Presidential candidate Barack Obama would certainly be pleased, we think, to know that the title of his book on reclaiming the American Dream has been re-appropriated for use in a sports blog entry about the Minnesota Twins. But the local nine are on an undoubted roll right now; somehow, some way, they have closed to within 1.5 games of the White Sox — even though Chicago’s run differential is +71 and the Twins’ is -2. That’s the kind of stat that makes you wonder if this is all smoke and mirrors. But the Twins’ big innings, clutch hitting and general opportunistic play — yesterday’s game turned on Joe Mauer’s pick-off of a runner at second, followed by a Dome double in the next half-inning, and it was off to the races — makes us wonder if they are going to have the audacity to give fans hope for the long haul. The problem with a bandwagon is that it usually fills up right as an inconsistent team is at its peak performance and clears out just as that team bottoms out and works to again steady itself. That’s why, however painful, one has to stick it out on a consistent basis with his or her teams. Otherwise, you miss all the good times and all you get is crushed expectations. So we’d like an answer now: 2008 Minnesota Twins — are you, the fans, in or out in your support of this confusing and often ridiculous team? It’s almost the halfway point of the season and Minnesota has hit 46 home runs (28 below the MLB average and the fewest in baseball this year) and yet the squad is eighth in runs scored. There is no clear ace; there might not even be a clear No. 2 starter on a pitching staff ranked 23rd in baseball in starters’ ERA (4.77). The best stat in the Twins’ favor is a ridiculous .314 batting average with runners in scoring position — a full 29 points higher than the second-best team in baseball. They don’t make statistical sense. They are the awkward family member; they are the stray dog in the rain; they are the audacity of hope. Will you love them?

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Fasola-link! The 2006 Rob Roy Wellie Throwing Challenge, thankfully captured on video.

Fasola-link

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