Congratulations to Scott Baker for a masterpiece of a performance tonight. And curses upon overpaid old fart Mike Sweeney, who had to spoil the party in the 9th inning.
Regardless, it was a very fun game to watch, and a reminder of how entertaining baseball can still be even when your team is out of the race.
I haven't been that nervous in the late innings of a Twins game since 1991.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
You Know What Would Be Awesome...
is if you had one of those hotel-style waffle makers in your kitchen, and every morning when you came downstairs there were a couple of those dixie cups with the batter in them.
That would rule.
That would rule.
Is There Anybody Alive Out There?
In case you have been living in a cave recently, Bruce Springsteen is releasing a new album on October 2, with the E Street Band.
You can listen to the first single, "Radio Nowhere," by clicking here. It's a great, rocking opening track. I'm even more excited for the album now.
You can listen to the first single, "Radio Nowhere," by clicking here. It's a great, rocking opening track. I'm even more excited for the album now.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
See Youuuu in Septemmmberrrrrr
Today is officially my last day of summer vacation, even though I have been out to school a couple of times this week. Tomorrow and Friday, I get to sit in all-day technology training sessions in Eugene, probably spending 4 hours on things like learning how to turn on a digital camera. Yee-haw. Oh well -- I get an extra few cents on my paycheck for it.
In honor of the last day of my summer, I turn it over to the eternally dreamy Bryan Adams.
In honor of the last day of my summer, I turn it over to the eternally dreamy Bryan Adams.
Monday, August 20, 2007
'Staches of Fury
If you're like me, and you miss the lost art of the great baseball mustache, you should really click here.
Friday, August 17, 2007
I Got My Balls Signed
Greetings, bloggers! I apologize that I have been away from the blog for a few days, but it is good to be back and to see all of your smiling faces.
For most of the time I have been away, I have been watching baseball. From Monday to Wednesday, I was hitting up all three games of the Twins-Mariners series at Safeco Field. And -- for the first time in August -- the Twins actually won a series! Not only that, but they scored 20 total runs in the series! Funny how you actually win some games when you score runs.
I always enjoy getting to the ballpark early and watching batting practice and just hanging out and watching the players. Occasionally I will seek out an autograph, but I don't tend to be very aggressive about it. I figure that if some kid gets an autograph instead of me, I'm OK with that. It should be for the kids anyway, not for old farts like me who just feel like a kid when they're at the ballpark.
Anyway, whenever I'm at Twins games, I always see Bert Blyleven wandering around the field before the game, but I've never seen him come over to the dugout before. For those readers who are not baseball buffs, Bert is one of the all-time greats and he currently does the TV broadcasts for the Twins. He pitched from 1970 to 1992, racking up 287 career wins and is sixth on the all-time strikeout list. He really should be in the Hall of Fame, but ends up a little bit short every year in the voting. I really hope he makes it.
Anyway, Bert was hanging out in the dugout for a bit before the game, and I yelled out "Bert!" and got him to sign a baseball for me. Score for me! On Wednesday, Dan Gladden was hanging out in the dugout before the game. Dan does the radio broadcasting for the Twins now, and for those of you who aren't familiar with the greatest World Series ever played, he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning in game 7 of the '91 series. I recognized his baldspot before he was completely visible in the dugout. "Dan! Sign one ball?" Sure enough -- "Dan Gladden, 87*91, #32." Score for me. Gladden and Blyleven are significant parts of my childhood. I was pretty excited.
I also got current pitchers Boof Bonser and Matt Guerrier to sign for me. All in all, a great 3 days.
Last night I hit up Thirsty Thursday at PGE Park and drank some delicious (*cough*) Miller Lite while watching the Beavers. They pulled it out 3-0.
What a great week. I'll try and throw up a few pictures from my rad trip in the next few days.
For most of the time I have been away, I have been watching baseball. From Monday to Wednesday, I was hitting up all three games of the Twins-Mariners series at Safeco Field. And -- for the first time in August -- the Twins actually won a series! Not only that, but they scored 20 total runs in the series! Funny how you actually win some games when you score runs.
I always enjoy getting to the ballpark early and watching batting practice and just hanging out and watching the players. Occasionally I will seek out an autograph, but I don't tend to be very aggressive about it. I figure that if some kid gets an autograph instead of me, I'm OK with that. It should be for the kids anyway, not for old farts like me who just feel like a kid when they're at the ballpark.
