The Rangers are one win away from their first championship ever, and it's been a series to remember.
85 thoughts on “October 25, 2011: On the Verge”
and it's been a series to remember.
Of course it has, because I've not been around to see it.
I really should chart out what major championships I've been in the country for or not and see if there's any correlation between my location and quality.
After today, fall/winter baseball reports will probably be taking a few days off, as I have to go to Storm Mountain camp in the Black Hills for a few days. If I have time and internet access, I'll post something, but I may not.
Most of my time there will be routine meetings, but tomorrow morning is a big deal for me. I meet with the Board of Ordained Ministry to determine whether I'll be ordained next June. There are a few more things to do if they approve, but the rest are pretty routine. This meeting is the last major hurdle remaining.
I'm not terribly worried about it, simply because I would think that if someone had concerns about my fitness for ordination, they would have addressed those with me before letting it get to this point. Still, I was a lawyer long enough to know that nothing is final until it's signed, sealed, and filed. If anyone wants to say a few prayers for me, those prayers would be appreciated.
Good luck, Padre!
best luck and wishes from all of us.
Yeah, you should have heard some advance warning from the conference before the B.O.M. I would think. You're in my prayers; keep your June schedule clear 😉
good luck!
Good luck and you'll have my prayers!
You've got this. But, prayers and hopeful thoughts of the Nation are behind you.
Man, it's been a long time. Quite a journey for you even since you started hanging around the old place. Congratulations for following your heart and doing what you want to do with your life.
Amen.
and Dido.
^3. Congrats, Padre.
And...do we have another affirmative word?
Best of luck, padre.
Congratulations and good luck. You'll have my thoughts & prayers for sure!
Best of luck, you are in my thoughts.
Your journey continues to be an inspiration. All the best tomorrow.
I'm certain your hard work will pay off. Good luck, padre.
Best of luck to you.
I haven't yet had a chance to log in, but I wanted to wish you the best in front of the Board tomorrow.
Don't know if it helps to mention that you serve as the unofficial chaplain for a mixed-faith (and faith-less) online community of Twins fans, but it'd be a plus to me.
I'm pretty sure I've heard g_d's name invoked more than a few times on game logs.
In baby jeebus' name we pray, Home Run.
Best wishes, etc. Being ordained here in the WGOM should help. Not that it will help - just that it should.
You would think a manager so dependant on his bullpen would have alternate communication available should the noise level interfere with phone communication. 2 Budweisers on the dugout rail: lefty. A Bud Light stacked on top of them? get the closer warmed up
I don't believe the excuse. I think it's a line of BS.
I assume that the best explanation is that if there is a higher power in baseball, LaRussa's bullpen usage angered it. I don't think he made it any happier by using a bullpen arm for an intentional walk.
a line of Bud Select? that means the Groundskeeper
so long as it ain't a line of bS.
The excuse is really strange, and my instinct was not to believe it, too. If it's not true, though, what really happened? Did LaRussa mess up and just not want to admit it, and so threw his bullpen coach under the bus? That doesn't really sound likely, either.
I had chalked up the walk to Cruz as a NL manager being a little too comfortable with the intentional walk. If the runner was on third instead of second, I could see trying to set up the double play. But right after the strikeout, I told my wife that that was perfect for the Cardinals, any two ordinary outs for the next two hitters would end the inning without a run scored.
As for the Lynn IBB, I think I buy that they were trying to kill some time for Motte to warm up. I don't really buy that there was a communication mishap (I guess anything's possible), and it makes more sense just that they were reluctant to get him up because they were hoping he'd be pitching in the 9th.
On the first Craig CS, I figured it was a missed sign, since he looked in as he was going to second base, like he would if it was a hit-and-run. Calling the hit-and-run in the 9th was dumb, though. Yeah, Felix was pitching Pujols outside and he's got a good fastball. Pujols might have taken the pitch the other way and the hit and run might have even kept them out of a double play. But ... even if you get runners at first and third out of that, you're not going to have Pujols steal, you're not going to have Holliday bunt him over (well, maybe LaRussa would have last night), and you're arguably pressuring your hitter into swinging at pitches he might otherwise take. Though Pujols shouldn't be totally off the hook there--that wasn't an especially deceptive pitch and it was pretty far off the plate.
Yea, if you watch the video of LaRussa talking to Craig in the dugout after the first one, you can clearly see LaRussa saying "Who?" in response to something Craig said -- presumably him saying that Pooholes made the call.
He's going to make a great manager for someone someday.
Give up an out and take the bat out of Pujols' hands. Nice work.
Really, my head hurts trying to figure out what La Russa did to this game but mostly how he tried to explain it away. It was like being stuck in a gigantic corn maze. Blindfolded. At midnight. After getting spun around 38 times. Every explanation led to another turn that led to another dead end or false exit.
