First of all, everything in the previous post still stands. (With that out of the way…)
Posted on May 14th, 2008 – 7:59 AMBy Howard
Those of you who slogged through Tuesday night’s game saw what it’s like to live in a city with minor-league baseball. The Twins basically gave away the game to Toronto.
Of the culprits, Kevin Slowey was probably the least culpable. But he still needed 107 pitches to get through 5 2/3 innings on a night when he allowed only five hits, two walks (to Matt Stairs) and three runs (including a homer to Stairs). He engaged in too-long battles with too many hitters and just didn’t have the “out pitch” that he needed to make things easier on himself. He got into a ferocious 15-pitch battle with Scott Rolen to get the second out in the sixth and, because he’d walked Stairs twice, I wondered if Gardy was going to pull him for Matt Guerrier, who was warming up.
Gardy didn’t, Stairs went deep and the Twins trailed 3-1,
In the bottom of the sixth, it should be noted, Toronto’s manager tried the opposite strategy. With two outs and Jesse Litsch pretty much cruising, John Stearns brought in lefty Jesse Carlson to face Justin Morneau, who smacked an RBI triple that made it 3-2.
By then, Gogomez had already thrown a ball from center field to Gardy in the dugout for an error, Adam Everett made such a weak relay throw home in the fourth inning that I’m wondering anew about how much his arm still hurts and Michael Cuddyer uncharacteristically misjudged a fly ball to right that went for a double.
In the seventh, though, things really got ugly. Greg Zaun hit a double-play grounder to Everett with a man on first. It looked like a routine double play, except that Brendan Harris made such an incredibly slow and awkward pivot that Zaun was safe at first. Marco Scutaro struck out, meaning the side would have been retired had the DP been executed.
After a single moved Zaun to second, he scored when Delmon Young FedEx’d his throw home, missing the cutoff man when he didn’t have a chance to get the runner at the plate. Had the throw been cut off, the runner at first would likely have been thrown out at third to end the inning. It was 4-2 and another single run in the eighth made it 5-2 before Jason Kubel — remember him? — smacked a pinch-hit home run to lead off the eighth.
In the ninth, Craig Monroe flailed his way through a dreadful three-pitch strikeout and Delmon finished up an 0-for-4 with a grounder that would have been a double play if Cuddyer hadn’t been off with the pitch. The whole night was more in line with New Britain or Beloit than Minnesota.
Speaking of Young, he has only one extra-base hit since Income Tax Day and excitement about his very good arm has been tempered by his growing tendency to use it for throwing to the wrong base and missing cutoff men.
This might be a good time for Gardy to get both Kubel and Monroe some at-bats and have Young slow things down by watching from the bench for a couple of days.
I know Delmon’s within 2,429 games of Cal Ripken’s streak, but he’s young. He can start another one.
other people are here too
132 Responses to "First of all, everything in the previous post still stands. (With that out of the way…)"
Amen on the Young comment. I kind of thought he’d have sat out last night’s game after twisting his ankle.
Everett……UGH
Lamb…..UGH
Harris….UGH
Delmon….UGH
These guys need to step up or be replaced. we are not going to win with 4 dead spots in the order, along with no defense from harris and lamb.
Howard(aka Mr. Thetwinsaretheworsteversometimeswaitnow ichangemymind),
Maybe we should just bench everybody, forfeit every game, maybe Gardy should even shoot at the players while they’re on the bench, you know for defensive purposes… BLAHHHH.
I married the Twins when I was 6, better or worse, I’m 31, yeah they do annoying things that make me wring my hands and shake my head, but with out fail each game they also do something that makes me fall a little more in love… AWWWW.
P.S. Swallow a little sunshine, blow some smoke up my arse, and have a great day. Or find a new team to run down daily.
This goes for the rest of you too.
Just one person’s opinion…
Garza has given up only 3 earned runs over his last 2 starts and Bartlett tripled 2 nights ago in the Ray’s win over the Yankees. I know it’s early, but if this pace holds through the summer, the Delmon trade may go down as one of the worst in Twins history!
Delmon trade worst in Twins history?
Good lord are we reactionist today. Give it some time. Remember Delmon was 2nd in the ROY voting and he is still blossoming into a fearsome hitter. Give it time. In 3 years both Garza and Delmon will be at their peaks and very comparable.
Harris will hit .260 and Bartlett will continue to make errors. Harris is known as a fast starter in April and known to slow down a little but pick it up in June-July. Be patient.
mleeob,
no one cares when you married the twins. Everyone on here is a twins fan and last night they sucked defensively. Slowey didn’t pitch bad. Our Defense looked horrible. I bet we will see changes in the lineup tonight. Gardy wont go with that 2 nights in a row.
