It’s a classic edition of the weekend links this week. Sure, there’s a couple of good links about a local pro sports team (the Timberwolves, this time) buried in there, but those links are surrounded by soccer, economic theory, reader submissions, and people getting run over by deer.

With the offseason in full swing for the Twins, I took a look at the most important questions the team will have to answer this year. I came up with five, and they’re over at SB Nation Minnesota.

I went downtown to see a Timberwolves game in person for the first time in years, last Wednesday. It was the season opener. The Wolves lost by a point. And Kevin Love hardly played at all in the fourth quarter, despite generally being the team’s best player.

I was disappointed, and confused, too. So I went home and made a chart to make sense of things. It’s from last Thursday at Canis Hoopus: The Kurt Rambis Decision-Making Chart.

Last Monday at Twinkie Town, I got out the 2011 Twins schedule and started marking off important dates. Road trip possibilities are examined – with San Francisco and an early-June series in Kansas City the highlights – along with a few other important dates.

Since it’s just a short post, I’ll make this one even shorter – just a link: Kevin Love Has A Blog, Hijinks Set To Ensue

This week’s weekend links include the usual mishmash – the NHL, a couple of really good Twins links, plus some TV ratings talk.

Well, it seems that I’ve forgotten to post some links here for the past week or so. For your Friday reading pleasure, then, here we go:

I was asked by the fellows at TheDugs.com to participate in their semi-weekly Hit & Run argument feature. I hadn’t heard of The Dugs, which upon exploration turns out to be very much my loss – they do baseball-related comics along with silly arguments, and the whole thing’s right up my alley. I’m a subscriber now, and also a participant, as my argument appeared on Thursday. We discuss such hard-hitting topics as energy drinks, Taco Bell, Oklahoma bowling-alley curses, the knuckler – it’s quite silly, which is always fun.

Last Saturday’s weekend links at RandBall were a little less eclectic than usual, given that they’re all about the Twins and Timberwolves. No cricket or Australian Rules Football links this week, I fear. But do check them out, if for nothing else than an awfully good column from Steve Rushin.

Monday at Twinkie Town, I took a look at the Twins’ 2011 bullpen, which has perhaps two guys that can be written in anything darker than a very light pencil. Joe Nathan will be back, though how effective is anyone’s guess, and so will Jose Mijares. Beyond those two, though – flux. I’ve got my guess, though, along with details about everyone involved.

And I’ve also posted a number of things at SB Nation Minnesota. A few links to those that aren’t just short news updates:

• The Twins May Need A New Middle Infield
• Watch Trevor Mbakwe Dunk Over A Motorcycle
• Wolves Beat Milwaukee In Preseason Action
• Wolves Lose To Pacers In Preseason Action
• 2,000 More Season Tickets This Year For Timberwolves

Over at SB Nation Minnesota, I put together a season preview-ish post about the Timberwolves. The upshot? This could be their year to be more exciting – if not that good.

I also participated in the Great Timberwolves Ticket Draft of 2010, with eight other people (splitting two tickets, at $4 per ticket per game). Line of the night, from local media personality Tom Linnemann, upon discovering that many of the tickets bore a buy-one, get-one free drink offer on their reverse: “These tickets are $4 per ticket? So basically, you’re buying beer, and you get a free pro basketball ticket thrown in.” The Minnesota Timberwolves, everybody!

Saturday, the Twins 2010 season ended with a whimper. Monday, I started my offseason efforts at Twinkie Town with a bang – or with some belligerence, at least. I didn’t agree with the people who were calling for Ron Gardenhire‘s head. I suppose I could have written it that way. Instead, I went with a sarcastic post I titled “Letters From An Idiot.”

On a more positive note, I also wrote about some of the things that we can be happy about, despite the poor way the season ended. Of course, such a post needed the only soundtrack it could reasonably have: “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

Follow the links over to Twinkie Town, your offseason home for yelling (at least, if you’re me.)

It’s Saturday, and time once again for the weekend links. This week: hockey jerseys, baseball statistics, English soccer, and David Bowie.