Wait, I called a hit and run with Albert effing Pujols at the plate? After the same dude got thrown out trying to steal by three feet with Albert effing Pujols at the plate?
This made my day.
This made my month.
This. Please keep that one around.
I'll see your TLR and raise you a Punto "trying" to break his bat:
why the hell did he still have his bat there?
This.
Heh heh.
St. Loo is filled with mystery.
Once again, Punto overestimates his own strength.
Where did he get that habit? Was he pumped full of HGH as a high schooler or something, and he never adjusted to being powerless again? Is anyone in more denial than that guy?
Oh goodness, this is just the best.
I remember, when he'd be on his bad streaks, he'd strike out on awful pitches, pitches that hit the ground five feet in front of the plate, and he'd hit his helmet with his bat, not too hard, but more than a tap. I imagined his thoughts like Chris Farley's interviews (I'm an idiot! That's so stupid!).
R. I. P. Roy Smalley, Jr., father of the Twins' Roy Smalley. I don't think I'd have called him a "standout", as the headline writer did, but he had a substantial major league career.
If our Roy Smalley was a "great," then RSJr was a "standout". Still, R.I.P.
Apparently The Shat now has his own sticky bun. It's too bad I won't be up in Winnipeg this weekend, otherwise I'd report back for you, brian.
From a pure psychological standpoint, perhaps there is some merit to our acceptance. It is only natural to presume that — since it has proven near impossible for a team to rebound from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series, and since a 2-0 deficit seems like so much less of a psychological black hole — the seven-game series is a Platonic ideal
But again, I like 5-game series to open up the playoffs (also wouldn't mind it for the NBA or NHL): so much more painful for the losers.
Something tells me that Chris Cook will not be playing for the Vikings any time soon. (But if he does play, he probably find redemption in a pick six or something like that.)
Such charges often bring suspensions, per the NFL's personal conduct policy.
well, good to see they have some standards...
Wow. Over/under on the number of days he spends in jail? I'm going to take the under on 180.5.
The fact that he is still being incarcerated seems to mean that he beat her up pretty good. A hemorrhaging eye? Not. Good.
Good times on Sunday telling the boy that Cook can't play because he's in jail.
I once told a girl I had to cancel our first date because I was suddenly on my way to jail.
She still ended up marrying me.
I'm guessing you didn't assault her...
just her sensibilities.
When I committed my crime, I didn't even know her yet.
The crime you were sentenced for. You still haven't paid your dues to society for stealing her heart.
I can't link to them since Twitter is blocked at work, but a couple of his retweets came across my Twitter timeline, so I assume he's out of jail now. He's very sorry, and there are two sides to every story!
this is just something he'll have to get behind him.
Maybe he can find redemption by tipping a pass or two.
Or hitting a home run.
I dont like the layout of the pages, but here is a long and interesting article about long lost Philly A's stuff
Here's hoping they can bring him back for around half of that.
If for two years.
I suppose with his buyout money he'd essentially be making $8 million for the next two seasons. I'd be more than okay with that. But I'm not running the show. I guess we shall see how many closers Billy can bring in with his open payroll room.
"pitched very well down the stretch"
Nathan in the first half last year: 238/316/440, 21:9 K:BB in 96 PA (21 2/3 innings)
Nathan in the second half last year:207/263/391, 22:5 K:BB in 95 PA (23 innings)
Eh, I guess that is consistent with "pitched very well down the stretch"
Normally such platitudes mean that the writer remembers around two bad outings early in the season, and only one later on.
Spamboy has had a rough two seasons after being lights out his first year in Oakland. I'd like to believe he has something left in the tank and that he'd be a good risk to bring in on a make-good contract. If he can regain the bite on his slider, he could be a very effective middle reliever/setup guy again. If.
On the other hand, 2009 looks like an outlier. On the gripping hand, even league-average performance from a 7th- or 8th-inning guy would be an improvement for the Twins.
Yeah, I am all over "league average" at this point. If he's cheap, to hell with it, take a chance.
Heck, I'm coveting Nick Punto.
"Less than one standard deviation below league average" is enough for me!
please forgive the toeing into the Forbidden Zone, but this is too good. I see dead voters!!!
MJ's 54 against the Knicks in the 1993 East Finals is on NBA TV right now. You know, if you miss basketball.
Some classic Suns/Sonics on now. Man, Shaun Kemp really used to be something. Also, this games reminds my why I loved Thunder Dan when I was a kid.
I miss basketball.
I wish I knew an Angels fan so I could make fun of them for this.
That's a doozy
Suck it Scioscia!
From what I saw in LA, there aren't all that many Angels fans.
That's because the Angels aren't in L.A. no matter what their owner is trying to convince anyone. Angels fans have taken over for Dodgers fans out here, unfortunately. The Inland Empire is where the marketing battle should be taking place for the two teams. The Angels are definitely winning it here with the younger crowd.
and it's been a series to remember.