Just one person’s opinion
Bartlett is hitting .242 with 8 RBI and just .270 OBP. Hardly a performance that would make anyone regret trading him.
Lamb -UGH? Did you check out his BA with runners in scoring position? Something like .450. He has 15 or 16 RBI… The guy seems to be pretty clutch.
Bartlett .242
Harris .252
Lamb .231
Everett .196
Does it really matter?
What a difference a day makes…not so satisfied being a singles-hitting team anymore, are we?
And before the Jason Kubel fans get too vocal, I think what we saw yesterday is concrete evidence that Gardy is absolutely using Kubel properly…again, in moderation, the guy has been the most successful…I’m sure a lot of you want to see him play everyday and would love to believe that the HR last night is proof of that, but the evidence shows otherwise.
I was disappointed in Craig Monroe, however. He is entitled to an off-night just like everyone else, but that at-bat in the 9th inning was pathetic.
it looked like they were still thinking about taking 3 out of 4 from the sox. kind of off all night and the sloppy play has been more common this year, fielding which has always been a strong point hasn’t been very good this year. maybe gardy and co. can get that fixed or maybe this group just aren’t as good in the field.
monroe looked like he was lost have no idea where he was.
as for slowey he didn’t have an out pitch and that has been a problem for blackburn and boof long at bats just can’t put the guys away. these guys are very young not many starts in ml, except boof, and should improve. slowey, blackburn and perkins should be ok give them some time.
“Remember Delmon was 2nd in the ROY voting and he is still blossoming into a fearsome hitter.”
First over-the-top comment award for today goes to Rotoblinders…who really does have the blinders on if he thinks D. Young is becoming a fearsome hitter…that’s like saying outfielders take four steps back when Nick Punto steps into the box.
Perhaps Shannon Stewart’s presence rubbed off on Adam Everett. That was one pathetic throw.
dick graham,
“I know it’s early, but if this pace holds through the summer, the Delmon trade may go down as one of the worst in Twins history!”
Your definition of the LONG TERM in evaluating the trade is THROUGH THE SUMMER?
If Delmon goes HITLESS the rest of the summer, he will still probably have 10 more years in MLB than a power pitcher like Garza. If Garza becomes a smart pitcher, however, then his career would project better for the long term.
It always baffles me when i see fundamental errors like the ones that were made last night. Is it just lack of experience,lack of knowledge,or lack of concentration? Sometimes i think Young and Gomez are just trying to show off instead of making the smart play.
mleeob, you’re a pitiful homer, blind to the deficiencies of this team. Everett is awful, Harris is mediocre, Lamb has yet to be revealed as a poser, and Delmon Young is mired in a SIX WEEK long slump. If Young were not the centerpiece of the Garza trade, he would have been sent down. Right now, Span is a better player.
It’s too soon to say if the Garza trade was a bust, but if Young doesn’t snap out of his funk it soon will be.
If Everett can’t throw, shouldn’t he be on the DL?
why is cuddyer considerd a star player on this team? he gets almost as many free passes from the media and fans as mauer does… he is not hitting… he will prob never hit more than 15 home runs in a year (agian ay least) he seems to be injury prone and he swings at just as many bad pitches as delmon….so why dont we lay off delmon (who makes the minnimun for another 3 years i think) and reem cuddy for his poor play in RF and at the plate…where is dustin mohr when u need him? cuddy is another case of a player getting a contract with a few years on it and stops hustling and starts living the high life… number 33 is another one if dick and bert would stop making these 2 out to be kilabrew and oliva we will be ok
Jason,
I don’t see anyone commenting here about singles vs. home runs. The Twins played a horrible game. That simple.
SBG,
Your comment makes MY shoulder ache!
mleeob,
Being married to the Twins is an intriguing concept — and a child bride no less! I thought the government just raided a place in Texas where stuff like that happened.
only took 1 bad game for the “sky is falling crowd” to be back in full force. You would swear our record was 20 games under .500 right now the way our “fans” react. I agree that the Twins have holes but then again most team have some things they would love to fix. I enjoy watching the team good bad or otherwise so last night didn’t quote get me on the ledge ready to jump just yet.
I agree with you mazaratirick.
Morneau has an average glove at best there has been so many errors given to players (2 on Tolbert lately Morneau should have had). Cuddyer looked lazy and lost on the ball he missed, cost the twins 2 runs.
BUSH LEAGUE THE WHOLE GAME!!
