stressing how players would be more subtle; “an exaggerated lean that looks natural, or a hand tap that is familiar between only two players.”

But grabbing the earhole of one’s helmet, something that the Twins claim that Mauer does “all the time,” seems subtle enough to me.  Or wiping the face.

Plus, I seriously doubt that Mauer or any of the Twins would claim, “Hell yeah we were stealing signs.  That Gerald Laird is easy to read!”  So their negative reaction to that is only natural.  As is the Tigers reaction that Twins are known for stealing signs.

But I am not here to debate whether or not Mauer stole signs.  As I noted above, I do not completely buy that the video Faust provided proves it.  (But I do believe that it does happen).

However, my concern here is Passan’s attack and reaction towards the “28-year old graphic designer from Maple Grove, Minnesota.”

In general, there seems to be a fear of the overall power of the Internet.  Remember the days of stealing, ERRRR I mean downloading music for free.  Record companies and Metallica had a conniption fit!  Lawsuits abound and soon “free” Internet downloads went the way of New Coke and iTunes and other pay sites filled the gaps.

What was the motivating factor in the shutdown of free Internet music downloading?  Greed?  Copyright infringement?  Perhaps.  I mean, the artists were having their work passes around for free.

But consider this.  People had been recording cassette tapes for years.  Cassette tapes…you DO remember those things, yeah?  Whether it was tape to tape recording or straight from the FM, people had copied music.  And people recorded television shows or movies onto VHS tapes.  Okay, I am aging myself.  But the use of tapes to record your favorite music or sitcom has been in play for awhile.

The technology existed to record CDs.  And certainly people did that.  Borrow a buddy’s ABBA CD so you could make a copy for yourself.  The technology was there then and the record execs said little to nothing.

They are angry because you found their cover of "My Heart Will Go On" on Napster!

But things changed with Napster and peer-to-peer sharing.  Suddenly sharing files accelerated and it was a whole new ballgame.  It was a great way to discover new music, or get that Britney Spears song.  Record companies should have embraced it!

Well, they certainly did embrace it.  A giant bearhug called “lawsuit.”  And they went hard after people, from 13-year old Marilyn Manson fans to 89-year old Marilyn Manson fans.  “Don’t take our music without paying for it!” was their reply.

But what were the record execs and artists really upset about?  Was it the sharing of music, something that had occurred for a long period of time?  Or was it simply that the record companies did not capitalize on the technology first?  Many argue that it is the latter that upsets the music industry.  I tend to side with the latter, but the former plays a role as well.

Point is, the music industry was upset that someone beat them to the punch.  And they did whatever they could to discredit those involved until they had control of it.

What does this have to do with Passan?  Well, it is more directed at the attempts of reporters to discredit blogs and bloggers in general than it is a shot at Passan specifically.

Go back to June.  Jerod Morris, a blogger for Midwest Sports Fan, wrote a piece concerning Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez.  In the piece, Morris wondered in print what could be the cause of Ibanez’s seemingly dramatic increase in power numbers.  Morris does examine many explanatory factors, but also references the use of steroids.  The piece is careful not to outright call Ibanez a cheater or claim he was definitely taking any type of “performance-enhancer.”

…any aging hitter who puts up numbers this much better than his career averages is going to immediately generate suspicion that the numbers are not natural, that perhaps he is under the influence of some sort of performance enhancer. And since I was not able to draw any absolute parallels between his prodigously improved HR rate and his new ballpark’s hitter-friendliness, it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility that “other” performance enhancers could be part of the equation (emphasis added).

Speculation arose in June of Ibanez possible using "enhancers." Ironically, his power numbers decreased

The key words are really suspicion and possibility.  This did not stop The Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Gonzalez from blasting Morris’s blog.  Although, to Gonzalez’s credit, he did seem to at least understand where Morris was writing from and did not slight the power of blogs.  Ken Rosenthal, on the other hand, spent a great deal of time belittling Morris, as can be seen on this Outside the Lines segment.

Hmm.  Barry Bonds’ increase in power numbers (and head size) have driven speculation.  Game of Shadows helped solidify those speculations.  There was much made of Alex Rodriguez and the use of steroids as well.  Reporter Selena Roberts helped break much of that speculation.

But where was the outcry then?  Well, who was “reporting” those speculations?  Reporters!  People in the media.  Gatekeepers!

And that is the fear.  With declines in newspaper circulations, there is a fear that these reporters, including those on online media outlets, are becoming obsolete.  And when they are not the ones who are breaking the stories, it means that they are losing their power to dictate knowledge.

