136 thoughts on “May 13, 2011: Jason Lives”

    2. I assume you also like to walk under ladders, cross in front of black cats, and cheer for the 2011 Minnesota Twins?

    2. Man, that LotRs stuff does make me feel old. That premiered the night directly after I had my first ever beer in a bar.

      1. I had no idea that Elijah Wood was so young when he did LotR. Wow. Shades of Carrie Fisher.

    3. I remember watching the Barcelona Olympics at the hospital with Mom when the little bro was born. Next weekend he's graduating HS. My sister turned 22 and got engaged yesterday. I've been feeling relatively old lately.

        1. I meant relatively in the sense I know many citizens are actually older than me and would consider someone a few weeks from being 25 to be not old whatsoever, but I do see what I did there now.

          1. To each is own.

            I was gonna try and run down why I liked Topanga, but even though I watched "Boy Meets World" every week for years I cannot for the life of me tell you one single detail about the show.

          2. I went to high school with a girl who kind of looked like Topanga. I was more a Clarissa guy myself.

            1. i'm trying to think of a crush back then, but nothing's really coming to mind, with the exception of a little bit of a thing for kelly kapowski.

      2. There was a Dugout at the fanhouse site that's now lost forever.
        In it, Barry Bonds admitted that he was a fan of Topanga as well.
        I think I was just a few years too old to ever get into the show.

    6. Speaking of feeling old, my recently engaged sister would not be born for 1.5 more years when the Twins won the 1987 World Series.

  6. I just realized that I haven't heard from Carl, the Smartest Pitcher in Baseball this season. Maybe that's why the Twins pitchers are struggling.

  7. This was directed by a guy I worked with in the service. Let's see if I can get the video here...
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqEhrKy5CLQ

      1. if you put the "v" at the end of "httpv" in the URL, you did it all by your ownself.

            1. Thanks bud. Maybe that could be another of our intermittent "columns" - posts teaching the technologically inept citizens how to use all the features here...or maybe not, the option are pretty easy to figure with a minimal amount of trial and error. I just haven't been successful at getting my videos to work.

              1. It's not all that hard once you learn the trick. Find a YouTube video you like and copy/paste the URL:

                Once you've pasted the URL here, add a v as bS noted: httpv://_______

                That should embed your video. No need to mess with the embed code from youtube or use any of the buttons above the LTE box - just text.

                If you have a URL with "&feature=player_embedded#at=14" or somesuch at the end, delete that mess. You want "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXX" where XXXX is the video ID (jqEhrKy5CLQ). Anything after the ID messes stuff up. A quick check is to delete all the stuff after the vid ID and hit enter to reload the page. If the video still shows up alright on YouTube, you're good to do.

                  1. Hmmm, I wonder if that can be fixed... Ditto with the &blahblah stuff. I'll take a look into it tonight.

                  2. That plugin is being modified all the time, so it is well supported. A note to the developers to add the shortcode functionality might be enough for them to do it.

                2. Again, thanks! sean or someone put something like this up for pictures a while back, I just don't know enough about this stuff to translate his photo posting directions into video posting.

    1. MLB has a statement from Harmon:

      It is with profound sadness that I share with you that my continued battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end. With the continued love and support of my wife, Nita, I have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease. My illness has progressed beyond my doctors' expectation of cure.

      I have spent the past decade of my life promoting hospice care and educating people on its benefits. I am very comfortable taking this next step and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides.

      I am comforted by the fact that I am surrounded by my family and friends. I thank you for the outpouring of concern, prayers and encouragement that you have shown me. I look forward to spending my final days in comfort and peace with Nita by my side.

    3. This is very sad news. I was very concerned for him when he first was diagnosed, but I had renewed optimism with his spring appearance in Ft. Myers. Now I wonder if he and his doctors felt this was inevitable and that he should go ahead and take the trip while he still could. This puts this whole disappointing start to the season for the Twins in perspective.

      Harmon is truly a class individual. From everything I've seen and heard about him, he truly epitomizes the type of classy individual the Twins have tried to bring in the organization, especially over the last 25 years. I always wished I could have been able to see him play for the Twins, but he has always been a great ambassador for the Twins and baseball in general.

