7/18/08
Today is the first day back after the All-Star break. Here is a recap...
Joe Mauer was voted in as the starting catcher on AL team. Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan were selected as reserves.
On late Sunday, Justin Morneau was selected to be part of the Home Run Derby the following day. He was the last selection but only after the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and the herculian Ichiro said thanks, but no thanks. So Morneau sheepishly accepted the invite and went to the derby. He ended up going toe to toe with former heroine addict Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers in the finals. Morneau edged him out 5-3 taking home the trophy for the derby that he was never supposed to be invited to.
Tuesday night was the All-Star game where it went past 12:00am on into the 15th inning. In the bottom of the 15th Justin Morneau scored from 3rd base on a sac fly to win the game. Little do the Twins know or even care now, but once they make it to the World Series they are going to thank Justin Morneau and his "piano on the back" running style for earning them home field advantage.
Now on to tonight where the Twins return for the second half of the season. The Rangers are in town where I'm sure Morneau is rekindling his Home Run Derby memories with Josh Hamilton, maybe even letting him hold the trophy that he actually more deserved.
9:35pm The Twins lead 6-0 in the bottom of the 8th. They really got it going right now. At this moment they have 15 hits tonight but nothing more than a double. Now that's Twins baseball!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7/8/08
7/8/08
Let us start on a positive note. Two days ago the Twins had 3 players selected to this year's All-Star game to be held at Yankee Stadium. Joe Mauer was selected by the fans to start the game behind the dish. Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan we selected as reserves for the American League team.
Now to some not so great news....
The Twins began a 3 game series last night in Boston. The Twins played a great game which was tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the 8th. Manny Ramirez hit a go ahead single and the Red Sox went on to win 1-0. Big ups to Scott Baker who "threw the ball good". That is a favorite Ron Gardenhire quote of mine.
Tonight the Twins and Nick Blackburn got out to a 5-2 lead before turning it over to the bullpen in the 8th. Once again Manny Ramirez did the dirty work by hitting a 2 run homer to tie the game. In the top of the ninth Nick Punto had one of the greater at bats of the year leading off the inning. He had a 12 pitch at bat against Jonathan Papelbon in which he doubled to center. Denard Span bunted him over to 3rd. So we got Punto on 3rd with one out. All we need is a fly ball or base hit. Jason Kubel strikes out and then Alexi Casilla grounds out to second. The Twins lose their 2nd game in a row. Thankfully tomorrow's game is a day game which isn't televised. I'm not sure I can take another game like the last couple.
50-40
Let us start on a positive note. Two days ago the Twins had 3 players selected to this year's All-Star game to be held at Yankee Stadium. Joe Mauer was selected by the fans to start the game behind the dish. Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan we selected as reserves for the American League team.
Now to some not so great news....
The Twins began a 3 game series last night in Boston. The Twins played a great game which was tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the 8th. Manny Ramirez hit a go ahead single and the Red Sox went on to win 1-0. Big ups to Scott Baker who "threw the ball good". That is a favorite Ron Gardenhire quote of mine.
Tonight the Twins and Nick Blackburn got out to a 5-2 lead before turning it over to the bullpen in the 8th. Once again Manny Ramirez did the dirty work by hitting a 2 run homer to tie the game. In the top of the ninth Nick Punto had one of the greater at bats of the year leading off the inning. He had a 12 pitch at bat against Jonathan Papelbon in which he doubled to center. Denard Span bunted him over to 3rd. So we got Punto on 3rd with one out. All we need is a fly ball or base hit. Jason Kubel strikes out and then Alexi Casilla grounds out to second. The Twins lose their 2nd game in a row. Thankfully tomorrow's game is a day game which isn't televised. I'm not sure I can take another game like the last couple.
50-40
Monday, June 30, 2008
6/30/08
6/30/08
Wheeeeeeew!!! Daddy's back!!
I just crawled out of an early Summer coma aka I've been hanging out with my girlfriend a lot. That will be the last time this year I use that excuse for anything baseball or anything sports related for that matter. I can't afford to miss much more especially because of how well the Twinsies are playing. How appropriate that the last time I published a post it was the first day of June. Today? The last day of June. In case you were buried the last few weeks like me, the Twins finished Interleague play with the best record in baseball. They went 14-4 against the likes of Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux and Ben Sheets. That is some quality stuff. During that stretch, the Twin managed to rip off a 10 game winning streak
Tonight they are playing the Tigers in their first Intraleague game in quite some time. On a side note, I first learned the difference between the prefix inter and intra in my Quantitative Methods class back in college. Thank you Professor Morie.
8:02pm The Tigers pitcher facing Joe Mauer intentionally threw behind him on pitch 1. On pitch 2 he tried to hit him again and missed. What the hell is this dude doing? Throwing at Joe Mauer is like rooting for Rudy not to get in his final game at Notre Dame. By the way, Gardy just got tossed for standing up for Mauer.
