Well, it appears I picked a fine time to miss a few ugly games. As some of you may know I was incommunicado this weekend due to Girls Family Vacation 2007. I can’t say that I necessarily “missed” seeing the Twins fail to deliver anything spectacular. I watched a little of last night’s game (Monday) until the storm got bad and FSN was flickering. First, I hate West Coast games because they don’t start until 9:00 p.m. and when I have to be to work at 7:00 a.m. that sucks. Laziness aside, I had some hope in the 7th when Baby Jesus (Mauer) tied the game. I thought…hey, this is it; this is Eye of the Tiger!
Denied.
So…moving on. This morning I was told by a co-worker to start preparing for football season since our baseball one will be ending. Well, I couldn’t deck the guy but I did give him a firm “dressing down” for pissing in my Wheaties at 7:15 a.m. (first day back after a long weekend.) Seriously, if you want to mess with the bull you are going to get the verbal horns. Note: I am trying to fit as many random sayings into this entry.
Amy, can you guess who said that to me?
Well, c’est la vie. Today is another day and another game. Let’s hope Garza can live up to his Wonder Boy title and take care of Seattle.
Showing posts with label baby jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby jesus. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
You could be my flamingo, 'Coz pink is the new kinda lingo - Aerosmith
Maybe I am of the generation that expects to be fully entertained at all moments of the day. Maybe I do have a short attention span. I may also be desensitized towards violence thanks to television. Either way…the All-Star game was a snooze-fest. I mean, seriously? The best part was the red carpet, tribute to Willie Mays and the player introductions. After the first inning it was all a blur. Of course, that could be attributed to my alcohol consumption. Yep, I was a sad, sad country song last night. I sat at home, alone, drinking my beer and watching baseball. Actually, I don’t think I was really alone since Amy and I talked on the phone for most of the game. Ah well, tonight we have a night off from baseball and then the Twins are back home tomorrow against the A’s.
Spoiled Baseball Brat
I have a feeling that when I attend the game on Friday I may be ruined for all other seats in the dome. These suite seats include all you can drink, food (including a carving station!), bric-a-bracs, leather seats, private bathrooms and many other perks. My goal (besides trying not to look like a trashy fan) is to get some autographs from past players; evidently they hang out in the area too. Tony Oliva, I am watching for you! (In a non-creepy, non-threatening way.)
Pink, that is the question
Over at Metgrrl.com, my favorite non-Twins baseball blog, there was a brief discussion on pink. You see, there are different ways to represent with pink. Pink glove; cool. Pink “Marry Me Joe Mauer” t-shirts; not cool. It is a fine line to walk. For the first year of Lucy’s life I refused (adamantly) to allow her to wear the pink cheerleading Twins outfit she got. If she was going to be a real fan she would wear real clothes. However, I have since loosened up on that policy. I figure if she grows up to love baseball as much as I do the world will be a better place, even if she wears a “Mrs. Mauer” (or even a “Mrs. Wright”, as long as it stays either Twins or a National League team) t-shirt. I am shuddering at the thought. I am totally okay if little girls (heck, even little boys) wear the pink shirts. I don’t know why I have this hatred of pink bred into me. Maybe it is because of my pasty white complexion and red hair, it makes wearing pink impossible.
Side note
Amy channeled our friend Foley (who often says inappropriate but funny things) last night when she was observing the frequent butt-pats amongst the players. Now, I know I need to grow up and not giggle at this but there was one pointed moment when Pudge gave Bonds a little pat. Amy commented that she wouldn’t mind doing that either. Ah, girls will be girls, even when they are deeply committed to baseball.
Spoiled Baseball Brat
I have a feeling that when I attend the game on Friday I may be ruined for all other seats in the dome. These suite seats include all you can drink, food (including a carving station!), bric-a-bracs, leather seats, private bathrooms and many other perks. My goal (besides trying not to look like a trashy fan) is to get some autographs from past players; evidently they hang out in the area too. Tony Oliva, I am watching for you! (In a non-creepy, non-threatening way.)
Pink, that is the question
Over at Metgrrl.com, my favorite non-Twins baseball blog, there was a brief discussion on pink. You see, there are different ways to represent with pink. Pink glove; cool. Pink “Marry Me Joe Mauer” t-shirts; not cool. It is a fine line to walk. For the first year of Lucy’s life I refused (adamantly) to allow her to wear the pink cheerleading Twins outfit she got. If she was going to be a real fan she would wear real clothes. However, I have since loosened up on that policy. I figure if she grows up to love baseball as much as I do the world will be a better place, even if she wears a “Mrs. Mauer” (or even a “Mrs. Wright”, as long as it stays either Twins or a National League team) t-shirt. I am shuddering at the thought. I am totally okay if little girls (heck, even little boys) wear the pink shirts. I don’t know why I have this hatred of pink bred into me. Maybe it is because of my pasty white complexion and red hair, it makes wearing pink impossible.
Side note
Amy channeled our friend Foley (who often says inappropriate but funny things) last night when she was observing the frequent butt-pats amongst the players. Now, I know I need to grow up and not giggle at this but there was one pointed moment when Pudge gave Bonds a little pat. Amy commented that she wouldn’t mind doing that either. Ah, girls will be girls, even when they are deeply committed to baseball.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Ah baseball. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Great Games!
