Perhaps it is fitting that the character of Gale Hawthorne in the movie version of "The Hunger Games" -- as portrayed by actor Liam Hemsworth -- is the spitting image of Joe Mauer, minus the sideburns.

Not to spoil the movie or make too light of a comparison involving its heavy plot, but it seems as though the four major pro sports teams in this town are locked into a grotesque battle for survival -- with the Twins' opening weekend in Baltimore serving as the most recent example, but only barely.

The details of the Twins turning the 2012 Orioles into the 1971 Orioles are throughout this section, so we will spare you further heartburn.

After a very promising start, the Timberwolves are officially in their annual late-season free-fall, unable to shake a rash of injuries (and really, unable to cope with the loss of Ricky Rubio). They've lost five games in a row. They have lost 21 consecutive games played in the month of April. Their draft lottery odds are improving every day -- which is bad, since they owe their pick to New Orleans, the piper needing to finally be paid for Marko Jaric. They are in last place in their division.

The Wild won just enough down the stretch to finish out of the running for the top pick in the draft -- a worthy effort, despite the result. Still, the stark facts remain: The Wild had the fewest non-shootout victories (24) in the entire NHL. It scored the fewest goals of any team since the lockout. And it missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

The Vikings haven't played for months, which should be a good thing, considering they just had one of their worst seasons in franchise history. But even if they are being fiscally prudent and working on a multiple-year plan to return to respectability, fans are hardly scintillated by their offseason moves so far. Drafting offensive tackle Matt Kalil -- another smart thing -- won't change that.

We briefly considered whether it is possible that none of these teams -- the Twins, Vikings, Wild or Timberwolves -- will ever make the playoffs again. As in, never. Not in franchise history.

But even while wallowing in a sea of negativity, that's just too gloomy a sentiment. It's spring. Outdoor baseball is here again. Things have to get better at some point, right? As such, here is a slightly more optimistic sentiment: the earliest season in which you should expect these teams to seriously threaten to make the playoffs.

• Timberwolves: 2012-13. Yes, as soon as next season. They were on track before the Rubio setback. The big if: Aside from Rubio's health, it's upgrading at shooting guard. Has to be done.

• Wild: 2013-14. The kids will bring some intrigue next year. Realistically, it will be another year beyond that until they could be ready to shine.

• Vikings: 2014. NFL teams can make quick turnarounds, but this seems like a deep roster rebuild in the middle of a tough division.

• Twins: 2015. Feels like it's going to be that long until the next wave of prospects are ready in conjunction with other rebuilding pieces.

MICHAEL RAND