Riverbrian

I had enough issues to be concerned with Molitor last year. I have had very few issues with Molitor this year. I've been happy with how he has handled the playing time this year. The difference causes me to assume that Paul is listening to his supervisors and trying to execute the playbook.

It’s a 3-game series against the division-leading Cleveland Indians starting at Target Field tonight. I don’t have to tell you all what a sweep of the Indians would mean. Everybody in front offices around the league, all the players for every team, fans of the Indians, fans of the Twins and all fans across the fruited plain would clearly understand what a sweep by the Twins would mean... It would mean that we won 3 games and the Indians lost 3 games. Let the chase commence! Here are some things to think about: 1. Cleveland and Grover – I don’t know how many of you have memorized all of the towns in Minnesota but in case you have not… there is a Cleveland, Minnesota. Its 66 miles southwest of Minneapolis and 1,634 miles northeast of Tucson, Arizona. With that close proximity to Tucson, the Sonoran hot dog, chimichanga and ranch fries are the staple of Cleveland cuisine. Twenty-eight different states have a Cleveland, the majority of them named after our 22nd and 24th president, Grover Cleveland. Now that Grover has been mentioned… Minnesota has a Grover, too, where the residents don’t… oops… I mean do not use contractions when they speak. You should not worry about that strange conversational style because contraction is a bad word in Twins territory and I am going to try stop using contractions myself from here on out. The citizens of Grover constantly run far away just to turn and shout FAR before returning to close proximity to shout NEAR and then they do it again until everybody understands the difference. The blue and furry people of Grover and the Twins fans of Cleveland, Twins Daily salutes you. 2. Our Twins – If the Twins wouldn’t… oops… I mean would not have blown a huge lead against the Tigers on Saturday, we would be enjoying an 8-game winning streak right now. I do not mention this to point out the negative thing in a pile of positive, I mention it to illustrate how close we were to an 8-game winning streak. During this winning streak Sano has not been helping that much. If it was not for Sano’s low OPS we would have 8 players with an OPS over .900 during that streak. Uff da... I've ... oops ... I have got to quit using negative to highlight positive. 3. The Indians - The tribe have been improving as the season goes along and they have a chance to put some real distance between them and 2nd place this weekend. They currently have a 5-game lead and if they can increase that distance they will start reserving October hotels and booking flights to Boston for the 1st round of the playoffs. This is clearly a moment where the Twins can say, “We are still HERE!” and clearly a moment where the Indians can say, “No you are NOT!” 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Montana: Hey, guys… I’ve got my lottery tickets. Dropped 50 bucks but I’m sure there is a winner in here somewhere. Maddon: What’s the jackpot up to now? McCarthy: 430 million Morgan: I cannot believe you dropped 50 bucks on that stuff. You would not do that if you understood the odds. You simply should not waste your money that way. Maddon: Why are you speaking like Grover? Morgan: Trying to get rich by playing the lottery is like trying to commit suicide by flying on a commercial airline. Montana: The lines get real long when the jackpot gets real big. Nobody seems to care when the jackpot is small. Mauer: I can understand that. When it is only 23 million… it is hardly worth the effort. 5. Potatoes - We had baked potatoes for supper last night. My son mentioned that he likes his potatoes mashed the best. I told him do not worry because his stomach thinks all potatoes are mashed anyway. Click here to view the article

Sounds like you are wining about having all that wine.

Balls straight behind you are tough to judge because you gotta turn and get back and those balls will slice so he probably started like anyone would have but he made the adjustment and got to a ball that very few would have got to. I give him an 11 on a scale of 1 to 9.6

He was waiting for you.

I'm rarely not speechless. Buxton's catch was that rare.

ROSARIO

Besides Thorogood. 62% of TD Members

I've had a lot of things getting in my way this summer as well.

Game Threads have been in a lull but I don't think Garcia or Kintzler is the reason. The gang just needs to get back together. After reading fan comments... I believe that General Managers don't consider anything at all.

I think you can ask However... it is probably too much to get there in time to ask it.

