The Twins are our favorite Little Team that Could (Maybe).With only the 23rd highest payroll in the majors, their just fun to root for, darn it

Sure, they lost last year’s one game playoff, against the White Sox, and thus ended up finishing second in their division.  But this year, we think, they can do it.

It’s a confluence of circumstances, really.  First off, that ridiculous rain-caused doubleheader last week against the Tigers, when the team was only two games back.  They won one and lost one, so no big drama results-wise, but then they kicked the crap out of the Royals for a bit, while the Tigers were busy losing two out of three to the White Sox (whose 79 win season is good for a winning percentage of .488.  Stunningly mediocre at best.)

One game playoffs are historically played the day after the regular season, in the stadium of the team with the stronger record in the season series (the presumptive division winner, if you will.)  This year, though, things are a little odd.

First of all, MLB instituted a coin toss to determine where the game would be played…and the Twins won it.  Good karma? Well, just wait.  The Twins play in the Metrodome.

You know who else plays in the Metrodome? The Vikings.  You know when they did that? About the same time the playoff game should have been in the fourth inning or so.

So, an extra day off for both teams ensued, but the Twins have all the momentum going into this one.  They took their last series, won their last game versus Detroit, and get to play in a stadium full of what will undoubtedly be some residually-hyped fans.

Plus, the fact that football was played there last night might do some odd things to the game.  Sure, the technicians try hard, but divots, uneven spots, and other weirdness just can’t be avoided, even on AstroTurf (although the Metrodome website assures us that the field surface is actually state of the art Field-Turf.  ‘Scuse us, Metrodome Gods.)

Point is, the Twins are more used to the havoc that home football games wreak on their playing surface than the Tigers.  Even though all but two of their games the day after football in the ‘dome have been played away in the last couple years, they still deal with practices, scrimmages, and all the other business sharing a stadium comes with.

The Tigers don’t, and that could be a difference.  Not to mention that whole, you know, psychological Minnesotans-are-winners thing from last night.  And the Twins have taken 18 of their last 23.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have a scratch-happy Miggy Cabrera providing distraction.,  If the Twins win, their resulting one game lead will be the biggest of the season.

Favre’s handing the baton: round two is on.  We’ll take the Twins. (And we may be blogging the game, so stay tuned!)