Discombobulated Blogging

I have a lot on my mind today. Much stuff to say and many goings-on. And the game is on. So, I'm going to write things as they come to me, possibly flitting all over the place. Call this post a result of my inner butterfly.

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Bert just circled three fans wearing baker's hats. Amusing. I instantly like those guys.

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So, it's the non-waiver trade deadline. I should welcome the new guys.

Taa Daa...Welcome.....Hey! Where did the new guys go? What? There are no new guys? We didn't make any trades? At all? Shocker.

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Crappola. Baker just gave up a two-run dinger to Thome. And he's not locating very well. Maybe those hats aren't so funny after all. Settle down Scotty.

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Dear Twins,
Remember before this series started, I asked nicely for a split or better? Please don't feel like you have to limit yourselves to the split -- go ahead and aim for the series win. K? NOW! Thanks.

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WAKE-UP, BATS! (seriously, mere seconds after I typed this, Justin kissed his 3-run tater.)

(trying it again for luck) WAKE-UP, BATS! (didn't work)

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That was a HORRIBLE call!!! HORRIBLE!!!

But, I am NOT proud of the fans who are throwing stuff on the field. C'mon. Not Cool. Waaaay Not Cool. Embarrassing. Even more so because D-Span wound up walking so it was all pointless.

Now I notice that the strike zone got really big for the Twins hitters. Hmm.

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Woot. Thanks to Joey, it's a whole new ball game. My-Oh-My, I loves me my Jason Kubel (well, right this second, anyways).

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Looks like Juan Uribe got his face into A.J.'s leftover Preference by L'Oreal Dream Blonde.

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*ahem* Matt, get a stinking out, will you? Before you blow the lead!

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Oh, and the final score: Twins 10 - White Sox 6. Sweet!

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k-bro's kwazy logic (this is long, and maybe a tad opinionated -- you've been warned):

Daymonster over at Alright Hamilton! posted an entry that has been making a buzz all over the blogosphere. Lines were drawn; pots were stirred; goats were got; ires were upped. All very interesting debate.

You'll see that I was the first commenter on the post. While I still stand by what I said at the time, I admit it was written a bit "in the heat of the moment". I would like to elaborate on my view.

First, let me outline my understanding of Day's point:

• Most Twins blogs (and their commenters) can be categorized into one of two groups (stats-centric and not stats-centric).
• He likes blogs from both groups.
• He believes that there is a underlying conflict between the two groups. Namely, he feels that the second group is accusing the first group of too much negativity and is questioning their Twins "fanness" because of said negativity.

I admit that I agree with him on all three of these points. I, too, have noticed a dichotomy between types blogs, but I've been oblivious to any true conflict between them until, well, his post. And I acknowledge that negativity isn't welcomed in many of the second group's blogs.

Just to be clear, I consider this blog part of the second group (admittedly, not as well done as the ones he mentions), but not with his definition. And that's what's got my ire up. While he says that he enjoys both groups of blogs, it's clear by the words, and the tone, he chose to describe them with, he doesn't respect the second group as much as the first.

When describing the first group, he uses intelligent, and even complimentary terms. He makes them out to be the Good Guys. However, notice the language he uses to describe the second group. Sounds like a shallow, bitchy, dumb bunch, doesn't it? And I don't think it's a coincedence that there is a clear gender line between his examples. The irony is that I personally would take the second group's assessment of the team based on instinct and observation over the first group's assessment based on stats and analysis. A balance of both techniques paints the most accurate picture.

Also, while a certain amount of negativity has its place when talking about sports (passion, good and bad, makes good fans), it's not necessarily appropriate in a blog meant to be fun. I myself have enough negativity in my everyday life; I don't need it in my hobby. And there are levels of negativity. Stating "Gomez has been struggling lately and might do better batting ninth," is a whole different attitude than stating over and over "Nick Punto sucks!" (whether or not he's actually struggling). One wonders if the folks who lean toward the extreme negativity are more fans of complaining than of baseball.

Funny, all this because he had a difference of opinion with one person's blog.

And finally, I'm going to subscribe to Lipgloss & Baseball's new slogan -- Have Boobs, Will Blog.

T.G.I.J.! (Thank Goodness It's Justin)

Tuesday: Twins 6 - White Sox 5

I like it when the Twins win. I like knowing that, if they should fall behind, there's a good chance they can rally and win. Which is a different feeling than last year. Last year, if they were behind by the fourth or fifth inning, I just watched something else. Last night I didn't do that, and I'm glad. They made it totally worth sticking around for.

