Too early for mean comments

I admit it. I sobbed like a big baby last night when the Twins lost. They showed the faces in the dugout: Duensing, who probably felt like a complete failure; Span, who was just sitting there looking incredulous; Mauer, who probably is furious with himself for not producing runs and for that almost-never-seen throwing error; Valencia, who got the last out of the game despite being such a great hitter and fielder in his rookie season. Looking at their disappointed faces was more than I could take.

I could be angry. I could blame them for coming up so far short this postseason. I could switch my allegiance and follow another team or another sport, or just quit altogether because this experience has been so painful. But what does that do for me?

The truth is, following these boys around this summer was the single greatest experience of my life. And it was surreal to get to the point where many of them recognized me and called me by name. I am not delusional; I know they're not my friends. But they pulled me through some difficult times, and I owe more to them than I could ever pay back.

And let's remember a few things that made this season fantastic:

1. Joe Mauer. We have the single greatest player in baseball on our team. He had a slow start, which for him meant hitting just .300 before the All-Star break, but then he hit almost .400 after the break. He ended up with the third highest average in the league. He's a Gold Glove catcher who is only getting better as he gets more mature. And we will have him on the Twins for a long time.

2. Justin Morneau, one of the best players in the game and batting higher than .360 at the All-Star break, was fantastic. And then when he got hurt, it only added to the pain of missing out on the best closer in the game, Joe Nathan, for the entire season. We missed them terribly, but we still clinched the division. That speaks of great depth in the batting order and in the bullpen.

3. Danny Valencia, in my opinion, was Rookie of the Year. The guy ended up hitting about .323 since coming up. When Morneau went down, we could confidently move Cuddy to first and let Danny take over third. Duensing also proved to be a great rookie pitcher, despite his postseason record.

4. Target Field. Finally, an outdoor stadium, and one that sold-out nearly every game. It was time.

5 Jim Thome. He's an old man, and he still kicks butt like a youngster. He made some home run milestones this season, and he became a dependable DH.

6. Michael Cuddyer, who consistently hit in clutch situations.

7. Liriano and Pavano, who previously looked like their careers were over, came out of nowhere and domnated the mound.

I could go on and on and on. This was a team where, despite having a few superstars, every member pulled their own weight on the mound, at the plate, and on the field. They were a joy to watch. Thank you, Twins, for all you have given to us. I can't wait until next year.