140 thoughts on “June 10, 2011: Storybook”

    1. He played hurt for much of 2010, underwent knee surgery in December, and played in nine games this April before going on the disabled list because of injuries described as "soreness and weakness," all while Rajon Rondo played with a dislocated elbow, Dirk Nowitzki won with a 100-degree temperature, Josh Hamilton recovered from a broken leg and dozens of hockey players gritted their remaining teeth to skate through the pain.

      And I really can't figure out how any of these situations apply to Joe's situation?

      1. Don't forget: Torii Hunter told him that Joe needed to get tougher! And Rick Stelmaszek, who knows about what it takes to play catcher, because he caught 60 games in the majors spread out over three seasons.

        And don't forget the manager, who bad mouthed the franchise player to the media.

        1. Sweet baby jeebus, I hope Mauer knows there's a large contingent of non-cement-headed fans who understand that these things happen and still think he's excellent at baseball.

        2. Torii Hunter told him that Joe needed to get tougher!

          ii is willing to dive over the wall into enemy territory to get that out. Joe would never risk his body, or precious sideburns, by playing hard. pfft.

    2. My eyes are burning after reading that drivel. What'll help fans get over being pissed at Mauer for being a puss? An article that calls him a puss, suggests that his teammates hate him, and implies that he'll never actually play in the bigs again. Yeah, that'll help.

      1. I don't follow other teams that much. Do other teams rip on their franchise players in the media as often as we do? It's gross and wrong.

      2. This is why the manager was a blockhead for speaking to Souhan about Mauer's toughness or lack thereof.

        1. You know, the other thing that Souhan seems to forget here is that Mauer, Morneau, and del, among others, caught a wicked flu virus early in the season. One of those three, I can't remember who exactly, needed IV fluids because they were so sick. The headline of Jimmy's next column should read, "Mauer's immune system also afraid of playing in the bigs".

    3. Souhan should know a thing or two about performing while less than 100% healthy; he's been brain-dead for years now, and look at all the columns he's written.

      Seriously, eff that guy.

    4. The most frustrating part of this is a vast majority of Twins fans get there news from people like Souhan and worse yet, they believe him! I'm not calling for beat writers/columnists to roll back the clock 100 years and treat the players like deities but treating them with disrespect isn't fair either. The funniest part is he calls out Joe for not playing hurt and then the next sentence write about how Joe played hurt last season.

      Joe Mauer is the best catcher in baseball and has been for the past 4-5 years. Appreciate what he has done for you, the team, the city, and the state. Trying to rile up the fans to call Mauer a whimp doesn't help anything, you putz.

    5. "Whether his body is betraying him, or his pain tolerance has dropped, the hometown hero is hurting." Gee, I wonder if this is because of the seemingly weekly hatchet Job on Mauer in the local paper?

      People will shut their holes when Mauer is being Mauer and we no longer have to watch Drew Butera bat every day.

    6. Souhan must be a pretty fun guy to hang out with. It seems that he's got some beef with every Minnesota sports figure who is worth a damn.

    7. And why are the guys that play through injuries so revered? I can understand if they're performing at a high level, but how does Morneau having an OPS lower than Alexi Casilla's actually help the Twins? Do we really not have anybody to replace that "production?" Remember how bad he was in 2009 before finally going on the DL for the rest of the season? If he had held out any longer, the Twins would have been too far back to win the division. The Twins have proven they can survive without him. They don't do well when he's playing hurt and is unproductive because of it. Mauer was hitting worse than Morneau before finally admitting it wasn't working. The last time he went on the DL early in the season, he was the MVP and had a season for the ages. But it's Morneau who is doing what's best for the team and Mauer is the greedy, selfish player? Morneau is trying to do what he thinks is best for the team, but it's up to management to step in and say this isn't working, let's try something else.

    8. I'm getting so tired of the "Mauer is a pu$$y" media crap around here. It's to the point that I don't want to listen to sports radio or read the paper anymore.

  2. I hope Bud Selig and his cronies are watching the NBA Finals in particular and the playoffs in general. The NBA has two marquee franchises: the Lakers and the Celtics. Both teams broke out their sticks after two rounds and all us professional basketball fans are left with is scintillating basketball, especially in The Finals, with two teams playing edge of the seat must-see basketball, and the ratings are way up. The league is the thing, not a couple of marquee franchises, Bud!

    Then again, if baseball hasn't figured this out with the NFL showing them this for the past 40 years, I doubt that they'll ever get it.

