Game Thread: Twins @ White Sox, 4/2/14@1:10pm CT

[Squirrel]

Gametime weather: Mostly cloudy with a 40-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Temperature around 35.

 

Twins:

SP, Correia

 

Dozier 2B

Mauer 1B

Willingham DH

Kubel LF

Plouffe 3B

Arcia RF

Suzuki C

Hicks CF

Florimon SS

 

Sox:

SP, Paulino

 

Eaten CF

Semien 3B

Abreu 1B

Dunn DH

Garcia RF

De Aza LF

Ramirez SS

Flowers C

Garcia 2B

 

Brian's gonna be doing a lot of thinking this year ... watch this space later.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank You ChiTown... I am going to do a lot of thinking. 75% of such thinking... I'm gonna keep to myself. Others really shouldn't be aware of really is going on inside my head.

 

Things to think about:

 

1. The White Sox -- My hatred for this team knows no bounds. My hatred for the White Sox is so strong that I've thought about them 6 times today and I haven't even thought about the Twins.

 

2. The Windy City -- Let's get something straight... I live in Eastern North Dakota. We don't have any trees or tall buildings and the wind blows constantly. When we hear the term Windy City applied to Chicago we think... "Yeah Sure... Whatever". Researching it more... you find out that the term "Windy City" for Chicago has nothing to do with wind. It's because of Chicago Politicians and the self promotion that comes out of Chicago. Cincinnati called Chicago the "Windy City" because Chicago started packing more meat than Cincinnati did and Chicago let everyone know that they were. Followed by the World's Fair being staged in Chicago and the promotion of the City to win the bid to host the World's Fair and the "Windy" nature of the politics that come out of the city.

So Let's be clear... Windy City has nothing to do with wind at all. The Politicians will be blowing in from Left Field today.

 

3. Pinto -- He's not in the lineup today... How could he possible play when Suzuki has 100 percent of the team's RBI's this year.

 

4. Hicks -- He's 2 for 3 and looking like a great candidate to be the 2014 version of Brian Dozier. I hope so and I'll feel a lot better about things if he is.

 

5. April 2nd -- On this date in 1863 there was a bread revolt in Richmond Virginia... The price of bread had risen to impossible to pay levels which caused riots across the south. Bread revolts returned in the 1970's across the nation after hearing the Song "If".

 

On this date in 1978 Dallas airs for the 1st time on CBS... The show with Larry Hagman in the lead role goes on to a long successful run despite not having Barbara Eden granting wishes or Bill Daily bungling things up and setting the space program back 30 years.

 

On this date in 1982 Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Great Britain. It was all part of a master plan for Argentina to control the Sheep Farming economy world wide. If England wouldn't have stepped in and stopped them... Turkey and Greece were the next planned Argentina conquests.

[JB_Iowa]

Gametime weather: Mostly cloudy with a 40-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Temperature around 35.

 

Nolasco is glad he got to start Monday.

[Squirrel]

Yeah ... the chill came back but good. That wind is wicked bad.

[Craig Arko]

At least they don't have 6-10" of snow in the forecast.

[Joe A. Preusser]

Very optimistic about this game. Historically we've had some success against Paulino. Hammer is 3/6 lifetime I believe, so this might be a good measure of where he is in relation to his past performances. I'm also calling a Correia quality start.

[Craig Arko]

Very optimistic about this game. Historically we've had some success against Paulino. Hammer is 3/6 lifetime I believe, so this might be a good measure of where he is in relation to his past performances. I'm also calling a Correia quality start.

 

I like the way you think.

 

I'm thinking one of the lefties, maybe Arcia, beats back the wind.

[Halsey Hall]

I initially thought Gardy used his head and put Mauer in the second spot but saw Willingham right behind him.

 

The thing that really worries me this year is getting swept way to many times. I'll settle for a win in each series. So let's get a win and avoid the sweep. Wonder how many times we got swept last year?

[Squirrel]

At least they don't have 6-10" of snow in the forecast.

 

I'm tempted to issue you an infraction for the use of that 4-letter 's' word!

[SweetOne69]

I'm not saying that I don't like this lineup, but I just don't like how they "rewarded" Suzuki for his 2-4, 3RBI opening day by moving him down to the 7 spot.

[Whammy]

 

Dozier 2B

Mauer 1B

Willingham DH

Kubel LF

Plouffe 3B

Arcia RF

Suzuki C

Hicks CF

Florimon SS

 

 

Looks like Gardy took my Suzuki/Florimon double-switch analysis to heart!!!

[Whammy]

I was excited to see Pinto make the opening day roster, but if this is going to be the norm, just send him down and bring up Hermann.

[ashbury]

That wind is wicked bad.

 

The game was moved to Bahhston?

