It's Over

After an improbable comeback and an appearance in the playoffs, the season for the Minnesota Twins has come to an end. There will be no long playoff run, no more Metrodome magic, and no World Series title. The off-season begins immediately, and what had been a great run has come to a sudden halt.

It's not time to think back about what could've been, and it's not time to recount the missed opportunities in the American League Divisional Series. There is no changing what has happened, and time can be better spent.

It's instead time to remember the final memories made under the Teflon roof this past season. From historic moments to deadline deals to great moments and great games, the 2009 campaign was a memorable one - with or without playoff success.

There were the franchise firsts and the baseball firsts; there were the deadline deals; there were great games; there was an improbable comeback; there was a final Metrodome playoff game; there was time to remember the 28 seasons under the roof; and for the fifth time, there was a celebration for the American League Central.

They say history is always changing, but who could have thought the Twins would be rewriting so much of it in one season. From Joe Nathan's new team record of 47 saves, to multiple team firsts, the past season was a historic one in Minnesota. For the first time since 1987, the Twins had four players with 25 or more homeruns in a single season; and for the first time in franchise history, four players collected at least 90 RBI.

Team history was changing, but the Twins didn't stop there, they also rewrote baseball's history book. Before the team did it last week, no team in the history of the game had ever overcome a three-game deficit with four games remaining. And before Joe Mauer hit .365 as a catcher this season, the highest single-season batting average for a catcher was .3617.

Some have criticized Bill Smith in his short tenure as the team's general manager, but his mid-season moves played a huge role in the final months. Where would the team be without Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Ron Mahay and Jon Rauch? Maybe the playoffs would have still become a reality, but there is no denying that those four players were major factors.

The acquired players helped the team overcome many difficulties, and without Joe Crede, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Justin Morneau, the Twins finished the season with a 17-4 run to overcome a seven-game deficit in four weeks.

The comeback in itself was historic, but the team made one more mark in the Metrodome's history with it's first ever tiebreaker game. The extra-inning victory was home to the largest ever regular-season Metrodome crowd, and it assured one more playoff game indoors with one final divisional title.

From the incredible comeback to the many incredible moments in game 163, the final season at the Dome was a memorable one. The ending was not enjoyable, but the moments that got the Twins to that point were. While an era in team history comes to a close, the memories and historic moments will forever remain.