Another Reason to Hate the Yankees and One Overdue Welcome

Well that sucks.

One fractured left fibula later and Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been lost for an indefinite amount of time. I wanted Luke Hughes to get his chance this season but not like this. Just not like this.

I’m in agreement with most everyone that has watched the video – or watched it happen live – that it was a hard but clean slide. Nick Swisher had a bit of a leg whip as he went into Nishi, but I believe that was a result of his natural momentum and not a result of an intent to harm our young 2B. It just sucks. This does give all of us another reason to hate the Yankees.

I can’t leave this post on such a depressing note so I’d like to change topics to get myself to a more positive place.

Fortunately I have one overdue announcement that fits the bill nicely.

I’d like to welcome the newest member of our Twins writing family here on Puckett’s Pond. You’ll recognize his name because he’s already posted twice since joining the staff on April 3rd (I told you this was overdue). Anyway, Nate Gilmore becomes the 6th member of our team here, and for all intents and purposes gives us a full boat.

You can always find his bio on our staff page, but it seems fitting to share it here as well.

"Nate is a Twins fan in exile. He grew up in the Twin Cities area, but has lived his entire adult life in Sacramento, California. He’d love to move back, but is afraid he’d jinx the Twins, since the year he moved away (2002) is the first year the Twins finally made the playoffs after nearly a decade of futility.Nate has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Sacramento State University, and he works in the public sector. He lives with his wife, a law student, and his dog, who has no formal education. When Nate’s not working or writing about baseball, he can probably be found at a local park managing the worst co-ed softball team west of the Mississippi or working toward his goal of collecting a miniature bat from all 30 MLB stadiums."

His addition brought me to a startling realization the other day. Of the 6 of us writing here on Puckett’s Pond, only one of us actually lives in Minnesota. The rest of us all grew up there but are now spread throughout the country.

• Wally: Kansas City, Missouri
• Josh: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Adam: Lombard, Illinois
• Eric: SW Wisconsin
• Paul: South Florida
• Nath: Northern California

I wish I was writing this on a brighter day or in a more positive frame of mind, but we must press on so … welcome to the team Nate! And get well soon Nishi!