I especially loved how just when Dick-n-Bert were mentioning that Ozzie said that Justin was the most dangerous batter in the American League, Justin goes and proves the point by smacking a bases-clearing double to take the lead. Yay Justin!

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We say "Goodbye", and we say "Hello":

So just when I was going to bid adieu to Adam "Adam" Everett by talking about how he pretty much got "Wally Pipp'ed" out of a job and how I felt kind of bad about that because he seems like a pretty likable guy, if not really a great hitter, and to wish him the best of luck with whatever he decided to do, I have to pull back because he's needed after all.

And for what? Another stinking hand injury. It seem Alexi Casilla tore his thumb ligament and might be out for a long time. **sigh** I feel really bad for Alexi, but come on! Enough is Enough!

I wonder if MLB will allow the Twins trainers to purchase a couple dozen bionic hands.

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Pitcherstress:

A co-worked asked me if I was nervous about tonight's game. I said, "Yes. Livan's pitching." And another co-worker chimed in with, "Are you having pitcher-stress?" YES! That's it exactly.

Dear Livan,

Honey, please, oh please, don't stress me out tonight. Please keep your Earned Run total for the evening as minuscule as possible. Zero would be ideal.

Love,

k-bro

Killing Them Slowey

Twins 7 - White Sox 0 (zero, zip, nada, nothing, goose egg, nil)

Wow! How much fun was that?!?! Kevin Slowey get another nifty complete game shut out. D-Span gets his first major league homer. Justin still has his swell homerun swing (didn't I say that yesterday too?). Thanks boys; I loved this game. I want another one tomorrow.

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Ok, who gave A.J. a swirly in Clorox? Do these guys try to be ugly? Are they having some kind of contest? **shakes head**

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I want to heap more praise on Kevin Slowey. I was really impressed with tonight's performance for a number of reasons. For one thing, the White Sox are a pretty good hitting team, so keeping them off-balance was pretty cool. Also, he was pretty much always pitching from the stretch, which didn't seem to bother him, so that was good.

Go treat yourself to Dairy Queen honey. You've earned it.

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And finally, the "Huh, Really? Are You Sure?" moment of the game:

Bert was talking about Casilla taking a lead off first, and he mentioned that he had one foot on "the turf, the green stuff on your screen." Really? I had no idea what all that green stuff in the dome was. (He didn't sound like he was trying to be clever or anything.)

It's Nice to Know...

Friday: Twins 4 - Indians 5
Saturday: Twins 11 - Indians 4
Sunday: Twins 4 - Indians 2

Twins take series 2 - 1

After a potentially demoralizing series against the Yankees, it's nice to know that the Twins can get back on track against Cleveland. Of course, there's a ginormous difference between the Yankees and the Indians, but I prefer to remain optimistic (I just hope I'm not being delusional).

It's Nice to Know...

• That both Go-Go and D-Span will be ok after attempting molecular fusion with the outfield wall. (Turns out that spines don't really respond positively to collision energy).


• That Justin still has his swell homerun swing.


• That we don't have to face Casey Blake any more. (If we can't have him back, I'm glad he's in the National League.)


• That patience at the plate in the first inning pays off.


• That Brian Buscher likes to collect RBI.


• That Nick Blackburn didn't let a horrible outing in New York get him down and was able to tap-dance through an ultimately solid start. (He even earned some love from ESPN's BBTN.)


• That D-Span must be feeling ok because he made two ridiculous catches in centerfield. (He earned a ton of love from ESPN's BBTN.)


• That the Twins still play well in the ninth inning.


• That Justin likes to make pitchers pay for hanging a breaking ball.


• That Joe Nathan likes being The Nathanator.

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Franchise the Franchise Savior Watch:

Here's his line from Sunday evening's game in Rochester:

6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR, 102 pitches - 64 strikes, W (Red Wings win 10 - 5)

Hmm. Not as amazing as his last couple starts, but still pretty solid. The Big Team had better hurry and call him up so he can start performing miracles.

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It's Also Nice to Know:

That Manny Ramirez is totally willing to allow the Red Sox to trade him.

Ok, I'm being sarcastic. I've been watching the Yankees - Red Sox game for about an hour now, and I've heard that Manny won't block a potential trade or, if that doesn't work out, requests that the Red Sox inform him that they won't pick up his option yada yada yada about 359 times.

This happened earlier today, and I'm already extremely weary of hearing about it. But, Manny-Being-Manny is such a princess that I just know I'll hear about it for the next several days. Lord, he makes me want to puke!

