84 thoughts on “September 25, 2017: Sweeps”

  1. Despite giving them a 97.7% chance of making the playoffs, ESPN's hunt for October still shows only the Royals. I kind of hope this never gets changed even after the Royals are eliminated. What's really impressive is that there is even space for the Twins since they have the Brewers and Cardinals both on their NL Central list.

        1. ESPN's cancellation of Baseball Tonight made it pretty clear that baseball is just an afterthought to them.

      1. someone started setting it up weeks ago, then everyone walked away from it
        This. But why are you watching it?

        1. Entertainment value at this point. It's already covered in a more thorough and better way about ten other places.

          Come to think of it, that just about sums up ESPN, in general.

          1. I was onstage with a guy whose zipper was down. He was a focal point for a moment in the scene. I was downstage of him and, after his line, I was able to saunter up near him and tell him.

            Black pants, bright red underwear. Poor dope.

    1. That's for the division. The Clevelands have clinched. The problem is that as the Royals faded, the Twins never really started to threaten for the division.
      But the real problem is F--- ESPN.

      1. I certainly wasn't saying F--- ESPN over this (there are plenty of other reasons to do that). Its very clear this was given to an intern. It is, however, a humorous situation.

  2. Weight loss update: This morning I weighed 185 pounds. That's down eighteen pounds from Peak Jeff on June 1. It seems slow when you live it, but looking back on it that's a pace of a little more than a pound a week. That seems pretty good to me.

      1. Especially over 18 weeks. Well done.

        I've been trying to getting myself into a mindset to start losing weight again. I'm trying better snacks and things like that. Right now the big hurdle is the bad habits, and not realizing I'm working against myself until it's too late, and I've already had that can of pop, etc.

      1. Mainly, it's due to a low-carb diet. No sweets, no potatoes, not much bread, not much milk or fruit juice. I eat mostly meat, cheese, green vegetables, melons, berries, etc. I try to exercise, too, and that's helpful. For me, though, I can lose weight by eating properly even if I don't exercise. I can't lose weight if I exercise and don't eat properly. Obviously, doing both is best, but if I have to choose, eating properly is more important.

        Mrs. A has helped me a lot. I have to avoid cheating, because for me a cheat day tends to become a cheat week and then a cheat month, and pretty soon I'm not on any sort of diet any more. I'm not saying I'll never have ice cream or potatoes ever again, but I'm not going to do it until my weight is down where I want it to be, and then (I hope) in strict moderation.

        1. Well done!

          My understanding, which matches with my own personal anecdotes, is that weight losses come from how much you eat, and muscle gains come from how much you exercise. I'm currently on the (slow) way down in weight, with little time for exercise, so limiting calorie intake has been key.

          Also, thanks for sharing this. Knowing others who are on that same path helps me personally keep it up. I haven't been succeeding for 18 weeks yet, but I hope to be there as well. Just got to keep on keeping on.

  3. I hate off days.

    Putting aside the playoff push, which is pretty much decided, what sort of player goals do you hold out for with this season's Twins? One obvious one is Dozier picking up another run to reach 100, and I'd like to see Bux continue the consecutive SB streak, plus I'd like Joe to improve his OBP even more. Can Joe get 16 hits and reach 2000? (yeah, I'd like to see that!)

    1. Sanó finishing the season with 30 homers would feel pretty good. Dozier getting to 35 or Rosario to 30 and Kepler to 20 would be nice. Buxton finishing with 20 homers & 30 steals would be pretty cool.

      I'd like to see Mauer get his X/H ratio as close to 30% as possible. I'd like to see him get this season's OBP as close to his career average as possible.

      Others: Escobar with an OBP over .310. Granite with an SLG above .300. Berríos with a WHIP below 1.200 and a K/9 of 9.0. Gibson getting his H/9 under 10 and his WHIP under 1.500. Colón keeping his WHIP under 1.500.

      Oh, and one 6+ inning outing from Mejía.

      1. Oh, and one 6+ inning outing from Mejía.

        Ha! But, on a sad note, it's been five starts since he even finished the fifth inning. Eight since he finished the sixth.

        1. A lot of that is manager's decision. He was pitching well his last start when he gave up an infield hit with 2 outs and the withered husk of Miguel Cabrera due up and was pulled with the Twins leading by 3 runs in the fifth inning.

      1. This era needs a play on words with "outrageous," somehow. The "Outrageous 20-teens". No, that sucks.

        But I totally agree on needing some levity. What will this do societally/generationally? At some point you just can't keep hating everything, right? Is there going to have to be an "aw, F-it" generation? Like a return to the 60's? Somebody's going to start doing a lot of drugs. No, dang, there are a lot of people already doing that. But not in a peace and love kind of way...Somebody table this one for tomorrow. There are smart people here I'd rather hear muse than me...

        1. What about "ultimate" instead of "outrageous." Like... the way things are going these are the pen"ultimate" years?

    1. Found it amusing until his page took me down the rabbit hole of his spat with Keith Law. That spat is so representative of what is wrong. Both guys overreacting and pushing it to def con 3.

      When we no longer argue face to face in the world, but instead argue via facebook, twitter, etc, we lose the ability to understand one another. We lose the ability to find common ground. We lose the ability to reconcile. We lose the ability to genuinely forgive. We lose the ability, because we lose the desire to do so. When we read comments on social media, we filter it through solely our own experience and expectations. We can't read body language, tone, inflection, eye contact, or any other tool that helps us understand. Then, we overreact, we take it more personal, we change the meaning of the comment and then we shoot first aim later. Then comments roll in taking one side or the other, and we find enough evidence to make us feel like we are 100% right.

