Quick Notes: Dec. 19

They Say Goodbye...
We can officially say goodbye to a few former Twins this week. Matt Guerrier signed with the Dodgers, Jesse Crain signed with the White Sox, Orlando Hudson is going to the Padres, and Jose Morales was traded to the Rockies for prospects.

I was hoping the Twins would be able to keep one of Guerrier or Crain to keep the bullpen strong -- preferably Matty. When Guerrier's signing was announced, I still held a little hope that the Twins could still snag Crain. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Those two have been pillars in the Twins bullpen for a lot of years, and it's going to be weird to not have either one of them around. I may have been critical of both their up-and-down tendencies, but by and large, they've been very, very reliable. Unfortunately, many fans seem to remember only certain bad days, especially against the Yankees (why, yes, I do remember when Guerrier gave up that grand slam to A-Rod, thanks for asking), but if folks would consider their entire bodies of work, they'd realize they were both very solid pitchers. The Twins will miss having them around.

Orlando Hudson announced on an XM Radio interview his agreement with the Padres, thereby scooping everybody (well, everybody in my Twitter feed) on any rumors about it. He will join former-Twin Jason Bartlett to staff the Padres' middle-infield.

I was quite surprised when I saw that Jose Morales was traded. At first, I was kind of bummed: I like his smile I figured that he's too good for what the Twins got in return. But then I realized that I was kind of doing that remembering only a certain good day (his MLB debut) thing and not considering his entire player profile (shame on me), and I changed my mind. He was out of minor-league options (which meant that if the Twins wanted to send him down, he'd have to clear waivers first, which wouldn't be likely) and they needed the space on the 40-man roster, so it wasn't such a bad trade after all.

I wish all them the best of luck. Well, maybe slightly less luck to Jesse Crain because he's a White Sox now and he's fair game for my rival ire.

~~~

And We Say Hello...

The Twins officially signed and introduced Tsuyoshi Nishioka (he says we can call him "Nishi"). I didn't see any of the press conference, but from everything I read, he seems like a good guy. I'm getting more and more excited to see him play, even if I'm cautiously optimistic. He said all the right things, and he seems to have some personality. Here's he and Gardy modeling the Justin Morneau "sluggies"...if this ain't personality, I don't know what is.

Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Twins

Welcome, Nishi.

~~~

Here's hoping you have a fabulous Christmas. Enjoy.

Quick Notes: Nov. 28, 2010

This past Tuesday was the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their Type A and Type B free agents. The Twins offered arbitration to Carl Pavano (Type A), Jesse Crain (B), and Orlando Hudson (B). They declined to offer arbitration to Matt Guerrier (A), Jon Rauch (B), and Brian Fuentes (B). Pavano, Crain, and Hudson have until this coming Tuesday to accept or decline the offer.

Some fans believe that Orlando Hudson has a "gentlemen's agreement" with the Twins to decline the arbitration just so the team can collect the draft pick. It's a fairly common thing, so I wouldn't be surprised. We'll see.

I'm most interested in what Carl Pavano does. It sounds like a lot of teams are interested in him, so if he doesn't accept, he'll have plenty of offers to consider. But I'm hoping that he likes the Twins so much that he'll accept, which buys the team time to come up with a multi-year deal.

