Quick Notes: Dec. 5, 2010

On Tuesday, as expected, all three free-agent players that the Twins offered arbitration to; Carl Pavano, Jesse Crain, and Orlando Hudson; declined. So, if they all sign elsewhere, the Twins will receive four draft picks. I do expect them to try to re-sign Pavano and Crain. Unfortunately, there is a lot of interest from several other teams, so it's likely the Twins will be outbid. We'll see.

~~~

On Thursday, the Twins tendered contracts to all nine arbitration-eligible players. The odd thing was, apparently Clay Condrey was quietly released on November 5. It's odd because no one seemed to know, not even the beat writers. I guess the poor guy has been forgotten and left at the curb.

So now the Twins and the players have to get to work and accomplish the ever-important "avoid arbitration." Like I've mentioned before, no one actually wants arbitration. They've already taken care of Jason Repko and Pat Neshek and came to terms for next season.

There were a lot of rumors that the Twins weren't going to tender JJ Hardy a contract. Now that they have, there are a lot of rumors that a few teams are interested in trading for him. I hope not; I want him to be the Twins starting shortstop for awhile.

~~~

Our old friend Mike Redmond, who retired from the Cleveland Indians last mid-season, has been named the new manager of the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts (of the Toronto organization). Good for him. I read somewhere that he's always wanted to manage. In fact, he was quite close to starting a managing career years ago. When he was in AAA, his manager wanted to cut him, but he begged for two more weeks, and if it didn't work out he'd go manage somewhere. It did work out for him, and later that season, he made his major league debut.

I heard an interview with him a few days ago. He said that he knew it was time to retire when baseball became a "job." His body's been aching for a couple years, but because the Twins were winning, he was having fun and he felt better. The Indians weren't very good, and the losing wasn't fun at all. So, when they cut him, he knew it was time to call it a career.

He said the Blue Jays organization called him about managing about four hours after he announced his retirement (I couldn't really tell if he was exaggerating). He said that he was kind of hoping to take a year off to spend time with his family, but this was a great opportunity and he couldn't pass it up. He said his sons are looking forward to being bat boys.

The hosts went on to ask him about the Indians' young catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Fausto Carmona. He already sounded like a manager as he was talking about their bright futures.

Good luck to him. Maybe in a few years, we'll see him back in the Twins organization.

~~~

Baseball's Winter Meetings start Monday in Orlando. This is when team GMs, agents, some players, media, and other baseball folks get together and talk 2011. There is a lot of hype around the event, and baseball fans seem to really look forward to it. GMs get together to talk about possible trades; agents meet with GMs to talk free agents; free agent players shmooze to try to increase their value; and all the while, media hounds are lurking around, peeking around corners, riding elevators up and down, and performing all manners of sneaking hoping to hear a bit of information. However, for all the excitement, it usually turns out to be more talk than action.

It totally reminds me of the tech writing conferences I go to. Except on the opposite end of the nerd-cool scale.

Indians at Twins - Gems

Recap:
Tuesday: Indians 1 - Twins 5
Wednesday: Indians 0 - Twins 6
Thursday: Indians 8 - Twins 1

Twins take series 2-1: That's FIVE consecutive series.

~~~

So you've probably heard the old saying "chicks dig the long ball." Well, not this chick. This chick digs wonderful, slow, knee-buckling curves and devastating, hard sliders. Ok, we're talking about baseball. Get your mind out of the gutter. Sheesh.

But anyway, I love, love, love excellent pitching. And it was a treat to see Slowey and Liriano pitch such terrific gems. I'll admit, Baker pitched a lump of coal, but fortunately for me, I was too busy at work to pay much attention.

Before Slowey's start on Tuesday, a lot of folks were worried because he struggled during his previous start -- it just seemed like he just wasn't clicking with Joe Mauer. But all those concerns were erased when he dialed in and mowed down the Indians' batters. He was confident and precise. Just amazing.

And before Liriano's start on Wednesday, a game I went to by the way, a lot of folks were concerned because, well, because he's Francisco Liriano, and he pitched well in his previous start and we always wonder if he can be good twice in a row. Well, he can and he did. It was a lot of fun watching him strike guys out and make them swing funny. What was even more impressive was that he didn't freak out when men got on base; he was able to wiggle out of his jams and come back out strong the next inning.

