45 thoughts on “April 15, 2015: And I’m Working for No One”
Both the Twins and Wolves play at the same time tonight. What game are you going to watch?
Hawks/Perds.
Gotta watch Russ.
I joked with a co-worker today that Russ would go for 70 tonight. I didn't think it would actually happen.....
I have the fortunate situation of not being able to watch either.
I'll be at the Twins game and turned down Wolves tickets
Uh, Spooky, this doesn't mean a change of employment does it?
Nah, that would have been THE END
...of my employment.
Just "Taxman" lyrics.
Passed by some interesting waterfowl on my drive this morning, including some Common Goldeneyes (it makes me think of Lonnie Lynn being in a James Bond movie...) and a Double-crested Cormorant.
COGOs this late? They've been absent around here for at least a fortnight. (Though I saw some and one Common Merganser out in Pope County on Easter Weekend.)
I had both Winged Teal on Monday afternoon (Blue-winged and Green-winged). I've been surprised at the absence of Blue-wings thus far, as everything else is coming through. I hadn't seen any Green-wings in MN before this spring (I had seen a bunch in Vancouver), but this was my second sighting around here this spring. I had seen both on Pope County, too.
I've had a good string of First-of-years, one a day since Saturday: Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Kestrel, B-w Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, and White-throated Sparrow (this morning).
I'm further north now. In fact, I was in Pope county when I saw them.
As I drive between work and home, I've seen more Northern Flickers this spring than I can believe. Many many raptors (some easily identifiable - Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles - but lots that I'm not quite quick enough to identify definitively.). Also, lots of what appear to be Kestrels perched on wires, but since I'm just seeing them from the front/bottom, they're a little tricky to ID for sure. How much bigger are merlins? How likely that merlins would be similarly perched on wires? Any realistic non-raptors that would look like a raptor perched on a wire?
Lots of Flickers here by the Coon Rapids Dam, more steady appearance than volume of birds. Like, you'll hear at least one every five minutes of walking or something.
Haven't had so many raptors. (But Osprey are back on their nest.)
When in doubt, assume Red-tailed Hawk. You've got potential for a few more out your way, though. Swainson's, maybe Ferruginous and Prairie Falcon, probably more Golden Eagles.
But also more Red-tail variation possible, too.
Those are Kestrels on the wires. I probably saw 20 on the drive from Sauk Centre to Glenwood on the Friday before Easter.
Merlins aren't really bigger (longer, wingspan), but they're more massive. I don't have the same wire habit and high April frequency. Maybe 1%-2% of those could be Merlins.
Probably fewer Merlins than misidentified Mourning Doves, Pigeons, and Robins.
Passed by some interesting waterfowl ducks.
FTFY
Some aren't ducks.
Some are coots, some are grebes, some are loons.
Not sure if "interesting coot" is oxymoronic.
Foolish and eccentric old men are always interesting.
I did observe a pair of White-tufted Codgers having it out in the Costco parking lot over a bag of McDonalds' fries. Interesting specimens, indeed.
They can be misidentified. Did you hear the "roundabouts?!!?" call that confirms the ID?
Veeeeery tangentially related, I saw a guy the other night wearing a t-shirt that read, "It's gray duck, not goose." He said when he wears the shirt outside of MN, people assume it's some sort of vodka reference.
Heh.
Morning game alert: Rochester is at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 9:35 this morning. Alex Meyer is the scheduled starter for the Red Wings.
Bad day for Meyer. 3.2 innings, seven hits, five walks, five runs. He did strike out six. Red Wings trail 5-4 in the sixth as I write this.
A younger version of Deduno.
If he has a magical zoomball, I say that they should be strongly considering his promotion. If he has a woven necklace to nibble on occasionally, I have to ask why he isn't here already.
If his control doesn't get better, he'll be an older version of Shooter Hunt.
May averaged .5 walks per 9 more in the minors than Meyer, so I'm not too worried at this point.
I wasn't particularly worried coming into this year, but he's now walked eleven guys in 8.2 innings. Small sample size, obviously. It could be a fluke, or a mechanical problem, or an injury, or something else we don't know about. Still, eleven walks in 8.2 innings is a lot of walks.
Wings with 5 in the 9th to win 11-6. Bullpen with another stellar game. LEN3 the other day basically hinted that the Twins wouldn't be making any changes in the bullpen anytime soon because the "Twins know what they have in Rochester."
meaning they're tanking to delay service clocks?
likely just semantics at this point, but perhaps meaning they're delaying service clocks and the result is tanking.
I wish I could believe even that. But after never giving Anthony Slama a chance (and yes, he may have been terrible anyway), I'll believe it when I see it.
