In my last blog entry, I said the Twins needed a strong showing in Detroit to prove they were legit. During those five games, the Twins did not prove their legitimacy. Far from it. They looked bad out there, and they chalked up some injuries. Five games, and now success seems like it's falling out of reach. 

This column's getting posted later than I'd like because life got busy for a bit. During that time, I didn't get much of a chance to follow those five games. The final scores popped up on my phone like bad news from the doctor. 

I'm writing this now with my handsome grey cat by my side. I just saw my wife and daughter go past the window on our riding lawnmower. It's chilly, but it's definitely summer time. There's a Twins game coming up and, even though they won last night, I'm still bracing myself for more bad news. If things were different, I might already be done with this column and find myself outside, helping my wife tear up our backyard so we can do something with the hostas.

It's always hostas. 

Do I really think a winning baseball team leads to better husbanding? Absolutely. It's a lot easier to motivate yourself to do the mundane things when baseball magic is just a few hours away. 

When you're a serious fan of a baseball team, you let other people know. And, because it's the nature of small talk, those people ask you about your team. It's like having imaginary grandchildren, only instead of pulling out pictures and bragging you list statistics and beam with pride. 

So here's hoping the Twins give us something to brag about in the Great White North. I've got to go figure out lunch for the family and maybe help out a bit with the yard work. My daughter just took over the radio and we're listening to Mira: Royal Detective instead of Primus, so I'm very motivated to leave the area.