It's the first Friday in August and that means the trade deadline came and passed in the last week. There was plenty of speculation that the Twins might be in the midst of a fire sale with the team on pace for their second straight 90-loss. Denard Span, Josh Willingham, and Justin Morneau were some of the players that other teams asked the Twins about but all of these players are still with the organization. Francisco Liriano was the only player to find himself wearing a different jersey over the course of the last few days. Many fans were disappointed with the players that the Twins got in return for Liriano and it is hard to think that the Twins turned the franchise around with this lone trade.

On the field, the Twins have been in the midst of a very good stretch of baseball with the team winning five of their six games since last Friday. The Indians came to town last weekend and the Twins went on an offensive tear in the series by scoring 28 runs in the three game set. Good starting pitching has put the team in position to win contests as some of the starters try to prove that they belong in the rotation for the 2013 season. It was an overall good week for a team that has struggled to get any closer to the .500 mark over the course of the last few months.

It's been busy for NoDak Twins Fan this week as I have moved from the Twin Cities back to NoDak to live and work with in Fargo, ND. If my posts are sporadic in the next week, it might be for the fact that I don't have internet service in my new place and my sister is getting married next weekend. I will do my best to keep the content flowing here. But for now, enjoy this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."

• One negative piece of news from the week was the fact that former first round pick Alex Wimmers was forced to have Tommy John surgery.
  
• As mentioned above, the Twins didn't do anything at the deadline and it might have been a good thing.
  
• Others find it very disappointing that the Twins didn't do anything before the deadline.
  
• Liriano made his first start with the White Sox at Target Field so that meant he was going to be good.
  
• The Twins farm system might be weak but check out this in-depth look at the top 50 prospects for the club.
  
• Sam Deduno has looked good in his two starts in the last week but his fastball is all over the place.
  
• How many things did you hate about the Liriano trade?
  
• The Fort Myers Miracle had a weird moment in their game this week. An umpire threw out the sound guy for playing "Three Blind Mice" when the umps made a bad call.
  
• At least the Twins aren't the Astros.
  
• Terry Ryan might have to wait until the offseason to move some players like Span and Burton.
  
• Have you ever wondered what players increased/decreased their WAR the most from one season to the next?
  
• Trevor Plouffe and Danny Valencia are friends that are fighting for the same job with the Twins.
  
• So far this season, it seems like the Twins are just (Red) Wing(ing) it with their starting pitching.
  
• Rene Rivera had a big hit for the Red Wings earlier this week and it came the day before his birthday.
  
• The last two years have been a little crazy at the trade deadline for Span with all of the rumors swirling around him.
  
• Jerome Williams gave up five runs for the Angels and still earned a save this week. A former Twins player holds the record for most runs given up while still earning the save.
  
• Twins fans got use to some weird behaviors with Carlos Gomez but now he is revolutionizing the home run.
  
• One member of the Twins pitching staff can call himself an Olympian.
  

• In a related note, baseball should be brought back to the Olympics.
  
• That large set of vintage baseball cards found in an attic were sold at action this week.
  
• Dave St. Peter is going to be answering questions at the MLB Fan Cave tomorrow and you can leave a question on their Facebook page.
  
• Here are some reactions from across the baseball world about Lew Ford being back in the big leagues (see more on Ford below).
  

My Weekly Rundown

• Monday: Fans frustrated even when Liriano is dealt
  
• Tuesday: Ford completes long journey back to MLB
  
• Wednesday: Twins rebuilding strategy is going to be slow
  

Video of the Week: Since the Twins were quiet at the deadline, the best story line to follow for the week was the return of Lew Ford to the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles. He hasn't played in at the MLB level since 2007 with the Twins. During the meantime, he has played in independent leagues, in Mexico and in Japan. The 35-year old outfield didn't waste any time making the highlight reels as he gunned down a runner in his first game back. A couple of games later, his first hit since September 2007 was also a special moment.