Riverbrian

Eventually a piece of cake for me... Until then I'm gonna avoid wearing white.

Now that I'm living on my own for a year. I've realized that there was a bunch of things that I didn't do. When my wife joins me.. I'm gonna be better. I just ain't at that point yet.

It was actually... Most likely the right call. Nunez was quite a bit inside the line. However... I can't figure out what Cron was doing. It looked like a routine throw and should have been a routine catch.

Remember to use detergent... I forgot last time and it sent me into a panic.

The fine people around here are all talking about it. Stunned the Tigers are sellers. Price obviously and Cespedes are reportedly on the block.

Atta Boy Plouffe

Those folks should be removed from any sampling... In any survey... In every form of research. They are not functioning properly... Everybody normal needs at least a year of rest in between. They will taint all results.

Yeah... It could be his swan song before Donald Trump steps in.

Shoemaker is such an unusual name... I wonder if there is anyone in the world named Pantsmaker.

Games that start after 10pm should be outlawed. We need to get the House of Representatives involved.

A friend of mine has been divorced three times. I asked him if he would consider a 4th attempt and he said.... "If I ever get that feeling again... I'm just gonna go find someone I hate and buy her a house".

It never rains in Southern California says Albert Hammond. Side Note: Albert Hammond is from Gibraltar so what the hell does he know about Southern California weather? The Angels just had a rain out over the weekend so there goes the "never" part down the drain. If it wants to rain again during the Twins series... I'll be OK with that. Maybe the Twins can play them some other time when they Angels aren't quite as hot. Besides... It's West Coast baseball and that means a 10:05 start in my current Eastern time zone. I'm tired... I doubt I can stay up and watch the whole thing. I hope the Twins play some good ball to try and keep me up. 1. The Angels -- When the team you are cheering for is in contention and not totally comfortable where they currently sit, a series like this is like a couch made out of cactus. The Angels are hot... very hot... the hottest team in the American League. The Twins are not hot... They ain't cold but after losing two out of three to the A's... hot doesn't really apply. The uncomfortable feeling... the cactus couch... the heat with high humidity is the Angels being the wrong team at the wrong time for our Twins. We need wins right now. The Angels just swept the Red Sox and have won 8 out of their last 10. On the optimistic side... the Twins won't have to face Hector Santiago... He threw yesterday. Hector has been perhaps the best pitcher in the American League this year. Although... the Twins do have to face CJ Wilson and Garrett Richards and a Shoemaker tonight. Here's to hoping the Twins win tonight against a somewhat struggling Shoemaker. If they lose tonight... that'll be a problem with Wilson and Richards up next. 2. Albert Pujols -- Ladies and Gentlemen... He's Back and back with a vengeance. I have no idea why Albert has to be vengeful but he's back with a vengeance. In 2013 Albert was miserable by Pujols standards. He improved a bit in 2014 but because of 2013... fans and pundits were feeling that Pujols was now officially old and declining. He may still be old but based on this year... he has stopped that decline. Twenty-nine Home Runs now after hitting three yesterday. Dear Kyle Gibson, Mike Pelfrey and Ervin Santana... and all of you guys in the bullpen... Don't hang one to Albert. 3. Mike Trout -- As good as Albert is... Mike Trout is better. Mike 'Named After a Fish' is the best player in baseball right now. Forget the back to back All Star MVP's and those two trucks he won when he can afford to buy 37 trucks. With a batting average over .300 and 28 home runs... a slugging percentage of .614... his speed and all the defensive tools needed to win games that way as well, Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. I'm not going to apologize to Bryce Harper or Paul Goldschmidt for declaring Trout the best. Trout and Pujols make a pretty potent 1-2 punch. 4. The Wild Card Race -- With the Royals up by 5.5 games... I think it makes more sense for us to focus on the wild card race, until the Twins can get closer to the Royals at least. The Twins and Astros currently hold the wild card spot. The Twins have a 3.5 game lead over the Orioles. The Orioles will be meeting the AL East leading Yankees while the Twins meet the AL West leading Angels. The Orioles have one of them cactus couch things as well. 5. Marriage -- I was reading this report on the number of people getting married has been declining each year since 2010. In 2010, 4,406,784 people got married and in 2014, 3,987,741 people got married. This leads to some questions... Are times changing? Are Women no longer wanting to live with hairy, beer-drinking men? Are Men no longer wanting to live with hairy women who stop shaving after awhile? All good questions but the biggest question is the number itself. 3,987,741 people got married in 2014... Shouldn't that be an even number? -------------------- Game-time forecast: 77 deg F, partly cloudy, 3% chance of rain, winds from the W at 10mph. Lineups: TWINS Dozier 2B Hunter RF Mauer 1B Plouffe 3B Rosario LF Nunez DH Hicks CF Suzuki C Escobar SS Gibson P ANGELS Giavotella 2B Calhoun RF Pujols DH Aybar SS Freese 3B Cron 1B Joyce LF Ionetta C Robertson CF Shoemaker P Go Twins! Play ball! Click here to view the article

