Riverbrian

Or Mr. Lyon?

Get swept by the Astros and you get some TD fans saying it’s over while they start sticking forks in things. Win 3 out of 4 against the Angels and you get some TD Fans wondering what the odds of winning the AL Central are. Up with the ups and down with the downs… just like an elevator in a building with the majority of the action in the middle floors. We have three games against the Mariners starting tonight… will the Twins push the up button or the down? It is beginning to look like a reliable OTIS so it may not plummet to the ground, but if it does... remember to jump right before the impact. Here are some things to think about: 1. Seattle – A fairly large city that was put between two large bodies of water in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is a freaky town full of freaks that seem normal because of the even freakier people who live in nearby Portland. Seattle is one of the more interesting city names in the U.S. and it comes from the Suquamish word for mildew. The Metro has over 3 million residents including Sasquatch, Jean Smart, Jerry Cantrell, Bill Gates, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Paul Allen, Adam West, Kenny G, Amanda Knox, Frasier, Niles and Marty Crain along with Daphne, Roz, Maris and the dog Eddie. I have just named 16 people that live in Seattle… I’ve decided to stop there with 2,999,984 to go. Seattle brought us Costco, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom and Boeing. Along with grunge, spam email, whooping cough, binge drinking, poor hygiene, flat tires, brownnosers and poor customer service. 2. Our Twins – They are still in first place and we will have to explain to your grandchildren why we have been acting like Randy Quaid in the movie “Major League”. 3. The Mariners – This team was completely rebuilt by ex-Angels GM Jerry Dipoto. Since taking over in September 2015, Dipoto has made a total of 37 trades involving 95 players. It’s June, the season is well underway but the team has struggled to come together. A recent clubhouse survey revealed that no player on the roster could name all of the other players on the roster correctly; even 1 player actually got his own name wrong in the survey. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation McCarthy: Everyone… check out this suit… what'd ya think? Montana: Nice… That is a real humdinger. Mauer: What’s it for? Where are you going? McCarthy: Green Bay for the 2017 Ghost Conference. I’m one of the keynote speakers, along with Edgar Allen Poe, Jim Henson and Harold Ramis. Maddon: Harold Ramis? McCarthy: Yeah… Harold Ramis… he is the most important keynote speaker ever… he's going to show everyone how to avoid capture from those positron colliders. Montana: Ahh… Ghostbusters… the proton pack. He has switched teams now. You’ve got the playbook. McCarthy: Yep… Exactly. Mauer: Hey… hey… Joe… what are you doing? Don’t fold that suit up like that… don't just stuff it in there. It’ll get all wrinkled. McCarthy: It’s a suit… it goes in the suit… case…. doesn't it? Maddon: No Joe… get a garment bag. Put the suit in the garment bag. It won’t get wrinkled that way. McCarthy: What goes in the suitcase then? Montana: The suitcase would be where you put your … umm… Mauer: Garments, Joe… your garments go in the suitcase. McCarthy: I think you guys are making this stuff up. 5. Funny Bone - I turned a corner at work too tightly yesterday and I struck my funny bone on a corner. I didn’t find it funny at all… Everyone else did though and I assume that’s how it got its name. I’m pretty sure the name didn’t originate from the source, more likely from those observing. ____________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer 1B Miguel Sano 3B Robbie Grossman LF Max Kepler RF Eduardo Escobar DH Chris Gimenez C Ehire Adrianza SS Byron Buxton CF Hector Santiago P MARINERS Guillermo Heredia LF Danny Valencia 1B Robinson Cano 2B Nelson Cruz DH Kyle Seager 3B Taylor Motter SS Ben Gamel RF Mike Zunino C Jarrod Dyson CF James Paxton P Weather: Who cares? It's a retractable roof so they play rain or shine or gloom of night ... Click here to view the article

I understand that. But... if the team is still in first place or reasonably nearby first place or wild card. I'd wait until the off season to make that trade.

If you are in contention in July... You are in contention in July. Tearing apart a contending team should be a criminal offense. It doesn't matter what anybody's evaluation says should be happening. A team in contention is what is actually happening. Sometimes things out perform the projections. If something is out performing the projection you ask...what can you do to help... Not what can you do to make it even harder. This doesn't mean trade Nick Gordon for Kevin Jepsen. It still requires common sense... but to trade Ervin Santana for a couple AA Prospects when a team needs all the pitching it can find while in contention is way too much ego out of a GM for to be comfortable with. I have no interest in a GM who says... I don't care if you are doing well... you shouldn't be doing well according to me. Let's see where we are when June comes to a close.If we are still in contention... Go find some relievers and support the squad.

Whoever decided that Red Numbers on a Red Jersey was a good idea is someone with bad ideas.

I'm not surprised. Angels are missing Trout and Maybin. And Meyer throws these types of games every once in awhile. If the game would have been 12-10 after five innings... I wouldn't be surprised by that either.

Good Question. Here's another one: is it the Pony, feather or hat that Yankee Doodle called Macaroni?

Meyer is looking like the pitcher we wanted him to be.

Yes you can Just omit the feed part and you are good to go.

He saw it right away. He inflected the very second the ball was hit. It was a good Bremer call.