Controlling and dictating the construction of knowledge is critically important in maintaining power.  And for much of our lifetimes, and those of our parents and grandparents, newspapers and newspaper writers have been the ones in power and controlled information, and therefore knowledge.

What blogs in particular and the Internet in general have done is empower the previously powerless masses.  And when it comes to sports, fans now have a voice.  And evidently, that voice is becoming audible.

This disempowers sports reporters.  And, in turn, they lose their gatekeeper status.  And they have taken notice.  Hence the reaction towards blogs that break stories.  Like the music industry, when reporters are beaten to the punch, the natural reaction seems to be to discredit those who write in the “new media.”

Hence Gonzalez’s sarcastic use of “poet” when referring to Morris.

Hence Rosenthal’s parental lecture of “don’t do that” (complete with finger waving).

And hence Passan’s attack of a Twins’ fan’s occupation and competence.

Sorry, this was all I could find!

I am not claiming that Morris or Faust are correct in their assessments.  I think Morris’s speculation is warranted, but that is all it was — speculation.  And Faust’s analysis seems fuzzy at best.

But the point is not about the bloggers and the “grainy” videos, but simply the vitriolic reaction from the media.  The reactions and criticism of bloggers comes across as bitter.  Perhaps the bitterness comes from that slip in power and the loss of the gatekeeper status.

Or maybe, in the case of Passan, he is just bitter because, like Faust, he “does not play baseball, nor is he a scout.”

But then again, I am not a “sports writer” either.

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Alright, I truly don’t know what more to write or say about the Twins run of late. Going 16-4 over your final 20 games to reach a tie with the team you’ve been chasing… that just doesn’t happen, does it? And yet, it did. That’s exactly what has happened. And as I have had to say here several times the last couple of weeks, I so love being completely wrong. I have counted the Twins out too many times, and I think logically so. But logic doesn’t always win, and the Twins have defied all logic. Three weeks ago, the team was seven games behind the Tigers, and five games below .500. They are no ten games over .500 (86-76) and in a tie with the Tigers.

Going into this final weekend, the Twins had to win all three games if the Tigers won just one game. And that’s what happened. The Twins got a very good start from Jeff Manship on Friday night. It was his first big league win. On Saturday, Nick Blackburn outdueled Zack Greinke for seven innings on short rest. On Sunday, Carl Pavano came back on short rest and earned another win. The offense certainly showed up, scoring 31 runs in the three games against the Royals. Jason Kubel, Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Matt Tolbert and Orlando Cabrera all came up with huge, timely hits. Joe Mauer was pitched around quite a bit, and he and Denard Span just continued to get on base. The bullpen struggled a bit, no question, but they have been solid for the most part too.

The Tigers were beaten on Friday night and Saturday by the White Sox, but they had Justin Verlander ready to go on Sunday, and he came through with his 19^th win. Ryan Raburn went 3-4 with a walk and two home runs. Even Magglio Ordonez contributed with a 4-4 day.

That sets up a second consecutive one-game playoff game for the Twins. Last year it was against the White Sox. This year it will be against the Tigers. Last year, it was in Chicago. This year, the Twins will host the game.

Post Game Tribute

Although I listened to most of the game on the radio, I was home in time to watch most of the post game introductions. It was so fun, and at times emotional, to watch all of the current and former Twins players be introduced. Here are a few things I thought or noticed:

• Seeing some of those guys who were on the 1987 and 1991 teams come back again was very cool. Seeing guys like Tom Brunansky, Randy Bush, Gary Gaetti, Greg Gagne, Al Newman, Steve Lombardozzi, Gene Larkin, Chili Davis and Juan Berenguer brought back a lot of great memories.
• How about the ovations that were given to the guys who played for the Twins earlier this decade? Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie and even Denny Hocking were greeted with loud applause.
• All I kept wondering was how much former players who were on winning teams are appreciated. Guys like Koskie or Bruno or Gags, or Lombo, are still considered heroes around here.
• It was great to see Pat Neshek and Boof Bonser participate despite rehabbing in Ft. Myers the entire season.
• Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer seemed to love being part of the All-Metrodome team, especially Mauer who had to have followed all of the players mentioned.
• I can’t help but wonder how some of the younger Twins players, like Jeff Manship, Armando Gabino or even Denard Span, Delmon Young or Carlos Gomez understand what was going on there. I know we have heard how Ron Gardenhire is encouraging his players to make sure they’re understanding and appreciating and truly enjoying this pennant race. But that type of program has to give those young players and appreciation for what they’ve got and those who came before them!
• All but four players on the All-Metrodome team were in attendance. Torii Hunter is playing with the Angels, but he left a video message. Johan Santana hasn’t played with the Mets but must not have been allowed to attend. He left a nice message. Chuck Knoblauch was charged with domestic assault about a week ago, so he was unable to attend.
• Of course, Kirby Puckett was also not there. A video tribute was incredibly touching, and left many fans in tears. John Gordon was the emcee, and he was clearly choked up. That was perfectly understandable!
• Puckett’s son was the person who removed the number one from left field. The Twins have been counting down the number of games remaining in the Metrodome for the last two seasons. Another touching moment.
• I couldn’t help but wonder how old a person would have to be to really appreciate and remember the players and the World Series from 1987 or 1991. I was in 7^th grade for the ’87 World Series. I was a junior in high school for the ’91 season. I just can’t help but wonder if anyone under the age of 30 can really understand and remember those seasons.
• Likewise, how old does someone have to be to really understand how good Kirby Puckett was? He hasn’t played since 1995, so that’s 14 years, and you figure no one under the age of at least seven, maybe ten, really probably understood. So, does anyone under the age of 25 really understand what Kirby Puckett was to the Twins and on the baseball field? How do you explain his impact to someone younger than 25? I’m not certain. He never won an MVP award like Justin Morneau. He won just one batting title, whereas Joe Mauer has already won three. Mauer may soon surpass Puckett in the hearts and minds of those of us old enough to remember him, his talent, his power, his speed, his defense and much more. But Mauer doesn’t not have the personality, the charisma, the ‘it’ factor that Puckett had, and he probably never will. I don’t know. I think it is an interesting question.

Anyway, here are some other quick notes I would like to post while researching:

• Jason Kubel came into the game hitting .296 with 96 RBI. The assumption would normally be that he would fall just short of two impressive milestones. Well, a 3-4 day with two, three-run home runs certain helps. He ended Sunday with a .300 batting average and 102 RBI. Obviously he can’t have RBI taken away, but because Tuesday’s game will count as a regular season game, Kubel will hopefully be able to maintain that .300 average.
• Delmon Young also homered twice on Sunday, both solo home runs. I think the two home runs took a combined three seconds to leave the ballpark. Young now has 12 home runs on the season. He has been on a tear. He has at least two hits in each of the last five Twins games. He is 11-21 in those five games. In the three games this weekend, he went 6-11 with a double, three home runs and ten RBI. I would say that is showing up!
• Joe Mauer went 0-3 with two walks in the game. According to Travis Aune, Mauer will win the AL batting title this year, unless he goes 0-15 on Tuesday.
• Nick Blackburn officially is a Big Game pitcher in my mind. After an incredible first half this year, he was horrible in July and August. But he has come up huge in his past four games. In those four starts, he is 2-0. He has given up five runs over 27.1 innings. And his start on Saturday, on short rest, was the most impressive.
• Carl Pavano also pitched on Sunday on short rest. He pitched well enough for 5.2 innings for his 14^th win of the season.
• On Tuesday at 4:00 central time, it will be Scott Baker taking the mound against Rick Porcello.

So Monday is an off day. Twins fans probably need it. I guess we could watch the Vikings and Packers on Monday Night Football. However, be sure to join me for the SethSpeaks.net NIGHTLY Minnesota Twins podcast at 9:00 central time. Please note that this is a different time from the last two weeks when I have been starting at 10:00 central time. I am hoping to have a few guests join me.

If you have any questions, comments or predictions, leave them in the Comments section.

Minnesota Twins' slugger Jason Kubel acknowledges the crowd after his second three-run homer of the game, while Denard Span (background, far left) celebrates.(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

On the scoreboard in the Metrodome, it read “Tigers 4, White Sox 0, Fifth inning” when Minnesota Twins rightfielder Jason Kubel strode to the plate with one in the first inning. Two men were on, as Denard Span and Joe Mauer both walked in between Orlando Cabrera’s groundout. The sold-out crowd was buzzing, hoping Kubel could continue his magnificent season and put their Twins in front.

He took a sinker from Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luke Hochevar outside for ball-one, then he got his pitch. Hovechar grooved in a high fastball, served on a platter for Kubel, who entered the at-bat with 25 homers and 96 rbi’s. Kubel’s eyes glazed over as the offering came his way. As it neared the plate, he began his swing, then connected, launching a deep drive to right. It was gone off the crack of the bat. The crowd rose to their feet, then jubilation spread from the stands to the announcing booth, as Twins play-by-play man Dick Bremer yelled the home-run call with pure joy.

It was a three-run bomb, and with that, the Twins were well on their way to another win in a another must-win game.