Now, the Twins have been playing great, but they can't seem to catch the White Sox who also have it going on right now. They currently trail the Pale Hose by 1.5 games in the Central. I was watching the White Sox v. Cubs on Saturday afternoon and the announcer says, "no matter how much you think the Twins might be out of the race, you can never count them out". So sweet coming from Ken "Hawk" Harrelson!!!
Lets keep a good thing going and take another month off from blogging....joking....I'll be back soon to report on the recent happenings of the Twins.
45-37
Wheeeeeeew!!! Daddy's back!!
I just crawled out of an early Summer coma aka I've been hanging out with my girlfriend a lot. That will be the last time this year I use that excuse for anything baseball or anything sports related for that matter. I can't afford to miss much more especially because of how well the Twinsies are playing. How appropriate that the last time I published a post it was the first day of June. Today? The last day of June. In case you were buried the last few weeks like me, the Twins finished Interleague play with the best record in baseball. They went 14-4 against the likes of Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux and Ben Sheets. That is some quality stuff. During that stretch, the Twin managed to rip off a 10 game winning streak
Tonight they are playing the Tigers in their first Intraleague game in quite some time. On a side note, I first learned the difference between the prefix inter and intra in my Quantitative Methods class back in college. Thank you Professor Morie.
8:02pm The Tigers pitcher facing Joe Mauer intentionally threw behind him on pitch 1. On pitch 2 he tried to hit him again and missed. What the hell is this dude doing? Throwing at Joe Mauer is like rooting for Rudy not to get in his final game at Notre Dame. By the way, Gardy just got tossed for standing up for Mauer.
Now, the Twins have been playing great, but they can't seem to catch the White Sox who also have it going on right now. They currently trail the Pale Hose by 1.5 games in the Central. I was watching the White Sox v. Cubs on Saturday afternoon and the announcer says, "no matter how much you think the Twins might be out of the race, you can never count them out". So sweet coming from Ken "Hawk" Harrelson!!!
Lets keep a good thing going and take another month off from blogging....joking....I'll be back soon to report on the recent happenings of the Twins.
45-37
Sunday, June 1, 2008
6/1/08
6/1/08
Now officially two months into the season it is safe to say the Twins are a contender for the AL Central crown. The Twins have the exact same record (28-27) that they did last year at this time. They currently stand in second place; 2 games behind the White Sox.
Back on May 2nd I predicted the Twins would have a .500 month of May. Well I was pretty damn close as they finished the month of May 15-13. Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer recently vowed to not shave their beards until they hit a home run. Well, Cuddyer got his last night but Mauer might as well lock away his razors for the rest of the year. It is hard to believe but our 6-5, 230 lb catcher has zero home runs. Just for comparison, the Major League leader in HR's is Chase Utley (6-1, 200 lbs) with 19.
I'm looking forward to the month of June as the Twins play a majority of their games against the National League. Even if they begin to slide in the standings at least I'll get a chance to see the Twins play a National League style of ball, which it seems their team is more suited for.
12:03 pm....Just received a call from my boss offering me 2 tickets to the Twins-Yankees game today. I passed up the tickets being that it will be 80 and sunny today. I don't pass up tickets very often so this may not be a promising sign of my loyalty to the team this year.
28-27
Now officially two months into the season it is safe to say the Twins are a contender for the AL Central crown. The Twins have the exact same record (28-27) that they did last year at this time. They currently stand in second place; 2 games behind the White Sox.
Back on May 2nd I predicted the Twins would have a .500 month of May. Well I was pretty damn close as they finished the month of May 15-13. Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer recently vowed to not shave their beards until they hit a home run. Well, Cuddyer got his last night but Mauer might as well lock away his razors for the rest of the year. It is hard to believe but our 6-5, 230 lb catcher has zero home runs. Just for comparison, the Major League leader in HR's is Chase Utley (6-1, 200 lbs) with 19.
I'm looking forward to the month of June as the Twins play a majority of their games against the National League. Even if they begin to slide in the standings at least I'll get a chance to see the Twins play a National League style of ball, which it seems their team is more suited for.
12:03 pm....Just received a call from my boss offering me 2 tickets to the Twins-Yankees game today. I passed up the tickets being that it will be 80 and sunny today. I don't pass up tickets very often so this may not be a promising sign of my loyalty to the team this year.
28-27
Monday, May 26, 2008
5/26/08
5/26/08
We are exactly 50 games into the season and the Twins are about right where I figured they would be: 25-25. It hasn't been either an exciting season nor a bore of a season. They've fought through many injuries and lack of power in the lineup (1 total homerun for Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young). Yesterday the Twins finished up a 20 games in 20 days stretch. During that time they were 9-10, which included their first ever trip to Colorado. I have a hard time believing I could ever work 20 consecutive days, and I sell laws books for a living!! I'm actually tired just thinking about that stretch. That's all for now.
