2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Game 96: Gemini v. Seraphim

111 Comments

Okay, I'll be completely honest. This picture represents the foundation of why I really, really don't like the Angels. Oh, I understand that my dislike is largely misplaced, that had Calvin Griffith not been a tightwad of Biblical proportion and, let's face it, more than just a bit of a racist, Carew might has spent his entire career with the Twins. And I suppose it was more than just a bit of ironic justice that Carew got his 3,000th hit against the Twins (Frank Viola pitching, I was living with my terminally ill grandmother in Tulsa at the time but remember seeing it on the news) in the final year of his career in Anaheim.

When my family moved to Minnesota in the summer of 1977, the Twins and Carew's pursuit of .400 were the primary things that kept me from going stir crazy and dwelling on how much I hated leaving Colorado and all my high school friends behind. Well, that and the fact that I could legally buy liquor for the first time in my life and I somehow managed to get myself onto a softball team with a few stoners who didn't mind sharing as long as you didn't drool or Bogart. We didn't win many games but somehow we didn't care all that much, either. Following the Twins and adopting them as my hometown team gave me something to talk about with strangers and new acquaintances. So I'm forever grateful to Rodney and the Twins for helping me make new friends and assimilate socially into my new home.

Now here's a little trivia to pass the time while we wait for tonight's first pitch. Rod Carew was born on October 1, 1945 on a racially-segregated train in the Panama Canal Zone (when that was still a thing) and delivered by another passenger, a doctor named Rodney Cline, who became his namesake. Only 92 of Carew's 3,053 career hits were home runs (and some folks bitch that Mauer has no power -- ppphhhhtttt!). He was an All-Star in every year of his MLB career except the last. And while Carew's first wife was Jewish and all three of his daughters were raised in the faith, he himself never actually converted to Judiasm, despite what Adam Sandler had to say in The Chanukah Song.

After bookending the All-Star break with series wins against the Yankees and Indians, the Twins open a three game series in Anaheim to kick off a week-long West Coast road trip. The Twins send Slingin' Sammy Deduno (5-4, 3.61) to the mound to challenge Joe Blanton (2-12, 5.53) for the Angels. I love staying up late in the summer, and since I have no job to go to in the morning there's a good chance I'll stick around for all of this one, the good Lord willing and no extra innings, of course.

Play ball!

111 thoughts on “2013 Game 96: Gemini v. Seraphim”

  1. I don't blame Calvin for being a tightwad. He was the last owner to not have money coming in from other sources than baseball, so either he had to reign in the spending or sell the team. He did a lot of the former before succombing to the latter.

    1. A valid point. He was, in essence, a dinosaur that could not adapt to the changing environment.

  5. Of all the series I'd like the Twins to win this season, this one's near the tops.
    C'mon boys, wipe the smug off Scioscia's face and make him suck it!

  6. Yesterday I made ribs to celebrate the anniversary of my heart attack. Yeah, I spit in the face of Death, that's how I roll. Tonight was leftover ribs with rice, broccoli, and a Romaine salad with sweet onion, feta cheese, bacon bits and ranch dressing. Longboard Lager to wash it down. I'm sated.

    1. Soup and garden veggies tonight. Various beers from a Trader Joe's sampler from the wife for the game (she knows of my love for IPAs and oatmeal stouts, so she got me a couple each of those).

      My, but those first cucumbers are delicious.

      1. The new owner of my local liquor store has put in a craft beer rack, so I've been trying out some new ones. Got a Rush River Amber Ale and a Founder's All Day IPA teed up for tonight.

        1. My local liquor store got À la carte and craft beer back last year after three years of not having either. They've got an interesting selection now that I'm slowly working through.

          A few weeks ago it was The Sixth Glass. I will be having that again (super tasty!), but probably taking it a bit easier next time (<4 glasses usually doesn't get to me too much, but I was glad I was sitting on my couch after the third glass of that one).

  7. Ugh. The inevitable Dick n' Non-Bert chastisement of Braun is already grating.

  11. Five holes-in-one would seem to imply both a lot of luck and a fair bit of skill (or a great deal of free time, or extremely short holes on par 3 courses).

  13. Shoot, I missed the Twins scoring. I was out setting up the telescope for the daughter, full moon tonight and all.

    1. League average, propped up by Mauer, is .183. Mauer's BA is higher than the league's OBP with two strikes.

  19. Roger Maris does not own the single season home run record.

    I realize I'm preaching to the choir, but it must be stated - again.

      1. Smalley riding Hicks about that out is grating my cheese. He needs to trust his third base coach who has a view of where that ball is. He shouldn't have been sent. What the hell else can he do there?

        1. Yeah, the send doesn't make much sense with one out. Even if Bernier gets out, you've got Mauer up. It wasn't like they were having trouble touching up Blanton.

      1. Doug Bernier. A 33 year old middle infielder who is (from what I understand) an extremely good bunter. This is his fourth major league game.

  27. Have to figure as a 32-year old batting .207 in AAA last year that he probably didn't figure he'd ever get a major league hit.

  29. gotta say, i really don't like smalley in the booth. he just babbles on and on about nothing of any real importance. it sounds like bremer's even trying to reign him at times, and that's not a good sign.

  30. BBref's "Baserunning Runs" stat seems to back up that, while Hrbek wasn't a very quick batter, he wasn't too much worse than average over the course of his career.

  32. Me: Come on, Doumit, I can't remember the last grand slam I saw.
    Wife: Because the Twins haven't hit one yet this year.

    That was before any mention of it from the booth and before the graphic went up. I love my wife.

  49. Jeebus, Hicks knew that 1-2 curveball was coming and couldn't get any wood on it at all.

    2. Alternately, let the Twins score 5 in the 9th and show Gardy how no save situation would have arisen.

  65. YES!!!

    This might just be my favorite game of the year. Even in a lost cause season, games like this show how awesome being a baseball fan can be.

  68. Whew! That worked out, but I have a feeling that's the last time we'll see Perkins in the eighth inning in a save situation. Gardy will take his rough eighth as a sign that Perkins is unable to pitch in that situation despite it being an extreme SSS.

    1. That's exactly what I was thinking. I know Perk has been lobbying for higher leverage situations, but this will probably solidify Gardy's thoughts on the matter.

  69. Twins now guaranteed to not lose the season series to the Angels. I'm very happy with that considering how many friends of mine are Angels fans.

  71. Gardy, the master motivator, obviously talked up Oswaldo Arcia just to get Clete Thomas fired up. It worked! Another great game by Cy Deduno and a big hit by Doug Bernier did the rest. We're still on track for 108-54!

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