Game Thread: Twins @ Red Sox, 6/16 @ 6:10pm CT

[Squirrel]

Game-time forecast: Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 70.

 

Twins:

SP, Correia

 

Santana SS

Dozier 2B

Mauer 1B

Willingham LF

Morales DH

Arcia RF

Suzuki C

Escobar 3B

Fuld CF

 

Red Sox:

SP, De La Rosa

 

Holt LF

Bogaerts 3B

Pedroia 2B

Ortiz DH

Napoli 1B

Nava RF

Drew SS

Pierzynski C

Bradley CF

 

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

 

Okay, Brian ... I'm back home. And am prodding your thinking, so go to it!

 

Trips are fun but it's always good to be back home unless it's someplace like Illinois.

 

Things to think about:

 

1. Boston -- Bwoast'n is a city along the Atlantic Coast of Massachusetts. It's like the worst city to be driving in a Cah. The roads are wicked narrah and people are all over the place. The driving rules are a little different. In Bwoast'n... never stop for a pedestrian unless he flings himself underneath your cah... You should always look both ways when running a red light... If you make eye contact with the other driver... you no longer have the right of way and study the hand gesture handbook provided by the Bwoast'n department of transportation. The population is around 636,000 people of that... approximately 400,000 are college students attending one of the 10 million colleges and universities in the city. Of the remaining 236,000 people of Boston... 100,000 are relatives of the Kennedy clan. They ski in to trees... the drive off bridges... they fly into oceans and that helps explain the driving that tourists encounter in the city. Like most major cities... The city of Bwoast'n consists of many neighborhoods... However... it doesn't matter because no one can understand how each neighborhood is pronounced so it's almost like they don't exist.

 

2. Fenway Pahk -- Without a doubt... It's iconic. It's been standing there since I was a child and since I was a child I've been mesmerized by the Green Monster. It was the most unique feature in all of baseball and watching televised games from Fenway were can't miss events because of the Green Monster. Now that I'm adult... I think it's possible that I may have over played it's significance because I was a freaking child. The Green Monster had to be built because the ball park dimensions had to be squeezed into the dimensions of the streets that surrounded it. It only left room for a short left fence so the fence was raised. The Park was built in 1912 and at that time... The Green Monster was the tallest structure in all of New England. It could be seen in a photo from space taken in 1915. The right field line is where the Pesky Pole stands. It was named the pesky pole because it kept toppling over when they were trying to erect it. The construction workers found it to be Pesky to place upright. Johnny Pesky came along 30 years later and named himself after the pole. His original name was Johnny Pleasant and he underwent a drastic personality change when his name was changed. They also have a place in CF which is called the Triangle. It is called the Triangle because CF'ers are challenged to Try" and take a decent "Angle" when chasing baseballs around the bullpen.

 

3. Rubby De Le Rosa -- Rubby is 25 years old and from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He is called Rubby because he likes Cheetos. The Red Sox acquired him in that huge trade with the Dodgers. The trade that emptied all the lazy overpaid superstars like Nick Punto off the Red Sox roster and put them on the Dodgers roster. Once Rubby became a Red Sock... The Team turned it around and won the World Series. He didn't pitch in the World Series but the team did rub his head for luck. I remember seeing him pitch with the Dodgers and back then he had a big fastball in the upper 90's and a decent change of pace and a wicked slider that he would throw for balls. He had TJ surgery since then and I admit I don't know if he is still that power guy.

 

4. World Series Winners -- Boston won the World Series last year... This year the Red Sox are 31-38 and 9 games out of 1st place. You don't have to look far to know where to place blame. John Ferrell is obviously a bad manager.

 

5. Kids -- I overheard my son arguing with a friend of his. His friend said "His Dad could beat up your Dad (meaning me)". I knew the kids dad... It wasn't true... This was clearly false. As a matter of fact... it isn't even debatable. So... I waited for my son to set him straight and he replied "Yeah... When"?

[Halsey Hall]

My question for this series is who hits the longest home run, Arcia or Ortiz?

[Beezer07]

I am decidedly okay with that lineup until Plouffe gets back.

[kdrupp09]

What kind of leash does Correia have with the team? Another clunker and gone or another 2 or 3 clunkers till gone?

[Circus Boy]

I don't mind getting thrashed by 10 runs. It's OK to get dominated by the opposing pitcher. But the way we lost Sunday is heartburn. We lost because we couldn't do simple things in the field, nor could we get that one more hit. We were the better team then. The guys know this, I'm sure. Hoping they take it to the red hose tonight.

[James]

Maybe this series will get Mauer's bat going after he smacks a few doubles off of the monster.

[JB_Iowa]

Nothing like hours of tornado/storm coverage.

 

I think most of it is going east of me.

 

Big Big storms.

 

Pray for those already hit and those in the paths of the storms. Sioux City metro looks like it could take a hit.

 

 

http://www.starherald.com/news/regional_statewide/reports-pilger-nebraska-hit-by-tornado/article_d269c6c4-f5a3-11e3-95d0-001a4bcf887a.html

 

(The video on the news was more dramatic -- this thing was huge -- supposedly leveled about 1/2 the town of 378 peeople).

 

 

Shows the double vortexes:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news/storm-chaser-video-shows-double-tornado-282520131879

[Gibby]

United States scored the fastest goal in World Cup history at 32 seconds.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

United States scored the fastest goal in World Cup history at 32 seconds.

 

Yeah, i've been distracted by that too... It's held up through the half, though both teams have had their chances.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Maybe this series will get Mauer's bat going after he smacks a few doubles off of the monster.