Anyway, whenever I'm at Twins games, I always see Bert Blyleven wandering around the field before the game, but I've never seen him come over to the dugout before. For those readers who are not baseball buffs, Bert is one of the all-time greats and he currently does the TV broadcasts for the Twins. He pitched from 1970 to 1992, racking up 287 career wins and is sixth on the all-time strikeout list. He really should be in the Hall of Fame, but ends up a little bit short every year in the voting. I really hope he makes it.
Anyway, Bert was hanging out in the dugout for a bit before the game, and I yelled out "Bert!" and got him to sign a baseball for me. Score for me! On Wednesday, Dan Gladden was hanging out in the dugout before the game. Dan does the radio broadcasting for the Twins now, and for those of you who aren't familiar with the greatest World Series ever played, he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning in game 7 of the '91 series. I recognized his baldspot before he was completely visible in the dugout. "Dan! Sign one ball?" Sure enough -- "Dan Gladden, 87*91, #32." Score for me. Gladden and Blyleven are significant parts of my childhood. I was pretty excited.
I also got current pitchers Boof Bonser and Matt Guerrier to sign for me. All in all, a great 3 days.
Last night I hit up Thirsty Thursday at PGE Park and drank some delicious (*cough*) Miller Lite while watching the Beavers. They pulled it out 3-0.
What a great week. I'll try and throw up a few pictures from my rad trip in the next few days.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Lovable Losers
I'll be in Seattle for the next few days watching those lovable losers -- the Minnesota Twins. Unsure if I'll have any posts or not until I get back, but if not, there will surely be a full report.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Saturday Night
From NPR:
Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, says he is concerned about the toll the war in Iraq and extended deployments are taking on U.S. forces.
The man who is widely known as the "war czar" also says that from a military standpoint, a return to a draft should be part of the discussion. (Full article)
Not to depress y'all too much, but this brief 1994 Cheney clip is worth watching:
*sigh*
Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, says he is concerned about the toll the war in Iraq and extended deployments are taking on U.S. forces.
The man who is widely known as the "war czar" also says that from a military standpoint, a return to a draft should be part of the discussion. (Full article)
Not to depress y'all too much, but this brief 1994 Cheney clip is worth watching:
*sigh*
Thursday, August 9, 2007
More Shattered Dreams
I really enjoy how the Twins actually win a couple of games -- allowing for a few optimistic thoughts about how they are still mathematically in contention -- and then revert back to their sucking ways. The Twins were shutout this afternoon for the 11th time this season, and guess what -- that's a category they can say they lead the majors in. The Twins are incapable of scoring runs. Sure, they scored 11 last night, but that means that they'll probably score 3 or 4 over the next week.
Here's one of my favorite (note sarcasm) quotes from the game summary, regarding Kansas City winner Kyle Davies:
"He kept us off-balance the whole game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He threw the heck out of the ball."
He threw the heck out of the ball. Blah blah blah. I'm tired of hearing about how the Twins can't score runs because they are always facing such great pitchers. The Twins make every pitcher in the league look good.
Next week I will venture to Seattle to check out the three-game series against the M's. Start placing bets now on how many runs I'll get to see the Twins score. I'm putting my money down on 2.
Here's one of my favorite (note sarcasm) quotes from the game summary, regarding Kansas City winner Kyle Davies:
"He kept us off-balance the whole game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He threw the heck out of the ball."
He threw the heck out of the ball. Blah blah blah. I'm tired of hearing about how the Twins can't score runs because they are always facing such great pitchers. The Twins make every pitcher in the league look good.
Next week I will venture to Seattle to check out the three-game series against the M's. Start placing bets now on how many runs I'll get to see the Twins score. I'm putting my money down on 2.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Drinking with Kyle
3 beer reviews tonight, including 2 new-to-me beers and one that I have had a couple of times before.
Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2007: I'm a big fan of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, so I was hoping for a treat here. Eh. When it pours, you will not notice a great deal of color. The taste is kind of bland -- not necessarily more impressive than what you might find in a bottle of Henry's. If I was going to stick with Sierra Nevada, I would definitely stick with the Pale Ale.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Bayern Amber: I'm always a sucker for a quality amber, and this one is...OK. A tad heavier than a lot of the grocery store ambers, it would make for a quality dinner beer. Still, not a great deal to write home about.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale: I've had it a couple of times before, and it is a very unique beer. It's a pretty heavy beer, so don't plan on putting away 6 of these in a night. You might either love or hate the Scotch flavor, but it is definitely worth trying
Rating: 4 out of 5
Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2007: I'm a big fan of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, so I was hoping for a treat here. Eh. When it pours, you will not notice a great deal of color. The taste is kind of bland -- not necessarily more impressive than what you might find in a bottle of Henry's. If I was going to stick with Sierra Nevada, I would definitely stick with the Pale Ale.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Bayern Amber: I'm always a sucker for a quality amber, and this one is...OK. A tad heavier than a lot of the grocery store ambers, it would make for a quality dinner beer. Still, not a great deal to write home about.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale: I've had it a couple of times before, and it is a very unique beer. It's a pretty heavy beer, so don't plan on putting away 6 of these in a night. You might either love or hate the Scotch flavor, but it is definitely worth trying
Rating: 4 out of 5
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
In case you enjoy pain...