As far as Scotty's lump, well, let's hope he's got that out of his system and pitches a gem next time. I think he would have had a better day if he hadn't started out with a couple tough-luck calls.

~~~

Oh, and a side-note from Wednesday's game. When Mike Redmond came to the plate, I gave him a standing ovation. I was the only one in my section to do so, but I didn't care. I miss him, and it was good to see him. And, in good old Mike Redmond form, he got beat up by a few foul tips -- just like old times.

Seeing him again made me kind of wonder why I'm not reading as many personal-interest, fun stories about the players. Is it because everyone's writing so much about Target Field right now? Is it because it's still early in the season and no one's doing anything interesting yet? Or is it because the funniest, funnest, goofiest guy on the team isn't on the team any more? I don't know. But I sure wish someone could fill his shoes in that regard.

Short Notes - Jan. 17

On Friday, Mike Redmond signed with the Indians. I don't have a problem with this; in fact, I think it's a great scenario. He's still in the division, so we'll get to see him a bunch, but he's still on a team I can tolerate. As far as division rivals go, the Indians are slightly less lovable than the Royals, but miles more lovable than the Evil Ugly White Sox.

I'll have to be sure to get tickets for a day game after a night game when Cleveland is in town. Oh, and I'd better not hear any boos for him. If I do, each and every person who does will get a personalized stink-eye from me. I mean it.

I already said my goodbyes. Twins Geek and A Voice From Twins Territory have nice tributes.

-------

On a related note, Friday was a bad day for the Twins backup catcher contingency. Apparently, Jose Morales needs wrist surgery and will likely miss a chunk of Spring Training and won't be ready for the start of the season. Bummer. I hope Buetera is up to the task.

----

Did you notice that I did a little redecorating? Winter is beginning to bum me out (oh, you too? yeah, it sucks doesn't it?), so I added a handy countdown to Pitchers and Catchers Report.

I really, really wish I could go to Spring Training, but it's not possible this year. I am looking forward to reading reports and hearing about other fans' trips, so if you're going, please share.

Also, as if I don't have enough going on in the sidebar, I've added more. There are a few more blogs in the blogroll, and there's a new podcast section (scroll down a bit to see it). And please consider helping the Red Cross help Haiti.

If you're viewing this in a reader, be sure to click through and check out the new digs.

Good Bye Old Friend

As expected, the Minnesota Twins will cut ties with Mike Redmond. And I'm none too happy about it. I get it -- the kid catchers are ready to come up and take his spot. The old gives way to the young; it's the way of baseball (actually, it's more of a "circle of life" thing). But that doesn't mean I have to like it. If it were up to me, Red would be a Twin the rest of his life. I mean, he doesn't have to actually play, he just has to wear the uniform.

Just look at the way he goes about his business. When he's on the bench, he's always the first one on the top of the dugout stairs cheering on his mates. When he's behind the plate, he's the toughest guy on the field. In fact, it's not quite right if he doesn't get dinged up, hit, battered, beat, mangled, and/or mauled. How could you not love a guy who broke out Rally Floss, coined "Smell 'em," and claimed that an MRI on his shoulder revealed a Bud Light in there. Plus, his naked-walk is legendary. And, not too long ago, he was regarded as the best back-up catcher in baseball.

I've never met him, other than a brief photo-op at Twins Fest. But I just know he's a great guy. Everything I've seen him do and everything I've read about him convinces me that he's probably the best team-mate on the team. But as much as I love the stories about him, I really admire his story. He was oh so close to never making it to AAA, let alone the bigs. But he's not the type to give up, and the Twins, and many Twins fans, are grateful for his tenacity. This is a great story about him.

So, so long my friend. I sincerely hope that you get to do what ever it is you want to do. Actually, I know that I don't have to hope; I know that you will.

Going Gray

This turned out to be a pretty fun series, but, I tell ya', it gave me a few more gray hairs than I'd like. I'm old enough that I get those on my own, thankyouverymuch.




Recap:
Friday: Twins 3 - Rangers 2
Saturday: Twins 0 - Rangers 3
Sunday: Twins 5 - Ranger 3

Joe Nathan, who happens to have a few gray hairs himself in his goatee, gave fans of all ages all over Twins Territory more than their fair share of gray hairs both Friday and Sunday. He got the save both times, of course, but, whew, it was hard to watch. And that's exactly what was fun about it. On Sunday, he had the bases loaded (thanks in part to his own error) and nobody out, and he got the next three guys to earn the save. Waaaaay too interesting, Joe. But it also proves what a great closer he really is.

Now, as good as he looks with his "touch of gray," I really need him to stop doing that for awhile. None of us need any more.

I have an idea. The Twins should have leads big enough to not be save situations (10 runs should do it) for the next several games. That way, Nathan can rest up, and the rest of us can calm down.

As for me, I got myself a new hair cut and color. No more grays for me. Let's hope Nathan doesn't make them come back for me.

