The Twins Are Going to Be Great, and They Know It

Every year is different. Predicting is a fools errand so people should settle in and watch the games play out

One thing we can count on, if we don't win the final game, some of our members will consider the season a failure.

I don't remember this amount of confidence and swagger from a Gardy era club during spring training. I see this raising of the expectations as a positive thing for the Twins and quite refreshing in this town.

Can't wait!

But then there's the Damn Yankees...If the Twins don't find a way to get the #1 seed, I just can't see them getting past the Evil Empire. 

I think 1992 was the last time we had that much swagger and press and expectation.

I love the confidence. Thats half the battle! If these guys expect to win, they'll make it happen. My only sadness is the taint on this entire season so far. The Astros cheating scandal has cast a real pall on things. Never used to feel this way, but I'm beginning to think unless their 2017 championship is revoked, nothing is going to heal or get fixed. If the punishment is that severe, maybe it will be a deterrent. Right now, its still a mess and the Astros will be a target in every city. Thats just not good for the game.

Clearly not enough has been done to make it all go away. The Olympics take away medals. MLB I believe has to take stronger measures. Harsh? Well, they cheated. So maybe not. Did others? Maybe, but they didn't win the WS.  They must be held accountable so this won't fester and ruin the season. My thoughts.

All of this excitement and confidence, while foreign, adds to the intrigue of this season.  The downside is there would be a bigger letdown if things don't go as we all hope they will, but it's the risk that we all take as fans of the team.  It's a good feeling to be in this position, as opposed to the same old "We hope to be competitive and not be totally embarrassed by July" mentality that permeated Spring Trainings for far too long!  I for one am looking forward to this ride, and hoping it doesn't come to a stop until late October!  Go Twins!

I think 1992 was the last time we had that much swagger and press and expectation.

I keep getting flashbacks of 2011 when I read articles like this. That spring all the talk was "we just need to figure out how to get past the Yankees." While I don't expect a 99-loss season like that squad, I certainly don't think this is a *great* team and it wouldn't shock me if the team is closer to .500 than it is to topping 101 wins.   

When it comes to competitive evaluations trust the players. Players know how good they are and how good their team is and where their team ranks (on paper, before any games are played) in the league. This is true at every level of competition. The players know.

Evaluations are not predictions. Anything can happen. The season can seem very long at times. But the players know this team is good, really good, and that’s a great place for a team to be before the games begin.