JB_Iowa

I need a good INSTRUMENTAL version of "Keep the Home Fires Burning". Doesn't have to be free but I don't want any vocals. Driving me crazy. Oh, the WW1 song.

Strike early and often boys - wear him down!!

There's a premium for working quickly today, boys!

Oh, and as much as our morning was glorious, we now have a gentle rain. Hopefully we'll keep it here and the TC can stay dry and let them get the game in. Edit: Not so gentle. Lots pf big gusts but not much thunder or lightning. Now typing with a shivering dog on my lap.

I did get it -- just didn't read it until you asked. Thought I read it but must have confused myself. Thanks very much, though. Those will be very helpful. I had ended up stumbling on baseball press. After I got the Rays line-up from there, I thought I'd use the Twins line-up, too so they would be in the same format. I'm just used to seeing both line-ups on Twitter but the beat writers seem to be letting us down on the Rays. Anyway, thanks again. I've bookmarked those links.

BTW, I first started by copying Rhett Bollinger's version of the line-up. We would have had 2 LF today with no one in RF!!!

Happy Sunday, Twins Fans! The Twins have a chance for a sweep today. Will they get to play??? Weather forecast is for strong storms this afternoon. If the weather channel is correct, they won’t start up until about 2 p.m. and will be spotty. I just looked at the KARE 11 radar and the whole area of the state west of the TC looks pretty green and yellow to me but it seems like the majority of it may move north of the metro area. Predicted high of 76, 60% chance of rain and winds gusting to around 14. It is a glorious morning in northwest Iowa. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, very little wind, and we’ve had some rain. Perfect day for the graduation ceremonies and parties scheduled for this afternoon. This will probably be the weather in the TC for tomorrow’s off-day. With yesterday’s win, the Twins have won 6 out of 12 series. The good news? They have not been swept in any series since the first week against Detroit. I like the resiliency of this team. From now until September, the Twins will be seeing their Central Division cohorts much less frequently: one more series against the White Sox in May; series against the Royals and White Sox in June; series against the Royals and Tigers in July; and a series against the Indians in August. Then September will be full of division opponents. They’ll see quite a bit of the NL Central in June; a real mixture in July; and a lot of AL East teams and a bit of the AL West in August. Until now, the AL Central has appeared to be the strongest division in the league. Will that still be true this summer?? I hope that in September, it still matters to us that the Twins will be seeing division opponents. Kyle Gibson gets the ball for the Twins today and it appears that he will be pitching to Chris Herrmann instead of Kurt Suzuki who is getting an off-day. Gibson’s last start was Tuesday in Detroit and was a strong one. Kyle went 7 innings, scattering 5 hits and giving up only 1 run. Unfortunately the Twins gave him no run support and went on to lose 2-1. As with Trevor May yesterday, I expect Molitor to try to get Gibson to go deeper into the game. Chris Archer (age 26, RHP) will be going for the Rays. He went 7 innings against the Yankees on Tuesday, striking out 8 and allowing only 2 runs but did not get a decision. This should be an interesting match-up between 2 pitchers who seem to be “on their game”. According to mlb.com, “Archer tiptoed out of danger early in his last start “ -- may the Twins strike early and often!!! Enjoy the game today, everyone. And we’ll hope that the fans at TF don’t look like this: Rays Line-up: 1. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF 2. Logan Forsythe ® DH 3. Evan Longoria ® 3B 4. James Loney (L) 1B 5. Brandon Guyer ® RF 6. David DeJesus (L) LF 7. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS 8. Nick Franklin (S) 2B 9. Bobby Wilson ® C RHP: Chris Archer Twins Line-up: 1. Brian Dozier ® 2B 2. Torii Hunter ® DH 3. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 4. Trevor Plouffe ® 3B 5. Eduardo Escobar (S) LF 6. Chris Herrmann (L) C 7. Eddie Rosario (L) RF 8. Aaron Hicks (S) CF 9. Danny Santana (S) SS RHP: Kyle Gibson PS: I just saw that today is the 4th anniversary of Harmon Killebrew's death. May he rest in peace and may the Twins win today in his honor.