      What is funny, is CJ is lamenting social media overreactions, then he immediately overreacts on social media.

      Per spooky's question below: I dub this the Virtual Era. We live fake lives. We have fake conversations and arguments. Our outdoor playgrounds are empty. Our virtual playgrounds are full. We no longer step into brick and mortar stores to purchase with our REAL senses. We shop virtually now. We spend virtual money, so thus struggle to understand what real money is. Our country struggles to problem solve because those in power have lost the ability to sit down and have a real conversation with the desire to truly solve the problem. Instead they want to win the sound bite war. It's more about politicians winning the day, versus the general public ever winning. When I watch national news I feel like I am watching a video game in an alternate universe. A giant game of rock em sock em robots. I loved that game as a kid, but at some point I grew up and lost interest. Maybe as a society, we will eventually tire of the virtual game and live life again for real. And... regarding drugs in comments below: I have not touched a left handed cigarette in 20+ years, but the past 9 months have tested my resolve.

      1. It's incredible how closely this matches my own thoughts - specifically the ones that had me asking about the name of this era. I've argued so little on social media in the past four years or so, it's becoming a struggle to remember I ever did it at all, let alone so vehemently. If I'm arguing online, it's in the hopes of winning a game with established parameters, and is unlikely to be about anything important.

        I wrestled for some time with the decision. I didn't want to come off as avoidant, but this change has had a positive effect on my happiness and, much more importantly, the happiness of my family.

        1. I have not bothered to enter the realm of 140-characters because so few people know how to craft a meaningful and understandable statement (or response) in that limited space, and it gives too large a soapbox to people who don't use soap.

          1. This.

            But I do love meaningful and well-crafted statements, so for me engaging with the right people on platforms like FB works well.

          2. I basically use Twitter as a landing page to follow web writers I like. They link to their own articles and other articles I wouldn't find on my own.

        2. I sometimes read social media arguments for a laugh, as I also stopped engaging a while ago. Like you, it has lead to more happiness.

  4. I still get the Country Messenger to keep up on doings in Scandia & Marine on St. Croix.

    A M.O.S.C. homeowner recently asked county investigators to hold someone responsible for the bullets that ripped into his house, narrowly missing wife+daughter. The bullets came in around head-high, and implanted into the wall. The females were home at the time, "literally feet away".

    The homeowner came to the sheriff, who ended up fluxing (Sconnie word for swimming but staying in the same place), and said that they had multiple people admitting to shooting said rifle in question, i.e. they can't put it on one person. There was nothing in the town ordinances to cover this (Marine does not allow discharge of rifles in the city, but the gun was shot in May township, where guns can be fired within 500 ft of other's residences).

    I'm thinking Wow, what if one of the women had been shot - what then?

    1. Mike Trout homers to make it 3-2 after five. Houston had an eight-run inning in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead on Texas after four.

  5. I was supposed to be at a show in Morrison, CO right now ... except I spent all my vacation and dough in Napa last month. Le sigh

      1. I'd be interested in hearing about this too. Heading to Marin County in 2 weeks, including a one day trip to Napa.

          1. Ayup.

            Flights purchased using cc miles, so we could splurge a bit elsewhere.

            We stayed at a really great B&B - The Inn on First - a bit pricey (relatively speaking ... it's Napa, so I dunno), but well worth it and highly recommended. Amazing breakfasts.

            In Napa, we ate at Celadon for our "special" dinner & the Oxbow Public Market twice. We also bought meat, cheese, fruit & crackers there sufficient for 2 lunches.
            OPM
            - Hog Island Oyster Bar ... amazeballs
            - C Casa ... tacos omg!

            Celadon
            I had the Pan Roasted Scallops with roasted corn, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, pea tendrils - best scallop dish I've ever had.
            She had Moroccan-Braised Lamb Shank on a bed of golden raisin and toasted almond couscous - it was too rich for her (after a day of drinking wine). I thought the lamb was flavorful and fall-off-teh-bonz tender, but I wouldn't order it again.

            We ended up visiting 6 wineries over two days. My wife mostly drinks cab, so that's what we were looking for, but at each place, we found some excellent surprises (Goosecross petit syrah!?! yes please).
            In rough order of favorite -> good:

            Miner Family Winery/Pride Mountain Vineyard
            Jessup Cellars/Goosecross Cellars
            Regusci Winery*/Honig Vineyard & Winery

            *This winery was beautiful and the wine was good, but the tasting experience wasn't all that. Think it was just an off-day for our host, but still...

        1. Check out Muir Woods in Marin. Huge Redwoods in a place where it was too difficult to cut them down and haul them out.

          'Bout an hour from SanFranCisco, and a cool spot. Rent a car and get there early before all the buses show up. Surreal.

    1. Also - Napa was definitely worth it, but the "...show in Morrison, CO" I references was Sturgill at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre.

  6. I am a sentimental sap, but the NFL just ran a really good advert at the start of the halftime show. "Inside these lines."

    1. I'm almost dumbfounded that these other teams are losing to the likes of the A's and White Sox. I know its just for the right to be ignored during a one-game playoff against the only team anyone, anywhere cares about, but, like, do you even care?

      1. It is pretty amazing to see them lose this much down the stretch. But that's baseball. I'm sure they're trying, but sometimes trying isn't enough. Plus, the teams "chasing" the Twins all have sub-.500 records, so it's not like they've been all that good the rest of the season, either.

        1. True enough. I guess its just sort of shocking, like looking into a mirror and seeing a past version of yourself that lost a lot of games down the stretch.

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