I'm also interested in what will happen with Matt Guerrier. The Twins probably did him a favor by not offering arbitration. If they had, teams may have been unwilling to sign him since he's a Type A free agent. Having to give up a high-round draft pick may have been too costly to sign a middle reliever. So this scenario makes it pretty unlikely that the Twins will try to re-sign him. Too bad; I like him -- probably more than most fans do.

~~~

Late Thanksgiving night and early Black Friday morning, we heard that the Twins earned the exclusive negotiating rights with Japanese middle-infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The Twins have to pay his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, reportedly $5.3 million just to talk to him. The Twins have 30 days to come to an agreement, but since they're the only MLB team allowed to talk to him, there's no reason to believe that they won't sign him. If they can't sign him, they do get their damage deposit bid money back. Joe Christensen of the StarTribune has lots of great information about Nishioka and the whole process.

There are a few questions surrounding his potential signing. Will he play 2B or SS? Will this make a difference in whether the Twins offer JJ Hardy a new contract? What about Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert? (Ok, I was kidding about Tolbert.) And what if Hudson accepts arbitration?

Another pressing question is, how many different ways will Bert Blyleven pronounce his name? And how bad will Dan Gladden butcher it? Most importantly, what in the world will Gardy's nickname for him be?

Ok, So Now What Am I Supposed To Do?

k-bro note: Ok, if I had known that talking about Joe Nathan's elbow was going to turn into a three-part series, I would've warned you ahead of time. But if you allow me this one last indulgence, I promise I won't need to go on any more. Call it working through my grief, if you will.

Ok. He knew it. The Twins knew it. You knew it. I knew it. Joe Nathan's going to have Tommy John surgery. I wish him all the best, and I sincerely hope that he can return next season and pitch for many years after that. In fact, I hope he realizes that he has super healing powers and comes back in time for September call-ups and pitches better than ever. Yes, I realize there's no sense in being delusional.

Joe will be impossible to replace on the mound. Surprisingly, I'm not terribly worried about what the Twins are going to do. For one thing, even an average pitcher can successfully convert about 80% of the save opportunities*. Plus, whoever the Twins initially choose will have a pretty short leash -- blow two saves or labor through three times, and ... next. Really, my gut tells me it'll be ok. And who knows, someone may surprise all of us and just shine in the role.

But, I really want to talk about the most important thing. What am I going to do? Ok, this may not be the most important thing, but it's well documented that I'm all in favor of anything that's all about me. You see, this whole ordeal has taken a toll on me -- more so that I thought it would. Turns out he might be my baseball boyfriend. Who knew?

It's not just that he's one of the best closers in the game, although that's a big part of it. But, I always had a good time watching him pitch. I love that he's twitchy. I love that he always made me nervous. And I really love his curveball -- no, I mean REALLY love it; oh my.

Actually I have this "thing" with him -- I have ever since his first pitch in a Twins uniform. I talk to him when he's on the mound, right through the TV or radio. I always say "Joe, no interesting." Always. And I get my kids involved -- I make them say it too. I know he hears me, and he usually responds well (for the record, for that blown save against the Yankees in the playoffs, I was at my kid's football game and unavailable to talk to him -- don't think that didn't kill me). Between his nervousness and my encouragement, it's a great relationship, and it works.

So, who am I going to have this relationship with now? Who am I going to talk to while he's on the mound? What am I going to say? You don't understand how extremely important this is to me (yes, yes, I know I don't really have this much power over the players, at least the core of my brain knows it -- there's no reasoning with the core of my gut).

Neshek? Possibly; he's got potential, and he's fun to watch. But his elbow is kind of iffy, and I'd stress out too much worrying about both the game and his arm.

Crain? Nah. He annoys me. I have an automatic dim view set on him, so regardless of how he performs, I'll think he sucks. Can we even take him seriously?

Guerrier? Maybe, but he's kind of boring -- he doesn't even twitch. But if he can get saves, I can overlook that.

Rauch? Nope. I refuse to talk to him. I mean, I want him to do well, for the good of the team and all. But I can't see myself having fun watching him pitch.

Mijares? Um, I don't think he'll even get a chance. Do you?

