Yeah, we suck, but the Rays aren't exactly tearing up the AL East this year, so this has actually been a competitive, dare I say, almost entertaining series. Since this is supposed to be a gorgeous summer day and we haven't been to a game yet and because I found a good deal on StubHub, the wife and I will be at the ballpark for this one, sitting in seats 7 and 8 of row 1 of section 115. The togs of fandom shall be donned. Beer, hot dogs, and peanuts will be consumed, and a Twins victory attained. Or not, we'll see about that last one.
Jack Chesbro (1874) Eddie Joost (1916)
Lou Brissie (1924)
Duke Sims (1941)
Bill Spiers (1966)
Ray Lankford (1967)
Mike Coolbaugh (1972)
Russ Ortiz (1974)
Prior to beginning his major league career, Lou Brissie served in World War II. He suffered severe leg injuries, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, but overcame his injuries to spend seven years in the majors.
Mike Coolbaugh was the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers when he was struck on the head with a line drive and killed.
There appear to be no major league players with connections to the Minnesota Twins born on this day.
With exactly one third of the season in the books, our intrepid crew is on pace to win 48 games. That would be....not good.
It would actually be the fourth worst record (winning percentage-wise) of the integration era. It would involve losing 114 games, which would be the 6th most in the "people playing baseball" era. The 1906 Cubs didn't lose this many games in their entire season, and we're sneaking up on the 2001 Mariners' 46 games.
The nice part? They don't look like the fourth worst team in history, so it should probably get better from here - but they would be advised to hurry up and get better.
Let's see if Ervin Santana and Byron Buxton can start the resurgence.
No Twins on Leaderboards this week, but Nunez is on the batting average chart (5th) and Mauer has sneaked back on the OBP chart (7th).
Tim Murnane (1851)
Tony Venzon (1915)
Billy Hunter (1928)
John McNamara (1932)
Phil Linz (1939)
Terry Kennedy (1956)
Tony Pena (1957)
Kurt Stillwell (1965)
Scott Servais (1967)
Rick Wilkins (1967)
Darin Erstad (1974) J. C. Romero (1976)
Tim Murnane had a long and varied career in baseball, but is best remembered as a sportswriter in Boston.
Tony Venzon was a National League umpire from 1957-71.
John McNamara managed six different major league clubs, going to the World Series with Boston in 1986.
HJ mentioned this last week, but do get your picks in for the WGOM summer mix. The basics were covered last week, but the gist is put three song in spoilers. They don't have to be from this year, but they totally can be. We'll make a mix, then post a playlist. It was fun last year, and I have no reason to think it won't be again this year.
1. Massive Attack - Voodoo in My Blood (feat. Young Fathers)
2. Operators - Cold Light
3. Casey Mecija - Palms Lose*
It's so chill... it's like I'm on a wave.
Your next curator starts next week! I had hoped to own this a little more, but it's been a hectic last couple of months. Next time this opportunity comes around, I'll make sure to take a winter stretch. Thanks Can of Corn for the couple of pinch hits, and thanks everyone else for putting up with the increasingly half-baked content.