25-25
We are exactly 50 games into the season and the Twins are about right where I figured they would be: 25-25. It hasn't been either an exciting season nor a bore of a season. They've fought through many injuries and lack of power in the lineup (1 total homerun for Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young). Yesterday the Twins finished up a 20 games in 20 days stretch. During that time they were 9-10, which included their first ever trip to Colorado. I have a hard time believing I could ever work 20 consecutive days, and I sell laws books for a living!! I'm actually tired just thinking about that stretch. That's all for now.
25-25
Sunday, May 11, 2008
5/11/08
5/11/08
First off, Happy Mothers Day. The Twins are on ESPN tonight which means the whole country will be able to see the players wearing their pink wrist bands and swinging their mighty pink bats.
The Twins-Red Sox series is tied 1-1 so far. Friday night was an extremely exciting finish as Mike Lamb singled home 2 runners in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win 7-6. Two things I took away from being at Friday night's game: 1.) There are a hell of a lot of Red Sox fans in Minnesota all of the sudden. That team must have the most bandwagon fans in the country except for maybe the Yankees. 2.) It is still very possible to get drunk on 3.2 beer.
Last night we celebrated my brother Luke's 13th birthday at the Metrodome. Let's just say if this was 2010, there wouldn't have been a game played. It rained all day yesterday which means I have to thank the Metrodome. Dammit, I hate doing that. The game was a circus last night. Not so much on the field, but in the left field seats where I swear we were surrounded by people for an open casting call to a sequel for Pee Wee's Big Adventure. There was man sitting directly in front of my Mom who had a 4 inch gap of missing teeth. A guy behind me who at one point during the game started muttering "I've got cramps in my leg, I've got cramps in my leg" repeatedly like he was Rain Man. A 7-year old kid in the middle of the row thought he was getting free cotton candy from the vendor, but when the vendor asked him for the money, the Dad of the kid asked "how much"? The vendor said "3 bucks" The Dad then told his kid to throw it back, which the kid did, but instead hit another kid in the side of the face knocking the bottle of pop he was drinking out of his hand.
Finally, at one point of the night the inflatable beach ball started getting tossed around. After about 5 minutes, the usher grabbed it and popped it. A guy sitting a few rows behind me screamed out "You're fat" to the woman usher. Jeez dude, have some class. No less than 15 minutes later some brilliant kid improvised and created his own balloon to toss around. Only this wasn't a balloon or a beach ball. This was blown up condom that continued to be batted around the Family section for about 10 minutes. The reaction on some people's faces were absolutely priceless. The little kids doing their darnedest to get their hands on "the balloon" and the parents doing their best to dodge the used/unused (still debatable) condom away from their face.
The game itself was a loss 5-2.
18-17 *First Place
First off, Happy Mothers Day. The Twins are on ESPN tonight which means the whole country will be able to see the players wearing their pink wrist bands and swinging their mighty pink bats.
The Twins-Red Sox series is tied 1-1 so far. Friday night was an extremely exciting finish as Mike Lamb singled home 2 runners in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win 7-6. Two things I took away from being at Friday night's game: 1.) There are a hell of a lot of Red Sox fans in Minnesota all of the sudden. That team must have the most bandwagon fans in the country except for maybe the Yankees. 2.) It is still very possible to get drunk on 3.2 beer.
Last night we celebrated my brother Luke's 13th birthday at the Metrodome. Let's just say if this was 2010, there wouldn't have been a game played. It rained all day yesterday which means I have to thank the Metrodome. Dammit, I hate doing that. The game was a circus last night. Not so much on the field, but in the left field seats where I swear we were surrounded by people for an open casting call to a sequel for Pee Wee's Big Adventure. There was man sitting directly in front of my Mom who had a 4 inch gap of missing teeth. A guy behind me who at one point during the game started muttering "I've got cramps in my leg, I've got cramps in my leg" repeatedly like he was Rain Man. A 7-year old kid in the middle of the row thought he was getting free cotton candy from the vendor, but when the vendor asked him for the money, the Dad of the kid asked "how much"? The vendor said "3 bucks" The Dad then told his kid to throw it back, which the kid did, but instead hit another kid in the side of the face knocking the bottle of pop he was drinking out of his hand.
Finally, at one point of the night the inflatable beach ball started getting tossed around. After about 5 minutes, the usher grabbed it and popped it. A guy sitting a few rows behind me screamed out "You're fat" to the woman usher. Jeez dude, have some class. No less than 15 minutes later some brilliant kid improvised and created his own balloon to toss around. Only this wasn't a balloon or a beach ball. This was blown up condom that continued to be batted around the Family section for about 10 minutes. The reaction on some people's faces were absolutely priceless. The little kids doing their darnedest to get their hands on "the balloon" and the parents doing their best to dodge the used/unused (still debatable) condom away from their face.
The game itself was a loss 5-2.