The 2nd half of the season begins tonight in Oakland. All I've ever wanted was for games in September to mean something and so far so good… it's looking like September just might mean something after all. The trade deadline just might matter. Everything looks like it just might matter. It's been a long time coming. Everybody try and enjoy the dessert that is the 2nd half. 1. The 2nd Half -- Tonight begins the 2nd half of the season. I know... it's quirky but the All Star Break has always been the dividing line. Never mind that the first half was 89 games and the 2nd half is 73 games. It's like sharing your dessert with your wife when she asks for half of your cheesecake. She gets that little tip of the triangle while you keep the bulk of the slice and you call it half. This year... that little tip of cheesecake matters, which is such an improvement from the recent past. In the 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 seasons... nobody touched that little tip of cheesecake. It got bus'd by the busboy. It ended up in the garbage or the dishwasher took a break and finished it off in the back along with the prime rib from table 22 that was a little too big for Grandma to finish. This year... we are hungry for more. We are having our cake and eating it, too. Games in September will matter. 2. How??? -- Nobody thought we would be here. Nobody on TD thought we'd be here. The national pundits didn't think we'd be here... Let's be honest... the players didn't think it either. Oh sure... they'd talk about being here when interviewed before the season started but they didn't think it. So how did this happen? I'll boil it down to two words… Starting. Pitching. Gibson and Milone are sub 3.00 and Pelfrey, May and Hughes haven't been disgusting. We usually have 3 starters who have been a disgusting 5.00 plus. Our starters have kept us in games and given the offense a chance to win it... somehow... someway. 3. Molitor/Gardenhire -- Did Paul fix everything or is Molitor benefiting from all of Gardenhire's gardening? Did Gardy do all the work of planting and Molitor gets to enjoy the fruits of that labor? I really don't know but I think Molitor is removing weeds much more efficiently than Gardy did. Gardy kinda got comfortable with having the weeds around... in my opinion of course and based upon... nothing. I really don't know what Gardy thought of those weeds. I'm just saying... I'm under the impression that Molly has been more proactive. A little more willing to change the batting order... a little more willing to think outside the box; and after watching Molitor shift things around... rightly or wrongly... fair or unfair to Gardy... I'm looking back and feeling like Gardy was set in his ways... 2002 ways. DISCLAIMER: Thought #3 should be read with 5,000 grains of salt. It is based on an outsiders gut feeling... a gut feeling which is based on a few observations that can and have been twisted to fit a narrative... a narrative which becomes more and more flimsy as I continue to type this disclaimer. The only thing I know is that things are better this year and I'm giving some credit to Paul for fixing a few things because that's what it feels like to me. 4. Rick Anderson -- The Starting Pitching has clearly been an improvement over years past and I really believe it's the #1 factor in our sudden good fortune. So, yes... that leads to the obvious question. What does the sudden turnaround say about Rick Anderson? I really believe that we often give coaches too much credit and more often too much blame. But, seeing the pitchers all turn it around like a bunch of lemmings successfully avoiding a cliff, you can't help but wonder. Liriano turning it around in Pittsburgh also makes you wonder. I'm just wondering, that's all... Please read the disclaimer from thought #3. 5. Bigfoot and ET -- I recently hired a guy who firmly believes in Bigfoot. Obviously I need to expand the scope of my due diligence before making such hires, but the subject of Bigfoot never came up in the interview. A few days on the job... he walks into my office and asks... "Do you believe in Bigfoot? Because I do." I said, "No... scientists... or lumberjacks would have found a carcass by now." He immediately turned in his resignation. Thank God... I hate firing people. -------------------- Game-time forecast: 68 deg F and cooling, no chance of rain (which, is unfortunate for that area, drought and all), winds from the WNW at 14mph. Lineups: TWINS Dozier 2B Hunter RF Mauer 1B Sano DH Plouffe 3B Rosario LF Hicks CF Suzuki C Santana SS Santana P ATHLETICS Burns CF Vogt C Zobrist LF Reddick RF Butler DH Davis 1B Lawrie 3B Sogard 2B Semien SS Gray P Go Twins! Play ball! Click here to view the article

Ok... Tomorrow is another day

C'mon Soria... Pitch Dozier high and tight.

If Twins players are reading this site... That picture will be in the Twins Locker Room. Add Mr. Peanut... Diving into the bread like it's a pool.

LOL... Ladies and Gentlemen... You'll never see anything like this... Anywhere else... I hope everyone appreciates it like I do. That is Gold!!!

Another Bingo

I'm Getting Eastern Time Zone Tired as well... But... I think there is more to happen in this game.

Hold Your Cards We have a Bingo

I gotta do it... OK... Here Goes... I'm a Poet and I don't even know it.

How Bout... Miguel Sano... In Pajamas and lying on a piece of bread.

LOL... Interesting 5 that you have chosen.