Joe Mauer

In honor of the recent birthday of one of the greatest men every to be affiliated with sports, John Wooden, it seems appropriate to use his words to start off a piece about myth and reality.

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

That’s good advice, for anyone at anytime, but especially for the Minnesota Twins this offseason.

What does the phrase “baseball’s best hitter” mean?

Is it simply defined by comparing batting averages of current players? Or do we analyze how each candidate hits in certain situations: with runners in scoring position, behind in the batting count or when his team is trailing in a game.

Winning the division and going to the postseason is not a treat awarded every team. Many would agree that the Twins enjoyed a respectable 2009 campaign, despite it being a roller coaster of emotion. Fans survived the low moments, and enjoyed the high points.

Mishandling the re-signing of Joe Mauer , however, could de-rail the roller coaster for years to come.

Following the infamous Game Three baserunning error, Nick Punto may be one of the most hated men in Minnesota. He ignored the (possibly late) stop signal from third-base coach Scott Ullger in favor of the roaring crowd. Punto probably ended up costing the Twins a run in that fateful Game Three, which ended up being the last of 2009, and the last in Metrodome history.

But that one mistake cannot replace a surprisingly solid season from the veteran utility infielder.

I waited a few days before writing this piece so I could read most of the reports on the great Friday night comeback for the Yankees. Most of the talk in the papers, on the sports talk radio stations and on television was about the missed call on the ball hit by Joe Mauer and how it cost the Twins the game.

With a slow grounder to to short, it was all over. The joy of game 163, the September magic, the 2009 season, baseball in the H.H.H. Metrodome, all of it.

It was a good run for the Minnesota Twins and in any evaluation of the season, that needs to be the foundation. The Twins beat their expected wins by six games and won a division in which they were projected to finish no better than third.

But, to borrow a line from the Bard, we come to bury the Twins, not to praise them.

The Land of 10,000 Lakes, (really, it's closer to 15,000) has decided to declare it's top icon of all time—no, not Prince, Tiny Tim, Bob Dylan, or Jesse the "Mind" Ventura.

You might be thinking, "I know, it's Brett Favre!" Well, you're getting warmer, but no.

"A.L. post season expert, Orlando Cabrera?" Almost there.

"Wait, you're not talking about that crappy old Dome are you?"

Yeah. You got it. That crappy old Dome. After the last 48 hours, I think you can agree, with just cause.

For the last 28 years, Minnesota has called the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome it's Metro-home.

By Ryan of The Sportmeisters

About The Minnesota Twins:

A day after clinching the AL Central in a one-game playoff, the Twins travel to the Big Apple to take on the Yankees. At 87-76, the Twins closed a seven-game deficit, going 17-4 over the final month to tie the Detroit Tigers and force the playoff before clinching the AL Central.

The Minnesota Twins are on the threshold of an unexpected berth in the postseason, and it may have more to do with someone other than the guy you'll be thinking about for MVP.

Yes, yes.  Joe Mauer has been spectacular this year, putting up huge numbers while playing the most physically demanding position in the game, and missing the first month of the season.  A .364 batting average, 28 dingers and 96 RBI are stellar, but there may be someone more deserving in that lineup.