k-bro’s blog

 

Friday: Twins 5 - Evil Empire 6
Saturday: Twins 6 - E. E. 7 (12)
Sunday: Twins 5 - E. E. 1

First of all, I’m very glad to see that Nick Blackburn is going to be ok. That was scary for a minute there. Fortunately, he’ll only have a fat lip, and probably a headache, for a couple days. Which is good, because he’s a pretty good-looking guy, and I’d hate to see his face messed up. I guess health-wise, he’s very lucky. But, when it comes to actually getting a win in a game, he just can’t catch a break. Because of a really stupid rule, he didn’t get the win, even though, in my opinion, he totally deserved it. Apparently, a starter has to complete five innings to qualify for a win. If he can’t, but his team is leading when he comes out, it’s up to the official scorer to determine who gets it. In this case, Bass gets it, even though he didn’t even pitch two full innings.

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Back to Friday’s and Saturday’s games, which pretty much seemed like the same game, only Saturday’s lasted longer, I’ll try to focus on the positives. So I won’t mention how our guys left like a million men on base in scoring position, or how leaving a certain reliever in for a second inning in a tie game isn’t my idea of a good plan. I’m not upset at Nicky’s error, but I do think Boof could’ve done a much better job getting that third out in Saturday’s third inning. However, I was very happy to see Cuddy hit a homer, and I was really impressed with Breslow’s, the new guy, pitching. All in all, only mildly disappointing, but still entertaining. Here’s hoping for a game more like Sunday’s for Monday.

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As I write this, I’m watching the Mets - Dodgers game, and every time they talk about the Dodgers’ right fielder, Delwyn Young, I keep thinking they say “Delmon Young”. And it doesn’t even seem odd to me. I wonder what that means.

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Blog note: There seems to be a problem with the formatting. I apologize,
but it seems to be an issue with blog.com. If the right side is cut off, try
clicking Permanent Link below. It’s still cut off a little, but it’s readable.

Twins 7 - The Team That Calls Itself World Champions 3
Twins take series 3-1

So, most of us had a choice last night. What did you decide? The ESPN yahoos or our lovable Dick-n-Bert? Me? I chose Dick-n-Bert. I guess I just like familiarity. And I think I made a good choice. Did ESPN show shots of Boof unraveling a baseball? I doubt it. But our guys stuck with the story until conclusion and Boof got to the core of the matter.

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Up until the seventh, Boof’s unwrapping adventure was the most adorable moment of the game. Then Cuddy did his little juggling magic trick pulling a baseball out of his hat. That play will probably be the most adorable moment of the whole season. And Dick laughing about it was almost as adorable.

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In fact, the whole game was pretty much adorable. Coming from behind is adorable. Stringing hits together for runs is adorable. And even though giving up three runs in the first isn’t so much adorable, settling down and not allowing any more might be. However, catching a screaming liner and stinging your hand is adorable. And, in a weird way, watching the opposing pitcher throw a temper tantrum is adorable. In fact, in honor of all the adorableness, I’ll post this adorable picture.

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It seems that Livan likes the pixie vests - he’s two for two at home with them. I guess if he keeps getting these results, I’ll get used to them.

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A non-adorable moment was when Delmon rolled his ankle running the basepaths. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like it’s too serious. I hope he’ll be fine.

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And finally, the “even though it happened to a division rival, it’s still really cool” moment of the day: Last night, Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians completed an unassisted triple play. It’s like only the 14th in major league history. Pretty groovy.

 

Twins 7 - Tigers 6

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh! Yes! Yes! Oh! Yes! (Sorry if I’m being a little too much “I’ll have what she’s having” here, but that was exciting.)

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I’m so giddy right now that I don’t know where to start. First, a thousand apologies to Boof for all the awful, rotten things that I screamed at the TV during the first. But I have a big shout out to his intestinal fortitude for settling down, not giving up, and pitching very well the next five innings. And a hat-tip to the batters for also not giving up and scraping together hits and runs (and taking advantage of a little luck) to make this a big, big win. And to think, I almost turn the TV off; I’m really glad I didn’t.