On another note, however, I am slightly enjoying watching Sir Sid get spanked by the Sox. Just cuz.

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So the White Sox are coming to town, and I'm totally stressed out by it. Fortunately, I don't have a whole lot going this week so I'll have time to watch the games. I'm just afraid that I'll re-aggravate my ulcer watching them.

I'm just hoping for a split or better. Please. Pretty Please...

Franchise Saving the Franchise

JoeC is reporting that he expects the Twins to bring up Francisco Lirano within the next few days. Well praise to the Baseball Gods for that. And not a moment too soon, either. After all, he's the only who save Twins Territory now.

• He'll be a dominating left-handed addition to the rotation, striking out batters at will.
• He'll improve the ERAs of the rest of the pitching staff.
• He'll single-handedly rid the dug-out of ass-bats and bless the remaining bats increasing each batter's BA by at least 20 points allowing every one to win the MVP.
• He'll exercise demons from the fielders' gloves, causing every one of the Twins position players to win a Gold Glove.
• He'll lay hands on Pat-Pat's arm, immediately healing his injury.
• He'll apply healing powers to Cuddy's, Nicky's, Alexi's, and Tigger's hands.
• Not only will he himself win the Cy Young, he'll cause everyone else on the pitching staff to win one too.
• He'll cause a colossal collapse to the White Sox', Tigers', and Yankees' seasons.
• He'll finish the new stadium so it'll be ready a year early.
• Heck, he might also solve the mystery as to why you always see random shoes along the side of the road.

Thank you Franciso. Thank you Twins.

It's about time.

Problem with Poonkees (a story)

(Twins 4 - Yankees 12)

Bright and early Monday morning, the Twins players started arriving in the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. When they got there, there was a shoe box sitting nicely on the bench. The tag on it read, "To the Twins, All My Love, Sid."

"Hmm. Wonder what it could be," said Alexi Casilla.

"I don't know. Do you think it's a trick? Joe, what do you think?" asked Delmon Young.

Joe Mauer glanced at the box as he wiped off his milk moustache and said, "I don't know. I don't really remember what kind of guy Sid was. It's probably ok. Open it and see. I have to go make a phone call." And he held up his Qwest phone and walked away.

So Nick Blackburn opened the box and smiled. Inside were a bunch of adorable fuzzy colorful creatures. "Awww. These are cute," he said as he picked one up.

Craig Breslow walked over, picked two out the box, and said, "hey, these are pretty cute."

Soon, several of the guys were picking them up, snuggling and playing with them and smiling. Mike Redmond walked through and said, "hey, those look like Tribbles."

Everyone looked at him with a confused expression. "You know," he explained, "Tribbles? From Star Trek? Oh, never mind." And he walked off to go put on some clothes.

Boof asked, "what is he talking about."

"I don't know," replied Matt Guerrier, "I think it's a old-guy thing."

Soon, Denard Span stopped in the doorway. "Hey Denard, look at these," exclaimed Brian Buscher. "Aren't these great?"

Denard replied, "Nah. I think they're kind of creepy. I ain't touching 'em." So he left.

A moment later, Joe Nathan walked in and stopped dead in his tracks. "What are you doing? Put those down right now! Don't you know what those are?" he cried.

The guys stared at Joe and mumbled, "What? What are they?" as they set the critters down on the bench.

"Those are the Yankee Stadium Poonkees. They're evil. The legend goes that they're the mutant spawn of all the left over concessions that have been stored all these years. I heard they're even worse this year because they're feeding off all the reminiscing about the stadium. You didn't let them get their dust on you, did you?"

The guys looked at themselves and brushed off their shirts and mumbled, "yeah, a little."

Joe continued, "No. This isn't good. These things have curses. If you get their dust on you, you're doomed."

"What kind of curses?" the guys asked.

"In order to reveal their curses, you have to act like a Yankees Fan and shout the super-secret string of obsenities." And he proceeded to swear and cuss with a rhythmic tempo.

Soon, the Poonkees revealed their curses:

Feast and Famine

Saturday: Twins 14 - Rangers 2
Sunday: Twins 0 - Rangers 1

Twins win series 2 - 1

I knew the Twins used up all their runs on Saturday night. I wish they would have saved some of that for me on Sunday. Let's just hope that they fill up their "run tanks" so they have plenty of runs to slap on the Yankees.

I must say though, the pitching this series was very impressive. I hope the rest of the rotation follows in stride.

