Are You Ready for Some Football?

Let the record show that the Minnesota Twins 2005 season was laid to rest on Sunday, July 31, at 3:00 central time.
The team had suffered a near fatal wound on Friday the 29th, when their best player and inspirational leader suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Attempts were made in vain by the team's General Manager to resuscitate the season by acquiring a highly skilled (and highly paid) mercenary, but when no suitable reinforcements could be found, the team, and it's season, passed quietly.
You'll get no complaints from me, by the way, that a deal was not done.
The Twins and their fans were kidding themselves if they thought any hitter, even Manny Ramirez, would be able to save this team once Hunter went down.
The minute Torii was carried off on a stretcher, Terry Ryan should've started looking for ways to dump Romero, Lohse, Boone, Mays, Cuddyer, Mulholland, Ford, Rivas, and any other underachiever or big contract that could get anything in return.
With Lohse and Mays staying put, the Twins can't even call up Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano to get some starts.
I'm ready for those two, as well as Jason Bartlett and maybe even Denard Span (speedy outfielder hitting .330 in AA) to start getting some PT.
This season is over.
Some fans will undoubtedly complain about the team 'giving up', and the Strib's Pat Reusse takes that view today in a terrific column that is bitingly accurate, albeit a little quick to blame - http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5535999.html
I'm not going to complain, and I'm not going to blame Terry Ryan.
My guess is that as hard as he supposedly tried to make a deal today, his heart probly wasn't in it knowing Hunter is gone.
I will resist the tempation to turn this space into VikingsTown (for now) and try to look for positives the last two months.
Having said that, I think it's likely that the Twins will end up in 4th place in the AL Central, and possibly below .500.
Not trying to sound fatalistic, it's just that this team seriously lacks fire, and the silence of the front office speaks volumes to the players. They're not stupid.
They know a white flag when they see one.