Bark's Lounge

John Cusack - you gotta love him.

John, you really have a nice voice.

It's nice to be back. Thanks.

Of course I do! But I am not sure if they constitute bad or good luck.

47 of them to be exact, they just haven't been working. I may need to add a few more to my repertoire. But hey, all is good, the streak ends at 10.

Is it okay to be afraid of watching the bottom of the 9th?

I disagree.

I don't see any players doing it and the one guy who might do it - his voice is seemingly lost upon the players he manages... sad times.

At this point in time, I would be afraid for the Twins to play the Astros. I would also be afraid of the Twins playing any little league team or a team made up of middle school cheerleaders, some squirrels and a bucket or 2 of ice cream.

I tend to agree with PseudoSABR on the visual concept and execution - but what the hell do I know - some say simple is better. But, I do dig the message conveyed.

On this site there is obviously a lot of chatter about firing Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson. I do not disagree with those opinions, but I have to stop short of fully supporting them. The Twins are a mess right now and it is quite clear changes need to be made. Maybe changing out some of the starting pitchers will help a little – I cannot see how it would hurt at this junction in time. My greatest disappointment with this club is the absence of an emotional leader, preferably a starting position player, one who has fire in his eyes and can impassion the spirits and desire of low key teammates. Watching Dustin Pedroia in the 2 series we have played against the BoSox has been a religious experience. This guy is fired up and wears his heart on his sleeve. He takes nothing for granted and fights till the very end. When something positive happens for his ballclub he ignites the fire in his eyes and burns holes through his teammates. Dustin Pedroia represents an element that is necessary in a winning baseball club. This is an element that has been missing for a very long time from our Minnesota Twins. Some say that Pedroia plays above his talent. I disagree and believe that Pedroia has a ton of talent and would be an All-Star no matter what his personality or passion dictates. It is his Guts, Glory and Take No Prisoners style of play that makes him great. All-Star often does not equate to greatness. I understand the Twins have a soft spoken Franchise player and a few other guys who can swing the bat a little. I understand that without excellent starting pitching the Twins will not go far. I also understand that without a Field General who will burn your soul with the imprint of Guts and Glory, that glory will never be obtained. Maybe the Twins should look deeper into this draft and take a chance on a player with Pedroia’s intangibles instead of going with the Best Player Available… if that kind of player is out there. In my heart of hearts, I do not feel the Twins will reach the promised land without this kind of player. Maybe Kirby Puckett was a once in a lifetime for this franchise… I hope that is not the case.

On this site there is obviously a lot of chatter about firing Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson. I do not disagree with those opinions, but I have to stop short of fully supporting them. The Twins are a mess right now and it is quite clear changes need to be made. Maybe changing out some of the starting pitchers will help a little – I cannot see how it would hurt at this junction in time. My greatest disappointment with this club is the absence of an emotional leader, preferably a starting position player, one who has fire in his eyes and can impassion the spirits and desire of low key teammates. Watching Dustin Pedroia in the 2 series we have played against the BoSox has been a religious experience. This guy is fired up and wears his heart on his sleeve. He takes nothing for granted and fights till the very end. When something positive happens for his ballclub he ignites the fire in his eyes and burns holes through his teammates. Dustin Pedroia represents an element that is necessary in a winning baseball club. This is an element that has been missing for a very long time from our Minnesota Twins. Some say that Pedroia plays above his talent. I disagree and believe that Pedroia has a ton of talent and would be an All-Star no matter what his personality or passion dictates. It is his Guts, Glory and Take No Prisoners style of play that makes him great. All-Star often does not equate to greatness. I understand the Twins have a soft spoken Franchise player and a few other guys who can swing the bat a little. I understand that without excellent starting pitching the Twins will not go far. I also understand that without a Field General who will burn your soul with the imprint of Guts and Glory, that glory will never be obtained. Maybe the Twins should look deeper into this draft and take a chance on a player with Pedroia’s intangibles instead of going with the Best Player Available… if that kind of player is out there. In my heart of hearts, I do not feel the Twins will reach the promised land without this kind of player. Maybe Kirby Puckett was a once in a lifetime for this franchise… I hope that is not the case.

