Game Thread: Twins @ Cubs 6/29 @ 5:05 am HK Time (4:05pm CT)

[David HK]

I’ve been haunting these boards for quite some time now, and always enjoy the repartee- usually more than the games, these daze... But in over 2000 posts, I’ve shied away from doing an actual game thread—until now. I volunteered, because, hey, from ND, to the Cities, to Chicago, and points beyond, a natural migration for a Midwest boy, with fond memories in all those places. And-  I was actually at the first interleague Twins/Cubs match-up in '97! I started to fill this one with reminiscences of Chicago daze, but it turned into something of a tribute to a long-lost great friend.

 

Growing up on those ND plains, I smuggled my transistor under my pillow and into class with the Twins broadcasts. Faked sick from school to watch the O’s smack the Twins around to get to the Series in ’69. After UND, moved to the Cities, and suffered through the early-mid 80’s, until… 87! What a magical year! Mullets abounding!
 

Twins welcome party at the Dome 10/12/87

 

Then, decided to change the life, and become an actor (long story)- so picked up and moved to Chicago to do the theatre thing for all of the 90’s. Lived 5 blocks from Wrigley-- I could hear Harry sing from my back porch- for better or worse. I’d walk over to the game, just down the street, whenever the mood would strike. And whenever the Twinkies were in town to tussle with the Sox, I’d jump on the El, or ride the motorbike down to the Southside, stopping at my buddy’s Irish bar near Comiskey before or after, or both. So, when inter-league play began, and the Twinkies hit the Northside of town, and my good friends from Grand Forks and Mpls decided to make the trip, I was elated. 

The author, enjoying mugs of refreshing tea, with friends Nat and Moose.

 

Herein lies the tribute. My good friends were Moose and Natalie. I worked at a restaurant in Grand Forks all during college with Natalie. Her eventual husband Moose, (Sheameus, actually- 50% Irish/Polish, 100% loveable rogue).and I shared several classes together. His family ran the Big Sioux Truck Stop, just west of town. RiverBrian, you’ve probably been there! Plenty of after-bar evenings ended there, where we’d unwind with a massive breakfast, cooked by Moose on the night shift, his book for the same class we all had the next day, propped up on the ordering wheel, so he could study while he made our hash browns at 2AM.

Moose was also the guy who started me on the path playing rugby, an itch I’ve never been able to fully scratch-

River City Rats- Grand Forks, ND circa 85-6...?

Kowloon Auld Dragons @ Saigon 10's, 2017- beer shampoo should help the follicles...
 

We went on excursions as a mob- up north to the ‘Peg, down south to New Orleans, and Jamaica, and right at home ON the Red River, where we started a rugby 7’s winter tournament.

Winnipeg Voyageur Rugby Fest 84...?

Mardi Gras Tournament 88...?

Rats Jamaica tour 1990

Long John 7s on the Red- 85-6...? Yes--Winter, in GF. Yes--ON the river. 

 

Like many UND grads, we all wound up in the Cities together, started a new rugby club with all our old mates, and hanging together often. Moose worked at Summit brewing, then opened his own café, the Uptowner, on Grand, in St. Paul. It’s still there. He and Nat welcomed a smiling, laughing boy, Liam, into the family in 92. Unfortunately, he was born with physical and developmental challenges which would have withered most people- challenges they gladly accepted and overcame, with all the love in the world.  

 

I had moved on to Chi a couple years before then, but made plenty of trips back north, and we always stayed in touch. When the chance came in ’97 for my favorite team to come to my favorite ballpark, they came down for the event. We were in the stands that day, when a weak-arse late-90s Twins team took down the equally woeful Cubs- both teams still sprinkled with vets from past glory days, along with some ingredients of Division champs in ensuing years. The Cubbies greased us the next two games, but it was only the historic First One that mattered, right? Here’s the box score: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199709010.shtml

 

Twinkie fans in Cubbie land

Sacks full of Twinkies

 

It was a beautiful, sunny Monday afternoon. Moose, Nat, myself, and a brewery guy whose name I can’t remember shared beers, pretzels, Chi dogs, and laughs galore. Cheered on as Aguilera came on in the 9th to  shut down Grace, Sosa, and Sandberg, and save that First Wrigley Game for the Twinkies. Afterwards, we stopped at one of the bars just outside right field for a few more, and encountered a guy from Minny, who’d had some cool custom t-shirts printed for the occasion. He said he could print a few more if we wanted them, just give him the dough, and our addresses, and he’d send them to us. We did. He did. I may still have that shirt in a box somewhere- but hey, how ‘bout that for Minnesota nice, eh? You betcha.

