|W|P|"That's something we'd do," Royals left fielder Terrence Long said. "Thirteen hits and not score."
Unknown|W|P|Is it "offensive" or "offencive"?In Mulholland's defence, though, the younger chap Greisinger put the runner on base.'Tool's decision is even more bloody disturbing considering that the club has an off day today.
In about two fortnights, the 'Tool should be shown the exit, along with Mulholland and some of the others on this squad.
Unknown|W|P|Of course I meant Guerrier. They're interchangeable. Cheesehead Craig|W|P|This one will come back and bite the Twins big time. 16 men on base and they could not score? Crikey. frightwig|W|P|I thought it was funny (and by funny, I mean "infuriating") that Gardy defended using his longmen in the 9th by saying 'You can't use the same stinkin' guys every day!' or something like that. Leaving aside the issue of whether Mulholland was his only option there, does the geezer even have to be on the team at this point? Wouldn't the team be better off if the manager had the option of using Liriano in the 9th yesterday? Why are you waiting until next week to bring in the call-ups?
SBG|W|P|I admit that I hadn't read his comments when I wrote this post.He's right, the offence lost the game. His "execution" as manager in the ninth sure didn't help.
This game (read: season) was lost by the organization! The organization that assembled this rag tag group of players to insult the fantastic effort of the best pitching staff in the AL on a nightly basis. The organization that has a guy making decisions in the dugout that make one's head explode. The organization so afraid to trade from its strength to address weaknesses. The organization that thought Corky Miller was more important than Michael Restovich. Old Resto might have been a more palatable option out there than Brent Abernathy.
Certainly, this is not the worst Twins team ever, not by a long shot. But, it's on the short list of most disappointing.
Unknown|W|P|I think 'tool realized the offence wouldn't score regardless of how many innings the game went, so he sent Mulholland out there to give it away as quickly as possible. (Much like the game in LA where the first pitch landed in the stands.)Bloody hell, indeed.
frightwig|W|P|I knew the Twins didn't have it in them; but, even so, I didn't imagine they'd let 13 baserunners go to waste in a 1-0 loss. When you play a team like the Royals, aren't *they* supposed to be the ones who invent new ways to lose? amr|W|P|Man, that really sucked. Is this a record for baserunners in a 9-inning shutout? SBG|W|P|Moss informed me that it was a team record for hits in a shutout. Unknown|W|P|This game is the encapsulization of the season.| Team | Chance to Win Division | Chance for Wild Card | Total Chance |
| Boston | 64.0 | 12.9 | 76.8 |
| New York | 35.9 | 16.6 | 55.5 |
| Chicago | 84.5 | 10.7 | 95.3 |
| Cleveland | 15.2 | 43.5 | 58.7 |
| Oakland | 64.3 | 4.54 | 68.8 |
| Los Angeles | 35.7 | 6.88 | 42.5 |
SBG|W|P|Honest to God, I posted this prior to the start of the game. Two runs in the first? Hallelujah! |W|P|Of all the games for me not to watch.You are a golden god!
Unknown|W|P|Can you believe their luck? An unprecedented string of quality starts by the opposing pitchers!! SBG|W|P|The amazing thing is that some of these pitchers have been able to step it up when nothing in their history would suggest that they could!!!! Truly an amazing run of good pitching! |W|P|"nothing in their history???!!"Truly you do not recognize the genius that is D J Carrasco.
TEB
frightwig|W|P|"I think the Twins will add payroll and sign a free agent"Bwahahahahahaha!!!!
|W|P|Now I understand why Baker hasn't been called up. Tool is a genius. We just can't win any games when these damn pitchers keep giving up a run. SBG|W|P|You got it. One run? Unacceptable! :) |W|P|My favorite, in the 8th when Gardy bunts the runner in scoring position to, well, scoring position so that Nick Please-please-please-let-me-put-the-ball-in-play-with-runners-in-scoring-position Punto could hit with a guy at third and one out.Almost unfortunate that Punto knocked in the game winner and earned himself a reprieve for the rest of the year (hopefully not for next year). Even the announcers have been getting on the Bartlett bandwagon, but then they Christened Punto as the POG.
Bartlett has some mean range. Dang!
Unknown|W|P|test Unknown|W|P|"Drug"? Moss is embarrassed at SBG's usage.Moss was poking around yesterday. Hunter and Jones are performing nearly exactly at their career OPS numbers. In other words, no improvement. Moss guesses that this performance is what should have been expected for them. Stewart, on the other hand, is well below his career performance. Morneau has fewer HR this year than last, in more AB. And of course the middle of the infield is a disaster, but it was last year too. Moss is sickened by the fact that Rivas will continue to draw a salary next year.
Outside of the battery, Moss cannot figure out who the MVP of this team would be. Seriously.
Moss is ready to sever ties with the opening day outfield (Stewart, Jones, Hunter) and go a different direction.
One more thing -- did SBG see that ridiculous throw from Noodle-arm Jones that cost a run (and possibly the game) yesterday? Any reasonable throw would have gotten the runner, who had the speed of a tugboat. According to Blyleven, Jones' throw went only 100 feet. But the replay clearly showed that it went less than 75 feet. He couldn't even hit the cutoff man!! How do these things not get fixed by the coaches???
In contrast, Ford is playing a great CF in everyday duty. The hitting is streaky, but no worse than Hunter really.
frightwig|W|P|The big trouble with Jones and Hunter this season is that they've been so terribly inconsistent. Either they're having a big month, or they're a hole in the lineup for 4 to 8 weeks at a time. Jones has always had a weak arm. You can usually rely on his throw either to sail wildly, when he gets his full body momentum behind it, or the ball will get back to the infield on 5 bounces.
For all the talk of how much better Lew hits when he gets to play the field, this morning I noticed that he's hitting only .241/.310/.361 as an outfielder this year, compared to .265/.339/.400 as the DH. He is batting .287/.343/.447 in August, which is a fine replacement for Hunter, but we'll see how that holds up through the end of the season.
SBG|W|P|Lucy and I went out to run errands. I missed that throw. Sorry about that "drug."Hunter and Jones have "peaked." This is all we get. Downhill from here. Honestly, I can't understand how a guy can play in the majors and have such a scatter arm. My arm is by no means great, or even accurate, but I intuitively know when to release the ball on a long throw. Jones doesn't.
I don't think Rivas has a contract next year. Castro does, though, for over a million.
As for the no improvement, I really believe that they've not been disciplined enough to master the strike zone. That's what separates talented players from having great as opposed to good careers.
Let me drive the point home with Barry Bonds as an example. As a rookie, Bonds hit .223/.330/.416. He struck out 102 times and walked 65 times in 113 games. 65 walks isn't bad, actually. His second year, he hit .261/.329/.492 with 54 walks and 88 Ks. He wasn't yet BONDS. His walk totals over the next six years? 72, 93, 93, 107, 127, 126. His on base percentages? .368, .351, .406, .410, .456, .458. His slugging percentages? .491, .426, .565, .514, .624, .677. This was up to 1993. Yes, Bonds is an absolute all-time great. But, he didn't just walk into the league and commence with all-world production. He improved, and his improvement was in identifying the strike zone.
Hunter and Jones, while nowhere near the player that Bonds is, never learned which pitches they could hit and which they couldn't. As a result, you see Hunter and Jones looking bad at the plate routinely. Imagine if players couldn't get Jones out by throwing fastballs up or breaking balls low and away. He'd be a potent hitter.
SBG|W|P|I, too, noticed that with Lew. I wrote a while back that I believe, contrary to the evidence, that he would hit better as an everyday outfielder. You are right, FW, it is a wait and see deal with Ford. Unknown|W|P|What's baffling to Moss is that Ford has become pathetic against left-handers, after crushing them previously. No explaining it...Moss is also distressed that the other batters seem to be following the Hunter/Jones trend. I.e., they haven't learned, and don't know, the strike zone. Moss is distressed at the number of hittable strikes the boys take, which they then follow by flailing at an unhittable pitch out of the strike zone.
Moss surmises that the best reason to watch the Twins during the remainder of the season is the ever-present potential for a no-hitter.
Moss hopes that Moss' Aeron chair is treating SBG kindly today.... Moss was laid up a couple weeks ago, and can empathize.
|W|P|I don't get the "Jones has a weak arm" argument. He doesn't.What he has is an arm that's strong and accurate when he doesn't have to think about where it's going. When he takes a ball off the baggie, turns, and fires to second, he's got an arm that is most often strong and right on target.
But when he has even the slightest doubt about what to do, or has even a moment to think about it, his release point just completely goes away. He had too much time to think about the throw home, because he had to run in to field the hit and knew he was gonna come up throwing.
That's my observation anyway.
TEB
Unknown|W|P|Jones has a weak arm in the sense that they are going to run on him all day long. Just like yesterday. There's no reason he can't make that throw. The coaching staff should have corrected that problem by now, but it hasn't.Stewart, on the other hand, has the very definition of a weak arm. Every team runs on him, going first-to-third on singles right in front of him. Lew Ford should have been in the OF any time he was in the lineup this year. There is no excuse for the 'tool using Ford as a semi-regular DH.
SBG|W|P|I don't get how a major leaguer can not have a release point that is absolutely second nature. I can see a ball that sails a little once in a while or something that's a little off target, but these five hoppers (thrown hard) to the cutoff guy are unbelievable. Comedy Club|W|P|I'm so sorry. I was going to take Johan, but I didn't get home in time to make the pick. Sometimes tardiness pays. Comedy Club|W|P|Looks like we made the same mistake. Unknown|W|P|test SBG|W|P|What the hell was I thinking? Comedy Club|W|P|Looks like I'm the only level headed one here... =P. Just kidding, I won't talk smack until I'm within a reasonable distance of first...which I'm not.
