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Once again congratulations to all who have followed the helter-skelter start to this campaign. The Twins have vacillated between five over (April 19) and four below (May 19) since that season opening sweep of the Orioles. We’ve talked about signing another pitcher, adding a stick, and when to bunt, but what the organization really needs to consider is acquiring a full-time mental health professional and invest in a good leather couch. The Bi-polarism exhibited by the sticks should be institutionalized. While you can dismiss the behavior to inexperience or the real world of pro hitting, I’ll diagnose it as unacceptable….medicate them please!

Santana, Bonser, Silva, and the bullpen have been good to great but are rarely, if ever bailed out when they aren’t. On a daily basis the starters and pen walk a knife edge ridge where one missed step to the left or right leads to a freefall of terminal velocity.

Like a good novel, this baseball season will have a number of chapters that all fit together as a means to the end. To date, the reading has been a little redundant, yet ironically hard to follow at the same time, but certainly captivating enough to keep turning the pages. Forest Gump’s mom often said “life is like a box of chocolates….”, great analogy but it’s not entirely true, in life there are subtle signs to what lies ahead if you know what to look for. By the way, as the world went about its business yesterday, the Twins quietly balanced the win/loss column on a beautiful, June, West Coast, week day afternoon much like they did about a year ago. To most it's just one meaningless win in a season of many, to others it’s a sign. So here we go again…………Twins 29-29, all square and ready to go on a tear.



Carlos Silva (rear) tries to lead a gaggle
of Twins pitchers to victory during his start
in Oakland earlier this season.

And awaaaaaayyyy we go.....

Gentlemen, Start your engines!

And they're off!

Tally Ho!

The last thread has arrived!

STICKY... STICKY... STICKY...

Neutron 14 wrote:And awaaaaaayyyy we go.....

Right you are Neutron and way we go.

Like that bovine flesh that was cooking on the Weber up wind last night, I smell the arrival of inter league play. Get ready for a June of pillaging that archaic league where those pansy pitchers are still asked to swing a bat.

June Tour of Destruction

Washington DC, June 8-10
Atlanta, GA, June 12-14
Milwaukee, WI, June 15-17
New York, NY, June 18-20
Miami, FL, June 22-24

Bunch of firsts yesterday, Sloweys win, Pinto & Bartletts first homers of the year, and unfortunately an error by Castillo. I guess hitting the Boofin ball works! Interleague is here, time to get fat. Obese. Pontoon size.

First up is the gnat's. Fire up the Zapper.

Twins draft Ben Revere, CF, Lexingon Catholic (Ky.) HS 5-9 165 in the first round.

The Baseball draft is the biggest crapshoot of all drafts, but this Twins pick is beyond head scratching; a small quick player with zero power and zero potential for power. The Twins already have that in Denard Spahn and he's still years away. Most "experts" had this kid as a borderline top 100 pick yet the Twins drafted him 27th. Among the scouts comments; career .487 BA, only struck out 19 times in 433 high school at bats, 60 yd dash speed of 6.28, makes too many defensive mistakes but his speed helps him overcome them, takes bad routes to the ball, below average arm, needs to change his hitting approach to maximize his speed.

He's 18 and coachable, but he's probably not going to grow much if any, and arm strength you usually have or you don't and it sounds like he doesn't. So will the Twins try and turn him into an infielder?

2nd pick: Dan Rams C Gulliver Prep, 18, 6'2" 220 R/R

The Twins 3rd round pick: Angel Morales OF from PR: 18, 6'1", 175 R/R
Scouts comments: Morales hitting skills do not grade out well, well below average power, needs to play small ball, above average and fast defensive OF who reads the ball well off the bat.

4th pick: Reginald Williams SS Bellflower HS, 18, 6', 180 R/R
5th pick: Nathan Striz P Santa Fe Catholic HS, 18, 6'2" 210 R/R

goldy313 wrote: this Twins pick is beyond head scratching; a small quick player with zero power and zero potential for power.

He sounds like he has as all the ingredients that the Twins look for in a guy. Guys like Punto, Bartlett, Castillo, Redmond, Tyner, Rodriguez, Ford, or Cirillo make up at least 44% of the lineup on a daily basis right now.

Get this kid on the fast track, maybe he'll be ready to pound the ball off the plate or hit solid flyballs that fall 25 feet short of the track by Sept.

Irishmans Shanty wrote:

goldy313 wrote: this Twins pick is beyond head scratching; a small quick player with zero power and zero potential for power.

He sounds like he has as all the ingredients that the Twins look for in a guy. Guys like Punto, Bartlett, Castillo, Redmond, Tyner, Rodriguez, Ford, or Cirillo make up at least 44% of the lineup on a daily basis right now.

Get this kid on the fast track, maybe he'll be ready to pound the ball off the plate or hit solid flyballs that fall 25 feet short of the track by Sept.

Sounds like Denard Span "Lite".

At 4.2 million, Cristian Guzman is the Nats second highest paid player.

This needs to be a sweep.

Govs93 wrote: Sounds like Denard Span "Lite".

Or Willie Norwood. I always thought his last name was appropriate. Drop the "r" maybe.

Anyway, he lends me pause to start a new thread about the Twins...

Silva has been very poor through three.

boblee wrote:Silva has been very poor through three.

Ortiz hasn't been any better in relief. Twins down 8-0 after 6.

Neut 15 is texting me from the game, it takes me an inning each time to respond. Should I be embarrassed?

Redmond and Mauer both failed to extend the 8th and 9th innings to get the tying run to the plate. Had they succeeded, the big hit was coming.

Johann "bug zapper" Santana will be bring the bobber back up again tonight.

Irishmans Shanty wrote: Johann "bug zapper" Santana will be bring the bobber back up again tonight.

Santana continues to leave the change up in the zone. Gnats up 3-1 after 3.

Hey Zeus Christmas. 9 plus era dude shuts down the Twins. I'm heading to the liquor cabinet. Might be a bender.

Looks like the "bug zapper" made one mistake and fell off the mountain.

The incredible disappearing bats strike again.

Wouldn't be any fun if they could consistantly score some points now would it?

Boof needs to get better, those were five tough innings to watch.

Dmitri Young looked pretty good for a guy who is close to eating his way out of the league.

Was that the Guzman that once played for the Twins???????

They salvaged one but had they supported the "bug zapper" at all they would have taken 2 of 3 and the weekend wouldn't have seemed so bad.

For now just hanging around .500 will work because the tear is still out there.

How might Dimitri Young look as the Twins DH?

boblee wrote:How might Dimitri Young look as the Twins DH?

Even if he never had an AB for the Twins, at least he wouldn't be taking ABs against the Twins.

In that regard, he'd look a lot better in my eyes.

Irishmans Shanty wrote: the tear is still out there.

I had tears watching the first two games.

34-34 is the goal.

Its how teams want to start the season.

Nothing before that matters.



I wish I could bring myself to believe that.

I dont like this teams chances right now.

They are very inconsistent in all phases of the game.

boblee wrote:How might Dimitri Young look as the Twins DH?

Throw Sammy Sosa & Frank Thomas in the mix also...

There was a mention in the Strib yesterday that the Twins may be looking to get Ty Wigginton if they go after another bat.

Govs93 wrote:There was a mention in the Strib yesterday that the Twins may be looking to get Ty Wigginton if they go after another bat.

Sounds like another decent option. He does strike out a lot, but could be a power threat at third base.

HMMMMM. I dont know about that.

Sign a hitter?

Sounds strange to me.

Id have to think about such a concept for awhile.

Better check with ChrisK first. Ive heard that he is starting a "Bring Back Radke" campaign.