18-17 *First Place
Thursday, May 8, 2008
5/8/08
5/8/08
After a night where the Twins came within 2 outs of becoming a part of history by getting no-hit, they made a little history of their own. Carlos Gomez did what hasn't been done by a Twin in 22 years; hit for the cycle. Kirby Puckett (R.I.P) was the last guy to do it back in 1986. It also seemed to me that throwing a no-hitter would be tougher than hitting for the cycle, but history proves that there have been more no-hitters thrown. That proves true for the Twins as well being that they have thrown 2 no-hitters since they last hit for the cycle. The impressive thing about the cycle was that he did it in reverse order (HR, triple, double, single). How many guys have done that?!?
Yes I know that I should be excited about Gomez hitting for the cycle, but last night while I was watching the game, I fell asleep in the bottom of the 8th inning. Gomez was due to lead off the top of the ninth. Sure enough he hits the single he needs and becomes part of Twins history.
I pride myself on being a die-hard fan and when something likes this happens it becomes time to re-evaluate my pride. There is no excuse for what I did last night except for the fact that there was a 1 1/2 hour rain delay before the game. I'll lace 'em up tight next game and surely wear my emotions on my sleeve.
Twins win 13-1 and maintain a 1.5 game lead in first place.
17-15 *First Place
After a night where the Twins came within 2 outs of becoming a part of history by getting no-hit, they made a little history of their own. Carlos Gomez did what hasn't been done by a Twin in 22 years; hit for the cycle. Kirby Puckett (R.I.P) was the last guy to do it back in 1986. It also seemed to me that throwing a no-hitter would be tougher than hitting for the cycle, but history proves that there have been more no-hitters thrown. That proves true for the Twins as well being that they have thrown 2 no-hitters since they last hit for the cycle. The impressive thing about the cycle was that he did it in reverse order (HR, triple, double, single). How many guys have done that?!?
Yes I know that I should be excited about Gomez hitting for the cycle, but last night while I was watching the game, I fell asleep in the bottom of the 8th inning. Gomez was due to lead off the top of the ninth. Sure enough he hits the single he needs and becomes part of Twins history.
I pride myself on being a die-hard fan and when something likes this happens it becomes time to re-evaluate my pride. There is no excuse for what I did last night except for the fact that there was a 1 1/2 hour rain delay before the game. I'll lace 'em up tight next game and surely wear my emotions on my sleeve.
Twins win 13-1 and maintain a 1.5 game lead in first place.
17-15 *First Place
Sunday, May 4, 2008
5/4/08
5/4/08
Wow!! Well I can honestly say I didn’t expect this. The Twins swept the Tigers today and are sitting alone in first place!! It has been real difficult to get a read on this team so far this season. I can’t honestly point to many reasons why they have the record they have. I mean they have lost three games in a row 3 times this season, they have the 4th least runs scored in baseball and yet they lead the AL Central by 1.5 games. Joe Nathan has been sick. He got the save again today making it 11 for 11 in save opportunities.
Oh by the way, Friday night was supposed to be one of those “big timer” nights. Sitting in the suite hammering down free beverage of choice and hot dogs. Well the only thing free was pizza!! Nothing says baseball like pizza, right?!? That was a little disappointing; I’m not going to lie. Nonetheless it was a good time and I’m sure as hell not going to complain about free tix in a suite.
I’m due for a return visit this upcoming Friday and Saturday when the Red Sox come to town. Friday is “nosebleed” night and Saturday I believe is “behind the uprights” night. There is nothing more beautiful than going to a game at the Dome (which is a stadium built more for football than baseball) and seeing the hash marks on the turf from the football game. Delmon Young to the 30…20…10….leaps and……. robs the home run!!!
The Twins are off again tomorrow before heading to the south side of Chicago where I once saw Frank Thomas hit the longest home run ever in the stadium’s history. I like being part of historical moments like that. On a more somber note, I was also at Malik Sealy’s last NBA game before he was killed by a drunk driver the following summer.
16-14 *First Place :)
Wow!! Well I can honestly say I didn’t expect this. The Twins swept the Tigers today and are sitting alone in first place!! It has been real difficult to get a read on this team so far this season. I can’t honestly point to many reasons why they have the record they have. I mean they have lost three games in a row 3 times this season, they have the 4th least runs scored in baseball and yet they lead the AL Central by 1.5 games. Joe Nathan has been sick. He got the save again today making it 11 for 11 in save opportunities.
Oh by the way, Friday night was supposed to be one of those “big timer” nights. Sitting in the suite hammering down free beverage of choice and hot dogs. Well the only thing free was pizza!! Nothing says baseball like pizza, right?!? That was a little disappointing; I’m not going to lie. Nonetheless it was a good time and I’m sure as hell not going to complain about free tix in a suite.
