Riverbrian

It’s just a little two-game series starting tonight at Target Field against the San Diego Padres. Padre is a nice universal word that means “Father” in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. In major league baseball… Padres means 100 to 1 odds. Here are some things to think about: 1. Hills, Minnesota – Just as San Diego is tucked into the extreme Southwestern corner of the United States, Hills is tucked into the extreme Southwestern corner of Minnesota. There are many similarities, such as, if you travel due south you enter Iowa where very few speak English. If you travel due east, there is a vast expanse of nothingness until you die. And San Diego and Hills have both won the exact same number of professional sports championships. 2. Our Twins – There are 162 games in the major league baseball schedule. The Twins have played 143 of them and that leaves them with 19 games to go. If the Twins win the remaining 19 games… they will still finish 13 games behind the Cleveland Indians who will never lose another game. 3. The Padres – They are young and they think they are building something and they just might be doing that. One thing is for sure… they won’t have to worry about losing players to free agency anytime soon. None of the position players in the starting lineup have over 3.15 years’ service time. This makes most Padre fans sad because they were hoping to lose them quicker. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Morgan: The glass is half empty! Montana: The glass if half full! Maddon: Guys… please… use a coaster! McCarthy: I’m not going to get involved with this debate… not today Mauer: What is special about today, Joe? McCarthy: It was 75 years ago today that I asked the girl of my dreams on a date. Maddon: That is impressive… 75 Years. McCarthy: And today I asked her to marry me. Montana: Nice touch… well done. McCarthy: She turned me down both times. 5. Road Rage – On my way home from work yesterday… some guy was texting and driving and he drifted into my lane so I shouted at him, “Stop texting and pay attention!” He shouted back… “Go to Hell!” and took off down the road. I walked into the house and told my wife that I was just told to go to hell by a crazy driver and she replied… “And you came straight to me.” ____________________ Lineups: PADRES Manuel Margot CF Carlos Asuaje 2B Yangervis Solarte DH Wil Myers 1B Cory Spangenberg 3B Jabari Blash RF Erick Aybar SS Matt Szczur LF Austin Hedges C Travis Wood P TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer 1B Jorge Polanco SS Eduardo Escobar 3B Byron Buxton CF Eddie Rosario RF Robbie Grossman DH Jason Castro C Ehire Adrianza LF Kyle Gibson P Weather: clear and sunny, until sunset at 7:31pm, 81 deg F to start but dropping into the 70s, no sign of rain, winds at 6mph from the SSE. Now that's a nice night for baseball! Play ball! Go Twins! Click here to view the article

I'm still waiting to see an actual log jam with the Twins. A log jam where you can legitimately say... "we got too many good players". Maybe some day... and wouldn't that be wonderful.

Stay safe... The Panhandle or Montana seems like a decent place to visit right now.

Are your parents riding with or in a safe place?

You are right That is something that Souhan cultivated over the years. That type of thing comes at a cost.

