Riverbrian

It just occurred to me... In order for this post to remain accurate. I will have to forever edit it. "My Place Grand Rapids... about 12 minutes a go".

It's probably hard for you to tell. Of all the people I know... you are the closest thing to bi-coastal.

Atta Boy Mauer The following comment isn't meant to start a Joe Mauer attack but. Joe Mauer is currently owned by 36.2% of all ESPN Fantasy Baseball Players. I'm one

I remember where I was when I saw that. My Place Grand Rapids... About a minute a go.

I remember where I was for the Al Michaels "Do you believe in Miracles call" My House... I was 15 and sitting at the kitchen counter... On a Stool... Watching on a black and white. I was also trying to untangle the phone cord as I was shouting to my friend. "Turn the game on... The U.S. Is gonna win!!!"

It's dangerous but I love Rosario's aggressiveness. The guy is going to get burned on occasion but I give him high marks for base running.

Woo Hoo... Fly Over Country My (Pause) Yeah... Still Fly Over Country...

Other Big Moments that I remember where I was. Hrbek's Grand Slam against the Cardinals in Game 6 1987: Friends house again... I remember this one because as soon as it left the park I turned away from the TV to face everybody and I did the exact thing with my arms that Kent Hrbek did... I turned away and I had no idea that Hrbek was copying me. Jack Morris Game 7 in 1991: I was at my cheap apartment in Grand Forks watching with my wife. I could barely take it. I kept moving around the apartment to find a lucky chair or spot. It was about the 7th inning when my wife yelled at me to JUST STOP... FIND A SPOT AND STAY THERE. I think I was sitting on her lap when Gene Larkin drove in the game winner. I told her she was my lucky spot. She couldn't respond because she couldn't breath.

C'mon Milone... Don't give it up.

When I played and when I coached. I went out of my way to say nice play to the other team when they did something out of the ordinary. I'd also slide hard into 2nd and plow the catcher if I could as well. I think you play the game hard in both directions. It's all part of passion for the game.

It's weird... That home run was one of those moments in life where I remember where I was when it was hit. At a friends house in Holt Minnesota... Population 8 I was sober enough to remember it and yet not enough to drive back home to Thief River Falls. Like a responsible young man... I stayed out of decent judgement. I would have probably been on my way home otherwise when it happened. All I could think was... Did that just a happen? A guy with no legs just won a world series game with a pinch hit home run. I took a long look at the bottle of jack like it was playing tricks on me.

May she rest in peace. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for funny ladies.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock... The Season is gonna be done before we know it. This is the final week. Seven games in a row with no break. Win... Go to Bed... get up... Win... Go to Bed... Get Up... Win. That's what it's gonna take and it's possible... It's very possible. Every one link arms... Get Behind your Twins and let's collectively wish this thing to fruition. Here are some things to think about: Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock... The Season is gonna be done before we know it. This is the final week. Seven games in a row with no break. Win... Go to Bed... get up... Win... Go to Bed... Get Up... Win. That's what it's gonna take and it's possible... It's very possible. Every one link arms... Get Behind your Twins and let's collectively wish this thing to fruition. Here are some things to think about: 1. Cleveland -- I've done so many of these game thread openers that I'm running out of things to think about when it comes to Cleveland. I'm gonna have to think about Cleveland one more time. It's easy to make fun of Cleveland but this location was the place where Lifesavers candy was invented. The Twins are gonna need one of those lifesavers to get really hot and roll us onward. BTW... if anyone ever falls overboard, the candy doesn't really work. I tried it once... The guy who was drowning was getting pissed because I was plugging him in the face with lifesavers. 2. The Wild Card Chase -- The Twins are 1.5 games back with 7 to go. It's clearly still possible, but the Twins are gonna have to kick it in gear and the Astros will have to drop some games to the Mariners and D-Backs while the Angels can't get hot against the A's and Rangers. I still say 7-0 gets us in. 3. Kluber vs Hughes -- The Twins are gonna have to hit one of the best in the league in Mr. Kluber and Hughes is gonna have to put together another decent start to keep up. It's been done before... fairly recently, actually. It can happen again. (NOTE: After the writing and posting of this Game Thread start we learned that Phil Hughes is out with the flu.) 4. Buxton Home Run #1 -- I was sitting at Comerica on a nice Sunday afternoon when Byron Buxton clubbed his first career home run. It took me about 2 seconds to realize that I just saw the first from a future hall of famer. Eighty years from now when I'm the oldest person on earth and the TV crews come around to ask about my life... I'll be able to say that I was there for Byron Buxton's first home run. I won't remember who I am... but I'll remember that I was there for his first. 5.Headaches -- My niece has a couple of young children who are constantly in motion and it's Mommy this and Mommy that. One day all this was causing a terrible headache. She went to get some pain reliever and on the bottle it says, "Keep Away From Children." --------------------- Game-time forecast: 75 deg F, mostly cloudy with a 15% chance of rain ... and that 15% keeps going up throughout the game, winds from the SSE at 9mph. Lineups: TWINS Dozier 2B Hicks CF Mauer 1B Sano DH Plouffe 3B Rosario LF Hunter RF Hermann C Escobar SS Milone P (Hughes is out with the flu) INDIANS Kipnis 2B Lindor SS Brantley LF Santana 1B Raburn RF Gomes C Johnson DH Almonte CF Aviles 3B Kluber P Go Twins! Plaaaaaaaay baaaaaallll! View full article

It's rather obvious to look at the bullpen as a culprit last night. The Bullpen was clearly a culprit last night but I do want to point out that the Twins managed only two hits and the Tigers were terrible in the field. It's a team game and that was a team loss. That game was there for the taking.

In an overall sense... I trust Perkins. In a right now sense... I don't. He's hurt... tired or just plain slumping. He made some good pitches last night but he left a few too many where damage could be done and it was. However... Our pen isn't overflowing with options right now or this year to be honest. So I don't have an overall solution. I think the issue goes back to late July. We needed more than Jepsen and Perkins not pitching well puts an exclamation point on that. Holland fell apart for the Royals and they have the bullpen to just shove him aside for a moment. Not saying it's reasonable to expect the Royals pen... just saying that we needed more improvement with the playoffs a possibility and we should have been preparing better for injury or an extreme case of the struggles in the final months.

This would be a good game to let Shane Robinson pitch in

Hicks has speed... It took a nice throw to get the out. It's the 1st inning... I'd have went for it. Hicks need to slide flatter... Get Low and reach for the plate. The Swipe would have missed him if he did. And... your uniform gets dirty and produces more hits later in the game since it's a known fact that dirty uniforms lead to base hits.

The Line Out Struck Gibson and rolled behind the mound. He picked it up and threw to first because it was the only chance at an out.

Hicks is here to stay Let me repeat that Hicks is here to stay

He also looks tall and under nourished.

Dick: Welcome Back... it's the 4th Inning. Twins with a commanding 7-0 lead. Bert: Duffey showing good command and good downward plane. Dick: We are joined by VodkaDave from Twins Daily... How are you this evening VodkaDave? Vodkadave: &%$# Bert: That's my line.