I’m due for a return visit this upcoming Friday and Saturday when the Red Sox come to town. Friday is “nosebleed” night and Saturday I believe is “behind the uprights” night. There is nothing more beautiful than going to a game at the Dome (which is a stadium built more for football than baseball) and seeing the hash marks on the turf from the football game. Delmon Young to the 30…20…10….leaps and……. robs the home run!!!
The Twins are off again tomorrow before heading to the south side of Chicago where I once saw Frank Thomas hit the longest home run ever in the stadium’s history. I like being part of historical moments like that. On a more somber note, I was also at Malik Sealy’s last NBA game before he was killed by a drunk driver the following summer.
16-14 *First Place :)
Friday, May 2, 2008
5/2/08
5/2/08
Sorry for not writing yesterday, May Day (One of the most under the radar non-traditional holidays in the world). As for the Twins, they seem to keep straggling a little below the .500 mark as they swept the White Sox earlier this week in a 2 game series. The sweep brought them within 1.5 games of the Sox for first as well as three way tie for second. Tonight marks a big night for me. A night of firsts, if you will. The Twins play the Tigers tonight at the Homer Dome and I will be in attendance. Game numero uno in the flesh this season. Not only will I be there, but I will be in Section 134, Row C, Seat 15, which for the non-Dome fans means…...an Infield Suite. In 27 years on earth I’ve never once stepped foot into a Suite during a sporting event. I want to know where I will have ranked amongst the biggest sports rubes in the world with consecutive games attended without sitting in a Suite? Let’s get the Elias Sports Bureau on that one.
April was a month which the Twins played what I felt was extremely mediocre baseball. Their record shows them 1 game under .500 but they could easily be 5 or 6 games under. Francisco Liriano went 0-3 and is in AAA. Delmon Young has yet to hit a homer this year. Cuddyer was out half the month with a broken finger. Maybe their schedule hasn’t been all that tough, but the bottom line is they are 9-6 against the Central Division and 13-14 overall. The month of May looks relatively favorable on schedule with the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees coming to town. The Twins go to Chicago, Colorado and Detroit. I’m predicting a 14-14 month of May. By the way, all you can eat hot dogs in the Suite tonight!!!
13-14
Sorry for not writing yesterday, May Day (One of the most under the radar non-traditional holidays in the world). As for the Twins, they seem to keep straggling a little below the .500 mark as they swept the White Sox earlier this week in a 2 game series. The sweep brought them within 1.5 games of the Sox for first as well as three way tie for second. Tonight marks a big night for me. A night of firsts, if you will. The Twins play the Tigers tonight at the Homer Dome and I will be in attendance. Game numero uno in the flesh this season. Not only will I be there, but I will be in Section 134, Row C, Seat 15, which for the non-Dome fans means…...an Infield Suite. In 27 years on earth I’ve never once stepped foot into a Suite during a sporting event. I want to know where I will have ranked amongst the biggest sports rubes in the world with consecutive games attended without sitting in a Suite? Let’s get the Elias Sports Bureau on that one.
April was a month which the Twins played what I felt was extremely mediocre baseball. Their record shows them 1 game under .500 but they could easily be 5 or 6 games under. Francisco Liriano went 0-3 and is in AAA. Delmon Young has yet to hit a homer this year. Cuddyer was out half the month with a broken finger. Maybe their schedule hasn’t been all that tough, but the bottom line is they are 9-6 against the Central Division and 13-14 overall. The month of May looks relatively favorable on schedule with the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees coming to town. The Twins go to Chicago, Colorado and Detroit. I’m predicting a 14-14 month of May. By the way, all you can eat hot dogs in the Suite tonight!!!
13-14
Sunday, April 27, 2008
4/27/08
4/27/08
The Twins had a chance to prove me right today had they won. They were 2-3 on the road trip going into today’s game but they were slaughtered by Texas 10-0. So they finished the trip 2-4 and head home for a few games against the White Sox and then three against the Tigers next weekend. Obviously the games within the division will prove vital as a majority of their games are played against those teams. Nobody is running away with the division as of yet with all teams packed within 4 games of each other. During the past week we watched Liriano get roughed up enough that not only did he not make it out of the first inning, he didn’t make it out of Oakland with the team. Instead he is headed to the AAA team for the unforeseeable future. On the bright side, Cuddyer is back from his dislocated finger and has already contributed some offense after knocking a 3-run homer out last night. It is some much needed offense from the right side of the plate. I’m looking forward to getting to a game soon. I’m slated to catch a couple against the BoSox in a few weeks. Let’s hope for some good results this week.
11-14
The Twins had a chance to prove me right today had they won. They were 2-3 on the road trip going into today’s game but they were slaughtered by Texas 10-0. So they finished the trip 2-4 and head home for a few games against the White Sox and then three against the Tigers next weekend. Obviously the games within the division will prove vital as a majority of their games are played against those teams. Nobody is running away with the division as of yet with all teams packed within 4 games of each other. During the past week we watched Liriano get roughed up enough that not only did he not make it out of the first inning, he didn’t make it out of Oakland with the team. Instead he is headed to the AAA team for the unforeseeable future. On the bright side, Cuddyer is back from his dislocated finger and has already contributed some offense after knocking a 3-run homer out last night. It is some much needed offense from the right side of the plate. I’m looking forward to getting to a game soon. I’m slated to catch a couple against the BoSox in a few weeks. Let’s hope for some good results this week.