SOMEONE GET ME A JUICEBOX!!
mleeob,
you should try dating the twins. Being married to them just sounds weird.
Howard,
True enough, but an eighth inning game-tying HR by a certain No. 3 hitter certainly would have been nice…
You might say that HRs were not a factor in last night’s game, and that’s true (after all, the Twins did out-homer Toronto), but I’m sorry, it’s absolutely embarrassing that Go-go has more HR than Mauer, Cuddy, Young, heck…the entire team except Morneau, Kubel, and Monroe…
What a difference a day makes…not so satisfied being a singles-hitting team anymore, are we?
Considering the defense cost the Twins this game…I guess that’s really not the issue.
But feel free to start up the doom bells. I know they were getting rusty during the last few series.
First over-the-top comment award for today goes to Rotoblinders…
You say that in the same thread as somebody who’s ready to declare the Young trade the “worst ever”.
Seriously, we know you don’t like to think happy thoughts…but sometimes you come off as trying WAY too hard.
During that Rolen AB last night how many fastballs did Slowey throw? All he had to do was take a little bit off to throw off his timing. That was frustrating to watch.
i like baseball says:
May 14th, 2008 at 9:44 am
“mleeob, you’re a pitiful homer, blind to the deficiencies of this team. Everett is awful, Harris is mediocre, Lamb has yet to be revealed as a poser, and Delmon Young is mired in a SIX WEEK long slump. If Young were not the centerpiece of the Garza trade, he would have been sent down. Right now, Span is a better player.
It’s too soon to say if the Garza trade was a bust, but if Young doesn’t snap out of his funk it soon will be.”
I am guessing that your name “i like baseball” wasn’t chosen today.
Didn’t see the game so I’m asking, could the fact the Everett’s arm is shot have anything to do with Young not hitting the cut off man?
T–
Considering we only scored 3 runs, that just might be the issue…
And I’m not being negative on D. Young…I’ve had no problem with him being an everyday outfielder for this club even if he is off to a slow start…I’m just saying sometimes I have no choice but to sound negative when people comically wear the blinders by saying things like “Young is becoming a feared hitter”
David Ortiz is a feared hitter.
Jim Thome is a feared hitter.
Ryan Howard is a feared hitter.
There has been absolutely nothing, zero, nada, not one single piece of tangible proof that D. Young is becoming a feared hitter. Why would a pitcher ever fear a hitter who only hits singles at a .260 clip? I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic.
I love that it’s “over the top” to think Delmon Young will become a fearsome hitter. Remember he is young. In the long term he will be one. Look at last year, and look at his minor league track record. Remember, slow starter. Give it some time. I don’t think we can just shun him for a bad first 2 months.
By that same logic, Boof Bonser would’ve been considered a future ace back in 2006 when he pitched solid for awhile.
Was David Ortiz a feared hitter his first few years in Minnesota. No. But did we feel it could be possible, yes. So he was becoming a feared hitter.
By no means am I saying he is one now. I just say that his reputation and potential is one of a feared hitter, which is why I used the word “becoming” instead of “already is”
By the way, how is Ryan Howard doing this year? Pretty crappy, eh? Lots of strikeouts, little success. I guess by your logic, he is no longer a feared hitter.
Oh wait, slow starter? Gotcha.
CharlieMurphy, I couldn’t agree more. Okay, sorry about the married analogy, it’s a bad one, I get it.
I’m no Pollyanna, everyone has bad days, games, at bats, fielding. I get that too. All of you “professional scouts” and chicken littles alike, do you ever see anything good? If the Twins suck so consistently, the BoSox and Yanks are on espn pretty frequently check them out, they’re both somewhere in the middle of their division…
LOL something tells me a pitcher would fear Howard, a former 50 HR guy (who, oh by the way, has more than any other Twin THIS year, too) a bit more than they would fear a guy who finished second in ROY voting for the ‘07 Devil Rays…
the point is, you can have that opinion that he could be a feared hitter at some point, but to say that he is ‘blossoming into a fearsome hitter’ is straight up blind homerism. Sorry Roto, I respect your opinion and your hopes on this issue (I hope he does to), but there’s no other way to categorize a statement like that.
Despite that game (which indeed was horrible) on the plate, on the field and on the bench (why would Gardy keep a pitcher with arm problem after 107 pitches is truly amazing). However:
The Twins are still in the first place and might well be at the end of this series.
