Happy Birthday–June 3

Don Osborn (1908)
Jim Gentile (1934)
Steve Dalkowski (1939)
Duane Josephson (1942)
Ron Keller (1943)
Jim Dwyer (1950)
Ed Glynn (1953)
Barry Lyons (1960)
Steve Lyons (1960)
Nelson Liriano (1964)
Carl Everett (1971)
Bryan Rekar (1972)
Jose Molina (1975)
Travis Hafner (1977)

Don Osborn won 201 games in the minors.  He later was a minor league manager, pitching coach, and scout.

Some say Steve Dalkowski had the fastest fastball ever.  He struck out 1,396 batters in 995 minor league innings.  However, he also walked 1,354, which is why he never made the majors.

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2014 Game 55: Two Identical Things at Lager Makers


Tonight commences an oddity in Milwaukee, the opener of a four-game, home-and-away series to mark the long-ago rivalry that existed when the Twins and Brewers were in the same league but that MLB likes to keep alive for the sake of marketing. I can appreciate that. The Twins send Kyle Gibson (4-4, 4.81) to the mound tonight to face off with Matt Garza (2-4, 4.84). And of course we have the bonus of Carlos Gomez in the game tonight. Fortunately for us, Gomez won't be out for any type of revenge, even the kind that's served cold. In fact, it seems Gomez really enjoyed his time in the Twin Cities. "I don't have any hard feelings with Minnesota," says Gomez. "I'm always watching highlights from Minnesota, because they took care of me well and had beautiful fans."

I'm sure he's talking about us, citizens. Play ball!

Agenbite of inwit

After my projection into the lofty aither with Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, brennschluss was inevitable and I finally finished what was probably the toughest, chewiest piece of literature I have ever feasted on.

In the beginning, I was looking up all of the obscure references, phrases, and people and not making much progress.  The dude at the beer cave posited that the first twenty pages were intentionally written in such a manner as to keep people from reading any further.

In advance of the denouement of GR, I ordered another endurance read, Ulysses by James Joyce, and have just embarked on that journey.

Seriously, Dedalus.  I'm stony.  Hurry out to your school kip and bring us back some money.  Today the bards must drink and junket.  Ireland expects that every man this day will do his duty.

So, Citizens, what are you reading?

Happy Birthday–June 2

Jack O’Connor (1866)
Frank Verdi (1926)
Bob Lillis (1930)
Larry Jackson (1931)
Bob Bennett (1933)
Jerry Lumpe (1933)
Gene Michael (1938)
Jim Maloney (1940)
Horace Clarke (1940)
Roger Freed (1946)
Jack O’Connor (1958)
Darnell Coles (1962)
Bryan Harvey (1963)
Mike Stanton (1967)
Kurt Abbott (1969)
Raul Ibanez (1972)
Neifi Perez (1973)
Jared Burton (1981)

Bob Bennett was the baseball coach at Fresno State for many years, winning 1,302 games.

Roger Freed was drafted by Minnesota in 1966, but the pick was voided.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 2