    1. I got home in time to catch the fourth quarter and I'm glad I did. Those three's by Terry and Barrea were ridiculous.

      1. I mentioned this last night, but it bears repeating. U-Verse sux rox. I watched 44 1/2 minutes of that game, then my DVR said the game was over. WTF? Surely, they did not equip me with the hard-drive equipped version of a VCR, which I have to program manually???

        1. That does blow. I should try to record the next game on my DirecTV box and see if it has solved that problem. I want to say that none of the tv arseholes have done anything on that front.

          1. It is ridiculous. What is the point of recording a season's worth of shows if circumstances (e.g., a baseball game broadcast) causes a delay so that a show doesn't start or end on a half-hour? These systems should be "smart" enough to send out show begin/end "markers".

            1. Totally agreed. The "adding time to the beginning or end of a recording" feature mine has feels like a slap in the face as it proves they at least know of the issue.

            2. Is it U-Verse's fault (or whatever delivery system)? The signal that a show is beginning or ending (or rescheduled) seems like it would rest solely on the shoulders of the broadcasting system, not the delivery system.

              1. My theory is the networks don't like the fact that you're able to skip commercials, so they try to diminish the experience by making shows start a few minutes early or go a few minutes late. Starting the recording early and ending it late handcuffs your ability to use both tuners at the same time because of the overlap. If you record until 8:33, you might as well record until 9:00 because you can't schedule anything at 8:30 on a different channel on the same tuner.

                1. well, U-Verse allows one to record up to 4 shows simultaneously. So, while I don't disagree with your comment about the behavior of the networks, the technology obviously can handle that problem.

                  1. Wow, how do you find that many things worth recording? I just have two tuners and since most TV sucks, it isn't usually an issue.

                    2. Yeah. Four tuners wouldn't seem excessive to me for that reason.

                      Also, TV doesn't suck all that hard right now, if you have the right channels. The last ten years have been pretty great for TV.

                    3. Also, TV doesn't suck all that hard right now, if you have the right channels. The last ten years have been pretty great for TV.

                      NOW is when you play the 1980s card, spooky.

        2. I DVR the Twins games and they only block out 3 hours for each game on the menu, so I just add 90 minutes to the end of each recording in case of extra innings/rain delay/too many Yankees. It's annoying to have to do that, but the awesome thing is using the 10-second skip forward button in between each pitch. I can cut the viewing time for a game in half if I skip between each pitch, inning change, pitching change and mound visit.

    3. But think how much better it would be for the NBA - nay, for the nation! - if the Knicks were in the Finals!

  3. the headline says it all: A-Rod invests in coconut water brand, but endorses another

    A-Rod attempted to bring clarity to the matter in typical clumsy fashion on Wednesday:

    “I don’t discuss my personal investments,” Rodriguez told CNBC, in statement read by his business manager, Guy Oseary. “What I will say is that since Zico changed their formula to concentrate, I felt that the taste and functionality was compromised and that’s when I started to only drink Vita Coco. I love the taste and purity of Vita Coco."

  5. CC to punman -or- anyone know how to get a hold of punman?

    drop me a line at jonelliot2323 [little "a" with the circly thingie] ol' gangsta-mail dat caaam.

      1. Speaking of Russian, I had some birch beer for the first time ever last week and enjoyed it. I figure the next step is to try that Moscow Mule you've mentioned.

          1. I was iffy on it when I took my first sip because I had no idea what it tasted like. I was a bit shocked by the mintiness. However, by the second bottle, I was a convert.

              2. That's not entirely true, actually. You can ferment the birch sap instead of reducing it. I believe they do that in the northeast.

                What brand did you try, cheaptoy?

                My recommendation for the Moscow Mule is to get some Reed's Extra Ginger Brew if you like zingy ginger. Also, wait for the next really hot day.

                1. I had the Sioux City, which I'm told is a bit more medicine-y than most. But, it was 2/5.00 at Woodman's for Sioux City sodas. I'll have to look around for a reasonable bottle of vodka and some other brands to try some more. And I definitely wish I had some earlier this week, because it was stupid out there. (sorry meat)

                    1. Believe me, that was going through my head the entire time I was looking at the shelf. Sadly, they were sold out of the non-diet sarsaparilla.

                  2. Try Boylan's next time. You should be able to find it at Woodman's, and they frequently offer two four-packs for about six bucks. It's significantly less medicine-y than the Sioux City, and has a bit more bite.

                    Plus, it's made with cane sugar, so it's less syrupy.

                    1. Per the bottle, the Sioux City is also made with cane sugar. But, I will definitely look for the Boylan's.

                    2. The Boylans ginger ale is also delicious. It's got less bite than say, Canada Dry, but it is crisp and refreshing, almost like lemon-lime sodas.

                    4. You know one person around your age that drinks cream soda. I love cream soda and the Sprecher one is pretty damn good.