Somebody new? Wow. That'd be like a first date. I won't even know him, and it'll be all awkward.

So, what's a girl to do? I guess I'll figure it out along with everyone else. But, really, it'll be ok. Right?

*I think I read that somewhere, and I'm not sure where, so I can't verify this. But it sounds plausible. So, if I'm wrong, don't yell at me.

Hmm...

A few notes on a couple of things that kind of made me scratch my head.

The Twins signed all eight of their arbitration eligible players
This is good. I've heard that neither the teams nor the players want to go into the arbitration room. The team tells the player how awful he is so that they don't have to pay him as much money as he wants, and then when it's all done, they have to convince him how much the love him. Can't be good for anyone.

So it's great that everyone (JJ Hardy, Carl Pavano, Delmon Young, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Francisco Liriano all for one-year contracts and Brendan Harris for a two-year contract) signed so quickly -- all done on the very day when figures were exchanged. But it's curious that it was indeed that fast. The Twins and one other team (I forget which, Dodgers maybe?) were the only ones that had that many arbitration eligibles. So it would have been understandable if a few of them had taken a day or two.

Now, I haven't really followed Twins contract activities in the past, so I'm not sure about what to think of this. But I seem to remember when Cuddyer was arbitration-eligible, he and the Twins came to a "hand on the doorknob to the mediator's room" agreement.

So it seems odd to me that they'd knock off all eight in one swell foop. What does it mean? Are they opening the wallet freely? Are they just trying to get it over with and just saying "whatever" to whatever the players wanted? Were all the players extraordinarily reasonable with their demands? Huh?

The Twins are seriously interested in signing Jim Thome
Um, ok. The White Sox announced earlier this evening that they're not interested in him, so speculation is that he's deciding between the Twins and the Rays.

Now Thome's great. He's the kind of player you hate, only because he always beats you. I always like him a lot better when he's in the National League.

He's been described as the nicest guy in baseball. And that came from Mike Redmond -- after Thome cracked his skull when he forgot to hold on to his bat.

But, despite all that, the curious part is: why? We already have a left-handed, and much younger, DH in Jason Kubel. And it's not like we could put Thome out in the field to rest some guys.
I know the bench is a bit thin, but I seriously think they have other needs to address first. I don't know; bringing him in is like bringing beer to a wine tasting -- really good beer, but it still doesn't quite fit.


Ok, this is a no-brainer
The estimable Seth Stohs is planning a super-duper, action-packed, star-studded, pre-TwinsFest extravaganza podcast tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Ok, I exaggerate, but it's still going to be great.

Follow this link to listen live: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks

Here's his tentative schedule (Central Time):

8:00-8:05 – Introduction

8:05-8:20 – John Sickels

8:20-8:35 – Pat Neshek

8:35-8:50 – Joe Benson

8:50-9:05 – Carlos Gutierrez

9:05-9:10 – Catch Up

9:10-9:25 – Kyle Gibson

9:25-9:35 – Open

9:35-9:45 – Denard Span

9:45-9:55 – Jeff Manship

9:55-10:00 – Wrap-Up

Be sure to tune in; it sounds like an awesome show.

Breathing

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

This Royals series had me holding my breath a couple of times, but a Twins' sweep made it all worth it.

Recap:
Friday: Twins 5 - Royals 4
Saturday: Twins 8 - Royals 7
Sunday: Twins 10 - Royals 3

Friday's game was fine, until Joe Nathan came to the mound, and then I was a mess. To be fair, I'm always nervous when the Nathanator comes out. I think his hyper-anxiety rubs off on me. I wasn't necessarily worried that he would blow the save, I was just generally worried.

I was right to be worried.

But, after the blown save, he went out for the 10th after the Twins re-took the lead. And it took him for...ev...er to pin it down, all the while I'm sitting and hyperventilating. But he did it. Whew.

Saturday's game was fine, until the bullpen came in. Duensing did just fine by only allowing 2 runs, but "Tell-me-again-why-he's-here" Keppel and "The Crainwreck" Crain each gave up two runs to allow them within two. And since Nathan was unavailable because of Friday's herculean effort, it was Guerrier's game to save. And I thought I was hyperventilating the night before. He allowed a run, but eventually got the save. Whew -- again!

Sunday's game was not hyperventilation-inducing -- thank goodness. That awesome offensive outburst in the 7th, and Pavano's nice pitching performance, was just the relaxing game I needed. Cuddy's two homeruns in one inning was a little breathtaking, though. He's the first Twin to ever do that; I, for one, think that's damn cool.