~~~

Speaking of gray beards, the team's resident graybeard gave me my biggest laugh of the weekend. Mike Redmond, who could fairly be called "the slowest man in baseball" (he is old and a catcher after all), got a triple on Sunday. Yes -- a triple! The ball ran the gap and the outfielders were in so much shock that they kind of fumbled the ball a little, all the while Red was huffing and puffing around the bases, refrigerator on his back and all, and belly-flopped into third safely.

The cameras panned over to the Twins dugout where everyone was laughing his ass off. I thought Gardy was going to tip backwards right out of his folding chair because he was laughing so hard. I'm pretty sure that Red was the most surprised of all. Good times.

See, It's Not So Bad

For the first time in a really long time, the Twins are two whole games above .500. And for the first time in a really long time, the Twins have completed a winning road trip. The Royals series wasn't easy, but it turned out all right.

Recap:
Monday: Twins 2 - Royals 4
Tuesday: Twins 2 - Royals 1
Wednesday: Twins 5 - Royals 1

Some observations, in no particular order:

• For some reason, I don't get to see Nick Blackburn pitch very often; I don't think I've seen a first-pitch of his yet this season. Why is that?
  
• For some reason, when I'm listening to a day game, some stupid situation that puts my boss into a panic happens...never happens any other day.
• I thought it was funny that MLB's Gameday pitch-by-pitch site kept telling me that R.A. Dickey was throwing changeups. Um...no; those were knuckleballs.
• Nicky Punto needs some bubble wrap and Advil. After coming back from a bruised rib injury, he now has back spasms after someone (I don't remember who) slid hard into him trying to break up a double-play. The radio guys made it sound like it was a dirty slide; they said he wasn't even close to the bag.
  
• Mike Redmond will dent, but won't break -- he took a foul tip off Mitch Maier's bat to the forearm. But his bruised arm will probably be ouchie for a few days.

~~~

Dan Gladden answered a question during today's broadcast. The listener wanted to know what typical ball players do while on the road, whether they have routines such as going to bed at a certain time, and if their routines are different than they are at home. To this, Gladden replied, "it's none of your business what time I went to bed, and it's none of you business what I did out on the town!" He was joking, of course, but it got the guys talking about partying and curfews and carousing and watching TV in the hotel and such. They wouldn't really give any details to what our boys did though. So I imagine they do the following:

• They might go back to their own hotel rooms to watch ESPN or re-runs on TV Land.
• They might go out and have a meal at a cozy little diner.
  
• They might stay at the ball park to practice fielding drills.
• They might get together and play cribbage or gin.
• They might go shopping for a nice piece for their wives' snowglobe collection.
• They might go to the zoo or botanical gardens.
• They might go see a movie, but nothing racier than PG-13.
• They might log on to their laptops and check in with fans on Twitter...oh wait, never mind.
• They might head to the hotel bar and order a club soda with lime or a Shirley Temple.

Ok, I not really delusional. I'm fully aware that they're grown ups and will party as much as they want...well as much as they're allowed to. But I do imagine that painting the town red all the time might get old after a while. Actually, I don't really care what the do with their free time, as long as they play well the next day. Whatever it takes.

~~~

Up next: an off day, and then some tough series: Tigers, Yankees, then White Sox before the All-Star Game. At least the Twins are at home, so they can sleep in their own beds and stick to their favorite lucky routines.

For Every Hello, There's a Goodbye

So it was fun to see our friend Barty again, but now he and his team are gone. And it wasn't such a bad visit -- at least for the hosts.

