Holy mother of exciting baseball!
How much do I wish my boss had e-mailed me Sunday morning and I had actually changed my flight and stood in line for tickets!
Instead, I was watching at Forrest’s apartment in downtown Boston on his big screen HDTV. (Sidenote: I need to seriously consider getting one of those. I could read the phone numbers for the bullpen and the locker room written on the dugout wall!) I brought the guacamole, beer, and chips; Forrest made the chili. Oh, and key… I brought the Homer Hankies and the Twins jersey that remains unwashed after being worn to both Metrodome games this weekend. It’s lucky, you know.
Twelve innings that lasted nearly 5 hours. Fo-fo and I had a whole system of waving the Homer Hankies throughout the game. Our hats were inverted to rally mode when the Twins were at bat, but in regular mode when the Tigers were up. (I’m pretty sure his non-Minnesotan roommate thinks we’re crazy. Actually, I think his Minnesotan roommate thinks we’re crazy too.) Sure, I know none of this actually affects the game… but I’ve got to pretend I have some sort of control just to keep sane.
There were multiple occasions when I thought the Twins were done. When Alexi Casilla failed to score in the 10th by tagging up on a shallow fly to right and getting thrown out at the plate to end the inning, I had a sinking feeling that the Twins had just blown their chance. When the Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the 12th, I was certain that was the end. But man, the Twins just do not want to say goodbye to the big ugly bubble that is the Dome.* Little Nicky Punto made an amazing play from second to force out the runner at home and Bobby Keppel got a strikeout to end the half inning. And then who should be the hero in the bottom of the 12th? Alexi Casilla, making up for his earlier base running error, singled Gomez in and for the 5th time in 8 years, the Twins were Central Division Champions.
… and in 18 hours, the playoffs begin. I hope the Twins are less exhausted than I am right now.

* This is the most honest farewell to the Dome I’ve read yet.