Silva to the Rescue.
Ooof! Got back from the game yesterday and it was so damn hot. Our window-unit AC decided to take a break for 8 minutes of every 15. Too hot to do anything. So I didn't write. I do it now.
1. Carlos Silva Rocks! He is definitely my favorite Twin. He doesn't dominate like Santana does and Radke can, but he keeps the game fun an entertaining. And fast. 2:07 for the full 8 1/2 innings. I didn't want to jinx it, but this is the exact thing I was hoping from him. Relief for the relievers and a chance for our batters to win the game.
2. Jacque Jones's K in the first should have been out three, getting Johnson out of the bases-loaded jam without a run, but the pitch was wild and Johnson didn't cover home, allowing 2 runners to score. Scored: K, WP, E-1. Wonder if anyone had that on their Twingo card.
2a. I cheered really loud when Juan Castro got his hit in the second. All my co-workers looked at me like I was a wierdo. "Broke an 0-23 hitless streak," I said, but they still thought I was crazy.
3. Note to anyone buying group tickets: If you buy the group rate home run porch tix, you do not get the Thursday $5 concession voucher. I organized the work outing and had figured out those $5 into everybody's lunch allowance. I called yesterday morning to see if we got those at the gate or something and was told they weren't available for the group rates. I ended up having to run (literally) to the Metrodome and back to buy upgraded tickets before my co-workers dispersed for the game. It was not fun.
4. I agree with the commentor that the Metrodome's naming of sections is great, at least for the seats we proles buy. "Home Run Porch" & "Cheap Seats." The pricier seats have uninteresting names "Lower Reserved", "Upper Club", "Diamond View", etc.
5. Troy Percival even looks squinty from behind. I enjoyed seeing the DET bullpen for the first time this series.
6. It was the forces of good against the forces of evil last night in the College World Series. Evil won. Good being the ASU Sun Devils who have nice, plain old-school uniforms that people from the 30's would have recognized, and consistent stockings across the team (all above the calf with Maroon stockings or low-cut stirrups). I'm impartial on the stockings-stirrups-pant length issue, but as it's a "uniform" I think a team's use should be uniform. The victorious Florida Gators have sleeveless atrocities that look like the inspiration for the Devil Rays. At least with Florida winning, I have clear rooting interest over the weekend. Go Longhorns!
6a. It says something about my sports preferences that I would rather watch a college baseball game than game 7 of the NBA finals. When the baseball game was over, I switched between BBTN and the basketball game, falling asleep on the couch when the basketball game was close to tied in the last few minutes.
7. In other Uni news, the Twins wore BP jerseys yesterday. I was impressed that I could tell the players by their number, but I had to before the game to see the lineup. (Note: Michael Ryan is #12.) The Strib said they might wear them over the weekend in Milwaukee, too. I hope not, as interleague play should see names on the jerseys, and that would have the nickname on the road-jersey, without the player's name. Double faux pas.
8. Twins All-Stars? I figure only one. Probably Santana, retroactive for last year, although I think Crain and Silva have had better seasons to date relative to last year. Anyone else have thoughts? It seems that our team have a lot of guys that are just below all-stars: Hunter, Jones, Morneau, Mauer, Stewart, Ford, Silva, Rincon, Nathan.
9. Rivas watch: Rivas did not play.
10. Regarding Bat-Girl's change in policies: Trying to save one's server is fine. Trying to dissuade trolls and flame wars is fine. It's her site, she can do what she wants, although I'd be a little more relaxed on what fans can say. The place has become a bit of a love-fest. I noticed that last year's feature, the loss-equivalent of Boyfriend of the Day, "Goat of the Day," was missing from the start of the season. (Maybe I should pick up that feature.) Was it too negative?
It's probably above the technology of her site, but requiring registry for comments would make sense. Then she could just ban the bad actors but allow decent discussion to continue from trusted individuals (like SBG on Rincon). But I really don't care too much, I left it because it got too big. (No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.) I still like her writing. And I love the archetype of the narrative baseball blog (as opposed to pure analysis like Twins Geek). I think she was the first, but I know that the Nats have a smaller equivalent, Ball-Wonk. I'd love it if there were more like this. Without the narrative blog, I don't think I'd be doing this or enjoying games as much. Let me know if there are similar blogs for other teams, or if someone had the idea before Bat-girl.
11. Happy Birthday Seth Strohs.
1. Carlos Silva Rocks! He is definitely my favorite Twin. He doesn't dominate like Santana does and Radke can, but he keeps the game fun an entertaining. And fast. 2:07 for the full 8 1/2 innings. I didn't want to jinx it, but this is the exact thing I was hoping from him. Relief for the relievers and a chance for our batters to win the game.
