Game Thread: Twins vs. Yankees, 4/25/18 @ 5:35pm CT

[mickeymental]

I don't hate the Yankees. I don't hate the Yankees. I don't hate the Yankees.

 

You heard right: I don't hate the Yankees. In fact, I harbor a soft spot for the Bronx Bombers directly related to the NYC subway system, the crack epidemic and some very bad baseball.

 

My no-hate affair began in 1988 with a two-week 4th of July road trip to Manhattan that ended up lasting five years. By October I lived on the Upper West Side and, when the ’89 baseball season rolled around, the Yankees truly stink, stank, stunk. Steinbrenner's squad was about to embark on four years at a 288-359 won-lost clip. Ah, the days of Stump Merrill, Neon Deion and Bam-Bam Meulens.

 

The good news for me was twofold: 1) I lived near a subway line that went straight to Yankee Stadium (on a good day, the express D-train made the trip in less than 15 minutes), and 2) all the local young crackheads liquidated their ill-gotten tickets to the sparsely attended ballpark for $5 (if you waited till just after the first pitch). Inside the gates, ushers kept low-rent fans like me from the primo sections closest to the field -- but they allowed total access to the ocean of empty seats everywhere else.

 

The late '80s and early '90s offered a much different baseball landscape. Mainly, of course, there was no Internet. But New York’s four daily newspapers (Times, Daily News, Newsday, Post) all had lively sports sections that ranged from sober to snarky in their coverage of the Yanks and Mets -- with overwhelming disregard for the rest of the majors. It wasn't easy being a Twins fan in Gotham City.

 

Still, as an alternative to the Metrodome, the fabled ballyard offered a worthwhile, albeit temporary, oasis. It was aged and rickety, but it oozed palpable history. I clearly recall the spine-tingling thrill upon entering The House That Ruth Built as the glorious vista opened up to spectacular blue seats, impossibly green grass and the signature white facade crowning the upper deck. I made the trip dozens of times and usually sat in really good seats behind home plate. The fresh popcorn from an old-fashioned covered wagon in a nearby corridor was perfect.

 

But once, just for kicks and the sake of experience, two of us decided to check out the right-field bleachers. Ex-Twin Gary Ward was by now an ex-Yankee playing out his final seasons as a well-into-his-30s right fielder for the Tigers. His stint with the Yanks had been unremarkable at best and, inning after inning, the notoriously unforgiving Bleacher Creatures tried to get under his skin with crude insults, incidental vulgarities and nasty singalong chants. Some were tinged with dark humor and some were not. But Ward remained stoic and wouldn't give the locals any satisfaction of acknowledgment.

 

Then, around the seventh or eighth inning, a new serenade began to build in volume and intensity. Based on "Camptown Races,” this special ditty took aim directly at Ward’s genealogy with an unusually foul licentiousness not fit for a family publication, a major-league ballpark or civil society at large: “Ward’s mother bleep bleep bleep -- do-dah, do-dah; Ward’s mother bleep bleep bleep -- oh, do-dah day.”

 

After several unrelenting rounds of this personalized gem, Ward finally gave in. He slowly turned his neck to glare at the Creatures and, wearing an expression somewhere between pity and disdain, gave his head several measured shakes. That was it. He turned back toward the field and ignored the fans for the rest of the game.

 

For future outings, I returned to the box seats behind the plate. And to this day -- except for when they play the Twins and despite (or because of) never setting foot inside the new Yankee Stadium -- I manage to maintain warmly nostalgic feelings for the storied franchise. But as for at least some of the Yankee fans? Not so much.

 

Twins:

1. Brian Dozier ® 2B
2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B
3. Miguel Sano ® 3B
4. Eddie Rosario (L) LF
5. Max Kepler (L) CF
6. Eduardo Escobar (S) SS
7. Logan Morrison (L) DH
8. Robbie Grossman (S) RF
9. Jason Castro (L) C

 

Lance Lynn ®

 

Yanks:

1. Brett Gardner (L) CF
2. Aaron Judge ® RF
3. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
4. Giancarlo Stanton ® LF
5. Gary Sanchez ® DH
6. Tyler Austin ® 1B
7. Miguel Andujar ® 3B
8. Austin Romine ® C
9. Gleyber Torres ® 2B

 

Sonny Gray ®

 

Gametime Forecast: 58°F • Overcast • 15% PoP

[Mike Sixel]

Go twins!

[FunnyPenguin]

This is going to be our day, Lynn isn't going to issue any walks, Morrison will homer, and Sano will not K once!!!

 

:fenforcer:

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Can't say i actively hate the Yankees either.

 

But all other things being equal, i mildly prefer them not to win tonight.