At the light rail stations, there are signs like this one that tell you where you are and the time. In addition, if there are any announcements, messages are scrolled along the signs. Most stations, like Fort Snelling, have four signs, two for each of the Northbound and Southbound sides.
No big deal. Except that I always assumed that tthe signs were computer controlled. And I'm sure that's right. But yesterday, the sign pictured was a minute behind the other three signs at the Ft. Snelling station. This morning, too, it was lagging behind. But then, when I was standing there, it synced up with the other three.
I kid you not. And no, I don't now, and never did do LSD.
|W|P|112506131352259961|W|P|What Time is it?|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com"That's not the way we do things here," Gardenhire said. "We have too much respect for Joe. If we did that, the guys in that clubhouse ... let's just say they would be very upset, knowing what Joe's gone through to get back here."The manager is afraid the players will be upset if Mays gets released. Come on. If the Twins plugged Scott Baker in the lineup last night and the Twins won the game DO YOU THINK that the team would be upset? If they are, well, then, they are a bunch of losers. I, for one, want to believe that the team in the lockerroom is about WINNING. I would expect that they understand in the world of professional athletics, you perform, or you are gone. If this team was as fragile as 'tool suggests, they'd have packed it in when Hunter got hurt. Guess what, they didn't. This team has played hard. The management has failed the players by not making moves. And just what has Joe Mays done for this organization to merit such loyalty? For his Twins career, Joe Mays is 48-64 with a 4.76 ERA in 931 2/3 innings. As you may know, Mays had a very good season in 2001, in which he was 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA in 233.7 innings. Outside of that season, Mays is 31-51 with a 5.30 ERA. In the last four seasons (2002-05) Mays is 18-25 with a 5.99 ERA 366.7 innings. And he's made $20 million for that. Yes, he had an injury. But, bottom line. He's done very little for the Twins, especially in the last four years. 'Tool even acknowledges that they have a problem. The 'tool continues.
"If you can figure out a way to get a pitcher up here, with all of our players down and hurt, and tell me who you want to take off this roster to bring a pitcher up here ," Gardenhire said. He added: "You're a little smarter than I am, because I can't figure it out. We're really stuck here."You are right about one thing, 'tool. Most of us ARE smarter than you. I mean there were a lot of things the Twins could do. They could designate Terry Mulholland for assignment, put Mays in the bullpen, and bring up Baker. I suppose the team would be upset if Mulholland got cut, too. I suppose the Twins don't do things like that. We can't let go of Mulholland. We can't cut Mays. As Frightwig said, hey, put Mulholland on the DL with his sore back. Make a move. Do something. Imagine for a second that the Yankees were in this position. Would they say, hey we can't let so and so go. Hell, no. They want to win. They make the moves. Of course, the Yanks have sometimes made some really stupid moves. Unfortunately, our team would rather let this season slip away than bring up the calvary. If the Twins miss the playoffs by one or two games, point to the decision to let Mays keep pitching when they have viable options available to them. Friends, there is no way that Joe Mays will be with this team in 2006. The Twins would have to pay him $8 million. That's not happening. Just cut the cord a few weeks early. Mays could console himself with the remainder of his $7 million salary. We've heard 'tool and the Ultimate Winner, Al Newman, criticize players for not executing. Let me tell you. This is an egregious example of the managment NOT EXECUTING. This is far less excusable. Players have to execute in the heat of battle. Management has all day and all night to consider what to do about a situation like Mays. They executed just about as well as Mays did. In the off season, the Twins will have some decisions to make. They are basically committed to $55 million in salary. Assuming that "Smilin' Carl" Pohlad keeps the payroll at $55 million, the Twins have two choices. Hope that the players that they had this year that didn't "execute" will "execute" next year. Or move guys like Hunter and Stewart for some infielders that can play. I doubt that the latter will happen. If the Twins can't part ways with Joe Mays or Terry Mulholland, how could they possibly have the courage to part with Torii or Shannon? Unless the Twins make a move, they will not win in 2006. The shame of it all is that the Twins have the pitching required to win it all. They've got a drop dead ace, three other quality starters, a deep and talented bullpen, and they have demonstrated all season that they are one of the elite pitching staffs in all of the AL. Plus, they have tremendous talent just waiting in AAA while Mays costs them games. If the Twins had even a mediocre offense, they'd be leading the Wild Card race and they'd have been facing a Chicago team this week that was a whole lot more nervous. OTHER TOPICS The Royals roughed up Curt Schilling tonight with 6 earned runs in five innings. Good. I can't stand Schilling. He's got the biggest mouth in the game. Curt, I don't care what you think. Just because you can throw a baseball doesn't mean that anyone should look to you for advice on any other topic. Of course, he has a right to express his opinion, but as Denny Green said, "the great thing about this country is I don't have to listen to it." Matt Birk wanted his "contract" guaranteed for next year and then he'd forego surgery and play hurt. The Vikings declined to guarantee Birk's "contract" and Birk decided to have surgery and will miss two or three months at least. Nothing like a little good news to get you all pumped up about the season. Friends, NFL players do not have contracts. They have arrangements. Contracts are binding on both parties. These arrangements are only binding on the player. Both parties sign the arrangement. If a player gets hurt or doesn't play to the level of the money, the team can cut the player, no questions asked. If, on the other hand, the player outperforms the arrangement, he's stuck. Then, morons go on TV (Michael Kay, for example) and scream and pontificate about the "sanctity of the contract." This is bullshit. These are not contracts. Compare the work arrangement that NFL players have compared to what you have. Most people are "at will" employees. Your employer can let go of you if they so choose, subject to certain laws. Your employer probably has to show cause to fire you (unless they have a layoff). Your part of the deal is that you can leave. If you find a better job that pays more, you can tell your employer good bye. You are free to leave at your will. When I went to law school, I went into my boss' office and handed him my notice. I resigned my job and there was nothing he could do about it. Some people are contractual employees. In the cases of contractual employees, each party is committed to a specific length of time. The employer can buy out the contract, but they are on the hook for it. Similarly, the employee is bound to work for the length of the contract. Each party is giving up something. The NFL player, gets the worst of both worlds. They are bound, but their employer is not. When players hold out and try to get more money, I don't criticize. They are only using their leverage against people who can cut them at any time with impugnity. If they had real contracts, I'd be outraged. Instead, they have arrangements. And unfair arrangements at that. Now, you might say, hey SBG, these guys are making millions of dollars. Well, some are, some aren't. But, regardless of the money that players make in the NFL, players pay a terrible price. Read the story about Jim Marshall for an example of what life is like after the NFL. No professional athletes pay a higher price physically. No league generates more revenue than the NFL. No other league has a specific plan to virtually guarantee that most teams in the league are "mediocre." NFL players are the lowest paid professional athletes, on average, of the four major sports. They are the only athletes with this kind of arrangement. I believe that this arrangement, including the "hard cap" is bad for players, bad for fans, bad for the game. It breeds mediocrity in the league. The only thing that this system is good for is lining the pockets of the owners. More on this later. Come back on the weekend for more SBG nonsense.|W|P|112502735811500521|W|P||W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
frightwig|W|P|Everybody knows that Mays almost certainly will lose his rotation spot in September, and everybody knows that Mays will be cut loose after the season. Even Mays must know those things. But suggest that the manager could skip his turn even once in August, and it's "that's not the way we do things around here." Who does he think he's kidding? Unknown|W|P|Aw, SBG, you forced Moss' hand. Where does Moss start?First two counter-points:
1) For at-will employees, employers need not show any cause. Employers can be fired for any reason or no reason, as long as it's not an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation for whistle-blowing.
2) NFL players are not bound either. See, e.g., Ricky Williams 2004. A player can walk away, too. He just won't get paid, and won't be able to play for another team during the duration of the contract. Essentially he has signed a non-compete.
Moss believes NFL players are in nearly the exact same situation as people like SBG. SBG's employer could dismiss him at any time. He can walk away at any time. In the meantime, he gets paid to work and he cannot work for another employer in the same field. If SBG received any "guaranteed" money for agreeing to work for his employer, it is SBG's to keep.
The only real difference is that NFL players have a non-compete that extends for the duration of the contract EVEN IF they walk away from their employer. SBG's non-compete extends only through his employment. Moss will point out that this difference exists ONLY because SBG is an attorney and the Supreme Court has held that non-competes extending beyond the term of employment are impermissible for lawyers. If SBG were working in another field, such as engineering, then he could have a situation that is EXACTLY the same as an NFL player.
Moss is merely pointing out that any perceived injustices in the NFL system are no different than the situations faced by millions of employees in this country. The outlier is not the NFL, but rather the NBA, MLB, and NHL.
Again, Moss hopes SBG enjoys the Thud era and the six-year reign of the new stiff at the Target Center!
|W|P|I absolutely knew Moss would respond. Moss you are so WRONG. I worked as an engineer. The non compete that people sign is a lot more limited than you might think.A friend of mine went from designing Bobcats to designing tractors for a company that was our number one competitor. He walked out and took a job for more pay. No problem. After one year he was free to do whatever the hell he pleased.
Even so, an engineer is a special case. Take a pharmacist working at WalMart. Does their employment agreement prohibit them from moving to Chicago amd working at Walgreens? I think not. That's the agreemet in the NFL. The player is bound. There is no other comparable market for their skills. The employer is not bound. It is really unAmerican.
Unknown|W|P|Is that you, SBG?The Canadian Football League, the Arena League, just a couple options for football players. Or, go out and get an actual job!
