54 thoughts on “December 6, 2017: Updated Expectations”

  1. There are two things preventing me from getting hyped about watching the Wolves right now (because honestly, 14-11 should be somewhat exciting considering their usual 25 game record in previous seasons): Canada is having their Olympic curling trials this week on ESPN3 and the knowledge that Wiggins will jack up terrible turnaround after terrible turnaround.

    1. My favorite offensive set in basketball is "the wing pounds the air out of the ball, goes on a mud run, and then pulls up."

      Maybe Towns will average more than one shot a quarter over the first 3 quarters of the game tonight, though.

  4. Best Of schedule:

    Date Citizen
    12/11/2017 CarterHayes
    12/12/2017 nibbish
    12/13/2017 Rhubarb_Runner
    12/14/2017 Zack
    12/15/2017 Pepper
    12/16/2017 Philosofer
    12/17/2017 cheaptoy
    12/18/2017 davidwatts
    12/19/2017 spookymilk
    12/20/2017 AMR
    12/21/2017 New Britain Bo
    12/22/2017 Can of Corn
    12/23/2017 freealonzo

    I'll send out an email with some instructions in a little bit.

  5. The Great Bowling Experiment:
    Well...I bowled a 90 and a 119. Probably the first surprise is when I half-bounced the first 3-4 bowls; turns out the little extra height from the hip replacements had fouled with my release point a tad. The other problem I had was that I came down with a cold in the middle of this business trip, and was on meds. Not sure what its effect was, but I'm embracing it as a valid excuse. All said though, it was fun, and the price was right (thank you, IT department).

    Oh, also I used Uber for the first time last night. Pretty straightforward.

  6. Rafael Palmeiro wants to make a comeback at age fifty-three.

    If he can do it, more power to him. I have to think, though, that at this point he and I have about the same chance of playing major league baseball, which is to say none at all.

  7. Twins hire Duke pitching coach Pete Maki as their new minor league pitching coordinator. Give Falvey and Levine credit, they're thinking outside the box on some of these hires.

    1. There's some scary stuff going on around here. This fortunately for my family is not near our house. We had 2 small fires near us yesterday. The closest one was being blown away from us and the other one was 100% contained last night, so it was nerveracking yesterday. Unfortunately, we have 2 more days of the very highest fire danger due to high winds, extremely low humidity and lots of fuel because of last year's wet winter. The winds are pretty calm right now, but it is supposed to pick up tonight and peak early tomorrow morning. Right now, we're just constantly on the lookout for new plumes of smoke. One of the fires yesterday was started when wind blew over a power line. It's been a long time since it's been this bad of a fire danger, but that was mostly because the drought was do bad that there wasn't much fuel besides trees.

      2. I remember well watching the wildfires come up over the ridge line on Camp Pendleton. Spooky stuff to see, awful for public health all around the region, and devastating to anyone caught in its path. Hang in there, socal.

        1. Thanks. We've been real lucky so far in that we can't even smell smoke here. I've "only" had to evacuate my house once, and that was more than a decade ago. We stayed at a friend's house overnight when Junior was little with our dog and cat freaking out. I remember being able to drive back to my house the next day not knowing whether it was still there. Fortunately, the fire went around our neighborhood, but that was not fun times.

      1. I can't watch the video because work, but Getty Ctr Dr/Sunset/Wilshire are 405 exits in the Sepulveda pass, the lifeline between LA proper and The Valley. I spent an unfortunately long chunk of my life on that highway.

  9. As reported by Wisconsin Public Radio:

    Notaro is a senior scientist and the associate director of the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He says researchers at the Nelson Institute expect temperatures in Wisconsin to rise by 6 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

    Average temperatures in northwest Wisconsin have already risen 3 degrees over the past 60 years. And these temperature increases have been most significant during the winter months, Notaro said.

    “Lake Mendota now has an ice season that’s about a month shorter than it used to be," he said. "The Great Lakes are a lot more open in terms of water and lack of ice. By the end of the century we’re predicting anywhere from four to seven weeks less with snow on the ground."

    I have begun grieving for the climate I love and called home.

    1. I recommend the Bill Nye documentary. Very interesting look at his fight for science literacy.

      I like Bill's focus on education better than Degrasse Tyson's focus on ridicule.

  10. The latest 99% Invisible is pretty great. Talks about automobile safety. The first challenge was to convince people that cars could actually be made safer. At one time, people said cars don’t kill people, people do. Heh.

      1. His BR.com page says California State University Long Beach. Is that that same as Long Beach State University? Because I really want a Dirtbag playing for the Twins.

          1. Right. Some years ago (1972, in fact) the CSU system officially renamed all of the schools to the CSU-placename structure in a rebranding spasm. A legislator then pushed through a bill allowing in individual schools to revert back to their old names. About half did (SF State, San Diego State, etc.).

    4. Ken Rosenthal now reporting Twins also acquiring minor league outfielder Jacob Pearson from the Angels for $1M in international slot money. Pearson was a third-round pick in the June draft. I'm guessing the Ohtani sweepstakes are going to be decided pretty soon.

      1. Thing that seems unlikely, but would be awesome: Twins get more career WAR from these two players than Ohtani contributes ever, after signing with a different team.

          1. I mean, they didn't even trade real money, right? Just an ability to spend money. That's pretty sweet.

        3. I want Otani to be awesome, because I think it'd be great for baseball, but I'd love for Banuelos and/or Pearson to be awesome, as well.

            1. That's what I figured.

              I have to say, I'm fascinated by the possibilities of Ohtani. The idea of an actual two way player is catnip to me. I hope he exceeds the hype.

              Which means that I hope he goes to...say...the Padres. I mean, hey, if the city is going to factor into his decision, it ought to be San Diego, right?

  14. This is maybe the second T-Wolves game I've seen this year. Loving Butler, and loving Lindsay Whalen in the booth. Definitely on the Mount Rushmore of Minnesota sports players.

      1. Both, I think? I don't know. I'd have to give it thought. But when you factor in her collegiate career with the fact that she's one of the top ten in her sport's history, I think she qualifies.

        I was a fan of hers in college, and I was happy when the Lynx went out and got her.

        1. Top ten in her sport's history?

          She has been a great player, but...I would be hard pressed to put her in the top ten all-time in WNBA history, let alone the women's game overall.

        2. I think she is Mt. Rushmore material. She took MN high school girls sports to a whole new level. She put the Gophers Womens team on the map. She is a huge part of the Lynx success both on and off the court. I typically think "legend" is an overused term in sports, but Whalen is a living legend in these parts.

            1. I had the same thought exactly.

              I have great appreciation for Whalen. She clearly belongs on the Minnesota sports Rushmore. She is among the very best players in WNBA history and is a first-ballot HOFer. But I would say "top twenty" is a more comfortable assessment than "top ten." I guess that would be a niggle more than an argument.

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