I guess I meant it more in a cynical/facetious manner - I have no idea what the FO plan is (and sometimes wonder if they have any idea either).
It's kind-of the low-hanging fruit at this point, but Gleeman at least compiles some raw numbers for us: Poor bullpen construction = poor relief pitching.
I still don't understand the Thielbar & Tonkin demotions in favor of Boyer/Duensing/Stauffer...spring training results be damned.
I get Duensing--he's been around for several years, he was competent last year, and has a good record against left-handers. I never got Boyer or Stauffer.
Pepper,
If you were wearing a ponytail, you beat me to the dropoff point today.
Saw you crossing Hennepin north of the library.
It had seemed that my bus was slow.
Then it was me. I was on the bus 10 minutes earlier than the one that typically allows us to cross paths. I did look in the direction of the library while waiting to cross Hennepin, but I didn't know exactly where to look for you. I also thought of deviating from my normal path to walk through the library and thereby increase the chances I'd encounter you, but that felt wrong somehow.
I've been watching the development a young player named Brandon Nimmo the last couple of years. He's with the Binghamton Mets, Double-A Eastern League this season. I knew his parents in high school, was actually with them on their first date as we doubled for a Sadie Hawkins dance my junior or senior year (his mom's best friend was my date). His dad was a little stud back then, tailback/d-back on the football team and he went to state in wrestling at least twice that I can remember, also did rodeos in the summer. Looking forward to seeing this kid in the majors some day.
I'm reading stuff about a bad storm in New Orleans. Hope our NOLA contingent is safe and well.
Got a new app today called Gametime that lets you buy tickets with your phone with instant delivery. Some good deals, too, upper decks seats as low as five bucks, depending on yada yada. I may end up at the ballpark more often than normal this year.
If you are like me and cant fall asleep, or if you are a night owl, of if you want to go to work tomorrow on little sleep, Nashville-Chicago in 2nd overtime on NBCSN.
Trey had probably his best game of the year. He gave up just four runs in three innings with five strikeouts and just one walk allowed to lead the Newmark Diamondbacks to a 10-6 win over the Cardinals. He threw 60 pitches, 38 for strikes. Trey also had a single and a walk in his two PAs. He got the game ball afterwards.
Both the Twins and Wolves play at the same time tonight. What game are you going to watch?
Hawks/Perds.
Gotta watch Russ.
I joked with a co-worker today that Russ would go for 70 tonight. I didn't think it would actually happen.....
I have the fortunate situation of not being able to watch either.
I'll be at the Twins game and turned down Wolves tickets
Uh, Spooky, this doesn't mean a change of employment does it?
Nah, that would have been THE END
...of my employment.
Just "Taxman" lyrics.
Passed by some interesting waterfowl on my drive this morning, including some Common Goldeneyes (it makes me think of Lonnie Lynn being in a James Bond movie...) and a Double-crested Cormorant.
COGOs this late? They've been absent around here for at least a fortnight. (Though I saw some and one Common Merganser out in Pope County on Easter Weekend.)
I had both Winged Teal on Monday afternoon (Blue-winged and Green-winged). I've been surprised at the absence of Blue-wings thus far, as everything else is coming through. I hadn't seen any Green-wings in MN before this spring (I had seen a bunch in Vancouver), but this was my second sighting around here this spring. I had seen both on Pope County, too.
I've had a good string of First-of-years, one a day since Saturday: Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Kestrel, B-w Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, and White-throated Sparrow (this morning).
I'm further north now. In fact, I was in Pope county when I saw them.
As I drive between work and home, I've seen more Northern Flickers this spring than I can believe. Many many raptors (some easily identifiable - Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles - but lots that I'm not quite quick enough to identify definitively.). Also, lots of what appear to be Kestrels perched on wires, but since I'm just seeing them from the front/bottom, they're a little tricky to ID for sure. How much bigger are merlins? How likely that merlins would be similarly perched on wires? Any realistic non-raptors that would look like a raptor perched on a wire?
Lots of Flickers here by the Coon Rapids Dam, more steady appearance than volume of birds. Like, you'll hear at least one every five minutes of walking or something.
Haven't had so many raptors. (But Osprey are back on their nest.)
When in doubt, assume Red-tailed Hawk. You've got potential for a few more out your way, though. Swainson's, maybe Ferruginous and Prairie Falcon, probably more Golden Eagles.
But also more Red-tail variation possible, too.
Those are Kestrels on the wires. I probably saw 20 on the drive from Sauk Centre to Glenwood on the Friday before Easter.