Most run-of-the-mill non-competes are geographically limited and limited in duration. But Moss is sure they could be structured in some other way. E.g., Bobcat's non-compete could specifically exclude employment with Caterpillar. One could say that the engineer's non-compete is MORE restrictive, because it extends beyond the period of employment. A player's "non-compete" is only through the period of the agreement.
The comment states that "The employer is not bound." Moss hates to be the one to break the news, but SBG's employer is bound in no way whatsoever either! SBG gets paid to work, and that's it. Just like an NFL player.
Moss' whole point is that the injustice perceived by SBG is non-existent. Millions of people work under the same arrangement.
SBG|W|P|If the employer is not bound, then it's not a contract! That's my point!!! And yes, that was me above from the phone. I don't have an employment contract. And I didn't when I was an engineer. I was free to go to work for just about anyone in my field of expertise. NFL players don't have contracts, either. If the team "breaches" the contract, what's the remedy? They have "arrangements" that are binding on the player only. Further, they aren't even free to sign a real contract. And I think it hurts the game. SBG|W|P|Oh, and Moss, the CFL? I'd think hard before offering an example that requires one to LEAVE THE UNITED STATES to find suitable employment. SBG|W|P|I believe that Ricky Williams was sued for Breach of Contract! Isn't that why he had to pay back his bonus? Unknown|W|P|Apparently Ricky Williams didn't end up paying it back. If Moss were in charge of the 'Fins, Moss would take the money back and sever ties with Mr. Williams.So SBG is upset that NFL players don't have "contracts"? Who cares?? Is that an injustice? It's a game...
The only way Moss can see that an NFL team could "breach" its contract is by not paying a player what he is owed. The remedy would be money damages. Same goes for SBG's employment relationship.
Comedy Club|W|P|I took a hit today. Part of my "strategy" involves never picking against Silva. You'd think giving up 1 run collectively through 9 innings would be enough to win. |W|P|Thank you to your former professors who kept you from submitting your pick tonight. Hopefully I made up some ground. Unknown|W|P|Moss thinks SBG more resembles Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer... SBG|W|P|Moss, I had dinner with our mini-golf partner last night. He's doing well. UCL? Hmmmm. That's not nice! I am going to take my fish and go home.AAC: You are assuming that I would have taken the Sox. That is true. I couldn't take Mays there.
|W|P|Gotta love Patrick Reusse. He still doesn't know how to read.Today he writes (again) about how the BitchSox are winning this year with speed and defense and smallball. Riiiight.
In his own column, he provides the right answer. ChiSox offense is worse than last year (thanks to the losses of Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez, largely), to the tune of -0.6 runs/g. Chicago is 28th in OBP, but they are fourth in fewest AB per HR and 5th in HR, but 30th in doubles, 28th in triples and 29th in BBs -- ALL they do is hit HRs. Small ball indeed. Chicago has hit 94 solo HR and 155 total. Twins, in contrast have hit 110 total HR. Yet Chicago has amassed only FOURTEEN more total bases than the Twins on the season (before tonight).
But their pitching is way, way better (ERA is down by 1.27 from last year).
Gee. Give up one and a quarter fewer runs than the year before. It's all about the small ball.
Sorry. I know I'm preaching to the choir here.
brianS
Comedy Club|W|P|I actually saw very little of the game, but I was driving back from McDonalds when Gardy went to the pen, and the rube in me said 'No! Leave him in!' but eventually I calmed myself and the Bill James in me said 'send Nathan.' More points made up in the contest! SBG|W|P|No doubt about it, TJ. You are moving up in the standings. So is SBG. I picked the Twins last night and have now got 7 right in a row. SBG|W|P|brianS --Inexplicably, the mainstream media pick up on themes (correct or not) and run with them. You've got it right. The Chisox have pitched great, and they've been lucky. They are well over their Pythagorean number of wins. Twins fans shouldn't complain about that. The Twins were over their Pythagorean number three straight years.
Last night's game was about as good as it gets. A slow crescendo of tension. Our guy was good. Their guy was better. I thought about whether I should root for the no-no. Never seen one, maybe never will. But the arch rival... I decided that history be damned, I want the Twins to win. That thought process in my head was really one of the great parts of the night.
As luck would have it, Lucy called me just as Jones came to the plate. I told her that it was 0-0 and the Twins didn't have a hit. Just then Jones hit the ball, and everyone (myself included) started to scream. Lucy said, I'll talk to you when you get home. She was our good luck charm last night.
Nick N.|W|P|Geez. I really don't feel very clever for coming up with the "One Hit Wonder" headline anymore. You and Star Trib both came up with the same thing. Ah well... |W|P|Simply as good a regular season game as you will ever see. People who say baseball is boring should be forced to watch last night's game.Wish I could've been there. I'm jealous.
I could feel the electricity in the dome all the way here in Arizona.
I don't know whether the Twins can stay in the WC race or not--this is still a bad offensive team--but they have managed to make games in August and hopefully September as meaningful and exciting as any fan could hope for. Bless them.
TEB
Drew Boatman|W|P|You've honestly seen Santana sharper than last night? I might have too, but I can't remember a specific time. Last night seemed like one of those perfect games - possibly because he was matched against someone who was somehow pitching as good as him - and I just never thought once that he was going to let in a run. It was that simple. His performance was simply breathtaking (aka "The most commonly typed phrase in the Twins blogosphere this morning").To me, this performance meant so much more because of who it was against. We've all seen him fan 14 Brewers or 16 Royals, but this was against the Sox, and that means a lot.
Cheesehead Craig|W|P|Drew, you wound me... Albeit an accurate quote on my Crew. But still, lumping us with the Royals, that's just dirty pool man. SBG|W|P|Drew:To be specific, I saw Santana pitch a game in 2003 on a Sunday afternoon in which he allowed two hits, I believe, and 13 or so strikeouts in 8 scoreless innings. He was absolutely dynamite. Moss was there too, I believe.
No doubt, he was great and your point about the meaning of the game is well taken. But to nit pick there were some hard hit balls, too, and he benefitted from soke nice defensive plays. With "just" 7 strikeouts, he was a tad bit less dominant than I've seen.
Let me say this. It's sure fun to debate which of his brilliant outings was the most brilliant. Far better than discussing Les Straker's body of work.
Unknown|W|P|Umm, the 13-K game was in 2002 versus Toronto, on a Sunday afternoon:http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07280MIN2002.htm
A certain Shannon Stewart got a triple, Delgado got a double, and that's it. Santana did walk three, but Toronto did not even come close to scoring. Gardentool pulled Santana even though he had a 4-run lead and a chance for a ShO and team record in K's.
Moss (along with Aaron Gleeman) was absolutely bewildered that Santana did not have a solid spot in the rotation from that day on, or even going into 2003.
Moss also had a near-death experience during the game. Moss was seated in the very last row of the lower deck on 1B-side, and had to duck when a screaming foul came off the bat of the aforementioned Mr. Stewart. Moss is not afraid of fast-moving balls, but that experience put the speed of a major-league game into perspective for Moss. The ball ricocheted off the cinder-block wall and struck an older lady sitting in front of Moss. She was taken away in an ambulance.
SBG|W|P|Thanks for the correction, Moss.
frightwig|W|P|That photo sort of looks like a transmission from a commuter shuttle in outer space.
That speck there in the middle is Johan. Three innings no runs, and just 35 pitches. He may be hard to see, but trust me he looks good.
|W|P|112484443831888920|W|P|Santana Looking Good|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com |W|P|WOW, what a game! I could literally feel the excitement from the radio. You sure picked a great game to be at the dome. I feel a chill in the air; it must be playoff fever. SBG|W|P|Yeah, it was all right. :)I really thought I might see a no-hitter. Johan was just as good. Fantastic stuff!
Ryan|W|P|Wow, I forget just how far away you are in the cheap seats!But what a game!
SBG|W|P|Far away? That was zooming in! :) Comedy Club|W|P|Yea, I'm impressed with the picture quality. When I photoblog from games and try to zoom in to at least be able to see the hitter, it turns out terrible. Even frightwig said "what, did you smear vaseline on the lens?" on one of my photoblogs, and that was a picture of you and Aarong from about 3 feet away.Then again, that is a very nice phone that you have.
This guy was behind me in line with his blue hat.
|W|P|112484233422378861|W|P|A Baseball Fan|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com amr|W|P|That's the blue BP hat!
Large walkup tonight. Big crowd, ace on the mound. Twins are big favorite. I'm a little nervous, me being bad luck usually. Nevertheless, I'm going with Johan!!!!!!
|W|P|112484192701340608|W|P|My Pick|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.comUpdate: Tonight's line: Minnesota -168, Chicago +153.A while back, I celebrated the one year anniversay of this website. Most of what I did the first month or so was unread. Just about the only person that knew about this site was my Dad. A year ago, I put a counter on my page. You will see it on the left hand column. I have professed that Billions of people read this site. Friends, I have to come clean. That's not really true (although how can I be sure? Perhaps it is printed out and distributed by hand to hundreds of millions of people who don't have computers). Here's how my readership looked the first few days. Aug 23, 2004: 0 Aug 24, 2004: 0 Aug 25, 2004: 3 (An infinite increase!!!) Aug 26, 2004: 2 (Big Drop Off!!!) Aug 27, 2004: 3 (Plateau) Aug 28, 2004: 1 (Weekends are always a little lower) Aug 29, 2004: 3 Aug 30, 2004: 3 Aug 31, 2004: 4 Sep 1, 2004: 7 Sep 2, 2004: 7 Sep 3, 2004: 44 I was absolutely ecstatic on Sep 3! Forty-four people had dropped by to check out my site! The reason? I had asked Seth Stohs for a link and he obliged. Here's what Seth had to say about this site on that fateful day.