I thought that yesterday’s lineup is the strongest lineup that the Twins can put on the field now. Still do not like Harris on the second spot (I’d switch him with Young) but there are just not many options out there for this team currently on the bench or in the organization. Kubel in the outfield is a major drop in arm strength and range, plus he has shown that he has been valuable as a pinch hitter. He could grow into a Randy Bush/Gene Larkin role for this team, which is a valuable thing. Give Everett and Monroe some pink bats, btw. This team needs another power bat and preferable RH, for some reason the Twins passed on Frank Thomas (who is .267/.384/.350) in Oakland. Would someone like Milton Bradley or Dmitri Young or Jason Bay be available this summer?
I was being blatantly sarcastic on the Ryan Howard comment.
I do agree that he (Delmon) is struggling right now. Blossoming may have been the wrong word. I should’ve said, “should become”. I also feel like we should have some cautious optimism with him. Just about 3-4 years ago I had this same discussion with a buddy on Justin Morneau. (Remember how bad he was his first season .230 20HR). I said, based on his minor league track record, he should become a solid hitter. He did.
I want to take the same approach with Delmon.
switch Harris with Young…are you kidding, thyrlos? Don’t you run a baseball blog (which apparently gives you added ‘expert’ credibility)? You don’t put a low OBP guy like Young in the 2-hole.
The answer–which is obvious to everyone but Gardy, apparently–is to move Mauer to No. 2 and move Harris to the bottom portion of the lineup.
I totally agree, however, with your assessment of Kubel as a valuable left-handed bat off the bench. That is where I think you get the most out of a guy like Kubel.
Twins had an off night last night and played an ugly game. Simple as that. They looked like they were sleepwalking out there. I feared that after the high of taking 3 of 4 from the Soxies that they would have a mental and emotional let down, and they did.
Hopefully the ugliness of last night snaps them out of their slumber and they come ready to play tonight.
well, I hope you’re right, Roto…I was down on Morneau at first, too, but he ended up proving me way wrong and is the best player on our team.
But then you also have Cuddyer, who, with time became a star in our lineup, but now after an off-season pay day is continuing on a regressive path that started last season…so the whole point is it is very difficult to speculate that someone is going to be a star in this league–what the Twins really hope will happen is he will become a serviceable part of our lineup…but I hope you’re right about the feared hitter thing, he’s just miles away from that at the moment.
the team played like shit last night. No other way to put it, but it was one game, and not a trend, not a consistant pattern, or anything like that, and as I’m Mr. Negative all the time… I’m going to play the voice of moderation here.
The only things that is consistantly bothering me are that we need to do some cutoff drills with our young outfielders… the Catch-22 brothers.
Also if we are going to bring up Casilla, and we have Tolbert… today’s a good day to play them and change the DP combo give Harris a day off, and Give Everett a chance to be re-evaluated. He’s been a disappointment because of that shoulder/elbow, or just old age and losing it at SS. But this is not a life threatening team debilitating issue as we have Plouffe, Casilla, Hughes, Tolbert, and Harris that could all play 2nd and SS if Everett has to be released (you can’t have him as a bench player because he’s 1 dimensional, and that dimension isn’t what it use to be.)
If we move Mauer to the 2 hole, who hits 3 and 4?
We need to keep Morneau behind Mauer, as he prefers it and is creeping toward .300. I don’t know if I like Cuddy in the 4 hole, but he had mild success in previous years. I still say Morneau is the prototypical 4 hole hitter and Mauer’s strong hitting is good enough for the 3 hole.
If we did put Mauer 2, I’d want something like this:
Go-Go
Mauer
Morneau
Cuddy
Monroe
Lamb
Delmon
Harris
Everett/Punto
True, Kay, but the whole point on the lack of power discussion (which I was pounding on yesterday while we were still hot) is you need EVERYONE to contribute if you’re going to live off singles. So you can say they just played poorly last night, but ultimately that will catch up them in the long run if they don’t start getting some timely power out of their lineup from someone not named Morneau or Kubel.
You can go with Cuddy in the three hole…heck, go with Monroe in the three hole…you just need someone there with a knack for RBI and has some pop in his bat…I think Morneau will fair just fine hitting behind pretty much anyone.
One other thing I might try.
Bat Young 4th for about a week. Put him between Mauer and Morneau, and see if the pitches he sees are better, and if he can get his confidence back and start driving the ball. Cuddyer’s a professional enough hitter to bat 6th, and Monroe after the last two years is just happy to start, and not worried about his place in line. It also improves the bottom of the lineup.
I’d kind of like to see today’s line up being.
Gomez
Tolbert 2B
Mauer
Young
Morneau
Cuddyer
Monroe/Kubel
Lamb
Casilla SS
Cuddyer is no star. He has averaged 16 hr’s and a .271 Avg over the last 4 full seasons and has an average glove.
