one more tribute for liriano in celebration of his improbable no-hitter. it wasn't neat, and it wasn't pretty, but damn it, frankie did it his way.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNeKxSaWJa0
1971
(sorry, this is kind of uninspired. i'm out of town with a tenuous internet connection)
(6 votes, average: 8.17 out of 10)
Loading... What a difference a day makes.
TWINS
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, SS
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, RF
5. Michael Cuddyer, DH
6. Rene Tosoni, LF
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Drew Butera, C
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
Pitcher: Blackburn
WHITE SUX
1. Juan Pierre, LF
2. Alexei Ramirez, SS
3. Adam Dunn, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Carlos Quentin, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Alex Rios, CF
8. Mark Teahen, 3B
9. Omar Vizquel, 2B
Pitcher: Danks
Go Twins!
This.
I was feeling lonely last night, having been away from home for seven days and counting. I miss my wife and daughter. Wednesday is getaway day and I'll be home by Wednesday at 8 PM for six straight days. But, last night, I was tired and lonely. Sure, Mom and Dad are around and that's terrific, but I needed to get home.
Dad and I settled in down the basement to watch the game on his flat screen. I like watching the game down there... it's cozy, Dad's TV is nice and the lighting is soft: a very good viewing atmosphere.
Somewhere in the middle innings, I dozed off. I woke up in the sixth and I said to Dad, "Has Liriano given up a hit yet?" "Nope." I saw the pitch count: 86 pitches. No way he makes it.
Then, inexplicably, the White Sox started helping out. Maybe Liriano was making pitches that they couldn't take or maybe the White Sox got jumpy, but the next six outs took just 15 pitches and it was clear that Liriano was going to get a shot at it. I talked to Dad about that game against the White Sox where Jacque Jones got the only hit for the Twins, a 1-0 victory that I had the good fortune of seeing in person. I thought about how much fun it would be to see my club get a no-no for the first time. I was driving through the Twin Cities on the morning of Eric Milton's no-no and I didn't see Scott Erickson's either. So, I was pretty excited about the prospect of seeing it. With Liriano cruising through the seventh and eighth, I was thinking he had plenty to get there.
The ninth was no picnic, though. Liriano looked like he was nervous. His first two pitches of the inning were breaking balls, badly thrown and out of the strike zone. I'm sure he was tired and nervous. That first ball to Tolbert was the kind of play that makes you realize why he's not a regular. He had plenty of time, but he hurried the throw. Luckily, there was a major leaguer over there to catch it. A little pop up for the second out and here comes Adam Dunn.
Dunn doesn't have a single hit against left handers this year. Not one. But, he's a big homerun hitter and thoughts of that Jones game flashed through my head: one hit and a win. One hit by Dunn here would equal a win. Liriano went to 3-0 on him and battled to a full count. Dunn fouled off a pitch and then hit a bullet right at Tolbert.
And there it was. In this frustrating season, with Liriano being so disappointing, there was nothing but happiness last night for Twins fans. I'm going home today, the Twins did it to the White Sox again, and all is right with the world.
Sorry to step on toes, but we need a recap for this one.
That is all. F-Bomb.
Charley Hickman (1876)
Jack Tobin (1892)
John Tsitouris (1936)
Rene Lachemann (1945)
Ken Oberkfell (1956)
Rick Leach (1957)
Tim Tschida (1960)
Eddie Perez (1968)
Joe Borowski (1971)
Miguel Cairo (1974)
Ben Grieve (1976)
Jason Michaels (1976)
Ryan Jorgensen (1979)
Matt Tolbert (1982)
Kevin Slowey (1984)
We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Twins farmhands Erick Gonzalez (1991) and Matej Hejma (1990).
