Pavano and Buehrle

Baseball needs more pitchers like Pavano and Buehrle. They know the drill.

I am usually the type to say, "The Twins won, but..." But when they keep winning, it means they must be doing something right. But, Nick Punto is hurt. So by that logic, Punto's absence must be a good thing. I'm still convinced that no Punto at all is better than an injured Punto, but I'll take it.

Beyond that, I don't know how to feel about the Twins. I claim I want the World Series title. Years of hovering just above mediocre have turned me cynical. I don't have that unwavering and often irrational "This is the year" mentality. (My friends can vouch that I was 100% convinced that the 1998 Twins were destined to win the World Series). This year, everybody around baseball expected the Twins to be among the best teams in the league. The standings show that they are. They have the fancy stadium and a blend of marquee players, rising stars, and serviceable veterans. All things considered, they are quite similar in makeup to recent champions. Usually, the Twins are in the opposite position. They overachieve and claw their way into the playoffs on fumes and then get swept. This really gets us back to the whole identity crisis of the Twins. They're among the "haves" of baseball. Let's hope they continue to play like it.