Jon Marthaler makes every Saturday even more pleasurable with links for some leisurely weekend reading. Other times, you can find him here and here.

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Howdy, folks - and welcome to another weekend. I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but it’ll be August next weekend already. The summer is slipping away, like a win from the Twins’ bullpen. (See what I did there?) However, right now your other choices on the local sports scene are A) “As The Ego Turns,” with Brett Favre; B) “David Kahn’s Spanish Getaway”; and C) “Discussion of the 2009-10 NHL Schedule, live on Canadian C-SPAN”. So the Twins it is, no matter how frustrating they might get.

On with some links:

*If you’re the type of Twins fan that already knows about minor-league third baseman Danny Valencia, you wouldn’t be alone in hoping that he’s soon called up to the majors by the Twins. However, John “Twins Geek” Bonnes has taken a look back at the Twins’ recent big-hype midseason callups - and has found there’s not always been much to get excited about.

*You might already know that Nick Blackburn got lit up by Oakland last Monday, giving up seven runs and 13 hits in five innings. Now, thanks to Parker Hageman at Over The Baggy, we know why - no movement on any of his pitches (presented with helpful graphs).

*Women’s professional sports seem to be struggling in America. You can sum this up one of two ways. First of all, there’s the thoughtful way, which Mark Kreidler tries. Or, there’s the cruel, harsh, numerical way, such as Sports Media Watch noting that the ratings for women’s pro soccer in St. Louis were not good. How not good, you ask? The lead-in to the broadcast, an old rerun of “That 70’s Show,” drew four times the ratings of the game.

*And finally: if you’re looking for a summer getaway with only moderate chances of swine flu or being attacked by Mexican soccer hooligans, then the US Soccer World Cup qualifier in Mexico City is for you! (HT: Inside MN Soccer.)

That’s enough for this Saturday. I suggest finding a way to forget that the State Fair is coming up fast, and after that it’s just a quick shot to Thanksgiving and winter and below-zero temperatures. AIEEE.

Better enjoy it now, while you still can.

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