But a cannon of an arm and forget about his glove, his cap is just as valuable.
I like that lineup Bc. I think Tolbert will start tonight I doubt Casilla. I thought Casilla/Tolbert would be our future middle infield at some point, not so sure now.
Ben D
I thought so too. When they moved Casilla to SS in Rochester. He(Casilla) has been a basket case in AAA. I would like to see how he and Tolbert play together, Casilla had a pretty good ST with the Twins.
If Gardenhire and Vavra can just change Mourneau and Kubel into singles hitters like they have done to D Young and Cuddyer the Twins can field the best Punch and Judy lineup ever assembled….with Mauer leading the way. And I do remember attending a game the Twins WON under Kelly and he made the team stay for infield practice because of poor defensive play.I know Jacque Jones was a likable guy but do the Twins have to allow Young and Gomez to remind us of him in the field?
Jason,
About the Young-Harris switch:
This year Harris is batting .243/.317/.365 in the #2 spot and .375/.407/.458; Career Young is batting .310/.328/.448 in the #2 spot, .282/.307/.383 in the 5th spot and .258/.284/.330 in the 6th spot. He also has more speed (unlike Harris who has a total of 4 career SB in 750 AB) and can make a very fast 1-2 combination. Young’s overall OBP (.307) this year is not much worse than that of Harris on the #2 spot (.317) Furthermore Harris strikes out more often than Young (3.84 vs 5.76 AB/K) which makes the hit and run problematic as witnessed several times this year… Also, hitting in front of Mauer vs in front of Lamb, might help him out of his slump.
I agree that Mauer is the best #2 hole player for this team. For some reason Gardy doesn’t. So Young is the second best option IMHO.
thrylos98 that’s some good analysis.
I think giving Delmon some protection behind him, would benefit him greatly. Maybe even put him in the 3 hole in front of Morneau and put Mauer #2. How do you suppose that could shake out?
The batting order DOESN’T MATTER!
JJ–note I was careful about that…I said “star in our lineup”
thrylos, I guess I could agree with you that flopping Harris for Young wouldn’t be step backwards necessarily, but it doesn’t address the problem…it has to be Mauer at 2 and RBI guy at 3 (well, it doesn’t have to be but it should be)
Has 2007 taught us nothing?
You can’t have low OBP people in 1-2, combined with no power in 3…combined with easy outs in 7-8-9…just not a winning combo.
I’m also cognizant of the fact that the Twins do not have the luxury of doing everything the ideal way when it comes to their lineup, but some adjustments could be made which, IMO, would make it look more like a big league lineup…
I would go this way for now:
Go-go
Mauer
Monroe / Cuddy
Morneau
Monroe / Cuddy
Young
Lamb
Harris
Short-stop dejur
problem with all that is there are still major question marks…left side of the infield is going to have to be addressed long term sooner or later or it’s going to be platoon city for the rest of the year.
“I think giving Delmon some protection behind him, would benefit him greatly.”
I have seen Delmon play since he was 15 and IMO he will be a great hitter.
However, if a hitter expands the strike zone HIMSELF, protecting him is useless because the pitchers are ALREADY giving him nothing to hit because he swings at evertything.
Delmon needs protection against himself. A good hitter following him won’t get him good pitches if he swings at bad pitches.
I know Delmon talked about adjusting to the Dome and issues with depth perception. How much of a factor do you think that plays into it and how long do we give him to adjust?
“how long do we give him to adjust?”
20 years, tops!
bisonaudit - Feels like you are going up against a brick wall, doesn’t it?
Just an observation. I read many of your posts and note that they appear in the morning, afternoon and evening. Do any of you work or are you all retired? If you work, is it so dull that you can spend your time on this blog and not get fired? Just curious how you can all find the time to do all of these posts and keep up a career. Before you ask, I’m semi-retired and own the company.
Daniel1966,
Retired in the morning.
Daniel…great to have you as a reader…i think we’re all on welfare…
seriously, just post in my free time…job is not tremendously demanding and I’m a multi-tasker.
Twins and Saints should play, Saints installed as the favorite.
Film at -11.
my job is demanding, but my system is slow, i post while waiting for my order system.
As if my nose weren’t flat enough already.
“Do any of you work or are you all retired?”
I’m actually an entity made up of numerous members of the Twins front office, coaching staff, and minor league managers.
90% of the time I’m Nick Punto. I have to do something while I’m on the DL…
Daniel,
“Do any of you work or are you all retired? If you work, is it so dull that you can spend your time on this blog and not get fired? Just curious how you can all find the time to do all of these posts and keep up a career. Before you ask, I’m semi-retired and own the company”
Daniel,
Be honest. After reading our comments, would you hire ANY of us?