I think he could have robbed it but he got to close to the fence, giving up his room to jump and tried to kind of reach over and missed it by a few inches. A good ball boy might have got that one.

Hey Rosario Jump Might as well Jump Go Ahead Jump

And when he misses it... I think it's possible he will see it again.

I once thought there was... Gave some guy my keys and off he went... didn't come back.

He's Joe... He gets almost everything he wants.

The Twins begin a 3-game series against the Tigers in Motown riding a 5-game win streak. The Twins are in the forth portion of an extended back and forth. The Twins are doing a little Tubthumbing it seems. Everybody sing, “I get knocked down… but I get up again… you are never gonna keep me down. I get knocked down… but I get up again… you are never gonna keep me down.” Those are the only lyrics that apply because the rest of the song is about getting drunk. Unless of course… the Twins are playing drunk and it’s helping. That’s all I got… so… one more time… “I get knocked down… but I get up again… you are never gonna keep me down. Here are some things to think about: 1. Detroit – There has been a lot of talk about the wall that Trump wants to build along the Mexico border, but I have another idea and it’s brilliant… (like usual)[sic]*. Try to follow along if you can. We never worry about Canadians sneaking into the U.S. and stealing all the good jobs. They used to try but when they crossed the border and ran into Detroit, they turned back immediately and ran back out because… it was Detroit and nobody would enter Detroit willingly. If they went to the East… there was Buffalo and once again… they turned back immediately. The Canadians stayed where they were and seem to be fairly happy now. So… obviously… in order to secure our southern border… we just need to build a massive Detroit and watch the conditions in Mexico seem better. A wall is a challenge to be overcome… a Detroit is nothing to strive for. Besides… it’s possible that a massive scale Detroit will cost less than a wall. 2. Our Twins – Am I surprised by this pleasant run of W’s? I am not and the reason I am not is… it’s baseball… Every team goes on a winning streak at some time and every team goes on the losing streak at some time. It happens to every single team… every single year. That’s right, Dodgers… you will go on a losing streak at some time. Playoffs would be ideal timing in my opinion. 3. The Tigers – I’m going to go ahead and make a prediction right now. The Tigers will continue their dismantling in the off season. They may have been dreaming of higher returns at the trade deadline, but that didn’t materialize. They may have been dreaming of trade partners willing to take on more of the fat contracts in their possession, but that didn’t happen, either. Now the Tigers have two choices… continue to spend insane amounts of money or try to get things under control and start rebuilding that pitiful farm system. The Tigers are on the hook already for 122 Million in 2018 with the contracts of Verlander, Cabrera, Upton, Zimmerman and Martinez alone. I’m betting that option #2 happens and AAAA roster filler will be lined up around the block trying to grab available 25-man slots in 2018. Shane Robinson’s agent is already making phone calls. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: McCarthy: What’ve ya got there, Joe. Mauer: It’s one of those Google, self-driving cars. Maddon: Detroit isn’t going to like that. Mauer: I know… It’s taking me to the stadium tonight. Morgan: Self-driving? Does that mean you drive it yourself? Mauer: Take a look inside... no steering wheel and the back seats and front seats face each other. You just type in the location and the car takes me there while I play Angry Birds on my phone. Montana: What’s that? Mauer: It’s a “Feeling Lucky” button that takes you to someplace random. I pushed it once and it took me to a bathroom inside the Mall of America… on the 5th level. McCarthy: Beach Boys songs are going to suck in that thing. Maddon: How fast does it go? Mauer: Not fast enough… I tried to drag race a guy in another one. It was a moderately paced tie. 5. Pregnant Women – I just happened to stop by the local YMCA yesterday. I walked past the pool and I noticed a very pregnant woman dive into the pool and start swimming. She seemed to do most of her swimming underwater; she’d go under water, surface, and then go down again. I couldn’t help thinking... she was basically a functional Submarine. *[sic], as applied to the statement 'like usual' ... The Latin adverb sic ("thus"; "just as"; in full: sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written")[1] inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed exactly as found in the source text, complete with any erroneous or archaic spelling, surprising assertion, faulty reasoning, or other matter that might otherwise be taken as an error of transcription. ____________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Max Kepler RF Joe Mauer 1B Miguel Sano DH Eddie Rosario LF Eduardo Escobar 3B Byron Buxton CF Jorge Polanco SS Jason Castro C Kyle Gibson P TIGERS Ian Kinsler 2B Mikie Mahtook CF Justin Upton LF Miguel Cabrera 1B Nick Castellanos 3B Victor Martinez DH James McCann C Andrew Romine RF Jose Iglesias SS Anibel Sanchez P Weather: 73 deg F, mostly cloudy, winds at 9mph from the W, and I think the rains have passed for today. Click here to view the article

