Gene Larkin Fan Club

My Twitter profile pic is of me with Mr. Oliva at Target Field from a few years back. I was just grabbing a sandwich from the Tony Oliva Cuban Sandwich stand and he happened to be standing near there. My buddy grabbed my phone and said, "you gotta ask for a picture." He happily and graciously put his arm on my shoulder and smiled his infectious for a random photo. I felt like a kid at his first ballgame. I never got to see him play, but my Dad had tons of stories. What a special person; a true legend. Couldn't be happier for his induction!

With the recent firing, I've been thinking about the commercial with the folk-style song about Doug Mientkiewicz...

Maybe you should start a new thread?

Thank you for the Hy Vandenberg reference! My Grandfather played town team ball with him and would often tell stories about how dominant he was. Reminiscing about three generations of my family bonding and talking baseball is a nice way to start the week. My grandfather and father are no longer with us, but those stories are burned into my soul! (Nice to hear you also experienced life "On the Hill".)

Alright! This is good! What's next?

C'mon, OTB! Don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant!

W's. Thanks for continuing to be a bastion of positivity, Dave!

Oh, Dave. You fill the pen with what you've got. No team's bullpen has 5 Craig Kimbrels and 2 Aroldis Chapmans. Strange to single out a guy who's been mostly effective to this point. Strange, but not unpredictable.

I don't disagree with with your point about the process. My Chicken Little comment was based mostly on the thread title and some of angry reactions on here after the first few series. (The reports of Hunter's demise were greatly exaggerated.) I appreciate that SpiritofVodkaDave and a few others have been able to acknowledge they may have been a bit too quick to judge. I also acknowledge that Hunter could get hurt (or age could catch up) and the rest of the season could be a rough go. It's marathon, not a sprint. I don't think it's valuable or accurate when people on either side of the argument speak in terms of absolutism and I'm just plain sick of people in general (not you) hide behind a veil of "that's my opinion" to say things that are inflammatory and/or ridiculous. I appreciate a well thought out argument by someone with whom I disagree. Sometimes, a good argument changes my mind. Other times it helps me to better rationalize my own opinion. Many people are too quick to rush to emotional, angry, misguided words instead falling back on logic. I think I started rambling a bit. Sorry. My frustration is less about this thread and more about many in society in general. I'll move on now.

So...anywho...seems like perhaps the Hunter signing may not bring about the apocalypse. I think we can all agree he's not great in the field, but has been very solid at the plate. And although I can't find an equation to quantify accuracy, there does seem to be a more focused energy. He's having fun and the rest of the team seems to be having fun. Winning some games certainly helps that. It's almost as if he's brought some intangible leadership qualities that have positively impacted the team...or something like that. *It's kind of fun to go back and read the first few pages. Chicken Little would be proud.

Just the first of (hopefully) many! Let the games begin!

Good morning, Sunshine!

Thanks, Thrylos! Appreciate your insight.

You must have been unbelievable guessing weight at the County Fairs. "No one gets a pencil eraser on my watch!" Guess I'll go with the opinions of people who've seen him in person, rather than your opinion from a short video clip. (Unless you cultivated your weight-guessing skills at Valleyfair, then all bets are off.)

I like that the club is being proactive and is not afraid to spend. As long as it doesn't turn into a hinderance to future flexibility, I'm all for it. The front office keeps saying they are willing to spend, so I hope that continues to be true. It would be awesome to be able to remove worrying about the Twins payroll from my to-do-list.