More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

We'll never see his bat-smelling in a Twins uniform again...(sniff)

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Happy?  Sad?  Hung-over?

After yesterday morning's blockbuster trade that sent Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for J.J. Hardy, we had a pretty extensive conversation on not just the merits of both players but also the fall-out for both teams.

But now that you've had a night to think about it, how do you feel?  Are you (like me) still happy that Hardy is the new Snoopy?  Or are a little broken up over losing Captain Zoom?

Thoughts and ephemera as we impatiently await yet another must-win game:

• Denny Hecker is more popular than Chip Caray.  The New York Times is the latest to check in.
  
• If you haven't already, click on Adam's Five Reasons the Twins Can Win This Series. 
  
• If you're as annoyed by all the suits, politicians and Kate Hudsons in the lux seats at Yankee Stadium as I am, please read this ESPN article.
• Has Matsui's home run off Liriano landed yet?
• Apparently Jorge Posada's widdle feewings are hurt because Jose Molina is catching for the Yankees tonight.  I try not to be too much of a homer, but can you imagine Joe Mauer doing this?  (No.  The answer is, "No.")
• Star Tribune writer and my life coach, Michael Rand, asks: "Are we crazy to think a 6-3 Twins victory is in the cards tonight?"  My response is, "probably."  I do think the Twins can win, but I see it coming via a 10-8 slugfest. 
  

Your thoughts on that or anything else in comments.  Game thread will be up around 3-ish.

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

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Twins 6, Tigers 5

Oh.  My.  God.

Oh my dear sweet baby Joe Jebus.

There are no words to describe this game.  There are so many heroes.  Orlando Cabrera.  Matt Tolbert.  Bobby Keppel (yes, you read that right).  Alexi Casilla.

I'm going to leave Cmathewson to write the proper recap...but oh my god.

Oh.  My.  God.

• Upon seeing the replay ad infinitum, Delmon Young really was this close to charging his own dugout, wasn't he?
• Gardy's reaction to the whole Fidgetgate matter: "That's the best they can come up with? Chrysler."  I want Ron Gardenhire to be my Grandpa.
• After Wednesday evening's game, I gauged the Twins' playoff hopes as "toast."  Now, I've adjusted them to "improbable, but not the craziest thing I've ever heard."  It's amazing how one game can affect your attitude.  The Twins can definitely win 2 of 3 sweep the Royals this weekend, especially if they knock in their baserunners against Greinke, rather than stranding them as they did on Sunday.  The Tigers can definitely lose 2 of 3.  Doesn't mean it'll happen, and for all I know I'll be writing up the Twins' elimination game later this evening/tomorrow AM, but still.  Hope is not unreasonable. 
  
• If/when the Twins are out of the running, are you pulling for anyone to take home the title besides "Not the Yankees?"  Speaking only for myself, I will have no problem pledging allegiance to Torii Hunter and the Angels.  
• My Metrodome memory: Juan Berenguer's raincoat (which would've been the envy of Morty Seinfeld) and briefcase at the impromptu 1987 post-AL Championship celebration.  On a team full of characters, he really stood out. 
  
• Little known fact: inside that briefcase?  Jason Tyner.

See you for the game thread this afternoon, kids.

A touch of honesty, to begin: I didn't expect this.  I've been voting in polls and writing here and talking with friends for months now, and every time, I came out as a member of the Twins non-believers.  Not with Morneau racked up, I'd say.  Not without Crede's glove.  Not with this bullpen, or later, not with Jeff-Brian "Armando" Manship-Duesinabino as the fourth, fifth, third, whatever starting pitcher.

They can't make a run, I said.  Look at the schedule; out of the first five months, they had one three games above .500, one two games below, and three - incredibly - right at the .500 mark.  They barely could run off four in a row, and more would apparently take a super-flu epidemic and some forfeits.

Seven with Detroit? I said, pish.  Posh.  There's no hope to win all seven; even winning five won't do it, they're just too far back.  Last week I thought they couldn't win both series.  Then I thought that they couldn't take the two games against Zach Grienke.  And anyway, how are they doing this?

