I'm not a Twins fan, and actually wanted the A's to beat them. Once the Twins advanced to face the Angels, all I wanted to see was close, tension-filled games. The Twins certainly did not deliver in the LCS and one of my memories from it will be how bad Corey Koskie looked. I didn't know exactly how to describe what I felt watching him at bat in the series, and I just wanted to thank whomever it was who used the words "stood at the plate like some frightened first grader gaping at the t-ball." That's exactly what he looked like, and Twins fans everywhere must have felt like the parents of this first grader, knowing that he has broken windows in neighbors' houses with some of the beebees he has hit in the backyard, only to see him caught in the headlights (my apologies for mixing the metaphor) when someone was finally watching.

Better luck next year.
Robert J. Fathergill
Rochester, NY

To the Editor:

Okay, we've seen what a little elimination anxiety can do for an unwanted team of misfits: if they wish hard enough and eat their Wheaties (note the Minnesota intertextual reference), they can go to the pennant series and blow it on a national scale. The important thing to remember is, everyone was watching. Everyone was interested. And Bud and Carl looked like the greedy party-poopers they are.

Now we should take the opportunity to really mix it up. Let's see what we can do to increase interest in the also-ran sports in cities where one is clearly king. Cross pollinate the leagues! My proposal: rotate teams in their own cities. Who wouldn't shell out a few bucks to see Jerome Bettis strap on some XXXL Penguins breezers and face off against Derek Jeter of the NY Rangers? If Kobe played fullback, wouldn't it be more likely that LA could hold onto an NFL franchise? Randy Moss always talks about being drafted by the NBA, but let's see him hit a Kurt Warner slider!

Signed:
Irritable Mark

Dear Mudville:

Now I know what it feels like to be George—Steinbrenner, that is! Man, we really knocked those donkeys for a loop this time. Makes me wish the Rangers would get a clue—2003 could only get better if I had Osama in one hand and a Texas World Series ticket in the other. Why, Laura and I might even drive on down for a game, sit in the bleachers with about 400 security personnel and have myself one of those non-alcoholic beers. Makes me feel all ticklish just thinking about it.

Say, Mudville, maybe you could write an article asking the Rangers to get on the ball—I can't be so partisan, you know. Rudy G. would kill me if I didn't root for the Bombers, and I gotta keep him in the loop.

Keep on Truckin'
George W.