Devereaux

Agree with this. Joe's too good not to adjust. Reminds me of a stat I read on Peter Gammon's site a few days before the season ended: "Joe Mauer has [as of 9/26] the lowest BA in baseball on 0-2 pitches going 2-for-48, hitting .049."

2004 ALDS Game 2 was the game I fell out of love with Jacque Jones. He didn't even try to get Jeter out at home from right field on Matsui's fly, instead throwing to 1B Matthew LeCroy.

Nick, thanks. I thought this was going to be another "disappointing second half" article. Pleasantly surprised. The only point I want to add is that it's suspicious to to talk about any arbitrary period of PA's (e.g. Mauer before - or after - going to the IR; Dozier after the All-Star). I would prefer, if we are going to judge a person's productivity on an arbitrary period, to stick to seasons. And, as you nicely put it, Dozier has put together a fine season.

I have actually enjoyed watching the World Cup. The games can be very entertaining; some of the goals scored will stay in my memory forever. It's been great to root on my country, and to watch other nations root on theirs. The tension while watching the U.S. games with other fans was delicious. Still, the World Cup gave excellent examples of three things I do not like about the sport, three things that have never, and never will, plague baseball: Flopping. Yes I know soccer lovers hate flopping, too, but then do something about it. People have been “hurting their kneecaps” a dozen times a game to slow down the pace since I started watching the World Cup in 1986. (See also, basketball and hockey.) Blindsiding. Really, all of the pushing and shoving and other contact, but especially the blindsiding. I’m all about saving people’s spines, leg ligaments and heads. The Costa Rican fellow that kneed Neymar in the back should have been arrested on the spot. I saw a Korean fellow get clobbered from behind with an elbow on a header the other day in super slo mo. It looked like a certain concussion to me, but he couldn't leave the game or his team would have been a man down. Head injuries, as we know, are forever. Or at least for a very long time. (See also, just about every contact sport.) Ties. After the U.S.-Portugal game, the camera panned to the players and into the stands: not a single person looked happy. I bet if they would have looked into each of the 25 million houses watching the game, they would have only seen blank stares, too. And winning in a penalty shoot out is barely less silly. Now, if we can just get America behind the World Baseball Classic, my life would be complete. The U.S. manager would never have to say this country doesn't have a chance to win it all.

Next year will be the big test. This season they can still count 17,000 "paid attending" because the season ticket numbers haven't dropped as drastically as they might have, thanks to the All-Star Game. Next year the bottom could very well drop out, even if the Twins scramble to mediocrity. Minnesota fans have always been very fickle.