All is good John!

If it is any consolation, Ah-Ha had the best song of the three I mentioned... and their video for "Take On Me" was totally RAD for that period of time.

You know something is going wrong when after watching the hometown boys get walked-off on, Don Henley’s song “Boys of Summer” starts repeating in your head. I am positive that the inner workings of my mental mechanics has short circuited. I am an individual that holds a great amount of disdain for the music of the 1980’s (mainly pop). I believe I was around 10 years old when Mr. Henley’s aforementioned song hit the charts. I remember hearing it and feeling violated, uncomfortable, and ill to my stomach… the same feeling I felt when I first heard Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wing’s” or A-Ha’s “Take on Me”. I pretty much hate everything that has anything to do with the 1980’s and that is not meant to be offensive to anyone else – That’s my wave, no one else has an obligation to surf it. Watching the Twin’s play the last week and a half is having the same nauseous affect of the 1980’s experience on me. Everyone had an inclination that the starting pitching would falter at some point, sooner rather than later, and they officially have claimed that distinction, but it’s the damn offense that has fallen on its face. Except for Mauer and maybe Morneau everything has gone wrong. The offense was suppose to bring some joy to the viewer in a season where joy would be hard to come by. When 5 or more of your starting position players are hitting like pitchers, enjoyment of watching this team will be scarce. Home Runs, Doubles and Triples have become my Heroin… and man, I am fiending for a fix. Dozier! Willingham! Doumit! Hicks! Parmelee! (our best defensive outfielder) Get Your Shiznasty together and help make the 2013 Minnesota Twins an intriguing offense that loses a bunch of high scoring games instead of a team that loses 8-2 every night. In a season of low expectations mainly because of the pitching predicament – we as fans are owed this much. Help me out here. I want to rid my mind of the song “Boys of Summer” and live in peace. P.S. - R.I.P. Ray Manzarek

You know something is going wrong when after watching the hometown boys get walked-off on, Don Henley’s song “Boys of Summer” starts repeating in your head. I am positive that the inner workings of my mental mechanics has short circuited. I am an individual that holds a great amount of disdain for the music of the 1980’s (mainly pop). I believe I was around 10 years old when Mr. Henley’s aforementioned song hit the charts. I remember hearing it and feeling violated, uncomfortable, and ill to my stomach… the same feeling I felt when I first heard Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wing’s” or A-Ha’s “Take on Me”. I pretty much hate everything that has anything to do with the 1980’s and that is not meant to be offensive to anyone else – That’s my wave, no one else has an obligation to surf it. Watching the Twin’s play the last week and a half is having the same nauseous affect of the 1980’s experience on me. Everyone had an inclination that the starting pitching would falter at some point, sooner rather than later, and they officially have claimed that distinction, but it’s the damn offense that has fallen on its face. Except for Mauer and maybe Morneau everything has gone wrong. The offense was suppose to bring some joy to the viewer in a season where joy would be hard to come by. When 5 or more of your starting position players are hitting like pitchers, enjoyment of watching this team will be scarce. Home Runs, Doubles and Triples have become my Heroin… and man, I am fiending for a fix. Dozier! Willingham! Doumit! Hicks! Parmelee! (our best defensive outfielder) Get Your Shiznasty together and help make the 2013 Minnesota Twins an intriguing offense that loses a bunch of high scoring games instead of a team that loses 8-2 every night. In a season of low expectations mainly because of the pitching predicament – we as fans are owed this much. Help me out here. I want to rid my mind of the song “Boys of Summer” and live in peace. P.S. - R.I.P. Ray Manzarek

In my opinion, Adam Dunn will not reach the 500HR Plateau and he will be out of baseball when his current contract expires after 2014, if not before - I could see the Sux eating his contract next year, especially if they are rebuilding, which looks like a possibility. I would rather sign Carlos Zambrano to be my DH. Dunn's brand of baseball is grotesque and is quickly approaching its expiration date. On a more positive note - Adam Dunn looks like he would make a sturdy, comfortable couch. I'd probably throw $500 down to purchase that.

