#-1: Twins (Last Week: -2). A 5-2 week, capped off with, finally!, their first season sweep. Even better that it was of the second-place Detroit Tigers. In a somewhat dispiriting sign, however, their two losses were of the close variety. Their defeat on Saturday to Cleveland, 5-4, and that to Baltimore last (Thursday) night to Baltimore, 2-0, were filled with missed chances. That loss to the Orioles is even more troubling because it's the first series in which the Twinkies lost its first game since the first game of the season, to the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim Angels Of Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim Angels Of. ... They're now behind the eight-ball and at risk of dropping the first series of the season, and to a really awful team that hasn't even won double-digit games yet.
On the bright side, the lineup, last (Thursday) night aside, looks formidable. And the rotation looks like they're rounding into shape. In particular, Francisco Liriano appears to not only be fully healed from Tommy John surgery, he is exceeding the flashes of brilliance he showed before the surgery, and I can see him being the super-ace Twins fans want him to be. They finish their series with the Orioles this weekend, then stay at home to do the Annual Early-May Weirdo Two-Game Series (this one against the White Sox), they go to the Bronx to play the Fucking Yankees on Friday.
#-2: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -1). A 3-2 week, but it wasn't bad. They split a weather-necessitated doubleheader Saturday at Iowa but won Sunday's rubber match; all the games were blowouts. Then they had a two-fer at 20th-ranked Kansas St.; they're ranked??? Anyway, they got their brains kicked in by the Wildcats on Tuesday, 12-6, but came back to win Wednesday. In fact, it was a three-pitcher, three-hit, 3-0 shutout!!! That is impressive, and it might be the thing that turns their season around and puts them back in contention for a tournament spot Baseball America predicted for the Gophers before the season, despite the fact they're 20-26. This is their final homestand: The start the last six games at the Metrodome with a weekend series against Michigan, who are tied with Northwestern for first place in the Big Ten.
#-Infinity: Swarm (Last Week: -4). And the local indoor lacrosse team ... lost its quarterfinal playoff game at Washington, 14-10. They got blown out in the first quarter by the Stealth, 6-1 (Washington's 8-0 if they lead after the first) and won the last quarter, 5-2, and that basically shows you how uncompetitive the Swarm was this game. They finish the season losing seven in a row, and they haven't won a game since March 26.
This team has yet to make a playoff run of any significance yet. That puts them one playoff run short of the Wild and the Timberwolves, come to think of it, so either they're close to becoming the best team in Minnesota each winter, or we have a lot of suckitude we have to deal with between Vikings and Twins seasons.
I looked to see if the Swarm have been the worst team in the National Lacrosse League. I made a quick check on Wikipedia, so take my information with a grain of salt, but this isn't the NFL, where you can go from worst to first in a season. It's possible, but I see many teams, many franchises, that have received playoff futility, a few even worse than the Swarm. Until this season's postseason, the Edmonton Rush and the Toronto Rock were out of the playoffs more times than in. Probably the worst franchise in the NLL, however, are the Philadelphia Wings, who have made the playoffs only once in the last eight seasons. Good thing the organization has been around in some form since 1987 and that this is an Eastern, and thus lacrosse-friendly, city; if the Swarm had a track record like that, there would be no Swarm. Of course, if they don't start becoming a contender soon, there might not be a Swarm team to boo.
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