 

I hope so too.

 

The fact that they can't shift the left fielder to halfway up the monster should make that outfield shift less effective against him.

[Winston Smith]

Maybe this series will get Mauer's bat going after he smacks a few doubles off of the monster.

 

This is the 14th series that something like this has been said.

[LaBombo]

Maybe this series will get Mauer's bat going after he smacks a few doubles off of the monster.

 

Wind blowing out to left according to TD Eye in the Sky. Even an 'excuse me' might make a mark on The Wall tonight.

 

Forget home runs and offensive value by position. Imagine Mauer finishing his career at first with Boston. If he adjusts and routine grounders to second turn into singles via the shift and his home field routine fly outs to left turn into doubles off the G. M., oh, let's say twice a week for each, he's first ballot all the way.

[D. Hocking]

Maybe this series will get Mauer's bat going after he smacks a few doubles off of the monster.

 

I say this as a Mauer homer. I don't think this is a slump he is going to magically break. I think he is working through things that are going to take awhile with one step forward two steps backward moments. I do think he has probably hit the bottom and is slowly starting to come out of it (defensively as well), but I don't think there is going to be an instant break-through. I do think once he does get things turned around again, it will help him deal with problems more quickly in the future.

 

Of course I would not mind being wrong and that this game sparks a 20 game hitting streak and a .340 average for the rest of the year.

[Circus Boy]

Nothing like hours of tornado/storm coverage.

 

I think most of it is going east of me.

 

Big Big storms.

 

Pray for those already hit and those in the paths of the storms. Sioux City metro looks like it could take a hit.

 

 

http://www.starherald.com/news/regional_statewide/reports-pilger-nebraska-hit-by-tornado/article_d269c6c4-f5a3-11e3-95d0-001a4bcf887a.html

 

(The video on the news was more dramatic -- this thing was huge -- supposedly leveled about 1/2 the town of 378 peeople).

 

 

Shows the double vortexes:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news/storm-chaser-video-shows-double-tornado-282520131879

 

Wow, buddy. I grew up near Pilger (in Lyons, Neb.) and it looks leveled. Never seen a double tornado like that before. Make sure to keep tabs on Auntie Em and Toto.

[Riverbrian]

1 2 3 Correia is his new nickname.

[Beezer07]

1-2-3 inning, 97 pitches.

[Willihammer]

I think this Kevin Career might make a correia for himself

[JB_Iowa]

Wow, buddy. I grew up near Pilger (in Lyons, Neb.) and it looks leveled. Never seen a double tornado like that before. Make sure to keep tabs on Auntie Em and Toto.

 

Looks to me like Minnesota, northCentral and northeast Iowa are getting hit now.

 

Bad series of storms.

[JB_Iowa]

Wow, buddy. I grew up near Pilger (in Lyons, Neb.) and it looks leveled. Never seen a double tornado like that before. Make sure to keep tabs on Auntie Em and Toto.

 

So far at least 1 dead, 16 critical (that's from only 1 hospital so there may be more).

[Riverbrian]

Nothing like hours of tornado/storm coverage.

 

I think most of it is going east of me.

 

Big Big storms.

 

Pray for those already hit and those in the paths of the storms. Sioux City metro looks like it could take a hit.

 

 

http://www.starherald.com/news/regional_statewide/reports-pilger-nebraska-hit-by-tornado/article_d269c6c4-f5a3-11e3-95d0-001a4bcf887a.html

 

(The video on the news was more dramatic -- this thing was huge -- supposedly leveled about 1/2 the town of 378 peeople).

 

 

Shows the double vortexes:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news/storm-chaser-video-shows-double-tornado-282520131879

 

Do you have a good place to hole up.

[JB_Iowa]

Do you have a good place to hole up.

 

Yes but we weren't in any danger from these -- bad storms north of us and south of us but we were in a kind of "dry slot".

 

Just like we've been short on rain, apparently it also helps protect against storms.

[JB_Iowa]

KC starting out well.

[ashbury]

United States scored the fastest goal in World Cup history at 32 seconds.

 

So it's official that the first 31 seconds are irrelevant. Unofficially, of course it's 90 minutes.

[JB_Iowa]

Way to run ourselves out of that one.

 

C'mon Dozier -- bring him home.

[glunn]

I lived in Boston for 3 years and Brian's setup today was extremely entertaining to me.

 

Now the Twins need to complete the hilarity with a big win.

[Beezer07]

Santana's baserunning has been brutal thus far.

[ashbury]

I think he is working through things that are going to take awhile with one step forward two steps backward moments. I do think he has probably hit the bottom and is slowly starting to come out of it (defensively as well), but I don't think there is going to be an instant break-through.

 

For what's the matter, I suspect you are correct. From a results POV, it may be a sudden 20 game hitting streak all the same.

[ashbury]

Santana's baserunning has been brutal thus far.

 

Without minimizing the nature and severity of the mistake, and recognizing that everything afterward changes, the grounder Dozier hit to second would in this instance likely have been a DP preventing the run anyway had Santana not goofed and remained at first.

[ashbury]

I hope so too.

 

The fact that they can't shift the left fielder to halfway up the monster should make that outfield shift less effective against him.

 

My Spidey Sense tells me that's a shift people'd pay to see.

[ashbury]

So far at least 1 dead, 16 critical (that's from only 1 hospital so there may be more).

 

National news outlets online slow to report this. I never expected TD to be my go-to source for terrible-weather news.