Hello Twins Daily Participants, It appears fortune is on my side today as I have lined up an interview with my Anger. Some may find that a strange concept, but I very often have problems accessing certain areas of my emotional palette. My anger is a very private entity and he mostly shows up when I least expect it, which in turn has made my adult life an adventure, a mess and somewhat interesting - said adult life also has had a handful of days spent in the local detention center. Just to be clear, most of this interview will be based on Twins baseball. I wouldn’t want to abuse the privilege of using this site for non-Twins related rants.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Before I begin this interview, I feel the need to recognize the passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. Mr. Hanneman - thank you for being a huge contributing force behind the albums “Reign in Blood”, “South of Heaven”, and “Seasons in the Abyss.” Without Slayer, this interview would not be possible. For those three albums, Slayer was the perfect marriage between Metal and Hard Core Punk. Mr. Hanneman – your music will live on forever and you will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace my friend. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Hello Anger. How have you been doing since the MLB season started? [B]Anger:[/B] Can’t you tell by the holes in your walls? Obviously, I am doing great. I have been enjoying Minnesota’s weekly snow storms. It’s always nice to have a few snow storms in… what month is it? August or something? [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Actually, it’s early May, but I get your point and I have noticed the holes in the wall. Thanks for that. Second question – how about the play of your Minnesota Twin’s through month #1 of the season? [B]Anger:[/B] At this point in the season their record is a lot better than I anticipated, but for the most part they have been a drag to watch. First and foremost they probably should have cancelled the first month of the season because of the god damned snow. Besides the snow-outs, the Twins have been playing like a person with a bi-polar disorder who is not taking his happy pills. For a short stretch they appear to play with a little bit of fire in their bellies, but they follow that up with a stretch of uninteresting and uninspiring baseball that is not worth investing your time into. The s@#&*y thing about that is you never know what team is going to show up. If I hate one thing – it is inconsistency. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Understood. What do you foresee happening for the Twins as the season progresses into the summer months? [B]Anger:[/B] First of all let’s get through May before we start thinking about the summer. Our season might be over before we get to the “summer”. Right now, the Twin’s offense sucks. Whether one thinks that the pitching has been good or so-so to this point is irrelevant. The fact is that the starting pitching will get worse as the season progresses. The bats need to get going and going soon. There is some talent in our line-up, but so far it has fallen flat on its face. To win 70 games the offense is going to have to fire on all cylinders for good chunks of this season. Right now, it is hard for me to envision that happening. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Who are a few of the players you have some concerns with? [B]Anger:[/B] Individually, I care not to focus on the pitching. Our bullpen is okay, but that will change once the starters begin to fail with regularity. At that point, when the bullpen is overtaxed, the dominos of negativity will start to fall. Perkins and Burton will probably be okay… and I do think the Pressly kid is a keeper. If Pressly hits a bad stretch, I believe the Twins should stick it out with him and not offer him back to the BoSox. He will help in the future. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Position Players? [B]Anger:[/B] Florimon should not be in the bigs. Doumit has looked like crap, his play is indicative of a player who has aged 5 years in the off-season. Morneau has been a bit of a bummer. Most people say he is healthy and he is going to re-emerge into the elite offensive force he once was – I hope it happens, but I have some severe concerns that Morneau is on the downslide Big Time. Dozier and Hicks started off badly, especially Hicks. They have looked better recently, but to rely on them would be suicidal to one’s hopes. To be honest the only position players that have been okay are Willingham and Escobar. Willingham is doing what is expected of him and Escobar will get his wings cut off and fall back to earth. Mauer has perplexed me a bit. A week or two ago he was batting .400, now he is batting in the .280’s. Slumps are one thing, but I have to believe something is going haywire with his thought process when he gets up to the plate. Some may think Mauer is mentally weak because of his past injury situations and such, but I am not of that thought. I actually think he is a focused, well-oiled machine when it comes to hitting. He is either physically hurt or mentally distracted. His strikeout rate to this point is simply un-Mauer-like and shocking… something is amiss. Overall, I do not like the line-up. It is not gelling. Who knows, maybe it will… maybe it won’t. Either way, we have no control over it. It is what it is. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] How about…. [B]Anger:[/B] I’m done. I’m tired of this S%@t. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] Okay? [B]Anger:[/B] And by the way Bark. Quit taking your happy pills. I am feeling stifled and boxed in. Let me be free to roam. I am very disappointed that you have kept us in this arctic hell hole. We should have been long gone. [B]Bark’s Lounge:[/B] If I could go back 15 years, we would have been relocated… but I cannot go back and fix it. I did stop taking my happy pills a couple days ago. Does that help? [B]Anger:[/B] A little, I guess. View full article

