Links of the Day for 7/24/06

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The Twins’ astonishing turnaround that began in early June is continuing, and that’s undoubtedly making life very difficult for GM Terry Ryan, who has about a week left to decide whether it might be worth sacrificing a prospect or two (if there are any left in the system) in an effort to acquire the puzzle piece that might just put the team over the top and into the playoffs. (At this point, intelligent people can clearly disagree on whether the Twins are buyers or sellers as the July 31 deadline approaches.)

If baseball occurred in a one-year vacuum, this would be a much easier decision, but Ryan will also need to be thinking well into the future. Livan Hernandez is available, and the Twins desperately need another reliable starting pitcher (although many observers are saying that they’re more likely to go after an outfielder.) But what if Washington wants, say, Denard Span or Matt Moses? That might be a higher price tag than Ryan’s willing to pay, but with Brad Radke’s admission to the beat writers this weekend that he really is hanging it up after this season, that starting pitcher becomes important not only for the current stretch run, but for next season as well.

Speaking of the dearth of starting pitching on our favorite ball club, someone should get to work on a catchphrase on the order of “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain,” partly because it would make the Twins seem old school, but mostly because everybody loves a good catchphrase. Intern Sam took a stab at it, but damned if he can get anything to rhyme with Liriano. Hmmmm… Frisco and Johan and pray for… um, a wonton? A really big pointy wonton that can bring down the roof at the Dome? Needs work, I know. Anyone else care to give it a shot?

Scott Baker may not be working out the way everyone had hoped, but apparently, some good things are going on down in Rochester. If the Twins fall out of contention between now and the end of August, it’s a good bet we’ll be seeing Matt Garza and Glen Perkins at the Dome when rosters expand in September.

Not that this means anything in particular, but the Twins have moved up to 6th in ESPN’s “Power Rankings” of all 30 MLB teams. Just two months ago, they were 22nd on that same list. ESPN also points out that Minnesota has the third-best run differential in all of baseball for July, having scored 23 more runs than they’ve given up.

As much as we Minnesotans love tradition, and as fine a song as “We’re Gonna Win Twins” surely is, we can perhaps agree that it doesn’t really go very far in the intimidation department. It’s not exactly the Superbowl Shuffle, is what we’re saying. More like a toothpaste commercial than a fight song, really, and that’s a shame, because we are nothing if not a state fond of praising our sports heroes in song.

While Intern Sam would never think of suggesting that we throw the old darling on the scrap heap entirely, wouldn’t it be something special if, instead of running out on the field to the strains of what sound like the Lawrence Welk singers, the Twins tried something like this? We’re just saying…