Just Below the Threshold

I was away for the weekend camping with my family, and the Twins drop two games against a National League team? At home? I figured if it was safe for me to leave them on their own for a weekend, this would be it. *Sigh.*

Recap:
Friday: Twins 5 - Astros 2
Saturday: Twins 5 - Astros 6
Sunday: Twins 1 - Astros 4

I only caught very few bits and pieces of the game on Friday. I heard that Nathan came out in the 8th inning. I heard Delmon made a nice catch and hit a homerun.

On Saturday, I heard that the Twins were up 2-1 in the middle of the 6th. Well after the game ended, I heard that they lost 5 - 6. My first thought was that the bullpen blew it. My second thought was that Scotty broke down in the 7th. Turns out my first instincts were correct. So while I was having a great time dancing to a pretty good cover band and singing Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tom Petty and other great songs at the top of my lungs (I may have had a little beer), the bullpen was letting a perfectly winnable game get away. Nice.

I listened to a good portion of the game on the radio while driving home. Someone needs to remind Dan Gladden that he needs to finish what he's saying because we can't see what he's reacting to. But anyways, I just sounded like a generally weak effort all around.

Up next: an off-day and then the Brewers in Milwaukee. I'm curious to see if the Twins fans will be as well represented as they usually are because this series is during the week. If I remember correctly, the Brewers series are usually on weekends. If you're going, have safe travels, have a great time, and cheer loudly for the Twins.

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So, as I was catching up on the on all the blog entries I missed, I kept seeing a recurring theme: why can't the Twins push themselves over the .500 threshold and stay there?

I have a theory.

Rumor has it that some members of division rivals (had to be Tigers or White Sox) snuck into the Metrodome's attic and installed a miniature sound system hooked to a hypnosis tape that repeats, just below the level of adult human audible recognition, "live in the land of below five hundred...." The Twins organization found out during Family Day on Sunday when one of the players' kids said something to his dad, because, like we all know, kids hear way better than grown-ups do. Unfortunately, it was too close to game time to take care of it, so the misery continued. I'm hopeful that they were able to send someone up there to disconnect it (I think one of the Redmond boys should do it, because if they're anything like their dad, they're certainly tough enough).

But to aid in speedy deprogramming, I created some visual aids the Twins should use while they're on the road. Someone should print out several copies of these and paste them up all over the visiting clubhouses in Miller Park and Busch Stadium (hey...the beer parks together in one trip).

Living in the Land of Below Five Hundred



Living in the Land of Above Five Hundred

It can't hurt; it might help.