Cup of Coffee

February 22, 2013: Forgetfulness

60 Comments

Last night I was careful to keep my music down for about an hour and a half so I didn't wake the Milkmaid. Then I remembered that she's in Connecticut. I might have a problem.

60 thoughts on “February 22, 2013: Forgetfulness”

  2. The Star Trib has a fun little article about the dome's good points, bad points, and quirks.

    “Everybody hated the place, but I loved it,” said former Twin Kent Hrbek, a first baseman on the team’s championship teams. “It was my home. I spent my whole career there. We won a couple of championships there. And we got our butts kicked there."

    2. I'm not saying that Kent Hrbek is anything less than an authority on his own career, but I will point out that he was first called up in 1981, when the Twins still played at Metropolitan Stadium. His first 12 home games played were outside at the old place. So, "whole career" is not exactly correct.

  6. in 2006, the New York Islanders gave goalie Rick DiPetro a 15 year contract
    after a bunch of injuries the Islanders are going to place him on waivers

    the NHL is filled with stupidly long contracts. Ryan Suter and Zach Parise were giving 13 year deals by the Wild.

    1. I think it might be the case that if the Wild win just one championship with them it'll still be worth it even if they don't have them for the least 7-8 years on the contract. It would give the rabid fans enough to let them coast for several more years with sellouts.

      1. oh yeah. dont get me wrong, Im thrilled the Wild were aggressive and signed an actual big time free agent (biggest name FA signing in the areas history? Who else, Vikings Steve Hutchinson..the Twins have never really go after the big fish unless they are over the hill, the Wolves...... Mark Madsen?)

        but man, 13 years is a long time

        1. Magic Johnson once signed a 25 year deal with the Lakers. $1 million a year for 25 years. Turns out the Lakers tore that up when it became apparent he was grossly underpaid.

          1. Gretzky signed a ten-year contract with options for ten more years with the Oilers on his 18th birthday during his rookie season in the WHA. It turned out okay as well.

  8. So due to a decent tax windfall (thanks going back to college) and a potential bonus at work, J and I are thinking of taking our first real vacation in our 9 years together. Honestly, I've never had to plan something like this, so I'm hoping maybe some of you have some advice?

    We are planning on going to Los Angeles for a nerd convention in July. We were thinking of just staying there for the rest of the week after the con, but decided that we'd probably prefer to just take the train to San Francisco and spend the rest of the week up there. Do any of y'all have any experience doing this? It looks like I'd have to take the train to Oakland, and I assume it's not too difficult to get to SF from there but I've never been so I have no clue. I also have no idea where to stay in San Francisco. We basically want to stay somewhere reasonably priced that's safe, quiet, and within walking distance of cool stuff to do since we'll be sans car. I do want to try to go to a Giants/Mets game while we're there, that much I know.

      1. Aye. BART across the Bay, then you can get around quite a bit on the Muni in SF.

        As for where to say that is safe + quiet + reasonably priced in SF...I can't really help you on that. That may be an empty set.

        and as for taking the train from LA to Oakland...it looks as though Amtrak would cost you about $60 per ticket one-way to Oakland from LA, compared to $89 per ticket flying on Southwest. The difference is that the train ride takes all day (10 in the morning to 9 at night).

        1. Yeah, I looked yesterday at trains and uh, misjudged the length of the trip. I was thinking 6 hours, which is a hell of a lot more managable than 11. That being said, that train ride would likely be a pretty great experience. Hrmph.

    2. A few years ago, my wife and I visited San Francisco. We stayed here. In our estimation, fairly reasonably priced, quiet neighborhood (from our limited exposure), smallish rooms, but clean and a very good complimentary breakfast. Pretty close to everything: walk about 6 blocks to Market Street - take the BART down to the Embarcadero & Ferry Terminal (meh) and around to AT&T Park - estimated 20-minute trip.
      Also, according to the site:

      On Site Millennium Restaurant Was Voted The #1 Vegan Restaurant In The Country

      so you got that going for you...if you're vegan (you aren't, are you?)

      We visited Fisherman's Wharf and took a bus tour to Golden Gate Park, accross the bridge and up to Twin Peaks. I enjoyed it immensely. Visited the Cliff House but didn't take in a meal.

      1. from a Yelp review:

        Millennium is located inside the Hotel California

        So, how did you ever leave?

      2. Neither J or I are vegan. That being said, J is an ovo-lacto vegetarian who loves vegan food, so I still appreciate the tip!

    1. It's always kind of sad when we think the only way we can build ourselves up is to put someone else down.

    4. The Tony Gwynn thing didn't make much sense but I thought he had a point about the number of games caught.

      Did Mauer have a thinly veiled shot in the "different eras" quote? Could he have been referring to the "steroid era"?

      1. In a review of Piazza's book, the New York Times said the following about PEDs:

        Of drugs, he writes: “Apparently, my career was a story that nobody cared to believe. Apparently, my success was the work of steroids. Had to be. Those were the rumors.”

        He admits to using androstenedione as part of a supplement pack until the outcry over Mark McGwire’s use of it forced him to “phase it out.” Baseball later banned the substance.

        He also writes that he briefly experimented with amphetamines until they were banned in 2006. And he describes hearing about human growth hormone, doing some research and asking the Mets’ former trainer, Fred Hina, if teams would start distributing it, unaware that it was a banned substance. According to the book, Hina said he would look into it and a day or two later told Piazza it was not a good idea.

        Different era, indeed.

  10. Just remembered this. Last Saturday, Lucy and I went out to eat (parent's night out at gym: $15, Miss SBG got to swim and they fed her!!!!!1111!!!!!) and then to the St. Paul Grill for a drink. I suggested a martini, she indicated that she wanted a "top shelf" margarita.

    I married @dadboner, you guys?

    1. let me guess, you tried the embed code, and only got a blank space? i believe that, for some reason, it always takes a few minutes for the actual video to show up. beats me why.

          2. I remembered that HR (how it was hit, etc.) even before watching it. He went 10-for-11 in two games. One of the most incredible individual things I've seen in sports.

      2. how did I miss this?
        this is awesome
        I wish FSN would show these kind of games for their Twins 'Classic' or play them during Rain Delay instead of the 50 Greatest Twins.

  12. The Twins have six players on BA's list of the Top 100 prospects. The rest of the AL Central has nine. No other team has more than three.

    1. I have a banner that reflects this fact, but hasn't been published. Hey Spooky what's a girl gotta do to get their banner up around this joint?

  13. Heh.

    The fruit fly study adds to the evidence "that using toxins in the environment to medicate offspring may be common across the animal kingdom," says biologist Todd Schlenke.

  15. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was asked if his team got all the signs down pat, something they worked on Friday.

    ``We sure hope so,'' he said, ``We'll wait and see once the games start. We have gone over enough with them. They have gotten their final tuneup and tomorrow we will see what happens. Hopefully they will all remember it out there. Take our time with it and slow down and make sure they get them. There shouldn't be too many signs put on in spring training. They should be out there hitting the ball and getting as many at-bats as they can.''

    Ummm ... Isn't spring training games the time to be working on using signs in a game situation?

    2. I wonder if he was talking about these early games were there are 86 people in camp. No need for signs on players that might get cut and get picked up by other teams.

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