Twins Sisters

Twins 2  Oakland 3

This was a good game, till the end. Francisco pitched a fantastic game but didn't get a whole lot of run support. Brendan Harris alone stranded something like 26 runners the 4 times he was up to bat.

Going into the bottom of the 9th the score was Good Guys 2, and Ugly Uniform Guys, 1. Joe Nathan came in to pitch and I just had this seed of dread in my stomach. Turns out it was with good reason! Within about five minutes it went: Single, hit batter, sac bunt, horrible throw to 3rd, error and 2 A's runs. Twins lose the game and as a result lost a great opportunity to regain 1st place in the AL Central as the Red Sox thumped the White Sox earlier in the day.

In spite of everything, the Twins are only 1/2 game behind the White Sox and very much in the thick of things. I implore all Twins fans to go to the Metrodome and support our guys when the are back. There are only 12 more regular home games this season. 12. I hope to make it to 3 of them. I want the Twins to go to the playoffs sooooooo bad!!!  I'm not going to be ready for it all to be over at the end of September!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

**Becca**

I have a hard time staying connected when the Twins are out on the West Coast for such a long time. Having to get up early for work really puts a damper on my baseball watching mojo. I wonder if I could take a leave of absence from work when the Twins are on TV so late. I could tell my boss, "Yeah, I won't be in for the next 10 days. The Twins are trying to win the AL Central and they need me to stay up late and watch the games so I'll be too tired to come into work."  I don't think that would go over too well.  Too bad I have stoopid bills that have to be paid.

I'm not sure how I feel about Everyday Eddie being back with the Twins. I remember getting annoyed when he pitched with the Twins before, but I can't remember why.  I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

I was sorry to see Mike Lamb go. I guess with LNP, Brendan, Brian and Alexi there's really no place for him to go. Hopefully some other team will pick him up next season.  I wish him the best in his future baseball endeavors.

Game 2 in Oakland is just about to start. Chicago is getting their asses kicked by Boston. This is a golden opportunity to pick up a game in the AL Central. Please win! Pretty please with sugar on top!

I miss the Twins. I can't wait till the come home. All will be right with the world again. Well, the baseball world anyway. Right now that's good enough for me. 

**Becca**

P.S. I don't know what is with blog.com right now. I can't change the font color or insert pictures so my blogs will look pretty boring till I get it figured out.....

...the Twins to remember that they're in a division race, and to quit playing like no-talent ass-clowns.  (Last time I wished for this, they went on a 10 game winning streak!)
...them to win the rest of the games with Oakland.
...Denard Span to stay awesome.
...the White Sox to lose.  And then lose some more. 
...the bullpen to realize it's ok to get guys out, perhaps even to retire the side in order.
...the starting pitching to stay awesome too.  Who would've thought going into this season that the starting pitching would be so good, minus a few really heart-rending series?
...this road trip to be over. (Stoopid Republican National Convention!)

Anything else to add?

--Tricia--

Also...Happy Birthday, Mom!

I'm just posting these clips from Scrubs because I like them.  They make me laugh every time I see them. Enjoy!

We all know the Twins split the series with the Angels this weekend.  That’s good, right?  It seemed like an admirable goal before the series started.  Then the Twins won the first game in extra innings.  Excellent.  After that, they won the second game by blowing the Angels out of the water, 9 to zip.  Even better.  So the goals changed.  Could the Twins sweep the Angels in Anaheim?  Could they take three out of four?  Nope.  There’s worlds more that I could say, but I think it’s all been covered already.  Sloppy defense, bullpen breakdowns, blah blah blah. I think baseball players are pretty good at moving on and putting lousy games behind them, so that’s what the team needs to do tonight.  (The fans are another matter altogether.  We hang on to crummy losses for a long, long time.)  They need to buck up and beat up on the Mariners.  They also need to walk Raul Ibanez unless the bases are empty and they’re up by 18 runs. 

A few random thoughts:

I liked Torii as much as anybody while he played for the Twins.  However,  he took the money and ran, he plays in L.A. now, and I’m bored with him and his sound-bite antics that the press drools over.  He got a lot of attention on FSN and in the papers during this series.  He’s a good guy but he doesn’t play for the good guys anymore.  So unless he hits a walk-off homer in the seventh game of the World Series, I’m done talking about him here.  (Sorry, Linda!  I hope you can forgive me.  I know how truly bummed you were when he left.  Have you found a new baseball boyfriend yet?)

