91 thoughts on “June 26, 2019: Pico”

  2. I have this feelings with Judge and Stanton back that the Yankees are going to pass the Twins in homers the last week of the season.

    Also, Brad Hand blows a three run lead to the Royals. Nice

  3. Hold on to your butts:

    [MLBTR] While Minnesota owns the American League’s best record at 51-27, it’s not resting on its laurels with the July 31 trade deadline approaching. The club has “strong interest” in Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. The Twins are not on Bumgarner’s limited no-trade list, as Nightengale notes, so he wouldn’t be able to stand in the way of a deal.

    It is Bob Nightengale, so consume sodium chloride liberally, but it might be a fortuitous the Twins didn't build their riverfront ballpark, after all.

        1. And now Passan is pumping the brakes (he's saying they're more interested in Will Smith). I have a feeling we're in for several more takes before this is through.

    2. I will go on record saying I am really not excited about Bumgarner. I would rather see 2 quality bullpen arms. I could see Bumgarner coming into our clubhouse and wrecking the party.

      1. I saw Mackey raise the point the after Verlander went from the Tigers (old school) to the Astros (new school) he strangely became significantly improved, even after it looked like he was on the decline. One could argue the Giants could be lumped in with the Tigers.

        Not saying I would pull the trigger, but something to consider.

        1. One could argue the Giants could be lumped in with the Tigers.

          And I'm even more excited about lumping the Twins with the Astros.

        2. Both of these thoughts crossed my mind, too. This clubhouse seems to have very good balance, and it'd be a shame to upset the apple cart.

          The thing with Verlander is that he seems to have been very receptive to the information provided by the Astros. Could the same be expected of Bumgarner? Given his public disposition, I have my doubts.

        3. As much as I enjoy the Twins being lumped in with the Astros, this is some poor retconning of Verlander. Verlander had a bad 2014 (0.4 rWAR!) and a bounceback 2015 (2.3 rWAR). For 2016, he was 33 years old and had pitched a lot of innings. So obviously he puts up 7.2 rWAR, his third best season in his career. This was still with the Tigers. Bumgarner's best season was 2015 at 5.1 rWAR. Verlander has had six seasons at least that good. He had 4.5 rWAR with the Tigers prior to his August trade. Verlander did not have his resurgence because of the trade. Bumgarner probably won't either.

          One could argue the Giants could be lumped in with the Tigers.

          I have one inside thing about baseball, and it's about the Giants, and it disputes this. It's not that they secretly lead baseball in information but I would argue they're more in the middle than "old-school".

          1. It think what you're saying is fair. I think it's harder to answer whether Verlander maintains that resurgence as effectively as he has without the Astros' influence.

            1. Or their stellar fielding. Which I think counts as influence but not from imparting new knowledge.

      2. I like MadBum just fine, but agree that I would not pay much to rent him.

        His ERA is up this year, but his FIP has moved only a bit from the last two, injury-shortened seasons (both just under 4.00; this year, 4.22). He's right at his career K rate (8.7 per 9) and BB rate (2.0 per 9). HRs are up a bit, which is concerning, since SF's park is not exactly a hitter's paradise. His BABIP is up (.305 compared to a career .285 per fangraphs; .313 vs career .289 per b-r), so results to date could reflect a string of bad luck.

        But he has been terrible against RH batters this year (292/339/493 compared to 236/303/404 last year and 242/294/390 for his career).

        1. HRs are up a bit, which is concerning

          They're up league-wide. Since Verlander was brought up by Mackey, he's at his career worst home run rate too and it's a big change from his previous worst (1.6 versus multiple seasons at 1.2).

    3. I've been hearing this for at least a week now. As with all trade rumors, I'll get interested in it if/when it actually happens.

    1. Well, now I know what speed it takes for the Nebraska State Patrol to pull over a vehicle with in-state plates. They sure were more interested in my inconspicuous blue, Minnesota-plated Volvo wagon than they were the pack of Nebraska SUVs & pickups I was running ten over with on I-80.

    2. In a way, everyone is right on this.

      Basically, there is a difference, but there is not really a difference. You say tomato (chopped chunky with distinct ingredients visible) and I say tomato (more blended with a sauce like quality). 🙂

      3. also, with all due respect to the kitchen, they are wrong. Salsa does not need to be cooked or blended to be salsa. That's why the term salsa fresca exists, after all.

        the author managed to contradict herself in the span of a paragrah:

        Depending on the recipe, the ingredients for salsa and pico de gallo can be nearly identical. What sets these two condiments apart is their texture and whether the ingredients are cooked or uncooked.

