presented without comment.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhybHLrWUMY
(5 votes, average: 9.80 out of 10)
Loading... Finally, we get to go home and take on somebody our own size. The Dodgers (35-44) are the epitome of a small-market club, struggling to make payroll, playing their games in an old, rundown stadium with trough urinals.
They do have some Midwestern charm, however:
The Dodgers owe everybody and their mother money:
The team owes a total of $74,121,433 to their players, food and travel vendors, and even the city of Los Angeles.
The team owes Los Angeles $240,563 in taxes. It also owes Levy Restaurants $588,322 for running the concession stands at the stadium, as well as $339,403 to Continental Airlines for team travel.
Some of the Dodgers' major payroll creditors include former players Manny Ramirez ($20.9 million), Andruw Jones ($11.1 million, currently with the NY Yankees), and Juan Pierre ($3.05 million, currently with the Chicago White Sox, who is also owed $3.5 million for his trade). Other players on the list include the current roster, and the LA Times points out that two of the players owed money (Zach Lee and Alexander Santana) haven't even begun playing yet. Also on the list: longtime sportscaster Vin Scully ($152,778).
That would be the best-PBP-voice-in-baseball Vin Scully. Unfortunately, Scully, 82, rarely does away games east of Denver these days. So scratch that from the list of attributes for this series.
Instead, let's just hope Our Boys can get some Mojo back in order to make a run at respectability. They still have a shot at the International League playoffs!!!11one111!!!!
Pitching matchup:
Chad Billingsley (Righty, 4.48 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 3.56 xFIP, 86:40 K:BB in 94 1/3)
Nick Blackburn (3.15 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, 51:27 K:BB in 97 innings)
Billingsley is right at league averages for GB%, FB% and LD%. His 5 1/3 innings against Detroit last Tuesday (6 hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks, one run) was his longest outing in a month. He has given up four or more runs in four of his last six starts. Even better, the Dodgers' bullpen has been awful -- minus 20.7 pRAA on the season (the Twins' pen is only -12.5 pRAA).
Offensively, the Dodgers have been mediocre, with the glaring exceptions of Matt Kemp (327/416/619) and Andre Ethier (317/389/461). If we can avoid Neck Fat giving those guys hanging sliders, we might actually win this series.
From LA, here are the Minutemen with some serious rock and roll.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzA2PpvYg8&feature=related
My whole team is on the DL/ we can't stop losing and our catcher is a club house cancer/ maybe partying will help.
(6 votes, average: 7.83 out of 10)Loading... I was going to write up a semi-long (for me) recap of the Rockies-Yankees game on TBS, which was actually pretty interesting. But then I saw that wonderful post by meat and decided I don't want to take up too much space with either sincere Twins talk (in brief: we suck) or sarcastic real-baseball-teams talk. Go read that recipe just below here and commence salivating instead.
Hitter and Pitcher of the Week: Sesame Pork Roast
Carl Pavano vs. Chris Narveson
Remember when the Twins thrived in Interleague? Yeah, me neither. The Twins are looking to avoid their second Interleague road sweep this season. At least there's only one more game until Thome can DH.
I'm guessing Drew Butera will start today. Day game after a night game, Pavano starting and the opposing pitcher is a lefty. If Butera doesn't start, I think it's pretty clear who goes if the Twins ever decide to go with two catchers. I think that's why Gardy wants Mauer to play first or third, so he can easily have Mauer catch the last inning or two when he needs to pinch hit for Rivera or Butera without losing the DH.
This will be one ugly looking lineup. Narveson has allowed at least four runs in five of his last six starts, so I'm sure he's looking forward to this start.
Right now, the Twins need to find a way to scratch out a win and find a way to keep from losing much ground in the division for when Kubel and Span return. Otherwise, the Twins might be throwing up the white flag pretty soon. It may not matter since most of their veteran players will be too hurt to trade away anyways.
GO TWINS!!
Another day, another injury.
I didn't get to see much of this one since I was going to an Inland Empire Sixty-Sixers game to get a replica San Bernardino Spirit Griffey jersey. I didn't miss much. For some reason, I didn't like Liriano matching up against the Brewers, but I wasn't expecting this. Add to that Delmon's injury and it's getting awfully hard to be hopeful about this season. Delmon wasn't having a good season on the whole, but he's been hitting better of late. Now it sounds like he's going to be out for awhile. Twins called it just a sprain, but when a guy gets carted off the field, that usually is more than a couple weeks for recovery. I wouldn't be surprised if Morneau returns to the field before Delmon does.
i was considering playing a band from boston called "the sprained ankles" that are about as awful as the route _elm_n took on that ball. instead, lets go with a song that sums up what it feels like to be a twins fan sometimes.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inc3d2LudEA
yup, that's keith richards making norah jones horribly uncomfortable at a gram parsons tribute concert.
(5 votes, average: 6.60 out of 10)Loading... Bandage [ban-dij]
The Get Up Kids are not from Milwaukee. However the Promise Ring are. When looking at Promise Ring videos I thought about how they were a crappier version on the Get Up Kids.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYm1PDwLrQM
I know it is cool to say the Get Up Kids suck but the Something to Write Home About album most definitely did not suck, at least in 2000.
(2 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)Loading... 
Weather: 67 degrees, cloudy
Wind: 12 mph, out to center
Time: 2:28
Attendance: 39,819
The Case of the Missing Mojo - Part II
The doll had no idea what she was getting into when she poured herself into my office on a dreary summer night a couple of weeks ago. Then again, I had no idea myself that the hunt for the Twins' mojo would take me from the Twin Cities to the sunny California coast and all the way back east to Brewtown. The name's Twayn. I'm a shamus.
I'd been on the case for two weeks, trying to find out who had the mojo, but this puzzler had more twists and turns than a barber pole. It seemed clear as gin at first - the starting rotation had to have it. Pavano, Baker, Liriano, Blackburn, they were pitching like a carnival barker - hard, fast, crooked and all night long. How else could you explain the way they've been dominating on the mound? Then in San Fran the offense took off like a Chinatown rocket, at least for an inning, so maybe they had the mojo. One thing was sure, there was no shortage of guys suddenly playing better than they were before the start of June.