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I had a great time at the game Sunday. In fact, only two little things would've made it better -- Twins runs. Scotty pitched so well; he really deserved the win. I blame myself for Scotty getting the loss. Actually, I'm going to share the blame with the man sitting in front of me.

With two outs in the sixth, the gentleman turned around and said, "Hey, he's got a no-hitter going."

Knowing that I should have simply smiled, nodded, and kept my mouth shut, I lost my head and said, "Actually, he's got a perfect game going. No one has reached first base." I then followed-up with, "Watch, now I've jinxed it." And sure enough, Teagarden goes boom. *Sigh* In my defense though, other people something like that too.

Oh well, it was his first Major League homer. In fact, it was his first Major League hit. He's the hero. He can feel good about himself for a couple days.

But it was still a ton of fun.

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Some pictures from the day:

mini-bro looking good in his new jersey


our favorite bear


Go-Go looking good with the tall socks


Joey always looks good


Justin always looks good too

Welcome to the Second Half, Boys

Friday: Twins 6 - Rangers 0

Wow. That was impressive. The Twins faced a great hitting team and shut them out. Nice work. And the Twins' hitters just keep chipping away -- none of the hits were particularly impressive, but they got the job done. All in all a fun game and a nice way to get back to baseball.

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Dearest Go-Go,

Honey, what are we going to do about this little batting slump you're in? You had another disappointing 0 - 5 night. You seem like a guy who really wants to succeed and who has more fun when he does well, so I know you're unhappy.

Everyone says that the other guys are hitting well because they're "hitting within themselves". I'm no expert, but looking at your swing, I can tell there's no way you're hitting within yourself. In fact, it's pretty clear that you swing right out of yourself pretty often. Sometimes, you swing so far out of yourself, you wind up in the on-deck circle while yourself winds up in the left-handed batters' box. This is not good.

So my advice is: climb back into yourself, take a deep breath, don't think about it so much, relax, and STAY within yourself. You'll see better results in no time.

I know you can do it.
Love,
k-bro

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I looking forward to Sunday's game because the family and I will be attending. We'll try to score one of those Justin Morneau jerseys for mini-bro.

I'm the tinest bit bummed, though, because Scotty is scheduled to pitch. Now, I love Scotty, I really do, but this will be only my second game this year, and I've already seen him. But that's usually how it goes for me. Last year I went to four games -- Silva pitched in all four of them.

Oh well, I'm still happy to go.

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And Finally, the "Reading Is Fun When You Read About Your Favorite Subjects" moment of the day: I thought this was cute. My co-worker's little daughter won this poster for reading a certain number of books this summer. Not only is the poster itself cute, but I think it's cute that she chose a Twins poster. She's a very smart little girl.

Click to enlarge to see the subject of the book he's reading.

It's the Break; How We Doin'?

I'm sitting here with my laptop watching the All Star Game and thinking about the first half of the season. So I'll tear a page from, well, just about everybody's, blog and review.

At the beginning of the season, I had some expectations and hopes. Let's see how it's going so far:

• I expect to get choked up when they introduce Torii tonight. [Yeah, I kinda did. Then I got over it really fast.]


• I expect that Joe Mauer will take the first pitch to him tonight. [Actually, I think he fouled it off.]


• I expect that Joe Mauer will take the first pitch to him every night. [I don't think he really does that as much as he used to. Or, if he does, it's working out better for him. At any rate, it's not making me crazy like it used to.]


• I expect that Carlos Gomez will make me wildly happy sometime this season. [Check.]


• I expect that Carlos Gomez will make me wildly angry sometime this season. [And, check.]


• I expect that Joe Nathan will give me a near mental breakdown sometime this season. [Yeah, that whole walking the bases loaded with one out in Detroit just the other day pretty much made me whimper, that is until he struck out the final two batters and got out of it.]


• I expect that Joe Nathan will appear to have a near mental breakdown sometime this season. [I didn't really go out on a limb here, did I?]


• I expect that I will be pleasantly surprised by one of the new guys this year. [Wow, definitely more than one -- Alexi, Blackburn, Span, Korecky, and even Harris.]


• I expect that I will be profoundly annoyed by one of the new guys this year. [Hello? Mr. Lamb and Mr. Young? Are you there?]


• I expect that the roster at the end of the season will look quite a bit different
  than today's roster. [Actually, aside from the Korecky-for-Rincon switch, all the new faces have been fill ins for injuries -- so far.]

• I hope that there are more good games than bad. [So far, so good. Eleven games over .500 and 1 1/2 games out of first. I'd say so.]