That’s why we are all jobless with unlimited time on our hands.
Sane, You have a point there.
Daniel,
Are you familiar with the term “unemployable”?
That I find hard to believe, Sane. Why? It appears the others have gone to lunch (therefore, employed) and, if I’m correct, weren’t you the poster who has experience as a hitting instructor? There must be plenty of call for that these days.
You all are cracking me up.
Just checking in over lunch, boss…er… Daniel.
Just caught the last couple innings on mlb.com audio last night. Seems it’s best I didn’t listen to the whole thing.
Not in panic mode yet.
Daniel thats the best post in a long time. I’m like the guy in the movie Office Space only i do actually have to produce a minimal number of widgets a day. Just don’t try to take away my blog or my stapler.
Daniel,
I guess I have blown my cover by posting while the “employables” went back to work.
I am a HS coach after 2PM.
I am now retired before 2PM.
I used to be a Boeing Aerodynamicist who worked 5AM-1PM before leaving for HS baseball and football coaching.
Now I am definitely unemployable.
Mr Crikket, I enjoyed your stories posted during your trip to spring training. By your seeming familiarity, did you and Howard know each other prior to this blog? And, while you were in FL, were you ever accosted by a “nut” who posts under the name of jmarksor, among other aliases? Just some points of curiosity. Thanks for your indulgence.
It’s not that hard getting away with posting while working, but it’s Hell trying to listen to a day game on my computer at work. I guess that’s why invented game day.
Sane, Your new life sounds like a far more healthy vocation/avocation. Enjoy the youthful exuberance of your team and it will, indeed, keep you young. And Mr. BC, if you are in fact from ND, you will continue to bring a healthy perspective to this blog in between production quotas of the infamous widgets that make this economy whirr.
Ben D, I agree. There should be a bonus given to the inventor of Gameday. And it keeps getting better and better with the new features to keep you even more informed. The fact that it’s free, to boot, doesn’t hurt.
All,
Thought you might enjoy this distraction: Jason Tyner’s mad at the Twins for letting him go.
I know this because he said it to a newspaper in Ohio — and the blog MN Sports Hotdish found it.
My boss is sneaky. He just appears out of no where like David Copperfield sometimes. I wish he would where a bell.
Howard i’m mad too but i won’t say why because sane will make fun of me again and i’m a very sensitive guy. Did he indicate why he was mad? Maybe he forgot that the Walleye is the state fish not the Pirahna. Oh well i’m sure the Twins will regret this in the long run just like letting Ortiz go.
Tyner is mad?
He should be happy he has a job, making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, when he can’t hit all that well. Who does he think he is better than on the current roster, exactly?
This one is funny.
Daniel,
I’m sure many of us work, and post on our free time. I feel I’m pretty efficient, so the downtime is an effect of that. Regardless, thanks for asking, I would love to be retired.
Who needs Jason Tyner? We already have about seven guys who bat .270 and only hit singles.
“And, while you were in FL, were you ever accosted by a “nut” who posts under the name of jmarksor, among other aliases? Just some points of curiosity. Thanks for your indulgence.”
I laughed. You should throw flafan in there too, from the PP website. Also a nut.
Tyner ought to be mad at the Indians…the Twins gave him 578 at-bats before we let him go…the Indians were satisfied he was inept after just 2!
Tyner should be happy with the Twins. We kept him long enough for him to hit a major league homer!
BCofND,
From Joe C Blog:
sane says:
May 13th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
BCof ND,
“When i grow up i want to be a pompous, judgemental genius just like you.”
I plead innocent to “pompous judgemental genius”, but guilty to insensitive and stupid.
I misread the intent of your post and went for the laugh without thinking about anything else.
I respect your opinions, especially the one that stated my IQ bottomed out if I had coached football at the U of M after giving up the OSU football job.
Apparently my IQ actually bottomed out today.
My parents did a much better job of raising me than I demonstrated earlier today.
I think they would forgive me for stupidity, but not for insensitivity, pomposity or being overly judgemental.
I hope you will forgive me for all four.
I know sane i was only joking with you and you were right to rip me on that one i forgot he threw and hit LH. In my defense though i have seen a lot of left handed people who seem to be able to do things equally well with there right hand. You gotta admit though aside from being a lefty he had all the skills to be a middle infielder.
Last night’s game was an oscar losing effort. And tonight it should be another oscar losing performance. Mr Halliday is pitching tonight and our punchless hitting twins can do no good against him. But if Bonser is pitching than I expect at least 4 to 7 runs before he is yanked. And another lost for our team. Get use to seeing some ugly looking losing games cause the Twins always do there worst against average teams….