Recap:
Monday: Twins 1 - Rays 7
Tuesday: Twins 4 - Rays 3
Wednesday: Twins 8 - Rays 3
Twins take series 2 - 1

I like the Rays; in addition to Barty and Garza, they also have Evan Longoria, who is fun to watch and darned cute. They seem like a great team -- kind of Twins-like I guess. And anyone who can help keep the Yankees and Red Sox out of the World Series is A-ok in my book. So, now that they've left town, I wish them all the best of luck -- especially when they're playing our division rivals and those Yankees and Red Sox.

~~~~~~

Speaking of saying hello, guess who comes back tomorrow. Oh, you know.


Photo from Minnesota Twins website

But, that means we have to say goodbye to someone. And that's not so fun.

We might have to say goodbye to Jose Morales. That would be a bummer because in the short time he's been here, he's managed to wiggle his cute little butt into our hearts, what with all the hitting and the trying really hard to throw out runners and call good games.

Or we might have to say goodbye, at least temporarily, to Red-Dog. That would be a bummer because that would mean putting him on the DL, which is like an insult to him. He's been so good and fun and helpful that no one wants to insult him.

What to do...what to do...?

~~~~~~

Speaking of Red-Dog, he recently had an MRI on his shoulder, and he claims they found a Bud Light in there. I don't doubt it for a second. If anyone has a beer in his shoulder, it's him. In fact, I was able to obtain a peek at his results.



