Links of the Day for 6/28/06

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Hitting Stride: Another day, another victory for the resurgent Twins. The wins are tallying like grapes from a vine, adding up in bunches. 5 in a row, 14 of 15, 16 of 18. And they’re doing it the well-rounded way, with hitting and pitching. The pitching and defense have given up no more than 3 runs in 15 of their last 18 games, an impressive streak that accounts for more than just the Twin Terrors start days. The winning attitude has seeped into the dugout and infected everyone with a confident swagger missing earlier in the season. As Jim Souhan writes, there’s been little ground made up on the Tigers or White Sox, yet the overall psyche of the fanbase is soaring. It’s once again exciting to watch a winner, talk successes, dream fortunes and breath that Dome air.

Hits Parade: Like the Energizer bunny, he keeps going and going and going. 4 for 5 Monday night. 5 for 5 Tuesday night, bumping his batting average to .389, 27 points higher than the closest suitor. It doesn’t matter who pitches them. Just that they’re in the vicinity of the plate. Chairman Mauer does the rest. And at long last, the rest of the country has noticed, as evidenced by his recent climb up the All-Star ballot. It’s a crying shame it figures to be too little too late. Methinks this will be the last year that mistake is made.

Torii Talk: ESPN’s Jayson Stark throws his two cents into the Torii Hunter roundtable discussion. Very thorough and enjoyable read.

Break Out the Rosary Beads: Please keep in your prayers the game’s beloved scribe, Peter Gammons, who suffered a brain aneurysm Tuesday. The man lives and breathes America’s pastime, using his wisdom and wit to become hands-down the best in the business. Here’s to a speedy recovery Mr. Gammons. We’re pulling for you.

Pure Entertainment: I’m sure everyone has been inundated with the absurd verbal feud between Ozzie Guillen and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. I don’t blame Ozzie for ripping him, but of all the words he could have picked to describe the @&#$!, the one that rhymed with hag would be well down my list of choices, not to mention outrage everyone and their mother. Well, a Chicago blogger has taken it upon himself to do the impossible and unite Cubs and Sox fans in their common hatred for Mariotti. This irrepressibly funny blog, jaythejoke.com, exposes him for the shallow writer he truly is. And if that’s not enough, check out this article from Chicago Tribune writer Eric Zorn, who painstakingly pieces together the highlights of Mariotti’s fuzzy logic and irrational tendencies from 2005. Some write to educate, some write to entertain. Some writers accomplish both (see Peter Gammons, above) while one does neither – Jay Mariotti.