Game Thread, Twins vs. Red Sox, 5/26 @ 7:10pm CT There is a division beyond that which is known to the midwest. It is a division as vast as money and as timeless as headlines. There is no middle ground between pennants and curses, between a pesky homer and a foul ball, and a 9 inning game can last more than 4 hours. This is the division of publicity. It is an area which we call... The Eastern Time Zone. And thence hail our opponents of this evening: The Boston Redsox. (Apologies to the Twilight Zone writers while i'm thinking of it...) While Twins have been losing 90 games a season, Boston has alternated winning and losing 90 games a season, and has thrown a world series victory in there, which pays for all. High payroll, high expectations, and at least perceived heavy competition all probably contribute to great fluctuation. Kudos to all who ride that roller coaster. Playing in an historic ballpark with the few seats and high prices, everything counts. Minnesota's is on the rise, and playing some good ball as a team. Boston, like much of the east, is hovering round 500 ball, presently a shade under. Clay Buchholz is pretty good, but like Hughes in NY, i don't think he's always kept up with the hype. Recently, he's had 3 quality starts. Pelfrey is doin' pretty good too. He got dinged by Detroit in that blow out, but did fine 'gainst Pittsburgh, so we'll see. Yeah, it should be a fun game if'n that there weather will only cooperate! Game time Forecast: 65°F • Overcast • 17% PoP Courtesy of baseballpress.com which got it from Forecast.io, which marks the bulk of the rain between 2pm and 6pm. And the players... Boston Red Sox send Clay Buchholz {R} to the Mound, and offer a line up of... 1. Dustin Pedroia {R} 2B 2. Mookie Betts {R} CF 3. Pablo Sandoval {S} 3B 4. Hanley Ramirez {R} LF 5. David Ortiz {L} DH 6. Mike Napoli {R} 1B 7. Xander Bogaerts {R} SS 8. Rusney Castillo {R} RF 9. Sandy Leon {S} C While Minnesota Twins counter with Mike Pelfrey {R} on the Mound, and a Wreckless* Endangerment line up (someday, maybe they'll be a murder's row, but not yet) of... 1. Brian Dozier {R} 2B 2. Torii Hunter {R} DH 3. Joe Mauer {L} 1B 4. Trevor Plouffe {R} 3B 5. Kurt Suzuki {R} C 6. Eduardo Escobar {S} LF 7. Eddie Rosario {L} RF 8. Aaron Hicks {S} CF 9. Danny Santana {S} SS Personal points (in honor of always33) I've spent more time in the Greater Boston Area than in Minnesota at this point, and as the turning point was around the time the Patriots started winning Super Bowls, i feel i owe the state of Minnesota an apology. If my family hadn't left, those would be multiple Vikings and Twins Championships instead, to accompany a Timberwolves and Wild Championship apiece, over the Decade plus... My heartfelt apologies. Glad that is off my shoulders. It still has been fun in a tongue in cheek way... Randy Moss went 18-1. Watching David Ortiz dismantle the Yankees every time he came up with the series on the line in the '04 ALCS, and then Mientkiewicz and the final out ball. I got college level friends who went out to see the post game celebrations because they'd never seen a riot before. Alas, i didn't follow, even out of mere academic curiosity. All that aside, it's not bad. I occasionally would get a bunch o' friends together to see the Twins play over the years, but not that often. Fenway ain't cheap. More accurately, i am. And the traffic is rather heavy. And these days, i'm not there as much as i'd like to be anyway. Anyway, have at it! Enjoy this here game o' ball! *-left that spelling in as artistic.