ATTENTION NORTHWEST:
In case you enjoy reliving pain and frustration, ESPN Classic will rerun Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals at 5 a.m. Friday morning.
If it's too much pain to rewatch it, you can reread about it here.
In case you enjoy reliving pain and frustration, ESPN Classic will rerun Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals at 5 a.m. Friday morning.
If it's too much pain to rewatch it, you can reread about it here.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Santana Gets Grumpy (and is not entirely wrong)
Johan Santana said yesterday that he doesn't see himself being a part of the Twins' future because they won't do what it takes to win. So is he just being a grumpy athlete, or does he have legitimate complaints?
Both. When Terry Ryan (Twins GM) sent Luis Castillo to the Mets on Monday and only got two mid-level minor leaguers, it seemed to be a "looking to the future" move. Unless he was planning on making a big move for a bat on Tuesday. Which he didn't.
It's true that signing Castillo after this year just wasn't going to happen. However, when Ryan says that it doesn't mean he is giving up on the 2007 season -- well, I don't buy it. When you truly believe you are in it to win it, you don't trade your starting second baseman and a consistently above-.300 hitter for prospects, even if you think he is going to walk at the end of the season.
That being said, Ryan is in a tough place. Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, and Justin Morneau are all in need of contracts or contract extensions. Money has to come from somewhere. And even though the Twins wrapped up a 7-game losing streak last week, they have won 4 in a row since, and are only 6 games back of Detroit and 5 back from Cleveland -- with two months to go. My guess is that Ryan himself was wondering if the Twins are in it or not.
If the Twins do have a run left in them, and they do end up in the playoffs -- which I concede is a longshot, especially with Detroit and Cleveland being two very solid teams -- maybe Santana will get over it and hope to resign with the Twins.
That being said, in an era where mediocre pitchers are receiving big-money contracts -- Santana will likely be in a Yankees or Red Sox uniform in the near future.
Both. When Terry Ryan (Twins GM) sent Luis Castillo to the Mets on Monday and only got two mid-level minor leaguers, it seemed to be a "looking to the future" move. Unless he was planning on making a big move for a bat on Tuesday. Which he didn't.
It's true that signing Castillo after this year just wasn't going to happen. However, when Ryan says that it doesn't mean he is giving up on the 2007 season -- well, I don't buy it. When you truly believe you are in it to win it, you don't trade your starting second baseman and a consistently above-.300 hitter for prospects, even if you think he is going to walk at the end of the season.
That being said, Ryan is in a tough place. Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, and Justin Morneau are all in need of contracts or contract extensions. Money has to come from somewhere. And even though the Twins wrapped up a 7-game losing streak last week, they have won 4 in a row since, and are only 6 games back of Detroit and 5 back from Cleveland -- with two months to go. My guess is that Ryan himself was wondering if the Twins are in it or not.
If the Twins do have a run left in them, and they do end up in the playoffs -- which I concede is a longshot, especially with Detroit and Cleveland being two very solid teams -- maybe Santana will get over it and hope to resign with the Twins.
That being said, in an era where mediocre pitchers are receiving big-money contracts -- Santana will likely be in a Yankees or Red Sox uniform in the near future.
"Seinfeld" Randomness
Elaine: I was sitting there making a cup of soup singing that song from "The Lion King".
JERRY: "Hakuna Matata"?
ELAINE: I thought I was alone.
JERRY: That doesn't make it right.
-- from "The Merv Griffin Show," 11/6/97
JERRY: "Hakuna Matata"?
ELAINE: I thought I was alone.
JERRY: That doesn't make it right.
-- from "The Merv Griffin Show," 11/6/97
Daytime TV Rules
Maybe it's just a sign from God that I need to go back to work, but my love of "The People's Court" has really been reignited over the past couple of weeks. I think I even have a bit of a crush on Judge Marilyn Milian. According to Wikipedia, she was the first Hispanic court judge on TV. Muy caliente!
Everytime she says something in Spanish, my heart melts. She really is the best "People's Court" judge since Wapner.
And as great as Marilyn is, she's not the only reason to watch "The People's Court." Where else can you see guys like this:
"The mustache." Priceless!
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