Those of you who read this blog know that I tend to get pretty juiced when things are going well and take the bad stuff better than a lot of people who get frustrated by the Twins' shortcomings, real or imagined.
Right now, though, it's time to take a stand.
It's time to blow up this thing and build a better ball club.
Monday night's 20-6 embarrassment may have been the loudest scream for help, but if you take a step back and look soberly at what has become of this team -- it's clear that the Twins simply aren't constructed to compete at the highest level. There are too many flaws in the players you want to rely on and too many holes being plugged by guys who are either maddeningly inconsistent or frequently overmatched.
The Twins have more in common with the Orioles and Dodgers than with the teams with which you'd like to compare them. In a stronger division, they'd be burnt toast.
If names were matched up with flaws right now, this post would be only that -- names and flaws. Delmon, his two home runs and his subpar defense. Mauer, his health and his inconsistency. Nishioka, his offense and his defense. You could do that cadence for most of the roster -- some underachieving, some overmatched.
Really, it's a conclusion that I suppose I wanted to defer. Kind of like waiting until the tooth hurts really, really badly before calling the dentist.
But any glimmer of hope feels like it would be a false positive, and counterproductive to the team's long-term health. Sweep Oakland this weekend? Maybe ... but so what?