Patrick Saunders ‏@psaundersdp · 34m34 minutes ago #Rockies put Justin Morneau on 7-day DL with neck strain and concussion symptoms. 7-day because of concussion protocol D*MN, I was hoping this was all behind him.

LOL, you have to choose wisely. Glad I left cleaning until tomorrow - hope to need my broom then.

3 game thread openers so far this year ... 3 wins!!! Go Twins!

GLEN PERKINS - DRAMA QUEEN

Perk starting on his next 100.

Dozier is my "pick the stick" all weekend. Thanks for the points, Brian Birthday Boy.

I like that it is a "team" -- never know who the Hero will be.

And a strikeout to go with them!!

I think many saw this as a questionable extension thinking only about baseball but a NECESSARY extension when thinking about a home-grown baseball player. Although a year before Mauer would hit free agency, the extension was agreed upon less than a month before the opening of TF. Mauer had the Twins between a rock and a very hard public relations place. They simply couldn't let contract extension talk overshadow the opening of TF. They were under no such constraints when they let Hunter leave.

Thanks for the TB lineup, ChiTown.

According to Trevor May, emptying your mind is a good thing. I hope his mind was totally vacant before he started his game prep.

Seriously, can anyone post a link to the TB line-up???? I'll be happy to fill it in but it appears that Kevin Cash may be really slow.

Told you my mind was empty today!!

Woke up this morning and my mind was empty except for enjoying the “rhythm of the falling rain” (we’ve really needed it and I love hearing the rain fall). Then I remembered that I promised to do the game thread intro and ….. my mind was still empty. According to The Weather Channel (a semi-reliable source), the TC will enjoy a high of 79 degrees today with a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I trust that they will hold off until after the game. Tomorrow looks a little more iffy. It was great to see the Twins get back in the “Win Column” last night. One of the most enjoyable things about this team is that after the first week was out of the way, they have managed not to lose more than 2 games in a row. I was also happy that Brian Dozier got me some points in a little “Pick the Stick” contest we do elsewhere. I’m still obsessing about Memorial Day ['http://twinsdaily.com/topic/18081-memorial-day-may-25/]. If you have an interest, please volunteer near you or if you can’t do that, find a way to attend an observance near you. You will find it heartwarming. I’m working on updating a slide show of photos of Veterans buried in our cemetery or living in our area or who are currently serving. Every year, I am struck by how many WW2 vets we are losing and now Korean-war era vets are rapidly joining their ranks. Then later that day, enjoy a baseball game – our national pastime brings us together over the span of generations. Twins host the Red Sox in the afternoon. Just saw Robinson is activated from the family emergency list and they’ve put Schafer’s right knee on the DL (the rest of his body is probably accompanying his knee). That’s it – I told you my mind was empty. Have a happy Saturday and a happy Jack Morris birthday (thanks for the heads up tweet, Corey Provus). Here are the line-ups: Kiermaier CF Souza RF Longoria 3B Loney DH Forsythe 1B DeJesus LF Cabrera SS Beckham 2B Rivera C SP: Right-hander Alex Colome, a 6’2” right-hander from the Dominican Republic. The 26-year-old had a rough outing against the Yankees on Monday, giving up 8 runs in 6 innings. For your Minnesota Twins (okay, the Pohlads’ Minnesota Twins): Dozier 2B Hunter RF Mauer 1B Plouffe 3B Suzuki C Escobar SS Rosario LF Hicks CF Santana DH SP: RHP Trevor May lasted just 4 innings in his start against Cleveland on Sunday, allowing 6 runs in the loss. Okay, I have to apologize for posting this so late. I was waiting to find the Rays' line-up and got to working on editing my slideshow and time got away. Sorry for putting it up so late.

Robinson is back off the family emergency leave list. Schafer to the DL (right knee).

While not the deciding factor, I thought Hunter unwanted to go someplace with natural turf. Would he still be playing if he had spent 2 or 3 more seasons on the outfield iron at the Dome?