Blake

One of those golf cart thingies might do it.

Like I said, maddening.

You know Rosario will proceed to redeem himself now that he's done something stupid, right? He always seems to, which is a little maddening.

Yeah, this is very true. It just appalls me that Molitor isn't putting the best players on the field right now.

Because Polanco, with his marginal glove, has a better bat. In theory. Meanwhile, when Escobar and Adrianza have been given their chances, they've been hitting. Yeah, I too, am wondering why Polanco is still up with this club.

With or without a bucket of extra crispy? Or was the warm up a bucket of chicken?

I don't get it.

Sexy?

9 inning shutout.

Right now, I don't get batting Granite at all.

Of course it will be entertaining. Game threads always are.

I did, for my 13th wedding anniversary.

It's a bit warm here. Hence....

You mean the one that might break glass, providing there's a tail wind?

Pitching for the Twins: Bartolo Colon Yankees: Luis Cessa Lineups: Twins: 1. Brian Dozier ® 2B 2. Zack Granite (L) CF 3. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 4. Miguel Sano ® 3B 5. Max Kepler (L) RF 6. Robbie Grossman (S) DH 7. Eddie Rosario (L) LF 8. Jorge Polanco (S) SS 9. Jason Castro (L) C Evil Empire: 1. Brett Gardner (L) CF 2. Gary Sanchez ® C 3. Aaron Judge ® RF 4. Matt Holliday ® DH 5. Didi Gregorius (L) SS 6. Clint Frazier ® LF 7. Chase Headley (S) 3B 8. Garrett Cooper ® 1B 9. Ronald Torreyes ® 2B

The other day, I was consulting my muse when my muse, who sometimes goes by the name “ChiTownTwinsFan,” sent me a message regarding my upcoming game thread. “Game thread?," I said “Did I sign up for a game thread?” Digital confirmation quickly followed. Which made me starting thinking about aging, guile and pitching, all in the form of “The Big Sexy,” AKA Bartolo Colon. We all know Mr. Colon has aged and, until recently, aged pretty well for a guy who pitches in the major leagues. But, we also know that with age, comes forgetfulness. Take this recent conversation, for instance: Catcher; “Uh, Bartolo, how many times are you going to call me out to the mound?” Bartolo: “Until we get on the same page with the signs!” Catcher: “Okay, so, which page are we on this inning? Last inning, you chewed me out for touching my arm as the indicator.” Bartolo: “Okay, so, yes, at that time the arm touch was the indicator. But, with a man on second, it's a hand to the knee followed by tapping the glove twice on the ground while turning to the right and winking at the pretty girl in the stands!” Catcher: “Which pretty girl in the stands?” Bartolo: “The one selling the hot dogs.” Catcher: “What?” Bartolo: “Speaking of which, can you get me one?” Catcher: “One what?” Bartolo: “A hot dog!” Catcher: “We're in the middle of a game talking signs and you want a hot dog!?” Bartolo: “Well, yes, I need to keep my strength up.” Catcher: “Look, let's get through the signs and I'll get you a hot dog or 12 after the game, okay?” Bartolo: “Sounds good. We'll take care of the signs right now. Speaking of now, about those hot dogs?” I admit, I look at this start, and, on paper, it appears to be a mismatch. However, I remember a guy who pitched for the Twins several years ago, and did quite well for the first half of the season or so. Who can forget Livan "Smoke Free" Hernadez? Anyway, this has been a strange season so, who knows? Either way, it will be entertaining. And, in watching the Evil Empire last night, it didn't appear that the Twins were all that impressed with the new look New Yawk is sporting, even though Aaron Judge is in the middle of a pretty good lineup. However, the game is played on the field and not on paper. So, Play Ball! Some things to think about: Lienenkugel Bach Summit Pale Ale Black H2O Oatmeal Stout Franks Amber Ale Dry Stout

True story: I was flying into MN from DFW, one Christmas break, and the pilot announced the temperature at MSP, which was 10 degrees. An audible gasp went through the entire airplane. It was hilarious. I also had the people next to me ask what the little circles of lights were on the ground. I explained those were outdoor hockey rinks. One could see people moving around on the ice by then. I'm pretty sure the guys next to me were convinced Minnesotans are crazy at that point.

YES!

A fan of Mr. Ermey, are you?

Molitor: Hit the Towels, team! A rare win against the Evil Empire deserves Prime Rib..rare!

These are not the Yankees of the past. They just don't have that Yankees swagger. It's kind of weird.

I already made the comparison. You're late. Though, I wasn't quite as pithy.

Commonly known as the "Dick and Bert method of broadcasting."

The reason I move Polance before I move Escobar or Adrianza is that Polanco is supposed to be able to hit which, in theory, makes up for his defensive shortcomings. When things started this year, Polanco was making the plays he was supposed to make and doing a decent job of hitting. Now, Polanco is doing neither. I get that players go through slumps but Escobar just seems like a very steady player. Not flashy, but will consistently make the plays. Adrianza looks like a defensive wizard who may be able to hit a bit more than people thought. I think that makes Polanco the odd man out. Granted, small sample size, Polanco versus Adrianza.

I believe I've seen, tonight, Adrianza make two plays that I'm not sure Polanco would have made. If Adrianza's bat is for real then Polanco is trade bait.