The Nation Has An Appetite

Summer Salad Satisfaction

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In Friday's CoC, Greek(??) was calling for recipes to up his veggie intake. The specific context was Indian food, but I was determined to have burritos last night, so the Indian recipes will have to wait.

Instead, I'm offering a refreshing, crunchy salad/salsa, easy to make and perfect to accompany something On The Grill (ahem -- consider that a Batsignal, Banjo).

Cucumber-Corn Salad with Chile-Lime Dressing

1 can sweet corn (or 2 ears fresh corn, preferably roasted, and stripped) 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped 1 avocado, diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro, with stems chile-lime vinaigrette to taste

for the dressing:
1 tsp ground chile (New Mexico or California, or paprika can substitute, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
a big pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper

1-2 cloves of garlic, smushed into a paste, 1 tbsp honey
juice of 1/2 lime plus grated lime zest, extra virgin olive oil

gently heat the chile, salt and pepper to "bloom" the essential oils (a quick zap in the microwave, or heat briefly in a small frying pan). Put into a small mixing bowl and combine with honey, then the garlic and lime. Whisk in olive oil until you've reached your desired consistency (about 1/3 cup of oil). Check for seasoning. If it needs more acidity, add a few drops of red wine vinegar or more lime juice.

gently combine all vegetables and dress with the viniagrette. Mix in the cilantro and serve. This works as a salad or salsa. Great accompaniment to grilled chicken, ribs, pork, fish, black beans...beer and chips.

2011 Twins Game Logs, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 65: Rangers at Red Wings

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No, this isn't the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a baseball game. And it is an opportunity for the Twins to win their third straight series. I would have to say I would be satisfied with a split giving the minor league nature of the lineup, but a win would sure be sweet.

The mound matchup is Matt Harrison vs. Francisco Liriano. So, another lefty to pitch against the Twins, the third in the series. Probably a good time for Justin Morneau to get a few days off, if there is such a thing. Harrison had little margin for error with a below-average K rate and he doesn't help himself much by walking more than average. His groundball rate is only average, but despite all this he has a shiny 122 ERA+. His stats show that he has gotten a ton of popups and double plays and has allowed few line drives, so it looks like he has had pretty good command despite the excessive walks. FWIW, the Twins have hit him well, but most of those in the lineup today weren't in the lineup the last time he pitched against the Twins. Harrison also has been trying to pass a kidney stone, so don't be surprised if he collapses in pain during the game.

Liriano was solid in his last start and hasn't allowed more than two runs in his previous three starts. Hopefully, he's getting ready to start dominating again. For the Twins to continue this run of good play, the starters will have to lead the way. It's difficult to imagine that this lineup will continue to score runs like they have of late. However, I've got to say, Ben Revere is quickly moving up my list of favorite players. GO WINGS!!

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of 6/11

Rochester 11, Toledo 5 in Toledo.  The Red Wings scored six in the first and never looked back.  Danny Lehmann had four hits and drove in three.  Jeff Bailey singled, doubled, and homered, scoring three times.  Steve Singleton had two doubles and a single, raising his average to .308. Chase Lambin doubled and homered, scoring three times, Mike Hollimon doubled and tripled, and Toby Gardenhire had two hits.  Glen Perkins pitched a scoreless first inning, allowing one hit.  Kyle Waldrop got the win with two shutout innings of relief, striking out two.

Erie 8, New Britain 2 in New Britain.  The SeaWolves scored five in the seventh to put the game away.  Danny Rohlfing had two hits.  Brett Jacobson gave up two runs on five hits and four walks in five innings.  Deolis Guerra took the loss, surrendering six runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk in two innings. Blake Martin threw two shutout innings of relief.

Bradenton 5, Ft. Myers 4 in Bradenton (11 innings).  Aaron Hicks was 3-for-3 with three doubles and three walks.  Steve Liddle and Ramon Santana each singled and doubled.  Nick Romero hit a home run.  Matt Schuld allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk in six innings, striking out five.  Andrew Albers threw three shutout innings, giving up just one hit.  Matt Hauser allowed a run on six hits and a walk in 1.1 innings to take the loss.

Beloit 6, Lake County 1 in Beloit.  The Snappers scored three in the third and three in the fourth.  Pat Dean pitched 6.2 hitless innings, giving up just two walks and striking out nine, before being removed due to his pitch count.  Wang-wei Lin doubled and homered and Danny Ortiz doubled and singled.

DSL Padres 4, Twins 3 at Padres.  The Padres scored two in the eighth and one in the ninth to overcome a 3-1 deficit.  Jose Ramirez had two hits.  Felix Jorge gave up one run on two hits and a walk in three innings.  Jose Abreu worked four shutout innings, giving up four hits but no walks.  Ezequiel Zarzuela pitched the ninth and took the loss, allowing a run on three hits in a third of an inning.

2011 Twins Game Recaps, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 64: Red Wings 8, Rangers 1

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Something amazing has been going on in the Upper Midwest.

The Minnesota Red Wings are starting to makes some noise. They were originally the Rochester Red Wings, the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, until they were promoted en masse earlier this season to replace the original big leaguers due to injuries, bad attitudes and general suckitude.

"We just figured we would give some other guys an opportunity and see what happens. It's not like they could be much worse," said Wings manager Ron Gardenhire, who's team at one point had dropped to 20 games below .500 and had allowed the most runs and scored the fewest in the American league.

The Wings have cut a 16 1/2-game deficit down to 10 games in a little over a week as they have won eight of 10 games just as the red-hot Cleveland Indians finally started to cool off. The Wings are surprising many with their surge in the mediocre AL Central, but Jim Mandelaro, a baseball writer and blogger for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, is not one of them.

"We joke in the press box about how players do BETTER in Minnesota than Rochester, but it’s true. I’ll never know why, but it’s true," Mandelero wrote in his blog.

The Wings still have a long ways to go to give their fans real hope of pulling off a comeback to trump all the comebacks of recent years that their parent club has pulled off, but they at least are showing that they are capable of playing a much better brand of baseball, the kind of play that might just allow them to earn their Twins name back.

2011 Twins Game Logs

Game 64: Rangers at Twins

130 Comments

I had a post where I went over the team's possible All-Star representatives. That proved to be somewhat ridiculous. I mean, I suppose Span has a case - 3rd in the AL in bWAR, after all, but almost all of it is tied up in his defensive ability, and it seems kind of unlikely that that will sway anyone. Blackburn has been doing pretty well, he could be our own slightly more deserving Mark Redman.

Cuddy or Kubel will probably get it, though. Kubel's probably a bit more deserving, but Cuddy's got the rep and the 8HR. Who knows?

Today's pitcher probably doesn't really factor in the conversation, but he's been a kind of bright spot in an otherwise dour season.

My little netbook is having a hell of a time keeping up with any research I'm trying to do right now, and since my main computer's motherboard is fried, I'm out of time.

Colby Lewis vs. Scott Baker - I don't like this matchup for Baker, but I'd still rather see him on the mound than anyone else.

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.