All posts by freealonzo

Friday Music Day

FMD — Wilco Week

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It's the start of Wilco week here in the Twin Cities as our buddies from Chicago come to the Palace Theater next week for three shows. Apparently it will be Wilco's last three live shows for a while as they are taking 2018 off. We'll see. Wilco gets derided by some (including me at times) as Dad Rock, and let's face it songs like Box Full of Letters, definitely fit that bill. But Wilco puts out some pretty creative music too, especially since Nels Cline joined the fold. Above is Spiders (Kidsmoke) which I would argue is some pretty challenging music for dads to be rocking out to. Apparently they've been playing it a bunch on this tour. I'll get to see it on Thursday. I can't wait.

Drop your lists, if you got 'em.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Wildcard Game: Twins at Yanks

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Rough day Monday. Las Vegas. Tom Petty. All of which pushed the crisis in Puerto Rico, North Korea... off the list of latest things that outrage/sadden us.

That's why we need this. The improbable run. This plucky band of brothers who thrilled us, made us smile, made us care about baseball again. Even if it's for one day, we need this. And we need it to be against the Yankees. It just feels like it was meant to be -- win or lose.

Winning would be great, but it's not necessary. It's playoff baseball and the Twins are participants. And for one day, heck for three (plus) hours, all will be right in our little corner of the world. The problems won't go away and there is a lot of healing that needs to be done, but for one evening, we can watch, rejoice, thrill, even cheer at a bunch of grown men trying to hit, throw, and catch a little ball.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 157: Clevelanders v. Minnesota Twins

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Really not much to say here. The Twins on the path for the 2nd Wildcard and Cleveland winning at an historic rate lately, while still fighting for home field through the ALCS and perhaps World Series so both teams have something to play for.
Should be a fun series.

Bartolo Colon on the mound and based on previous starts, may not have a whole lot left or at least batters have figured out to just go after that big and sexy first pitch. Josh Timlin on the mound for the Wahoos and while his season numbers are 9-9 with a 4.98 ERA, he is 5-0 in his last five starts. Thus proving that old adage: when a team goes 29-2 over 31 games, the pitchers are going to pick up a bunch of wins.

Game time at 6:10p local. By 10:00p, we could be celebrating a playoff birth. What a country.

Parentgood

Father Knows Best — The End

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It’s been fun over the years reading about WGOM citizens as they started having kids and going over the joy and frustration of parenthood. I’ve had a lot of “yup, I remember that” as I go through FKB posts and other discussion threads. I smiled knowingly when Stick would be amazed at how fast Louisa was adding to her vocabulary or SoCal’s son Trey would have another good day out at the ballfield or someone would wonder about birthday parties and how to handle misbehavior. I lived those years too with all those same, and not so same, joys and frustrations. Given that, I beg of you to not take this the wrong way when I say: I’m done with parenthood.

Oh, I still love my kids and want to see then do well and will undoubtedly provide guidance when it's needed, but my kids are 22 and 24. I’ve been at this for nearly a quarter century and frankly it's time they make their own decisions, pay their own bills, fight their own fights. Sure, it hasn’t helped that I’ve been a single parent for over three years now with not even an Ex to help out but I also believe that it’s time for me to shuffle off into the corner and let the kids figure it out on their own. They’re old enough and and I'm not sure I have a whole lot to add.

Luckily, I have two great kids and in the past few months they have officially launched. Frances has been in Milwaukee for a couple of years now but recently moved to Chicago and got a real salaried job in the HR department of Guaranteed Rate Mortgage. So no more rent payments, supplemental deposits, or health care benefits from me. Charlie graduated in May and moved back home in August but he also recently got a job with a real nice salary. He’s going to stick around the house for a little bit and who knows, maybe I can get him to pitch in on groceries every once and while.

