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New Line Cinema released a furious preview for their remake of Stephen King's It, and the excitement drove me to pick up my well-worn hardcover of the book to reread it slowly and deliberately. I hope to become so connected with the terrors of Derry, Maine, that I risk waking up to find myself staring at the house on Neibolt Street. Or worse. Last night, I read something that sparked my imagination. Mike Hanlon, future librarian and member of the heroic Loser's Club, referred to listening to t
The Minnesota Twins have seen a nice turnaround to start the 2017 Major League Baseball season. Hovering around the .500 mark, Paul Molitor's squad looks much more reflective of their true talent level than the team did just a season ago. You could argue that the club's main attraction thus far has been their ace Ervin Santana. This go round though, he's not just the Twins ace, but is currently pitching better than anyone in baseball. A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece on Ervin Santana and
By now every team has had their first (or second) homestand, so some of the excitement and shine of the start of a new season has started to wear off. Gone are the calendars (mostly, the White Sox are giving one away Wednesday and the Tigers are giving one away Saturday) and the home opener celebrations. There are still some interesting items to be had, however. Locally, the Twins are in Texas through Wednesday and are in Kansas City this weekend, so there are no Twins-related giveaways (altho
http://www.the3rdmanin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-MLB-Draft.png #1 – Minnesota Twins – J.B. Bukauskas – North Carolina, rhp The talk for the number one pick has been centered around Hunter Greene and Brendan McKay, but with Bukauskas the Twins would get someone who has upside and could help the big league team soon. The Twins could also take Pavin Smith, Kyle Wright, or Austin Beck, but at this point they are lower down on draft boards. #2 – Cincinnati Reds – Brendan McKay – Louis
The Minnesota Twins inked ByungHo Park to a 4 year, $12 million deal prior to the 2016 Major League Baseball season. Park's first year stateside didn't go well, and I believe a lot can be attributed to a nagging wrist injury. In 2017 however, fellow KBO slugger Eric Thames is taking the league by storm, and it's fair to wonder what the difference is. Thames came up with the Toronto Blue Jays, making his debut in 2011 at the age of 24. He was a 7th round pick out of Pepperdine, and his first tw
The Twins sit at 8-10 through their first 18 games. The Twins are in a much better spot than last season, but considering that opening series sweep against Kansas City, the Twins have been heading in the wrong direction recently. The Twins begin a six game road trip in Texas tonight. I want to get my hasty thoughts down for the upcoming week. There's not a lot the Twins can do about the starting pitching right now (yes there is, but anyway), so I will set that aside. There is also specific
Heading into their four-game series with Midwest League Western Division leaders Kane County on Thursday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels were one game under .500, trailed the Cougars by two games in the standings and were tied for second place in their division. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) After trouncing Kane County 11-2 in the series finale on Sunday to earn a split of the four-game series, Cedar Rapids was one game over .500 (at 9-8), trail the Cougars by two ga
Whether I watch the Twins on the television, listen on the radio, or follow along with Gameday on my phone, I can assure you I am doing my part. Yet, somehow, this team is failing. When Twins players stand in the batter's box, I say "Home Run." I mean, I actually say the words out loud. And I nod once, with my chin in the air, to let that player know I am as sincere as Linus van Pelt singing praise in the pumpkin patch. The crappy thing is they aren't hitting them when I say they should. It
April 23, 1961 Pitcher Kralick Delivers Twins' Only RBI In the final game of the Twins' first ever home series, Jack Kralick pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout in a 1-0 Twins win versus the expansion Senators. Kralick's bat provided the Twins' only run, driving in Billy Gardner with a fifth-inning single. With the win the Twins improved to 7-2 on the season. April 23, 1980 Landreaux Begins Record Hit Streak Ken Landreaux began a 31-game hitting streak by breaking up Angel pitch
So I missed out on getting the Twins Fur Bomber Hat last Saturday. Not that I was coming up specifically for that, but it would have been nice. However, I did get a sunburn and a chance to see a one-hitter instead. I'll take that deal any time. The Twins have two giveaways this week. On Saturday there is a Twins Red Cap to the first 20,000 fans and on Sunday there is a "Twins Customizable Shirt" in Youth M or XL for the first 5000 kids 14 and under. Looks like the shirt will have the basic "Tw
Through his first 15 games of the 2017 Major League Baseball season, Byron Buxton owns a .082/.135/.122 slash line. He's just 4-52 and has struck out in 24 of his at bats. There's no one who wants to see things turnaround more than Buxton, but the question is, where do we go from here? First, we have to take a look at what isn't working. The reality is that Buxton is striking out 46.2% of the time, up from 35.6% a season ago, and easily the worst mark of his career. Despite his success at Trip
http://files.shandymedia.com/styles/page_full/s3/images/photos/thefumble/ncaa-college-world-series-finale7.jpg Courtesy of Getty Images Pavin Smith is a first baseman for the Virginia Cavaliers who is the best college hitter available in the draft. Smith is 6’2” and weighs 210 pounds, with a sweet swing that brings Jay Bruce to mind. The Florida native played baseball at Palm Beach Gardens High School and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 32nd round of the 2014 draft, but he did not s
