Not all losses are created equal

The Twins' loss on Wednesday illustrated that not all baseball losses are created equal.

Wednesday, the Twins got shut down by the reinvigorated Erik Bedard. That happens in baseball.

My belief is that in big-league ball, over 162 games, 99 percent of baseball teams are bound to lose at least 60 games and win at least 60 games. It's the fate of those other 42 games that determines whether you're the Yankees or the Pirates.

The Twins' loss on Wednesday, to a dominating pitcher, fell into the category of the inevitable 60 losses. It was the Twins' loss on Monday, when they wasted two home runs from Jim Thome and a late-inning lead, that is the kind of loss that moves you away from 90 victories and toward 70 victories.

The Twins' problem is that they have no margin for error. They can't afford either kind of loss - the devastating blown lead, or the routine, understandable loss.

The Twins are 16-32. They would need to go 74-40 the rest of the way to reach 90 victories. There is no chance of them making that kind of run with this bullpen.

-My colleague Patrick Reusse today suggested that the Twins have been lax in pushing Joe Mauer to return from his mysterious injury (or injuries.)

What if the Twins ordered Mauer to play in a big-league game on Friday? First of all, I don't think that's possible. Second, if the Twins ordered Mauer to play on Friday and he then tore his rotator cuff or blew out his knee and missed a(nother) year, the Twins would have ruined another season, further damaged their $184 million investment and caused irreparable harm to their relationship with their franchise player.

As frustrating as it is to watch Mauer take baby steps toward his return, you can't force a player to rush. Can't be done.

My biggest problem with Mauer's timetable all along was that I thought he should have been pushing to do more baseball activities and preparing himself to at least DH for the big-league club. I didn't see why he couldn't take four at-bats a night and also do his rehab that would allow him to return as a catcher.

Mauer told me, one-on-one, that his body simply wasn't ready to play baseball. Since my conversation with Mauer, I"ve become convinced that there is something missing to this story. I think there is either something wrong with him that has not been revealed, or that he's angry that his rehab didn't go the way he thought it should.

He's an easy target right now, and I've taken my share of shots at him on the radio, but I have trouble believing that a three-time batting champ and former MVP who (despite public perception) has been a relatively durable catcher the last few years would rather DH in extended spring training games in Fort Myers than play in big-league games...unless there is a good reason that he can't play in big-league games.

Again, Mauer is an easy target right now, but I think there's something missing to this story, and it's not in Mauer's nature to tell us exactly what that is.

-One more note on my bashing of Kevin Slowey: Agree or disagree, but understand that I formed that opinion over the last two years by watching Slowey in action, watching how he treats people I know, and by talking to dozens of people at all levels of the Twins' organization.

Usually when I take someone on, I hear from that person's allies in the organization. When I was ready to criticize Mauer for taking so long to return, I had a couple of people in the organization tell me that they thought there was more to the story, and helped set up my conversation with Mauer, so he could at least present his thoughts.

I spent all day Wednesday at the ballpark and spoke with a number of people throughout the organization, and nobody defended Slowey to me. Nobody. Quite the opposite.

The one caveat I'll add is that, whether it's Slowey or Mauer or Jim Thome or Glen Perkins, the Twins are developing a bad reputation for handling diagnoses of injuries. I wouldn't blame Slowey if he didn't trust the Twins' medical process, but there is a difference between striving to be healthy so you can do your job, and looking for reasons to shut yourself down.

Jerry West won one title. He wasn't exactly a choker.

In a few weeks, either LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki will still be without a title. I'll say this: Neither should be labeled a choker or an underachiever.

Whatever you think of James, he elevated the Cavaliers, and now he's elevating the Heat. He has played a brilliant all-around game in these playoffs, dominating defensively and moving the ball as well as scoring. And Nowitzki has been unbelievable in leading the Mavericks to the finals.

One simple fact we sometimes forget while watching sports is, somebody's gotta lose.

-It's a small thing, but I love the fact that Christian Ponder and Joe Webb are working together at a quarterback camp, and hoping to gather teammates for more workouts. This shows impressive iniative for a couple of aspiring QBs.