Hello Twins Daily Participants, It appears fortune is on my side today as I have lined up an interview with my Anger. Some may find that a strange concept, but I very often have problems accessing certain areas of my emotional palette. My anger is a very private entity and mostly, he only shows up when I least expect it, which in turn has made my adult life an adventure, a mess and somewhat interesting - mixed together with a handful of days spent in the local detention center. Just to be clear, most of this interview will be based on Twins baseball. I wouldn’t want to abuse the privilege of using this site for non Twins related rants. Before I begin this interview, I feel the need to recognize the passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. Mr. Hanneman - thank you for being a huge contributing force behind the albums “Reign in Blood”, “South of Heaven”, and “Seasons in the Abyss.” Without Slayer, this interview would not be possible. For those 3 albums, Slayer was the perfect marriage between Metal and Hard Core Punk. Mr. Hanneman – your music will live on forever and you will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace my friend. Bark’s Lounge: Hello Anger. How have you been doing since the MLB season started? Anger: Can’t you tell by the holes in your walls? Obviously, I am doing great. I have been enjoying Minnesota’s weekly Snow Storms. It’s always nice to have a few snow storms in… what month is it? August or something? Bark’s Lounge: Actually, It’s early May, but I get your point and I have noticed the holes in the wall. Thanks for that. Second question – how about the play of your Minnesota Twin’s through month #1 of the season? Anger: Their record is a lot better than I could have anticipated at this point in the season, but for the most part they have been a drag to watch. First and foremost they probably should have cancelled the first month of the season because of the god damned snow. Besides the snow-outs, the Twins have been playing like a person with a bi-polar disorder who is not taking their happy pills. For a short stretch they appear to play with a little bit of fire in their belly, but they follow that up with a stretch of disinterested and uninspiring brand of baseball that is not worth investing your time into. The s@#&*y thing about that is you never know what team is going to show up. If I hate one thing – it is inconsistency. Bark’s Lounge: Understood. What do you foresee happening for the Twins as the season progresses into the summer months? Anger: First of all let’s get through May before we start thinking about the summer. Our season might be over before we get to the “Summer”. Right now, the Twin’s offense sucks. Whether one thinks that the pitching has been good or so-so to this point of the season is irrelevant. The fact is that the starting pitching will get worse as the season progresses. The bats need to get going and going soon. There is some talent in our line-up, but so far it has fallen flat on its face. To win 70 games the offense is going to have to kick on all cylinders for good chunks of this season. Right now, it is hard for me to envision that happening. Bark’s Lounge: Who are a few of the players you have some concerns with? Anger: Individually, I care not to focus on the pitching. Our bullpen is okay, but that will change once the starters begin to fail with regularity. At that point, when the bullpen is overtaxed - the dominos of negativity will start to fall. Perkins and Burton will probably be okay… and I do think the Pressly kid is a keeper. If Pressly hits a bad stretch, I believe the Twins should stick it out with him and not offer him Back to the BoSox. He will help in the future. Bark’s Lounge: Position Players? Anger: Florimon should not be in the bigs. Doumit has looked like crap, his play is indicative of a player who has aged 5 years in the off season. Morneau has been a bit of a bummer. Most people say he is healthy and he is going to re-emerge into the elite offensive force he once was – I hope it happens, but I have some severe concerns that Morneau is on the downslide Big Time. Dozier and Hicks started off bad, especially Hicks. They have looked better recently, but to rely on them would be suicidal to one’s hopes. To be honest the only position players that have been okay are Willingham and Escobar. Willingham is doing what is expected of him and Escobar will get his wings cut off and fall back to earth. Mauer has perplexed me a bit. A week or 2 ago he was batting .400, now he is batting in the .280’s. Slumps are one thing, but I have to believe something is going haywire with his thought process when he gets up to the plate. Some may think Mauer is mentally weak because of his past injury situations and such, but I am not of that thought. I actually think he is a focused, well oiled machine when it comes to hitting. He is either physically hurt or mentally distracted. His strike-out rate to this point is simply un-Mauer like and shocking… something is amiss. Overall, I do not like the line-up. It is not gelling. Who knows, maybe it will… maybe it won’t. Either way, we have no control over it. It is what it is. Bark’s Lounge: How about…. Anger: I’m done. I’m tired of this S%@t. Bark’s Lounge: Okay? Anger: And by the way Bark. Quit taking your happy pills. I am feeling stifled and boxed in. Let me be free to roam. I am very disappointed that you have kept us in this arctic hell hole. We should have been long gone. Bark’s Lounge: If I could go back 15 years, we would have been relocated… but I cannot go back and fix it. I did stop taking my happy pills a couple days ago. Does that help? Anger: A little I guess.