                    5. I also drink cream soda. I'm a pretty big fan, in fact. Admittedly, I also love Werthers Originals and spearmint leaves.

                    14. I loved cream soda for about a month back in 1995. Before and after my tastes bud have officially declared it's nasty.

                2. I will second the Reed's. It is pretty good.

                  Sad, to me anyway, is how hard it is to find actual, "brewed" ginger beers and root beers. Most have "carbonated water" as first ingredient. Sorry, that is not "brewed" soda.

                  On the other hand, it is possible to brew your own ginger beer in a clean, two-liter soda bottle. Recipes abound on the web. Which reminds me that it is about time that I tried that again.

                  1. You know, I want to make root beer, but every recipe I see mentions adding yeast to briefly ferment to add carbonation. When I bottle that stuff, with that much sugar and live yeast, how is that not going to explode? No recipe ever says anything about that and it terrifies me. I may steep some roots, add sugar and force carb it some day though. I figure that can still be considered brewed root beer.

                    1. I really want to brew some root beer. My great-grandfather owned a root beer stand, so a love for the stuff's practically in my blood. I've even got a name picked out for it.

                    2. I've made several batches of Root Beer successfully with only one bottle explosion. I can't remember off the top of my head how much yeast to sugar you need, but I do know that I used dry yeast.

                      On a related note, I've always wanted to brew a summer ale featuring ginger. Maybe this weekend is the right time.

                    3. Root Beer is one of my absolute favorite things. The idea of home brewed root beer is extremely intriguing.

                    4. As a child, I once made some at a program at the local library. Two bottles. One did explode in the fridge when tapped by a jar. The other tasted less like root beer and more like beer beer. I might have been able to get drunk on it, if I could have drank more of it.

                    5. I've made a ginger beer once (in a plastic, 2-liter soda bottle), using regular granulated yeast, per the recipe. While the bottle bulged considerably, no burstage.

                    1. I can't seem to locate the recipe I used before, at the moment. It called for a mess of grated ginger, lemon peel, lemon juice, sugar, yeast and ~7 cups water, all funneled into a clean, two-liter bottle and left to ferment for several days.

                      I think this is the right recipe!!! by a professor of biology and chemistry, so you know it is safe, right? Right?

                      Here is Alton Brown's recipe, which is similar, but calls for bleeding off the CO2 regularly to avoid explosions. My recipe had no such weenieness.

  6. Well, I gave in and got MLB 11 The Show, unfortunately only for PS2, since that is all I have. We also have a Wii and three DSes, so I'm not sure if I'll break down and get a PS3. We don't have a Blu-Ray player either, so that might be the best reason to get one eventually, but we're not in any rush. I got the Show with a gift card from my in-laws to Game Stop. I didn't even know they made The Show for PS2 until I happened to see one at WalMart the other day. They make very few PS2 games anymore.

    1. Sony's always been good about continuing to support the non-current systems, even if it's only a handful of sports games and children's titles.

    3. On Twitter, just minutes ago:

      thisisdspan Denard Span
      Good morning! Having my first concussion ever sucks. it seems like my energy level isn't the same. I feel lazy

    4. Was just about to write about this. Stupid meetings.

      He gets the concussion on June 3 and takes two games off before playing on Monday. He then misses the entire week before finally being diagnosed with a concussion and put on the seven-day DL. This team's medical staff sucks.

      1. They absolutely do. This was something else that was infuriating me when I read Top Jimmy's article. They were insinuating that Mauer didn't work out hard enough in the off season. They said that Liriano didn't work out hard enough in the off season. I would think that if I was running the medical staff for a baseball team full of highly played ball players, I would absolutely check in on them during the off season. I would also hire decent doctors since it seems they don't find out anything until they go outside of the team doctors.

        1. I suspect that, in all sports, the number of athletes who "don't work hard" or "don't care" or "don't try" is far fewer than the number of athletes who get accused of it. We're talking about people who, no matter how much talent they have, have worked hard their whole lives to get where they are in sports. For the most part, they're people who've dreamed of making a career in sports and of winning a championship their whole lives, too. Now, all of a sudden, they're going to quit working, quit caring, and quit trying? There are probably a few who do, but I'm guessing it's much more the exception than the rule.

          1. This is why I get so angry at college sports-obsessed folk who suggest that the college kids are trying harder. The NBA players don't look like they're working hard because they're actually good at it.

            I wonder how it became conventional wisdom that doing it for free is equal to doing it with more passion.

            2. it's also why shortstops who dive everywhere get lauded for their effort, while guys like Adam Everett and J.J. Hardy who are so good that they don't need to dive every play are often ignored.

