Article: Game Thread: Twins v Astros, 5/29 @ 1:10pm CT

[Riverbrian]

Before I move on to other things… I want to start by saying that today is Memorial Day. I want to lead with this because Memorial Day should not be forgotten. That wasn’t meant to be a pun… it was respect and a salute from the bottom of my heart. God Bless those who have served… God Bless those we have loved and lost.

The Astros come to town and the Twins have to be tired. Six hours and 26 minutes of baseball is a long time to wear a jock strap without consequence. Six hours is a long time to do almost anything. It seems like it takes 6 hours for my wife to be ready as I stand by the door. I watched “The English Patient” once that seemed like 6 hours. Trips to the DMV seem like 6 hours. The last 30 minutes of the workday… seems to take 6 hours. Coming up with an idea for these game threads also takes about 6 hours.

Here are some things to think about:

 

 

1. Wayzata – So many people head to the lake on Memorial Day weekend. Lake Minnetonka may be one of the busiest in the state because it is close to a major population center and it is the ninth largest lake in Minnesota. On the north shore lies Wayzata, a destination for the well compensated. The median home price in Wayzata is 8 billion dollars and 24 cents. Situated on Lake Minnetonka with some of the finest boating and fishing in the state, the residents love to fish. They don’t actually fish themselves, they pay people to fish for them but they get to keep the stories and tell them on their yachts. Brandon and Brenda Walsh from Beverly Hills 90210 were originally from Wayzata and that was probably why they had such hard time fitting into the ghetto culture at the Peach Pit.

2. Our Twins – I watched all 15 innings yesterday. It was a great game, and it wore me out. It was frustrating because we had our chances to win but we couldn’t close the deal. There were bright spots in this game; Rosario drew a couple of rare walks and Joe Mauer reached base 47 times. Afterwards, with the bullpen exhausted, Kennys Vargas was sent down so the team could add an extra pitcher, and Justin Haley was placed on the DL with a sore shoulder so they can add another fresh arm. "Hey Justin… how's your shoulder really?" "It’s good." "You sure it isn’t sore?" "Just a little… nothing out of the ordinary." "OK sore shoulder it is… I’ll get those DL papers filled out."

3. The Astros – The best record in baseball belongs to Houston at 35 wins and 16 losses. The Astros are strong on paper and teams that are strong on paper are scary when they are also strong on the field. It isn’t just a starting 9… everybody can play. The worst Houston hitter this year has been Carlos Beltran and he has been pretty good. It doesn’t matter who they throw out there… they can all play. Kuechel and McCullers are forming a talented top of the rotation, Charlie Morton is also nothing to sneeze at and this Peacock guy who is pitching today has been pitching better than all of them in a small sample size. Devenski has turned into an Andrew Miller type in the pen and Ken Giles is a force at closer. My plan is to build the Astros up to impossible proportions and therefore make them easier to take down when they can’t meet those expectations.

4. Today’s Joe M Conversation

Maddon: Guys… I’m glad we came here today.

Montana: Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day… this was a great idea.

Mauer: Very moving… the white grave markers… the flags.

Montana: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Maddon: There are a lot of great Americans resting here.

Montana: I’ve been looking at purchasing a plot in my hometown but they are expensive. They seem to increase every time I look into it. Probably should get one soon.

Mauer: I wonder why the prices are increasing like that.

Montana: I asked that very question… they told me it was a cost of living increase.

5. Memorial Day - It is also a day to remember that mattresses are on sale… basically everywhere. You know it’s out of control when Buffalo Wild Wings is having a mattress sale.

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

ASTROS
George Springer® CF
Josh Reddick(L) RF
Jose Altuve® 2B
Carlos Correa® SS
Carlos Beltran(S) DH
Brian McCann(L) C
Marwin Gonzalez(S) 1B
Alex Bregman® 3B
Norichika Aoki(L) LF

Brad Peacock P

TWINS
Brian Dozier® 2B
Robbie Grossman(S) DH
Joe Mauer(L) 1B
Miguel Sano® 3B
Max Kepler(L) RF
Jorge Polanco(S) SS
Eddie Rosario(L) LF
Chris Gimenez® C
Byron Buxton® CF

Ervin Dantana P

Weather: cool-ish and cloudy but playable with a 20-25% chance of rain

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[Blake]

Good job!

 

"Cost of living" for a grave site. Love it!

[Winston Smith]

Thank you for your service Brian you are our General, maybe Captain or more likely our Private, you are something anyway.

[Squirrel]

Watching 'The English Patient' felt more like 6 years.

 

And trips to the DMV feels like 6 hours because it probably actually took 6 hours.

[Dave The Dastardly]

Your 6-hour comments reminds me of the time Sting told an interviewer that he and his wife could make love for 8 hours. Several days later he clarified that by adding, "that includes dinner, a movie and 4 hours of begging".

