Upper Midwest pennant fever!

This time of year it's difficult to generate any enthusiasm whatsoever for watching the Twins play--or even to check out the box score in the morning paper. About the only interesting aspect of the four remaining games is how much-hyped prospects Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano fare against big league bats. Tonight's game--with dead arm Joe Mays starting against the dreadful Royals (who by the way will be gunning for their club record 105th loss!)--looks particularly brutal.

But here's one point that the Twins can still use for motivation in these dog days of the season: they're in danger of ending up with a worse record than the Brewers. With Milwaukee's win this afternoon, the perennially awful Brew Crew moved within a half game of the Twins.

This alarming fact will undoubtedly stimulate Joe Mays to get his fastball hopping up to the mid-80s. Go Twins.