Squirrel

I had no hockey allegiance in Minnesota, but it's been an exciting few years for the Hawks here in Chicago. Can't help but cheer them on. I really have no idea how this will turn out, and I won't really be disappointed either way as my hockey 'fan-ness' is pretty marginal. But hey ... I'm in Chicago ... fun times.

Game 2 weather and lineups can be found here: http://twinsdaily.com/showthread.php/11262-Game-Thread-Twins-v-Dodgers-double-header-5-1-12-10pm-and-6-10-CT?p=221575&viewfull=1#post221575 Game 1: Game-time forecast for game 1: Mostly cloudy with a 70-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing out to center field at 10-15 m.p.h. Temperature near 45. Dodgers: SP, Haren Gordon 2B Puig RF Ramirez SS Gonzalez 1B Kemp DH Ethier CF Uribe 3B Olivo C Crawford LF Twins: SP, Pelfrey lineup tba Game 2's weather and lineups will be posted in-thread, at the completion of game 1 and when they are announced. I will post a link on this post when it's up so you can jump right to it ... unless you followed the game-thread throughout and then you can jump to 'View first unread post,' or whatever that click is called. --------------------------------- Brian will be by later on to give you some thoughts, when he's thought of them. --------------------------------------------------------------- 70 percent chance of rain... Well that's my primary thought right now. Things to think about: 1. Mother Nature -- She's really sticking it to the Twins right now. The team is playing .500 ball. The offense has been fantastic with surprising performances from Plouffe, Colabello, Kubel, Pinto and Suzuki. AND... AND... The Dodgers are in town. People would like to watch Puig and the Dodgers play ball... The turnstiles should be turning for this series. The weather has and will curb attendance. I won't shake my fist at Mother Nature... because she has the ability to level my house. 2. Pedro Florimon -- Jokin was wondering if I fell of the Florimon bandwagon. I didn't fall off of it... I got off of it with ease because the bandwagon was moving real slow. It was my own free will and I'm walking along the side of it now and reserve the right to climb back on. To me it's really simple... Florimon has to start making solid contact with the ball for me to get back on the bandwagon. Florimon doesn't have to be OPS'ing a certain number for me to be a supporter. But... Florimon has to at least make solid contact with the baseball... He isn't making solid contact right now. It's been a bunch of strikeouts combined with weak grounders and looping fly balls and pop ups. He's more messed up than usual and he needs to step back... relax... and just go with the pitch. I don't think he's gonna fix in live action... He's gotta to get in the cage and work through this. 3. Eduardo Escobar -- He had a great game last night at the plate. Every game... there is a possibility of a player... any player... stepping up and leading a team and it's really hard to predict who it's going to be. Who knows... it could be Chris Herrmann one of these days. Sometimes you just gotta stick a bat in their hands and see what happens. 4. Yusial Puig -- It's no secret... Puig has been a bit of a headache to Don Mattingly. It started with his extremely risky behavior on the basepaths and has cascaded into showing up late for things. It's also no secret that Puig is uniquely talented. His arm in RF is breathtaking... He has speed, power and skill coming out of his ears. As many problems as Puig has caused... I also believe that Puig was the guy who jump started a Dodgers team last year that looked like they didn't want to play the game. Puig showed up and started playing the game hard and the rest of the team started following. Yeah... Puig is a tightrope to walk for Mattingly. He'll want to reign him in just a little but at the same time give him credit for what he means to the Dodgers. I'm not sure Puig is the type of player that Gardy likes to work with. Puig reminds me of Gomez... and Gomez was let go because he was too much Gomez by the accounts that I've read. Losing Gomez still bugs me. That one hurts more than any trade the Twins have been on the losing end of. 5. Wild/Avalanche -- Why not think about the Wild this morning? They watched the Avalanche come from behind and beat them twice during the series which forced the Wild to come from behind to win the series in overtime. It was a great series that provided everything a hockey fan requires. Growing up in Northern Minnesota and living in Eastern North Dakota... I've never had to worry about an Avalanche before... Unless a plane carrying snow dropped a load over my house. We don't even have a big hill for snow to slide down. I'm glad I still don't have to worry about an Avalanche. Let those in the Mountains worry about such things. The Wild are off to take on the Blackhawks.

Okay, now I can say it ... go Hawks!

Sure, cause the damage then just run away.

You'd have had me if you weren't talking dilly bars with Bri.

I blame you.

Ugh.

Crap. All these 2-out hits, not good.

That's right, Esco, it's only a single.

