Written by If you watched any or all of the games from the series against the White Sox this weekend, you likely have a feeling remarkably similar to a hangover this morning.. it sucks.
Whatever happened to the White Sox always losing in Minnesota? *sigh* If you really want to read a great summation of the series and the team reactions, you should check out Phil Mackey’s piece at ESPN: Ron Gardenhire ‘wondering what the hell is going on’
The depessing part of the weekend I think is - and just about everyone seems to agree – that this killed pretty much any hope of a comeback this season. It seems that the injuries, lack of front office forethought, and general circumstances have finally piled enough negatives in the balance scales that “hustle” and “playing our tails off” can do nothing to counteract the sink. Not even Justin Morneau coming off the DL and making spectacular moves immediately have time to salvage where the Twins now reside in the division.
Would I like to be proved wrong? Absolutely! I don’t mind being wrong upon occasion (it just doesn’t actually happen very often 
). I do appreciate that the Twins didn’t just give up earlier in the season when things already looked.. bad. Do I want them to give up now? No. I think our guys have a lot of integrity and enjoy playing the game of baseball so I think they will go out there and attempt to win each game for itself because they like to win. Do I think it will be the same? No, we’ll see a difference in the playing attitude as the realizations sink in for each of our guys and it will be a kind baseball in Minnesota that a lot of current fans won’t recognize but some of us know well from a decade ago. It’s not as fun as the playoff chases but I throw this out there – it’s still BASEBALL people!
If the boys still play their game, we can still bitch and moan about this player’s lack of defensive ability, that players lack of effort or the managers idiotic choices. Honestly, we’d have been doing that ANYWAY!
I, for one, am going to let it absorb that the Twins are likely not recoverable in this season and then I’m going to sit back and enjoy baseball. If Twins fans can’t do that, than they are far too spoiled by the repeated successes of our team this decade and that’s a trap that Yankees fans fall into so I would hate to see that here in Minnesota. Do I expect any of us to LIKE it? No, I’m not asking that. But we still have a great thing going in the Twin Cities and we can watch baseball and enjoy.
Besides I’m used to the concept of a non-winning season. I’m a Vikings fan.
Makes me long for September 1, though, when we can see what more of the Rochester “kids” can do. I know we’ve seen a lot of some of them already this season but they seem to bring an energy and enthusiasm that has been sadly lacking from the regulars.
I’m afraid I can’t even generate enthusiasm for that, jb. We’ve seen almost everyone down there that has a shot at contributing next season and there’s little worth watching among that group. The Twins organization seems to be bottoming out at all levels right now. I’m afraid we’re in for a long dry spell.
Although the Mariners are going to finish below .500 again (thanks to that 17-game losing streak), watching Ackley, Pineda, Wells, Robinson, Carp, and of course King Felix gives me hope for more success in 2012 and beyond. What gives a Twins fan hope for next year? Twins Geek is hoping that Bill Smith will get a budget increase and spend gobs of money to keep a few impending free agents and fix some holes at the same time. That, and the possibility of a healthy Morneau and Mauer next year, seems to be about all there is for Twins fans to hang onto, because it doesn’t look like much help is coming from the farm.
I wouldn’t mind if Revere gets a chance to play regularly next season, but I don’t really expect a lot from him. Maybe Valencia will bounce back, but his bat this season hasn’t been encouraging. Are there any other younger guys in the system who might give the team a boost in 2012?
Is it possible the Twins could finish 25 games back at the end of the season? When are the Twins going to announce ticket price increases for 2012? I only have questions. No answers.
frightwig, there are those who would tell you the Twins do have some talent coming through the pipeline. I’m not one of those. There are players who could (and will) end up having a Major League career, but star material? You have to look at them with particularly rosy glasses to see it. Hicks? Maybe. Benson? Possibly. Sano? He might be the one I’d say has the best shot at being a stud… and I wouldn’t put money on it.
mark, I don’t see the Twins finishing 25 games out of 1st place. I just don’t see the Tigers winning enough for that to happen. I won’t be at all surprised to see them fall behind the Royals in to the cellar by the end of the season, however.
Benson’s numbers in AA, particularly this season, look encouraging, but the Twins probably won’t call him up until late next season, at the earliest. He might be a nice replacement for Young (assuming the Twins are close to giving up on him) before too long.
Too bad that Hicks has regressed at Fort Myers, though. He might have to repeat High A before getting a promotion to AA next year. Sano’s numbers in the Appy League look pretty exciting, especially since he’s only 18. Still, it’s a rookie league… he has a long ways to go, against stronger competition, before we can get a good sense of his ability.
Meanwhile, it does kind of feel like a window is closing on the Twins. Maybe not, if Smith can pull the right strings when he decides how to spend his budget next winter, but… oh, God. We’re so screwed.