ANAHEIM, CALIF. - Joe Mauer's illness this weekend prompted one of his teammates to play a prank, so when he walked to his locker Sunday, he found a handful of surgical masks.
Someone should distribute them to the entire Twins organization. This franchise needs to go under the knife.
Success can be a trap. Millionaires can create millions in debt. Celebrity can destroy normalcy.
Or, in the case of our highly successful baseball franchise, success can make you soft.
Besides injuries, what is wrong with the 2011 Twins is that they've been so good for so long that they've been flying on auto-pilot. Auto-pilot is convenient until turbulence shakes you awake and you realize you've forgotten how to navigate on your own.
The Twins lost again on Sunday, 4-1 to the Los Angeles Angels. They are headed for their worst finish since 1999, and injuries are not their only problem. The organization is choking on self-congratulation and complacency.
To avoid the kind of collapse that led the franchise to the brink of contraction in the 1990s, the Twins will have to break from their model of stability. They need to do some firing and hiring this winter.
General Manager Bill Smith shouldn't lose his job because of one horrid season, but he needs to be put on notice.