Headline: Terrible Twins
Stop me when you’ve heard this one before… the Minnesota Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs. Sound familiar? That’s because they haven’t won a SINGLE post-season game since 2004! THAT’S 16 YEARS!!! Now… they get hit with the task of taking down the cheaters of baseball, the true heels of the MLB - the Houston Astros. The Minnesota Twins had been tasked with the responsibility of taking down the ONE team in the MLB universally hated by ALL baseball fans outside of Houston. The 2017 World Series ‘champion cheaters’ had been given a team that hadn’t won a playoff game since 2004. Well… there was a ‘little’ hope, the Astros clearly didn’t look the same as they did before the cheating scandal was exposed.
So even with the Twins’ short comings - the fact that they’re basically the Yankees’ bitches. Think about it… THIRTEEN of their EIGHTEEN consecutive playoff losses have been at their hands! Maybe this was it? Maybe the sixteen year drought was over, and all it was going to take - was playing a now disgraced organization; riddled with cheaters, offensive woes and injuries (also - no Justin Verlander). Oh, and by the way… you have the ENTIRE MLB AND ITS FANS rooting for you to take care of business! The Twins got swept. They lost TWO straight in their best of three series. Achieving what they’ve been VERY much accustomed… successfully become playoff losers yet again! They couldn’t seem to beat a team that clearly needed to cheat to win...
Tom’s Take: It’s a pretty simple take I think… the Twins need to be put on a ‘playoff time-out’ for a little while. Over the past few years, the Twins have been the people’s ‘sleeper team’ with some good young talent. I’d hear about the Byron Buxton’s of the world, Miguel Sano… and the Jose Berrios’ of the world. I’ve repeatedly heard how they’re people’s ‘sleeper picks’ for the playoffs… maybe they would’ve finally put a bullpen, rotation and line-up together to
compete! Hell, maybe even get over this play-off ‘hump’ that they cant seem to get past. Then perhaps they’d show it in the regular season, whether it was winning the Division like back in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 - and even the past 2 years! Maybe
grabbing a ‘wild card’ birth like in 2017… they show that hope and fight that promises they’re finally going to end the longest playoff win drought in all of sports; only to inevitably play the Yankees and fall apart under the bright lights of the playoff, finding themselves going home.
Look, I know what you’re thinking, “Tom - you’re a Mets fan. How can you criticize any teams winning problems?” Well, you’re right. The Mets are not bereft of short comings with rough playoff losses. O even just embarrassing seasons! I’ve spent most of my life as a ‘fan’ - complaining about ownership and the team. I mean, I wrote a whole BLOG POST that essentially details the abyss that the Wilpon’s have kept us Mets fans in for years; but there’s a clear difference between the Twins and the Mets. Now, with all of the totally justified, and not at all - in ANY way, ‘exaggerated’ complaining or criticism that I give the Mets - I’m not totally in the business of revisionist history. In the time that the Twins have been losing playoff games - I’ve seen the Mets make a run in the playoffs at least a few times, even finding themselves in the World Series (2015)! So yeah, the Mets may not do it all the time, and they may have a bunch of ‘stinkers’ for seasons; but what can I say if the Mets DO manage their way into the playoffs? I’m not going to get crazy and start proclaiming a title on the way; but I am DAMN sure more confident in the Mets giving me a fun ride in the playoffs more than I’d bet on the Twins actually making it through one game! So, I think they should be given time out. They can still play their games and give the fans something to watch; however no playoffs. You’re better off leaving that for some exciting Baseball like the White Sox and Indians. I know they were ‘badder than bad’ - but even the Royals’ 2015 wasn’t that long ago. They should have to watch and study the teams that can make a playoff run; or at least win a game maybe? There’s three certainties in life… death, taxes and that the Twins can’t win in the playoffs.