I don't have a slew of things to say about Seattle, and the less I say about the Twins right now the better my chances of avoiding profanity. I don't know if the Twins are a mediocre team in a bad slump or a bad team in a mediocre slump. Either way, at this point in the season and with my frustration turning quickly to ennui, it's probably just as well that the Twins kick off a seven-game road trip in Seattle tonight before breaking for the All-Star game next week. The games will be on late enough that I can safely ignore them without feeling too much fan guilt.
Tonight the Twins send Kevin Correia (4-10, 4.95 ERA) to the mound. His performance of late is better than his record might indicate, losing five of his last nine starts, but with a 3.50 ERA over that span. Seattle trots out Hisashi Iwakuma (6-4, 3.33 ERA), an All-Star last year who is having just a decent season this year after missing the first month with a torn finger tendon. Play ball!
My co-worker and I were talking today, and his patience with the team has run out for the year. Right around the All-Star Break, where it petered out last year.
Mine is sticking around at least through next week, but I'd say I've reached the threshold where if the team is down by two or three runs, I've got better things to do.
I'm tracking the games, but yeah, my attention tends to wander a lot faster than it would have a month ago.
Getting the score alerts from MLB.com on my phone makes it a lot easier to only tune in if things are getting interesting, too.
This is how I've followed the team all year, it being 18 months since I've had FSN and 13 months since I moved to a place that receives 96.3 sporadically (and not at all in my garage). When they're playing good ball, it doesn't feel like such a time suck. When they're not, I'm with bhiggs and nibbish: down by a couple of runs, I've got better things to do.
Yup, rotating between this game, the movie Kick-Ass, and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I don't know if it is a worse indictment on the Twins, or viewing habits.
I will readily admit to a Triple D addiction. I know that it is fashionable to mock Guy, because he's eminently mockable, but the show is almost always fun, and I like seeing the various chefs prepare recipes. Actual cooking and recipes are what is missing from all too much of the Food Network these days.
bS - you also pointed out a while back that Guy seems to really enjoy what he does for a living and we should all be so lucky. I much prefer DD&D to nearly everything else on that channel, except Good Eats reruns.
I am a fan of Chopped. I could do with less judging being shown, but as I understand it, they spend a long time making decisions.
Dido on the Good Eats reruns. Alton Brown is wasted on every other show. (not literally, I hope)
I see Good Eats reruns frequently on a channel called Cook. Also, lots of episodes of Mo Rocca's adorable show, My Grandmother's Ravioli.
The WGOM. Where else will a game
recaplog post turn into a discussion of cooking shows?That splitfinger by Iwakuma is just filthy.
I chose to watch Giants at A's instead of following the Twins game last night. The A's are built to last.
Assuming Beane's stuff works in the postseason now.
My friend is an Angels fan and I told him the AL West race reminded me of 2002 when the Angels won 99 games but finished behind the A's, who had a 20-game win streak that season and won over 100 games. The Angels won the WS that year, but it will be a lot harder to win it all as a wild card these days.
The "Moneyball" season
I don't see a new game log, so I want to take a crack at the FSN trivia question.
Name the 4 players to play in at least 100 games for both the Twins and Mariners:
Holy smokes, I think that one is right. I kept thinking about relief pitchers, but totally Battey'd him.
Oops. I meant
Whoa, so I got 2 right, mentioned a third, and Mags nailed the fourth. Way to go team!