Article: Game Thread: Twins @ Blue Jays, 8/25@6:07pm CT

[Riverbrian]

The Twins travel to Canada for a 3-game series starting tonight against the Blue Jays. There is good news and bad news in the Wild Card race. The Good News is that the Twins are currently in possession of that final wild card spot. The bad news is that the entire American League are within striking distance of that final wild card spot that we hold so tenderly. The Royals, Mariners and AngeIs are all a mere half game back, The Rangers are 1 game back and the Rays and Orioles are just a moderately-sized hot streak from joining the pack.

There is a crowd and a risk of somebody getting trampled.

Here are some things to think about:

 

1. Canada – There is only one professional baseball team in all of Canada. I was trying to imagine what that would be like if the situation was reversed. Let’s say there was a team from New York in the Canadian Football League. You have to suspend your imagination and assume that it is possible to have a 55 yard line on American soil but let’s say New York had a team and was the only American team in the CFL. Would our American pride be so great that we would cheer for the New York team? Would Americans know who won the Grey Cup every year? Personally, I’m not sure that I would, because to me Canadians are just like Americans without a gun. Canadians have free health care but Americans have White Castle restaurants so there are differences. Next time you go to Canada, it’ll almost feel like home. If you don’t know how to address a Canadian guy when up there, just call him Gordon and you have a 50% chance of being correct.

2. Our Twins – You can’t compare records in baseball and assume it’s an indication on how things turn out. We just got done sweeping the D-Backs and followed that with the lowly White Sox... and in that 5-game series the Sox won 3 of them. Its baseball where the Phillies can beat the Dodgers on any given night. All you can do is keep putting the uniform on to get ready for the next game. It’s late August and the Twins are in Wild Card position and that is more exciting than it being late August, looking out your window and wondering if the grass is long enough to mow.

3. The Blue Jays – These guy have been labeled the biggest disappointment in baseball so far in 2017. They were supposed to have the pitching needed along with the big bats of Donaldson, Tulo and Bautista. The Jays and Red Sox were supposed to be competing for that AL East crown. Let’s be clear, the Jays are not out of it, they are 5 games behind us, but, I believe they fully expected to be in much stronger position. In my opinion, this makes them a little dangerous. They can still get hot and grab a WC spot and become that team nobody wants to face. Nobody will want to face the Jays not because they have talent but mainly because nobody wants to go to Toronto in October unless you live in Winnipeg.

4. Today’s Joe M Conversation:

Morgan: Hey, Joe… I’ve always wondered what it was like being a ghost.

McCarthy: It’s alright… it’s a lot like being alive only you are not.

Maddon: What kind of things do ghosts do?

McCarthy: I don’t know… we get together and play Pac-Man… we gather around the fire and tell people stories. The same stuff you guys do.

Mauer: If you don’t mind me asking… how did you die?

McCarthy: I was literally scared half to death… twice.

5. Abbreviations – I haven’t got much today but I was thinking that the word 'abbreviation' is way too long of a word. Along those lines: “I am” is the shortest sentence in the English language. “I do” is the longest.
____________________

Lineups:

TWINS
Brian Dozier 2B
Joe Mauer 1B
Byron Buxton CF
Eduardo Escobar 3B
Jorge Polanco SS
Eddie Rosario LF
Mitch Garver DH
Max Kepler RF
Chris Gimenez C

Bartolo Colon P

BLUE JAYS
Steve Pearce LF
Josh Donaldson DH
Justin Smoak 1B
Jose Bautista 3B
Miguel Montero C
Kevin Pillar CF
Norichika Aoki RF
Ryan Goins SS
Darwin Barney 2B

J.A. Happ P

Weather: inside the dome temperate

Click here to view the article

[wsnydes]

Anybody know what the Canadian exchange rate for games in the standings is?  I imagine that makes the Twins task that much more difficult.  Maybe North knows?

[Kwak]

Will Tyler Duffy pitch in this series?

 

We use Canadian bacon in the U.S.--and no one is upset about that.

Edited August 25, 2017 by Kwak

[Blake]

McCarthy is only mostly dead then?

 

1/2 of 1/2 is 1/4, I believe.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

...

 

There is a crowd and a risk of somebody getting trampled.

 

...

 

 

Is that why it is called a wild card?

[wsnydes]

 

Is that why it is called a wild card?

Correct.  A domesticated card would be much safer.  It may even make for a nice pet, given certain circumstances.

[Blake]

 

Correct.  A domesticated card would be much safer.  It may even make for a nice pet, given certain circumstances.

Remember, though, to spay or neuter all pets.

 

This has been a public announcement.

[spinowner]

 

 

5. Abbreviations – I haven’t got much today but I was thinking that the word 'abbreviation' is way too long of a word. Along those lines: “I am” is the shortest sentence in the English language. “I do” is the longest.

Click here to view the article

My son was telling me he read about a toast someone offered at a wedding. The gist of it was that your wedding is a special day and should be enjoyed, but it's just the first day of your lifelong marriage. Another way to look at it is like this: Your wedding day is a word, but your marriage is a sentence.

[twinsnorth49]

 

Anybody know what the Canadian exchange rate for games in the standings is?  I imagine that makes the Twins task that much more difficult.  Maybe North knows?

Under current exchange the Jays have 78 wins.

 

I blame Trump.

[twinsnorth49]

Well I live in Winnipeg and I still don't want to go to Tronno in October. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Remember, though, to spay or neuter all pets.

 

This has been a public announcement.

Please don't spay or neuter the Twins. They are wild as of now...