2. Jacque Jones's K in the first should have been out three, getting Johnson out of the bases-loaded jam without a run, but the pitch was wild and Johnson didn't cover home, allowing 2 runners to score. Scored: K, WP, E-1. Wonder if anyone had that on their Twingo card.
2a. I cheered really loud when Juan Castro got his hit in the second. All my co-workers looked at me like I was a wierdo. "Broke an 0-23 hitless streak," I said, but they still thought I was crazy.
3. Note to anyone buying group tickets: If you buy the group rate home run porch tix, you do not get the Thursday $5 concession voucher. I organized the work outing and had figured out those $5 into everybody's lunch allowance. I called yesterday morning to see if we got those at the gate or something and was told they weren't available for the group rates. I ended up having to run (literally) to the Metrodome and back to buy upgraded tickets before my co-workers dispersed for the game. It was not fun.
4. I agree with the commentor that the Metrodome's naming of sections is great, at least for the seats we proles buy. "Home Run Porch" & "Cheap Seats." The pricier seats have uninteresting names "Lower Reserved", "Upper Club", "Diamond View", etc.
5. Troy Percival even looks squinty from behind. I enjoyed seeing the DET bullpen for the first time this series.
6. It was the forces of good against the forces of evil last night in the College World Series. Evil won. Good being the ASU Sun Devils who have nice, plain old-school uniforms that people from the 30's would have recognized, and consistent stockings across the team (all above the calf with Maroon stockings or low-cut stirrups). I'm impartial on the stockings-stirrups-pant length issue, but as it's a "uniform" I think a team's use should be uniform. The victorious Florida Gators have sleeveless atrocities that look like the inspiration for the Devil Rays. At least with Florida winning, I have clear rooting interest over the weekend. Go Longhorns!
6a. It says something about my sports preferences that I would rather watch a college baseball game than game 7 of the NBA finals. When the baseball game was over, I switched between BBTN and the basketball game, falling asleep on the couch when the basketball game was close to tied in the last few minutes.
7. In other Uni news, the Twins wore BP jerseys yesterday. I was impressed that I could tell the players by their number, but I had to before the game to see the lineup. (Note: Michael Ryan is #12.) The Strib said they might wear them over the weekend in Milwaukee, too. I hope not, as interleague play should see names on the jerseys, and that would have the nickname on the road-jersey, without the player's name. Double faux pas.
8. Twins All-Stars? I figure only one. Probably Santana, retroactive for last year, although I think Crain and Silva have had better seasons to date relative to last year. Anyone else have thoughts? It seems that our team have a lot of guys that are just below all-stars: Hunter, Jones, Morneau, Mauer, Stewart, Ford, Silva, Rincon, Nathan.
9. Rivas watch: Rivas did not play.
10. Regarding Bat-Girl's change in policies: Trying to save one's server is fine. Trying to dissuade trolls and flame wars is fine. It's her site, she can do what she wants, although I'd be a little more relaxed on what fans can say. The place has become a bit of a love-fest. I noticed that last year's feature, the loss-equivalent of Boyfriend of the Day, "Goat of the Day," was missing from the start of the season. (Maybe I should pick up that feature.) Was it too negative?
It's probably above the technology of her site, but requiring registry for comments would make sense. Then she could just ban the bad actors but allow decent discussion to continue from trusted individuals (like SBG on Rincon). But I really don't care too much, I left it because it got too big. (No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.) I still like her writing. And I love the archetype of the narrative baseball blog (as opposed to pure analysis like Twins Geek). I think she was the first, but I know that the Nats have a smaller equivalent, Ball-Wonk. I'd love it if there were more like this. Without the narrative blog, I don't think I'd be doing this or enjoying games as much. Let me know if there are similar blogs for other teams, or if someone had the idea before Bat-girl.
11. Happy Birthday Seth Strohs.
posted by amr at 6/24/2005 01:07:00 PM
3 Comments:
What's with the Kubota picture? E-mail me about that.
I wish the old Lower GA in LF were called something like "The Bleachers," even though they aren't strictly bleachers. The deck in RF should be "The Home Run Porch." But calling the upper level in LF "The Cheap Seats" is fine with me.
I also was wondering about the Kubota picture. Are you into tractors and lawnmowers, AMR?
As far as I'm aware, Batgirl did invent the fictional narrative style of baseball blogging. I can't think of anyone who had already done it in books, either.
Re: Kubota. I haven't tried putting up pictures, but wanted something weird but Twinsy. Kubota is a Twins radio sponsor with really bad commmercials featuring "the smartest pitcher in baseball." The picture is of a trailer hitch protector. (See the pic in context here.) I don't own one, have never used one, and am not into tractors or mowers in any particular way.
I really like the picture.
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