11-14
Sunday, April 20, 2008
4/20/08
4/20/08
Well after losing 5 out of 6 last week, the Twins beat Cleveland yesterday and again today to end the week nicely. The Twins held the Indians to a total of 1 run between yesterday and today. Nick Blackburn was a stud yesterday shutting out the Tribe 3-0 and earning his first MLB win. Today, Scott Baker pitched 7 strong innings, striking out eight but earned a no decision as the game went extras. Justin Morneau singled home the winning run in the 10th to take the series 2 out of 3.
The Twins are off tomorrow but head out to Oakland for a three game series and then to Texas closing out next weekend. The Twins are 2.5 games behind the White Sox for first place in the Central. The bats are completely dead right now as they have averaged 2 runs in their past 4 games. They may be lucky to have a 3-3 road trip. We shall see.
9-10
Well after losing 5 out of 6 last week, the Twins beat Cleveland yesterday and again today to end the week nicely. The Twins held the Indians to a total of 1 run between yesterday and today. Nick Blackburn was a stud yesterday shutting out the Tribe 3-0 and earning his first MLB win. Today, Scott Baker pitched 7 strong innings, striking out eight but earned a no decision as the game went extras. Justin Morneau singled home the winning run in the 10th to take the series 2 out of 3.
The Twins are off tomorrow but head out to Oakland for a three game series and then to Texas closing out next weekend. The Twins are 2.5 games behind the White Sox for first place in the Central. The bats are completely dead right now as they have averaged 2 runs in their past 4 games. They may be lucky to have a 3-3 road trip. We shall see.
9-10
Thursday, April 10, 2008
4/10/08
4/10/08
I’m back!! I’m trying to keep this journal going all season long and it’s not a good sign I took a week off from writing 2 weeks into the season. Well so I better get caught up on what has happened the pat week right? When since I last wrote the Twins are 3-2, with 2 of those wins coming against the first place Kansas City Royals?!? Yup I said it and to be honest with you, they have looked pretty good. Their hitting looks like it could stay hot for awhile but I really don’t see their pitching keeping it up.
The Twins looked great last night in the Windy City against the Sox. Jason Kubel had a two run single in the 3rd inning and then later in the game hit a grand slam. Twins won 12-5 in a game that looked like it was being played in late October rather than early April. The Twins were off today due to the weather in Chicago and now head to KC for a weekend series against the first place Royals. I need to stop saying that!!!
4-5
I’m back!! I’m trying to keep this journal going all season long and it’s not a good sign I took a week off from writing 2 weeks into the season. Well so I better get caught up on what has happened the pat week right? When since I last wrote the Twins are 3-2, with 2 of those wins coming against the first place Kansas City Royals?!? Yup I said it and to be honest with you, they have looked pretty good. Their hitting looks like it could stay hot for awhile but I really don’t see their pitching keeping it up.
The Twins looked great last night in the Windy City against the Sox. Jason Kubel had a two run single in the 3rd inning and then later in the game hit a grand slam. Twins won 12-5 in a game that looked like it was being played in late October rather than early April. The Twins were off today due to the weather in Chicago and now head to KC for a weekend series against the first place Royals. I need to stop saying that!!!
4-5
Thursday, April 3, 2008
4/3/08
4/3/08
The Twins played a 12:00 game today which I always like because it makes work go by a litter quicker than normal. The Twins lost their 3rd straight against the Angels losing the series 3 games to 1. The score today was 5-4. The Twins offense is very inept right now and Morneau hasn’t gotten it going yet. The season is young of course but this isn’t the way they wanted to start. Also, Kevin Slowey left the game early today with a tight bicep muscle. If this is serious we’ll see if the Twins make the move to bring up Francisco Liriano who started the season in the minors to get some extra work. We got the Royals this weekend that have started 3-0 after sweeping the Tigers in Detroit to start the season.
1-3
The Twins played a 12:00 game today which I always like because it makes work go by a litter quicker than normal. The Twins lost their 3rd straight against the Angels losing the series 3 games to 1. The score today was 5-4. The Twins offense is very inept right now and Morneau hasn’t gotten it going yet. The season is young of course but this isn’t the way they wanted to start. Also, Kevin Slowey left the game early today with a tight bicep muscle. If this is serious we’ll see if the Twins make the move to bring up Francisco Liriano who started the season in the minors to get some extra work. We got the Royals this weekend that have started 3-0 after sweeping the Tigers in Detroit to start the season.
