knothole61

Despite what has been a horrible second half collapse filled with pitching foibles, batting slumps, and injuries, the Twins' quest for playoff contention was still a very near thing as late as the past weekend. If our boys had managed to gird themselves for the Cleveland series as if it was their last best hope (which it was) and had managed to sweep the fallible Guardians we'd now find ourselves only one loss behind both Cleveland and the Rangers and two behind the Blue Jays for the last wild card spot. But I didn't' sense any urgency during this last series nor were the fans willing to come out in numbers to support a last ditch effort in beautiful weather. Even the manager, rather than let the now unreliable Ryan take another shot at competence, might have chosen to throw together a bullpen game instead of allowing, a struggling pitcher loose to give up a very predictable 4 runs in 4 innings. 20/20 hindsight? Maybe...and who am I to judge "urgency" in players? Well, as a Supreme Court justice famously said regarding pornography many years ago: I know it when I see it. And I could clearly see it in the opposition's dugout this past series. I don't believe that the Guardians have a much better team than the Twins and they are certainly not being paid as much, but they have that Je ne sais quoi that will likely find them in the playoffs with a chip, chair, and a chance while the Twins are golfing!

Yeah, we needed to sweep Cleveland just to keep the flame of hope flickering a bit. Such a sad last few weeks-eh? I know that the offensive production has been spotty of late, but man wouldn't it be nice to have some faith in the relief staff to keep us in games after the 6th? I now agree with Ash...stick a fork in 'em!

"...not awful but nearly needless Nance." Love it!

Are you ready for some football?

MM, I understand your thrust here, but what better way to get this potentially valuable kid some good experience than to play him for the remainder of what is now clearly a lost season? He really does look lost and kind of clunky at bat right now, and I fully expect a strike out or a grounder to first during his at bats. He could become a star or perhaps Wallner, but let's have fun watching him develop and hoping for the best. I don't think that St. Paul has much to offer him at this point, do you?

LOP, you should have linked up with Kreskin to do a county fair circuit after that amazing prediction. Have you tried moving things without touching them?

RpR: Do we love Larnach or hate Jeffers...or both?

Larnach may leave with my best wishes for his future. He's been a likable underachiever, I think. I know that I'm just speculating, but he often seems to lack passion. Keaschall clearly has it, but Larnach has been sort of happily going through the motions for at least a couple of years, in my humble opinion. But, please keep Jeffers...he's a catcher with good power at times and that's a very nice thing.

Misery loves company, and I'm enjoying these tales of Viking desperation. I fired a fork from my Super Bowl feast plate that stuck between two of the panels in our rec room after Otis Taylor rumbled about 50 yards for a TD against the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. I left it there for at least a week. Unlike some of you more rational folks I keep watching and hoping.

The Sox are rolling but that was a lackluster effort. Suddenly we are 4.5 back of the last wild card after the Guardians invoked their deal with the Devil again...man, it seems like they've played at home for about six weeks! Yep, the days are growing shorter and soon the first tinges of yellow will dot the trees. The State Fair is drawing to an end. football is in the air, and I'm hearing that voice deep inside calling out as it has for so many, many years: "Turn the page, man...it's time to turn the page." And yet, I can't. Maybe it's because I'm so aware now that the current season may be the last for me, but I think it's something else; I think it's because I like this team, especially having watched the kids struggle and grow, and because the AL is still pretty weak, and finally because it's baseball and no game is more bizarre or unpredictable. Heck, this is nothing that a 10-game winning streak won't solve.

My dad once played a perfect cribbage hand of 29 points. Google says that the odds of being dealt this hand are 1 in 216,580. I've been waiting for decades to find a place to legitimately post this in his memory. .

That was by far the best time to see him!

Sad...maybe have Clemens try a squeeze bunt in the 11th? I have a feeling that he's a decent bunter and the odds of a double play if the runner on second is sent on the pitch are very, very slim. Man, you just can't strike out in that situation...you just can't. On a positive note, ya' gotta' love Luke Baseball!

Left field then...every time I mention first base I get pummeled so I've learned to see the Emperor's clothes. Keaschall: love the kid! I could imagine Madden back in the day having him on his dirty uniform team.

Great...too bad they shut Northland down. It was a one-of-a-kind eco-college one might say. I still love to head up to Ashland and visit Chequamegon Books. Yeah that was left to Henry Schoolcraft some years later who was bold enough to claim that a little puddle was the origin of a great river. In order to make this a legitimate TD post allow me to add: Go Twins!