• I hope that the guys have fun and encourage each other. [And this is why I love this team, and I think it's the secret to their success. As long as they have fun, they seem to do well.]


• I hope this year goes a long way to building a strong core that has a bright future. [Many of the young guys are looking good.]


• I hope the Twins surprise some people. [Um, yeah. Keep it up guys!]

So, boys, so far this year, I'm having a whole bunch of fun watching you. Please keep it up; I want to keep having a whole bunch of fun.

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So I'm watching the All Star Game and wondering why so many players are wearing white shoes. Did the A's equipment manager break in to the clubhouse?

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A Pretty Decent Tigers Series

Friday: Twins 3 - Tigers 2
Saturday: Twins 6 - Tigers 5
Sunday: Twins 2 - Tigers 4

Twins win series 3-1

Well, even though they lost today, the Twins aren't limping into the break, even though it felt like that would have been a real possibility after the Boston series. It's nice to know the Twins still have their "in it to win it" mentality. And, even though it's disappointing to lose, at least it wasn't a heartbreaker. Blackburn pitched well, but Verlander just pitched a little better.

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What's up with everyone's fingers? Cuddy (2 different fingers), Tigger, Alexi, LNP, and now Slowey have suffered, or are suffering from, finger injuries. I recommend the boys stop playing Bloody Knuckles on the team plane -- try playing cribbage instead. Otherwise, I'll be forced to distribute a pair of oven mitts to each player and require him to wear them at all times.

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I see that our estimable firstbaseman has bucked my advice and decided to, in fact, participate in the Home Run Derby. Well, Justin, best of luck to you -- have fun and stay healthy. And now, I'll have to watch.

Scratching and Clawing Back at the Tigers

Twins 7 - Tigers 6 (11)

Ok, I've got to do this quick before I fold the last load of laundry and go to bed. I made a promise today, and I need to keep it.

Today, when Matty came in for the 10th, I looked straight into his eyes on the little picture on Gameday, and stated out loud (yes, my co-workers heard me) with all the sincerety I have, "Matty, if you put zeros on the board, I'll give you hugs and kisses on my blog." So I gotta do what I gotta do --



Huge hugs and kisses for Matty Guerrier for coming into the game (so soon after his meltdown in Boston) and nailing down the last two innings.

Of course, some love needs to go to Nathanator for wiggling out of trouble (I was nearly hyperventilating while listing to his inning).

And, of course, crazy love goes to Justin for going 5 for 5 and driving in, well you, for the go-ahead and ultimately winning run. Yay!

Make your own candy hearts at Candy Heart Generator.

Gawd, It's Good to Get Outta Bawston

Monday: Twins 0 - Sawx 1
Tuesday: Twins 5 - Sawx 6
Wednesday: Twins 5 - Sawx 18

Boston takes 3 game series (ouch)

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Ok, everyone's thinking it, so I'm just going to come out and shout it:

I f'ing HATE Manny Ramirez!!!!!!

He's ugly, he's cocky, he needs a haircut, he probably smells bad, ... did I mention he's ugly? Oh, and he abuses Twins pitching. Ugh.

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Speaking of hate, I think I get to hate the umpiring staff today. I didn't see the game, but I did listen to the radio. And according to John-n-Dazzle, it sounded like the umpires blew at least three calls in favor of the Sox -- the so-called triple play that wasn't, the fan interference, and the should've-been infield fly rule. And it didn't sound like they were questionable calls; they were flat out wrong. No wonder Gardy was fuming.

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Whew, all this hating is way too negative. What the Twins need is some relaxation and levity in order to recover so they can go after the Tigers. I've written up some instructions:

Players' Instructions for Recovery:

1. Call room service and order the following items:
   ■ Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime^TM tea
   ■ Chicken Noodle Soup
   ■ Large Hot Fudge Sundae (Optional: with sprinkles)


2. Change into your most cozy jammies or sweats.


3. Take two Advil.


4. Order a pay-per-view comedy movie such as Spaceballs or Airplane
   OR
   Watch re-runs of a comedy television show such as Family Guy.


5. Enjoy your meal.


6. Tuck yourself into bed plenty early, and wake up fully rested and in a good mood ready to conquer another day.

Important: Do not come in contact with SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight or read the copy of USA Today that will be outside your door in the morning.

Troubleshooting: If the above procedure does not work, ask the trainer to use the Super-secret Men In Black Memory Erasing Pen.

The cool thing about this procedure is that it also works on distraught Twins fans, too. Except for the calling Room Service part. But maybe you can see if your spouse/sweetie/child is willing to accomodate you.