~~~

And since I forgot to recap the Texas series:
Monday: Twins 5 - Rangers 8
Tuesday: Twins 9 - Rangers 6
Wednesday: Twins 5 - Rangers 4
Thursday: Twins 1 - Rangers 11

Splitting the series was better than I expected. So, yay for that...you know, if Thursday's game hadn't been so soul crushing.

When They Are Good, They Are Very, Very Good...

...and when they are bad, they are horrid.

The Twins pitching that is.

Recap:
Friday: Twins 8 - Tigers 10
Saturday: Twins 11 - Tigers 0
Sunday: Twins 7 - Tigers 8
(3rd place; 5.5 games back; .486 winning %)

The Twins averaged 8.67 runs per game during this series, yet they only won one game. So the offense is doing its job. But when scoring 7 or 8 runs isn't enough to win, it's tough to gain ground in the division.

Pavano on Saturday was very, very good -- impressive even. I hope he keeps it up. Much has been said about his success against the Tigers and White Sox. So if he can pitch that well against them, I'll take it. But I'd really love it if he pitched that well all the time.

Swarzy on Friday was horrid. It happens; I'm not going to get too upset about it. I just hope he can shake it off and do well next time.

Scotty on Sunday was very, very good, and then horrid. Bobby Keppel was, well he was kind of good...I'll call it pitching for his big-league life. And then Matty, who's been very very good lately, was -- well, not exactly horrid, but kind of sucky.

So, here's my wish: I want the pitchers to give up fewer than three runs per game (and that means for the whole game -- not each pitcher who comes into the game) AND I want the offense to score more than four runs per game. For the whole season.

Got it Liriano? FEWER than three runs!

That Was Deflating

After a nice sweep of the Evil Uglies earlier in the week, the Twins and their momentum deflated pretty quickly, and they became the dustbunnies. Oh, and they're below .500 again.

Recap:
Friday: Twins 5 - Angels 11
Saturday: Twins 6 - Angels 11
Sunday: Twins 4 - Angels 13

(52 - 53, 3rd place, 3 games back)

Ga! It's awful having to type all those double-digit numbers for the opponent. You'd think that scoring four or more runs in a game would at least keep the Twins close. Nope.

So, not only was the entire series a big pthpthpthtphptht, but every little thing was a slow leak. Every time a positive thing happened for the Twins, the good feeling immediately floated away because of a much larger negative thing.

On Friday:

• Joey hits a 3-run homer, Nicky hits an RBI triple, and D-Span hits an RBI double; Blackie and Matty combine to let them tie it up.
• Matty and Nathanator do a nice job keeping it a tie game through the 9th and 10th; Keppel, Crain, and Dickey combine to allow six (!) runs in the top of the 11th, with help from Brendan's tangled feet at the worst possible time.
  

On Saturday:

• Red-Dog and Go-Go hit RBI extra base hits to tie the game; Swarzy allows four singles and three runs in the next half-inning.
• R.A. pitches two nice innings to keep the Twins within two; then starts his third inning of work with a single, a throwing error, a walk, and a homer -- and then Keppel relieves him and quickly gives up two homers.
  

On Sunday:

• D-Span makes an awesome grab for the first out in the 4th; Perkins allows a base-hit to the next batter who eventually scores.
• O-Cab hits his first homer as a Twin; Perkins coughs up 5 runs in the next half-inning.
  