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SWEEEEEP! Time for a broom. And a good broom too (no measly large paintbrush here). In fact, a special platinum-handled, blinged-out broom because they swept a good hitting team, in a regular three-game series, and had to work really hard to earn it.

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The Twins are first in the division. The Twins are first in the division. Not the Tigers. Not the Indians. The Twins are first in the division. Yipee!

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k-bro’s kwazy logic: As I’m writing this, I’m watching the Mets / D-backs game. Johan is pitching, and he’s doing all right, but not spectacular. At the moment, he has four wild pitches. Four! He’s never done that before. He does have a bunch of strikeouts, but the pitches that aren’t in the dirt are up in the zone. Now here’s the kwazy logic part - could it be his catcher? I really think that Joey or Mike would have saved at least three of those wild pitches. And after the first couple wilds, maybe Johan didn’t trust the catcher to handle the changeup anymore. Who knows, but maybe great pitchers can attribute some of their success to their catchers, and maybe the Twins are really fortunate to have two of the best.

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And finally, the “Gee, I Hope They Make It To The Game On Time” moment of the day: I was running errands this morning, and on my way home I happened upon a school bus that was stranded at an intersection and a bunch of kids milling about on the sidewalk. As I got closer, I notice the kids all had Twins shirts on and were carrying signs. Aw man! They’re on their way to the Twins game. I hope they got another bus and were able to go. More importantly, I hope they stayed for the whole thing.

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Blog Note: No blogging the rest of this week. I’ll be at a conference in Vancouver. If I happen to run into Mr. and Mrs. Morneau, I’ll be sure to say “hi”.

 

Twins 3 - Sox of the White Variety 1

Wow! Boof pitched great last night. He struck out a ton (8) of batters, and the defense behind him was strong. He even made a couple nice plays himself. Nice work, honey.

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Is Nick Swisher trying to look as ugly as possible? I mean he was pretty nasty the last time we played the Sox, but now he’s even worse. In addition to the ugly white-dyed goatee, there’s now this weird black chinstrap thing. Yuk. I’m glad I don’t have to look at that all the time.

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I’m glad Nathanator got the giving up homeruns thing out of his system when it didn’t matter instead of saving it for today.

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I kind of liked having Ron Coomer in the booth with Dick. It was interesting hearing more of a batter’s point of view. But I am glad Bert will be back next time.

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Didn’t Kubel’s homer just sound pretty when he hit it?

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My favorite play was that double-play that Delmon got when he caught Thome’s fly ball up against the wall, and threw to Harris who threw out Swisher returning to first. Absolute poetry there.

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And finally, the “All Together Now” moment of the game: When Ron was reading the disclaimer (“This copyrighted telecast is presented on the authority of the Minnesota Twins…”) and he started stumbling, I just recited it from memory, and finished it way before he did. At first, I was feeling all superior, being able to just say it while he has a hard time reading it. But then it hit me: who’s the real dork here?

So our guys have the evening off, and I suppose they’re pretty blue. They didn’t have a very good weekend, so they need something to cheer them up. And what’s better to lift the spirits of a bunch of boys than toys? So I checked out amazon.com and found some fun things for them to play with.

For Nick Blackburn: You always seem so grumpy and I’ve never seen you smile. And that’s ok, because you gotta be who you gotta be. I can’t think of anything that celebrates gloominess better than this Eeyore plush.

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For Matt Tolbert : Gardy says you never stop moving around and that you’re just a bundle of energy. So, to capture your personality, and to go along with the “Winnie the Pooh” theme, I chose this Tigger plush.

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For Go-Go: Everyone knows that no one is faster than you. So the only thing I can think of that can keep up with you is this Lightning McQueen toy.

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For Joey: Girls have been chasing you since you broke into the majors. I figure that if you’re going to be treated like an American Idol, you may as well pretend you’re an American Idol. So I chose this American Idol Recording Studio.

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For Cuddy: I’m glad you’re back off the DL, but I’m still worried about your hand. I think you should protect it as much as possible while you play, so I chose these Sock’em Boppers for you.