TRIPLE PLAY 5-4-3

I almost completely agree with you. I'd say...Let him keep that 4 seam heat. If he adds a cutter... alright... but that 4 seam heat will play if he can spot his breaking pitches better.

I haven't really noticed if Pressly has been shaking off the fingers being put down. Maybe he is but I don't see a lot of shaking off so I tend to believe that he isn't. On the other side of the battery. Castro isn't going to put down two fingers on the 1st pitch too often if Pressly can't toss it for a strike at a higher percentage. This limits the pitch to only in situations where he got himself ahead and then it becomes predictable. If you can't command your secondary pitches it allows hitters to eliminate options and dial in. It ain't a Catcher thing... This is... go down to Rochester... work on the curveball... come back when you can spot it better and watch an immediate change in results at the MLB Level. The Catcher will be able to mix up his game calling and get hitters off balance and that 99 MPH will look 105 when it arrives. I think Parker is on something... I mean on to something.

Not me... They would have to build a Dairy Queen or Coldstone First.

Yeah and I basically threw the opener together in about 10 minutes. No time for a review. I shoulder the blame. Well me and whoever came up with the odd spelling of the Coyote and whoever insisted on 7 meaning July instead of June.

It’s off to California for a 4-game series with the Angels. The next 3 nights the Twins will be playing past my usual bedtime so they will need to perform well enough to justify me slapping my face and duct taping my eyelids open to stay awake and watch them. The Sunday game is an afternoon game and because of Pacific Time, it will also be close to past my bedtime. It’s also a brand new month kicking off tonight, and all the Twins have to do is keep winning each month. Their record was 12-11 in April and 14-12 in May, so far so good. June is the big month, June is the month that separates the buyers from the sellers. June is Super Tuesday; June is Moving Day; June is the one who raised Wally and the Beaver. Here are some things to think about: 1. Los Angeles of Anaheim – This is usually where I make of fun of the city and type all the information I know about it. I apologize but I can’t this time… I don’t know where Los Angeles of Anaheim is. I know where Los Angeles is and I know where Anaheim is but I don’t know where Los Angeles of Anaheim is. 2. Our Twins – The bullpen has been getting some attention lately and that’s because fireworks are hard to ignore. Twenty-eight runs allowed in 3 games is like the finale of the big fireworks show. So where are we now? Alex Wimmers and Randy Rosario are joining the bullpen, Ryan Pressly was optioned to Rochester and Jason Wheeler was DFA’d. The day before that Boshers replaced Drew Rucinski, who was quickly returned to the minors after FalVine realized that Molitor won’t throw him with a 6-run lead in the 8th inning. 3. The Angels – Mike Trout is hurt so that times out well for us. The Angels will hardly skip a beat because they have Ben Revere who can slot into everyday playing time in response. Albert Pujols has 599 career home runs so he has a chance of breaking 600 against our Twins. But… that probably won’t happen because the Astros may have hit them all and there may be no more left. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation McCarthy: Hey guys… I have bad news. Maddon: What’s up, Joe? McCarthy: It says in the paper that the United Arab Emirates is going to colonize Mars. Mauer: Cool McCarthy: Not Cool… we are the United States!!! We are supposed to do it. Montana: According to this article, they have set a goal for 2117. That’s 100 years from now. Maddon: Stephen Hawking says we have 100 years to colonize Mars before it’s too late for us all. Mauer: I’ll still be under contract with the Twins. 5. Acme - I was thinking about this question last night. Where did Wile E. Coyote get all that money to pay for his purchases plus the shipping costs? Then I realized… he's an actor and famous. They always have money... unless they blow it all on bad investments or frivolous purchases like rocket launchers and stuff from Acme. _____________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier( R) 2B Robbie Grossman(S) DH Joe Mauer(L) 1B Miguel Sano( R) 3B Max Kepler(L) RF Jorge Polanco(S) SS Eddie Rosario(L) LF Byron Buxton( R) CF Jason Castro(L) C Adalberto Mejia P ANGELS Andrelton Simmons( R) SS Kole Calhoun(L) RF Albert Pujols( R) DH Yunel Escobar( R) 3B Jefry Marte( R) 1B Martin Maldonado( R) C Danny Espinosa(S) 2B Eric Young Jr.(S) LF Shane Robinson( R) CF Alex Meyer P Weather: 71 deg F, clear and sunny, because it never rains in Southern California. Click here to view the article

He will use Duffey and Rogers and it will be appearance number 3 out of 4 days for them when he does. Wheeler he throws if Berrios gets bombed. If Rosario is called up... he won't use him either unless Falvey or Lavine calls him up after the game and provides a teaching moment with a stern tone of voice.

Indeed

I already used an X

Alright There is still ink in the marker. Two X's it is.

Might as well let it burn now. The Bullpen will still be wiped out tomorrow. Save Wheeler for tomorrow. We will need someone that he doesn't trust to throw for tomorrows game.

It was the cause of my off season tears. I knew they had a lot to do meeting a new staff... I knew that the SP FA's sucked but there were good bullpen arms to get and they should have tried harder in this specific area.

May 29... I put an X on the Calendar.