Stick and Ball Guy - An excellent site with a good balance between statistics and opinion. OK, lots of numbers, but it is a well put together site!Seth's plug was good for me for two reasons. One, he introduced my site to a lot of people who hadn't know that I existed. Two, he provided a plug with a little evaluation of my site. I started out with the idea that I would really do a lot of number crunching. Seth gently suggested that I should back off on the numbers a little. I appreciated that advice. I've tried to give others advice, sometimes via e-mail, and sometimes famously (or infamously) right here on the front page. Aaron Gleeman, the guy who really inspired me to start (although it took me almost two years to actually start, more on him later) refers to people who have been friendly to him as a "friend of AG.COM". Seth was the first friend of SBG, The Mag (back when it was a humble blog and looked nothing like it does now). When Seth gives me a prominent plug, my readership spikes up, and it's a lot more than that first 44 that come now. A plug there is like a stamp of approval and people come. I've corresponded with Seth more than any other blogger. I got the chance to meet him last weekend. Thank you, Seth for supporting this site. It's meant a lot to me. I also asked Aaron Gleeman for a link. I'd had contact with Aaron via e-mail many times when he had a blog and I didn't. I absolutely love his site. I cannot believe how good it is. On Sep 10, 2004, Aaron linked to me. Here's what he wrote:
There's a new Twins blog started by a long-time reader and frequent e-mailer of this blog and it's really good. Go head over to the Stick and Ball Guy and tell him I said hello. Also, notice how it is yet another blog that is far more aesthetically pleasing than this one.Friends, Aaron's got some drawing power. I had 309 visitors that day, which was my record total for a long time. Between Aaron and Seth, I was on my way. These two are the only people that I ever sent an e-mail to and said, hey, I've got a new site, will you link to me? Both of them have been extremely generous to SBG, The Mag. I've had the opportunity to meet Aaron in person a handful of times. He's a very nice guy and someone I'm happy to call a friend of SBG, The Mag. Thanks, Aaron. A week later, the Twins Geek linked to me. Another big day. The Geek's new site, Twins Territory has really brought a lot of good writing together. Somehow I stumbled onto his site over three years ago. He introduced me to Aaron's site. The Geek's writing is great. He's not afraid to take positions and argue about the game. Thanks, Geek, for your unsolicited help. I appreciate that. Boy, it got tough after that. I had established an audience and the Star Tribune's feature on blogs during the 2004 playoffs boosted readership, but after the playoffs ended, things started to slide. From October 9, 2004 to January 24, 2005, I had one day with more than 100 readers. Friends, this is when you determine whether you are going to be a blogger or not. You may wonder why I'm talking about these numbers. Well, bloggers spend a lot of time writing and thinking and obsessing about their sites. I don't have to have a huge readership, but when no one is reading it gets tough. I sat down and thought about what I wanted from this site and what pleased me about writing it. The best thing, I determined, was that blogging has enabled me to develop camraderie with a number of like minded individuals. So, I thought, hey, those are the people that I am going to write this thing for -- other bloggers. So, I started my Pepper! column as an opportunity to interact with other bloggers. That was a lot of fun and I promise to bring that back when you least expect it. I read other people's sites, linked to them on mine and commented frequently. The idea of writing to, about and for other bloggers has really made this site enjoyable for me. There's no doubt that many of my columns have been directed directly at other bloggers. Clearly, I've written several columns right to Frightwig, and he's done the same. I got a chance to meet FW and he's a very nice guy. Oh, and I love his page -- he's smart, funny, takes great pictures and his cat blogging is very good -- and he provides a lot of traffic over my way. Thank you Frightwig for making my experience more enjoyable. You are a friend of SBG, The Mag. Incidentally, I read a column over at AMR's the other day. He wrote this:
I haven't died or anything. I've had a bad virus attack at work, a long game, and a nite out with friends (structured around watching the second half of last night's game). Maybe I have some thoughts other than "winning is good" and "So is not losing 18 straight."I laughed out loud! Why? Because I had posted two columns the night before that essentially said "winning is good" and "so is not losing 18 straight." Believe me, I enjoyed that little dig. I'd been in a little bit of a slump, not knowing what to write. I pumped those two out and thought, hey, I'm coming out of it. Um, no. Back to the drawing board. I thought, hey, that's something I would have wrote. I've been known to take a jab or two or three at my fellow bloggers. Some of them take the ribbing better than others. That's an understatement, folks. Now, AMR is debating whether blue is black. Whether or not blue is black, I still hate the Yanks, AMR. Welcome back to the world of bloggers -- and thank you for your kind words over on your site. I would be remiss if I didn't mention a post I saw last year during the playoffs against the Yanks. I was trying to make a cold hearted prediction about the next night's game. I was thinking the Yanks would win Game 3 and then I wrote this:
You know what? I am not writing for a newspaper and I never will be. I don't have to be objective. Who really cares if I'm right or wrong? When it comes to the Twins, I am first and foremost a supporter. I love this team. I love that they make between a quarter and a third of the Yankees salaries but are still competitive. I like that they play hard. I like that Torii Hunter has seemingly taken over the leadership of this team after What's His Face got traded away. I'll pull my hair out, I swear, if Lew Ford isn't in the lineup on Friday night, but what the heck, I'm here to pull for these guys. So forget that earlier prediction. The Twins are gonna rough up Brown and Silva's gonna give 'em enough. Twins win game 3. Good. I feel better.Look at that quote. I'm praising Hunter's leadership. By the way, what's his face was Doug Mientkiewicz. What I like about that quote was this, written over at the Greet Machine:
Stick and Ball Guy has a good post today that you'll want to check out, but one part of his post in particular struck a chord with me. After he picked the Yankees to win game 3 he said: You know what? I am not writing for a newspaper and I never will be. I don't have to be objective. Who really cares if I'm right or wrong? When it comes to the Twins, I am first and foremost a supporter...So forget that earlier prediction. The Twins are gonna rough up Brown and Silva's gonna give 'em enough. Twins win game 3. Good. I feel better. Amen brother. What is the point of picking the Yankees to win? First of all the Yankees won't win, and secondly, there are many good reasons why they won't win and why the Twins will win the whole series for that matter.Before I saw readers coming to my site from that link, I didn't know that the Greet Machine existed. But, I started reading his site from that day forward. Shane's knowledge of the stadium situation is unparalled. He's a thoughtful guy and his post on Monday was fantastic -- one of the best ever. I've had a chance to meet Shane, his misguided neighbor, Cheesehead Craig, and Cheer or Die, who is also linked to Shane because Shane does some work for his site. All of these guys are great people, and I am happy to have met these guys. Thanks guys for all your support and let me say that I'm looking forward to more interaction in the future. (I'm available for a podcast, COD, when you are desperate for guests.) And of course, the Twins Junkie. His site is pretty good. And it's much better when you realize that he's just a teenager. Thanks for your kind words, TJ, and keep up the good work. All of these people have made my experience as a blogger more fulfilling. Seth, Aaron, Geek, Shane, Craig, COD, AMR, Frightwig, TJ -- thank you. Friends of SBG, the Mag, all. There are others as well. The 7th Angel has been a regular reader, commenter and e-mailer. He's also been complimentary of my site. Thanks, Andrew. BJHess has been a regular reader and he's got a pretty good site, himself. Thanks to everyone who has entered my contests. Thanks also to BEM, who has been very kind to me, especially in the wake of the big BG controversy. Thanks to Will Young, who linked to me at Baseball Think Factory. Thanks to Dave Studeman at Hardball Times, who has twice linked to me. Thanks to John Perricone at Only Baseball Matters, who linked to me and posted a complimentary article about my writing. Thank you to Miller Man, a longtime friend who reads the site religiously. It was good to see you this summer. Lucy was glad to meet you. Thanks to Beaner who reads the site, but never comments. Thanks to everyone who reads the site regularly -- RED, GEB, TEB, et al. I appreciate all of you. Thanks to Moss and Drew, who give me ideas. Moss, your comments have made it a lot of fun for me. And now, some words about my site. Sometimes, I write posts like my criticism of Jim Souhan or my relentless dogging of the 'Tool and think, man, I'm going to drive readers away with that kind of stuff. I don't mean to be so negative all the time. But, I am passionate about certain things. I can't help it. That's why I'm writing. Because I'm passionate. I love the Twins and I love the Timberwolves. But, I also get disappointed and pissed at these teams. Feel free to disagree with me. Express your disagreement in e-mail or comments. But, come on back. I appreciate your readership. Finally, some comments about my readership totals. In a year, I've had about 41,000 visits. I'm amazed that I've had that many readers. In a sense, I don't care about how many readers I have. I am not living or dying on how many people stop by. In another sense, I do care. I want to have readership. I have gained a lot from my readers, and I hope that in the next year, you enjoy my site enough to keep coming back.|W|P|112449484694224506|W|P|Thank You|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
|W|P|You're welcome. And thank you. And all that stuff.Awe, I'll stop now. Need to get some mist out of my eyes.
But seriously, excellent work and keep on keepin' on!
|W|P|Very interesting, SBG. I didn't know that was the specific post that bridged the divide and began our friendship. Cool!Anyway, keep up the fantastic work, SBG. I also wanted to let you know that your links, comments, and patronage of my site means a LOT to me. We are all humbled by the greatness of the SBG site, with its billions of readers, so your links are very much appreciated.
And before I forget, your pictures of Lucy and yourself at the Twins game were hilarious. Nice work on that one.