What a great weekend of baseball. Even the fact we lost on Sunday did not detract from the greatness of Baker. Friday we spanked Los Tigres and Baby Jesus got a Grand Slam. However, it did take a barter with the Baseball Gods that if Baby Jesus got some runs in I would cease to mock him being the Hometown Hero for the rest of the roadtrip. So, thanks a lot Baby Jesus.
Baseball Blogging Meet-n-Greet
Saturday a few of the local baseball bloggers met at the Park Tavern to watch the game. I decided to crash the party in order to watch the game with knowledgeable fans. Some of my favorite blogs that I read were represented at the event.
All-Star Rant
I know, I know. It has all been said already and my fellow cubicle-dwellers are sick of me bitching but… What the hell happened? Santana, Morneausey and Hunter are representing the Twins for the AL team but they were not picked by fans. Risa at Curlz and Curveballs (http://www.curlzandcurveballs.blogspot.com/) pretty much covered my rant but I am going to re-state it anyways. Ortiz as first baseman? Why is the DH put at first base? To Amy’s point, that is one of the toughest spots of the field. He has played that position like five times this season. Do the fans not realize that this is still a baseball game? That if they want the American League to win they should vote for a great player? Hey, I know. Why don’t we put the reigning AL MVP, who happens to be a first baseman at the spot? Uh, no thanks, lets put the guy who hits a lot of homeruns but isn’t a defense player. Thanks fans. Okay, before I get too ghetto and take out my hoop earrings I am going to move on.
Yankees or Bust
I have come to the conclusion that the reason the Yankees are a lot of peoples arch-nemesis is not because of the players but mostly because of the media and maybe Steinbrenner. They are America’s team. Even my friends in Tromso, Norway ask for Yankees t-shirts (they had also wanted the “My Governor can beat up your governor” t-shirts when Jesse Ventura was elected.) Anyways, we are starting a four-game stand at Yankee Stadium with Clemens the first pitcher we face. I feel a little tension going into this game and I believe it is affecting my work. All I want to do is read, compare, study, and analyze the stats. I guess we’ll see what happens in the real world of baseball tonight at 6:05 p.m. I may have to leave my happy hour early in order to catch the game. Man, my friends are totally going to mock me.
Randomly random
By the way, anyone else getting nervous about baseball ending too soon?
It is officially half way through the season now and I have been remembering what late October felt like. November, December, January, February and part of March were dull, boring and slightly depressing.
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sonnets from the Portuguese, XLIII
What a great weekend of baseball. Even the fact we lost on Sunday did not detract from the greatness of Baker. Friday we spanked Los Tigres and Baby Jesus got a Grand Slam. However, it did take a barter with the Baseball Gods that if Baby Jesus got some runs in I would cease to mock him being the Hometown Hero for the rest of the roadtrip. So, thanks a lot Baby Jesus.
Baseball Blogging Meet-n-Greet
Saturday a few of the local baseball bloggers met at the Park Tavern to watch the game. I decided to crash the party in order to watch the game with knowledgeable fans. Some of my favorite blogs that I read were represented at the event.
All-Star Rant
I know, I know. It has all been said already and my fellow cubicle-dwellers are sick of me bitching but… What the hell happened? Santana, Morneausey and Hunter are representing the Twins for the AL team but they were not picked by fans. Risa at Curlz and Curveballs (http://www.curlzandcurveballs.blogspot.com/) pretty much covered my rant but I am going to re-state it anyways. Ortiz as first baseman? Why is the DH put at first base? To Amy’s point, that is one of the toughest spots of the field. He has played that position like five times this season. Do the fans not realize that this is still a baseball game? That if they want the American League to win they should vote for a great player? Hey, I know. Why don’t we put the reigning AL MVP, who happens to be a first baseman at the spot? Uh, no thanks, lets put the guy who hits a lot of homeruns but isn’t a defense player. Thanks fans. Okay, before I get too ghetto and take out my hoop earrings I am going to move on.
Yankees or Bust
I have come to the conclusion that the reason the Yankees are a lot of peoples arch-nemesis is not because of the players but mostly because of the media and maybe Steinbrenner. They are America’s team. Even my friends in Tromso, Norway ask for Yankees t-shirts (they had also wanted the “My Governor can beat up your governor” t-shirts when Jesse Ventura was elected.) Anyways, we are starting a four-game stand at Yankee Stadium with Clemens the first pitcher we face. I feel a little tension going into this game and I believe it is affecting my work. All I want to do is read, compare, study, and analyze the stats. I guess we’ll see what happens in the real world of baseball tonight at 6:05 p.m. I may have to leave my happy hour early in order to catch the game. Man, my friends are totally going to mock me.
Randomly random
By the way, anyone else getting nervous about baseball ending too soon?
It is officially half way through the season now and I have been remembering what late October felt like. November, December, January, February and part of March were dull, boring and slightly depressing.
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sonnets from the Portuguese, XLIII
Monday, June 18, 2007
A Win is a win is a win…
But it wasn’t pretty. I guess I got cocky after sweeping the Braves. I strutted (yes, strutted) around my office proud of my Twins. I enjoyed rubbing the sweep in the faces of the pseudo-fans (they are the fans that like whatever team is most popular…*cough*Yankees*cough.) And then the Brewers showed up and brought their bats. We, however, did not bring our bats or a pitcher. Friday night I let the embarrassing 3-11 loss go by, Saturday I thought we were going to pull it off but was disappointed and Sunday…well, it is still a fresh wound/win.