Of course it has, because I've not been around to see it.
I really should chart out what major championships I've been in the country for or not and see if there's any correlation between my location and quality.
After today, fall/winter baseball reports will probably be taking a few days off, as I have to go to Storm Mountain camp in the Black Hills for a few days. If I have time and internet access, I'll post something, but I may not.
Most of my time there will be routine meetings, but tomorrow morning is a big deal for me. I meet with the Board of Ordained Ministry to determine whether I'll be ordained next June. There are a few more things to do if they approve, but the rest are pretty routine. This meeting is the last major hurdle remaining.
I'm not terribly worried about it, simply because I would think that if someone had concerns about my fitness for ordination, they would have addressed those with me before letting it get to this point. Still, I was a lawyer long enough to know that nothing is final until it's signed, sealed, and filed. If anyone wants to say a few prayers for me, those prayers would be appreciated.
Good luck, Padre!
best luck and wishes from all of us.
Yeah, you should have heard some advance warning from the conference before the B.O.M. I would think. You're in my prayers; keep your June schedule clear 😉
good luck!
Good luck and you'll have my prayers!
You've got this. But, prayers and hopeful thoughts of the Nation are behind you.
Man, it's been a long time. Quite a journey for you even since you started hanging around the old place. Congratulations for following your heart and doing what you want to do with your life.
Amen.
and Dido.
^3. Congrats, Padre.
And...do we have another affirmative word?
Best of luck, padre.
Congratulations and good luck. You'll have my thoughts & prayers for sure!
Best of luck, you are in my thoughts.
Your journey continues to be an inspiration. All the best tomorrow.
I'm certain your hard work will pay off. Good luck, padre.
Best of luck to you.
I haven't yet had a chance to log in, but I wanted to wish you the best in front of the Board tomorrow.
Don't know if it helps to mention that you serve as the unofficial chaplain for a mixed-faith (and faith-less) online community of Twins fans, but it'd be a plus to me.
I'm pretty sure I've heard g_d's name invoked more than a few times on game logs.
In baby jeebus' name we pray, Home Run.
Best wishes, etc. Being ordained here in the WGOM should help. Not that it will help - just that it should.
You would think a manager so dependant on his bullpen would have alternate communication available should the noise level interfere with phone communication. 2 Budweisers on the dugout rail: lefty. A Bud Light stacked on top of them? get the closer warmed up
I don't believe the excuse. I think it's a line of BS.
I assume that the best explanation is that if there is a higher power in baseball, LaRussa's bullpen usage angered it. I don't think he made it any happier by using a bullpen arm for an intentional walk.
a line of Bud Select? that means the Groundskeeper
so long as it ain't a line of bS.
The excuse is really strange, and my instinct was not to believe it, too. If it's not true, though, what really happened? Did LaRussa mess up and just not want to admit it, and so threw his bullpen coach under the bus? That doesn't really sound likely, either.
I had chalked up the walk to Cruz as a NL manager being a little too comfortable with the intentional walk. If the runner was on third instead of second, I could see trying to set up the double play. But right after the strikeout, I told my wife that that was perfect for the Cardinals, any two ordinary outs for the next two hitters would end the inning without a run scored.
As for the Lynn IBB, I think I buy that they were trying to kill some time for Motte to warm up. I don't really buy that there was a communication mishap (I guess anything's possible), and it makes more sense just that they were reluctant to get him up because they were hoping he'd be pitching in the 9th.
On the first Craig CS, I figured it was a missed sign, since he looked in as he was going to second base, like he would if it was a hit-and-run. Calling the hit-and-run in the 9th was dumb, though. Yeah, Felix was pitching Pujols outside and he's got a good fastball. Pujols might have taken the pitch the other way and the hit and run might have even kept them out of a double play. But ... even if you get runners at first and third out of that, you're not going to have Pujols steal, you're not going to have Holliday bunt him over (well, maybe LaRussa would have last night), and you're arguably pressuring your hitter into swinging at pitches he might otherwise take. Though Pujols shouldn't be totally off the hook there--that wasn't an especially deceptive pitch and it was pretty far off the plate.
No missed sign. Albert Pujols called the hit and run in the first instance and then he didn't offer at the pitch.
Yea, if you watch the video of LaRussa talking to Craig in the dugout after the first one, you can clearly see LaRussa saying "Who?" in response to something Craig said -- presumably him saying that Pooholes made the call.
He's going to make a great manager for someone someday.
Give up an out and take the bat out of Pujols' hands. Nice work.
He'll fit right in.
Tom Verducci has an pretty good story about last nights weird managing by LaRussa
Wait, I called a hit and run with Albert effing Pujols at the plate? After the same dude got thrown out trying to steal by three feet with Albert effing Pujols at the plate?
