Monthly Archives: May 2011

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 2

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Eddie Collins (1887)
Bing Crosby (1904)
Joe Falls (1928)
Eddie Bressoud (1932)
Gates Brown (1939)
Clay Carroll (1941)
Keith Moreland (1954)
Dr. A (1956)
Felix Jose (1965)
Paul Emmel (1968)

Entertainer Bing Crosby was part-owner and a vice president of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1947 into the 1960s.

It appears that no players with connections to the Minnesota Twins were born on this day.  However, it is the birthday of my brother, who is the head of the Mining and Minerals Department at Virginia Tech.  Happy Birthday, Dr. A!

Cup of Coffee

May 2, 2011: Closure

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Osama bin Laden is dead. We don't have to go into the forbidden zone here, but I think we can all agree that it's not nothing.

I don't believe this will cause any philosophical change, but a man who danced on the graves of my countrymen after putting them in said graves is gone.

That's all I've got to say about that.

Minnesota Twins, MLB

2011 vs. 2010 Thought Experiment

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So far this season, the Twins have played 3 games at Toronto, 3 games at NY, three vs Oakland, two vs KC, four at TB, four at Baltimore, two vs Clelveland, three vs TB, and three at KC. So 17 away games and 10 home games.

As a thought experiment, let's consider how the Twins did in those games last year. For situations where the Twins played more of that type of game, I will use the results of the 2010 games that were played first in chronological order.

@TOR, W 1-0
@TOR, L 1-1
@TOR, W 2-1
@NY, L 2-2
@NY, L 2-3
@NY, W 3-3
OAK, W 4-3
OAK, W 5-3
OAK, W 6-3
KC, W 7-3
KC, W 8-3
@TB, L 8-4
@TB, L 8-5
@TB, W 9-5
@TB, W 10-5
@BAL, W 11-5
@BAL, L 11-6
@BAL, W 12-6
@BAL, W 13-6
CLE, W 14-6
CLE, W 15-6
TB, L 15-7
TB, W 16-7
TB, L 16-8
@KC, W 17-8
@KC, W 18-8
@KC, L 18-9

Huh, here I thought with 16 of 27 games against the AL East and 17 of 27 games away, that looking back at last season the Twins would have been somewhere around .500 in that group of games, but it turns out they did great in those matchups last year.

More than anything, at this point I worry that the Twins don't have much depth and that seems to have hurt them so far this year as much as anything. It's possible they'll get healthier, but as they see some players come back to the lineup, they'll likely see others hit the DL.

The schedule isn't doing them any favors for a while, either. 40 of their first 61 games are on the road. These are the times which try fans' souls.

2011 Twins Game Recaps

Game #Whatever: Royals a lot, Twins blah blah

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Twins record: bad

I don't really know what to say about this. The Twins are just a very bad team right now. I don't think I'm going to do Players of the Week this time, either.

Let's talk about food instead. What's everyone eating this weekend? I think I'm going to have some chili tonight. What are everyone's thoughts on chili? Best kind of meat to use, and best way to cut that meat up? Lots of chunky tomatoes, or just a rich broth? Beans or no beans (and what kinds)? What's your optimal combination of seasonings to use? Should it be really spicy, or really really spicy? Am I forgetting some crucial aspect of chili for which I should be harshly disciplined? Let's talk about that.

2011 Twins Game Logs, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 27: Twins at Royals

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WARNING:

Watch this game at your own risk. The writer of this game log assumes no risk or responsibility to what may happen to you if you do watch this game. Watching Twins baseball in 2011 has been known to cause shortness of temper, stomach pain, nausea, violent fits of rage, depression, deep despair, uncontrollable weeping, extreme cravings for alcohol, convulsive arm muscle spasms, flying remotes, cracked television screens, uncontrollable shouting of expletives, incontinence and impotence. Some fans have even begun to believe that Bert Blyleven and Dan Gladden know what they are talking about.

Remember, you have been warned.

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of 4/30

Syracuse 3, Rochester 0 in Syracuse.  The Chiefs scored in the third, fourth, and fifth.  The Red Wings had three singles and drew two walks.  Jeff Manship allowed two runs on six hits in four innings, walking none and striking out five.  Eric Hacker and Carlos Gutierrez each struck out three in two innings of relief, with Hacker allowing an unearned run.

New Britain 5, Harrisburg 2 in New Britain.  The Rock Cats scored three in the second and two in the seventh.  Yangervis Solarte had a double and two singles.  Steve Singleton had two doubles.  Evan Bigley had two hits.  Liam Hendriks struck out nine in 7.1 innings, giving up just one run on four hits and two walks.  Cole DeVries retired the only man he faced for the save.

Charlotte 5, Ft. Myers 4 in Charlotte.  The Miracle blew a 4-0 lead, with the Stone Crabs scoring four in the bottom of the ninth to take the win.  Charlotte had only three hits in the ninth, receiving two walks and benefitting from a Ft. Myers error.  Nick Romero doubled and tripled, Brian Dozier had two doubles, and Jon Goncalves doubled and singled.  Edgar Ibarra allowed just one run on six hits, walking none in seven innings.  Bruce Pugh pitched the ninth and took the loss.

Peoria 13, Beloit 8 in Beloit (10 innings).  The Chiefs scored five in the tenth to win a slugfest.  Smaily Borges hit two home runs for Peoria.  Daniel Ortiz had two solo homers and a single.  Michael Gonzales hit two solo homers.  Oswaldo Arcia doubled and homered, driving in three.  Josmil Pinto hit a solo homer.  Andrei Lobanov surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk in 4.2 innings.  Blayne Weller worked 2.1 scoreless innings.  Martire Garcia pitched the tenth and took the loss.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 1

Frank Foreman (1863)
George McQuillan (1885)
Victor Starfin (1916)
Johnny Berardino (1917)
Al Zarilla (1919)
Von Joshua (1948)
Rudy Meoli (1951)
Roy Lee Jackson (1954)
Charlie O'Brien (1960)
Jose Lind (1964)
Armando Reynoso (1966)

Born in Russia, Victor Starfin was Japanese baseball’s first 300-game winner.

Infielder Johnny Berardino played in the major leagues for eleven years and appeared in 912 games, but is best known as Dr. Steve Hardy on General Hospital, a role he played from 1963-1996.

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