Apparently the supplies to make a new Cup burned up in the bonfire. Here are some fresh ones.
42 thoughts on “May 23, 2016: Fresh coffee”
Not sure if this image will work: it was "Asparagus Night" for the Stockton Ports Saturday, and local boy Brett Graves threw 8 shutout innings. Dig the uni:
What I coincidence! I just had asparagus for dinner last night!
Home grown, from our middling hills. Second year of harvesting. There are some wild feral ones around, but I haven't find their shoots yet.
On the one hand there's the Twins' training staff, and what seems to be a pattern of under-diagnosing injuries and their severity. On the other hand there's columns like Souhan's* saying it looks bad that guys aren't playing through injuries, etc. I wonder if the later contributes to the former?
*I will give him a bit of credit, as this time he put a fair number of qualifiers in the article saying only the players really know how injured they are, etc. I think the better course is to not write the column in the first place, but I do think I'm detecting some growth in him as a writer, as he's at least including caveats.
He's putting in caveats that say "I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm going to stir up a bunch of angry fans anyways."
It is quite a hit piece.
Hughes recovered and only gave up 3 runs yesterday, but he didn't strike anyone out and (at least from what I read) Toronto was hitting the ball hard despite not scoring after the first inning. Perkins looked horrible early in the season.
Why would you want anyone playing through an injury if it makes them worse than a potential replacement? I can remember Punto and Hunter being tough guys and fighting through the pain in the past and playing horribly because of it.
I remember the playing horribly part.
Yeah, that's what I really don't get is the whole we want a bunch of tough guys that play no matter what. All it does is make guys play horribly and the injuries linger longer. Isn't this why you have depth in your organization so other players can step up and fill in. Even if the replacements aren't any better than the starters playing injured, it would at least allow the starters to heal more quickly and get back to playing at a higher level. I also think that Gardy and Molitor both rely too much on starters playing every day, which wears them down and leads to more injuries. TK was really good at using his whole bench and even using platoons (I know, right?). Fans would complain about day game lineups, but the bench players were better because they were used more often and the starters were better because they would get regular rest and were less prone to injury. Plus, you can take advantage of platoon situations even if you don't have a true platoon.
I was looking at the 80s lineups the other day and had the same thought. Very few of the players played every day. Puckett did, and Gaetti generally did. But nearly every lefty was platooned, even Hrbek at times (or he was dropped lower in the order). Kelly even platooned Jacque Jones and A.J. Pierzynski before Gardenhire took over and decided batting Jacque first, even against lefties, was a great idea. Bush and Larkin could spell several players and Al Newman very poorly spelled the rest.
Phil Miller at the Strib had a good article about this a couple of weeks ago. Partially blame the 13 man rotation. that just leaves a few guys on the bench available to platoon or come in late at games, plus don't even get started on the saving a catcher issue.
Some have suggested a 28-man roster but three would be designated as not available to play, like the NBA, NHL, and to an extent the NFL does. Then you could have your 13 man pitching roster but the last three starting pitchers would be designated as "not available." Thus leaving more players on the bench for platoons, splits, late inning replacements.....
And then how long before they just have 16 man pitching staffs?
This. It has little to do with roster size and a lot more to do with decision making.
That's the counter argument no doubt. However the Twins can't even find enough pitchers to adequately fill out a 13-man rotation. Can't fathom what pitchers 14-16 would look like.
I think "very poorly" might be a too harsh description of Newman. He was worth 2.1 rWAR in 1987-91 for the Twins, which is decent for a bench player. He couldn't hit for average or power, but he walked enough to be able to take advantage of his speed and he was solid defensively in the middle infield. Plus, he had his best offensive season the one year he had regular playing time (1989). He was basically Punto before Punto but only had one season in which he was needed to be a regular player.
I remember Morneau batting about .100 through a broken bone in his back and almost killing the playoff chances for the year.
Cuddyer was another one who had a poor year while playing through an injury.
Right. Just admitting that first part is pretty novel for the Strib.
We're living in post-ii times...
It was the best of tiimes, it was the worst of tiimes.
Re: Bonfires
All of you yesterday with your neighborly bonfires...I thought a bonfire was where you have a giant pile of brush and broken pallets and burnable stuff you've collected for a while and then you have a party and hope you don't burn down adjacent forest or neighborhoods.
Maybe we're not talking about the same thing?
That is honestly my recollection of things called "bonfires" as well. When we're having a fire, we're generally just say "we're having a fire", though "we're having a bonfire" does theoretically sound quite a bit more pleasing.
I agree. "We're having a fire," just sounds so vague. My immediate thought is, "And...should I call 911?"
"Having a fire" sounds like work
"Having a bonfire" sounds like there will be beer involved.