 

Let them run free amongst the bases!

 

Maybe that is why they don't come home so often... Asserting their wild nature.

[wsnydes]

 

Please don't spay or neuter the Twins. They are wild as of now...

Let them run free amongst the bases!

Maybe that is why they don't come home so often... Asserting their wild nature.

There are some that would argue that they already have been spayed or neutered with their inability to score runs.  

[ashbury]

5. Abbreviations – I haven’t got much today but I was thinking that the word 'abbreviation' is way too long of a word. Along those lines: “I am” is the shortest sentence in the English language. “I do” is the longest.

It is a shame that Mrs Riverbrian isn't given a spot on the TD Op-Ed page to share her perspective every now and again.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

There are some that would argue that they already have been spayed or neutered with their inability to score runs.

It does reduce the desire to score...

 

I had not thought of that.

 

Point taken.

[ashbury]

It does reduce the desire to score...

 

I had not thought of that.

 

Point taken.

Looks like sampleSize is workin' blue tonight.

 

In other news, I will be seeing my new avatar-sake Buck Showalter in person tonight at Fenway. I think I have no particular rooting interest, and just ask for a good game.

[spinowner]

 

 Tronno 

That's how Al Shaver always pronounced it on his North Stars broadcasts.

[spinowner]

 

Well I live in Winnipeg and I still don't want to go to Tronno in October. 

Except if it's for a postseason game involving your favorite team, I suppose.

[spinowner]

 

 “I am” is the shortest sentence in the English language.

 

So does that mean "I'm" could be a sentence? This sounds like a question for PDX.

[Dantes929]

 

It is a shame that Mrs Riverbrian isn't given a spot on the TD Op-Ed page to share her perspective every now and again.

I never mind my wife having the last word. In fact, I'm delighted when she gets to it.

[Blake]

 

Well I live in Winnipeg and I still don't want to go to Tronno in October. 

Yeah, Tronno seems a bit weird:

[wsnydes]

 

It is a shame that Mrs Riverbrian isn't given a spot on the TD Op-Ed page to share her perspective every now and again.

I always thought that it would be interesting to get a Mrs Riverbrian section in his game thread intros.  I'm sure that no good would come of it for RB, but the rest of us would probably enjoy it.

[twinsnorth49]

 

Yeah, Tronno seems a bit weird:

Tron?

 

 

 

[twinsnorth49]

 

That's how Al Shaver always pronounced it on his North Stars broadcasts.

Naturally, he's a local.

[Blake]

 

Tron?

 

Tron-Tronno...work with me, here, willya!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Looks like sampleSize is workin' blue* tonight.

Oh, that's what i was doing? Sorry, sir, won't happen again.

 

_{A fair cop}

 

In other news, I will be seeing my new avatar-sake Buck Showalter in person tonight at Fenway. I think I have no particular rooting interest, and just ask for a good game.

Enjoy it! Not a bad evening for it.

 

 

 

*_{I confess, i had to look up the phrase... I knew i wasn't umping, nor playing depressing soulful music... Nor rooting for the Jays... Evidently i just am low brow.}

[ashbury]

*_{I confess, i had to look up the phrase... I knew i wasn't umping, nor playing depressing soulful music... Nor rooting for the Jays... Evidently i just am low brow.}

I wondered if someone would play up the umpire angle of the phrase.

[yarnivek1972]

From yarnivek's facebook feed, Today in Twins History:

 

Eight years ago today I attended my final game at The Hubert Horatio Humphrey Metrodome. The Twins won in walk off fashion but it was otherwise a thoroughly ugly and forgettable game.

 

Something called Armando Gabino made his first (and only) MLB start. It did not go well. He lasted 2 2/3, gave up 5 hits, 3 walks and 4 runs. He was followed by the equally forgettable Phillip Humber. He faced 8 batters, allowing 1 hit, 4 walks and recorded 3 strikeouts. Bobby Keppel took the game to the 7th, by which point the game was already 2 1/2 hours old. Jesse Crain pitched two shutout innings. Jose Mijares pitched a perfect 9th.

 

In the bottom of the 9th, the M&M boys grounded out. Then Michael Cuddyer singled. Jason Kubel pinch hit and drew a walk.

 

Up to the plate stepped Delmon Young, already with 3 singles in the game. He worked the count full and drove a pitch to RF that plated Michael Cuddyer and gave the Twins a 7-6 win. I think I got home (to Winona) at about 1 am. But, at least they won.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I wondered if someone would play up the umpire angle of the phrase.

Did it originally refer to collared jobs and the tastes of them as work 'em?

[PDX Twin]

 

So does that mean "I'm" could be a sentence? This sounds like a question for PDX.

 

It seems like it could, since it means the same thing. If you're winning to admit sentences without verbs, you could probably reduce that to "I." As in

 

"Who's rooting for the Twins tonight?"

 

"I!"

[TwinsCD]

 

 

 

1. Canada – There is only one professional baseball team in all of Canada. I was trying to imagine what that would be like if the situation was reversed. Let’s say there was a team from New York in the Canadian Football League. You have to suspend your imagination and assume that it is possible to have a 55 yard line on American soil but let’s say New York had a team and was the only American team in the CFL. Would our American pride be so great that we would cheer for the New York team? Would Americans know who won the Grey Cup every year? 
 

 

I was going to college in Baltimore when the Colts won the Grey Cup in the small era of the mid-90s when the CFL invaded the US.  They somehow squeezed a 55-yard line and bigger endzones into Memorial Stadium.