Sammy Sosa facing Rick Aguilera in the 9th-Terry Steinbach behind the dish.

 

In 2001, the family was enjoying the Minny State Fair, when Moose started not feeling too well. The guy with the biggest heart in the world passed of a heart attack later that night, aged 41. Young Liam passed a short few years later, aged 13. It’s been quite some time since I thought about that day, and it was a stroke of good fortune to find those photos in a box, and share them. 

 

We’ve all got people we’ve lost along the way, who we still hold in our hearts.  Putting up this thread took me back to that magical day, the late afternoon sunshine peeking between the upper and lower stands, with Aguilera coming on to shut down Grace, Sosa, and Sandberg to save the 1st Wrigley Field game for the Twinkies. For my dear, dear friend Moose, it will always be a sunny day at the ballpark.

 

I put another album up, "Chicago Daze," rather than load up this opener with sentimental photos.  Peruse at your leisure, if you’d like.

 

**This game starts when I’ll most likely be asleep, so lineups will have to be contracted out.**

 

Go Twinkies. Moider dem Cubs. But Cubs, go ahead and moider everybody else, OK?

With you, Moosie.

 

 

 

[gil4]

What, no line-ups? (kidding)

 

I hope the Twins play up to the quality of the opponent and the quality of the game thread intro.

 

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Speechless.

 

In a good way.

[Han Joelo]

Thanks for writing that.  Well done.  Good reminder as to what enjoying sports is really all about.  I've only ever been to a few MLB games live, never one with playoff implications, and I can't honestly even remember who won, but I remember enjoying downtown Seattle with my wife at the park when the Twins were in town and Jason Tyner almost hit one out, sitting in the nosebleeds at Coors with an old high school friend, and watching from a box with a friend at old Busch, as he taught me how to pronounce the names of the young hotshots on the Cardinals, Placido Polanco, an elegant name, and Albert Pujols, not as much so.

 

In the words of Jack Handey:

 

"I'll bet what pirates didn't realize, as they sailed the seven seas search for buried treasure, was that the real treasures were the fond memories they were creating."

[twinssporto]

Great, great intro!  Traveled from Minneapolis today to see the Cubs and Twins play at Wrigley with my daughter.  Will toast a beer to Moose and Liam...

 

[Squirrel]

I think you got that title a little wrong. The date and time is off. It should read ‘6/28 @ 5:05am HK time (6/27 @ 4:05pm CT)’

 

[David HK]

 

I think you got that title a little wrong. The date and time is off. It should read ‘6/28 @ 5:05am HK time (6/27 @ 4:05pm CT)’

I stand corrected. 

 

Actually, since it's already tomorrow here, I know how the game came out. But I'll humour the rest of y'all.

[Nine of twelve]

 

I think you got that title a little wrong. The date and time is off. It should read ‘6/28 @ 5:05am HK time (6/27 @ 4:05pm CT)’

 

 

I stand corrected. 

 

Actually, since it's already tomorrow here, I know how the game came out. But I'll humour the rest of y'all.

Actually, you are both wrong. The game will be starting at 4:05 PM CDT, 6/29/18, which is the same as 5:05 AM HK time, 6/30/18. 

[Platoon]

Actually, you are both wrong. The game will be starting at 4:05 PM CDT, 6/29/18, which is the same as 5:05 AM HK time, 6/30/18.

 

Now I am so confused I am TiVo'ing the game, and will watch it on Sunday at 9 am SPT (Standard Platoon Time)

[Han Joelo]

 

I stand corrected. 

 

Actually, since it's already tomorrow here, I know how the game came out. But I'll humour the rest of y'all.

That reminds me of a great book by Umberto Eco about a guy who gets shipwrecked right near the international dateline and spends all this time musing on the nature of time and what not.  The Island of the Day Before.  Or maybe it was After.

 

I think it was inspired by the Magellan Expedition, who, despite keeping meticulous navigational timekeeping records, still arrived home and found they had lost an entire day.  

[USAFChief]

I think you should consider additional game threads,

 

Fabulous!

