These were the Minnesota Twins’ magic numbers this season: 66, 68, 69, 82, 97, 99. They were so magic they made the Twins disappear.

Those numbers represent the number of games played by two-thirds of the team’s position regulars. They help explain why the Twins are buried deep in the American League Central and will lose the most games they have lost in 30 years.

This is not what I expected of the Twins – nor did they – when I wrote about 10 days after the All-Star game that the Twins were back and ready to win their third straight division title. They did not even have a .500 record at the time – it was 47-53 – but I liked the way they were playing.

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Just because negotiators for the players and the owners seem to be getting along famously these days – better yet, these years—it doesn’t mean they agree on everything. If they did – and wouldn’t that be boring – the Logan Morrison grievance would already have been settled instead of awaiting the step two meeting (settlement talks) that precedes a hearing before the impartial arbitrator.

The reason I say the case would have been settled and the grievance withdrawn is in a truly peaceful environment the clubs’ labor lawyers would have agreed with the union’s argument that the Florida Marlins acted improperly and punitively in optioning Morrison to the minor leagues last month.

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Major league baseball players are the best at what they do, but does that status excuse them from using their brains for something other than trying to outguess the opposing hitter or pitcher?

I present Prince Fielder and Francisco Rodriguez, teammates with Milwaukee’s National League Central-leading Brewers as Exhibits A and B to explain what I am talking about.

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