So the Arizona Fall League, as far as the Twins are concerned, are done, but there is still baseball.
I don't have time to follow the Winter Leagues like I used to, but I'm going to pick out two teams for us to follow: Estrellas in the Dominican League (Miguel Sano plays for them) and Caribes in the Venezuelan League (Willians Astudillo plays for them). When I say "plays", well, they're on the team, and have played in some games this year. Winter league rosters tend to be pretty fluid--I don't know how much either of them will play going forward.
As we begin, Estrellas is 9-9, tied for third with the Toros, four games behind the first place Gigantes. Yesterday they defeated the Escogido Leones 9-3. Sano was 1-for-5 with a double. Estrellas was led at bat by Dairon Blanco, who was 2-for-4; Jose Tena, also 2-for-4; and Vidal Bruhan, who was 2-for-5. The leading pitcher was Domingo Robles, who struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up no hits and two walks. The win went to Gerson Moreno (2-1), who pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out three.
Caribes is 6-9, in eighth (last) place, five games behind Caracas. They did not play yesterday.
I've watched three Timberwolves games this year and have to say I'm pretty impressed so far, they're playing good ball right out of the chute. I think this is the year I get back into basketball, a lot of my childhood was wrapped up in the sport and the boys on the local HS team were like gods to us grade school kids.
Yeah, it's just different this year (he said for the eighth year in a row).
(But it really is just different this year, I know it.)
Dat defense.
It was impressive how, despite coming out flat in the first half (especially looking at you, Slo-Mo), they didn't fall into previous year's habits and eventually dominated.
If there's one thing that pissed me off, though, was the sudden shift in officiating in what I think was clearly for gambling reasons. The past few years of gambling/sports partnerships is so terrible for fans
Do you think Stern is in on it or do you think it's renegade refs? And if it's the refs, how would they as a group get away with it long-term?
I don't think Stern is, on account of him retiring years ago.
If Silver isn't in on it directly, he's certainly culpable for allowing the gambling sites to be sponsors. As for getting away with it, it almost seems like a "hey, someone already got caught, no way we'd be dumb enough to keep doing that." type of misdirection. I could also just be being a conspiracy theorist, but its hard to not go there with the way the officiating turned on a dime last night.
I was picturing Silver's face
I'll allow it.
The call that fouled McDaniel out of the game was...egregious.
Happy Veterans Day and belated Marine Corps birthday to those who celebrate. At our official state of Minnesota event this morning, I heard a new* variation on a theme, stated in a manner that resonated a bit more than I’d heard it said before, “Demonstrating support for our warriors doesn’t require expressing support for our wars.”
*not to diminish the message, but a person can only hear lines from Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address so many times before they cease to carry the weight they did the first time I heard them.
To those here who have worn a uniform or who have supported family or friends who’ve done so, thank you for your service.
Tom Bernard once very angrily said that you can't support the troops and hate the wars because the troops signed up for the wars. So to say you don't support the wars means you hate the soldiers.
I don't agree, and he's an insufferable prick, but it's just one of those things I remember. I wonder how common that sentiment is.
To dodge the forbidden zone a bit: I agree with you, and would go further to say that I believe it is patriotic to question and voice displeasure of things that you don't feel are right. Most military personnel (current and former) in my orbit tell me that they fight so that we have the right to support or protest what our government does. I would also extend that to my friends in law enforcement in my area. Most of them have no issue with locals who voice displeasure over police brutality.
First, f*** Tom Barnard, his opinion carries the weight of hydrogen in my book. I'm a pacifist. I oppose all war, every single one. Yet I respect and support our all-volunteer citizen soldiers even when I vehemently disagree with the civilian political leadership calling the tunes they dance to. And I grow weary of people who can't or won't handle nuance or ambiguity or complexity or fuzzy logic. The world is not just black and white or red and blue, it's every shade of grey and purple too, bitches.
I was blissfully unaware of Tom Barnard until now.
So the Arizona Fall League, as far as the Twins are concerned, are done, but there is still baseball.
