82 thoughts on “September 7, 2011: Depression”

          1. I'll be pulling for the US, but they don't really have much of a chance. For me, I want Paul Emerick (an Iowa boy) and Scott LaValla (I played with him at Trinity*) to do well for the Eagles.

            *When I say "played with", he was on the first XV, captained Trinity, and now plays professionally in France. I was on the 3rd and 4th team. Technically we were on the same team, but we have only one or two interactions.

  2. Who said it?

    My body was going through some pain and I was fighting it, pushing it, wanted to be in the lineup. I wanted my players to see me in the lineup, but I think it hurt the team and myself, actually.

    You know who said it, don't you.

        2. Even the ii sympathizers out there might have to draw the line with that quote.

          1. Funny how the Top Jimmy article about Torii's playing hurt from the other day failed to include the sentiment about hurting the team. Maybe he didn't say that to Jim "Mauer is Soft" Souhan.

              2. The whole Mauer is a p#ssy meme has really crystallized how different the sports page is from actual news reporting (such as even that is these days). I think the beat writers' comments (Mauer mafia!) on twitter in particular have been TERRIBLY unprofessional.

                  1. Right. But twitter gives them an outlet to be catty that wouldn't have gotten past an editor before. Same for straight news reporting, but they at least seem to feel obligated to play it straighter which probably leads to more self-editing.

    1. It's a good article, but I do think it should be pointed out that the run at the playoffs was something of a fluke. The team finished 72-70, and had the seventh-best record in the league.

  4. Cuddyer shares his Sept. 11 story.

    Then came the news Brad Thomas was willing to share. Brad is from Australia, and the best way to get to Australia is through Los Angeles. When guys are in the minor leagues, they need to make travel arrangements prior to the end of the season in order to get the best prices. So we all had booked flights home before the playoffs began, and Brad was no different.

    We knew that we were in the playoffs, but had we lost in the first round, the season would have been over Sept. 9. Brad had booked his flight for Sept. 11. He was not the only one who booked a flight that day, but he was the only one who was booked on the flight that took a detour off of its route from Boston to LA, right into the World Trade Center.

    Cuddyer hit a two-out walk-off HR in Game 2 of their first playoff series with the team trailing by a run and two outs in the ninth and the team had already lost Game 1. If the Rock Cats had lost that playoff series, Thomas would have most likely been on that flight.

      2. JoeC says "Cuddyer can flat-out write." Souhan should be meaner to him, lest Cuddy take his job upon retirement from playing ball.
        (I've got the article in my cue, haven't read it yet.)

      1. I loved that record when it came out and then kind of forgot about it. I then saw a used copy for 2 bucks at Unique Thrift about a year ago. It has been getting heavy rotation since then. Actually, there are so many cool bands that slipped through the cracks in the pre-internet days that deserve to be rediscovered.

        1. Ah, the Unique. Is there anything you don't sell? My dad stumbled across that thrift store years and years ago, and quickly became his favorite place to shop.

        1. Alright, I listened to the other two I could find (I'm not spotting Rhu_Ru's compilation anywhere yet). The Emmylou Harris record was great fun, and not a disc I ever would have sought out on my own. I love bluegrass, but it's such a small portion of the country pie I really don't know where to look. Let it Beard was good, but I think it could have been edited down by about 8-10 songs and would have been a much higher quality album front to back. Those guys are ridiculously prolific, aren't they?

          1. I think it could have been edited down by about 8-10 songs and would have been a much higher quality album front to back

            Well of course you could make that case on just about any double album. I think I would cut maybe 4 songs and make it super tight.

        1. Reusse estimated $37.6M coming off the books for next season and estimated the Twins will spend the $30M. Of course, that includes raises in arbitration. I can't see the Twins justifying a large cut in payroll. Attendance this year is down less than 1 percent.

          1. This year's attendance does not fund next year. Attendance will surely drop more than 1 percent for next year.

              1. Especially if they do a good job of spinning this season as all because of injuries. Hopefully, the front office doesn't believe that to be true, but it would be a good way to present this season to the general public.

            2. I doubt attendance drops much. If it does, it will be the $15 seats so ticket revenue still won't drop by much. In fact, ticket prices will probably increase by enough that they'll break even on ticket revenue.

    1. terrible indeed. among the victims was pavol demitra:

      Russostrib Michael Russo On phone with Agent Matt Keator, confirms Pavol Demitra has died: "People were drawn to Demo. He was a great friend and great teammate."

    4. Stan, my best friend, grew up in the USSR. His (ethnic Armenian) family left Azerbaijan after it broke from the Union, moved to Moscow, and ultimately left Russia as refugees in the early/mid Nineties, settling in Bismark. I met him in the Marines. Stan's dad is a mechanical engineer specializing in aeronautical componentry, and has worked for a number of aerospace companies here in the States.

      Well, Stan just graduated from Washington with an electrical engineering degree this summer, and to celebrate decided to visit his remaining family in Russia. When Stan was booking his flights, his dad told him not to book any with Russian airlines, or any other airlines flying Russian aircraft.

    1. I always wonder what his future would have held. At the time of his death he was years ahead of his contemporaries.

    2. There was a great tribute album about a month ago... and now another one this week, which I am only one song into.

      1. I've heard a few tracks1 from the one that came out in July, but only the Brian Wilson cover from the new one. It sounded pretty great, though.

        1 The My Morning Jacket cover of "True Love Ways" and Graham Nash's cover of "Raining in My Heart" are really great.

        1. Crap, sorry dude. And I just found it today. When your LTE was up, I was all "That's quite the coincidence, I should get that Tweedy video"

          1. heh, no worries. i keep a large list of options in case i don't have a particular idea on a given day. not sure if it ever would've been unearthed anyway.

  11. Tonight is my last Twins game of the season. I picked this game because back in February I thought it would one those "put a dagger in the White Sox and twist" games. No comment on how prescient that line of thinking was.

    I am pretty sure I'm not doing season tix next year, and the team's outlook is only a small part of that decision. It is expensive to go to games, even in my cheap seats, especially when I bring the whole family and with one kid in college, things gotta drop. But we are also planning to go some games next year, probably on a game day decision, getting tix off of stubhub. Given that tickets for today's game are going for $18 lower deck behind home plate. I have a feeling I'll be able to get decent seats for a nice price.

    Still tonight promises to be a wonderful evening to watch a MLB game and we are going to The Depot for a monster burger and Surleys before the game. Heck who knows I might even spring for a few Summits inside. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

  12. a buddy just sent me this link: Is WAR the new RBI?

    building a lineup without a slugger (or two) is like building a mall with seven Sunglass Huts and no department stores

    can we start calling the T_ins the "Sunglass Huts"?

  13. Tonight is my last Twins game of the season. Back in February I picked this game because I thought it would be one of those "stick a dagger in the White Sox and twist" games. No comment how prescient that line of thinking was.

    I am pretty sure I'm not getting season tickets next year, and it only has a little bit to do with the on-field performance. Going to games is expensive, even in my cheap seats, especially when going with the entire family. With one kid in college, you gotta drop some stuff. We are still planning to go to some games next year, but it will be a game day decision. And considering that you can get lower level behind home plate tix for $15 right now on Stub Hub, I think we'll be able to see some games next year at a decent price.

    Still tonight promises to be a perfect night to watch a MLB game outdoors. We are going to The Depot to have a monster burger and some Surley's and who knows maybe I'll spring for a couple of $6.50 Summits inside. So it will be fun, bittersweet too.

    1. I bought tickets for myself and a group a friends for the thursday before the bison/gopher game. I bought them early thinking it was the only way to get tickets without doing SRO. Oops.

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