1-3
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
4/1/08
4/1/08
9:23pm The Twins don’t look bad tonight but they don’t look good either. I have a feeling this is how there season is going to go. A few good games, a few poor ones, and in the end they will hover around or below .500. The bottom of the lineup is very poor with Lamb, Harris and Everett. There are too many holes in the lineup for this team to put up a ton of runs to bail out the young pitching staff. Well there has been one positive from tonight’s game thus far. Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven confirmed that the Twins have brought back Dollar Dog night (Every Wednesday hot dogs are only $1). I used to house those things like it was my job back in college. Speaking of college, I think I still have my ID which gets me a discounted ticket on Wednesdays. Man am I pathetic!!
The Twins get beat up tonight 9-1.
1-1
9:23pm The Twins don’t look bad tonight but they don’t look good either. I have a feeling this is how there season is going to go. A few good games, a few poor ones, and in the end they will hover around or below .500. The bottom of the lineup is very poor with Lamb, Harris and Everett. There are too many holes in the lineup for this team to put up a ton of runs to bail out the young pitching staff. Well there has been one positive from tonight’s game thus far. Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven confirmed that the Twins have brought back Dollar Dog night (Every Wednesday hot dogs are only $1). I used to house those things like it was my job back in college. Speaking of college, I think I still have my ID which gets me a discounted ticket on Wednesdays. Man am I pathetic!!
The Twins get beat up tonight 9-1.
1-1
Monday, March 31, 2008
3/31/08
3/31/08
6:05pm As expected it snowed like a bastard today. I’m sitting inside on my chair as the snow continues to fall outside. It’s not what I was call a picturesque day for baseball but the game will go on nonetheless. Here is the starting lineup for YOUR MINNESOTA TWINS:
CF CARLOS GOMEZ
C JOE MAUER
RF MICHAEL CUDDYER
1B JUSTIN MORNEAU
LF DELMON YOUNG
DH CRAIG MONROE
3B MIKE LAMB
2B BRENDAN HARRIS
SS ADAM EVERETT
6:32pm Torii Hunter steps to the plate. A few boos were heard but for the most part a nice standing ovation for the former Twin. Hunter hasn’t changed as his swings out of the strike zone for pop out to right.
8:43pm Joe Nathan is on for his first save opportunity of the year. 1..2…not quite 3 up 3 down. A dribbler up the third base line causes Nathan to hustle his throw and pull Morneau off the bag. The next man up grounds to short and the Twins win!!! Just the way I predicted…the Twins are on pace for the perfect season.
8:52pm Reporter Jim Rich just interviewed Carlos Gomez and I have no idea what the hell he was saying and I don’t think Jim Rich did either. Got to love the Dominicans.
1-0
6:05pm As expected it snowed like a bastard today. I’m sitting inside on my chair as the snow continues to fall outside. It’s not what I was call a picturesque day for baseball but the game will go on nonetheless. Here is the starting lineup for YOUR MINNESOTA TWINS:
CF CARLOS GOMEZ
C JOE MAUER
RF MICHAEL CUDDYER
1B JUSTIN MORNEAU
LF DELMON YOUNG
DH CRAIG MONROE
3B MIKE LAMB
2B BRENDAN HARRIS
SS ADAM EVERETT
6:32pm Torii Hunter steps to the plate. A few boos were heard but for the most part a nice standing ovation for the former Twin. Hunter hasn’t changed as his swings out of the strike zone for pop out to right.
8:43pm Joe Nathan is on for his first save opportunity of the year. 1..2…not quite 3 up 3 down. A dribbler up the third base line causes Nathan to hustle his throw and pull Morneau off the bag. The next man up grounds to short and the Twins win!!! Just the way I predicted…the Twins are on pace for the perfect season.
8:52pm Reporter Jim Rich just interviewed Carlos Gomez and I have no idea what the hell he was saying and I don’t think Jim Rich did either. Got to love the Dominicans.
1-0
Sunday, March 30, 2008
3/30/08
3/30/08
Here we are on the eve of the 2008 Minnesota Twins season opener and no matter or successfully or poorly the previous season ended this time of year seems to be just exciting as the one before. The off-season may have been the most tumultuous of any I can remember. Sitting at my parent’s breakfast table on the morning of Thanksgiving we had SportsCenter on in the background when I heard what I eventually knew would be coming. Torii Hunter had signed with the Anaheim Angels making him the richest Angel in their team history. The Twins didn’t want to offer Hunter the length of contract he was looking for (minimum of 5 years). I was secretly hoping the Twins wouldn’t give him 5 years. He will be turning 33 in July and he is definitely losing a step in the outfield, although he probably had his best year at the plate in ’07. How about this for some irony…We will be kicking off the season as Hunter and the Angels come to town starting tomorrow evening. Hunter is a class act dude and I’m sure the Minnesota fans will let him know it.
