Riverbrian

And significantly diminished concentration levels.

The 1st time I went house hunting with my wife was in January of 1997. We found a place across from a park and public swimming pool, tennis courts and outdoor hockey rink. I thought it was perfect for the kids and I wanted that place bad... it was perfect. We found another place for the same price that had a sunroom and my wife loved that place and it was perfect for her. We fought and fought about it and finally said to each other... Fine we won't get a house then. Then the big Flood hit in 1997 and now both places are gone. It was our best fight ever!!! The 2nd time we went house hunting was January 1999... Grand Forks was starting to get back to normal and my wife made me go look at houses while the Vikings were playing the Falcons. Gary Anderson was lining up for the FG when I said... We got this and agreed to go with her. I've been afraid to go house hunting a third time.

Ick gets changed to Chief

Of course it does

My Mom put Milk in my Bourbon

That could only happen to you. Something incredible like that would never happen to me. Because we don't have a Walgreens.

Alright... I like this approach. RIP Tom Petty... I enjoyed all your albums. Your loss was the biggest Heartbreaker of all. Will the Twins win today "I Need to Know". "The Waiting" is the hardest part and we are a still hours from game time. the answer is isn't immediate because first pitch isn't until tonight. There will be no talk of "You Got Lucky". when it comes to these Twins, if you do feel that way... "Don't come around here no more". Have a "Change of Heart", quit "Jammin Me" with those negative vibes and "I'll feel a whole lot better". I know "I won't back down" because we are "Runnin down a dream" The Yankees will be "Free Fallin".

Normally I'd say Vargas because I like guys who hit the ball out of the park at any moment. With Sano out of the lineup... Vargas is next guy up for that role. However... since today is Yankee Stadium with a right field fence only 140 feet from home plate. Any left handed hitter will do so I'll settle for a guy who can put the ball in play.

Yeah... I noticed that to. Apparently those 5 guys are stealing off the internet when deciding what to talk about.

This won’t be my normal game thread opener because this isn’t a normal game. I’ll be scrapping the '5 Things to Think About' format for the playoffs. The normal game thread format developed out of necessity. There was a time when I was writing every single game thread opener and in desperate need of daily, relevant, game set up content. That content was not there without extreme repetition of the same points because things don’t change that much between game 47 and game 48. It was also a time when the team wasn’t playing very well… so those repetitive points were also depressing. It didn’t take long to realize that it just wasn’t sustainable. So, with the purpose of opening up more doors for content, I opened up more doors for content by mentioning anything that came to mind and crossing clear over the baseball lines. Further, when Sam Deduno is your top pitcher, it’s very easy to start things negative and if you start negative… it will stay there. So… the easiest way to keep things light-hearted is by not mentioning that Sam Deduno is your top pitcher. That’s how the game thread opener became what it became. This is the first playoff game thread opener in the history of Twins Daily. Sam Deduno is long gone, and we've got ourselves a winning team, so it needs a different approach. I’ve got my Eye Black on. ---- If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say the Twins will be one and done at Yankee Stadium… I’d have at least 35 cents, and that is mainly because I don’t talk to a lot of people. If I made the effort to talk to as many Twins fans as I possibly could, I’d have enough nickels to start a profitable small business that employed between 10 or 20 with decent benefits. Here’s a couple of points that I would like to share with all you negative non-believers who think that it’s a foregone conclusion that the Twins will leave New York disappointed: 1. You may be right… only one team will advance to Cleveland… it is quite possible that the Twins will lose but the odds are closer to 50-50 than you non-believers are expressing. 2. You are feeling this way because you are OLD. You are no longer getting carded at those drinking establishments that you drown your sorrows in. You remember those disappointing trips to Yankee Stadium, then you are taking those memories, holding them long term, letting them pile up and then you are dumping the whole pile over a bunch of kids on the current roster that were miles from your pile of memories. Byron Buxton was 15 years old and in Georgia when Phil Cuzzi was unfair to Joe Mauer. Jose Berrios was a 15 year old in Puerto Rico and Max Kepler was 16 and living in Germany. Only Joe Mauer is old enough to remember it and Joe has played enough baseball to know that it just doesn’t matter anymore. There are no scars on these players… those scars are yours. You may come back and say… "What about recent history? After all, the Twins are 13-27 against the Yankees in the past 5 years." To that I say… “See… it can be done.” The Twins have beaten the Yankees 13 times, including 7 times at Yankee Stadium in the past 5 years. Tonight… they've just gotta do it once and they’ve done it before. Thank God it isn’t a 40-game series. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Maddon: What are you doing, Joe? Mauer: Writing a letter Montana: Handwritten… you don’t see many people doing that these days. Mauer: I have to write it by hand… somebody broke into my house and stole my computer and that’s who I’m writing this letter to. I’m going to publish it on Twins Daily so they are sure to read it. Morgan: Was the computer all they got? Mauer: No… my computer and a bunch of books that were kept nearby. McCarthy: What kind of books? Mauer: Nothing much… my Thesaurus was stolen. Maddon: Let me see what you have so far Mauer: Dear Crook, who broke into my house and stole my computer and thesaurus, What you did was bad. You are a bad person and I hope bad things happen to you in a bad way. Morgan: You may want to get another Thesaurus. Mauer: How do you spell Armageddon? Damn it… I can’t spell Armageddon!!! Montana: It’s okay, Joe… it’s not the end of the world. ____________________ Lineups: Our very own MINNESOTA TWINS: Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer 1B Jorge Polanco SS Eddie Rosario LF Eduardo Escobar 3B Max Kepler RF Byron Buxton CF Jason Castro C Robbie Grossman DH Ervin Santana P Yankees: Brett Gardner LF Aaron Judge RF Gary Sanchez C Didi Gregorius SS Starlin Castro 2B Greg Bird 1B Aaron Hicks CF Jacoby Ellsbury DH Luis Severino P Game-time forecast: Partly cloudy, no rain, 63 deg F, winds at 6mph from the SSE. Play ball! GO TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Todd Frazier 3B Click here to view the article

I don't have an issue with it. It was executed with total respect to the integrity of the playoff chase. It happened when it happened. I believe it is possible that Romine approached Ausmus... I also believe it is possible that anybody could have made the suggestion and whoever it was doesn't matter to me. My only point: It is on the low end of the scale of accomplishments. It just takes a manager to say... OK... Let's do it and then you move him around the diamond until the task is complete. It got way too much press.

Anyone can do it. Molitor just has to decide to do it and he really shouldn't. IMO... The Romine thing is a novelty act. I don't mind it... it's ok for a conversation... but it's really the manager saying... I'm going to do something goofy today. It isn't an amazing accomplishment... and it's the manager who did it.

Playing 9 positions in a game is slightly fun but clearly forced at the same time. If you want to impress me... Be a player who can actually play and does play all 9 positions in any given game through out the year.

This golf course has really gone to hell.

Fran: What's it gonna do Coach?

Automate it!!!

POTN

Matt Moulson?

ESCOBAR

DOZIER

I continue to not be concerned but I was hopeful that Gibson could maintain decentness

I agree... it has started well.

I still haven't figured it out.