Photo by Paul Beaty / Associated Press

If you blinked, you missed it. The Minnesota Twins fell 1-0 to the Chicago White Sox in a one-game playoff to determine the American League Central Division champion that took 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Jim Thome’s seventh-inning homer and John Danks’ effort on the mound bested Nick Blackburn’s play in the final game of the regular season. The White Sox will play the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL Division Series beginning Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Twins’ bats failed to back up the pitching of Blackburn, Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan. Nos. 3 and 4 hitters Justin "Morneau-for-4" and Joe Mauer went a combined 0-for-6. Mauer’s lucky the game didn’t go extra innings, or else he would have had a chance to go 0-for-7 and lose the AL batting title. He finished with a .328 average to edge Boston’s Dustin Pedroia (.326). Pedroia’s team, however, gets to go to the playoffs. Not a bad consolation prize.

I didn’t even get a chance to wave my 1987 Homer Hanky.

See you next year, Twins.

When the Minnesota Twins won the 2006 American League Central Division title on the final day of the regular season, they did what every major league team does when a playoff spot is clinched — they partied their rears off by dousing each other with, spilling and drinking heavy amounts of alcohol.

That’s great, except for a couple things:

1. The Twins already had locked up a playoff spot earlier in the week. All that was left to determine was whether they’d get the wild card or the division title. Minnesota and Detroit — which ended up with the wild card — went on booze binges when their initial playoff spots were secured days earlier.

2. Minnesota’s first playoff game was less than 48 hours after its final regular-season game, leaving the Twins little time to shake off the after-effects of an all-nighter.

In Game 1 against the Oakland Athletics, the Twins looked and played sluggish and lost 3-2 en route to being swept in three games. Awesome! All that partying for three extra games.

The World Series arguably was the Twins’ for the taking. Oakland bombed out in the next round, getting swept by (who else?) wild card Detroit, which manhandled the dreaded New York Yankees in four games in the first round. Then the Tigers jobbed in five to St. Louis — which finished 83-78 in the regular season — in the World Series.

I hope — if Minnesota clinches the AL Central title — the Twins won’t make that same mistake this week, especially if they have to do it via a one-game playoff Tuesday at the Chicago White Sox. The AL Division Series begins at 1:37 p.m. Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla., against Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay let’s play.

I know the season’s a grind and this isn’t the NHL or NBA, where half the league makes the playoffs, but use your heads, boys. Keep your eyes on the big picture (a World Series championship) — and your mouths off the bottle(s) — instead of celebrating four fewer days of winter vacation.

Photo of Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder (right) by Morry Gash / Associated Press

The Minnesoa Twins dropped a game back in the American League Central Division standings, thanks in part to Class AAA callup Jason Pridie’s error in right field that led to the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of an eventual 5-4, 11-inning loss at Toronto on Wednesday.

Pridie, who made his major league debut Wednesday when he entered the game as a pinch runner, was acquired in the offseason along with Delmon Young and Brendan Harris for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett.

While the Tampa Bay Rays (84-53) are having a monumental season — best record in baseball — the Twins were doomed Wednesday by a former "Devil Rays" prospect. Before this season, before dropping "Devil" from their name, the Rays were the epitome of awful in their 10-or-so years in Major League Baseball.

I just hope Wednesday night — and this recent road trip — wasn’t too hellish on the Twins’ playoff hopes.

Photo by J.P. Moczulski / Associated Press