 

Yesterday the Twins missed both both dinner and a movie, but they did get in 4 hours of begging. Unfortunately they still didn't score.

 

 

[Jerr]

Bears repeating :

 

Before I move on to other things… I want to start by saying that today is Memorial Day. I want to lead with this because Memorial Day should not be forgotten. That wasn’t meant to be a pun… it was respect and a salute from the bottom of my heart. God Bless those who have served… God Bless those we have loved and lost.

 

Well, said!!!!!

[Jerr]

I love your "Joe conversations"    

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Remember John W. Benbow, P-51 Mustang pilot killed over Japan July 16, 1945...he was my uncle from Greensboro, NC; remember my high school football team's captain, Murray Moseley, Statesville,NC killed Vietnam 1966; Remember Ardry Barringer in my youth group at church in Statesville, NC, killed Vietnam 1967; remember my fraternity brother at UNC, Ted Edwards, killed Vietnam 1968; remember Michael Rymarczuk from Philadelphia in my platoon - 3rd platoon, Charlie Company, 3/23rd Infantry , 2nd Infantry Division,killed in Korean DMZ July 30, 1968.

[Riverbrian]

 

I love your "Joe conversations"    

 

So do I... 3 guys and a ghost all named Joe M. hanging out. It's perfect. 

 

 

[Jerr]

Lack of math, on yesterdays game thread was blamed by some for the Twins lost so.......................

1=1....so now that is out of the way      

 

No excuses today, let's win this one Twins!!!!!!

[spinowner]

 

1. Wayzata – So many people head to the lake on Memorial Day weekend. Lake Minnetonka may be one of the busiest in the state because it is close to a major population center and it is the ninth largest lake in Minnesota. On the north shore lies Wayzata, a destination for the well compensated. The median home price in Wayzata is 8 billion dollars and 24 cents. 

I realize this was written (partly) in jest, but there's a lot of truth here. There was a survey of cost of residential real estate in US cities sometime during the last couple years that had Orono, MN ranked as one of the 10 highest in the country. I think the other 9 were in California. I believe this survey had some sort of methodology that considered the cost relative to the size of the lot and the square footage of the house. The fact that Orono has a lot of Lake Minnetonka shoreline is what boosted it to that position.

[Riverbrian]

 

I realize this was written (partly) in jest, but there's a lot of truth here. There was a survey of cost of residential real estate in US cities sometime during the last couple years that had Orono, MN ranked as one of the 10 highest in the country. I think the other 9 were in California. I believe this survey had some sort of methodology that considered the cost relative to the size of the lot and the square footage of the house. The fact that Orono has a lot of Lake Minnetonka shoreline is what boosted it to that position.

 

What does jest mean? 

[Craig Arko]

What does jest mean? 

It comes from here...

 

[stringer bell]

Fun fact: There is no Post Office for Orono.

[stringer bell]

I'm at the game and if it goes over three hours, I'm heading home.

[stringer bell]

Hope they are able to bounce back from yesterday.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

What does jest mean?

I thought it had something to do with a forward pass. But that might be due to dead music. Oh, and pie.

[Jerr]

 

I'm at the game and if it goes over three hours, I'm heading home.

Planning to leave a game early....tsk tsk tsk    

[mikecgrimes]

 

Fun fact: There is no Post Office for Orono.

 

Yeah but is there an Olive Garden?

[stringer bell]

Planning to leave a game early....tsk tsk tsk    

I am the Phil Rizzuto of Spring Season Pass holders.

[spinowner]

Who's this guy in the booth with Bremer? He doesn't seem familiar.

[Riverbrian]

It sounds like Bert doing color. 

 

He's Back

[mikecgrimes]

Have umpires been told there no longer allowed to throw guys out for arguing balls and strikes.  4 years ago even that little disagreement would have been dealt with harshly by a lot of umpires.

[Riverbrian]

That's a good top of one

 

Time for a good bottom of one

[stringer bell]

Yeah but is there an Olive Garden?

There is a city government, a public school district, a police department and street signs. Mail service is divided into at least five zip codes, none of which are "Orono".

[mikecgrimes]

If this pitcher for the Astros are as efficient as his stats suggest we might get to the 15th inning before we hit 3 hours.

[mikecgrimes]

 

 

There is a city government, a public school district, a police department and street signs. Mail service is divided into at least five zip codes, none of which are "Orono".

So a lot like Hilltop?  Is there city hall in a tailor park too?

 

[stringer bell]

Who's this guy in the booth with Bremer? He doesn't seem familiar.

Time for more "downward plane" and "uppercut swings".

[mikecgrimes]

12 minutes times 9 is 1:48 minutes throw in an extra three minutes for the inning the run gets scored and we're looking at ending the game after 3 PM

[stringer bell]

Erv's last game went 2:26, so there is hope that I'll see most of it.