I know that I played this song before but come on, Liriano just threw a no-hitter!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqXr4tk3iBw
(7 votes, average: 7.86 out of 10)Loading... v
There is a saying here in Buffalo, New York about our football team, the Bills. It goes something like "I don't care if the Bills go 2-14 every year as long as the beat the Dolphins those two games". I am sure Vikings fans have a similar saying about the Packers or the Bears or whomever it is Vikings fans deem their biggest rivals. It's funny because I honestly believe that statement to be true. Well, maybe not every year, but if there were a season or two where the Bills only won two games I would be pleased to stick it to those south beach jerks who wear aqua and white.
Now, I know the Twins have been playing poorly. You can chalk it up to injures, ass-batting middle infielders, me giving my child the middle name of Mauer, or whatever else it is you want to blame. You could write off the team this season for all I care. But I will tell you what, if you can't get up for a Twins/White Sox game I don't know if there is any hope for you.
Sure, a baseball team going 18-144 would be embarrassing-- no question about it. But hell, wouldn't it be great it those 18 wins all came against the White Sox?
It has been mentioned once or twice that this site could use more food posts. Never let it be said that Management is unresponsive. And consider this an invitation to all with authoring privileges to contribute to this intermittent series, The Nation Has An Appetite. (If you don't have authoring privileges and have a burning desire to contribute posts, talk to the Milkman)
I recently purchased from my local grocer a handful of foil pouch packages of heat-and-serve Indian dishes, one of which I had for lunch last week at work -- Pav Bhaji, or Mashed Vegetable curry, by Kitchens of India. It was among the better $3 I've spent recently, because that stuff was delicious.
Still, I knew that I could probably make a whole vat of bhaji (the "pav" part refers to the bread that is the traditional accompaniment) for about the same price as this single serving. My mouth has been watering at the prospect for days.
Continue reading Chaat room: Pav Bhaji
The Twins are ready to make some changes. While I agree something probably should be done at this point, I just hope they don't do the wrong ones. Getting Casilla out of there is obvious, but this is the part that has me concerned:
The club also is concerned third baseman Danny Valencia has regressed defensively and is not the player he was last season, when he batted .311 in 85 games as a rookie and was solid in the field. Valencia is batting only .211, and his defense has been shaky at times. Manager Ron Gardenhire also has not been happy with Valencia's baserunning.
Valencia actually leads the Twins with 13 RBI, but that's more a reflection of the struggling players around him. Some with the club believe Luke Hughes' best position is third base, but there have been no indications the club is ready to make a change there for now.
I'll give them that Valencia hasn't been as good as last year on defense, but the defensive metrics say he has gone from a terrific defensive player to slightly below average. He's only been credited with two errors. And at this point in his career it's more likely this first month of the season is a fluke than three months last season, although we really don't have enough defensive data to make any true judgments at this point.
However, as for his offense, Valencia has a .225 BABIP after having a .345 BABIP last year, so he went to being somewhat fortunate (the Twins had a .306 team BABIP last year) to extremely unfortunate. Valencia actually leads the Twins in walks with 11 and only has 13 strikeouts for by far the best K/BB rate on the team. He has increased his walk rate from last year, dropped his strikeout rate and maintained the same line-drive rate, which is right at the major league average.
As for baserunning, I'll give them that he hasn't been aggressive enough, but he hasn't regressed in that area, he just hasn't improved. Last year, he only took an extra base 25 percent of the time, while the Twins as a whole did it 41 percent. This year, Valencia is at 23 percent in very few opportunities, so he has essentially remained the same. He may not be aggressive, but at least he isn't costing the team outs on the basepaths.
The Twins have many problems, but I don't think Valencia is one of them. Unfortunately, he hasn't been around long enough to get a free pass like many others are getting. I hope his luck changes before the Twins do something stupid.
George Gore (1857)
Garry Herrmann (1859)
Eppa Rixey (1891)
Red Ruffing (1905)
Goose Tatum (1921)
Chuck Hinton (1934)
Chris Cannizzaro (1938)
Davey Lopes (1945)
Dan Iassogna (1969)
Darren Dreifort (1972)
Ryan Dempster (1977)
Ben Revere (1988)
Better known as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, Goose Tatum played in the Negro Leagues for several years in the 1940s.