      1. I never got to see Harmon play for the Twins, either. He was hurt the one game that I saw when he was with the Twins. I did, however, see him play for the Royals and I cheered for him then as if he were playing for the home team. He may have been wearing the other jersey, but he was, is, and always will be ours.

        1. I got to see him once; I may have told this tale before. It was late in his Twins career. He came to the plate in a high leverage situation and a guy sitting a row ahead of my dad, brother and me started yelling at him "Harmon, you're washed up," "You oughta retire," etc. He loudly told his companion that Killebrew would strike out.

          In retrospect, I am not sure if he was rooting for the other team. I don't think so, I think he was just one of those fans who loves to be negative about their team, perhaps as a defense mechanism. But I was shocked at the lack of "Minnesota Nice" he displayed.

          The reason I remember this so well is that, of course, Harmon slammed a homer and we all cheered. That shut the guy up.

          Thanks, Harmon, and fare thee well. True class.

            1. I didn't get to "see" many games he played, but I "saw" a LOT of games over the radio. KAUS was part of the Twins radio network in those days and I could get them on my crystal radio. Plus, of course, they were on 'CCO.

        2. I saw a couple games with Harmon playing. One of them he and Larry Hisle hit back-to-back homers; I'll have to look up what HR# that was sometime.

            1. I had that mug, too, klawitter. Same circumstances surrounding it's disappearance, as well.

              He was stuck on 499 forever, and they ended up giving them out before he had actually hit the milestone HR (off Mike Cuellar, if I'm not mistaken.)

          2. My first Twins game ever Harmon hit a home run 5 rows over my head in the left field. I am pretty sure it was this game.

            1. Hisle and Harmon HR'd back-to-back - I'm sure that was the game I was at, too, because I remember now that Splittorff was the starter! Dude, that was my first game, too!

              1. You guys probably sat together and shared your Matchbox cars with one another.

    4. As soon as I saw the word "hospice," my heart went out to his family. May his final days be peaceful and bring healing to his family before he even departs.

      Pops' favorite player always was Harmon. I'm sad for us, and happy for Pops.

        1. Indeed. My dad will probably be sad to hear this. Harmon bought him and my step-mother a drink in Reno after they got married.

  11. Just when I was beginning to think the Twins had hit rock bottom, you realize that it's just a game. Good luck and God speed Harmon.

      1. Wow, just yesterday I was thinking about polling the Citizenry about the MLB logo. So here you go: lefty with his front toward the camera, or righty with his back to us?

        I have always seen the former for some reason.

        1. I had a poster on my wall for a long time with all 30 teams' logos on it. I must have gotten it around 1997 because the D'Backs and Devil Rays were there front and center for being new.

          I remember staring at the MLB logo trying to figure out which way it was. I also recall having the conversation with Dad and he said he couldn't see both, he only saw a righty.

          1. I will go to my grave contending that it depicts Harmon. I don't care about the truth; for me, this is a Truth.

    1. Initial thought is Cleveland, but that's a snap judgment with no backup.

      Further thinking, I don't know what angle Span would be taking to get to the tall part of the wall out there in LF. He appears to be ranging towards RF.

      1. We can rule out the Metrodome, Tropicana, and Rodgers Center because this is clealry outside. Road jerseys say it's not Target Field.

        2. If Span was playing center field, then the Angel's division wins are listed at the point where the wall height increases from 2008-2009 at least. Might have changed for 2010, but I doubt it.

          If he was in right field, then there's the part where the scoreboard ends. In 2008-2009 there's an AutoTrader logo that goes right to the edge, so no. Still checking for 2010 photos.

        1. I think I'm with sean- Oakland's got a higher wall in right CF, and my spotty research didn't turn up much else besides the fact that some of the teams have really nice panoramic views of their fields on their team pages at mlb.com. If they all had those views, this would be much easier.

              1. If anyone still wants a challenge, can try to determine the game. I think the ad changed for 2010, so just need to check 2008 and 2009.

                    1. Well, it actually says the date and the batter on the back of the card! Do you really want to know yet?

                      From the back of Span's base card:

                      With 26 stolen bases in 30 tries in 2010, Span's percentage of 86.7 tied Matt Lawton (1999) for fourth-highest (min. 15 swipes) in Twins annals. Of course, Lawton wasn't picked off 30 bazillion times.