Did anybody else think the way the Angels’ closer, Francisco Rodriguez, ended the games on Saturday and Sunday was a bit over the top?  No, not that he struck out Denard Span both days to end the games.  That’s his job, even though I was hoping he’d blow at least one of the saves.  It was the way he kissed his hands and then raised them and his face heavenward.  Was God happier that Rodriguez saved the game than He would’ve been if Span had smacked a two-run bomb? (I doubt it!) Cuz that’s what it boils down to, if you ask me, asking God to take sides in a baseball game.  Or maybe I’m just being a jerk because I’m still a little sore that the Twins didn’t win. 

--Tricia-- 

Twins take series, 2 games to 1. Today’s score: Twins 3, Athletics 1

I didn’t watch enough of the games, especially today, to write logical or entertaining game recaps. Therefore, I’ll make a list of baseball thoughts and observations. Lists can be fun too!

1. The White Sox are starting to annoy me no end. I wish they’d lose once in a while. Do they have to hit 29 home runs every game? Heck, with that kind of run support, (15 runs today) I could probably pitch and get credited with the win. As for the Mariners, they seem to think it’s ok to roll over and play dead for the White Sox. They couldn’t have won one game in that series?

2. Thank your lucky stars you’re not a Mariners fan this year. Man, that would be hard!

3. I am really rooting for the Rays now. I’m glad Barty and Matt Garza didn’t get sent to baseball hell. That, and it’s about time a team other than the Yankees or the Red Sox has a chance to win the AL East.

4. I told Twins Kid the other day when the Twins lost that the other teams want to win too because I have to teach him to be a good sport. Really though, I hate it when the Twins lose. Hate it!

5. Alexi was activated from the DL today. I’m so glad! The Twins need another good middle infielder. It’s great that he’s patient at the plate, can lay down a bunt, and occasionally hit for power.

6. I am kind of dreading this long, long road trip. For one thing, all those West Coast games are a bummer. I can’t stay up until midnight watching baseball for two weeks straight. For another thing, it seems like the pitchers’ ERAs skyrocket on these road trips. Maybe that’s skewed by those terrible road trips in Chicago, Boston and New York earlier this season. Guys? It’s ok to pitch well on the road, really!

7. I know ERA is a simplistic stat for a pitcher, but I bet the more advanced ones took a hit on those crappy road trips too.

8. Brian Buscher is pretty good at smacking the ball with authority. Go Go is a good center fielder. He can get to balls that what’s his name, Torii somebody, probably can't.  So I’m wondering, what’s easier to teach? Can someone teach Gomez not to flail away at nearly every pitch he sees? Or would it perhaps be easier to teach Buscher to be a better-fielding 3^rd baseman? How’s that for a long-winded way to ask, is it easier to teach fielding or hitting and plate discipline?

9. I hope like crazy that the Twins have a good road trip. Come on guys, just pretend you’re at the Dome, ok? You all have good imaginations, I bet.  Think about how much fun it would be to come home with a 10-4 road trip under your belts. Wouldn’t that be excellent?

--Tricia--

I saw Michael Phelps win his 8th Gold Medal last night in a bar in Tower, Minnesota.  There was a band playing "Jenny 867-5309" but no one was paying attention. Imagine a small hick bar in the middle of nowhere with 100 people crammed in watching a 26 inch TV above the bar. The whole place went crazy and it was a blast to watch history in the making with a ton of other people.  It is one of those things I will always remember.


Back to baseball....
I saw the first few innings of Saturday's game and that was about it.  Our summer friends swept Seattle, so woo hoo!  Good thing because the White Sox didn't lose at all this weekend, either. I really think the Central Division will go right down to the last series with the White Sox at the Dome.  That is going to be a nerve wracking 3 games!

Can you believe there's only about 6 weeks of the regular season left? Time really goes by far too fast!

**Becca**

I am not going to watch the game against the Yankees tonight.  That ugly, sweaty Sidney Ponson is pitching against the Twins yet again, and I can't even bear the thought of losing to him again, nevermind sitting down to watch it happen.  Yuck!!  If the Twins win, then yahoo!  If I miss a good game, I'm sure I'll get over it. 

Besides, the Yankees just got swept by the Angels.  I can just imagine them on the plane to Minneapolis talking amongst themselves.  "Thank God we get to go play the Twins.  Whew!  We could use a break.  They always roll over and play dead for us, because we're the YANKEES. We rule all!" 

Ok, maybe they don't really say that, but I bet they think it.  (Even though there's plenty of evidence to the contrary.)

For anyone brave enough to watch tonight, enjoy the game!

--Tricia--

p.s.  Did anyone else find Friday night's game against the Royals excruciating to watch, even though the Twins won?