I'm just wondering what they'd find if they scanned his knee. Nachos?

~~~~~~

One more goodbye: the month of April. It wasn't bad; it wasn't great -- in fact, it was .500. Here's hoping saying hello to May leads to much better than that.

Is This Gonna Be Great or What?

Ok, so I'm sitting here, and first pitch is just about to happen. I'm so excited, I just agreed to allow my son to get a tattoo of the Twins logo if they win the World Series. And I promise that I'll follow through with it, too.

So I think it'll be a good year. It'll certainly be an interesting division race. None of the so-called experts can agree with their predictions on how the teams will end up. I've heard predictions that the Twins will be anywhere from first to fourth. I've also heard predictions that any of the five teams (even the Royals) will win the division. I know what I predict....

Oh, and Morneau was soo safe!

It'll also be interesting to see if Joe Crede turns out to be the "missing piece" everyone says he is. I'll give him a month or so before I bestow him with any nicknames or anything.

Crappola, the Mariners scored. Ok Franchise, settle down.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Bert! Let's hope you get what you want -- it's what all of Twins Territory wants -- a Twins win.

I'm excited because I've already got one baseball road trip planned. I hold in my hands...tickets to see the Cardinals host the Twins (ok, I don't literally have them in my hands -- it would be awfully hard to type if did -- but I do have them in my possession). I'm really looking forward to that. I've been to St. Louis before, and I like it.

Oh come on Cuddy! Why did you take that pitch?

I'm also excited because I have tickets for the final regular season game in the Dome. I stress regular season because there is always the chance for playoff games, and I don't have tickets for those yet.

AAAARRRGGGHHHH! I guess Griffey's still got it. Rats!

No no no no no no no no no .... Red-Dog... please be ok ... please be ok ... please be ok. Whew, it looks like he's all right. And, with that, all is right wil the world. It seems that it's mandated somewhere in Baseball Olympus that Redmond must get beat up when he plays. Man he's tough, but if Joey doesn't get back soon, there isn't going to be anything left of him.

Crap, crap, crap. Torii would've caught that. Ok boys, now it's time to put some runs on the board.

So apparently, the Twins batters have taken Jim Souhan's Sunday article to heart. Jim said that games are too slow because batters work the count. But this swinging at the first pitch and grounding out isn't doing anybody any good either. So, guys, take a pitch, work the count; let's get into their bullpen, shall we?

*sigh* Well this turned out way uglier than I would've liked. I mean, seriously, getting beat by the lowly Mariners?

Oh well. The beauty of Opening Day is that I can delude myself into believing that it's only one game and it'll still be a great season. It is great to have baseball back.

It's Oh So Close...

As I write this, I am watching House (it just started...it looks like a good episode). At this time next week, I'll be DVRing House and watching Twins Baseball!...REAL, LIVE, IT-COUNTS, TWINS BASEBALL. I can't wait.

I'm very excited -- so excited that my expectations are all jumbled and disjointed and random. As usual, when I get this way, I do bullet points.

• I'm nervous that we're not really considered the underdogs this year. It always seems our boys are at their best when no one expects anything. So everyone needs to do me a favor -- please expect the Twins to come in, oh I don't know, third place this year. Thanks.
  
• I'm not really worried about Joey's sore bum. He'll be ship-shape pretty soon.
  
• I am a little worried that while Red's filling in for Joey, he'll get the crap beat out of him, because he always gets the crap beat out of him when he's behind the plate.
• Every time Kevin Slowey pitched this spring, he made me like him a little more because he's so awesome. And then today, he was a guest on the Twins radio broadcast, and he was so talkative and interesting and gracious and knowledgeable, it just made my day listening to him. I don't know, but I think he elevated his status to my second-favorite starting pitcher. A very close second-favorite at that.
  
• I am curious to see how the White Sox fans will greet Joe Crede on that first road trip to Chicago. I hope they don't boo him -- I never understood that.
• I am really looking forward to watching the Twins games in HD. My family got a nice HD TV last December. I've watched football and golf in HD, and I think it's awesome. But I haven't watched baseball in HD yet. I bet that'll be even awesome-er.
• I'm still pulling for R.A. Dickey to break camp with the team because I'm still intrigued by the idea of having a knuckleballer on the team -- especially in the Dome.
• Speaking of the Dome, I have procured tickets for the last regular-season game in the Dome. I expect tears.
• I'm equal parts amused and irritated by the news that there is someone in the MLB headquarters who has decided that D-Span wears his pants too sloppy. Riiiight...talk to me when you start warning Manny about his sloppy pants.
  

So, I just need a bit more patience...I've been waiting since October, I can wait one more week.

Oh, and House was good. The preview for next week's episode looks good too. Thank goodness for my DVR.

Red, Rumor, Champagne, Hate, and Hockey

I feel like blogging today, but I don't really have anything original to say. So I'll just comment on other people's material. Yeah, it's lazy. You got a problem with that? No? Good.