Over the offseason, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Phil Hughes rehabbed from his recent Thoracic Outlet surgery. After getting hit on the kneecap by a comebacker, it seemed Hughes was going to use the months ahead as a time to get all phases of his body right. Now looking at early returns in the 2017 season, it's fair to wonder if "right" is something that will ever completely exist again. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a condition that causes symptoms such as numbness in extremities, as well a
As I write this, the Twins have dropped three of the last four. Pride and hope take their lumps. Whatever bunkers Twins fans have built to survive 90 loss seasons are restocking their apocalyptic buffets. The Twins will go back into the mines tonight to try to find baseball gold, and it seems increasingly like Byron Buxton is the canary early-warning system for disaster. Thus far, he's looking a little rough. If he drops back to the minors, or stops seeing playing time, things look rougher for
Right now, the Minnesota Twins have an unsustainable pitching output. While they find themselves near the top of Major League Baseball in ERA, WHIP, and BAA, the reality is that regression is coming. Regardless of how steep that hits, the reality for the Twins in the coming months, is that they should finally have some tough decisions to make on the mound. For far too many of the previous seasons, the practice for Minnesota has been to simply swap out a broken down arm for the next man up. Whe
Before the 2017 season began, I wrote that Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor may be managing for his career in 2017. The crux of the thought process is that he's unproven, age isn't on his side, and a new job isn't incredibly likely to present itself. Now into the early part of the season, it's beginning to appear that the Twins record may not be the determining factor in his employment status a year from now. While not electrifying by any means, the Twins have gotten out to a nice start. A
April 16, 1961 First Grand Slam in Twins History Bob Allison hit the first grand slam in Twins history in the top of the first in the first game of a doubleheader in Baltimore. The Orioles’ Chuck Estrada, who had tied for the league lead with 18 wins the previous season and would win 15 in 1961, walked three straight to start the game, filling the bases for the cleanup hitter Allison. After giving up a double to Jim Lemon, Estrada was pulled having given up four runs without recording an out
http://www.the3rdmanin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-MLB-Draft.png Jeren Kendall is a centerfielder for the Vanderbilt Commodores who is regarded as the top outfielder available in the 2017 draft. Kendall is 5’10’’ and weighs 180 pounds, and is often referred to as a smaller version of Jacoby Ellsbury. The Commodores’ outfielder played prep baseball at Holmen High School in Wisconsin and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 30th round, but chose to attend college. Kendall bats left
The Twins are coming home 6-3, and with the seasons we've suffered through they might as well all strut onto Target Field wearing uniforms designed to mimic John Travolta's white suit from Saturday Night Fever. They should have a "Pinch 'n Slap" booth at each entrance to help fans confirm they are not dreaming. Ice cream in mini batting helmets should come with six cherries on top. But we're all gonna talk about losing that series to Detroit, and we're especially going to talk about Byron Buxt
I stumbled into a free ticket to the Red Sox game against the Pirates on Thursday. It was a makeup game and a guy seated near me also said he'd gotten his tickets free from someone. (He also insisted that Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City is new, so our conversation was not illuminating for me. Only USAFChief is entitled to consider Kauffman "new".) I anticipated that attendance might be sparse - April games tend to be attended in the low 30,000s rather than the high 30,000s anyway, and a makeup
A possible Bullpen strictly from the 2012 Draft???? In a draft that nabbed Buxton and Berrios (and to a lesser extent AB Walker) the Twins drafted Luke Bard, Mason Melotakis, JT Chargois, Zach Jones, Tyler Duffey, DJ Baxendale and Taylor Rogers. Some relief pitchers are already making an impact, some are on the cusp of a Major League career, some are still projects. What are the chances of that potential Bullpen? If it does happen: Would you be happy with it? Would the 2012 Draft be
It's Monday. The Twins aren't playing at the moment, but they're going to unload the war wagons and take on Detroit on their turf. The Twins have taken two series from divisional foes, and winning a third series would feel like a nice little start to somethin' somethin'. Five to one. That makes me pause for a second to remind people to appreciate The Doors like they ought to appreciate them. If you're going to roll down your car windows and drive down a rural highway this summer, you'd better
Just for fun because these are all small sample sizes here and they could do a complete 180 after one more appearance, but some interesting and largely encouraging things I noticed with Brooks Baseball pitch tracking. http://www.brooksbaseball.net/ Phil Hughes: I wanted him out of the rotation all off season because his off-speed and breaking stuff varied from awful to non-existent. The usage of Hughes' fastball, which has brought a chorus of boos due to a lack of velocity, decreased 40% from la
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.
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hello Seth......you'll wanna correct the date in headline of today's minor league report. :-) Brad· 0 replies
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.· 1 reply