The whole thing felt like trying to blow up a balloon with a hole in it. It gave me a headache.
~~~

Up next:
An off day, then a road trip through Cleveland.

I don't recommend taking the Indians too lightly. Their team has been devastated by a bunch of trades, so the young guys starting are hungry and fearless -- they have nothing to lose. And, they just took 2 of 3 from the Tigers (and the one they lost was in extra innings).

Wondering Where They Are ... 2009 Edition

I saw report yesterday that Everyday Eddie signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers. Good for him. Even though I was happy to see him again last year, it became clear that it wasn't going work between us. So I'm happy he found a new home in a familiar place.

Of course, that got me to thinking about other former Twins. We all know that there was very little movement for the team this off-season. Let's look at the Free Agent Tracker and see what's up...

Player	Status	Old Team	New Team
Adam Everett, SS	Signed	Minnesota	Detroit
Eddie Guardado, RP	Signed	Minnesota	Texas
Nick Punto, SS	Signed	Minnesota	Minnesota
Dennys Reyes, RP	Free Agent (B)	Minnesota	--

Ok. Well here's hoping our pal Dennys hooks on somewhere.

Let's look up some other former Twins.

Player	Status	Old Team		New Team
Livan Hernandez, SP	Free Agent	Colorado		Detroit
Jacque Jones, LF	Signed	Florida		Cincinnati
Mike Lamb, 3B	Signed	Milwaukee		Milwaukee
Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B	Free Agent (B)	Pittsburgh		--
Sidney Ponson, SP	Free Agent	NY Yankees		--
Juan Rincon, RP	Signed	Cleveland		Detroit
Kenny Rogers, SP *	Free Agent	Detroit		--

*I read on the FOX transaction page that Kenny Rogers retired. That was awhile ago, and it's not there anymore. And all the other info I can find is rumor or speculation.

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Yay! The Twins and Matt Guerrier avoided arbitration and settled on a 1-year deal. Avoiding arbitration is good. Congrats.

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.

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.

Thrown Away

Twins 4 - Tigers 5

Well, crappola.

It's waaaay more fun to come from behind and win than to go from ahead and lose. And I was planning on writing some cute and clever stuff, but now I just don't feel like it. I was going to say something about how adorable it was that after Go-Go stole third, he had to shake the dirt out of his hair. I was going to mention something about how bad Galarranga's control must be if he tries to hit Joe Mauer and misses -- twice (it's not like Joey's little or anything). I wanted to rip on the Tiger defense because they kinda looked like monkeys chucking the ball around. I planned on giving Denard a "welcome back" pat on the back for that nice defensive play and for hitting that double. Heck, I was even going to defend Gardy for arguing being warned because Glen didn't do anything wrong.

But alas, all my creativity and good will is gone. Jesse, Dennys, and Matty combined to throw it all away. I'm simply much too grumpy now. Is it possible for the bullpen to be too rested?

**Sigh**

Let's get 'em tomorrow, shall we? Please? I'd appreciate it.

*Yahhhhwwn*

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.

Un-flippin-believable

Twins 9 - Detroit 11 ugly, ugly, ugly, UGLY

What the hell does Nick Blackburn have to do to get a win? He pitched out his mind for the first 5 innings, struggled a bit in the 6^th, but still left with the lead. Is the bullpen mad at him? Perhaps the Twins shouldn't have Guerrier and Neshek relieve him anymore. It's becoming an unfavorable trend.

---

Speaking of Neshek, mini-bro noticed that his delivery is different than it used to be. He's right. Before, when Pat released the ball, his arm would fly up over his head. I remember this because BatGirl once described it as "he ends in the ‘Neshek Salute!' raising his hand to the ball to thank it for all it has done for him and wish it well on its travels". Now, his arm flies more to the side, as if he's slapping it in the face.

Dear Pat,

Perhaps the ball doesn't like you slapping it around so much. Please fix that. I fear that if you keep it up, they'll put you on an episode of "Cops". Or, more likely, they'll put me on an episode of "Cops".

Law-abidingly (for now),
k-bro.

---

Denard Span sure wanted to make a good impression. He showed good patience at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a walk, and making two (almost three) great plays in the field. And the missed catch that went for a homerun was forgivable - it was a great effort, and would have been an unbelievable play if he had made it. I liked how his teammates, especially Matt Guerrier, encouraged him between innings. Too bad the Twins wound up needing that run.

---

Does anyone else think that Jeremy Bonderman looks like an earthworm?

---

And finally, the "Make Sure You Run That Way" moment of the game:

Mea Culpa

That was a bummer! I mean an incredibly, horribly, craptasticly nasty bummer. And I take full responsibility. I was confident. I had hubris. I challenged the baseball gods. And they made our bullpen pay.

I foolishly sent an email to my boss, who grew up in Chicago, bragging that the Twins were leading and the bullpen would surely pin down the win. Ouch. I know, I know. I'm sorry. My bad. Lesson learned. Won't happen again.




My Dearest Matt and Pat;

While I do admit some fault for the sudden life in the bats of the White Sox, did you have to allow the bases to be full for Joe Crede? I mean, really?

Disappointedly,

k-bro

And finally, the "What the Hell Did He Just Say" moment of the game: Ozzie Guillen was tossed from the game in the third for arguing balls and strikes. According to John and Dazzle, he was really hollering. I would've loved to hear that. Ozzie's hard enough to understand when he's calm; I can only imagine how crazy it sounded when he was hopping mad.