Friday Links-N-Thinks

It was a rough week for the Twins in Chicago as the team got swept by one of their biggest rivals in a three game set. Minnesota won't have to wait long to get another shot at the White Sox as Chicago will come to Minnesota at the beginning of next week. For now, the focus of the club will turn to the Cleveland Indians over the weekend, a series where the Twins could play spoiler to a team trying to get back into the division race.

Even with the team playing some important games over the course of the next week, the focus of many fans will be on the trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The Twins are one of three teams in the American League that is a below the .500 mark by quite a lot and this should mean that the team will be sellers in the next handful of days. Players like Francisco Liriano and Denard Span have heard their names mentioned multiple times in the rumor mill. It should be an interesting couple of days to see what Terry Ryan can do with his first trade deadline since taking back the GM chair.

Another Friday means a collection of links to enjoy before you head off for your weekend fun. Sit back and buckle up for this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."

• It sounds like the Angels and Orioles are in the mix for a deal including Francisco Liriano.
  
• The trade market for Liriano seems to be fluctuating but at least there is still interest.
  
• The Reds have some interesting in adding Denard Span but it could cost them a pretty penny.
  
• If the Twins are going to trade any of the big three available bats (Morneau, Span, Willingham), it seems that the team is going to ask for a lot.
  
• One of the teams interested in Justin Morneau could be the Dodgers. They have money to spend but LA already added Hanley Ramirez to their line-up.
  
• What would the Twins outfield look like without Span manning center field?
  
• The Nationals are looking at adding middle infield depth in the form of a Jamey Carroll or Nick Punto type player. Could the Twins swing a deal that included Carroll and Span to the Nats?
  
• Even though Carl Pavano and Matt Capps will be on the DL until after the trade deadline, the Twins are hoping they will be able to get the players traded through waivers.
  
• Over the last two seasons, the Twins and the Astros have gone about losing in different ways. Which philosophy is better?
  
• Looking at the other trades made in the last couple weeks, it's a little easier to project the returns the Twins could get for their players.
  
• Someone is very excited that Luis Perdomo is joining the bullpen for the Twins.
  
• This photo of former Twins manager Tom Kelly was making the rounds on multiple sites this week. Apparently, "No Smooooking in the Metrodome" wasn't for everybody.
  

• Joe Mauer thinks that he can still win a championship in Minnesota so it's good to hear that he is staying positive.
  
• There was a sighting of Mauer's furriest fan in the stands at a game this week.
  
• Jason Marquis was unbelievably bad with the Twins and he has turned it around with a shift back to the NL as a member of the Padres.
  
• While Marquis was bad with the Twins earlier this year, Nick Blackburn is entering the same territory. Should the Twins just cut him loose?
  
• Glen Perkins is a player that everyone should root for.
  
• Aaron Hicks, one of the top prospects for the Twins, had a career day earlier this week and it's not too early to look at his future.
  
• The entire incident with Cal Ripken's mother was scary to hear about. Luckily, everything turned out much better than it could have ended.
  
• Topps gets creative with their baseball cards and this is sure a strange item to pull from a pack.
  
• Fans got a couple years off from the World Baseball Classic and now the sites for next year's tournament have been announced.
  
• Ever wanted to own an official World Series trophy? The trophy given to the 1912 Boston Red Sox is being auctioned off.
  
• The Indians had three birthday parties on the same day for the same person. That's a lot of birthday cake.
  

My Weekly Rundown:

• Sunday: Sunday Links-N-Thinks
  
• Monday: Hendriks lost in translation to big leagues
  
• Tuesday: Tuesday's trip through the Minors
  
• Wednesday: Plouffe's injury could mean Valencia's return
  

Video of the Week: Carlos Gomez has been known to be a show boat during his career and Twins fans will remember plenty of things that he did on the field. Earlier this week, he got a little excited over a deep foul ball and he trotted around the bases. Just watch the video because it will bring a smile to your face.