[twinssporto]

Hopefully we can keep pace with the Yankees tonight through 6 innings.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Twins have a pretty sinister line up when they want to...

[Otto von Ballpark]

Just checked the weather for Yankee Stadium. Looks like a little rain, but not enough to cause a postponement. Did see this, though:

 

"Dense Fog Advisory in effect from 6:00 PM EDT until Thursday, 6:00 AM EDT."

 

Any way the Twins can use dense fog to our advantage?

[Winston Smith]

I don't hate them. When I was first exposed to baseball they were the team on TV on Saturdays, before the Twins were around. Grew up with Yogi, Whitey and Mickey. It wasn't hard to switch to the Twins when those guys were gone but the dislike I have had for the Yankees was for George rather than the team.

 

My first recollection of baseball is Enos Slaughter reaching over the short fence in right to take a homerun away on a Saturday game of the week, 1954 or 55.

[Blake]

 

This is going to be our day, Lynn isn't going to issue any walks, Morrison will homer, and Sano will not K once!!!

 

:fenforcer:

[ashbury]

This is going to be our day, Lynn isn't going to issue any walks, Morrison will homer, and Sano will not K once!!!

 

:fenforcer:

 

(Just riffing on Blake's take.)

[Mike Sixel]

What happens first, the Twins win a series in NY, or Winds of Winter is published? Because there is no Wind this year.....

[Danchat]

Just gonna throw this here:
 

Sports teams I hate:

 

#1: Packers

#2: Yankees

 

Sports fanbases I hate:

 

#1: Eagles

#2: Yankees

#3: Packers

[Dave The Dastardly]

 

This is going to be our day, Lynn isn't going to issue any walks, Morrison will homer, and Sano will not K once!!!

 

:fenforcer:

Dude! Love those positive waves! Can I take a hit of whatever you have in the bong?

[ewen21]

Look at this gem I found.  This sounds like sometime in the late 80s given the players mentioned.   Phil Rizzuto and Bill White are talking during a rain delay filling space.  At one point (a little after a minute in), Phil notices Harmon off camera and calls him to come down to talk on camera!  I guess the producer nixed it.  Rizzuto seemed a little annoyed that they couldn't pull it off.  Too bad it didn't happen.  That would have been fun to see. 

[ewen21]

Oh and notice the score.  Twins 3, Yankees 0.

 

Rainy night, too

 

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

rainbow.gif

 

(Just riffing on Blake's take.)

Wow!

 

How'd he do that?

 

Sign him quick!

 

Imagine how foolish the opposing batters would look swinging at rainbows!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Sadly i will miss much of tonight's excitement. I said i'd be in a pit this week.

[Blake]

 

Sadly i will miss much of tonight's excitement. I said i'd be in a pit this week.

Cool.

 

Olive? Peach? Mine? Mosh? Orchestra?

[Dave The Dastardly]

First hamboogie of the year on the grill for supper tonight. 85% lean burger from Schmidt's Meat Market in Nicollet, topped with an organic tomato from the Northfield Food Coop, skids greased with a Grain Belt Nordeast, another Nordeast to wash down the burger...  God I love Minnesota!!!!

 

Now if the Twins can whip the Yankees tonight I'll believe I've died and gone to Heaven.

 

If they lose....

 

What the hell.

 

 

[Blake]

Let's try Math to prove the Twins are going to win:

 

First game, Yankees scored 14.

Second game, Yankees scored 8.

6 run differential, so, tonight, the Yankees score 2 runs.

Tomorrow, -4 runs.

 

Meanwhile, the Twins scored 1 run the first game and 3 the second, or, three times as many runs.

 

Finally score tonight: Twins 9, Yankees 2.

 

Tomorrow: Twins 27, Yankees: -4.

 

You heard it here first, folks!

[wsnydes]

Just checked the weather for Yankee Stadium. Looks like a little rain, but not enough to cause a postponement. Did see this, though:

 

"Dense Fog Advisory in effect from 6:00 PM EDT until Thursday, 6:00 AM EDT."

 

Any way the Twins can use dense fog to our advantage?

Hopefully it's dense enough that they can't tell that they're playing the Yankees.

[Aggies7]

Wooooooooooohoooooooooo

[IndianaTwin]

Frosty!

 

[BoofBonser]

We scored first!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aggies7]

How many runs will Lynn need?

[Blake]

 

How many runs will Lynn need?

I don't have that many fingers and toes...

[ewen21]

 

How many runs will Lynn need?

All them I bet

[Aggies7]

Brett Gardner, I need to know his career BA and OBP against the twins. It has to be astronomical

[Aggies7]

Lynn, working behind in every count like everyone with a brain knew he would

[Aggies7]

13 pitches, 0 outs and 2 hits. Gonna be a loooooong night