Twins pick up Redmond’s option -- Let me just say "Yay!" Ok, so this was a no-brainer. He's a great back-up catcher, and there really isn't anyone else who can step in and fill that spot. Plus he's fairly cheap and it really seems like he wants to be here. He seems like a great teammate and an all-around great guy. I'm especially pleased that the organization didn't drag its feet and wait until the last minute to pull the trigger. I imagine he's pleased by that too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twins dealing Delmon Young or Michael Cuddyer (rumor) -- Ok, before the Twins do this (the tidbit also mentions adding a starting pitcher in the trade package), they had better clear it with me first. I don't mind if they trade Delmon, if they can get somebody (or sombodies) good, but I will not allow them to trade my boyfriend. Period. And the only starting pitcher I'm willing to part with is Glen Perkins, and I still wouldn't be thrilled about it. (Yes, I am considering the source of this rumor, so I won't really worry about it too much.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baseball is overserved from champagne celebrations -- I agree. How special is the champagne celebation after winning the World Series if you've already had four in the last month or so. I mean, doesn't it get old after the first two? I propose that only two be allowed -- after clinching a playoff berth (because that's why they play the 162 games), and after winning the World Series (because that's why they play at all). In between, they should just celebrate with some nice hors d'oeuvres and an ice cream social. Or maybe even chocolate covered strawberries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the comments section of this nicely done LCS Preview, the folks over at Alright Hamilton! are having fun opining on who they hate worse, the Yankees or the White Sox. Oooh, good question. I hate them both. I hate Yankees because, as a fan of a small market team, I have an obligation to hate them. Really, I hate the attitude that their ownership (and many of their fans) has that they deserve to win because they have "money" and "tradition" and other such B.S. They're like that rich a-hole in high school who looked down his nose at everyone and who everyone followed hoping to be popular by osmosis. But, as a team of players, I respect them. I don't like them, but I do respect them.

On the other hand, I just plain hate the White Sox. And there's more to it than the fact that I'm still bitter*. They're a bunch a whining babies (A.J., Buerhle, Jenks, for example). Their manager doesn't even like them very much -- if he did, he wouldn't be complimenting the Twins so much. But the big thing is that they and their fans hate the Twins right back (well, except Ozzie -- he wuvs the Twins). They're like the kid in high school who is a jerk to everyone but can't figure out why nobody likes him. Oh, and that whole "black out" thing -- didn't they steal that from some college football team?

*Yes, I'm still bitter. And if you're thinking, "what are you? 12? Get over it." I say, "when it comes to the Evil Ugly White Sox, yes, I'm 12. Actually 11 1/2. And no, I'm not getting over it. So there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And on a non-baseball note, this is for my bud Duch, who is looking forward to Saturday night:

Just Shy of Embarassing

Tuesday: Twins 2 - Mariners 3
Wednesday: Twins 6 - Mariners 5

Well, at least we didn't get swept. That's something. Of course, we all expected better, but I guess we'll have to take what we can get. Oh, and we're back to one game back, so that's something too (thanks Orioles).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How much do we love D-Span and Red Dog today? If not for that strong, accurate throw, and the block, catch, and tag, things may have been very different. And did you see their faces after that play? They were both so happy, it was adorable. However, I'm a tad disappointed that Eddie got everyone in that situation to begin with. I'll just leave it at that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was so into being crabby the last couple days, I totally forgot to say "so long" to Mike Lamb. He had been pushed so far down to the end of the bench, I kept kinda forgetting about him. In fact, I kinda figured it would've been Boof or Everett let go because Lamb never occurred to me. Well, I do hope he hooks on somewhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, what do you think of my new computer? Well, it's not really new; it's new to me. I gave up my 10 year old laptop for a 5 year old laptop. It is a lot faster, which makes me happy. Doesn't it make my blogging look better? Too bad it can't make me a better writer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So the A's are next. I'm not going to make any predictions or demands. The Twins already know what I want. So guys, get to it and battle your tails off.

The Start of a Lot of Baseball Watching

Saturday: Twins 1 - Indians 5
Sunday: Twins 6 - Indians 2

Twins take series 2-1, and thanks to the Royals, move into FIRST PLACE!

So I took j-bro (the teenaged son), mini-bro (the not-yet-teenaged son), and mini-bro's buddy s-man to the game Saturday night. I was surprised by the size of the crowd (over 40,000). It was pretty fun -- as fun as watching a losing proposition can be. Everything was lined up for a perfect evening: we got our hats; we were surprised with free Bizarre Foods t-shirts; I had my cinnamon almonds; the fans sitting around us were fun and knowledgeable but not at all obnoxious; the only time I had to stand to let someone by was during the seventh-inning stretch; and I got to hang out with my favorite kids. But, alas, it fell just short of perfection.

Because the Twins couldn't manage to win for me, I'd have to vote for singing Sweet Caroline as the best part of the game. We were all singing along lustily (by the way, isn't that a Fenway tradition?), and when they had to turn it off to start playing baseball again, we kept singing (by "we" I mean all 40,000 of us - or however many that were left by the end of the seventh). We had to get to the next set of Ba-Ba-Ba's. And then we were so proud of ourselves, we cheered when we were done. I saw that LaVelle put it in his column and did a pretty good job recapping it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite the fact that the pre-game show treated his return like the second-coming, Liriano's performance was nerve-wracking, but effective. Way too wild for my liking. In fact, I suspect it was way too wild for Redmond's liking, too. But he didn't allow any runs, so that was good. Let's just hope he had a case of the "Welcome Back Jitters" and does even better next time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nice to see Juanie again. It was nicer to see D-Span hit that homer off him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Awww. The Big Sweat shaved off his chin-strap beard. I loved that beard; it made his face look even rounder than it already was, which I thought was adorable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Update:

This week, my family and I will be embarking on a super-secret baseball scouting mission. Ok, it's really our annual vacation, but it will be all about baseball. How cool is that? =-)

Tuesday evening, we'll be heading for the The Cell to watch the Tigers take on the White Sox. I'll admit when we bought these tickets back in March, I didn't think the White Sox and the Twins would be battling for first place when this game took place. I figured the Tigers would be running away with the division so it would be easy to root for the White Sox. But now, I'm conflicted -- I want to be a good guest and root for the home team, but I don't really want them to win. Oh well, it's only one game. I've been to this stadium once before, back when it was called New Comisky.

Wednesday afternoon, we're off to Wrigley to watch the Astros visit the Cubbies. I was tickled to even get these tickets; I understand they're hard to get. I'm even more tickled that it's a day game. I hope it's not too hot or raining. It'll be my first time at Wrigley.

Thursday evening, we're travelling to Clinton, IA, to watch a single-A game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (and affiliate of the Mariners) and the Clinton Lumberkings (Rangers). Minor league games are always a hoot.

Then Friday and Saturday, we're meeting up with a bunch of our friends to watch our Twins at the Royals. I absolutely love Kauffman stadium. And I'm looking forward to the tailgating.

I don't know, however, if I'll have the Internet access or the time to blog regularly. I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything. I do promise to file a complete report when I return.

The Good, The Good Byes, The Hellos, The Floss

Twins 4 - Indians 1

Good job, Nick Blackburn. That was a hellava pitching performance. However, I was worrying at the beginning because that Sowers guy was turning in a hellava-er pitching performance for the first five innings. Thank goodness Brendan Harris was tired of it and hit that double to end the madness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit that I'm a bit bummed to see Livan and Monroe go. I don't disagree with the decision, but I feel bad anyways. They both seemed like classy guys who really wanted to do well. It's just too bad it didn't work out. I sincerely hope they can hook on with other teams and have success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My very first impression of Randy Ruiz: "That's a biiig boy." But I loved watching him chug around the bases and scoring from first on Brendan's other double. He's pretty fast for a big fella. So far, watching him play made me smile, so that's good. I hope the pop in his bat matches his size.

I would love to see him plow into a catcher on a play at the plate. The catcher would have no chance -- no chance at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know everyone is tickled pink that Franchise finally made it here. Everyone except me -- paint me more a shade of cautiously optimistic. I don't dispute that it's time to give him a chance, I just don't think he's going to be the phenom he was in 2006. I'm hoping for solid performances out of him.

Dear Fransico, please feel free to go ahead and prove me wrong. Be the Phenom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I've made a spur of the moment decision to go to tonight's game. I wish I could go tomorrow to see Franchise, but I'm too busy. So I'll get to see Slowey tonight, and get myself a Dairy Queen Twins Cap. Not that I need another Twins cap, but it never hurts to have more than you need.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love Mike Redmond even more than I did before after reading JoeC's blog.

I asked Harris if anybody says anything like that on the bench.
“Red does,” Harris said. “He says, ‘Fifth inning’s a mother.’ ”

Ok, you just know that's not exactly what he says -- I'm guessing he adds another word to the end. Which makes that statement more hilarious, and accurate.

So what happened in the sixth?
“Rally floss,” Redmond said.
Yes, in a practice that dates to 2006, Redmond started flossing on the bench when it was time for the boys to rally against Sowers.

So, clearly, everyone needs to get himself/herself some rally floss. I think it should be the next stadium giveaway. It could be sponsored by the American Dental Association.

Day at the Dome

Twins 2 – Orioles 3
Orioles take series 2 – 1

What a great day! The only downer was that the Twins lost. But we still had fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When we first got to the Plaza, the first thing I noticed was that fabulous aroma of the Cinnamon Roasted Almonds was missing. What?!?!? Where are my Almonds? I must have those wonderful Almonds! It’s tradition. This could very well be the reason the Twins lost – they have a perfect winning percentage when I go to games AND have Almonds. **pout**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We reached our seats in the Homerun Porch, way down in row 9. Very nice. As we were settling in, the pitchers were warming up. When Juan Rincon was finished, he chucked his ball waaaaaay up into the upper deck. Everyone there let it drop, and it bounced down past bunches of people and settled two steps above where I was standing. “Well, lookie here,” I said as I snapped it up. My kids were happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scotty Baker seemed a little shaky, even though he didn’t pitch too badly. He did throw a lot of pitches, and he seemed to take forever. The Twins hitters got a lot of hits, but didn’t drive very many of them in. So it was fun and disappointing at the same time.