Hello Twins Daily Participants, It appears fortune is on my side today as I have lined up an interview with my Anger. Some may find that a strange concept, but I very often have problems accessing certain areas of my emotional palette. My anger is a very private entity and mostly, he only shows up when I least expect it, which in turn has made my adult life an adventure, a mess and somewhat interesting - mixed together with a handful of days spent in the local detention center. Just to be clear, most of this interview will be based on Twins baseball. I wouldn’t want to abuse the privilege of using this site for non Twins related rants. Before I begin this interview, I feel the need to recognize the passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. Mr. Hanneman - thank you for being a huge contributing force behind the albums “Reign in Blood”, “South of Heaven”, and “Seasons in the Abyss.” Without Slayer, this interview would not be possible. For those 3 albums, Slayer was the perfect marriage between Metal and Hard Core Punk. Mr. Hanneman – your music will live on forever and you will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace my friend. Bark’s Lounge: Hello Anger. How have you been doing since the MLB season started? Anger: Can’t you tell by the holes in your walls? Obviously, I am doing great. I have been enjoying Minnesota’s weekly Snow Storms. It’s always nice to have a few snow storms in… what month is it? August or something? Bark’s Lounge: Actually, It’s early May, but I get your point and I have noticed the holes in the wall. Thanks for that. Second question – how about the play of your Minnesota Twin’s through month #1 of the season? Anger: Their record is a lot better than I could have anticipated at this point in the season, but for the most part they have been a drag to watch. First and foremost they probably should have cancelled the first month of the season because of the god damned snow. Besides the snow-outs, the Twins have been playing like a person with a bi-polar disorder who is not taking their happy pills. For a short stretch they appear to play with a little bit of fire in their belly, but they follow that up with a stretch of disinterested and uninspiring brand of baseball that is not worth investing your time into. The s@#&*y thing about that is you never know what team is going to show up. If I hate one thing – it is inconsistency. Bark’s Lounge: Understood. What do you foresee happening for the Twins as the season progresses into the summer months? Anger: First of all let’s get through May before we start thinking about the summer. Our season might be over before we get to the “Summer”. Right now, the Twin’s offense sucks. Whether one thinks that the pitching has been good or so-so to this point of the season is irrelevant. The fact is that the starting pitching will get worse as the season progresses. The bats need to get going and going soon. There is some talent in our line-up, but so far it has fallen flat on its face. To win 70 games the offense is going to have to kick on all cylinders for good chunks of this season. Right now, it is hard for me to envision that happening. Bark’s Lounge: Who are a few of the players you have some concerns with? Anger: Individually, I care not to focus on the pitching. Our bullpen is okay, but that will change once the starters begin to fail with regularity. At that point, when the bullpen is overtaxed - the dominos of negativity will start to fall. Perkins and Burton will probably be okay… and I do think the Pressly kid is a keeper. If Pressly hits a bad stretch, I believe the Twins should stick it out with him and not offer him Back to the BoSox. He will help in the future. Bark’s Lounge: Position Players? Anger: Florimon should not be in the bigs. Doumit has looked like crap, his play is indicative of a player who has aged 5 years in the off season. Morneau has been a bit of a bummer. Most people say he is healthy and he is going to re-emerge into the elite offensive force he once was – I hope it happens, but I have some severe concerns that Morneau is on the downslide Big Time. Dozier and Hicks started off bad, especially Hicks. They have looked better recently, but to rely on them would be suicidal to one’s hopes. To be honest the only position players that have been okay are Willingham and Escobar. Willingham is doing what is expected of him and Escobar will get his wings cut off and fall back to earth. Mauer has perplexed me a bit. A week or 2 ago he was batting .400, now he is batting in the .280’s. Slumps are one thing, but I have to believe something is going haywire with his thought process when he gets up to the plate. Some may think Mauer is mentally weak because of his past injury situations and such, but I am not of that thought. I actually think he is a focused, well oiled machine when it comes to hitting. He is either physically hurt or mentally distracted. His strike-out rate to this point is simply un-Mauer like and shocking… something is amiss. Overall, I do not like the line-up. It is not gelling. Who knows, maybe it will… maybe it won’t. Either way, we have no control over it. It is what it is. Bark’s Lounge: How about…. Anger: I’m done. I’m tired of this S%@t. Bark’s Lounge: Okay? Anger: And by the way Bark. Quit taking your happy pills. I am feeling stifled and boxed in. Let me be free to roam. I am very disappointed that you have kept us in this arctic hell hole. We should have been long gone. Bark’s Lounge: If I could go back 15 years, we would have been relocated… but I cannot go back and fix it. I did stop taking my happy pills a couple days ago. Does that help? Anger: A little I guess.