The Twins arrive in Kansas City for a 4-game series starting tonight. After winning only one game out of three in Tampa, it sure looks like the Twins are leaving Florida just in time. An obvious statement for anyone watching the news. It’s been a rough year for hurricanes. The truth is we won’t get a real handle on how rough a year it's been until October. We’ve all seen the news and we know it is bad, but how bad it can get is yet to be determined. I will pray for those directly involved while I remain safely distanced watching the video from home. I encourage hopefulness but let’s face facts… if Jeff Skinner is your leading scorer and Scott Darling is your goaltender, it'll probably be a rough year for the Hurricanes. Here are some things to think about: 1. Kansas City – With an estimated population of 481,420, it is the largest city in Missouri with St. Louis coming in 2nd. It isn’t an accident that the two major population centers of Missouri are tucked closely to the eastern and western borders; it is because everybody needs to be able to abandon the state at a moment’s notice. This need to leave is closely tied to the Missouri state motto, “The Show Me State." People from Missouri don’t want to hear a lot of words… they need to be shown, and since they need to be shown… they have seen some things... things that keep the bags packed just in case. For example, they’ve been to Branson and have seen a town created by a horrific collision of a televangelist and ventriloquist with a subsequent permanent melding together. They have seen the hundreds of miles of caves located under the their state... and they have seen the millions of zombie like creatures that live in those caves... and they know they come out at night and run for the state legislature. They have seen multiple tornadoes in their lifetime and have reached a breaking point because they are tired of fetching grandma from underneath the rubble. 2. Our Twins – Things have tightened up in the wild card race after the Rays took two games. The Twins have a half-game lead over the Angels, a one-game lead over the Orioles, a 1.5-game lead over the Rangers, 2.5 over the Royals and a 3-game lead over the Rays. Things are so close, the Twins only have a 5-game lead over the Richmond Flying Squirrels. 3. The Royals – They haven’t been playing amazing baseball as they float around the edges of the wild card race. However, Lorenzo Cain is hot at the moment and so is Melky Cabrera. Players get hot in order to support their immune system’s attempt to gain advantage over infectious agents, such as viruses, bacteria and barbecue sauce. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Montana: What did you make for us today, Joe? Maddon: A special request from Mr. Morgan. Morgan: Yes, sir... Cincinnati chili. I love this stuff! Mauer: What is this? There are noodles in here. You said it’s chili? Maddon: That’s what Cincinnati chili is… this is served 5-way so it’s spaghetti, chili, cheese, onions and beans. McCarthy: Wow… this is pretty good. Montana: I agree… it's delicious! Oops… damn it... I just spilled chili sauce all over my new shirt. Morgan: Aww, man... that's a white shirt. That’s going to be tough to get out. Montana: I know… I look like a pig Mauer: You do look like a pig… and you spilled chili sauce on your shirt. 5. Marathon – I’ll be running this weekend in a marathon. I didn’t want to do it at first but it is for blind and disabled kids so I think I have a decent chance of winning. ____________________ TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer 1B Jorge Polanco SS Eddie Rosario LF Byron Buxton CF Max Kepler RF Eduardo Escobar 3B Jason Castro C Robbie Grossman DH Kyle Gibson P ROYALS Whit Merrifield 2B Lorenzo Cain CF Melky Cabrera RF Eric Hosmer 1B Salvador Perez C Mike Moustakas DH Alcides Escobar SS Alex Gordon LF Ramon Torres 3B Sam Gaviglio P Weather: clear, sunny (until 7:40pm), 77 Click here to view the article

I have often thought about this point that I separated from your other points. We are all our own worst enemy. We'd love to know what is happening inside the walls but as soon as we learn something from inside the walls... we destroy it. After all the damage is done from our reactions... we are left with PR Departments, Carefully Crafted Messages and Overused Cliches. We all want the truth... But we can't handle the truth. It's not that the GM's, Managers and Players don't want to speak... they have learned that speaking only leads to a public punch in the mouth. We all caused this and we continue to cause it. Now I'm going to step aside and impulse buy a National Enquirer.

Yep that was there Along with "Sano is 24 and until this week he had not suffered any injuries related to his bulk" A perfect contradiction and this makes him the front runner for the 2017 Muddled Point Award.