I don't have time to follow the Winter Leagues like I used to, but I'm going to pick out two teams for us to follow: Estrellas in the Dominican League (Miguel Sano plays for them) and Caribes in the Venezuelan League (Willians Astudillo plays for them). When I say "plays", well, they're on the team, and have played in some games this year. Winter league rosters tend to be pretty fluid--I don't know how much either of them will play going forward.
As we begin, Estrellas is 9-9, tied for third with the Toros, four games behind the first place Gigantes. Yesterday they defeated the Escogido Leones 9-3. Sano was 1-for-5 with a double. Estrellas was led at bat by Dairon Blanco, who was 2-for-4; Jose Tena, also 2-for-4; and Vidal Bruhan, who was 2-for-5. The leading pitcher was Domingo Robles, who struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up no hits and two walks. The win went to Gerson Moreno (2-1), who pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out three.
Caribes is 6-9, in eighth (last) place, five games behind Caracas. They did not play yesterday.
I've watched three Timberwolves games this year and have to say I'm pretty impressed so far, they're playing good ball right out of the chute. I think this is the year I get back into basketball, a lot of my childhood was wrapped up in the sport and the boys on the local HS team were like gods to us grade school kids.
Yeah, it's just different this year (he said for the eighth year in a row).
(But it really is just different this year, I know it.)
Dat defense.
It was impressive how, despite coming out flat in the first half (especially looking at you, Slo-Mo), they didn't fall into previous year's habits and eventually dominated.
If there's one thing that pissed me off, though, was the sudden shift in officiating in what I think was clearly for gambling reasons. The past few years of gambling/sports partnerships is so terrible for fans
Do you think Stern is in on it or do you think it's renegade refs? And if it's the refs, how would they as a group get away with it long-term?
I don't think Stern is, on account of him retiring years ago.
If Silver isn't in on it directly, he's certainly culpable for allowing the gambling sites to be sponsors. As for getting away with it, it almost seems like a "hey, someone already got caught, no way we'd be dumb enough to keep doing that." type of misdirection. I could also just be being a conspiracy theorist, but its hard to not go there with the way the officiating turned on a dime last night.
I was picturing Silver's face
I'll allow it.
The call that fouled McDaniel out of the game was...egregious.
Happy Veterans Day and belated Marine Corps birthday to those who celebrate. At our official state of Minnesota event this morning, I heard a new* variation on a theme, stated in a manner that resonated a bit more than I’d heard it said before, “Demonstrating support for our warriors doesn’t require expressing support for our wars.”
*not to diminish the message, but a person can only hear lines from Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address so many times before they cease to carry the weight they did the first time I heard them.
To those here who have worn a uniform or who have supported family or friends who’ve done so, thank you for your service.
Tom Bernard once very angrily said that you can't support the troops and hate the wars because the troops signed up for the wars. So to say you don't support the wars means you hate the soldiers.
I don't agree, and he's an insufferable prick, but it's just one of those things I remember. I wonder how common that sentiment is.
To dodge the forbidden zone a bit: I agree with you, and would go further to say that I believe it is patriotic to question and voice displeasure of things that you don't feel are right. Most military personnel (current and former) in my orbit tell me that they fight so that we have the right to support or protest what our government does. I would also extend that to my friends in law enforcement in my area. Most of them have no issue with locals who voice displeasure over police brutality.
First, f*** Tom Barnard, his opinion carries the weight of hydrogen in my book. I'm a pacifist. I oppose all war, every single one. Yet I respect and support our all-volunteer citizen soldiers even when I vehemently disagree with the civilian political leadership calling the tunes they dance to. And I grow weary of people who can't or won't handle nuance or ambiguity or complexity or fuzzy logic. The world is not just black and white or red and blue, it's every shade of grey and purple too, bitches.
I was blissfully unaware of Tom Barnard until now.
There's no "D" in "Gophers."
I think the boat has sunk.
There goes the bowl eligibility flying away
that guy is so good.
It just HAS to be AI-fueled somehow, right?
He's been doing it since before chatGPT took off, although he could be getting an assist now, I guess
His profile has "NO AI USED" in it. He's done a couple interviews and it's his memory combined with several thousand photos of arts.