[ashbury]

I'm also calling a Correia quality start.

 

I'm as pleasantly surprised by Correia's steady 2013 as anybody, but I'm still not quite ready to call a QS for him until around the 7th inning, maybe the 8th.

[Craig Arko]

I'm tempted to issue you an infraction for the use of that 4-letter 's' word!

 

Heh. I'm probably a few behind anyway.

 

My dogs will be overjoyed, of course. They've been a couple of days without drifts to dive in.

[ashbury]

I'm tempted to issue you an infraction for the use of that 4-letter 's' word!

 

We got about 2 feet at the upper elevations the other night here at Tahoe. That's bullsnow, man!

[ashbury]

Looks like Gardy took my Suzuki/Florimon double-switch analysis to heart!!!

 

The manager, avid reader of TD that he is, also appreciates the suggestion to give Perkins a try at closer, a couple seasons back.

[TheDean]

The game was moved to Bahhston?

Huh, never heard of the place. Is that one of those sheep-farming cities Brian was talking about?

[Brock Beauchamp]

I like Correia on the mound today. He probably has the best shot outside of Nolasco to buckle down against the elements and use it to his advantage.

[TKGuy]

I was excited to see Pinto make the opening day roster, but if this is going to be the norm, just send him down and bring up Hermann.

 

He would have played 0 games in Rochester by now also. Interested in seeing Kubel's at bats

[Craig Arko]

The report is Gardy says Pinto will start and catch Hughes tomorrow.

[Dr. Evil]

Looks like Gardie is gunna do one of his "tricky moves" with the way this batting order is set up. Here's what he does......He secretly alternates left/right/left/right through the batting order in order to "trick" the opposing pitcher. Before you know it, POW!!!, opposing pitcher is confused and the TWINS WIN!!! This one is going to be a dandy! Can't wait to see it unfold and see the "confused" responses from the White Sox pitchers!

 

Tomorrow's lineup will be even more entertaining as he empties his bench and "gets everyone involved." Can't wait to see Plouffe playin first base, Bartlett in center field leading off and Mauer playing shortstop and batting 8th!

[ashbury]

He secretly alternates left/right/left/right through the batting order in order to "trick" the opposing pitcher. Before you know it, POW!!!, opposing pitcher is confused and the TWINS WIN!!!

 

Wheels within wheels. Not only is the pitcher confoozled, but the opposing manager is powerless to avoid this trap by bringing in a reliever of opposite hand. Truly, the man is miles ahead of you and me.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I'm as pleasantly surprised by Correia's steady 2013 as anybody, but I'm still not quite ready to call a QS for him until around the 7th inning, maybe the 8th.

 

Well, at least you said 7th or 8th and not "post game interview." I'll give you that.

[ashbury]

Well, at least you said 7th or 8th and not "post game interview." I'll give you that.

 

Being a second guesser isn't how I roll.

[Boom Boom]

Wheels within wheels. Not only is the pitcher confoozled, but the opposing manager is powerless to avoid this trap by bringing in a reliever of opposite hand. Truly, the man is miles ahead of you and me.

 

He certainly had me flummoxed with his use of Escobar as a pinch-hitter.

 

I don't know if Gardy plays chess or not, but if he does I suspect he'd give Kasparov a run for his money.

[ashbury]

I don't know if Gardy plays chess or not, but if he does I suspect he'd give Kasparov a run for his money.

 

"Vhy do you keep calling your pawns 'piranhas', and vhy do you have 15 of them on the board instead of some rooks and bishops?"

[Dr. Evil]

I say that for the 2014 season we change our team name to a softball team name like "The Dingers" or something like that. Then we go back to the baby blue uniforms of old and play circus music when the team takes the field! We could mentally spot The Dingers 3 runs each game and pretend to be in the playoff race! If we lose 4-2, we consider it a 5-4 win! At the end of the season when all the other fans are pi$$ed because we finished in the cellar, we will be celebrating like we won the world series!

[Winston Smith]

Any day is a great day to play baseball.

http://brainerddispatch.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/0415_spts_cold_fans1_KH.jpg

[Joe A. Preusser]

"Vhy do you keep calling your pawns 'piranhas', and vhy do you have 15 of them on the board instead of some rooks and bishops?"

 

Post to beat thus far, but i may be biased being a huge chess fan.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I say that for the 2014 season we change our team name to a softball team name like "The Dingers" or something like that. Then we go back to the baby blue uniforms of old and play circus music when the team takes the field! We could mentally spot The Dingers 3 runs each game and pretend to be in the playoff race! If we lose 4-2, we consider it a 5-4 win! At the end of the season when all the other fans are pi$$ed because we finished in the cellar, we will be celebrating like we won the world series!

 

 

 

Drop the baby blues and i think you're on to something.