Corey Koskie was a horse **** defensive third baseman when he was first called up in the late 90's. With some work and some time playing in the Outfield, he ended up becoming a more than better defensive third baseman. Koskie was a pretty raw player and needed some time to hone his skills. Trevor Plouffe was a high school 1st round draft pick and slowly climbed the ladder of the Twins Farm System. I can surmise that a lot of fans expect a lot more from Plouffe than we are getting now, but he has been jerked around position wise and this is finally his time to prove himself. I cannot believe that anyone thinks he should be a gold glove caliber third baseman this year. He has made his mistakes, but for the most part he has done an okay job. Offensively, the weather this year has sucked. Cold weather does not favor the batter. Let us wait until the weather is suitable to play the game of baseball the way it should be played. So far, Plouffe has a .226 BA with 2 HR's. I expect some very good things to come from Plouffe this season, but if Gardenhire decides to pull the plug on him, in favor of some punch and judy utility types. I believe that this decision will end up haunting the Twins. That will mean that he is released or picked up on waivers before or for the 2014 season. For all of the Miguel Sano Backers, there is no guarantee he can be a third baseman, and there is no guarantee he will be a better hitter than Wily Mo Pena.

Free Bat Night =

What about "Mr. Baseball"? That was an all-time classic. Tom Selleck was robbed that year (93 or 94) of an Academy Award. It haunts me to this day.