                      I added that last line, 'cause it looked like it must have been cut off.

                    1. Outs to CF Aug 31, 2008 (Span moves to RF in the bottom 6th for Gomez after PR appearance)

                      b4 OAK K. Suzuki S. Baker Lineout: CF (Deep LF-CF)
                      b5 OAK R. Sweeney S. Baker Flyball: CF (LF-CF)

                      Outs to CF July 22, 2009

                      b2 OAK S. Hairston K. Mulvey Flyball: CF (Deep LF-CF)
                      b3 OAK J. Cust R. Dickey Flyball: CF (Deep CF-RF)
                      b3 OAK L. Powell R. Dickey Flyball: CF (Short CF-RF)

                      Suzuki in 2008 or Hairston in 2009 seem to be best for further investigation.

                    2. First game I looked at, July 21st, it shows Jerry Hairston flying out to deep center twice(!!) in the third and sixth innings.

                    7. b3 OAK J. Cust R. Dickey Flyball: CF (Deep CF-RF)

                      This one still looks like a contender

                    8. From the back of the Wall Climbers card (caution, bullsh!t alert!):

                      The pitcher's shoulders slumped when Jack Cust made contact on July 22, 2010. As the ball soared toward the stands in right-center, Span refused to give up. He ran it down, stutter-stepped to avoid overrunning it, jumped and pulled the shot back into the park.

                      Twins were playing Baltimore on that date in 2010. Topps fials again.

                      Excellent investigation, guys.

                    9. That's at least the 2nd baseball card error we've uncovered. I seriously think we need to form some sort of consultancy firm and hire ourselves out to card companies.

                    10. Like they'd care, even if we did it for free. And by "card companies", you mean Topps, because it's a exclusive deal monopoly now, remember?

        1. The angle he's running at, the way his glove is turned and the way he's watching the ball, it seems to me he's running to his left. It's not a wall in foul territory, is it?

          1. They really used the (edge-enhance?) image effects on the GQ set, so the uni folds look more like creases, and it really brings out little details like the chewed up padding on the walls in this photo. Muscle bulges are also enhanced in the same way uni folds are, like DSPAN's right forearm in this photo.

  15. Twenty One MLB parks have green walls: Angel Stadium, Fenway Park, Rangers Ballpark, Target Field, Comerica Park, Safeco Field, Tropicana Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Kauffman Stadium, Progressive Field, Oriole Park, Citizens Bank Park, Coors Field, Busch Stadium, AT&T Park, Great American Ballpark, Minute Maid Park, Chase Field, PNC Park and Nationals Park.

    from http://stadiumpage.blogspot.com, strikethroughs mine.

    Not a huge help, but takes 11 parks out of the running.

  16. 1. Denard Span, CF
    2. Trevor Plouffe, SS
    3. Jason Kubel, DH
    4. Justin Morneau, 1B
    5. Delmon Young,LF
    6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
    7. Danny Valencia, 3B
    8. Luke Hughes, 2B
    9. Drew Butera, C

    Best-looking Twins lineup they've put out there in some time, especially against a lefty.

    1. If we could just get that butt off the end, I'd be much happier. Still, Plouffe/Hughes in the middle? I'm pretty happy about that.

      1. Still, Plouffe/Hughes in the middle? I'm pretty happy about that.

        That's...that's...that's just so sad.

  17. No more Roni Deutch TV ads! w00t.

    the last sentence of that story is HIlarious.

    "I wish I had shut the office doors the day after the attorney general sued me," Deutch said. "There is a receiver running my law firm right now. When a receiver takes over your business, the writing's on the wall."

    Uh, no. The writing on the wall is old and about to be painted over.

  18. Most of you kids prolly had no idea where the red, white and blue basketball originated. You weren't even born yet. I, on the other hand, scored a perfect 12 on this quiz. (I guessed on one, and was damn certain on the rest.)

    I await bS's test score.

    1. For those of you want to learn a little more about the American Basketball Association, this is an awesome source of information. (And this is a really great picture of a young George Karl...)

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