This made my day.
This made my month.
This. Please keep that one around.
I'll see your TLR and raise you a Punto "trying" to break his bat:
why the hell did he still have his bat there?
This.
Heh heh.
St. Loo is filled with mystery.
Once again, Punto overestimates his own strength.
Where did he get that habit? Was he pumped full of HGH as a high schooler or something, and he never adjusted to being powerless again? Is anyone in more denial than that guy?
Oh goodness, this is just the best.
I remember, when he'd be on his bad streaks, he'd strike out on awful pitches, pitches that hit the ground five feet in front of the plate, and he'd hit his helmet with his bat, not too hard, but more than a tap. I imagined his thoughts like Chris Farley's interviews (I'm an idiot! That's so stupid!).
R. I. P. Roy Smalley, Jr., father of the Twins' Roy Smalley. I don't think I'd have called him a "standout", as the headline writer did, but he had a substantial major league career.
If our Roy Smalley was a "great," then RSJr was a "standout". Still, R.I.P.
Apparently The Shat now has his own sticky bun. It's too bad I won't be up in Winnipeg this weekend, otherwise I'd report back for you, brian.
Ooh. I'm sure it will be bombastic.
Cash grab.
This:
But again, I like 5-game series to open up the playoffs (also wouldn't mind it for the NBA or NHL): so much more painful for the losers.
Something tells me that Chris Cook will not be playing for the Vikings any time soon. (But if he does play, he probably find redemption in a pick six or something like that.)
Such charges often bring suspensions, per the NFL's personal conduct policy.
well, good to see they have some standards...
Wow. Over/under on the number of days he spends in jail? I'm going to take the under on 180.5.
The fact that he is still being incarcerated seems to mean that he beat her up pretty good. A hemorrhaging eye? Not. Good.
Good times on Sunday telling the boy that Cook can't play because he's in jail.
I once told a girl I had to cancel our first date because I was suddenly on my way to jail.
She still ended up marrying me.
I'm guessing you didn't assault her...
just her sensibilities.
When I committed my crime, I didn't even know her yet.
The crime you were sentenced for. You still haven't paid your dues to society for stealing her heart.
I can't link to them since Twitter is blocked at work, but a couple of his retweets came across my Twitter timeline, so I assume he's out of jail now. He's very sorry, and there are two sides to every story!
this is just something he'll have to get behind him.
Maybe he can find redemption by tipping a pass or two.
Or hitting a home run.
I dont like the layout of the pages, but here is a long and interesting article about long lost Philly A's stuff
Twins decline $12.5 million option on closer Joe Nathan
i'm shocked! no, wait, i'm the opposite of that.
Here's hoping they can bring him back for around half of that.
If for two years.
I suppose with his buyout money he'd essentially be making $8 million for the next two seasons. I'd be more than okay with that. But I'm not running the show. I guess we shall see how many closers Billy can bring in with his open payroll room.
"pitched very well down the stretch"
Nathan in the first half last year: 238/316/440, 21:9 K:BB in 96 PA (21 2/3 innings)
Nathan in the second half last year:207/263/391, 22:5 K:BB in 95 PA (23 innings)
Eh, I guess that is consistent with "pitched very well down the stretch"
Normally such platitudes mean that the writer remembers around two bad outings early in the season, and only one later on.
Or Matt Capps.
Michael Wuertz is available.
Spamboy has had a rough two seasons after being lights out his first year in Oakland. I'd like to believe he has something left in the tank and that he'd be a good risk to bring in on a make-good contract. If he can regain the bite on his slider, he could be a very effective middle reliever/setup guy again. If.
On the other hand, 2009 looks like an outlier. On the gripping hand, even league-average performance from a 7th- or 8th-inning guy would be an improvement for the Twins.
Yeah, I am all over "league average" at this point. If he's cheap, to hell with it, take a chance.
Heck, I'm coveting Nick Punto.
"Less than one standard deviation below league average" is enough for me!
please forgive the toeing into the Forbidden Zone, but this is too good. I see dead voters!!!
MJ's 54 against the Knicks in the 1993 East Finals is on NBA TV right now. You know, if you miss basketball.
Some classic Suns/Sonics on now. Man, Shaun Kemp really used to be something. Also, this games reminds my why I loved Thunder Dan when I was a kid.
I miss basketball.
I wish I knew an Angels fan so I could make fun of them for this.
That's a doozy
Suck it Scioscia!
From what I saw in LA, there aren't all that many Angels fans.
That's because the Angels aren't in L.A. no matter what their owner is trying to convince anyone. Angels fans have taken over for Dodgers fans out here, unfortunately. The Inland Empire is where the marketing battle should be taking place for the two teams. The Angels are definitely winning it here with the younger crowd.