BC of ND,
Agreed.
A right-handed Tyner would probably have been an excellent middle infielder.
let’s hope we get shut out tonight so we can bash vavra tomorrow.
does anyone remember how long it took nathan to get going as a closer? with both boof and liriano in the minors at the time the aj trade would have been the worst ever for a while anyway, least we over react on here.
gobble,
Are you accusing some of us on these blogs of OVERREACTING?
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK………..!
oops,sorry.
Just poking back on for a minute, before my 2 o’clock, boss…er… Daniel.
I’m glad you enjoyed my musings from my week at Spring Training and I promise that, even though I was officially in Florida for work, I did take personal time to go to the Spring Training games and paid my own expenses for room, meals and transportation those days.
I don’t recall being accosted by any of the “nuts” from Strib or PP comment sections while I was in Florida… but then I was enjoying the sunshite, beer and baseball so much, I doubt I would have cared either way. In any event, I was flying solo on that trip.
I “knew” Howard only through his occasional postings on Batgirl’s blog prior to him starting this one. (Boy, do I miss her site!) Needless to say, I enjoy his blog and appreciate the opportunity to interact this way with all the other unemployable nuts around here. 
heavens no, the sky is falling!!!!!!!
we’re in first place and they should send half the team down to the minors and cut the other half which will leave us with only half a team to field. i think that’s yogi math!
Going to Cooperstown Sunday to see the Redwings play at the Hall of Fame. Its not related to the thread, but i digress
Oops.. now see what you made me do? I took too long to write that response and was 10 minutes late for my 2:00 call.
“Going to Cooperstown Sunday to see the Redwings play at the Hall of Fame. Its not related to the thread, but i digress”
I’m jealous Shawn i’ve never been to cooperstown it’s my goal to make that one of my stops when i retire i’m going to hit every MLB stadium for a game.
“Oops.. now see what you made me do? I took too long to write that response and was 10 minutes late for my 2:00 call.”
JimCrikket,
You are starting to embarrass us jobless posters by making work (ugh) references. Unless you are making all that up…..hmmmmm…..
i work at home. i believe procrastinators qualify…
do it BC… Cooperstown is a great place. I have gone once a year since i moved out here.
BC Cooperstown is worth the trip, without a doubt. Goodluck on the ballparks. I try to get to one new one a year. Going to Shea (repeat) and Yankee Stadium this summer before its too late. That’ll be 17 down 18+ to go.
bison, you are ahead of me:
I am only at 4……
hitting Fenway this summer for #5
Fenway should count for 2. That’s a tough ticket.
No, not making it up, sane… though some days I wish I were. Same company for 30ish years.
I’d love to do Cooperstown at some point. I’m jealous, too, Shawn.
Good luck on the stadiums, BC. I’ve been hitting as many as I can, as well. I’ve made it to a dozen or so current ballparks and a couple that no longer exist.
Hoping to revisit Toronto, Anaheim, Oakland and/or San Francisco this summer, with possibilities for first time visits to the new ballparks in Washington, Arlington (saw games at the old ballpark but all I’ve done is eat dinner at the restaurant in the offseason at the new one) and Detroit (possibly for that July Twins series).
Of course, I’d like to get up to the Dome, too.
How long before they do something with Wrigley and Fenway? If i don’t get a chance to see those two venues i will be very disapointed. I’m already bumbed about not seeing the house that Ruth built.
I think you’re safe on Fenway for quite some time. They’ve put a ton of money into keeping the old place relevant. They’re basically upgrading, adding premium areas and new revenue generators one section at a time every off season.
Wrigley, I don’t know. It’s probably all going to depend on who ends up owning the team and the field. Tribune is trying to sell them as a package, presumably in an effort ensure that nothing happens to Wrigley while maximizing their own return on sale.
Wow. I got in on a good convo here. Last week I booked a trip to New York for the Twins Vs. Yankees series. The MEts are in town at the same time. Does anyone know how hard it would be to get across town for a game and if it would be worth it? I’m guessing it is going to be expensive.
Once we get past Minnesota, Florida, Tampa Bay and Oakland that stadium boom should slow substantially.
Toronto will be the only team in a multi-purpose facility at that point. Fenway, Wrigley, and Dodger don’t look like they’re going anywhere. Kansas City is getting a facelift, Anaheim has already had three, and then you’re up to the White Sox the last built before Camden Yard.
BC,
It is cool to see Yankees stadium with all of the history and i have enjoyed going. But, its kind of a dump.
