I was impressed that Francisco Liriano could recover from a three-run first inning to keep the Twins in the game. He saved the bullpen and gave his team a chance to win.

I was more impressed by Ubaldo Jimenez's savvy and composure. He's one of those pitchers who, in person, looks taller and more intimidating and more composed than you find him to be on TV.

My Friday column deals with the way he selected pitches when he ran into a rare jam, and how he dealt with two of the Twins' best hitters.

I was also impressed with the Twins' approach against him. Matt Tolbert went 2-for-3, Drew Butera went 1-for-2 with a walk, and Jim Thome and Joe Mauer came off the bench to hit line drives.

Justin Morneau has not been the same since he got sick at the end of the last road trip. Part of his slump is probably a simple market correction - he wasn't going to hit .370 all season - and part of it is probably a hangover from his illness.

I miss seeing Orlando Hudson on the field. The Twins miss his professional at-bats in the 2-hole. I also would like to see Hudson in a place where he isn't celebrated for running his mouth all game. I find it funny that the networks find him funny. To me, every time you see a coach or player ``wired" during a game, you wind up wishing he wasn't.

The rare exception was Phil Jackson saying that the Celtics choke in the fourth quarter. That was beautiful.

I"ll be hosting the morning show for 1500ESPN on Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. I have a bunch of guests, some writers, some local sports figures, lined up, and Phil Mackey is going to come in early to preview the Reusse-and-Mackey show. We'll talk Twins, Vikes, Wolves, Wild, NBA finals, US Open, and, I'm sure, Lynx.