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.