                1. Yeah, man. I'll be glad to be away from some of these fans, especially with the undercurrent of racism on this side of the mountains. Of course, I'm moving to eye-eye's city, so it's a wash at best.

              2. I went blue in the face a few years ago trying to explain to a girl why Juan Castro is not a good fielder. She kept saying "But he makes so many slick, flashy plays!" Yeah, that's because he's not good enough to make anything look routine.

                1. We had a term we used in softball many years ago ("a Thomasism") for making the routine play look spectacular, particularly on an outfield play.

      2. This team's medical staff sucks.

        I've been thinking this for more than a month now. Ditto the trainers.

        1. I've been thinking this for a few years, but don't feel qualified to criticize. What I would suggest is that the Twins immediately start lodging their medical and training staff at Holiday Inn Expresses.

        2. If only Rany Jazayerli was a Twins fan. Although he's merely a dermatologist, and wasn't writing as a physician, he had a scathing article that concluded that the Royal's medical staff was either negligent, just plain bad, or extremely unlucky. His radio show work, on the official radio station of the Royals, was threatened. Yet the medical staff was replaced in that offseason.

    1. That happened here in St. Chas in '95; casino dumped a boatload of $$ to the city to have the entrance street elevated above flood stage after that.

  9. I had a pint of Left Hand Milk Stout at El Bait Shop last night. It was pretty good. I'm glad I finally had the chance to have one.

  12. CC to DK: I just wanted you to know I just saw a graphic on the mlb network saying that Freddie Freeman is batting .356 in his past 20 games....

    1. I'm thinking hard about the offer you suggested (the two-for-one in your note, not the actual proposal). I have about four or five guys identified on my team who at this point I would probably like to keep, so I'm still kind of weighing whether Freeman at 13 would be a definite keeper over one of those guys (that's why I was hoping Rob would rule that I could keep guys like Jennings/Dominguez/Myers that haven't had our keeper service time start by the end of this year on top of 5 guys who are running against the three-year clock).

      1. Fair enough, I have been thinking about the offer I made in the note, not the actual proposal a lot. I think it works out for both of us. The real reason I wrote this was because I know your enjoyment of arbitrary end points to gauge a player's worth.

        1. Yeah, in the 20 games before those 20 games, he batted only .194...I see why you want to dump him...

          1. I don't want to drop him as much as I'd like to acquire the other player.

      2. (that's why I was hoping Rob would rule that I could keep guys like Jennings/Dominguez/Myers that haven't had our keeper service time start by the end of this year on top of 5 guys who are running against the three-year clock).

        Did I clarify it to your satisfaction, or is there additional discussion that needs to happen?

        1. Yeah, I just wasn't sure before whether those guys are always part of one's 5 keepers even if their own 3 years aren't running yet. I was hoping they wouldn't be for my own purposes, since I expect to have two or three guys that could apply to, but it's not something I can't live with if it's not that way, so it probably doesn't need to be discussed further unless other players would prefer it that way too.

  16. No Morneau tonight to rest various ailments. Repko in center, Revere in left, Delmon DHing. As if our lineup couldn't get any sadder. Casilla, Cuddyer, Young and Valencia only ones in the starting lineup from Opening Day. No Tosoni. Don't know if he's not here yet or just not starting against lefty. Hopefully, the latter.

    1. Sheesh, what a murderer's row:

      1. Ben Revere, CF
      2. Alexi Casilla, SS
      3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
      4. Delmon Young, DH
      5. Luke Hughes, 1B
      6. Danny Valencia, 3B
      7. Jason Repko, CF
      8. Matt Tolbert, 2B
      9. Drew Butera, C

      Obviously they'll score a ton of runs tonight.

        1. We are not the Rock Cats! We are the Minnesota Red Wings!

          [Image of champagne-soaked Lombardozzi]

  17. Nishi leads off with a single grounded to right field, Aaron Hicks reaches on a bunt single and Joe Mauer slices a home run into the wind in left field for a 3-0 lead for Ft. Myers tonight. This was off Bryan Augenstein, who is on a rehab assignment for the Cardinals.

    2. In the third inning, Nishi leads off with a line-drive single to center. Hicks lined out and Mauer grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on a 3-2 pitch.

    3. In the fifth, with a runner at third and one out, Nishi reaches on a FC that scored the runner. Hicks then lined to shortstop and Nishi was doubled off first base.

    4. In the sixth, Mauer leads off with a walk and after a walk and a hit batter, he scores on an infield out. Ft. Myers leads 5-0 after six innings.

    1. Still less than Rene Rivera, who should be the one to stay when Mauer returns.

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