A few days later things heated up again when they shipped Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and prospect Jason Pridie. Matt Garza in my opinion seemed a little bit a of a head case and although Bartlett had his best year in ’07, the prize we got in return for those two should turn out to be a steal. Delmon Young, whom I guess could be considered a little temperamental himself (minor league bat throwing incident at umpire) is a former #1 overall draft pick. He will start the season in left field and will help comprise the 3 riflemen in the outfield with Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gomez.
Finally, in late January the Twins did what small market teams in all sports end up doing with superstars. They lose them to free agency, or in this case, trade him for a slew of prospects. This never sits well with the hometown of the departed superstar. Radio talkshows and national sportscasts were ripping the Twins and Bill Smith for not getting more for Santana. You see, everyone knew the Twins had no chance of re-signing Santana but at the same time he is considered by some as the best pitcher in some time. That means the Twins should get a lot in return for Santana right? Guess again!! At a few points in the off season the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets were all proposing different deals, with the Red Sox and Yankees seemingly trying to raise the stakes hoping the other team wouldn’t outbid them and virtually cinch a spot in the World Series. In the end it was the Mets who won the bidding by dealing the Twins 4 prospect and then signing Santana to a whopping 6 year, $137.5 million contract. The following names are whom the Twins received. (In Caps Lock and Bold Print….because they will be known as the players who are expected to equal the talent of the best pitcher in Twins history) CF CARLOS GOMEZ, P PHILIP HUMBER, P DEOLIS GUERRA, P KEVIN MULVEY. By the way, only Gomez will start the season on the 25 man roster.
The Twins did make one positive move just last week as they inked Joe Nathan to a long term contract. I’m not sure how much we’ll need Nathan if the season goes as projected, but there aren’t many teams in the league that can say they have a “sure thing” in the 9th.
So with tomorrow being the day where all teams are tied for first, I have no reason but to have optimism for the season. By the way, if the weather forecast for tomorrow is any indication of how the season will go (6-8 inches of snow!!!), lets hope we’re not spending the entire season shoveling ourselves out of the basement. GO TWINS!!!
Here we are on the eve of the 2008 Minnesota Twins season opener and no matter or successfully or poorly the previous season ended this time of year seems to be just exciting as the one before. The off-season may have been the most tumultuous of any I can remember. Sitting at my parent’s breakfast table on the morning of Thanksgiving we had SportsCenter on in the background when I heard what I eventually knew would be coming. Torii Hunter had signed with the Anaheim Angels making him the richest Angel in their team history. The Twins didn’t want to offer Hunter the length of contract he was looking for (minimum of 5 years). I was secretly hoping the Twins wouldn’t give him 5 years. He will be turning 33 in July and he is definitely losing a step in the outfield, although he probably had his best year at the plate in ’07. How about this for some irony…We will be kicking off the season as Hunter and the Angels come to town starting tomorrow evening. Hunter is a class act dude and I’m sure the Minnesota fans will let him know it.
A few days later things heated up again when they shipped Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and prospect Jason Pridie. Matt Garza in my opinion seemed a little bit a of a head case and although Bartlett had his best year in ’07, the prize we got in return for those two should turn out to be a steal. Delmon Young, whom I guess could be considered a little temperamental himself (minor league bat throwing incident at umpire) is a former #1 overall draft pick. He will start the season in left field and will help comprise the 3 riflemen in the outfield with Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gomez.
Finally, in late January the Twins did what small market teams in all sports end up doing with superstars. They lose them to free agency, or in this case, trade him for a slew of prospects. This never sits well with the hometown of the departed superstar. Radio talkshows and national sportscasts were ripping the Twins and Bill Smith for not getting more for Santana. You see, everyone knew the Twins had no chance of re-signing Santana but at the same time he is considered by some as the best pitcher in some time. That means the Twins should get a lot in return for Santana right? Guess again!! At a few points in the off season the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets were all proposing different deals, with the Red Sox and Yankees seemingly trying to raise the stakes hoping the other team wouldn’t outbid them and virtually cinch a spot in the World Series. In the end it was the Mets who won the bidding by dealing the Twins 4 prospect and then signing Santana to a whopping 6 year, $137.5 million contract. The following names are whom the Twins received. (In Caps Lock and Bold Print….because they will be known as the players who are expected to equal the talent of the best pitcher in Twins history) CF CARLOS GOMEZ, P PHILIP HUMBER, P DEOLIS GUERRA, P KEVIN MULVEY. By the way, only Gomez will start the season on the 25 man roster.
The Twins did make one positive move just last week as they inked Joe Nathan to a long term contract. I’m not sure how much we’ll need Nathan if the season goes as projected, but there aren’t many teams in the league that can say they have a “sure thing” in the 9th.
So with tomorrow being the day where all teams are tied for first, I have no reason but to have optimism for the season. By the way, if the weather forecast for tomorrow is any indication of how the season will go (6-8 inches of snow!!!), lets hope we’re not spending the entire season shoveling ourselves out of the basement. GO TWINS!!!
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