I was in a hurry and found the picture of the Hudson just past the St. Croix Gateway to Wisconsin and went with it.

Married long enough for the bumps to appear. Providing nobody leaves after this first bump.

I'm in the opposite camp. I want another guy who can hit the ball a mile or two and I don't care what his OBP is at the moment. When Sano went down we had Gimenez hit cleanup. I'm Ok with letting Gimenez go Then you can call up both Vargas and Garver. Add two guys with Pop and two guys with G's and V's and R's and A's in the their last name.

Two in Minnesota and now two in Milwaukee. In theory both teams could have been on the same flight. They could all be in cars traveling east on I-94 passing each other by. Just imagine a caravan of Brewers cars driving through the Dells and a caravan of Twins cars stopping at a cheese shop and making up the ground and eventually passing the Brewers caravan by. Flipping each other off and laughing until the Wisconsin speed traps snare Brian Dozier. I chose Dozier because he looks like the type who would speed. Here are some things to think about: 1. Milwaukee – French fur traders were the first Europeans to settle into the area. Fifty years later the Germans came in waves, followed by Polish immigrants and then the Fonzerellis, Delvecchios, Arcolas, Tuscaderos, DeFazios and Regusas of Italy. The Germans brought beer, the Polish brought sausages, and the Italians brought Happy Days. Milwaukee is known as Festival City. The Germans brought German Fest, the Polish brought Polish Fest and the Summers brought Summer Fest. Milwaukee is constantly under construction and has on average 20 detours per square mile. It used to be the largest city in Wisconsin but now it’s the largest suburb in the greater Chicago metro area. 2. Our Twins – Lately I have been using this space to talk about power. I’ve been pointing out what the lineup looks like without Sano from a power point of view. Right on cue, Sano returned to the lineup last night and the team hit 5 homeruns. Sano struck out 3 times and didn’t hit any actual home runs but obviously the Twins don’t have any power without Sano in the lineup. Pretzel logic is very important when making assessments of your team. 3. The Brewers – The Brew Crew have lost two to the Twins and are blowing a chance to pass the Cubs because the Cubs have let off the gas. The Cards and Pirates are now back in it, too. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Montana: How are the plans coming for McCarthy’s surprise party? Mauer: We got everything nailed down… just 1 or 2 small problems to solve. Montana: Such as? Maddon: I’m going to need a place to keep the food. Mauer: Morgan… you got room at your house? Maddon: Joe… can I store the food at your place? Morgan: Sure… I think you’ll be surprised by what is left of it when you pick it up. 5. Weird Bumps – My wife was looking at a weird bump on my arm and wondering what it was. I was watching her holding my arm and I was thinking that marriages eventually become weird bump examinations… if they last long enough… and you are doing it right. ____________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier( 2B Max Kepler RF Joe Mauer 1B Miguel Sano 3B Eddie Rosario LF Byron Buxton CF Jorge Polanco SS Chris Gimenez C Bartolo Colon P BREWERS Domingo Santana RF Eric Thames 1B Ryan Braun LF Manny Pina C Hernan Perez 3B Orlando Arcia SS Eric Sogard 2B Keon Broxton CF Brandon Woodruff P Weather: Seeing as how I'm in Chicago and Milwaukee is just a distant suburb, it's nice here, so it's nice there. Click here to view the article