David HK

Good inning from the boys. If only Poof could lose the equivalent of about a 3rd-grader, he might have beat that one out. Still, a great, great play by the 21-year-old.

Sweet trip down memory lane- When I was a tyke, I wanted to be a Shondell. Didn't really know what that was, so went back to astronaut. Now I'm just spacy.

This is the team that scares me right now. Good starters, hot rookie SS, Terry Francona in the dugout... and right on our heels. Oh, yes, and how nice we have the young Mr. Kepler up with the big club, so he can take a seat next to Mr. Vargas and watch the old guys swing in futility. Yippee.

Terry Ryan is on a park bench? ;-)

Go Twinkies. Only reason I'm up right now, is sleepily watching NZ play rugby, but as long as I'm here... Get 'em boys. It's been a horrible week, but so has it been for everybody but the Angels. To still be in the hunt after this stretch of horse***t play is miraculous. Now maybe we can catch fire again, and start a run.

True, but it seems they might be better off punching people, instead of trying to hit baseballs.

Wow! Great job by the kids! I agree, for the W Mich boys, it's a really tough one, and both teams surely played their hearts out. But Hoo-rah for the Kernels! Boys, if you guys ever read these posts- you made an old ballplayer all the way over in Hong Kong happy tonite--(my time) SD: Thanks for posting this!

I'm trying to get in touch with my inner guy-who-would-have-been-ecstatic-with-a-.500-season dude from back in April. Sheesh, that took a load of hyphens. Trying to keep the perspective that we're contending a year or two early, and enjoying this surprise WC chase- but that doesn't mean I ain't living and dying at a playoff run, and cursing Molitor's bones with gusto anyway.

I wanna see a comeback here, just for the pub crawl folks.

Well, this one ain't over- although it's looking more over than it did a bit ago.

Just tuned in to mlb- just in time to see that fat, fat pitch when the screen froze. Uh-oh, I thought-- then jumps to Dickbert delivering the second-deck post-mortem. Ouch.

Aw, crap, that's even worse. Not even a Chicago beer, but a St.Louis- Belgium- Brazil multinational kind of beer. Better have a Summit, then. Better anway. Unless somebody bought them, too, now, ffs.

HEY! It's Pub Crawl Day? With you all in spirit(s)! Have a Goose Island for me! Wait a minute--- what's a Chicago beer doing having a pub in Targette Field? OK- have one of these for me!

Heh... a handful of Jim Bouton's 'greenies' would go a long way, eh?

On the other hand- Rugby World Cup is underway- USA play Samoa today. But late last night (my time), Japan shocked the world, beating South Africa in extra time! Whaaaaaa....?!?!? To put it in perspective, it's like the Gophers waltzing in to Tuscaloosa and swatting down the Crimson Tide. NO, it's bigger than that-- it's like the Gophers waltzing in to Foxboro and knocking off the Pats. Go USA!

Argh. Bloody day games start at 2AM here. Waking up to news of loss #4 in a row sucks. But not as bad as this---- (TwinsNorth- you're gonna cry, as I did) Tragedy in Hong Kong, as 'Yonge Piggies'- HK's only Canadian/Poutine joint suddenly shuttered, just as I'm heading over for a gravy-and-cheese-curds fix. Oh, the humanity!

Ya, good post, eh? To the point, for sure. It's tough today, thinking that our chances for remaining realistically in the WC hunt boil down to counting on Big Pelf to deliver. He's battled all year, for better or worse, Hope today is one of the better ones. Oh, almost forgot-- eh?

I always liked Hrbek, too, but he was just maddening in the way he didn't take care of himself in his prime. You're a young guy, making millions, playing for your home town team, of course you want to have fun and hang with your pals and blow off steam-- but a baseball career is a short one, and the long season is unforgiving. It just frustrated me, as a life-long baseball fan, who, like nearly all the others, watched these players live out the dream we used to have. Why a guy born with such God-given talent, wouldn't put the the work in during those few short years, to be the best he could possibly be- to take that talent and multiply it. In the 80s-the 00's, we saw too many guys do that wilth a needle, but plenty of them did it the old fashioned way- diet, training, taking care of the machine. I lived in the Cities then, and I'd see Hrbie around town, especially in the offseason, making that gofling photo of Joe look like an emaciated super-model. I'd always think- wow, if he just took a little care of himself during these prime years, and go wild with the chicken wings after it's all over, and you're still relatively young-- The Walter Mitty in me would get up on his hind legs, and think- if I had that talent, by gum, I'd be having a few less Grain Belts, and spend more time in the gym, hit the yoga mat, do whatever I could to make the most of it. Seeing a guy like Hrbie let himself go, even during his prime, kind of hurt. I'm not saying Joe is to that extreme, but it seems from what we've seen the past couple of years, and his comments noted above that 1) the concussion effects aren't over 2) He just doesn't seem to have a lot of stamina 3) that stupid looking beard has got to go. He just looks like a suburban dad who's trying too hard to be a suburban dude. It's been great to see him pick it up like he has lately, but I have to say the original poster made me think that a $23 million man has got to do a little more than the average guy, and not just rely on the God-given talent.

That may be a valid point, in a conspiracy-theorist sort of way. Maybe he didn't get a playoff clause in his contract, and this is his way of dissing the Pohlad's....

I concur wholeheartedly, Dr. That's right on the head. Add that Dunse-thing pitching to dangerous RHB, and you've got the trifecta.