        More About Salsa
        Salsa, the Spanish word for sauce, can refer to cooked or fresh mixtures.

        I mean, come on. Pay attention to your own work, people.

        1. The fun thing about food. There are personally preferences, geographical references and all kinds of other variables. Wish we had someone in our group who has been a chef fro 25+ years to give an opinion on this. 🙂 🙂

      1. I cannot imagine a world without mushrooms, yet due to my children, I rarely cook with mushrooms at home. 🙁

        1. I cannot imagine a world without mushrooms, and my children can just pick around them.

          1. Yes, in fact, my frozen pizza last night had olives and mushrooms on it which paired perfectly with my red wine.

          2. Those are the two things I always pick off. More for the Permanent Roommate and Little One.

        1. I had a feeling we'd get to mushrooms eventually. I had some leftover mushrooms from making pizza the other day so I fried em up and put them in a fajita.

                2. You know what makes Beef Stroganoff one of my go to comfort foods? Gobs and Gobs of sauteed mushrooms.

    1. I always liked the guy, as he had a passion for exploring and enjoying great food. Yes, he could occasionally be an a-hole, but it was his passion that drove him. He was near the top of my list of food critics, food show hosts, etc. Bottom of my list? 1) Guy Fieri - love DDD, but can't stand the clown hosting the show. 2) Gordon Ramsey - he gives Chef's a bad name. The dude can cook, but is a jackwagon.

      1. I agree on DDD being a fun show, despite Fieri's sometimes grating personality (and generally crappy restaurants). Counterpoint -- he obviously has fun with the show. At its best, he shows real appreciation for the places he visits and the people doing the work.

        Bourdain is polarizing. I loved Kitchen Confidential and his shows. The missus could not stand him.

          1. One of my signature items at the joint (Korean BBQ Beef Tacos) was inspired by a DDD visit to a North Shore Food Truck.

        3. The hatred for Fieri is ridiculous. It sounds like he's a pretty good guy. Supports charity. Supports independent businesses.

          One great thing about his show is that it got my kids to try new restaurants. We'll specifically look for DDD restaurants while traveling instead of the typical chains.

          2. I should clarify, I guess I don't hate him, but the schtick over the last 10 years has gotten to the point that he really annoys me. I have read enough about him to gleam that he is not exactly the guy you see on TV. My whole family watches the show as we are all foodies and there are some pretty cool places and dishes he features. Not sure how much credit to give him on the charity and independent business aspects you mention. His show is directly about independent restaurants, so his pockets are getting lined by supporting them. Charity? A lot of people with a lot less money and fame give a lot more to charity than he does. I think it all boils down to the fact that I don't think he is as talented of a chef as his fame makes him out to be. He is famous because he is so "over the top.. yuk yuk". I know a ton of chefs who feel the same way about him as I do. He is an entertainer, not a celebrity chef.

      2. This reminds me... I never got around to my Mount Rushmore of cooking, or whatever that was... but for me it was something like: Alton, Flay, America's Test Kitchen, and José Andrés. Jeffrey Steingarten gets an honorable mention (I'd group him with Alton, actually).

        1. I begrudgingly have Flay towards the top of my list. Something about him grates on me, but I must give him some credit. He has taken on some really talented chefs on his multiple shows and has a great record. He is not the one trick pony I initially thought he was. Dude can throw down.

          1. I watched a lot of Food Network when he was all over the place, and learned a lot from him.

  8. Anyone ever been to the MN amateur baseball HOF in St. Cloud? I just walked past and it looks really cool. I am definitely going to take a lunch break one of these days to go explore it.

    1. Yeah, I was at a Education Technology conference in that building over the Winter. From independent Negro League stuff (which was probably my favorite part) to a lot of town ball stuff dating way back to the early 1900s. There is a lot of great stuff there.

  11. Who is Jason Castro to jack a donger to left center field off Charlie Morton in the 4th inning for $100 Alex. (Thats my pick tonight)

      1. please scale them down when you do

        After my Garver pick yesterday, I'm going after the Yanks consecutive HR record, and Luis is just crazy enough to go deep tonight

  12. So, in the last hour I have had my closing dining room supervisor and closing server both call off with emergency trips to the ER. The joy of this business!

      1. One with a herniated disk (why ER??) and one possible appendix. She may have also eaten olives or mushrooms or undercooked salsa.

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