SBG|W|P|Thanks Shane. Lucy was a good sport about the pictures. I got the idea of telling the game story through Lucy about halfway through. She played along. I'm sure the people around us were wondering what the hell was going on. Why is that guy continually taking pictures of his wife??? That was the fun part. Nick N.|W|P|You do a very nice job here.Wait a tick, I just realized you aren't linked on the side of our blog. That's bizarre, since I read you almost daily. I'll have to go change that...
Done. And you should take it as high praise because Nick and I are very selective about who we link to on our site. Only the best of the best, a group that I can confidently say you are a part of.
|W|P|I have reached some sort of personal milestone...I have been mentioned, almost by name, in a blog!I am overwhelmed.
Thanks for all the hard work you do, SBG, to give schlubs like me something to read. I appreciate it.
TEB
amr|W|P|Dear SBG,Just because they say it's blue doesn't make it so. The Yankees' hats are as blue as the Twins' "M" lettering is pink.
Also, I can't remember or not whether that was a slight dig at you or not. I hope so.
SBG|W|P|It seemed like a dig. Perhaps you unconsciously were digging. Whatever the case, I liked it.If that hat is blue (and I think it is), it's at least it's black metaphorically. Of course, I thought the Giants wore brown and orange and argued this point with Moss and Drew until I was unequivocably shown the error of my ways. I guess I have trouble seeing things as black (and white).
Brian|W|P|SBG: The Four Hoarsemen remain the most popular podcasts to date. So, it is ME who is desperate to get the FH's back together ASAP for another podcast. In fact, the FH pull in more listeners than Chuck Foreman and Rod Simons (KSTP anchor) combined! So, I think having four locals sitting around spewing sports BS ala Sid is the formula. Post my vacation, the FH's are the 1st priority on my list for another podcast.
And congrats on lasting 1-year. My blog anniversary comes in October and I sometimes doubt I'll last until then!
Unknown|W|P|This is the most syrupy love-fest Moss has experienced since the Grandpa Sports extravaganza a couple weeks back. Moss is happy for his close personal friend, SBG.TEB, Moss was wondering if you ever commented on this site! Moss supposes you prefer to remain anonymous.
SBG|W|P|Just wanted to say thanks to those who have supported the site. I included you, too, Moss. SBG|W|P|Just kidding, of course. Moss has provided a lot of material for me. frightwig|W|P|Happy Anniversary, SBG. You have always been an enthusiastic supporter of the Sundappled blog, and I count you amongst the few who have done the most to help me gain a foothold in the big, bad blogosphere. Cross-posting with you is always a good time. Much continued success to you. |W|P|Moss supposes correctly.-TEB
Daniel|W|P|And now, we all charge you with the task of not stopping, and continuing to provide good, quality writing. You thank us, but I thank you. I'm not an everyday visitor, but I burn off about 10 minutes a week stopping by and reading, and they're a productive, enjoyable 10 minutes...at least, to me they are.
Thanks again.
The mainstream press, and the Twins themselves, will tell you that Torii Hunter's injury will be a terrible blow to the Twins. I'm not buying it. Yes, Hunter is a gold glove outfielder. Losing his defense will hurt a little. In his place will be Lew Ford. Lew's not a terrible outfielder, in fact he's a pretty good defensive outfielder. He's certainly better than Shannon Stewart, who's been stinking it up in left field for the Twins for years now. I'll grant that there will be a little bit of a drop off in the field. But, SBG, Hunter's the clean up hitter. His bat will be sorely missed! In a word: bullshit. ... The DH spot can now be manned on a full time basis (except when [Joe Mauer] does it) by Matthew LeCroy. LeCroy is hitting .277/.376/.473/.849. Substituting LeCroy into the lineup for Hunter is a substantial improvement, probably more of a benefit than the detriment of losing Hunter's excellent play in the field.Ford has made play after play in the outfield (and he's hitting) and LeCroy has hit a lot better than Hunter did. And lookee here. The Twins are playing a whole lot better. Without their leader. Souhan. I read Souhan's column today. Remind me not to do that anymore. What does Top Jimmy have to say today? In Minnesota, we don't take kindly to athletes with attitudes. If you don't "behave" we will ship you out. I'm nearly speechless. On second thought, I'm not. Let's start with the most egregious part of the article. Souhan, making the case that clubhouse harmony is so vitally important to winning, goes to THE authority on such matters, Al Newman.
"When Jack Morris came over, we didn't like him much, because of the way he acted with Detroit," said Twins third base coach Al Newman, a member of the Twins' two World Series winners. "We didn't start well in '91. Jack wasn't happy with us, and we weren't playing well for him. "It got to a point where TK [manager Tom Kelly] called a meeting and told Jack, 'These guys know how to play, but they're probably not going to play very well behind you unless you treat them better.' Jack eventually fit in, and we had a pretty good ending."According to Al (and Top Jimmy), the important thing wasn't that Jack Morris pitched his ass off, it was that he fit in with the guys. Or more accurately, he didn't pitch well or the team didn't play very well behind him until he played nice in the sandbox. This is plain ridiculous. Is Al suggesting that the team wasn't playing hard behind Morris because they didn't like him? That to me smacks of a lack of professionalism. It also doesn't sound like the truth. The 1991 Twins started out not playing well in front of anyone. They were 2-9 after eleven games. They were 23-25 at the end of play on May 31. Then, they turned the calendar in June. They won 15 straight, 22 of 28 and had winning months the rest of the season. Maybe TK and Morris had that talk on May 31. Here's how I see it. Morris is a prickly guy. He's also a tremendous competitor. A lot of guys who are high achievers are not nice guys. They are tough and mean and not all touchy feely. But Souhan is going with Al. Of course Al's a winner. Souhan tells us so.
"Teammates may have problems off the field," said Newman, who has two more rings than Sammy Sosa, Giambi, Palmeiro, Owens, Moss and Barry Bonds combined. "You may not like them that much. But if you're going to win, it's got to work on the field. And we got to that point with Jack, and now he's one of my favorite people to talk to."This is laughable! Newman has more rings that all those guys! He must have been better! And look at that quote. He says you don't even have to get along! Just do it on the field!!!! Isn't this really not supporting what Souhan is saying? Isn't Newman saying hey, Bonds [or whoever] can be as big of an ass as he wants to as long as he works on the field. Newman is contradicting himself and undermining Souhan's point. That shouldn't be surprising. The whole piece is so much drivel. But even more laughable is validating Newman by mentioning his World Series rings. I'm of the opinion that Al Newman is one of the very worst players to have a career of his length, ever. In 1989, Newman hit .253/.341/.303/.644. For his career, Luis Rivas has hit .261/.306/.382/.688. Rivas has been generally considered a failure. So, Newman had a tough year in 1989, SBG, what's your point? My point is this. That was Newman's best season in the bigs. For his career, over eight seasons, he hit .226/.304/.266/.560. That's right, Newman had a career .560 OPS. Rivas got sent down and probably washed out of the league with his .250/.293/.287/.580 OPS. That's right. Newman was worse for his entire career than Rivas was this year. In 1991, the year that Jack Morris needed to fit in, Newman hit .191/.260/.211/.471. That's worse than Cristian Guzman's 2005 season (.194/.235/.277/.532). But, hey, he's got two rings. He fit in. If I had a .471 OPS, I'd have kissed Jack Morris' ass for the rest of my life for allowing me to get that World Series ring. Yes, Souhan takes shots at a lot of guys. How about this shot?
The Yankee teams that dominated the '90s relied on grinders, such as Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius. Since signing the wondrous Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees haven't added another ring.Good one. A-Rod has played in one whole postseason with the Yanks. And oh, by the way, if the Yanks get to the playoffs, it's on the back of A-Rod, who's leading the league in home runs, slugging, OPS, and is third in OBP. And is he some sort of problem? Only in the bizarro world that can't stand anyone outshining Derek Jeter on the Yanks. And those "grinders" had great pitching (Clemens, Cone, Rivera, Pettitte et al.), Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada, and yes, Jeter. And since when is Paul O'Neill a "grinder"? He had an OPS+ of 120 for his career! From 1994 to 1999 O'Neill's OPS+ numbers were 177, 138, 122, 138, 129, and 114. Those are the numbers of a thoroughbred, not a grinder. By comparison, Kirby Puckett's career OPS+ was 124 and his high OPS+ for a season? 152. And oh yeah. Wasn't O'Neill about the biggest complainer you ever saw on a baseball field? Always complaining about calls and throwing tantrums. The guy was so annoying! And didn't Boomer Wells play on those teams? Isn't he somewhat of a problem child? Ah, don't think about it, SBG. What does Minnesota do with players that are annoying? According to Jimmy, we trade them away. Says Jimmy, "A.J. Pierzynski got traded just for being annoying." No, Jim. A.J. got traded because he was about to make $3 million and we had Joe Mauer waiting in the wings. But, hey, if you don't have any real support for what you are saying, just make stuff up. That's what you did when you called O'Neill a "grinder" and when you alleged that Morris had to fit in to get his team to play behind him. Of course, the inspiration for this column is the trade of Sam Cassell to the Clippers. Sammy was a bit of a malcontent and he complained about his contract. But, without Sam Cassell, the T-Wolves would never made it to the Western Conference finals. But, Sammy is old, he's hurt, and he doesn't play defense. So, it makes sense to get rid of him. And Spree's gone, too. He said some stupid things about his contract last fall. But, more egregiously, he got old, fast. And Moss is gone too. The best player this franchise has ever seen has taken his unique skills to Oakland. I for one will miss that. As far as the Timberwolves are concerned, who thinks they'll be any good this year? Who else would rather have the 2003-04 team with KG, Sammy, and Spree sprinting to the best record in the West and nearly bringing home a championship (only an injury to Cassell kept them from beating the Lakers, remember KG playing point?). And really, did Moss' antics really disturb you? I loved watching him play. And, before he got hurt last year, he WAS the most valuable player in the NFL. Don't believe me? Just how well did the Vikings run the ball after he was no longer there to take two guys out of every running play? But, no, all that talent has flowed out of Minnesota and, according to Souhan, that a "welcome" trend. Count me as one who doesn't quite agree. The great thing about this article was that on the opposing page, Sid had his column. Here's the last sentence of Sid's column:
Former Twins pitcher Jack Morris talking about the importance of team chemistry: "At Detroit we had two of our best seasons, and we didn't get along too good."Put that in your pipe and smoke it.|W|P|112468311906432439|W|P|News and Notes|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
Unknown|W|P|Of course it was a good idea to ship Casssel, but was it a good idea to give the new stiff a 6-yr deal?? Who makes these decisions?Moss doesn't appreciate SBG taking his name in vain. SBG was of course referring to the football player RANDY Moss, who does not contribute to this site. Moss demands a public apology.