Oh, and if anyone knows how I can get myself one of those Super-secret Men In Black Memory Erasing Pens, please let me know.

A Stars and Sweeps Weekend

Friday: Twins 12 - Cleveland 3
Saturday: Twins 9 - Cleveland 6
Sunday: Twins 4 - Cleveland 3

Twins sweep 3 game series.

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First of all, a great big hug and kiss for our All Stars -- Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan. Of course, we all knew they're All Stars, but it's nice that the fans (in Joey's case), the players (Justin's), and Mr. Francona (Nathan's) agreed. Way to go guys, and have a bunch of fun.

I do, however, have a piece of advice for Justin: Please don't participate in the Homerun Derby. I actually believe in the whole "ruining your swing" curse, and your homerun swing can ill afford ruining. Not that I don't appreciate all the RBI and the defense, I really do, but let's face it, your homerun production is down this year. Let's not give it any reason to get worse. Thanks.

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Now on to the Indians series -- Very cool. I loved the homers by LNP, Delmon, and Joey. I loved how Scott Baker and Glen Perkins didn't get rattled after having bad innings. And I really liked coming from behind and winning. However, to be honest, I didn't think there was a prayer in Sunday's game after the Twins were down 3 - 0. I'm glad the players didn't think that way.

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Non-baseball alert: For the first time in my life, I was absolutely captivated by the Men's Finals at Wimbledon on Sunday. Now I haven't really followed tennis since Johnny Mac's days, and even then it was merely a passing interest. Since then, pretty much everything I know about the current players I've learned by osmosis.

But Federer and Nadal really made it exciting. I was pulling for Nadal, and he'd get oh-so close to winning, but couldn't quite seal the deal because Federer is so good. Too bad I couldn't watch the entire 5+ hour affair; we had to leave. I was glad to learn that Nadal finally pulled it off in the end.

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As I write this, ESPN is reporting that the Indians will be trading noted Twins hater Captain Cheeseburger* (a.k.a. C.C. Sabathia) to the Brewers for a minor leaguer and prospects. It looks like he'll have to find a National League middle infielder to eat -- Mike Fontenot might do. LNP must be very relieved.

* This is totally a Bat-Girl.com reference. If you're not familiar with Bat-Girl, well, sorry.

Taming the Tigers

Tuesday: Twins 6 - Tigers 4
Wednesday: Twins 7 - Tigers ZIP

Dear Twins,
That was much better. Thanks.
k-bro

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Tuesday's win just seemed kind of, I don't know, uncomfortable, didn't it? I mean it was great that we won and all, but it just kind of felt like it could fall apart at any time. Maybe I was suffering paranoia as a result of Monday's fiasco. But with the blundering of baserunning, the pitching with wildness, the leaving of men on base, and the having of bad luck, I just didn't have a whole lot of hope.

Thank goodness for Craig Monroe. Perhaps he should just play against Detroit all the time.

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Wednesday's win on the other hand -- now that was a ton of fun. I really wish I could have seen it. But it sure made my work day go a lot faster listening to it. Blackburn was stellar. And there were lots of hits with two outs. Fantastic.

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Speaking of Blackburn, I had a happy stroke of luck when I drove home. Sometimes I like to listen to KFAN on my way home, and sometimes I prefer to drive in silence, it all depends on my mood. Well, today, I decided to listen -- the Twins won, so Barreiro couldn't rip them too much. When I turned on the radio, I heard, "Our guest Nick Blackburn is coming up next." Sweet.

Actually, he did a pretty decent interview. The questions were pretty typical, and so were the answers, but no one expected muckraking journalism here. His answers were nice and involved and he expanded on his points. And he didn't have too many "ums", "you knows", and "likes". He sounds like a pretty intellegent and confident guy. All in all, a nice interview.

Here's the link to the interview.

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So are we all watching BBTN to see if Nicky's toss (actually more of a roll) to Casilla makes it as the top web gem? It sounded awesome. Here's a link to it. Be sure to also check out the next video in that group (Punto drives in Young, but is thrown out at second). That could probably win the "Feet-first Slide That Most Resembles a Bellyflop" award.

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And finally, the "OK, If You Say So, Joe" moment of the day: Check out this endorsement by Joe Nathan for Joey and Justin for the ASG. I love it. We should vote for them, "because they're really good." And if you listen really close, someone in the background is cracking up. Be sure to watch the other endorsements too.

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Probably no blogging for me this weekend as I'm going to the lake again. Everyone have a fun Independence Day.