All of this is background, because here we are now.  Two games back, with four to play in Detroit.  I can't deny, nor can anyone else: this is a pennant race.  It is late September, spilling into October, and the Twins will be playing pressure-packed meaningful baseball yet again, for the third year in a row.

It doesn't matter how these seven remaining games go.  It's everything we could have hoped for.

Twelve American League teams are playing out the string, effectively.  Three have the playoffs - and their positions - locked up; the other nine are thinking about the golf course, or just counting the months until it's February again, and time for baseball.  Fans in Chicago and Baltimore and Seattle and Dallas have moved on to football. They're checking the score online, maybe glancing at the story buried on page 7 of the sports section, and that's it.

They're not glued to the TV set this week, screaming at umpires and managers and weak-hitting second basemen.  They're not wasting hours out of their mornings at work, discussing the game with co-workers.  They're not sharing knowing nods with other people in Twins hats on the way to lunch.  They don't have buses running that flash "GO TWINS" every third iteration.

Isn't this why we're fans?  To watch our team in a pennant race, to share the joys and sorrows with our friends and family and co-workers and co-posters, to become a community that's all pulling for the same outcome?

I rather think so.  It's everything we wanted.

It hardly bears repeating, it's so obvious.  But even so: Go Twins!

Breaking it down to all that matters:  wins and losses.

Two games down with seven games left isn't a horrible, unscaleable wall...but it's not far off.  With that in mind I wanted to make it clear what each scenario through four games in Detroit would mean to the Twins.

This is going to be one helluva week.  Let's go Twins!

With less than 24 hours to the trade deadline, it's a good time to see if you think the organization's priorities have changed.

Last week we asked this same question, with middle infield taking 45 percent of the vote.  Bullpen followed with 30, rotation 18 and bench depth just four percent.

Middle Infield - Still no moves outside of Mark Grudzielanek, although both Orlando Cabrera and Marco Scutaro have been tied to the Twins.

Bullpen - Joe Nathan, Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier and fine, and Jesse Crain has been better his last couple times out.  Bobby Keppel has been a bit more vulnerable and R.A. Dickey's fastball is simply R.A. Dickey's fastball.  Is this still one of Minnesota's biggest red flags?

Rotation - Kevin Slowey is down for the season, but Anthony Swarzak has been reliable in his absence so far.  Scott Baker's season is starting to come under control, and outside of his last couple of starts Nick Blackburn has been a god-send.  But if you can get a starter, whether it's just a reliable innings eater with whom you know what you're getting, or something a bit better, is this the move you make?

Bench Depth - When all of your middle infielders are hitting around the Mendoza line, you can't hide them on the bench.  They have to start, and they hurt your offensive production.  Even if it's just a hitter you can keep on the bench to step in and take a couple of plate appearances a week away from these guys later in the game, it'd be an asset this team doesn't have and one this team could use.

There are a couple of obvious answers.

Middle Infield - The signing of Mark Grudzielanek on Sunday wasn't a bad one, but I think it's fair to say that a lof of people were hoping for a bigger splash.  In spite of the depth Grudz can provide, is this still the team's biggest weakness?

Bullpen - There have been some gutsy performances from some unlikely places this season; Jose Mijares and Bobby Keppel have been pleasant surprises, R.A. Dickey has played his role and Matt Guerrier has rebounded after a rough time last summer.  But there's always room for one more firefighter.  At this point would you rather have a guy like Scott Downs?  (Downs, by the way, was dealt to the Twins by the Cubs in late '98; six months later he was shipped back with Rick Aguilera, while Chicago sent us Jason Ryan and somebody named Kyle Lohse.)

Rotation - No denying the talent available for the price they're being paid, but some stability and dependability would be great.  This doesn't have to be Roy Halladay here, just a proven commodity, tha'ts all we're asking for.

Bench Depth - Mike Redmond, Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris and Delmon Young don't give this club enough offensive depth.  Bringing in someone who can pinch hit just somewhere, anywhere in the bottom half of the order would provide an invaluable service to a team that struggles with production at the bottom.