Monday Morning Minnesota: There isn’t good news anymore

• per Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com, the first two weeks of the second half will be crucial in determining if the second place Twins will be sellers. Yeah, about that....
• The Hattiesburg American talks with Brian Dozier about his time in Minnesota, as well as college ball in Southern Mississippi. Most of what Bry Bry the Nice Hair Guy has to say is typical baseball “love the city and the fans” blather, but still worth a read. I like that he calls the Twins a “blue-collar” organization. As far as multi-millionaires playing a game in front of thousands at the behest of billionaires goes, I guess they are the most-least-not blue-collar. (?)
• But why are the Twins so bad? You nicely ask to grant me a segue to this next link about the false starts to Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton’s careers. Without one or both of the supposed cornerstones finding their groove, competing in a super-team heavy American League seems like a tall order. I would caution you all to not give up on the two who are both barely in their twenties. However as I am actually the collective pessimism and spite of the entire Minnesota sports community manifested corporeally I’ll be over here joining a cult and screaming about the end times.
• Also from the Strib is the piece on professional hitter Robbie Grossman who has watched the game he’s payed to play change rapidly. I find it refreshing that he treats figuring out how to survive the changing landscape of baseball as another part of the fun.

Today’s soundtrack is from Samurai Champloo because we’re dipping into anime until the pace of video-game production catches up to the pace of me posting links to youtube videos of their soundtracks.