It was ugly. I was at home watching the game and feeling comfortable of our 9-2 lead, I even dozed off, then it was time to leave and head to a friend's house. By the time I found the game on the radio it was 9-8. What? What happened? For a moment there I thought it was my fault. If only I would have stayed at home and kept watching maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe Rincon wouldn’t have given up the hits, maybe Twitch n’Pitch (Nathan) would have felt more confidence. I arrived at my destination, ran in the house, turned on my friend’s television and saw Morneausey hit his walk-off to save the day…again. He isn’t the MVP just because he’s pretty. It looks like Morneasey is going to give A-Rod a run for the homerun count.
That leaves us with an open question…What are we going to do about pitching?
Baseball Side note:
I have lost my bartering abilities with the Baseball Gods. In the past few years I have always tried to bribe the Baseball Gods when Baby Jesus (Mauer) was up to bat. If it was a tight game I would ask the Baseball Gods to give Baby Jesus a home run, single, sac-fly, whatever and then in return I wouldn’t mock Baby Jesus by calling him the Hometown Hero…so on and so on. Anyways, Saturday night it didn’t work! It did not work! I must have angered the Baseball Gods. No amount of pleading, begging or swearing would work to get us ahead. Damn it.
*disclaimer: I really like Mauer, he is a great player but it is fun to play off the “hometown hero” bit.
It was ugly. I was at home watching the game and feeling comfortable of our 9-2 lead, I even dozed off, then it was time to leave and head to a friend's house. By the time I found the game on the radio it was 9-8. What? What happened? For a moment there I thought it was my fault. If only I would have stayed at home and kept watching maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe Rincon wouldn’t have given up the hits, maybe Twitch n’Pitch (Nathan) would have felt more confidence. I arrived at my destination, ran in the house, turned on my friend’s television and saw Morneausey hit his walk-off to save the day…again. He isn’t the MVP just because he’s pretty. It looks like Morneasey is going to give A-Rod a run for the homerun count.
That leaves us with an open question…What are we going to do about pitching?
Baseball Side note:
I have lost my bartering abilities with the Baseball Gods. In the past few years I have always tried to bribe the Baseball Gods when Baby Jesus (Mauer) was up to bat. If it was a tight game I would ask the Baseball Gods to give Baby Jesus a home run, single, sac-fly, whatever and then in return I wouldn’t mock Baby Jesus by calling him the Hometown Hero…so on and so on. Anyways, Saturday night it didn’t work! It did not work! I must have angered the Baseball Gods. No amount of pleading, begging or swearing would work to get us ahead. Damn it.
*disclaimer: I really like Mauer, he is a great player but it is fun to play off the “hometown hero” bit.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hell of a weekend for baseball
Here's Lucy!What a beautiful weekend of baseball. We had a series with the Blue Jays and started a series with our arch-enemies, White Sox. In the three games I went to I had four beers, one brat, one root beer float, one pretzel, one bag of cotton candy (pink) and a giant soda.
Friday night
Since Steve is now a lawyer we used his perks to score the sweet Dorsey & Whitney (law firm) seats. We sat 14 rows up from home plate (close to our “on deck” circle) and it was amazing. After I got over my initial nervousness of being just shy of the safety netting (we could have potentially gotten smacked by a foul ball (and me without my helmet) I settled in to enjoy the running commentary from Steve. Here is a snippet of the conversation:
Steve: Hey, where is Joe Mauer? I wanted to see Joe Mauer squatting in front of us!
Jen: He’s hurt; he has a hamstring injury that is taking the world’s longest time to recover.
Steve: - pouting –
Jen: Wow, the Bat Boy is cute from this angle.
Steve: He has to be at least 18, right?
Jen: Let me text message Amy.
Jen: Oh, Amy says we are pervs for thinking that.
Steve: He looks nice; I think he has potential for hotness (he’s talking about Cirillo)
Jen: Mmm…
Steve: Did you see that? He’s cute? What does that sign mean?
Steve: What’s happening now?
Jen: Mmm…
Yeah, by the fourth inning I was using my “Selective Hearing” to filter Steve. I did have lot so fun at the game with him and I owe him big time for the tickets, beer and root beer float.
Saturday night
I was living the single gal’s nightmare on Saturday evening. I was crammed in the upper deck in the middle of the row between toddlers and a breast feeding mom. We were celebrating Bennett’s second birthday – Happy Birthday Bennett! The game was good (although the end result of losing after 13 innings wasn’t good) and I think Lucy enjoyed the game. I did get Lucy a Morneausey t-shirt that she can now wear with pride.
Sunday afternoon
Amy, her parents and I enjoyed a fun game, which ended with our winning. Still no Baby Jesus in the line-up but Barty (Bartlett) was back at Shortstop. It was Armed Forces Appreciation Day so we had singing, flags, awards and video messaging from overseas. I will admit that I did tear up a time or two.
Monday afternoon
I wasn’t at the game and I only caught the last three innings but I guess they were the best. What an awesome game made sweeter by the Pierzynski drama. Like Ozzie Guillen said “If he’s not on your team, you hate him. If he is on your team, you hate him less.” Pierzynski is the man everyone loves to hate, including me.
Well, before I sign off I would like to make note that I will be gone for a week and unable to update this blog. I hope to follow the game on recaps but I don’t think they will show them on television, especially not where I am going. I will see you next week if all goes well in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.
