In the early 90s when I was in college, black kids used to rock t-shirts which read, "It's a black thing, you wouldn't understand." My twin sister Sam and I thought it would be funny if we got "It's a twin thing, you wouldn't understand" shirts. Somehow, we never got around to realizing our private joke. But I was reminded of it this morning as I rode the IRT to midtown Manhattan thinking about how many good sites are devoted to the Minnesota Twins. And I only know a few of 'em. John Bonnes and Aaron Gleeman paved the way, then Seth Stohs stepped in last year with an excellent site. Now the witty Batgirl has become one of the more celebrated bloggers on the Internet. What's up with all the talent covering the Twins?

I don't know if there is answer to that question, but for the next couple of three days, be sure and head on over to these sites to get the Twins perspective on things. The Twinkies will be throwing their best arms against New York: Radke, Santana, Silva will face Vazquez, Mussina, Hernandez.

Keepin' Pace

The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays in Boston last night and now trail the Yankees by ten games. The Bombers signed Shane Spencer to a minor league contract. I was never a big fan of Shaniac. While I understood his frustration over not developing into a starting player for Torre's Yanks, I've always felt like he didn't fully appreciate what he had to show for those frustrations: namely, three championship rings. His behavior this season has been telling. As an insurance policy for the outfield I suppose you could do worse. And perhaps some Yankee fans will be happy to see him back.

Look Who's Cookin'?

Jay Jaffe reconsiders Gary Sheffield's career over at The Futility Infielder in the first of a two-part profile. Excellent stuff as always from Jaffe:

Sheffield's ferocious swing, tremendous plate discipline and physical toughness have positioned him as the fulcrum of a Yankee offense that for all its talent has been scrambling to live up to this season's lofty expectations. Derek Jeter's slump, Bernie Williams' appendectomy, Jason Giambi's illnesses and Alex Rodriguez's subpar situational hitting have all dragged the Yankee lineup down ant one point or another, but it's been Sheffield, hitting .295/.404/.532 wth 27 homers and a team-high 85 RBI, who's picked them up.

...Watching him play on a daily basis has forced me to re-evaluate everything I know about Gary Sheffield. The bottom line is that the guy can play for my team any day, and despite the occasional off-the-cuff remark that has generated controversy, he's been a model citizen since donning the pinstripes and a pleasure to follow.

For more good blogging on the Yanks, check out the latest from Cliff Corcoran, as well as an excellent defense of Jason Giambi by SG, who has been filling in for Larry Mahnken at the Replacement Level Yankees Blog.