Parenthood is a great blessing and while there will never be a day that I’m not a dad, it’s also nice to retire from the day-to-day burdens of being the all-decision maker, the responsible party, the fixer-upper. I can still play those roles, but now it’s only in a limited, or emergency basis. Right now, you may be in the midst of full-on parenthood and can’t even imagine that the end is out there or that you will even welcome it. I’m here to tell you (and I bet Twayn, Runner, and brianS can also attest) that there will be a day when you will gladly handle over the reins. I bet your kids will grab them lustily, looking forward to the day when they can make their mark as a parent.

Now get off my lawn you snot nosed punks!

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 151: Twins at Yankees

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Admit it, you’re nervous. Sure, there are only twelve games left and the Twins have an easier path than the LAAAA but man can the Twins just pull off a nice 5 game win streak? Can they take advantage of facing a pedestrian Jaime Garcia and win the first game of the series against the Yankees? Can’t the Angels just fall on their face for 4 games or so and then we can all relax? In my estimation Twins need one win at the Yankees and one win at Cleveland then take at least 5 from the lowly Tigers to assure a playoff berth.

Tonight we get old versus young, fat versus skinny, $25,000,000 versus $507,500. CC Sabathia against Joes Berrios. Live from Yankee Stadium at 6:10p.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 144: Padres at Twins

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Nineteen games. Over 88 percent of the season is complete and the Twins still in the driver seat for a one game playoff against the Yankees. Since the Twins have hit this “easy” part of the schedule, they’ve kind of scuffled. Lose a couple here, win three in a row there. The other teams in wildcard contention are scuffling too and it seems that LAAAAAA is the only team really interested in playing the spoiler to what was considered unthinkable five months ago: The Twins could be a playoff team.

Two game series against the woeful San Diego Padres. Gibby on the mound and he’s been pretty decent of late, including a 3-0 record and a nice 1.69 ERA. Travis Wood on the mound for the Padres. He came over from the Royals so there is some familiarity there. Wood hasn’t had a lot of luck against the Twins so let’s hope this is the start of a nice winning streak. Game at 7:10p. Going to be gorgeous evening… just what you want in September: Meaningful baseball with fantastic weather in a beautiful ball park.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 138: Twins v. Rays

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In the continual roller coaster of the Twins season, we are now back on the downward slide. Three losses out of four games against marginal teams has left everyone a little grumpy. Will the Twins bounce back like they have so many times this season and finally put a stranglehold on a playoff berth or is this fatal fall that we’ve all worried about since May? Except for Sano, Twins looking to field a full roster today as Castro back to catching after being in the concussion protocol. Bartolo Colon on the mound for the Twins and they will need a big sexy game from him. Jake Odorizzi brings his pedestrian 7-7, 4.85 record to the Trop for the Rays. Game at 6:10p.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 131 – White Sox at Twins

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Twins get the Whities again after losing a disappointing 3 of 5 last week in Chicago. Extracting some revenge should be the order of the day as winning these games really puts the Twins in a position of controlling their own destiny, especially since their upcoming next 10 games after the White Sox series are with the Royals and Rays.

Beautiful night for baseball as Ervin Santana on the mound against James Shields. White Sox have played well lately so hopefully the Twins can rise to the occasion. First pitch at 7:10p.

2017 Twins Game Logs

Game 125 — Twins at Hosers

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Twins in the beginning of a long stretch of games against sub-500 teams, with very few teams more sub-500 than the Chicago White Sox. The third game of a rare five game tilt against the Pale Hose has Gibby once again trying to get keep the Twins in the playoff hunt. Lucas Giolito up for the Sox. He’s one of the prospects received in the Adam Eaten trade last December and the apparently the Southsiders want to see what they got.

This will be featured in my upcoming Father Knows Best posting but the eldest now has a real job working for Guaranteed Rate Mortgage in Chicago, ironically enough 5 blocks from Wrigley Field. I am hoping that next year we can secure some sweet stadium sponsor tix and I will go down and check out “New Comisky.” Until then I will be enjoying the view of Guaranteed Rate Field from my Barcalounger.