Friday night
Since Steve is now a lawyer we used his perks to score the sweet Dorsey & Whitney (law firm) seats. We sat 14 rows up from home plate (close to our “on deck” circle) and it was amazing. After I got over my initial nervousness of being just shy of the safety netting (we could have potentially gotten smacked by a foul ball (and me without my helmet) I settled in to enjoy the running commentary from Steve. Here is a snippet of the conversation:
Steve: Hey, where is Joe Mauer? I wanted to see Joe Mauer squatting in front of us!
Jen: He’s hurt; he has a hamstring injury that is taking the world’s longest time to recover.
Steve: - pouting –
Jen: Wow, the Bat Boy is cute from this angle.
Steve: He has to be at least 18, right?
Jen: Let me text message Amy.
Jen: Oh, Amy says we are pervs for thinking that.
Steve: He looks nice; I think he has potential for hotness (he’s talking about Cirillo)
Jen: Mmm…
Steve: Did you see that? He’s cute? What does that sign mean?
Steve: What’s happening now?
Jen: Mmm…
Yeah, by the fourth inning I was using my “Selective Hearing” to filter Steve. I did have lot so fun at the game with him and I owe him big time for the tickets, beer and root beer float.
Saturday night
I was living the single gal’s nightmare on Saturday evening. I was crammed in the upper deck in the middle of the row between toddlers and a breast feeding mom. We were celebrating Bennett’s second birthday – Happy Birthday Bennett! The game was good (although the end result of losing after 13 innings wasn’t good) and I think Lucy enjoyed the game. I did get Lucy a Morneausey t-shirt that she can now wear with pride.
Sunday afternoon
Amy, her parents and I enjoyed a fun game, which ended with our winning. Still no Baby Jesus in the line-up but Barty (Bartlett) was back at Shortstop. It was Armed Forces Appreciation Day so we had singing, flags, awards and video messaging from overseas. I will admit that I did tear up a time or two.
Monday afternoon
I wasn’t at the game and I only caught the last three innings but I guess they were the best. What an awesome game made sweeter by the Pierzynski drama. Like Ozzie Guillen said “If he’s not on your team, you hate him. If he is on your team, you hate him less.” Pierzynski is the man everyone loves to hate, including me.
Well, before I sign off I would like to make note that I will be gone for a week and unable to update this blog. I hope to follow the game on recaps but I don’t think they will show them on television, especially not where I am going. I will see you next week if all goes well in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.
Friday, May 11, 2007
I am going to the game and I am going to clap well!
With those who don't give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them. ~Art Hill
I am going to the game tonight. I am going to watch Santana find his groove and piss the batters off. I am going to make polite comments about the Tigers since I still respect them as a team. I will do that until September and the rankings start closing in, then it is every man for himself. I am going to drink beer and eat a helmet sundae. I am going to use my high-powered ‘nocs (binoculars) to watch people in the crowd. I am going to miss Baby Jesus in the line-up because I wanted to make an inappropriate comment about him being considered one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors (click here for complete article.) I am going to keep score the correct way, unless something exciting happens and I miss an inning. Finally, I am going to enjoy the first Jen & Amy solo-game extravaganza of 2007!!!
Go Twins!!!
I am going to the game tonight. I am going to watch Santana find his groove and piss the batters off. I am going to make polite comments about the Tigers since I still respect them as a team. I will do that until September and the rankings start closing in, then it is every man for himself. I am going to drink beer and eat a helmet sundae. I am going to use my high-powered ‘nocs (binoculars) to watch people in the crowd. I am going to miss Baby Jesus in the line-up because I wanted to make an inappropriate comment about him being considered one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors (click here for complete article.) I am going to keep score the correct way, unless something exciting happens and I miss an inning. Finally, I am going to enjoy the first Jen & Amy solo-game extravaganza of 2007!!!
Go Twins!!!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Homerun, anyone?
Well obviously I am going to Hoot & Halla about Morneausey sealing the deal last night. What a great ending! It was like the end of some baseball blockbuster movie starring Brad Pitt or Kirk Douglas (yeah, I know that there are movies out there like that.) You can’t make this stuff up! Hey Twins fans, haven’t you noticed that we seem to have a lot of endings like this? Final regular season game of 2006? Man, it is good to be a Twins fan right now.
Since I am still all a-fluttered over the ending I will just post the results from Sports Illustrated’s top 50 article:
Nate Silvers : Baseball’s 50 Most Valuable Players – 2007
No. 46. Francisco Liriano, P, Twins, Age 23 (Not Rated)
Before his injury, PECOTA thought he was the second-best pitcher in the game after Johan Santana. If I were doing PR for Liriano, I'd explain that his Tommy John surgery was just a way to keep his pitch counts down. TJ ain't what it used to be, and an increasing number of pitchers, ranging from Mariano Rivera to Chris Carpenter to John Smoltz, have recovered to be at least as good as they were pre-surgery. In some ways I prefer this course to a long series of ticky-tack injuries (think Rich Harden and Mark Prior).
No. 40. Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins, Age 26 (NR)
He won an MVP award last season at age 25 but his 52.0 Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) was just 13th in the American League, behind lesser heralded players such as Carlos Guillen and Jermaine Dye. That goes to underscore just how deep the first base position is these days. Morneau may have seasons in which he approaches last year's numbers, but he's unlikely to exceed them. His ranking goes up a bit if you're drafting for certainty rather than upside.