When Delmon Young settled into the batters box with two out, the Tigers lead was still 4-0 in the top sixth. When he left the batters box, the Twins led by the exact same score. His solo-shot that cleared the short-porch in left field capped off a dream of an opening inning. Now, all their starting pitcher had to do was hold it.

That pitcher was Carl Pavano, so the four-run lead was far from safe. He hasn’t exactly been the most dependable pitcher: he allowed seven earned runs in his previous start, a loss to Detroit, and has a 5.10 ERA on the season. The Twins fans were just hoping he wouldn’t implode, and manage to keep the team ahead.

Pavano, to my surprise, was impressive. He got out of multiple jams, including a two-on, one-out situation in the second inning, and though he still managed to allow four runs, his offense scored thirteen, so he was in good shape. Despite being hit a bit, he walked only one and struck out seven over his 5 2/3 innings. Not a bad performance in the most important game of the Twins season.

Kubel and Young supported him throughout. The former hit his second three-run homer, a drive in the third, and Young hit his second solo-shot in the fifth. Then, the Twins supported his relief. After Pavano relinquished three runs in the top of the sixth, Minnesota scored at least one run in each of the final three innings, including three in the eighth–an rbi-double by Cabrera and a two-run shot by Michael Cuddyer–to pad an already comfortable lead.

The Detroit Tigers won in the middle of the Twins run-scoring barrage, doing so thanks to an incredible season-saving play by center-fielder Curtis Granderson.

Starting pitcher Justin Verlander dominated the Chicago White Sox for the first seven innings, but found trouble in the eighth. The Tigers held a 5-0 lead entering the frame, but the Cy Young candidate, fatigued having already thrown over 100 pitches, had difficulty holding the advantage. Alex Rios and Alexei Ramirez hit consecutive singles with one-out, then Ramon Castro doubled home Rios and Ramirez to third. Brent Lillibridge followed with a two-run single, bringing the tying run to the plate.

That potential tying-run, Scott Podsednik, popped out, but the White Sox had life once Jayson Nix walked, sending Carlos Quentin to the plate. Their second-best power hitter had a chance to make the Metrodome erupt by hitting a go-ahead three-run shot. All he could muster, though, was a sawed off pop-up to shallow center-field. Yet, it appeared it would get the job done and tie the game, as it was dropping fast.

But then Granderson, who had already made great catches in the first and second swooped in. He dove face-first and snagged the dying quail, as it is dubbed. It was a risky play, considering two or possibly three runs would have scored if the ball eluded him, but it was a chance a player for a team playing for its postseason life had to take. Luckily for Granderson and the Tigers, it worked out.

That diving catch by Granderson helped keep Detroit’s season alive, but it only delayed the inevitable. This Tuesday, the Twins will be playing a one-game playoff in the Metrodome, and backed by 51,000-plus fans that have witnessed magical performance after magical performance over the past month, they will give their raucous fan-base one more magical victory, a win for the ages.

The Minnesota Twins' Michael Cuddyer celebrates after his tie-breaking homer that kept the pressure on the Detroit Tigers in the race for the Al Central crown. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

On September 6th, the Detroit Tigers held a seven game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Then, all hell broke loose. They started playing mediocre, while the Twins, at the time an even .500 (68-68), caught fire. Since that day, Detroit is just 15-14, while Minnesota has managed to go 16-8. Translation: The Twins stood just a game back of the Tigers in the American League Central entering the second to last game of the season.

To keep their momentum going, they had to find a way to defeat Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke, which was a near impossible task. Greinke happens to be the favorite American League Cy Young, with sixteen wins, a 2.06 ERA, and an ability to command his full repertoire of pitches. If that’s not enough, he defeated the Twins in his last start, dominating over seven innings. So, a lot was against Minnesota heading into this must-win game.

But not everything, as they boasted their own ace, Nick Blackburn. He didn’t let the pressure, nor his counterpart get to him, and pitched to the best of his ability. He matched Greinke inning for inning, as neither team scored through five. It appeared just one run would win. But, as the final four frames showed, it took a lot more than that.

Greinke, for only the fifth time all season, struggled. He was done in by one horrible frame, the sixth inning. Nick Punto, a .230 hitter, worked a eight-pitch walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then took third on a groundout. Joe Mauer, the best hitter in the American League, faced the best pitcher in the American League with a chance to plate the game’s first run. He fouled off the first two pitches, both fastballs, then stayed alive by fouling off the third pitch, a slider with sharp, late break. He layed off the same pitch to extend the at-bat. Greinke then tried to go in with a fastball, attempting to tie Mauer up, but made a rare mistake. The pitch stayed over the plate and Mauer ripped it into left-field for an rbi-single. Ron Gardenhire later referred to that at-bat as one of the greatest moments he’s experienced as the Twins manager.