Personally, I'm not concerned about the timing, access or fat shaming. He got fed some info and he ran with it and that's the way it works. It's a column about weight and that will always blur the delicate lines. I'm just simply amazed how a good experienced writer like Souhan can fail to make his point so badly. If his point was that Sano's injury was caused by his weight... judging by the reaction... he succeeded however... he claims that it wasn't his point. He did a crappy job on the article and the term I would use to describe it is "Phoning it in". How it got past his editors... I have no idea. Here's a quote from his blog Somehow, this was turned, by local trolls and national know-nothings, into a story about how I had said that Sano’s weight caused his injury. I never said or wrote that. These people are lying. And quotes from the Article Sano is 24 and until this week he had not suffered any injuries related to his bulk, But logic can apply to injury analysis. Saturday night, Miguel Sano, the Twins’ best player, hit a ground ball and barely made it halfway down the line. This is not merely a problem. This is a flashing red light on the franchise’s dashboard. If they are lying... it's because he led them there. He phoned in an article... the point he claims he was trying to make was never clearly expressed and then he got angry at those who didn't understand and they didn't understand because he made it impossible to understand. Here's another interesting quote from the blog My sports editor was puzzled by the negative reaction, and the editor of the paper complimented it. IMO, The sports editor and the editor of the paper are either: A. Not very good at what they do B. In possession of research that suggests this type of stuff sells C. Placating Jim Souhan for some reason D. Were so busy with other stuff that they barely read it.

IMO... I think he did a terrible job making his point and that is why many misunderstood what he meant in the original article. I don't put that on the reader... I put that on the writer. That doesn't mean he is a terrible writer... just not very good this time. I immediately forgave him for that. Now... The blog that followed? Way too much ego. It was a bad idea from the start. He needed to go for a walk before sending.

DOZIER

And the Padres took 3 out of 4 from the Dodgers. It's baseball. The Margins are always thin. No shame losing to the Rays. It's just plain ole shame... losing to anyone right now.

The wins are gonna feel good and the losses are gonna hurt. There is no getting around this. Its how September is supposed to feel.

I don't have a list of people that I shouldn't pay attention to... but if I did... I would start by populating the list with people who had a list of people that I shouldn't pay attention to.

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way. But... this is whole thing reminds me of this. http://www.dvdizzy.com/images/a/anchorman-02.jpg

I agree I'd like to know what Vavra was thinking in the 9th. I'm not going to claim that Vavra or whoever was wrong... but I'd like to know the thought process because I'm having a hard time with benefit of the doubt. Disclaimer: I don't believe that I spend a ton of time criticizing the manager for in-game decisions. I usually can live with whatever batting order or however the bullpen is used because I'm ok with a Manager thinking for themselves and not for me. I think I expressed criticism or deep confusion back in late May when Rucinski and Wheeler were called up before a series with the Astros because the bullpen was really really really spent and Molitor did not throw either of them with an 8-2 lead and the really really really spent bullpen coughed up like 30 runs in 8th and became extra really really really spent in the process of losing game one of the series which then forced Molitor to debut Wheeler the next day in a much closer situation. I only mention that game for the context that I don't criticize the manager often. WIth that said... What was going on with Gimenez in the 9th? It says in the Trib "I did it on my own" quoting Gimenez when asked about the bunt attempt. He popped it up and got away with it but then Vavra is quoted as saying "we decided it wasn’t the right play". 1. Why isn't Vavra managing the game with both hands on the wheel in the 9th inning and a one run deficit, nobody out and a runner on 2nd? Gimenez saying "I did it on my own" in a clear bunting situation makes it sound like Vavra expected Gimenez to hit away. 2. Why did Vavra decide "it wasn't the right play". Gimenez is hitting .198, he strikes out 27.6% of the time. He is a veteran career back up catcher with a .214 career batting average. I have to assume that he has been asked to bunt before. 3. If it wasn't the right play because of Gimenez's bunting ability. Castro was available to catch with Garver all used up and Adrianaza was available to pinch hit or pinch bunt. Adrianaza at least has been one of our best contact hitters with a 13.1 K%. No idea what the thought process was... runner on 2nd... 9th inning... down by 1 run. The manager's job was to get that tying run to third and that was a big uncomfortable ugly looking fail. If the strategy was to let the guy hitting .198 swing away... I question that strategy. If the Vet catcher hitting .198 can't move the runner to third in that situation with a playoff spot on the line in September. I question his value. I hate over reacting to one at-bat but... the game died right there. Either Gimenez or Vavra or both screwed up.