No. 3. Johan Santana, P, Twins, Age 28 (5)
If Barry Zito got $126 million from the Giants, what is Johan Santana worth? We maintain a statistic called Marginal Value Over Replacement Player (MORP), which anticipates the market price for players based on recent transactions in the free agent market. That statistic estimates that, if Santana were a free agent, his services this season would be worth $28 million.
No. 2. Joe Mauer, C, Twins, Age 24 (6)
Everyone in the Top 10 is in rarified air, but there has probably never been a baseball player like Mauer. As everyone knows by now, he was the first American League catcher to win a batting title, but that's really just the start of his skill set. Mauer also takes walks, hits plenty of doubles, plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, has 25 steals in 29 lifetime attempts and is big and strong enough to develop into a 20-homer threat. Combine any two of those skills in one package, and you have a potential All-Star catcher. Mauer has all of them. There's some concern that Mauer is too tall to stay at the catcher position, but considering how unique he is in every other department, why fret about that?
Number 1 is Albert Pujols – not a Twins so I don’t need to fill in the rest.
Side Note with evil laughter: Derek Jeter was ranked as #31.
I am in agreement with the guys over at Pulling a Blyleven . Why is Morneausey #40 on this list? Reigning MVP? Come on!
Since I am still all a-fluttered over the ending I will just post the results from Sports Illustrated’s top 50 article:
Nate Silvers : Baseball’s 50 Most Valuable Players – 2007
No. 46. Francisco Liriano, P, Twins, Age 23 (Not Rated)
Before his injury, PECOTA thought he was the second-best pitcher in the game after Johan Santana. If I were doing PR for Liriano, I'd explain that his Tommy John surgery was just a way to keep his pitch counts down. TJ ain't what it used to be, and an increasing number of pitchers, ranging from Mariano Rivera to Chris Carpenter to John Smoltz, have recovered to be at least as good as they were pre-surgery. In some ways I prefer this course to a long series of ticky-tack injuries (think Rich Harden and Mark Prior).
No. 40. Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins, Age 26 (NR)
He won an MVP award last season at age 25 but his 52.0 Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) was just 13th in the American League, behind lesser heralded players such as Carlos Guillen and Jermaine Dye. That goes to underscore just how deep the first base position is these days. Morneau may have seasons in which he approaches last year's numbers, but he's unlikely to exceed them. His ranking goes up a bit if you're drafting for certainty rather than upside.
No. 3. Johan Santana, P, Twins, Age 28 (5)
If Barry Zito got $126 million from the Giants, what is Johan Santana worth? We maintain a statistic called Marginal Value Over Replacement Player (MORP), which anticipates the market price for players based on recent transactions in the free agent market. That statistic estimates that, if Santana were a free agent, his services this season would be worth $28 million.
No. 2. Joe Mauer, C, Twins, Age 24 (6)
Everyone in the Top 10 is in rarified air, but there has probably never been a baseball player like Mauer. As everyone knows by now, he was the first American League catcher to win a batting title, but that's really just the start of his skill set. Mauer also takes walks, hits plenty of doubles, plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, has 25 steals in 29 lifetime attempts and is big and strong enough to develop into a 20-homer threat. Combine any two of those skills in one package, and you have a potential All-Star catcher. Mauer has all of them. There's some concern that Mauer is too tall to stay at the catcher position, but considering how unique he is in every other department, why fret about that?
Number 1 is Albert Pujols – not a Twins so I don’t need to fill in the rest.
Side Note with evil laughter: Derek Jeter was ranked as #31.
I am in agreement with the guys over at Pulling a Blyleven . Why is Morneausey #40 on this list? Reigning MVP? Come on!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Well, there is just a lot of info I have to share including some risqué pictures
Friday 5/4: Twins 0, RedSox 2 - L
Saturday 5/5: Twins 2, RedSox 1 – W
Sunday 5/6: Twins 3, RedSox 4 – L (but we really tried to fight back!)
I was in attendance at the game on Friday to watch Hi Ho Silva pitch “not badly.” When is it a good thing when our pitchers do “not bad?” Anyways, I was at the game celebrating my birthday with my posse (minus Amy who is finally back from Hawaii.) We started out at Matty B’s (bar owned by Matt Birk, MN Viking’s player) then wandered over to the Metrodome to get good seats. I had beer, brat, pretzel and cotton candy. I think the sugar high was worse than a hang over! Whenever I go to a game with J.B. we always have a standing bet around Torii Hunter. J.B. is not a Torii fan and well, I am. We have a $1 on every time Torii is up to bat. If Torii strikes out, flies out or otherwise does not make it to first base I pay J.B. a dollar. If Torii touches first on a walk, single, fielder’s choice, homerun or whatever, I get a dollar. Friday was a very good game for me. I made $4! AND, I got to rub it in J.B.’s face that Torii is on fire! (Currently Torii is at a 21-game hitting streak.) After the game we went to Kieran’s for post-game libations.
The Word on Baby Jesus (Mauer):
The Hometown Hero is on the 15-Day DL for a quadri-something muscle strain. I may mock Baby Jesus (understatement?) but I do know that not having him will hurt us.
In non-baseball news:
Joe “Baby Jesus” Mauer was chosen as one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors by Hollywood Extra. Tee hee hee (evil laugh). Oh man, this is going to be good. Not only does he have a write up and television spot on the show he also is the prize in the “Win a Date with Joe Mauer” contest.