SBG|W|P|My fault. With that clarification, the question "does Moss' antics really bother you?" now becomes a yes. :)The book is certainly out on Jaric.
Brian|W|P|Thought of you this weekend. I spied a classic Jag rag-top with the following plates.."SPG"..so I did a double check to make sure it wasn't "SBG". frightwig|W|P|The saddest thing isn't that Top Jimmy would get that printed in the paper, but that the Twins and other Minnesota teams might actually operate that way--and the local fans might generally accept it, even applaud it. Often, the most competitive, driven people are also selfish jerks. Nice people often don't care so much about winning and losing; their ability to be philosophical about losing and having other interests and priorities outside the field of competition are part of why they're nice to be around. Well, do you want to build a team around a bunch of guys who share the same hobbies and never forget a birthday, or do you want some guys who are driven to win, show it by their performance on the field, and demand the same from everyone else on the team?
SBG|W|P|I'll take the latter, FW. |W|P|Now be nice or you might get blog-traded to K.C or Tampa Bay hahaha SBG|W|P|Good one, Snoopy!| Player | Score | Qualified? |
| BEM | 767 | Yes |
| SBG | 535 | Yes |
| AAC | 521 | Yes |
| FRW | 395 | No 6 |
| TEB | 365 | Yes |
| TWJ | 250 | Yes |
| RED | 98 | Yes |
| CHC | 4 | Yes |
| GEB | 0 | No 2 |
| APH | -100 | No 1 |
| DEP | -235 | Yes |
| AMR | -269 | Yes |
| ANM | -503 | Yes |
At the time, the Twins had runners on first and second with no outs. In that situation, the Expected Runs is 1.4772. Had Ford executed the bunt successfully, the Expected Runs is 1.4064. What? Bunting the runners over in that situation actually reduces the Expected Runs! How can that be? Well, giving up outs reduces the chance of a big inning. Since the sacrifice was unsuccessful, the Expected Runs went down to 0.9271. With Matt LeCroy on second, that bunt had to be perfect. It wasn't. This is a loser play except when you need one run late in the game.Here's what bjhess commented:
One thing I wonder about this expected run thing. Since giving up that out reduces the chances of a big inning, are the big innings skewing the expected runs? Or are expected runs different than "average runs given the situation." What I'm getting at is: Though it is less likely to have a big inning, is it more likely to score 2 runs with 2nd and 3rd and 1 out than with 1st and 2nd and 0 out? Is it possible the big innings skew the average?My new toy provides data to answer the question.
| Situation | Probability of Runs Scored | |||||||||||
| Runners | Outs | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+ |
| 12 | 0 | 0.375 | 0.234 | 0.145 | 0.122 | 0.069 | 0.030 | 0.015 | 0.008 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| 23 | 1 | 0.330 | 0.273 | 0.208 | 0.098 | 0.060 | 0.017 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| 12 | 1 | 0.580 | 0.166 | 0.106 | 0.086 | 0.036 | 0.017 | 0.006 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
|W|P|SBG:I agree with the thrust here. But you should adjust for team type a bit. Namely, what kind of SLG do we have following the sacrifice?
The expected runs tables give central tendencies and are derived from historical results, averaging over both slugging teams and punchless judy-dominated lineups. Sadly, the Twins are of the latter sort.
It is really, really difficult to have big innings when you don't get many XBHs. So while I think 'tool is rightly criticized for bunting with Fatty on second, your off-the-cuff comment that "In the fifth inning, it is a neutral play" is probably the _right_ answer in this case, even with Morneau due up next. That is, in expectation it probably didn't make much difference.
--brianS
|W|P|Very interesting. Especially to see that even within the rigors of statistical analysis there is probably room for coaching decisions. Decisions like: "I'm going to complete this bunt because I think these 2 runs are golden with my starter, even in the 5th inning."
--or--
"I'd like to bunt here, but I'm not going to do it with fatty at 2nd."
SBG|W|P|bj --It IS interesting, I agree. I think that your question was a good one and I was quite happy that BP had some answers.
So, a bunt with some on first is a loser and with first and second is a neutral play when there are no outs based solely on run expectancy. With the added information, the story is more intriguing. Do you play for one run, or for more?
Everyone should always remember that statistics are not a substitute for management, rather they are an important tool.
Not every stats geek can manage a baseball team. One also needs to understand the fundamentals of the game. The question why Joe isn't hitting may be answered by addressing his approach at the plate or making mechanical adjustments. The question of whether Joe is hitting is probably best answered by statistics.
When a play is neutral like the bunt, that is a reasonable decision that really can't be criticized. I don't think it was neutral, given LeCroy's foot "speed."
I love the light rail!!!!!!!
|W|P|112459088567529907|W|P|So What if they Lost|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
Mariners open it up in the tenth. Boy, Sexson crushed that pitch. SBG, let's leave. Mulholland is in there.
|W|P|112459016056486827|W|P|I Can't Bear to Look|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com |W|P|That's some quick posting, SBG!!Miller Man
SBG|W|P|Things were happening fast and furious and Lucy was up to the task! :)
No out man on third in the tenth.
|W|P|112458964923300753|W|P|Nail Biting Time|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
Why'd he bring in Romero?
|W|P|112458896061629747|W|P|What????|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com frightwig|W|P|This is my favorite.
Back to back home runs in the seventh by Sexson & Beltre had Lucy very upset.
|W|P|112458746518823708|W|P|Lucy Didn't Like Those Home Runs|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
|W|P|OMG! Thank you for this.One reason for the Twins' 6-1 record in the past seven road games is that manager Ron Gardenhire decided to get tougher with the players when they don't execute. Gardenhire's different approach started in the second game of the series at Seattle last week. The Twins had men on first and second in the fifth inning of a scoreless game. Lew Ford got the bunt sign, but Ford's attempt bounced directly to the pitcher, allowing the Mariners to get the lead runner at third base. When Ford reached the bench, he asked Gardenhire why he was bunting with the slow-footed Matthew LeCroy on second base. Gardy blew his top, ordered Ford off the field and benched him the next day. "I'm managing this team, not you," Gardenhire said he told Ford. "I will decide what we do."Sid Hartman is probably the most read columnist in town. I suppose that there's a fair number of people who read this and thought, man Gardy's taken control. He's a really good mananger. I'm not going to endorse insubordination, but I was watching that game and I was wondering why in the hell the Twins were bunting right there. Of course, Gardy has been talking about "productive outs" quite a bit lately. Baseball Prospectus to the rescue. BP has an Expected Runs Matrix for 2005. You may have seen this concept before at the Twins Geek site. The Expected Runs Matrix takes every possible situation and calculates how many runs can be expected between then and the end of an inning. At the time, the Twins had runners on first and second with no outs. In that situation, the Expected Runs is 1.4772. Had Ford executed the bunt successfully, the Expected Runs is 1.4064. What? Bunting the runners over in that situation actually reduces the Expected Runs! How can that be? Well, giving up outs reduces the chance of a big inning. Since the sacrifice was unsuccessful, the Expected Runs went down to 0.9271. With Matt LeCroy on second, that bunt had to be perfect. It wasn't. This is a loser play except when you need one run late in the game. Ford's feelings about this play were exactly right. Ford's big mistake was this: he pointed out the obvious to a manager who doesn't understand the obvious. 'Tool responded predictably. Anyone think it's all wine and roses in the clubhouse? Anyone think that 'tool is a player's manager? Real cool how he leaked that to the press. Go ahead, 'tool. Make your players look bad. You seem to be really good at that. 'Tool reminds me of a guy I knew back in my previous life. He was a production "engineer" who didn't actually have a college degree. He wasn't qualified to do his job, and it showed. How did he deal with his own incompetence? He yelled. A lot. The more he was wrong, the louder he yelled. That guy never understood the science behind what he was doing. Luckily, a lot of people who worked under him did. They endured his yelling and incompetence and got work done despite his idiocy. Those who didn't know what was going on thought he was an effective leader and he got promoted.|W|P|112456113267643687|W|P|For Those of You Who Believe in Numbers|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
frightwig|W|P|I thought it was interesting that he let Sid quote him on the record about the incident, days after he had said 'that stuff stays in the clubhouse.' It's fine that he asserted his authori-tay in that situation; but aside from entertaining me, what good does it do to go spread gossip to Sid the next week? If I'm Lew Ford, I'm thinking, 'What an ASS...'It's not even news to say that he's decided to come down hard on guys who make sloppy mistakes. He's been jerking around *certain players* for lapses in play all season. The breaking news will be if he finally applies his policy to the Untouchables.
SBG|W|P|Right -- the insubordination thing isn't too cool.What is cool is a three run homer. But, Ford only does that with 2 out.