The Twins will spend their Labor Day in Florida and they will spend it indoors working. Not everyone gets Labor Day off, and major league baseball players are excellent examples of those who must work. Nearly every place else, workers get the day off to recharge those batteries. It works out because criminals get the day off so the police force can rest as well. You’ll find them hanging out together at backyard barbecues. Pilots and Air Traffic Control have today off so all airline travel is 100% computerized for an exciting day of chaos in the sky. (I flew once on Labor Day; you couldn’t even get a Cinnabon because they were closed.) There is nobody to tell when and in what order to board the plane; you get to carry your luggage on board with you, regardless if it fit in the overhead compartment. You simply get on the plane and that Garmin lady voice comes over the speakers and says, "Welcom to flight 597, non-stop to Paducah." No attendents or pilots as the flight is completely computerized. So sit back and enjoy the flight and nothing will go wrong go wrong go wrong go wrong go wrong. Here are some things to think about: 1. Tampa Bay – First off, it’s not a city. Tampa is a city, St. Petersburg is a city. Tampa Bay is a body of water filled with elderly shut-ins and bus people who ran out of money. It is one of the places where you have to drive north to be in the south. While in Florida, watch out for alligators. You should always wear a noise producing device like little bells, in order to alert but not startle, alligators; also carry pepper spray in case of an unexpected encounter. One way to determine if an alligator is nearby is too look for alligator droppings. Alligator droppings are recognizable because they contain undigested bones, little bells and smell like pepper spray. 2. Our Twins – It was a tough series to lose. Nearly coming back on Friday and being done in by a bad check swing call yesterday, surrounding a win by 17 on Saturday. Despite losing the series, it still feels like they are rolling. So let it roll… down the highway or whatever BTO song about highways is your favorite. 3. The Rays – I’m not really sure why these guys are struggling. They have pretty good starting pitching, the bullpen isn’t terrible and they have quite a few guys who can hit the ball a long way. I’m not really sure what they are missing besides that “support you” attitude from the fans and ownership. Tropicana Field is perhaps the only stadium where the players can hear conversations taking place in the 30th row and it’s usually the owner and GM talking about coupons. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Mauer: A trip to the lake on Labor Day was a great idea. Montana: I agree, but I’m just letting you all know right now… I’m catching the biggest fish. Morgan: You should slow down a little… I’m not really feeling safe with your driving. Maddon: The speed limit on I-94 is 70 miles per hour… if you look at my speedometer it’s say 70 miles per hour. McCarthy: Maddon is driving fine, Joe… just relax a little and enjoy the ride. Mauer: Why do I have to sit on the hump in the middle? Montana: Because you are the youngest… that’s the law. Mauer: Yeah but it’s my car… shouldn't I be driving? Morgan: Shh… everyone quiet down… what did it just say on the radio? McCarthy: It’s a news report… it’s saying that there is a car going the wrong way on I-94 near Alexandria. Montana: Be on the lookout, Joe… we are near Alexandria. Maddon: Only one car? Looks to me like there are hundreds of them. 5. Exercise – I was busy yesterday and wasn’t able to go to the gym. That makes 10 years in a row now. ____________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer 1B Jorge Polanco DH Eddie Rosario LF Byron Buxton CF Max Kepler RF Eduardo Escobar 3B Mitch Garver C Ehire Adrianza SS Jose Berrios P RAYS Kevin Kiermaier CF Lucas Duda DH Evan Longoria 3B Logan Morrison 1B Steven Souza RF Corey Dickerson LF Wilson Ramos C Brad Miller 2B Adeiny Hechavarria SS Alex Cobb P Weather: inside, who cares Play ball! Go Twins! Click here to view the article

Every game is huge right now. You'll get no argument from me. However... IF... If the Twins get swept by the Royals. The worst they would be on Sep. 4 is a half game out with 26 games to play. That's a little quick to turn out the lights.

Cain in pain

Who Won?

http://www.thegregbradyproject.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bb_tiki1.jpg Too much risk