Riverbrian

If I had to choose. Superman for sure... but... I'd be a lazy one. You'd hardly know I was around. I'd use my powers to get to other places for vacation purposes.

The defense thing always takes on a life of its own. Eventually people will feel better about Grossman in the OF. That may take awhile.

The Twins won 2 out of 3 from the Rangers and now it’s the last place Royals on the schedule. It’s not exactly a marquee matchup so it’s quite possible that ESPN will have nobody there… after this week… you have to wonder if ESPN will have anybody there because the sports giant has downsized. Names you know and some you don’t are out the door and lots of em. Baseball expert Jason Stark is looking for work now and if you want someone to blame… it's all your fault… you all have been cutting the cord. Five hundred channels isn't good enough for you… noooo... you want 20 channels... you want ala carte programming… it was you screaming that there is too much television on television. You may or may not know this but every cable TV subscriber paid 80 dollars a year to ESPN/Disney… regardless if they watched the channel or not. ESPN was able to use its giant-ness and strong-arm the cable companies with monthly carriage fees of $7.00 plus and of course… then the cable companies strong-armed us. When you objected to being strong armed and went a different direction… you cost Ed Werder his job. Now that you feel all guilty… don’t worry… ESPN isn’t going anywhere… you didn’t kill them… they are still making a profit and a rather healthy one… it’s just not as much of a profit as they made before so… Trent Dilfer had to go. Here are some things to think about: 1. Kansas City – This city has brought us more than barbecue. This city brought us H&R Block… Applebee’s… Sprint... and Hallmark Greeting Cards. OK… none of those are extraordinary. So… let me start this over. Kansas City has really only brought us barbecue. 2. Our Twins – Let’s hear it for Byron Buxton. He had a nice 3-game series in Texas. He reached base 8 times in 12 plate appearances (3 hits and 5 walks). That’s pretty good but even better when you consider there was only 1 strikeout and he was able to hit the ball the other way multiple times. I’m going to allow myself to be optimistic one more time. OK… maybe two or three more times. 3. The Royals – These guys have been playing really bad baseball. They have lost 6 games in a row and Kyle Gibson will try to rebound from what ails him to make it 7 in a row. It’s that Immovable Object-Irresistible Force thing -- Gibson with 3 losses in a row vs. the Royals with 6 losses in a row. ESPN wishes they had the staff to be here for this but they just can’t right now. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation Maddon: Hey Joe, Look at that… the barometer is falling Montana: That means a storm is approaching. Mauer: Really? That’s what the barometer does? McCarthy: Yeah… barometric pressure has been used to forecast the weather for a couple of centuries. Low pressure brings clouds and precipitation. Montana: A falling barometer indicates lower pressure. Maddon: Guys…the barometer is falling. Fell right off the wall... go get the hammer, Joe. 5. Visitor Information – I have lived in Grand Forks for nearly 30 years. On Highway 2 we have a Visitor Information Center. I had never been in there but yesterday I stopped in to see what was going on. It is very well run… they do have information on all 82 people who have ever visited Grand Forks. __________________ Lineups: TWINS Brian Dozier 2B Max Kepler RF Miguel Sano 3B Joe Mauer 1B Robbie Grossman DH Jason Castro C Jorge Polanco SS Eddie Rosario LF Byron Buxton CF Kyle Gibson P ROYALS Whit Merrifield 2B Mike Moustakas 3B Lorenzo Cain CF Eric Hosmer 1B Salvador Perez C Alex Gordon LF Alcides Escobar SS Brandon Moss DH Jorge Bonifacio RF Ian Kennedy P Weather: 64 deg F, mostly cloudy, rain holding off until after the game Click here to view the article

Buxton has had two straight games of good AB's. He looks like a guy with a plan up there all of sudden. I think he has been working on something and I hope it is starting to work. KEEP IT UP

I have been equal parts concerned and patient when it comes to Buxton. My concern will not change until I see him stopping trying to pull outside breaking pitches for 6 run blasts. My patience has been recharged after last night's game. He had some great AB's where he simply didn't chase and got on base via the walk. It was his best game so far in 2017. Keep it up Byron. By the way... it was very classy of Dozier to deflect the focus of his 3 run double to Buxton keeping the inning alive with a hard fought walk. Dozier was right... If Byron doesn't have a good AB in that two out situation... Dozier doesn't get a chance to drive all those runs in. I hope Molitor has Buxton back in the lineup tonight so he can build on his good game and I hope Byron does it again. Don't care about Power from him right now... I want him focusing on making contact and not making outs. He can do the power thing later.

Thanks... I'm still standing. There hasn't been a rush to join but that's OK... there will be a rush eventually. It's prime ground floor real estate.

We needed that performance from Hughes. I tip my Hat and present him with the game ball.

WINNAH

You don't know me very well. I'm not really the ripping sort. I'll make fun of you but I typically don't rip. Bert may have been joking or maybe he was suspended. We won't know unless someone says why. It may not have been anything nasty like talking bad about Joe Mauer. Maybe it was something real innocent like... I don't know... maybe Bert Killed one of the Sales Guys or something. It doesn't have to be anything bad

Did you just make an assumption and then assume the assumption was true and than become indignant about the assumed result? I can't tell

Winston Churchill once said that "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the others". Belisle makes perfect sense then.

The game these guys play is a little different. Bert Blyleven says something... Drink Mauer flies to Left... Drink Take a breath... Drink

Did you mean... Do you guys ever not get a drinking game going on here?

They are comfortable I used to wear them around in public. I had to stop because people started asking me to check out their strange moles and skin tags.

Anybody with a reasonable chance of getting thrown up on.

Well that good at bat streak from Buxton ended abruptly at 2.

If Sano knows that it is coming and nobody steps in to help. Gotta Go with Sano 999 times out of 1,000

Just like my report card

Mauer Can Play D

They want the bullpen to rest. Hughes might pitch into tomorrrow.

Yeah I enjoyed the Buxton AB's tonight almost as much as the Dozier double. I love feeling encouraged about something.

If your last name was Mreusser you could join the Joe M Club.

He actually stopped and had a conversation with Joey Gallo about stealing bases on the way home. Plenty of Time.

I hear that every time I walk into a room.