Harper’s magazine begins each issue with a list of number-oriented factoids called Harper’s Index.   Below are a series of number-oriented factoids about the 2010 Twins Season.   Here on the Twins-ernet, such a list has to be called “Brian Harper’s Index.”

Brian Harper’s Index:

Assorted Numbers on the 2010 Twins Season

Justin Morneau’s rank in games played at first base amongst members of the Twins : 2

Attempted Bunts by Joe Mauer : 1

Joe Mauer’s batting average after that bunt : .378

Number of pinch-hit home runs by Jim Thome : 1

Number of pinch-hit home runs by Drew Butera : 1

Date of every pinch hit home run(both of them)by a Twins player in 2010 : June 19

Twins Team Rank in American League in Triples : 1

Twins Team Rank in American League in Stolen Bases : 12

Percentage of Plate Appearances as a Left Handed Batter (Twins) : 54

Percentage of Plate Appearances as a Left Handed Batter (American League) : 45

Increase in OPS of Twins as LHB vs. as RHB : 71

Denard Span’s percent success rate of stolen bases per attempts : 87 (26/30)

Denard Span’s percent success rate of stolen bases per attempts plus pickoffs : 67  (26/39)

Twins Team Rank in American League for fewest walks (pitching) : 1

Twins Team Rank in American League for strikeouts  (pitching) : 10

Twins Team Rank in American League for best strikeout to walk ratio (pitching) : 1

Regular season game number (home opener = 1) of games at Target Field not officially sold out: 2, 3

Number of Double Plays hit into by Twins batters (led league) : 159

Number of games started by both J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson : 76

Twins record in those 76 games: 47-29 (.618)

Reduction in number of plate appearances given to Nick Punto and Brenden Harris over 2009 : 485

Combined WAR of Twins starting pitchers in ALDS : 12.6

Combined WAR of Yankees starting pitchers in ALDS : 11.2

Series sweeps against the Twins (not counting ALDS) : 2

Most stats above derived from Baseball-Reference.Com

[ UPDATE:  6/17 — Twins are now 2-9 in “sweep” games — where winning the final game of a series would give them a sweep.  On one hand, it’s good that they’ve had so many sweep opportunities — but 2 outta 9?  Original Post of 4/26 follows:]

Oh, there you go there, Twins. Yer doing real good.  Got a two-and-a-half game lead in the Central.   Don’t cha know how proud I am of you, winning six straight series and never hurtin’ anybody’s feelings by sweeping them.

Oh, fer nice, ya guys.    Just downright Minnesota Nice.

I mean four times all you had to do is win one game and you could have humiliated your opponent with a series sweep.    But you had a good upbringing, I tell ya.   No need to rub the other team’s nose in it. Those Kansas City Royals, they got feelings too, you know.

Winning two out of three is above-average enough.    I’m just so pragmatically happy that yer going out there and doing what needs to be done to win a series and then stopping there.   Not getting too big for your britches.   Like they say, you just might see those on the way back down that you pass on your way up.  Wouldn’t you want the White Sox to let you win a series too sometime down the line, so that you can feel good on a plane trip home.

There’s more to life than a few more wins, you know. Don’tcha know that?  This season is supposed to be a no rough stuff deal.   The next thing you know,  there’ll be Jon Rauch standing there with Nick Punto in the wood chipper.  And for what?   A few more wins?

And there ya’ll be and it will be a beautiful day at Target Field.  And  Well, I just won’t understand it.

For at least the last dozen years, I have made it my opening day tradition to pull out Steve Goodman’s version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”  from my CD collection.    I love Jethro Burn’s mandolin work.  In the joy of opening day, Jethro is as much plucking my heartstrings as he is plucking mandolin strings.

And every year, while I’ve got the Steve Goodman CD out, I inevitably play Steve’s more famous “A Dying Cubs Fan Last Request.”  More smiles.

This year, My opening day music selection continues with a CD I picked up since last opening day:  the Baseball Project.   There’s a line in “The Yankee Flipper” (About Jack Black McDowell) I like on so many levels:

Jack loved the Replacements and we drank enough that we became them.

And I’ve spent plenty of time in the last years channeling the spirit of the Hold Steady.   The first time I ever heard of the band, oddly, was when I heard their version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”   The only youtube version of the song I can find is a mashup with some good Metrodome nostalgia.

Happy Opening Day.