Unknown|W|P|Moss was as perplexed as Lew on that particular play, as bunting the runners over would have taken the bat out of Morneau's hands too, to bring up some stiff.'Tool has spent all these years protecting the gomers like Rivas and Guzman but Ford and Cuddyer get absolutely no slack.
|W|P|One thing I wonder about this expected run thing. Since giving up that out reduces the chances of a big inning, are the big innings skewing the expected runs? Or are expected runs different than "average runs given the situation."What I'm getting at is: Though it is less likely to have a big inning, is it more likely to score 2 runs with 2nd and 3rd and 1 out than with 1st and 2nd and 0 out? Is it possible the big innings skew the average?
|W|P|Thank you for speaking for Lew, even though he has not said a word. For what has been said to the press was not accurate, and the implication of Lew having an attitude of any kind is absolutely ridiculous! All I can say is...consider the source. SBG|W|P|Lew is one of the guys who has been jerked around the most by the manager. Since Hunter's injury, he's played every day. The result? In August, he's hitting .333/.405/.455/.860. I'm find it interesting that the two players who have hit the best since Hunter's injury are Ford and LeCroy (.281/.379/.509/.888), the two guys who have gotten the chance to play more in Hunter's absence. Who else has hit well? Cuddyer (.235/.304/.529/.833), the whipping boy. |W|P|gardy is a douche and is clearly not a baseball man. if he had a clue how to manage, he would be building his team around players like lew ford and cuddy. instead he pampers the guys that are cancer in the clubhouse b/c he's scared of them and has zero leadership skills. the best thing that has happened to the twins this year is torii's injury. now they gotta find a way to get rid of the idiot steering the ship.| Player | Score | Qualified? |
| BEM | 767 | Yes |
| AAC | 421 | Yes |
| TEB | 365 | Yes |
| SBG | 335 | Yes |
| FRW | 295 | No 5 |
| RED | 198 | Yes |
| TWJ | 150 | No 9 |
| CHC | 4 | Yes |
| GEB | 0 | No 2 |
| DEP | -235 | Yes |
| AMR | -269 | Yes |
| ANM | -503 | Yes |
frightwig|W|P|You must realize I now expect one of two things to follow:1) the content of The Online Magazine will improve by 34.367 percent above replacement-level.
2) lots of pirated content from Baseball Prospectus.
Well, which will it be?!
SBG|W|P|Both, hopefully. But, I'll properly credit BP and it will be "fair use."Hunter believes some roster improvements have to made for next season. "The team that we have there has a lot of potential -- Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, they have all the potential in the world -- but we do need a veteran power hitter and veteran guys to come off the bench and hit ... but that's just me. That's my opinion and I just work there, so we'll see what happens." Hunter said a veteran power hitter would help everybody in the lineup. "Yeah, it helps me; it helps everybody around me," he said. "The veteran hitter, whoever it is, don't be afraid to go get him." Hunter pointed out how Boston's David Ortiz has improved with Manny Ramirez hitting behind him in the lineup. Hunter also thinks the infield could use some help as the team's younger players mature. "These guys, like I said, they're young and we're going off potential right now, but I thought our goal was to win," he said. "We were going to win like we did in the last three years, and not start over and wait. But we have some good talent. "[At] second base, we definitely need some help. With Nick Punto, I think he's playing pretty good ball right now, but we've just got to keep him healthy. That's the main thing." Hunter has two more years on his contract with the Twins. "I want to be with the club for the future," he said. "But I also want to win, I got to be honest with you. I've been through the rebuilding stage, and I didn't like that. If you don't want to win, you want to leave and go somewhere to win before your career is over."He's basically admitting that he can't lead this club. He needs a "veteran hitter." I say trade Hunter for that veteran hitter.|W|P|112445953426274769|W|P|Here's What Torii Has to Say These Days|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
Cheesehead Craig|W|P|I agree, Hunter can be replaced by Ford in CF. How about this one: Hunter for Soriano? frightwig|W|P|You're right. He is essentially admitting that he's not worthy of the Big Man contract and all the responsibility that goes with it. There are players who believe in their own ability to lead a team to the top, wherever they may go. All they want is a capable supporting cast. Then there are players who want the big money and star treatment, but when it's time to play they're just looking to hitch a ride. I think Torii is a very nice supporting player, who is about to make Big Man money, which might work out if the Twins could budget for another expensive player who could lead this team. But that's probably not going to happen.
TR should at least have a frank talk with Torii about next year. If Torii isn't happy with the plan to build the lineup around Mauer & Morneau, it's definitely time to turn the page and send him elsewhere.
Unknown|W|P|Bingo bango bongo. Ship him off. Cheesehead Craig|W|P|I think that it would be a great contest for the Twins. "Pick the Lineup". For one game, some lucky fan would get to choose the lineup for the game. The contestants would submit a lineup against say 3 pitchers of an opposing team for an upcoming series. Reasons for each starter would need to be included. Just a thought.So have our Royals decided that they need to distinguish themselves from just your basic bad team by offering us the complete antithesis of one of the high points in Royals baseball history? In posting their 14th and 15th consecutive losses on Sunday, they�ve moved within one game of providing us with the complete opposite of the longest winning streak in team history�that being the 16 game winning streak which was posted by the 1977 Royals. So just in case you haven�t been paying too much attention recently, this is without question the low point in Royals history. And to think, this is the moment which was chosen to honor the �85 World Championship team. think maybe they knew coming into the season that at about this time in the year, they�d need SOMETHING to celebrate?From Royals Authority in a post called Losing Faith, the author muses:
How many of the hardcore are falling? Is there a point in a hardcore fan�s relationship with a team where enough is enough? And what happens when the hardcore fan finally reaches the breaking point?The Daily Lancer write plaintively.
I apologize for not posting much recently. I've been extremely busy at work, and, frankly, there isn't much to say about the Royals right now. I was hopeful that Felix Hernandez would pull a Denny Bautista impression in his second major league start to halt the streak at 15, but after seeing his performance last night one thing is clear - King Felix is no Denny Bautista. I wrote a few times before that the only way Buddy Bell would lose the faith of the Royal fan base, given how "well" they've played under his management, was if the Royals were to suddenly go in the tank to the extreme. I never expected it to happen, but man-o'-man, here we are. Were the first 51 games under Buddy Bell - when the Royals were only 1 game under .500- a complete smoke-and-mirrors job? I'm surprised that the Royals aren't getting more national media coverage for this streak. Its very difficult to lose 16 in a row, so the Royals are accomplishing something very special.If you read my site with regularity you know that I'm no apologist for the Twins. I'm disappointed with a lot of things about this team. But, at least we don't cheer for a team as bad as Kansas City. I gotta say. I wouldn't be writing about the Twins every day if they had been as execrable as the Royals have been. I tip my cap to the fans down there that are still following their local nine.|W|P|112432834717631821|W|P|Ain't So Bad!|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
"All these numbers that people want to throw out there," he said, "and all this stuff that people want to try to bring into it doesn't mean a hill of beans. You know why? Because it's all done on the baseball field. "The White Sox have gotten it done on the field -- not with numbers, not with anything else. They've gotten it done with wins and losses. They've won their one-run games, and that's the one thing that we haven't done."Yep, those numbers don't mean a thing. It's all done on the field! Why analyze what's happened??? Read on:
The Twins were 24-24 in one-run games after going an impressive 75-42 in one-run games during their three-year title run. "Just take 10 of our one-run losses and flip those around," Gardenhire said. "That's a big difference in the standings."Yep, if the Twins were 34-14 in one run games, a .708 winning percentage, in other words, if they are tremendously lucky, they'd only be four games out of first. On the other hand, if the White Sox were .500 in one run games, a significantly lower percentage than their overall winning percentage, they'd still be eight games ahead of the Twins. Of course, if the Twins scored 5 runs once in a while instead of two, they'd win a few games 5-3 instead of losing 3-2. But, hey, they'd have to score those runs ON THE FIELD! So, it's useless to even talk about it! That makes sense! Don't think about it. Why are we in Iraq? Because we are! Let's do a little thought experiment. Suppose the Twins had scored the average number of runs of an AL team this year. The Twins would likely be 68-50 and leading the wild card chase. But, no, it's not about numbers. It's not about how many (or how few) runs the team has scored. We wouldn't be moaning about all these one run losses (as I told you last week, the Twins haven't been THAT unlucky). You know, that whole Moneyball thing is stupid. On base percentage, Pythagorean Winning, who needs it? Hey, the A's they were just about three starting pitchers. I mean how are they doing now without Mulder and Hudson? Oh wait. Never mind. Hey Gardy. I know someone who agrees with your line of thinking. Good news, 'tool, he's a Hall of Famer and he thinks like YOU! His name? Joe Morgan.|W|P|112425027342331002|W|P|Why Guys Like Me Get Pissed at the Tool|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
frightwig|W|P|I'll bet Gardy objects to those numbers and formulas mainly he'd hate to acknowledge that the standings or his team's success in 1-run games may have anything to do with random chance. If he allows himself to think that Chicago has been unusually lucky this year, he might have to admit that his team was lucky the last few years, too. I'm sure he'd prefer to think he's the master of his own destiny, and all that.The line that jumped out and bit me was Christensen's: "The Twins seemed to lose their winning edge after letting go of Koskie and Guzman. Guzman has turned into a statistical disaster this year for Washington, but he had a nose for winning with the Twins."
How does such shit even make it past an editor?
Funny, but I thought Shannon Stewart was the team MVP. But it turns out, Guzman's nose for winning was the key to the Twins success all along! Who knew?
Unknown|W|P|'Tool might also realize that some refined MANAGING might have helped win some of those one-run games this year.20 hits last night...what a team!