Click here to read his article on the Extra website:
A Great Catch - Literally!
http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2007/05/a_great_catch_literally.html
Other Twins Game News:
We lost on Friday; I was there to watch the lazy loss. We won on Saturday; I watched that one on T.V. and enjoyed the win for Santana. We lost on Sunday with Ponson on the mound. He has had one good game out of all his starts and it wasn’t Sunday’s. That was a sad show.
Outside of the Twins Baseball News:
Random Photos:
Saturday 5/5: Twins 2, RedSox 1 – W
Sunday 5/6: Twins 3, RedSox 4 – L (but we really tried to fight back!)
I was in attendance at the game on Friday to watch Hi Ho Silva pitch “not badly.” When is it a good thing when our pitchers do “not bad?” Anyways, I was at the game celebrating my birthday with my posse (minus Amy who is finally back from Hawaii.) We started out at Matty B’s (bar owned by Matt Birk, MN Viking’s player) then wandered over to the Metrodome to get good seats. I had beer, brat, pretzel and cotton candy. I think the sugar high was worse than a hang over! Whenever I go to a game with J.B. we always have a standing bet around Torii Hunter. J.B. is not a Torii fan and well, I am. We have a $1 on every time Torii is up to bat. If Torii strikes out, flies out or otherwise does not make it to first base I pay J.B. a dollar. If Torii touches first on a walk, single, fielder’s choice, homerun or whatever, I get a dollar. Friday was a very good game for me. I made $4! AND, I got to rub it in J.B.’s face that Torii is on fire! (Currently Torii is at a 21-game hitting streak.) After the game we went to Kieran’s for post-game libations.
The Word on Baby Jesus (Mauer):
The Hometown Hero is on the 15-Day DL for a quadri-something muscle strain. I may mock Baby Jesus (understatement?) but I do know that not having him will hurt us.
In non-baseball news:
Joe “Baby Jesus” Mauer was chosen as one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors by Hollywood Extra. Tee hee hee (evil laugh). Oh man, this is going to be good. Not only does he have a write up and television spot on the show he also is the prize in the “Win a Date with Joe Mauer” contest.
Click here to read his article on the Extra website:
A Great Catch - Literally!
http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2007/05/a_great_catch_literally.html
Other Twins Game News:
We lost on Friday; I was there to watch the lazy loss. We won on Saturday; I watched that one on T.V. and enjoyed the win for Santana. We lost on Sunday with Ponson on the mound. He has had one good game out of all his starts and it wasn’t Sunday’s. That was a sad show.
Outside of the Twins Baseball News:
Everyone (and I mean every publication) is talking about Clemens’s signing with the Yankees. Like this is a big surprise! Hello? He signed a one-year contract worth $28,000,022. That is more than a ¼ of the Twins entire salary.
Speaking of Twins salary…
Quoting John Donovan from Sports Illustrated
“I'll take Bud Selig's job for a day, if I can get his prorated salary, too. Actually, I was talking to an NL GM in spring training about the culture around the Twins. Not only do they hire good people but they keep good people. Few organizations engender such loyalty -- I'm talking scouts, coaches, secretaries, you name it. It's a credit to Terry Ryan, a man who refused to even talk to other franchises about GM openings when his team was on the contraction chopping block.”
Speaking of Twins salary…
Quoting John Donovan from Sports Illustrated
“I'll take Bud Selig's job for a day, if I can get his prorated salary, too. Actually, I was talking to an NL GM in spring training about the culture around the Twins. Not only do they hire good people but they keep good people. Few organizations engender such loyalty -- I'm talking scouts, coaches, secretaries, you name it. It's a credit to Terry Ryan, a man who refused to even talk to other franchises about GM openings when his team was on the contraction chopping block.”
Non-baseball Sporting News:
It was a good fight but the Rangers are out of the NHL playoffs. They really tried but couldn’t get past the Sabers yesterday.
Random Photos:
Here are a couple discriminating photos of Snake after many hours of celebrating. I believe he has defiled the sign from the Kieran's:
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Twins 6, Mariners 5 - the last inning was a nail biter
Minnesota Twins 6, Mariners 5
Whew, it was a pretty scary ending and ya’ll know how I don’t like scary movies. As the game progressed it was less about the status of the game and more about getting the W(in) for Santana.
Tonight I headed over to Amy’s apartment to watch the game and celebrate her signing away her life and closing on her first house (townhouse in Maple Grove). We watched the game whilst eating pizza.
Here are a few observations and comments tossed around the game viewing (please remember that we love baseball, understand the way it is played and respect the talent and skills it takes, however we also can be kind of girly):
· Low and behold it is Baby Jesus’ (Joe Mauer) birthday. Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!!! 24, man I am old!
· In the third inning I caught the Joe Mauer Birthday Montage that FSN produced.
· In honor of Joe’s birthday he got a hit and got hit (a nasty pitch to the elbow…ouch!)
· Bert Blyleven saying not once but twice that the pitchers are the best athletes on the field. Biased? Nah!
· Amy kept getting distracted by Sherrill’s (Mariner’s) pitch delivery. It was kind of a Vegas Showgirl kick.
· Sexon (1B Mariners) is 6’9” which is very tall when I am only 5’3”. We liked to compare him to other players that made it to first base. Casilla was only to his elbow.
· This next observation is in honor of Amy and her love of Morneau. It has become commonplace that when Morneausey strikes out he likes to say a particular swear word (starts with F and ends with UCK). Anyways, I think the camera people are catching on and make a point to not show him during that moment. Tonight they must have forgotten because in the slow motion replay of his strike out we got to see Morneausey drop the F-Bomb in slow-mo. Nice.
