¡VIVA RIVAS!

UPDATE (10/16) -- Yeah, I know I promised an analysis of LF yesterday, but events conspired against me. We've had the debate, it's just a matter of getting it into cyberspace. It'll be up by the end of the day tmrw.

Just as I sat down to type, the Oh-ee-oh Magglio pounded out another homerun in the bottom of the ninth for the win and sweep of the A's. It's nice to see the Tigers win since they've been bad for so long, and back-to-back champions from the AL Central will be a nice feather in our division's cap. Back to my original topic...

Over the next couple weeks, a buddy of mine(alias: "Wakky" -- no real funny story behind that, sorry) and I will break down our recommendations for what the Twins should do and what we think they will do, position-by-position. They will hopefully be relatively short, easily digestible posts, culminating in a summary of what the roster will look like. Not an original idea, I know, but what else can you do without exclusive access to Johan and his family for a kick-Rivas feature?

We'll start out with the most unsettled positions, like 3B and LF, and move from there. We'll be operating from the (some say optimistic) assumption that the Twins will boost their salary to $70 million. Our rationale: The Twins boosted payroll by $7 million last year, and it seems reasonable to assume, given the Twins good attendance this year and their 2007 World Series aspirations, that they'll do so again this offseason. (We're still crossing our Homer Hankies, just in case) So tomorrow we'll cover LF, and a few days after that, 3B.

On a completely unrelated note, watch Veronica Mars. Yes, it's on the new CW, yes it's about a high school girl detective, and no, I'm not a teenage girl. Believe me, I thought the same thing about the show at first, so hear me out. The only reason I even gave it a chance is because a friend of mine who shares a passion for all things good: Twins baseball, Star Wars, Transformers and Quentin Tarantino movies, recommended it. So I said, my eyebrow arched, "Okay, I trust your judgement...maybe," and ordered the first three discs of the first season. And voila, on my day off yesterday, I watched ALL THREE DISCS of the show. Admittedly, I was feeling extremely lazy and had nothing else going on (such as Twins playoff baseball), but still, I wouldn't subject myself to the equivalent of a full workday of any old show, like my girlfriend's fave, "Gilmore Girls." While Veronica is not at the same level as a "24" or "Arrested Development," it's still damn good entertainment, especially if you like the snappy writing a la Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firely/Serenity").