Lets not forget the books.
I agree, but gave up the fight long ago. Usage creates new meanings, and all that.
Yeah, we don't call it a bonfire either. We don't even call it a fire. Just a raised fire pit placed in the middle of someone's driveway and everyone potlucks
That's what I do. Cottonwoods, buckthorn, etc.
Lost an apple last year to fire blight, so we burned a lot of that, too. Now a home-smoker friend says he wants any other fruitwood we have to remove. He'll drive down from St. Cloud, cut down the trees, and remove the wood himself.
If anyone wants some cottonwood trees to use for fires, feel free to come chop a couple down from my yard.
Inaugural WGOM Bonfire.
How long do you have to let a cottonwood tree dry out before attempting to burn?
This past weekend I went to the Geekway to the West board came convention in St. Louis. Played 16 different board games, many of which were for the first time.
The big hit for me was the game Scythe. They did a play-and-win with this game, and the waiting list was a full page. One of my friends got there early to get us on the list. Then, ironically, when they called our names, he wasn't able to play. Still, it was a tremendous gaming experience and I highly recommend checking this game out. However, it's not even coming out til later this summer. The copy that was given away was #8. Alas, I did not win the game, but I did procure a number of other games via purchase and trades. I had a fantastic time and plan to share more about it in a separate gaming post.
Player brings up complaint in person, privately in the clubhouse; Bremer airs it out publicly with fellow media member while patting himself on the back for being accessible and open to criticism. (I know he didn't name names, but the guy who said something will know).
Yeah, Dick, real classy.
I'm guessing it was a SP or a player on the DL. Otherwise, what are they doing watching the TV broadcast of the game.
Could have been relayed by one of those players.
They all have relatives and friends, too.
This was the single best night for all four of us to catch a game, so we're headed to Target Field for a likely rainout. Well, we'll still have fun hanging and eating at a restaurant in the park. Which one should we hit? Is Hrbek's any good?
(it is)
I wouldn't know, my step dad neglected to invite me to the preseason menu sampling. I would have given good input dammit!
Sheenie and I snuck into section 121. Try to join us.
Dang. Wish I had seen this earlier. Was going by ballpark at 7:05 and was "this close" to stopping and picking up,something cheap. Headed home instead.
Giants just won 1-0 on a two-out pop-up to right. Kemp was playing deep and could not get to it. Belt scored from first. Ridiculous.
Not sure if this image will work: it was "Asparagus Night" for the Stockton Ports Saturday, and local boy Brett Graves threw 8 shutout innings. Dig the uni:
What I coincidence! I just had asparagus for dinner last night!
Home grown, from our middling hills. Second year of harvesting. There are some
wildferal ones around, but I haven't find their shoots yet.On the one hand there's the Twins' training staff, and what seems to be a pattern of under-diagnosing injuries and their severity. On the other hand there's columns like Souhan's* saying it looks bad that guys aren't playing through injuries, etc. I wonder if the later contributes to the former?
*I will give him a bit of credit, as this time he put a fair number of qualifiers in the article saying only the players really know how injured they are, etc. I think the better course is to not write the column in the first place, but I do think I'm detecting some growth in him as a writer, as he's at least including caveats.
He's putting in caveats that say "I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm going to stir up a bunch of angry fans anyways."
It is quite a hit piece.
Hughes recovered and only gave up 3 runs yesterday, but he didn't strike anyone out and (at least from what I read) Toronto was hitting the ball hard despite not scoring after the first inning. Perkins looked horrible early in the season.
Why would you want anyone playing through an injury if it makes them worse than a potential replacement? I can remember Punto and Hunter being tough guys and fighting through the pain in the past and playing horribly because of it.
I remember the playing horribly part.
Yeah, that's what I really don't get is the whole we want a bunch of tough guys that play no matter what. All it does is make guys play horribly and the injuries linger longer. Isn't this why you have depth in your organization so other players can step up and fill in. Even if the replacements aren't any better than the starters playing injured, it would at least allow the starters to heal more quickly and get back to playing at a higher level. I also think that Gardy and Molitor both rely too much on starters playing every day, which wears them down and leads to more injuries. TK was really good at using his whole bench and even using platoons (I know, right?). Fans would complain about day game lineups, but the bench players were better because they were used more often and the starters were better because they would get regular rest and were less prone to injury. Plus, you can take advantage of platoon situations even if you don't have a true platoon.
I was looking at the 80s lineups the other day and had the same thought. Very few of the players played every day. Puckett did, and Gaetti generally did. But nearly every lefty was platooned, even Hrbek at times (or he was dropped lower in the order). Kelly even platooned Jacque Jones and A.J. Pierzynski before Gardenhire took over and decided batting Jacque first, even against lefties, was a great idea. Bush and Larkin could spell several players and Al Newman very poorly spelled the rest.