· Corrections! Bert is going for a triple threat. He just commented that pitchers are the best athletes. Third time’s a charm.
Random non-baseball news:
· The Wild are in Anaheim playing their little Minnesota Glory hearts out trying to line up the match. Right now it is 3 games (Anaheim) to 1 Wild. Come on guys!!! Captain Stanley would like a vacation to the Xcel Center.
· I washed my hands in Amy’s bathroom and dried them with a collections edition of a Harry Potter “Hogswart’s” hand towel. Nice touch. I hope she puts that out in her new place!
Whew, it was a pretty scary ending and ya’ll know how I don’t like scary movies. As the game progressed it was less about the status of the game and more about getting the W(in) for Santana.
Tonight I headed over to Amy’s apartment to watch the game and celebrate her signing away her life and closing on her first house (townhouse in Maple Grove). We watched the game whilst eating pizza.
Here are a few observations and comments tossed around the game viewing (please remember that we love baseball, understand the way it is played and respect the talent and skills it takes, however we also can be kind of girly):
· Low and behold it is Baby Jesus’ (Joe Mauer) birthday. Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!!! 24, man I am old!
· In the third inning I caught the Joe Mauer Birthday Montage that FSN produced.
· In honor of Joe’s birthday he got a hit and got hit (a nasty pitch to the elbow…ouch!)
· Bert Blyleven saying not once but twice that the pitchers are the best athletes on the field. Biased? Nah!
· Amy kept getting distracted by Sherrill’s (Mariner’s) pitch delivery. It was kind of a Vegas Showgirl kick.
· Sexon (1B Mariners) is 6’9” which is very tall when I am only 5’3”. We liked to compare him to other players that made it to first base. Casilla was only to his elbow.
· This next observation is in honor of Amy and her love of Morneau. It has become commonplace that when Morneausey strikes out he likes to say a particular swear word (starts with F and ends with UCK). Anyways, I think the camera people are catching on and make a point to not show him during that moment. Tonight they must have forgotten because in the slow motion replay of his strike out we got to see Morneausey drop the F-Bomb in slow-mo. Nice.
· Corrections! Bert is going for a triple threat. He just commented that pitchers are the best athletes. Third time’s a charm.
Random non-baseball news:
· The Wild are in Anaheim playing their little Minnesota Glory hearts out trying to line up the match. Right now it is 3 games (Anaheim) to 1 Wild. Come on guys!!! Captain Stanley would like a vacation to the Xcel Center.
· I washed my hands in Amy’s bathroom and dried them with a collections edition of a Harry Potter “Hogswart’s” hand towel. Nice touch. I hope she puts that out in her new place!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Twins 2, Yankees 8 - Ouch!
Twins 2, Yankees 8 - Ouch!
Here is my limerick
I will not rant
I will not whine
I will not complain
About wasted time
Yes, it hurt
Yes, I cried
I will not sigh
Over wasted time
I thought I would share some snippets from the phone conversations between Amy and myself during the game last night:
After the commercial for Spotlight on Joe Mauer Night (Baby Jesus is being honored all through the night plus a post-game show. You know, just in case you didn’t know everything about him.)
J: Did you just see that commercial and hear Baby Jesus’ (Joe Mauer’s) new theme song?
A: Yeah *insert singing*
J: *Insert singing along*
After Kubel’s missed catch
J: And that is why we don’t particularly like him!
A: True that, sistah!
Jeeter’s walk after being “hit” by a pitch
J: Did Ponson just hit Jeeter in the crotch? I think he purposely walked into that!
I will not rant
I will not whine
I will not complain
About wasted time
Yes, it hurt
Yes, I cried
I will not sigh
Over wasted time
I thought I would share some snippets from the phone conversations between Amy and myself during the game last night:
After the commercial for Spotlight on Joe Mauer Night (Baby Jesus is being honored all through the night plus a post-game show. You know, just in case you didn’t know everything about him.)
J: Did you just see that commercial and hear Baby Jesus’ (Joe Mauer’s) new theme song?
A: Yeah *insert singing*
J: *Insert singing along*
After Kubel’s missed catch
J: And that is why we don’t particularly like him!
A: True that, sistah!
Jeeter’s walk after being “hit” by a pitch
J: Did Ponson just hit Jeeter in the crotch? I think he purposely walked into that!
A: *Insert laughter*
J: *Insert inappropriate comment*
A: *Insert a return inappropriate comment*
A-Rod: Love vs. Hate
No one runs more hot and cold than the Yankee fans regarding A-Rod. I find the articles and debates regarding him (especially since last year) very interesting. I guess now that he has five home-runs under his gilded belt he is loved. Well, except that one time when he missed a catch and was booed, then he was hated. But, he did hit two homeruns that game so the fans forgave him. Oh, except he missed a foul fly and they booed him again. Man, it would be really hard to be A-Rod. Good thing he has piles of money to keep him warm.
J: *Insert inappropriate comment*
A: *Insert a return inappropriate comment*
A-Rod: Love vs. Hate
No one runs more hot and cold than the Yankee fans regarding A-Rod. I find the articles and debates regarding him (especially since last year) very interesting. I guess now that he has five home-runs under his gilded belt he is loved. Well, except that one time when he missed a catch and was booed, then he was hated. But, he did hit two homeruns that game so the fans forgave him. Oh, except he missed a foul fly and they booed him again. Man, it would be really hard to be A-Rod. Good thing he has piles of money to keep him warm.