[Squirrel]

Actually, you are both wrong. The game will be starting at 4:05 PM CDT, 6/29/18, which is the same as 5:05 AM HK time, 6/30/18.

 

Oops, fixed it.

[Platoon]

That reminds me of a great book by Umberto Eco about a guy who gets shipwrecked right near the international dateline and spends all this time musing on the nature of time and what not.  The Island of the Day Before.  Or maybe it was After.

 

I think it was inspired by the Magellan Expedition, who, despite keeping meticulous navigational timekeeping records, still arrived home and found they had lost an entire day.

 

If Magellan lost a day during an entire expedition that's really not that big a disaster. Unless the day was his wedding anniversary. In that case he would have been better staying on the expedition. Permanently.

[IndianaTwin]

 

Great, great intro!  Traveled from Minneapolis today to see the Cubs and Twins play at Wrigley with my daughter.  Will toast a beer to Moose and Liam...

 

Only driving from northern Indiana with my son, but we'll be the noise from Section 525.* **

 

*My noise -- he grew up here, so he's a Cubs fan.

**But my noise will probably be groaning at the BA ineptitude.

[Puckett34]

Excellent intro!  

[Squirrel]

Today is the first time there is a 4pm game at Wrigley on Friday. Because of ordinances, they don't have night games on Fridays. But because the Cubs were out in L.A. yesterday, to give them some extra time to 'recoup,' they pushed the usual Friday afternoon game as far back as they could and still comply with the ordinance about late games on Fridays.

[Nine of twelve]

 

Today is the first time there is a 4pm game at Wrigley on Friday. Because of ordinances, they don't have night games on Fridays. But because the Cubs were out in L.A. yesterday, to give them some extra time to 'recoup,' they pushed the usual Friday afternoon game as far back as they could and still comply with the ordinance about late games on Fridays.

Interesting. It is an odd starting time but not being familiar with the Cubs I thought maybe they did that every Friday.

[Squirrel]

 

Interesting. It is an odd starting time but not being familiar with the Cubs I thought maybe they did that every Friday.

Yeah, they usually start at 1:20pm on Fridays. And I think I read somewhere that they are only allowed so many night games total, and included in that total are any nights Wrigley hosts concerts, so more concerts at night, fewer night games for the Cubs. It has something to do with businesses and traffic ... not really sure exactly what it is ... but the Cubs want more night games and the Mayor has pretty unequivocally said that increasing the number of night games isn't going to happen. They should just not use Wrigley to play in anymore and build a stadium with better accessibility.

[gocgo]

Great intro!  I felt as if I were on the ride with you.

[operation mindcrime]

We called up Willians Astudillo. We DFA'd Felix Jorge. Taylor Motter to the 7-day DL with concussion like symptoms. In other news Matt Belisle is still on our team!

[FunnyPenguin]

 

We called up Willians Astudillo. We DFA'd Felix Jorge. Taylor Motter to the 7-day DL with concussion like symptoms. In other news Matt Belisle is still on our team!

There just has to be to this Matt Belisle business than any of us know...I mean it just plain and simply makes not only 0 cents to keep him, but it's more like -5 cents.  He adds nothing, and he gives away games and doesn't even eat innings in bad games....speechless but then again who am I to say

 

Hopefully no more Wilson, good guy but seriously I think I could hit better 

[Blake]

 

I think you got that title a little wrong. The date and time is off. It should read ‘6/28 @ 5:05am HK time (6/27 @ 4:05pm CT)’

And people think MY titles are confusing!

[Don Walcott]

I used to live in the apartments across the street from the Uptowner on Grand. Loved that place. Especially good Cajun breakfast after the bars closed. Was there basically from 1993-1996.

 

Great intro. Will raise a glass to Moose.

[wavedog]

Hmmm, looks like the game has started...and we have picked up where we left off -  Escobar and Rosario on base and Dozier striking out with runners on base.  

[Mike Sixel]

 

Hmmm, looks like the game has started...and we have picked up where we left off -  Escobar and Rosario on base and Dozier striking out with runners on base.  

 

Is this on auto fill for you now? You could save a lot of wear and tear on your keyboard....

[wsnydes]

so many pop ups and K's with RISP and less than two outs...

 

made even worse with the pitcher spot up next.

[Mike Sixel]

another scintillating pitcher AB.....

[wavedog]

Mauer Power baby! 

[mickeymental]

wait. what? really?

[wsnydes]

Wind blowing out?