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For Boof: Nice job on losing weight. You look great, and you should be proud. Since you have many fewer fat cells in your body, you might want to play with this Giant Microbes Fat Cell plush toy.*

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For Everyone Else (because I want to be done now): After such a downer of a game on Sunday, you all must be tense and serious. Nothing lightens things up better than lots and lots of bubbles. I chose this Gazillion Bubbles Machine.

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*I know, a plush fat cell is creepy, but this company has a whole line of creepy microbe plush toys such as syphilis, e.coli, HIV, the clap. Maybe we can send a bunch to the visitor’s clubhouse. 

Wednesday:  Twins 0 — Ugly White Shoes 3
Thursday:  Twins 2 — Big Hurt’s New Team eleventy billion

Which is worse? Pitching well enough to win, but can’t possibly do that because the bats don’t work ala Boof, or pitching like you’re blindfolded, and feverish, and possibly sleepy, and can’t get out of the first inning ala Franchise? For this Twins fan, it’s a tough call. A loss is a loss is a loss. 

There’s no doubt that Boof is fine — he knows he’ll be making starts next month, and if he continues to pitch like he has been, he’ll get his wins. But what, oh what, do we do with Francisco? I’m sure there will be plenty of speculation.  Keep him and be patient? Send him to the bullpen? Send him down to the minors? I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision.

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A big, back-handed thank you to my boss for keeping me in that meeting all afternoon sparing me the pain of listening to the first inning.  Actually, I think the thank you comes from the co-workers in my neighboring cubicles as I tend to forget I’m not alone when I listen to the games. I can only imagine the swearing that would have happened.

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Thank God for girlfriends who share their wine.

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And finally, the “You’d Have Way More Credibility If You Halfway Knew What the Hell You Were Talking About, You Moron” moment of the day: Why do I listen to Barreiro after a Twins loss?  In fact, why do I listen to him at all? He was talking about Francisco’s bad day when he said in his smart-ass way, “I blame Mauer. Don’t they say that he’s supposed to call a good game?” blah, blah, blah. Ok, you idiot, it’s a stupid statement to begin with — it’s not the catcher’s fault if the pitcher can’t throw the ball. But the fatal flaw is that REDMOND caught today. And he should know that; Redmond almost always catches a day game after a night game, and he should have remembered because he complains about it enough. *extreme eye rolling*

 

Friday: Twins 0 - Cleveland 4

Saturday: Twins 3 - Cleveland 0

Sunday: Twins 2 - Cleveland 1

My thoughts on Friday’s game: Pew. I don’t even want to remember it.

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My thoughts on Saturday’s game: Well, I didn’t see it. It sounded like it was a lot of fun. It actually sounded like my kind of game - great pitching and great defense. Turning four double plays is hot. I was busy enjoying a high school production of “Beauty and the Beast”.

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My thoughts on today’s game: Groovy. In fact, I’m so happy, I’m breaking out my bullet-points.

• Scotty pitched very nicely. I think he’s going to be the strikeout leader of the team.
• Hey! A Twin not named Justin Morneau or Jason Kubel finally hit a homerun! Congrats on your first Twins homer Brendan Harris. An opposite field one, too.
• Go-Go’s catch was muy caliente.

  

• They showed the new commercial with the pitchers singing. It was flippin’ hilarious. Those commercials get better every time. It’s funny that Joe Nathan, who said that the pitchers were the worst singing act ever, happened to be the very worst of them all. All the guys looked like they had a great time; Boof was especially goofy (ha ha, get it, Goofy Boof). I just checked the Twins website to see if was there, but it wasn’t yet. I imagine it’ll be there in the next day or two.
• They have “All you can eat night“?!? Sweet! I could bring my sons and make those dome vendors rue that idea. Trust me, my boys can really put it away when dared to. I’ll have to check our schedule.
• Do you think that Justin Morneau walked up to the plate in the bottom of the 10^th signing “Here I come to save the day” ala Dudley Do-right like they say in the radio commercial? Nice work, Justin.

