Archive for July, 2011

Well that certainly was a disappointing weekend.  After failing to pick up a series win in Texas, netting just a tie after dropping the finale, the Twins headed to Oakland.  Twins fans were hoping to pick up at least a pair of wins against a struggling Oakland team.  Unfortunately, after taking the series opener, the Twins starting pitching went south and Blackburn and Carl Pavano both turned in inadequate pitching performances and the Twins will spend their off day sulking before heading south along Interstate 5 to take on the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. I spent the weekend out of town, [...]

Tonight’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers was pretty frustrating. The Twins had a chance to win a series on the road against a very tough opponent, the Texas Rangers. Moreover, they received another stellar performance from ace Scott Baker, who lowered his season ERA to 2.86. But they just couldn’t get a clutch hit.  That loss depressed me, so I’d like to take the opportunity to have a little fun instead of dwelling on it. How about a few predicitions for the last third of the season? Nobody can really predict what will happen to the Twins the rest of [...]

Baseball is fun.  Losing sometimes muffles that part of the game.  Winning amplifies it.  But at the end of every game, win or lose, there is always a silver lining, there is always fun.  Sometimes, as on Monday, when the Twins lost 20-6, the silver lining hits you over the head (Michael Cuddyer pitching!), and other times, when the Twins lose a heart breaker, it is harder to find (if the bullpen blows a late lead and you only manage 3 hits against Luke Hochevar, but Blackburn pitched 7 scoreless).  Look hard, remember the ebb and flow that is baseball, [...]

  I should not go to Las Vegas.  The past week is proof of that.  Last week I took a look at the current roster, future call ups and the guys that were coming back from injury and I said that Joe Mauer at 1B was going to be a myth for the rest of the 2011 season.  How wrong I was.  Since that time Mauer has played at first base at least three times.  Such much for that.  Then yesterday I suggested that despite facing AL Cy Young candidate, Justin Verlander, that the Twins had a chance to beat [...]

The Twins are in the midst of a 19 game stretch played out over 18 days.  Over the past week, much has been made of the first 12 games of this stretch, all against AL Central opponents, including co-leaders Detroit and Cleveland.  The Twins have come out of the All-Star break playing a brand of baseball that still reminds fans of the early season woes that brought them 20 games under .500, but thanks to the Royals and some late game heroics from Danny Valencia, the Twins find themselves 5-3 through the first 8 games of this 19 game stretch. [...]

TORONTO — With the lastest chapter in the Matt Capps directed picture Distruction: The Story of the Twins Bullpen wrapping another successful night of shooting itself in the foot, question now arise as to what Minnesota should do to fix the problem. At this juncture, its obvious that internal solutions are non-existent, therefore outside resources must be tapped. An interesting choice would be Toronto Blue Jays relief man and former Twins Jon Rauch. That tattooed buffoon is rough around the edges of his personality but he wears that on his sleeves — and his neck, wrists chest and everywhere else. One of [...]

MINNEAPOLIS — I was sitting next to a friend, a Royals fan to be exact, and I decided to make him feel  better. It was a 1-0 score and he wanted to see some excitement; when I looked to the bullpen I knew what would cheer him up. I told him the man who’s very talent is making games exciting in a very negative way is warming up and my friend’s wishes of a exciting finish were about to come true. No less than 4 minutes later did my vision become a reality. It was the fifth straight time I [...]

For the first time all season I’ve been able to watch more than three or four games in a row and also for the first time all season I am LOVING what I am seeing (except for you Matt Capps, you are who we thought you were, only Gardy hasn’t figured it out yet).  This is the team I’ve been waiting to see all season, this is the team that I was hoping to see this spring out of the gate.  This is the kind of baseball that can give us another AL Central title (again, except for you Capps [...]

Last night I was hanging out with the Knuckleballs folks during their Twins Game Chat, as I so often do, and I offered everyone a free beer if Francisco Liriano went 7 innings.  Confidence in Frankie was so low that several individuals offered to drive to Southwestern Wisconsin to claim their drink.  After a shaky first inning, thanks to a Tsuyoshi Nishioka error and Liriano’s own ability to cover home on a wild ptich, the Royals led the Twins 2-0, Liriano had thrown 23 pitches and I figured my beers were safe.  But the baseball gods were thirsty, and the [...]

Mini ‘sports-purgatory’ is almost over…you know, the “All-Star” break where there is no watchable baseball on and really no other sports to follow either (unless you’re into Women’s Soccer, European Soccer). I mean, hell, until today there wasn’t even any Golf or Auto Racing to pass the time. But I digress. I thought I would throw some gasoline on the fire and write a little about my thoughts on the Roger Clemens case (which has now been declared a mistrial) and, in general, steroids in baseball…here we go!