Joe Nathan and Dennys Reyes running sprints



Scotty Baker warming up


Delmon Young playing outfield
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Alexi,
I sincerely apologize for all the awful, rotten, confidence-bursting things I said to or about you last season. This season, you’re playing like a real major leaguer. Keep it up.
Love, k-bro
(Alexi went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I see that the Twins drafted a kid named Shooter Hunt. How cool is that? If he makes it to the majors, he’s so totally making my Cool Name Roster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicky’s on the DL again? No! He had a great game today (2 for 3 with a walk and a run). How frustrating for him. Hope you get well soon, honey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And finally, the “Go to the Ballgame Because You’ll See Something You’ve Never Seen Before” moment of the game: In the eighth inning, Redmond hit a lead-off single. It’s not surprising that they would put in a pinch-runner for him. However, it is surprising who they put in to pinch run – Kevin Slowey. I don’t remember ever seeing a pitcher used as a pinch-runner. And yeah, he did look completely out of his element when he dove back to first on pickoff attempts.

Twins Fan Seeks Baseball Boyfriend -- Part II

It's been a month now since I started evaluating my options for a new Baseball Boyfriend (BB). After much thought and consideration, I've narrowed the field of candidates. Five promising prospects survived the first cut.

Ooh, this is going to be fun. I feel a little like Annie Savoy - except without all the cool clothes*.

I've listed them in alphabetical order:

Cuddyer, Michael:

Nickname: Cuddy, Cuddy-honey

Pluses: This man is downright good-looking; gorgeous, even. The dimples, the gentle Southern accent, the quiet confidence are all very attractive qualities. Plus, the whole "don't-even-think-about-taking-an-extra-base-because-I'll-throw-your-ass-out" thing he has going on - very sexy. Plus, I already have the shirt**.

Minus: Ok, this is going to be totally irrational, but I have a real problem with the magician thing. And it's not a "gee honey, I wish you wouldn't do that" problem. It's a "if you do that, I'll have to leave the room and cower in the corner" problem. Such is the nature of phobias I guess.

Gardenhire, Ron:

Nickname: Gardy (nope, I don't have anything more original than that)

Pluses: You gotta love a man in charge. He has fun nicknames for everyone (Mike Lamb = Lammers, Carlos Gomez = Go Go). He has the cutest clichés ("battled his tail off"). And he looks a little like a garden gnome - the friendly, adorable kind, not the creepy kind.

Minus: Like managers in every profession, he doesn't really do anything; he delegates. You won't see him hitting triples, turning double plays, or striking out batters with a nice curveball. He just tells other people to.

Nathan, Joe:

Nickname: Nathanator

Pluses: The best closer ever. And he has a great smile. And the fact that he not only says he wants to be a Twin for a while, he actually proves it by signing a contract that is likely less than what he could have made if he waited to be a free agent.

Minus: One inning, at the end of the game, every once in awhile - I need more commitment than that. And while the twitching is adorable at first, it bothers me after a while.

Punto, Nick:

Nickname: LNP, Little Nicky

Pluses: He is absolutely adorable. He's just got that something. I can't name it. I love the hustle. I really love the defense. I love the sliding headfirst into first.

Minus: Let's be honest: if that batting average doesn't improve this year, he seriously jeopardizes his amount of playing time. Besides, so many guy Twins fans, and radio sports-talk show hosts, seem to throw so much hate at him, I fear I'll grow weary defending him.

Redmond, Mike:

Nickname: Red, Red-Dog

Pluses: This guy seems like he would be fun to go out and have a beer with. I think he would tell great stories. It's clear he loves this game and he loves this team. He's always on the top step of the dugout, cheering for his teammates. And I love his toughness.

Minus: That toughness makes me worry too much. Seriously, how many foul balls can a man take off his head/hands/other before he just breaks? Why does he always get nicked, banged, stung, bruised, battered, knocked, etc.? It's just hard to watch.

*In a serendipitous twist of fate, as I was typing this, I flipped the channels and found Bull Durham airing on AMC.

**The story of the "Cuddy is my boyfriend" shirt: It was 2005, before the Twins were out of it, so the games still mattered. And Bat-Girl was still in the blogging business. It was late in the game; the Twins were down by a run with two runners on. When Cuddy stepped to the plate, I told him, through the TV, "Cuddy honey, if you do something special, I'll buy your shirt." And because he can hear me when I talk through the TV, he smacked a double halfway up the baggie. And because I keep my promises, I bought the shirt, even though Brad Radke was my real boyfriend at the time.

A Few Thoughts About Today's Game

Twins 4, Bad Guys 6

• Gee, it was nice to hear Dick and Bert's voices again. I much prefer them over the ESPN morons.


• The more I see Delmon Young, the more I like him. Same with Craig Monroe.


• I'm kind of bummed that Alejandro Machado got sent to the minors in the first cuts. I like him. Same with Brian Duensing.


• How come it is that everything seems right with the world when Mike Redmond is shaking off some stinger, smack, nick, knock, or some other ouchie?


• Michael Cuddyer is the perfect spokesman for the team. He's so well spoken and he always says the right things.

And in other news:

The Texas Rangers signed Sidney Ponson to a minor-league contract. Ok, well, good luck with that. It's just interesting that he has a team now, and Kyle Lohse still doesn't.