¡VIVA RIVAS!

The Twins season turned around in June when the Twins ditched Batista and Castro in favor of Punto and Bartlett. It turned around when Morneau started tearing the cover off the ball, proving his worth and MVP-ness. It became a new season when Liriano entered the rotation and Cuddyer took over the cleanup spot. All oft-repeated reasons for the Twinkies' miraculous comeback to the point of becoming conventional wisdom. And to think it's all wrong.

You heard the real reason -- the inside scoop -- for the Twins' rally tonight on the post-game show, and it's a surprisingly simple one: "I CRIED UNCLE" -- Twins GM Terry Ryan, borrowing a phrase my great-grandpa often used in his childhood.

Terry's recipe for success: Crying 'UNCLE!!!'

That's right folks, the impetus for the Twins turnaround this year was the day Terry Ryan saw Tony Batista swing and whiff and Castro ground out to SS one too many times, forcing a consternated yelp of "UNCLE!!" from the master scout/GM. Shortly thereafter, he got on the phone to Rochester, called Bartlett up, released Batista and moved Punto over to 3B. The rest, as Luis Rivas would say, is historia. So it's not sexy (that's Billy Beane's territory), but who ever accused Terry of being sexy?

Is there a more perfect way to clinch a playoff spot? The Twins finally celebrate at home with a win in a game that featured:

--Hunter hitting his 30th HR, and making a leaping catch at the wall.
--Joe Mauer going 2-3 to maintain his lead in the batting race
--Morneau slamming HR #34 in the 8th
--Boof pitching into the 7th and throwing a no-hitter through four, solidifying his spot in the playoff rotation.
--Joe Nathan pitching the 9th to close it out. Not quite a Brian Sabean Special since there was no save, but close enough.

Rivas of the Day:
It was a joyous night, but I still need to hand out a Rivas of the Day for Bert's repeated use of the phrase "BOOF! There it is." I'd rather have my children learn to "Pull a Blyleven" from watching Twins games. Where's the FCC when you actually need an intervention?? (If you want to watch the original "Whoomp! There it is" music video by Tag Team, go here.)

As if Twins fans needed more reason to smile, enjoy this belly laugh: The Reds signed Juan Castro to a 2-year extension.

One more link, this time Tim Kurkjian analyzes the Achilles' heel of each playoff team. Not surprisingly, he picks a lack of rotation depth for the Twins. I laugh in his general direction and spit out but one word: JOHAN.