spinowner

Agree but don't like.

Let's go for the first inning home run cycle. 10-0.

Just jumping in. Missed the Dozier because I was upstairs changing out of my work clothes. Missed the Rosario because my wife accidentally hit the power button on the remote. None of that changed my enjoyment of this inning. And it AIN'T OVER YET!

My opinion: I do not think teams should be allowed to change their rosters between the WC game and game 1 of the LDS.

Hey, I can imaginate words, too.

"What's another word for Thesaurus?" -Steven Wright

Home.

Edited for accuracy.

Molitor let Colon pitch to one batter so he could get the ovation.

Big Squishy coming out for 7!

Let's get Big Squishy a W in his last major league game!

The tarp is being removed! The sky is brightening! It's a beautiful day for a ballgame!

Now this is a post just begging to be deleted

Minnesota's lineup and batting order: 1. Brian Dozier ® 2B 2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS 4. Eddie Rosario (L) LF 5. Miguel Sano ® DH 6. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B 7. Byron Buxton ® CF 8. Jason Castro (L) C 9. Robbie Grossman (S) RF Nothing yet posted for Detroit. I'll be leaving for the hoped-for game soon; anyone who wishes to post the info for Detroit is gratefully encouraged to do so.

That's OK, we'll let it stand as a testament to the fragile nature of self-perceived high-and-mightiness.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That's what I get for revising my copy about ten times; it's almost inevitable that one of the revisions will miss something. And of course the worst thing is that I now have lost my position of superior authority in editing ChiTown's posts. Oh, the shame!

In today's Strib LEN III predicts Molitor will be AL MOY.

All right! For the first time since 2010, the last game of the season is not the last game of the year. Here we are, it’s October 1, and we are hoping to get a baseball game in today at Target Field. One or more rain delays would not be surprising but we only need 4.5 innings for an official game if all goes well. I suspect a complete game will be played. A note about the unusual start time: on the last day of the season all games start at the same time. This is done for two reasons. One, to minimize the chances that the outcome of one game would affect the play of another game in the event of postseason matchups not being set. Two, to minimize any disadvantage in travel that might occur in case playoff games are required on the following day. As usual, I’ve decided to open the last regular season game thread with the time-honored 5-item post. My original plan was to highlight 5 significant events of the 2017 season, but at the last minute I decided to highlight 5 emerging players instead. In no particular order: 1. Jose Berrios. After looking overmatched during his time in the majors last year his performance improved markedly in 2017. He hasn’t been consistent yet but there’s every reason to believe he will continue to improve and many believe he could become the ace we want at the top of the rotation. 2. Jorge Polanco. Many observers were skeptical of his being penciled in as the primary shortstop in spring training, and as the season progressed into June and July it looked like the skeptics’ skepticism was valid. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he became one of the best hitters on the team. While he may be better suited for second base and could very well end up there at some point in the future his fielding has not been a liability. 3. Miguel Sano. I include him as an emerging player because of his improvement as a fielder. He’s not a gold-glove caliber third baseman (yet?) but it seems apparent to me that getting regular playing time at that position has allowed him to improve his glovework. He has shown good ability to charge the ball and throw on the run. And then there was this: https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/must-c-twins-sparkle-on-defense/c-1733089183?tid=47078038 This leads into: 4. Byron Buxton. This is kind of the inverse of what I wrote about Sano. He is probably the best defensive outfielder in the game, but where he made big strides this year is in his offensive game, and from what I have read and heard it’s due in part to a smaller stride in the batter’s box. The overall steady offensive output is not there yet, but there’s every reason to believe he will continue to improve and there’s always a place for a premium defender in center field. 5. Eddie Rosario. His plate discipline has improved significantly during the course of the season, and its spite of the occasional confounding plays experience is teaching him to harness what I think may be the best baseball instincts on the team. Everyone who saw this play remembers it, and I think it illustrates what I mean. https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/rosario-causes-drake-to-balk/c-1700410183 First, he took advantage of Craig Counsell’s mistake in over-shifting the third baseman by getting a huge lead, forcing the pitcher to watch him closely. Second, he made sure the pitcher had engaged the rubber, and, third, he made sure Castro was in the batter’s box. As soon as Castro stepped in he made his sudden move and he timed it perfectly. Had he waited for the pitcher to stretch and set the pitcher would have been less likely to flinch but he did it before the pitcher had settled in. It was my favorite play of the year and it ranks up there with the best plays that his manager ever made. I’m sure there will be many deeper analyses written and posted on this excellent web site during the upcoming months and I look forward to reading them. I haven’t been this optimistic about the next five years or so of Twins baseball since about 2001. So let’s enjoy today’s game or fraction thereof and then it’s on to New York for the postseason! Weather: A chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. High in the mid-60’s. Southeast winds (blowing from right field to left field) 10-15 mph with gusts up to 30. Starting pitchers: Detroit: Anibal Sanchez ®, 3-6, 6.46 Twins: Bartolo Colon ®, 6-14, 6.72 Lineups and batting orders: Not available yet.

According to a woman I work with he is Hot Dog Mark.

Dick likes plain hot dogs. Why am I not surprised?

Triple like!

If they don't now I would not be surprised if Falvey drafts one to cover all organizational procedures and philosophies.

You may have to include the words "Minnesota Twins".

Google September 22, 1968.

Dick says that Romine is going to play all 9 positions tonight. He will have to do 2 in one inning if the Twins are leading in the bottom of the 8th. Edit: Now I see Craig's post. Department of redundancy department.