The Funking Line

Welcome the funkiest place on the internet to read/discuss Minnesota pro sports. Think of it as therapy, for you and me, because if you're a Minnesota professional sports fan, you need it.

Summer's a dry spell in the sports world, but baseball usually makes up for that. The Twins entered this season with high hopes based on a young, promising rotation and a couple of elite position players. Many popular sports websites predicted that they would win the division based on these factors, and mostly the assumption that the starting rotation, anchored by Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker, would not regress. Well, it happened. Big time. And while Baker has started to find himself again, Liriano continues to suffer from pitching schizophrenia.

I'm still going to follow and watch the games, but I've adjusted my emotions so that I don't kill myself with each loss. The Twins' recent slide may have saved my life, as their inconsistency through July was almost more maddening than their consistent failure now. The real question though, is how the Twins will do next year.

2009 will be the most important off-season in Twins' history. They need to solidify their rotation, not just to compete next year but to prove to Joe Mauer that he can win with his hometown team. And it all starts tonight with the draft signing deadline. Not to necessarily help the rotation in 2009 (though Gibson could turn into next year's Rick Porcello), but to prove to Joe that the organization is willing to pay more for top end talent.

Are you aware that Glen Perkins was a first-round draft pick? Kudos to the Twins for finding a functional major player in the draft, but players like Phil Hughes, Huston Street, and Dustin Pedroia were selected afterward. The Twins need to select and sign top level talent to compete. Kyle Gibson represents such talent, and if they do not sign him, it will be one more reason for Joe Mauer to go to a team that not only can give him and other top free agents more money, but also top draft talent as well.

UPDATE: Kyle Gibson has signed for a $1.8M bonus. Rock.

So this is my first sports blog, and it will evolve as I become more comfortable, but feel free to provide any feedback on my writing, or my opinions.