Jared if you’re shelling out for a Yankees game during the final season there, the final season at Shea ain’t nothing but a thing.
Shea and the National Tennis Center share a stop on the 7 train (thank you John Rocker). It’s no problem to get there. 30 minutes give or take from Grand Central.
Shawn thats what i’m looking for not so much the beauty of the stadium itself but the history. Thinking about all the great players that played there. It’s like the U.S. version of the Collesium only our gladiators got to use bats.
Folks,
Just wanted to say that today’s chatter sounds more like a bunch of folks sitting around a bar than just about anything in the history of Section 220. Nice.
And the Hall of Fame is totally a trip worth making. Had a nice father/son bonding visit in ‘01 when Kirby and Winfield were inducted. We were there for three days and did one floor of the Hall each day.
was tryin to make ya feel better.
Personally, I thought Fenway was a dump. If it weren’t for the Green Monster, that place would be condos by now.
I thought that Wrigley was a dive until I went to RFK.
i’m not a b-ball fan but hope they don’t replace williams arena getting to be one of the last old venues around. progress i guess.
Yea goobleguke dont try and guilt us into working, it aint gonna happen.
Ranking the parks Ive been to from best to worst. (Yeah, not like anyone cares, but then I don’t care if you care… so there)
Top 5 by far:
1. Camden Yards, Balt
2. AT&T, San Fran
3. Kauffman, KC
4. Dodger, LA
5. Angel, Anaheim
Now it gets tough:
6. Met Stadium, Bloomington (sentimental choice)
7. Wrigley, Chicago
8. Fenway, Boston
9. US Cellular, Chicago
10. McAfee, Oakland
11. Metrodome, Minneapolis
12. Rogers (Skydome), Toronto
13. Old Ballpark at Arlington, TX
14. Tropicana, St. Petersburg
Goobleguke,
Go find the lineups so I can start complaining before the game starts.
no players left they got sent down or cut today on this blog.
rankings aye:
1. Camden Yards
2. Yankees Stadium
3. County Stadium, Milwaukee
4. Metrodome
i really need to see more.
i watched a guy read a book about a guy who went to all the old and new ball diamonds. i got bored, kind of a slow read or watch … not sure now ………
Yeah, sorry. Guess we got off track today.
Let’s see…
Cut Punto! Bench Young! Trade Mauer! Fire Vavra and Ulger! Send Gomez to Rochester! Play Kubel more! Trade Hernandez now! Release Monroe! Send the ’stros guys back to Houston! Garza is God! We got RIPPED on Santana! Pohlad’s cheap!
Think that about covers it.
thanks Jim!
PNC
Camden Yard
Busch III
Coors
Jacobs Field (Progressive)
Kauffman
Lincoln Financial
Wrigley
Big A (Edison) - total guess I was 8 at the time
Great American Ball Park (shrug)
Metrodome
Milwaukee County
US Cellular
Shea
RFK
good list jim crikket, except you forgot to fire gardy. you rank metrodome ahead of skydome? (i’ve not been to skydome…)
safeco in seattle is a really nice place to catch a ballgame.
Just to stretch the topic further, in case you ever find yourself in Louisville KY (God help you), try to get to their AAA stadium. It’s literally attached to “warehouse” along the first base side that has restaurants, etc., inside. Great minor league stadium
Yeah, I thought about that Skydome/Metrodome thing… and I’m not sure it matters much which ranks ahead of the other. The roof was closed for the game I was at and it just felt like any other cement tomb of an indoor ballpark. Maybe I’d have liked it more with the roof open.
from mlb.com:
If nothing else, right-hander Clay Buchholz was philosophical and understanding upon learning Wednesday morning that the Red Sox were putting him on the 15-day disabled list to recover from a broken middle fingernail on his throwing hand.
The issue cropped up when Buchholz was warming up before the second inning of Monday’s start at Minnesota. A two-seam fastball was the culprit, and Buchholz resisted the temptation to beg out of the game before departing after 4 1/3 innings after allowing seven runs on eight hits and five walks.
Hell yeah.
I’d be philosophical and understanding, too, if my employer told me to take 15 days off, with pay, from my $400,000 a year job to get over my broken fingernail.
Just wanted to say thanks for an entertaining afternoon. You may all go home now. Job Well Done?!
Thanks, boss.
Btw, anyone who hasn’t seen Manny’s catch and DP from this afternoon should head over to mlb.com and check it out. Just Manny bein Manny LOL
Metrodome the greatest stadium ever, the wide concourses and nice short lines into the restrooms makes for a great experience. Go twins!!
