I have Saturday and Sunday off. It's unheard of.
Happy Birthday–June 11
Roger Bresnahan (1879)
Ernie Nevers (1902)
Dan Topping (1912)
Frank Thomas (1929)
Jimmy Stewart (1939)
Danny Morris (1946)
Dave Cash (1948)
Tom Austin (1951)
Mike Fuentes (1958)
Brian Gorman (1959)
Mike Davis (1959)
Odalis Perez (1978)
Bobby Keppel (1982)
Jose Reyes (1983)
Football great Ernie Nevers, born in Willow River, Minnesota, pitched for the St. Louis Browns for parts of three seasons (1926-1928).
Dan Topping was part-owner of the New York Yankees from 1945-1966.
Tom Austin is a long-time college baseball coach.
Outfielder Mike Fuentes was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round in 1980, but did not sign.
Brian Gorman has been a major league umpire since 1993.
We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to UncleWalt.
Game 60. Red Sox at Twins.
Oh goody. Its going to be a weekend of "woe is me" from everywhere because its David Ortiz's last games in Minnesota (barring playoffs!). Because something that happened in 2003 (There are about two generations of Twins fans that never saw Ortiz play in a Twins uniform. I mean, David ortiz once played in a game where Bob Tewksbury was the starting pitcher and Terry Steinbach was catching. Ortiz has been around forever) is affecting the current state of the Twins now.
Makes me wonder what would happen if Joe Mauer was let go or traded and then has a couple of banner seasons. Would the Boo Joe Mauer crowd boo the Front Office for letting a good player go? I dont know.
I do now I get tired about the Twins blunder. Why can't people let go ?
FMD – Blitzkrieg Bop
Russell Hammond: But… it’s not what you put in, is it? It’s what you leave out. Listen to… listen to Marvin Gaye…
A song like What’s Going On.”That single “woo” at the end of the second verse – you know that woo – that single “woo.”
William Miller: I know that woo.
Russell Hammond: That’s what you remember. The silly things, the little things… there’s only one, and it makes the song.
It’s what you leave out. That’s rock and roll.
What I think is funny about this line of dialogue is that RH describes something that Marvin Gaye “puts in” not leaves out of What’s Going On. That single woo is just an added flourish, but it wasn’t something he left out.
I think I might use my five week FMD slot to go over other songs where the band/singer puts something simple in… and it just makes the song.
Let’s kick off the list with Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones. First of all the song is just a perfect little 2:13 of pop/punk joy. From the Hey Ho, Let’s Go chant, to the surf guitar sound, to the 3x repeated 2 versus about kids going crazy over a new dance craze. But what I love about the song is the Hey Ho Let’s Go chant. The first two times it’s chanted with just a drum beat. The next chant adds a bass, and the final chant has the guitar coming in. It’s a great build up to the verses (and song ending). I think the song would be missing something if they were just blasting all instruments during the chant, or conversely, having no guitars. It's what they put in. That's Rock and Roll.
Drop your lists.
June 10, 2016: Draft
Mitski – Your Best American Girl
New Mitski coming, y'all.
2016
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Minor Details: Games of June 9
Kohl Stewart pitches much better the second time in AA. A six-homer barrage helps him.
Happy Birthday–June 10
Jack Graney (1886)
Garland Braxton (1900)
Danny McFayden (1905)
Vic Harris (1905)
Mike Kreevich (1908)
Frank Demaree (1910)
Chuck Thompson (1921)
Hank Foiles (1929)
Carmen Cozza (1930)
Ed Palmquist (1933)
Kazuhisa Inao (1937)
Johnny Edwards (1938)
Ken Singleton (1947)
Elias Sosa (1950)
Gerry Hunsicker (1950)
Francisco Barrios (1953)
Scott Ullger (1955)
Floyd Bannister (1955)
Pokey Reese (1973)
Jack Graney had a few unusual "firsts". He was the first major leaguer to bat against Babe Ruth. He was the first player to wear a number on his uniform. He as also the first player to become a broadcaster.
Outfielder Vic Harris was a long-time Negro League player and manager, leading the Homestead Grays to nine Negro National League pennants.
Chuck Thompson was a long-time broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles.
Outfielder Carmen Cozza played in the low minors in 1952-1953, batting .242. He later became a college football coach, most notably at Yale. Upon his retirement in 1996, he held the record for most coaching victories in the Ivy League (179) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
Kazuhisa Inao is one of the greatest pitchers in Japanese baseball history.
Gerry Hunsicker is a long-time baseball executive, working for the Mets, the Astros, and the Rays.
Game 59: Florida at Minnesota
Last week, I suggested that with a long home stand facing a few teams with losing records, attendance at games could result in fans seeing some wins. The team from Tampa, FL had a losing record and came into town having lost 10 of 12. They promptly lost the first game of the series against the Twins. Since then, they still own a losing record (27-31), but have won 5 of 6 including the final 3 against the Minnesota. Their lone loss? Facing Zack Greinke...
On the other hand, the team from Miami, FL came into town with a winning record (30-27), and recent fair-to-middling series' against the Mets and Pirates. Today, the Twins send Ervin Santana (1-5, 4.50 ERA) to the mound to face righty Tom Koehler (3-6, 4.50 ERA) with a chance to sweep the Fish.
It feels like the pattern for this year is feast or famine (emphasis on the latter), with lots of L's punctuated by a 'W' here and there, with the odd sweep/winning streak thrown in to tease us. I'm past believing that a couple of wins signifies a return to competence or competitiveness, but I'll be at the game tonight with a groups of classmates - celebrating the conclusion of our Policy Fellows program, so I'm hoping for a repeat of the power we've been treated to in recent weeks, if not an outright WIN!
June 8 9, 2016: National Best Friends Day
Aww, you guys are the best.