Come on! Two outs ... get outta there!

Omg. That was awesome!

I wouldn't want that. I'd only want it from the at bats of Twins players.

Whether it's here or there, I'll take it anywhere, Sam I am.

I want a home run right here

Buy the kid toys that make the most obnoxious noise

Damn it, Brock, I should be able to all-caps that.

Koooooooooooooobs!!!!!!

If you aren't home by 9 forget about going home at all.

Geez, getting beat by a bunch of bazooka joes will not make me happy.

and keeerap

Damn

It already backfired. You're going. The wife gave you permission to go doesn't mean you should. The best you can do now is when you get home is go on and on about how glad it never went past high school.

I'd bask in it.

Huh? What are you talking about?

Game-time forecast: Mostly cloudy with a 60-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing out to center field at 10-15 m.p.h. Temperature near 45. Dodgers: SP, Greinke Gordon 2B Puig RF Ramirez SS Gonzalez 1B Kemp CF Ethier DH Uribe 3B Butera C Crawford LF Twins: SP, Gibson Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Plouffe 3B Colabello RF Kubel LF Pinto DH Suzuki C Fuld CF Escobar SS ----------------------------------------- This space reserved for Brian's thoughts. ------------------------------------------------------- Hostess: Reservation Riverbrian party of 1,478... your table is ready. Riverbrian your table is ready. Riverbrian: Thank You... This way gang!!! Hostess: A party this large may take a little time to get all the orders prepared Riverbrian: Umm... Well we are going to go someplace else then. Things to think about: 1. BASEBALL -- 3 days without baseball is too much for me to endure!!! I'm a baseball junkie and 3 days without baseball leaves me in a tough spot. It's an addiction that I have to my Twins. Just like a meth addict without meth for 3 days... There are serious complications that arise. I actually don't know anyone who is meth addicted but I've heard they rob pawn shops if it goes to long. Just like a coffee addict who shows up to work to find the coffee maker is broken. You snap at people who are telling you that you look nice today and fall asleep in the middle of a budget meeting and you wake up to find that they decided to cut your department's budget because there were no objections. I understand that rain is threatening the game tonight... I don't care... Play the game... I don't care if the players and fans get wet. 2. The Dodgers -- The Dodger nickname was born in Brooklyn circa 1932. It was a shortening of Trolley Dodger to describe Brooklynites who had to avoid getting running over by the Trolley to attend baseball games at a field that was surrounded by Trolley tracks. The Team eventually moved to Los Angelas after Brooklyn failed to satisfy owner Walter O' Malley's desire for a new modern stadium. It was a bold move since California was actually a part of Belize with a population of 79 people at the time of the move. LA got bigger as time went on and some would argue that it's a viable baseball market these days. 3. Big Money -- The Dodgers are loaded with big money talent and they have come to ply their trade in front of Minnesotans and it's dollar store mentality. Tonight we see an expensive pitcher by the name of Zach Greinke take the mound. An expensive SS in Hanley Ramirez and an expensive 1B in Adrian Gonzalez... Expensive CF in Matt Kemp... Expensive 3B in Juan Uribe... Puig cost some money along with an Expensive #9 hitter in Carl Crawford. In comparison... I am also rolling in money. I spent 8 dollars on lunch today. 4. Drew Butera -- Well Well Well... He's back. Despite all the money invested in the LA roster. There he is... hanging out with the big boys. It seems that LA is a little thin at the C position. With AJ Ellis on the D.L... The Mighty Dodgers are rolling with a guy named Federowicz hitting .109 and Butera hitting .190. I'm sure the folks at Dodger Daily are screaming at the front office wondering why they didn't sign Kurt Suzuki or AJ during the off season. 5. Rupert Holmes -- Escape (The Pina Colada Song) "If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain" First off... I don't like Pino Coladas... Not at all. Not interested. Second off... I don't like getting caught in the rain... I find that when I get caught in the rain... it makes me walk faster to get out of the rain. It makes my clothes wet and if I'm away from home... I have to sit in wet clothes until they dry naturally. Rain also cancels ball games... nope... not interested at all. Third off... If I was ever in a situation like the situation described in the song... If I was bored with my wife and answered a personal ad and showed up to meet someone new and it turned out to be my wife who wrote the personal ad. I'll bet you any amount of money that my wife wouldn't see the humor of the situation and somehow her role in the whole fiasco would be glossed over and somehow it would be all my fault. All I could say to counter is "Dang It... When did you start liking Pina Coladas"?