Joe Christensen has an excellent post on his blog about whether Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer was the Twins’ MVP. Go read it.

Enjoy the weekend.

We know the deal here: Sweep or pray. Some of you might be going in a different direction right now. You know: Pray for a sweep. Whatever the case, there’s not much to say beyond the fact that the Twins have to win all three from the White Sox starting tonight if they want to have any chance of playing baseball both this Tuesday and next.

In the meantime, to take your mind off the tension, here’s an assortment of thoughts outta Chicago. See you at the Dome tonight. Oh, yeah, don’t be throwing stuff on the field this time.

Shortstop Orlando Cabrera sounds a bit like a blogger. There’s a story on the Sox’ mlb.com page in which he says: “One of the things we are missing right now is we don’t know how to trail. Once the other team scores before us, it seems like we lose hope.” Here’s the entire story.

The Sox blog I check most frequently is South Side Sox, which is subtitled “following the treadmill to nowhere.” Among other things, SSS points out the Sox are 2-11 in Domes this season, including 1-5 at the local one. Here’s the link.

The most comprehensive blog is probably White Sox Interactive, which includes stuff about the current Sox, as well as a lot of historical stuff — including a page of memories about the marvelously inspired Disco Demolition Night in 1979, the all-time example of a promotion gone bad for the public good. One of the best things in Twin Cities sports is to listen to St. Paul Saints co-owner Mike Veeck, the brainchild of DDN, describe what happened that night.

You can follow what’s going through the mind of Joe Cowley, the White Sox beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times on his Twitter page. If you don’t know what Twitter is, you’ll prol’ly want to avoid this one.

Sox Machine is run by a self-described “third-generation South Sider” who lives in upstate New York.  I guess we’re just reaching the point of having third generation Twins fans, huh? The post leading up to today’s series describes the Sox as having “an uninspiring offense and a bullpen in shambles.” Good cheer is in short supply through the AL Central.

Sox And the City can give you glimpses into the minds of White Sox fans as they discuss their team, and who wouldn’t want to see that?

Well, now you have a few ways to get through the hours until first pitch. Hang in there. Be careful in traffic. Come back tomorrow and we’ll see how excited we still are.

Minimal blogging until the end of the weekend, but here are a few things to read.

The Strib’s resident pub crawler, Tom Horgen, put together this guide to pregame hang-outs before heading to the Dome, and makes the point that light rail has expanded the party zone from the traditional within-walking-distance place. In other words, there are a bunch of places beyond the traditional (and solid) standbys Hubert’s and the Little Wagon. Somehow, though, pregame at Wasabi just doesn’t sound right to me.

Also, i guess this was a week for bloggers to interview bloggers and baseball writers. Aaron Gleeman e-interviewed ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer after reviewing Neyer’s new Big Book of Baseball Legends and the bloggers at TK on Toast visited with our guy, LaVelle E. Neal III, who explains (among other things) why he’s not a Twins fan. (That’s called being a professional, folks.)

Enjoy the weather!

It’s Opening Day — complete with new faces inside the Metrodome and a spring snowfall outside — and I’ll be on Minnesota Public Radio (91.1 FM) from noon ’til 1 talking about baseball on Midday with Gary Eichten. Click here and then go to the upper right corner of the new page to listen.

If you want to go back to talking Torii, click here for the post below.

Drive safely, folks,

Thanks to reader Sean Champagne for tracking down this clip of Livan’s footwork the other day. That’s all … for now.