Merlins aren't really bigger (longer, wingspan), but they're more massive. I don't have the same wire habit and high April frequency. Maybe 1%-2% of those could be Merlins.
Probably fewer Merlins than misidentified Mourning Doves, Pigeons, and Robins.
Passed by some interesting
waterfowlducks.FTFY
Some aren't ducks.
Some are coots, some are grebes, some are loons.
Not sure if "interesting coot" is oxymoronic.
Foolish and eccentric old men are always interesting.
I did observe a pair of White-tufted Codgers having it out in the Costco parking lot over a bag of McDonalds' fries. Interesting specimens, indeed.
They can be misidentified. Did you hear the "roundabouts?!!?" call that confirms the ID?
Veeeeery tangentially related, I saw a guy the other night wearing a t-shirt that read, "It's gray duck, not goose." He said when he wears the shirt outside of MN, people assume it's some sort of vodka reference.
Heh.
Morning game alert: Rochester is at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 9:35 this morning. Alex Meyer is the scheduled starter for the Red Wings.
Bad day for Meyer. 3.2 innings, seven hits, five walks, five runs. He did strike out six. Red Wings trail 5-4 in the sixth as I write this.
A younger version of Deduno.
If he has a magical zoomball, I say that they should be strongly considering his promotion. If he has a woven necklace to nibble on occasionally, I have to ask why he isn't here already.
If his control doesn't get better, he'll be an older version of Shooter Hunt.
May averaged .5 walks per 9 more in the minors than Meyer, so I'm not too worried at this point.
I wasn't particularly worried coming into this year, but he's now walked eleven guys in 8.2 innings. Small sample size, obviously. It could be a fluke, or a mechanical problem, or an injury, or something else we don't know about. Still, eleven walks in 8.2 innings is a lot of walks.
Wings with 5 in the 9th to win 11-6. Bullpen with another stellar game. LEN3 the other day basically hinted that the Twins wouldn't be making any changes in the bullpen anytime soon because the "Twins know what they have in Rochester."
meaning they're tanking to delay service clocks?
likely just semantics at this point, but perhaps meaning they're delaying service clocks and the result is tanking.
I wish I could believe even that. But after never giving Anthony Slama a chance (and yes, he may have been terrible anyway), I'll believe it when I see it.
I guess I meant it more in a cynical/facetious manner - I have no idea what the FO plan is (and sometimes wonder if they have any idea either).
It's kind-of the low-hanging fruit at this point, but Gleeman at least compiles some raw numbers for us: Poor bullpen construction = poor relief pitching.
I still don't understand the Thielbar & Tonkin demotions in favor of Boyer/Duensing/Stauffer...spring training results be damned.
I get Duensing--he's been around for several years, he was competent last year, and has a good record against left-handers. I never got Boyer or Stauffer.
Pepper,
If you were wearing a ponytail, you beat me to the dropoff point today.
Saw you crossing Hennepin north of the library.
It had seemed that my bus was slow.
Then it was me. I was on the bus 10 minutes earlier than the one that typically allows us to cross paths. I did look in the direction of the library while waiting to cross Hennepin, but I didn't know exactly where to look for you. I also thought of deviating from my normal path to walk through the library and thereby increase the chances I'd encounter you, but that felt wrong somehow.
I've been watching the development a young player named Brandon Nimmo the last couple of years. He's with the Binghamton Mets, Double-A Eastern League this season. I knew his parents in high school, was actually with them on their first date as we doubled for a Sadie Hawkins dance my junior or senior year (his mom's best friend was my date). His dad was a little stud back then, tailback/d-back on the football team and he went to state in wrestling at least twice that I can remember, also did rodeos in the summer. Looking forward to seeing this kid in the majors some day.
http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=74351183&topic_id=&sid=milb&tcid=vpp_copy_74351183&v=3
So, was it tough finding Nimmo?
https://twitter.com/You_Found_Nimmo
I'm reading stuff about a bad storm in New Orleans. Hope our NOLA contingent is safe and well.
Got a new app today called Gametime that lets you buy tickets with your phone with instant delivery. Some good deals, too, upper decks seats as low as five bucks, depending on yada yada. I may end up at the ballpark more often than normal this year.
If you are like me and cant fall asleep, or if you are a night owl, of if you want to go to work tomorrow on little sleep, Nashville-Chicago in 2nd overtime on NBCSN.
Trey had probably his best game of the year. He gave up just four runs in three innings with five strikeouts and just one walk allowed to lead the Newmark Diamondbacks to a 10-6 win over the Cardinals. He threw 60 pitches, 38 for strikes. Trey also had a single and a walk in his two PAs. He got the game ball afterwards.