Jason Kubel had a similar at-bat: he fell behind 1-2, layed off a slider, then feasted on a fastball, launching it deep down the left-field line. Willie Bloomquist scampered over, leaped, and watched the ball nick his glove, drop, and bounce into the stands. He made a good effort, but had he let it drop, the ball may have fallen foul. Michael Cuddyer looked to take advantage, but was hit by a fastball before he could. This loaded the bases for Delmon Young, who proceeded to empty them with by socking the first offering into the right-center gap. Jose Morales capped off the two-out rally by singling in Young. Four runs had scored, an amount that appeared to be more than enough given the Royals porous offense.

This season, Greinke has been given the least amount of run support in the American League. His offense has scored a total of thirteen runs in his eight losses. Their job, somehow, was to make sure one bad inning didn’t lead to a ninth loss. This was their version of the playoffs, a chance to have an effect on the outcome of the division.

Determined to keep Greinke’s record intact, the Royals offense showed signs of life. They scored a run in the seventh on a home-run by Mike Jacobs, then, with Greinke out of the game, helped his ninth no-decision of the season by tying the game on a two-run home-run in the eighth by Alex Gordon and a run-scoring double-play by Mitch Maier.

The Royals could have grabbed the lead if not for Maier’s rally-killer, and their inability to do so proved costly, as Cuddyer untied the contest in the bottom of the frame with one swing, clubbing a solo shot off reliever Dusty Hughes. With that, the Royals lost another one of Greinke’s starts, and, again, the Twins managed another victory.

The Tigers watched the game intensely from the clubhouse, and cringed once Cuddyer’s game-winner reached the seats. Their contest against the Chicago White Sox was but an hour away. They knew now they had one choice: win. If they couldn’t, they had to settle for the alternative: the division would be tied with momentum squarely in the Twins favor.

On the mound for Chicago was Freddy Garcia, a former member of Detroit. He had added motivation, and it showed. The Tigers went down quietly inning after inning, while their starter, 25-year old Alfredo Figaro, logged only 1 1/3 innings before being replaced.

Figaro, making his third career start and first since June 27th, was on a short leash. He allowed a home-run to Carlos Quentin to begin the second inning, then a walk and a single before striking out Alexei Ramirez for the lone out he recorded in the frame. He proceeded to walk .151 hitter Brent Lillibridge to load the bases. As Lillibridge trotted to first, Tigers manager Jim Leyland walked out of the dugout, signaled to the bullpen, took the ball from Figaro, and watched the young righthander walk dejectedly off the mound.

Scott Podsednik drove in the White Sox second run with a rbi-groundout off Figaro’s replacement, Fu-Te Ni. Two runs, and all Garcia would need.

Chicago supplied him with a third run in the third and a fourth run in the fifth, while Detroit still remained scoreless. Garcia mowed a desperate and struggling Tigers offense down with ease, and allowed the lone run they would collect in the eighth inning.

Boos reigned through Tigers Stadium as their team went down without a fight, while cheers thundered through the Twins clubhouse. Once Matt Thornton induced a groundout off the bat of Gerald Laird, reality sunk in: Minnesota was now tied for the division lead, with a great chance to steal the crown from Detroit, a team that thought their September 6th lead was comfortable.

Interesting debate. Check out the video for yourself:

From Yahoo Sports:

As they prepared for the finale of a pivotal four-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, the Twins had to confront something positively 2009: a fan, one with a minimal baseball background at that, accusing the likely American League MVP of standing on second base and blatantly relaying signals to home plate to give batter Jason Kubel an idea of the next pitch.

Kubel laughed at the implication that Mauer was tugging at his helmet as a means of subterfuge. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire denied it, saying with such obvious sign-stealing “somebody would get killed.” First baseman Justin Morneau insisted on talking to the media to underscore the ludicrousness of the allegations.

Sign-stealing is nothing new in baseball. The most famous hit in history, Bobby Thomson’s Shot Heard ‘Round the World in 1951, came off a Ralph Branca fastball he knew was coming. Players, coaches and managers consider it part of the game rather than cheating. If a catcher can’t deceive the opponents, he’s not trying hard enough. Because every team – Twins included – attempts to decode signals.

“I’m not saying we’re out there trying to steal signs, but I hope we are,” Gardenhire said. “I hope that they’re out there trying to steal signs. Because that’s the game. Everybody does it.”