SBG|W|P|We really miss Guzman. We really miss Blanco. We really miss every other crappy player that we no longer have.I was trying to decide if it was Christenson who thought up that Guzman thing or if 'tool said that and Christenson decided not to attribute it to 'tool. The excuse making is too much!
By the way, the Twins would have to have scored at least two more runs to turn every one of those one losses around (or give up two less, or, well you get the idea). The result on the Pythagorean Theorem is that with increased run production, you would EXPECT MORE VICTORIES. It all comes back to scoring more runs. If you don't understand that, you shouldn't be managing at the major league level.
'Tool had some college, so he should have learned some things (but he went to Texas, does that count, Moss?) but he probably didn't take many statistics or science courses.
Brian|W|P|SBG: I thought of you right away this morning with I saw that piece. I think they got the idea from your On-Line Magazine! They owe you some coin.PS: Isn't it about time to implement a Vikings game?
frightwig|W|P|There is an active current of "we really miss our infield veterans" running through the Strib newsroom lately. I'm not sure about the PiPress or TV. Normally when reporters share a harebrained idea like that, I assume they're being fed a storyline. We know how Gardy feels about the issue, and Christensen was talking to him for the article, so....You know who really developed a nose for winning, at least after he left Minnesota: he came into today hitting .304/.400/.596 with 31 HR and 105 RBI for the team that won the World Series last year. I think the Twins could use somebody like that. Mr. Ullger, what do you say?
|W|P|I think it''s fucking gorgeous. |W|P|I was there Labor Day weekend in '87, too. For my birthday, a relative had gotten me season ticket seats (she worked at one of Pohlad's banks). My favorite player (Tom Brunansky), hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth for a Twins win. Ahh, the good ole days.And I made my firsts trip to non-Metrodome ballparks this year, catching games at Wrigley, Miller, and Kauffman. Good times.
SBG|W|P|That's right! Bruno with the walk off! I remember! |W|P|Twins moments off the top of my head.My first game:
I remember being completely in awe of the expansive Metrodome. Being outside the dome was impressive, but the inside - the first glimpse of the field through an entryway was breathtaking. Sorry, but it's the stadium I grew up on. The game was either in 1984 or 1985. I was 7 or 8. I'm pretty sure it was against the Angels in August and we sat in the lower GA area. I'm also pretty sure I fell asleep at some point.
Being from rural Minnesota, and being that I was a little kid, I will admit the biggest thing I remember from the game. I remember this being the first time I up close and personal saw an African-American person. As a wee innocent child, it was the most foreign thing to me after the expanse of the stadium and the joy of seeing the Twinks live.
My second game:
This had to be in 1987 because I KNOW it was one of the infamous winningest-minor-league-pitcher-of-all-time games. Jeff Bittiger started. I could have swore it was a loss, but I also could swear it was versus the White Sox. Since Bittiger only had one start with the Twins, this must be the game (Labor Day weekend as well - weird). A blowout. Apparently I saw Brunansky's 29th homer and four stolen bases off Carlton Fisk. Oh, and a Tom Nieto triple.
Another game:
Went with a boyscout group. We got there early to see batting practice. We were sitting fairly close in lower GA. The boys were yacking and not paying 100% attention.
"Here one comes"
I look up and see Dome. I catch the ball's path a second too late. SLAM! It hits the seat right next to me and a free for all ensues. The ball is recovered by my most hated enemy on the junior travelling baseball team. If only I had been paying attention.
Randy Bush and his 8 RBI's:
This is cheating since I didn't attend the game. As a kid I kept score of Twins' games while listening to the radio ("For those of you scoring at home..."). Not every game, but a lot of them. I distinctly remember scoring Randy Bush's 8-RBI game against Texas. At one point I believe I had to do the dreaded radio transfer, jumping from the radio in our house, to my grandpa's truck radio, to the radio in my grandparent's house. But judging from the scorebook I found a couple years ago, all the stats were intact.
Being four hours from Minneapolis means a lot of my game attendance occurred after college when I moved closer. I do have other "young" memories. Going to one of the early crap team blowouts (1993?) while sitting in the upper deck in dead center field. The beginning of the end of a love affair that wouldn't rekindle until 2000. The strike put the 7-year nail in that coffin. Also, a park and rec department trip where the uninterested chaperones made us leave in the beginning of the 8th inning. We missed a Twins comeback, but it was equally enjoyable on the radio. GAH!
The current version of the Twins have provided me with some great moments. Here are three I specifically remember.
Stopping Oakland:
Attending the game in 2002 when the Twins stopped Oakland's 20-game winning streak in the first game of a three game set. The atmosphere was playoff level. Probably as loud a game I've attended save for that one playoff win I saw against Anaheim.
Eddie:
A game with a great Twins comeback, a win in 10, my first live witnessing of a 5-player infield, and Mr. Eddie G's Diving Catch. Twins found themselves down by 5. I felt a little bad as I had convinced a friend of mine to come to the game. He's a fan, but isn't able to attend many games. We started sitting in the Upper Baggie GA section, but we spied another friend in the cool section that juts out into right field and snuck down to sit with him and his wife.
After moving seating positions it was time for the Twins to comeback. Twins score 4 (down 5-4). Anaheim scores 1 in the 8th. Twins back with 2 in the bottom half, Mr. Troy Percival came in, giving up a walk and a single to tie it up. Of course, those weren't earned runs on his part. Don't even think it was a blown save.
The best part of the game was in the top of the 9th. Eddie had come in to the tune of Eddie. Tim Salmon hit a foul pop heading toward the stands. Eddie, and only Eddie, noticed that the ball had hit a speaker. On a dead run Eddie laid out parallel to the ground and caught the foul out. Being in the right-field jut, we had a great view down the first base line of Eddie's best play ever.
The 10th saw the Twins on first and third with one down. Adam Kennedy got his first chance in "CF," with Erstad coming in to 1B, Spiezio moving to 2B and Kennedy moving to the gap between 2B and SS ("CF"). Guzman hit a SAC fly and the game was over.
A glimpse into the future:
Very excitedly, a friend and I attended Johan Santana's first start of 2003. Boston Red Sox. Pedro Martinez. We have a win on our hands. Twins erupt for five versus Pedro and knock him out in the 5th. Johan, of course, is limited to five innings of shut out ball since he isn't really a starter. His starter splits in 2002 certainly didn't peg him as an option. And you all think Fransisco Liriano is a starting choice for 2006? Ha!
My friend Luke was also selected for Dodgeball, a mean feat in the 28,000+ crowd. He failed very, very miserably.
|W|P|First game: 1963, don't remember the date. My dad took me to the Met, I was 5 years old. I remember seeing the field, and thinking how absolutely perfect it was.August, 1987: My family and I are at Anaheim Stadium and see Joe Niekro get tossed for having the finger nail file on the mound. As I recall, the Twins won that game.
Oct, 1991: I, too, was at the first game of the 1991 WS (and game 2, as well). My wife gave me game tickets and and airplane tix and said "There, now stop whining about not seeing the '87 series." Did I marry a great woman or what? I came THIS CLOSE to catching Gagne's HR ball in game one. In game 2, my seats were somewhere about 20,000 feet above the field, so I wandered down behind home plate and in about the 5th inning, some rich-looking guy came storming out the steps, into the concourse and pulling his screaming kid towards the exit doors. I yelled at him "Leaving?" and he gave me his ticket stub, so I ended up right behind the plate about 15 rows up. Tapani, Scotty Leius! and the rest is history.
March, 1996: My family and I drove down to Denver to see the Twins (in town to play the Rockies in their final spring training games before the regular season started). We learned Kirby Puckett wouldn't be playing...when we got the whole story my kids started crying. Their favorite player was gone.
June, 2001: I was on temporary duty in New Jersey and took the train to Penn Station, then the subway to the Bronx, scored a great seat from a scalper and saw Roger Clemens pitch in Yankee Stadium against the Expos... I then took some leave to come home and visit relatives, and stopped in Chicago to see the Twins lose to the Cubs at Wrigley. I did get great seats again, though. If I remember correctly Lohse was on the mound, but I could be wrong. I remember Wrigley was neater than Yankee Stadium.
SBG|W|P|I remember thinking how perfect the infield was, too. They had the chain link fence in part of the outfield. I remember one game someone sitting in the right field bleachers held up a sign that said "We need more beer out here." I thought that was funny and I was probably about 10.I am too young to remember the 1965 World Series, but the whole promotion this year and accompanying footage from the Met has made me wax nostalgic for the good old days in Bloomington before there was an enormous shopping mall.
Unknown|W|P|Was it McHeel who said this T-Pups team just needed a little "tweaking"? Well, at least three of the top six will be gone, and they are locked into two lousy players (Thud-son and Olowo-crappy) and are about to commit to a poor player in Eddie Griffin. Right now the Pups are further from the playoffs than the Twinks. SBG|W|P|Yeah, Moss, the future for the T-Pups is pretty sad. Eddie Griffin???? Are you kidding me? The guy showed almost nothing last year. Actually, I guess he showed a lot. He showed that he won't play defense, he doesn't have a post up game and he won't pass up a three point shot ever. Unknown|W|P|They shoulda waived Thud under the amnesty clause instead of Hoiberg. frightwig|W|P|Fellas, have we given up on the Vikes' season already? ;) SBG|W|P|Nah, COD has it covered!Moss loves to jab me on the T-Wolves. Because I am about as big of a fan of them as the Twins, I take their repeated incompetence pretty hard. Naturally, Moss has detected that weakness and exploited it.
SBG|W|P|Moss, they'd still have to pay Thud! Hoiberg and Thud have something in common though. Neither of them should be playing in the NBA at this point.