Phil Miller at the Strib had a good article about this a couple of weeks ago. Partially blame the 13 man rotation. that just leaves a few guys on the bench available to platoon or come in late at games, plus don't even get started on the saving a catcher issue.
Some have suggested a 28-man roster but three would be designated as not available to play, like the NBA, NHL, and to an extent the NFL does. Then you could have your 13 man pitching roster but the last three starting pitchers would be designated as "not available." Thus leaving more players on the bench for platoons, splits, late inning replacements.....
And then how long before they just have 16 man pitching staffs?
This. It has little to do with roster size and a lot more to do with decision making.
That's the counter argument no doubt. However the Twins can't even find enough pitchers to adequately fill out a 13-man rotation. Can't fathom what pitchers 14-16 would look like.
I think "very poorly" might be a too harsh description of Newman. He was worth 2.1 rWAR in 1987-91 for the Twins, which is decent for a bench player. He couldn't hit for average or power, but he walked enough to be able to take advantage of his speed and he was solid defensively in the middle infield. Plus, he had his best offensive season the one year he had regular playing time (1989). He was basically Punto before Punto but only had one season in which he was needed to be a regular player.
I remember Morneau batting about .100 through a broken bone in his back and almost killing the playoff chances for the year.
Cuddyer was another one who had a poor year while playing through an injury.
Right. Just admitting that first part is pretty novel for the Strib.
We're living in post-ii times...
It was the best of tiimes, it was the worst of tiimes.
Re: Bonfires
All of you yesterday with your neighborly bonfires...I thought a bonfire was where you have a giant pile of brush and broken pallets and burnable stuff you've collected for a while and then you have a party and hope you don't burn down adjacent forest or neighborhoods.
Maybe we're not talking about the same thing?
That is honestly my recollection of things called "bonfires" as well. When we're having a fire, we're generally just say "we're having a fire", though "we're having a bonfire" does theoretically sound quite a bit more pleasing.
I agree. "We're having a fire," just sounds so vague. My immediate thought is, "And...should I call 911?"
"Having a fire" sounds like work
"Having a bonfire" sounds like there will be beer involved.
Lets not forget the books.
I agree, but gave up the fight long ago. Usage creates new meanings, and all that.
Yeah, we don't call it a bonfire either. We don't even call it a fire. Just a raised fire pit placed in the middle of someone's driveway and everyone potlucks
That's what I do. Cottonwoods, buckthorn, etc.
Lost an apple last year to fire blight, so we burned a lot of that, too. Now a home-smoker friend says he wants any other fruitwood we have to remove. He'll drive down from St. Cloud, cut down the trees, and remove the wood himself.
If anyone wants some cottonwood trees to use for fires, feel free to come chop a couple down from my yard.
Inaugural WGOM Bonfire.
How long do you have to let a cottonwood tree dry out before attempting to burn?
This past weekend I went to the Geekway to the West board came convention in St. Louis. Played 16 different board games, many of which were for the first time.
The big hit for me was the game Scythe. They did a play-and-win with this game, and the waiting list was a full page. One of my friends got there early to get us on the list. Then, ironically, when they called our names, he wasn't able to play. Still, it was a tremendous gaming experience and I highly recommend checking this game out. However, it's not even coming out til later this summer. The copy that was given away was #8. Alas, I did not win the game, but I did procure a number of other games via purchase and trades. I had a fantastic time and plan to share more about it in a separate gaming post.
I am looking forward to this.
A Twins player called out Dick Bremer for being too critical.
I'd call him out on a dozen other things first.
Player brings up complaint in person, privately in the clubhouse; Bremer airs it out publicly with fellow media member while patting himself on the back for being accessible and open to criticism. (I know he didn't name names, but the guy who said something will know).
Yeah, Dick, real classy.
I'm guessing it was a SP or a player on the DL. Otherwise, what are they doing watching the TV broadcast of the game.
Could have been relayed by one of those players.
They all have relatives and friends, too.
This was the single best night for all four of us to catch a game, so we're headed to Target Field for a likely rainout. Well, we'll still have fun hanging and eating at a restaurant in the park. Which one should we hit? Is Hrbek's any good?
(it is)
I wouldn't know, my step dad neglected to invite me to the preseason menu sampling. I would have given good input dammit!
Sheenie and I snuck into section 121. Try to join us.
Dang. Wish I had seen this earlier. Was going by ballpark at 7:05 and was "this close" to stopping and picking up,something cheap. Headed home instead.
Giants just won 1-0 on a two-out pop-up to right. Kemp was playing deep and could not get to it. Belt scored from first. Ridiculous.
Johnny Cueto was dominant in a two-hitter.