  

And finally, the “Gotta Love Dick-n-Bert” moment of the game (double):
1) In the bottom of the 10^th, with Jason Kubel at the plate:
Dick: [something like] “They don’t want to walk Kubel here.”
Bert: “Sure they do. Then they know where he’s at.”

2) Again in the bottom of the 10^th, with Justin Morneau at the plate, Dick was going on and on, carrying on both sides of a conversation over whether Jason Kubel should take second “his run doesn’t matter, but it might take the bat out of Morneau’s hand, but if they get to two strikes, they might have to think about it….” Turned out it didn’t matter.

Twins 3 - Rays 7

That game was so boring, I don’t really have much to say.

Boof looked like the 2007 version.

Bats were quiet.

At least Guerrier and Neshek are back to their old selves.  Pat-Pat was flinging his arms all over the place, just the way we like it.  However, I’m not sure I like Matty’s new clean-cut look.  He kinda looks like his dad dragged him out to the garage and took the clippers to him — “we’re cutting that mop off, ya hippie.”

It’s Friday, and I don’t feel like working.  Good thing I’ve got my 24oz High-Energy Mocha with a shot of Caffeine Blast coffee from HolidayStation.

Twins 1 - Royals 5

Twins take series 2 - 1

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Liriano’s return was exactly as I expected because, well, I didn’t expect much. Some will say it was a success; some will say he needed more time in the minors. I’m willing to be patient. I think it’s fine that he’s up with the major league team; he may as well get his work in here. But it’s unreasonable to expect that he’ll be back to his old self just yet. It’ll take time for him to work up to that level. We, and he, need to be patient. And that’s ok by me.

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On the other hand, Boof and Livan have been surprisingly fun to watch. I was happy that Boof finally got the run support yesterday to win. Keep it up, guys.

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I feel bad that I professed my admiration of the Twins cool stocking caps. They’ve had to wear them so often lately, I’m sure they’re tired of it. And they probably won’t be able to get rid of them in Detroit. It looks like it’s supposed to be chilly the next couple of evenings.

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And finally, the “Fall Down, Turn Around, Get the Ball and Throw” moment of the weekend (from Saturday’s game): That play where Everett hit the ball into Tomko’s leg, and then Tomko backhanded it to Gload, who did a bellyflop to catch it to get the out was just crazy. Sometimes the other team makes fun plays too I guess.
I didn’t really find anything “moment-worthy” from today’s game, but I was kind of doing a bunch of other things while the game was on, so I wasn’t giving it my undivided attention.

 

Well, at least the Twins won the series this time, which is better than the Tigers can say (har har).  Boof did a nice job, but the bats were just a little too quiet - except for Justin’s - to give him a chance. Did it seem like the Twins struck out looking a lot today?  I thought so, but maybe I overreacted.

Clearly Justin finally got pissed off about everyone asking him about his slump, because he’s sure hitting the snot out of the ball lately. Just a reminder: hitting the snot out of the ball is a good thing, so keep it up.

Now that the first week has passed, I have a couple opinions: 

• Carlos Gomez is a lot more fun to watch than I thought he would be.  I sure hope it lasts.  I was bummed to hear that he doesn’t qualify as a rookie.
• I’m really bummed about Cuddy’s hand. The descriptions of the injury sound really icky.  I hope he heals quickly.
• I’m impressed with Delmon’s arm.  I *heart* outfield assists.  He needs a nickname. Hmmm - I’ll have to put some thought into it.
• For some reason, Matt Tolbert reminds me of David Eckstein, only bigger.

              

And of course, Happy Birthday to Bert!  I think he likes his birthday almost as much as I like mine. But I never get to go to a baseball game on my birthday.  *pout*

And finally, the “I’m the Umpire and I Don’t Like Dodge” moment of the game:  With one out in the bottom of the ninth, the third-base umpire requested that the advertising banner behind home plate be changed.  Reportedly, he didn’t like it because it was white (it was a Dodge ad). Umm, I don’t think there are that many different ads rolling through that banner, so it was probably there off-and-on for the whole game.  Whatever.