The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

Well, with Memorial Weekend on us, two things come.  The first is the more important: Summer.  The other is much less important: The fallow season of The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey.

And it will be even more fallow, in fact as fallow as it could be, this summer.  From now until Labor Day Weekend -- coincidentally the end of summer -- the WMNSS will feature only one team: The Twins.  They usually be ranked -1 because there will be no other team, but I could dip them into -Infinity (and subsequently call them the Twinks, although I call them the Twinks anyway) if they lose all their games in a week ... which, come to think of it, probably will happen.  And, of course, if they win all their games in a week (cough-cough), I'll lift them into 0 or even Positive Numbers.  But likely it'll be -1 from here on out.

I usually put the Lynx into the survey, but because they won the WNBA title and are thus the best team in the best professional and/or collegiate league for their sport in the world, I'll drop them off of the survey.  It'll at least be for a year; if they don't win the title, I might be perturbed enough to put them back on.  Or, I just might leave them off for three or even five years.  I mean, they won a championship, right?  They don't need my judgment.  Regardless and irregardless, they are out for 2012.  Also remember that the other Twin Cities teams may make a one-week cameo in the WMNSS if something happens.  I will guarantee you, for example, that the Timberwolves be back on the week of the NBA Draft.  Otherwise, it's the ...

-1: Twins (Last Week: -1).  The good feelings generated when they won four in a row have faded with a thud, to mix my metaphors.  They failed to sweep Milwaukee, getting quadrupled by the Brewers last Sunday 16-4, then have been pounded ever since, and not in a good way.  It's a 1-5 week for the Minnesota Nine.

These losing streaks (they have been vanquished four times in a row now), I'm surprised, are feeling worse.  By that I mean that I already felt shitty about this team, but then they do something good like win four in a row, I think that the organization is showing some improvement.  But then it looks like they're not improving because they go and lose four in a row, and all my hopes are dashed.  And that's the worst thing about this: Every loss from here on out means that there is no cavalry coming, that there is no hope for the future.  This is what we have, folks.  And to think that I thought they would win the division last year.  And to think we gave these assholes $360 million towards a new stadium with a promise they would contend year after year.

Any bright spots?  Well, the pitcher who threw the club's last win, P.J. Walters, is hurling for today's game at home against Detroit.  Maybe he can dazzle us with a second consecutive complete game shutout.  (That's it for pitching, though.  Free agent acquisition Jason Marquis was released this past week after yet another horrible showing where his sinkerball didn't sink.  I can blame a lot of things on the tenure of former Twins General Manager Bill Smith, and the new/old one, Terry Ryan, is someone I still believe in.  But he has to be accountable for Marquis because he brought him in.)  On the offensive side, Justin Morneau hit his ninth home run in Saturday afternoon's loss to the Tigers.  I am encouraged that the effects over his concussion are abating.  And I didn't realize until seeing last night's highlight that he really does have a sweet and distinctive swing.  On the downside, wither Joe Mauer?

The Memorial Day game, as well as the next two, are at Target Field versus the Bastard Philadelphia/Kansas City/soon-to-be-Santa Clara Athletics.  After an off-day, they travel to Seattle and play the Mariners for next weekend.