I love the smell of off-season trades.

The Twins need to get over the hump - you know, win a couple playoff games. And they need to do it in the off season.

Going into October, most will agree signing Joe Mauer to a multi-year deal is the team's top priority. It has to get done. Fixing their weak spots comes to No. 2.

Cub Scouts Pack 619 in Shakopee was mentioned In Scouting Magazine, the pack is mentioned for its collection of canned goods. Cubmaster Rob Crowe is quoted.

Dave Crowley of Shakopee, a big Packers fan, is quoted in Jim Klobuchar's MinnPost column about Favre's performance Sunday at Lambeau Field. Read more here.

Wondering what people are saying about Sunday's Shakopee mayor and City Council forum at Marcus Theaters?

Here's some comments we found on Twitter:

johnlaeger Tonight's Shakopee Mayor/City Council Debate http://bit.ly/2hNZyW

patlaeger Just listened to a Shakopee mayoral/city council debate. It was interesting... I thought it would be boring, but I was intrigued... Yeah...

bjohnson_mn Interesting mix of introductions at the #Shakopee mayor and city council forum. #scottcountygop

The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 19-point deficit last night to win its season opener on a last-second basket by Damien Wilkins.

The few fans that stuck around the Target Center until the fourth quarter went crazy.

My sister and I were in the quarter-filled arena watching the Wolves use defense and timely shooting to come back against the New Jersey Nets who had dominated much of the evening.

I hope that’s not the highlight of the year.

I thought I saw the sun last weekend, but perhaps I was mistaken.

It's been a long time since we've scraped together a good run of nice weather. If you had a chance to get outdoors on Saturday or Sunday, I hope you enjoyed it. I went to the Como Zoo to see the animals in their tiny cages. Kind of makes me sad.

But it wasn't as sad as the Mall of America where we stopped for dinner. That place was a mad house. All those people inside shopping on one of the nice fall days we've had this month.

My Little and I went to the Minnesota Harvest Apple Orchard in Jordan Sunday.

We boarded the apple picking wagon immediately upon arriving, heading out to the orchards as the skies threatened more rain. I decided to pick a peck of Haralson apples, which are the best for baking, so we walked down the long row looking for a tree not yet picked over. Five minutes later our bag was full.

We lugged the bag back to the car and purchased tickets for the corn maze. Five minutes after walking into the maze we were lost. My Little called it “an adventure.”

The Minnesota Twins or the Detroit Tigers will win today. The winner will head straight to New York to play the best team in baseball in the Division Series. The loser will go home.

It's not that complicated.

Sunday is the last Twins' regular season game in the Metrodome. But tomorrow's game against Kansas City might not be the team's last in the Dome.

With its 5-4 victory this afternoon, the Twins must wait to see how Detroit fares against Chicago tonight. The Twins are currently sitting 1/2 a game back.

If Detroit wins, the Twins must win tomorrow or hope for a Detroit loss to push a game 163, to be played in the Dome Tuesday. If Detroit loses tonight, the possibilities are wider. 

The year was 2006. It was the last three games of the season and the Minnesota Twins were hosting the Chicago White Sox at home.

The Twins were tied the Detroit Tigers at the top of the Central Division. The Tigers, who had led the division all season, were hosting the Kansas City Royals.

By Sunday afternoon, the Twins were Central Division Champions and they owed a big thank you to the Royals.

The year is 2009. Three games remain in the season and the Minnesota Twins are hosting the Kansas City Royals. 

This is what it comes down to.

A day-night doubleheader (which will only be played if the rain holds off) to decide which Central Division team is headed to New York for October baseball and which is headed for vacation.

The Twins must win today. Both realistically. 

I thought their whole season was on the line a couple of Saturdays ago as we, the Metrodome crowd, cheered as loudly as we could as the Twins came back from a one-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth-inning to beat the Tigers. Today's games need a whole lot more cheering.