A Random Trip Around Baseball:
I saw a photo of C.J. Wilson, pitcher for Texas Rangers. His “stance” looks like an inverted Karate Kid crane pose.
I saw a photo of C.J. Wilson, pitcher for Texas Rangers. His “stance” looks like an inverted Karate Kid crane pose.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Hey Ma! I am going to be on ESPN!
Hello Metrodome, see you in 42 days!It appears that the next year is locked down in ink with the newest one-year deal going to Cuddyer. Cuddy signed a one year, $3.575 million deal and avoided an arbitration hearing. Looks like the decision makers are getting smarter about not going as far as having these arbitration hearings. Too bad they didn’t learn that lesson a year and a half ago with Kyle “Hissy Fit” Lohse. You know that I don’t like to speak ill of the traded but I am glad we don’t have to deal with Lohse anymore since the only thing he did well was kick water coolers and throw his glove, snot nosed little punk.
Here is the recap of our big signings:
Joe “Baby Jesus” Mauer – four years and $33 million
Nick “Sparky” Punto – two years, $4.2 million
Morneausy –one year, $4.5 million
Leeeeeew Ford – one year, $985,000
Juan “Rinks” Rincon – one year, $2 million
Ah, Spring Training
Whilst perusing the official MN Twins site I came across some info regarding Spring Training. Here are the highlights:
· Twins are always one of the last clubs to have its pitchers & catchers report.
· First scheduled workout is this morning (Monday, February 19).
· Pitching is the big focus point, trying to build our rotation. So far Boof, Glen Perkins and Garza are in with a possibility of Baker.
· New faces: Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson, J.D. Durbin and Kevin Slowey.
· Silvia is a question mark.
· Bullpen is looking good with Nathan, Reyes, Rinks, Pat “Sideshow” Neshek, Crain and Guerrier.
· Position spots are all filled with the DH being up for grabs.
42 Days until Home Opener. On that note the Baseball Masters of the Universe have moved the Twins home opener against the Orioles up an hour in the timeslot. It appears that ESPN has picked up the game so it will now start at 6:00 p.m. which ROCKS! A.) We be on ESPN, baby! I better be rocking my fancy hair and lipgloss just in case the camera shows my section. All my out-of-state friends, watch for me!!! B.) I am old so I am happy that I will get home an hour earlier. However, the guys are bummed because they say this is cutting into our tailgating drinking time. Guess we’ll have to leave work an hour earlier. C.) You know ESPN has picked up this game due to the rockstar status of the Twins which is giving major props.
Here is the recap of our big signings:
Joe “Baby Jesus” Mauer – four years and $33 million
Nick “Sparky” Punto – two years, $4.2 million
Morneausy –one year, $4.5 million
Leeeeeew Ford – one year, $985,000
Juan “Rinks” Rincon – one year, $2 million
Ah, Spring Training
Whilst perusing the official MN Twins site I came across some info regarding Spring Training. Here are the highlights:
· Twins are always one of the last clubs to have its pitchers & catchers report.
· First scheduled workout is this morning (Monday, February 19).
· Pitching is the big focus point, trying to build our rotation. So far Boof, Glen Perkins and Garza are in with a possibility of Baker.
· New faces: Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson, J.D. Durbin and Kevin Slowey.
· Silvia is a question mark.
· Bullpen is looking good with Nathan, Reyes, Rinks, Pat “Sideshow” Neshek, Crain and Guerrier.
· Position spots are all filled with the DH being up for grabs.
42 Days until Home Opener. On that note the Baseball Masters of the Universe have moved the Twins home opener against the Orioles up an hour in the timeslot. It appears that ESPN has picked up the game so it will now start at 6:00 p.m. which ROCKS! A.) We be on ESPN, baby! I better be rocking my fancy hair and lipgloss just in case the camera shows my section. All my out-of-state friends, watch for me!!! B.) I am old so I am happy that I will get home an hour earlier. However, the guys are bummed because they say this is cutting into our tailgating drinking time. Guess we’ll have to leave work an hour earlier. C.) You know ESPN has picked up this game due to the rockstar status of the Twins which is giving major props.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Everybody loves Joe Mauer, he's the hometown hero...
#7, Catcher, 2006 American League Batting ChampionThe Minnesota Twins and GM Terry Ryan just signed Joe “Baby Jesus” Mauer to a four-year, $33 million contract. Looks like those radio commercials have paid off. In case you are scratching your head and wondering what the H-ell I am talking about I heard a commercial this weekend talking about Twins Territory and renaming everything with Mauer, example: Mauersota and the Mauer of America.
Note: Micheal Cuddyer (RF) is the last player left in arbitration. Let’s hope they will secure him.
I received the tickets for the Home Opener game. They have a new look to them but each ticket still has various players pictured on them. Yes, Amy, you will get the Morneausy one as Greg will get the Baby Jesus one.
49 Days until Twins Home Opener!
Note: Micheal Cuddyer (RF) is the last player left in arbitration. Let’s hope they will secure him.
I received the tickets for the Home Opener game. They have a new look to them but each ticket still has various players pictured on them. Yes, Amy, you will get the Morneausy one as Greg will get the Baby Jesus one.
49 Days until Twins Home Opener!
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