ubelmann continues his exile from SBG Nation, so I'm filling in with today's Game Log post.
The Twins have a record of 13-47 in the American League leading 60 games that they have played where they have scored three or fewer runs, a .217 winning percentage. The average AL team is 9.4-38.1 in such games, meaning that Twins fans have been able to enjoy about 13 more of these games than the average team in the Junior Circuit. It also means that the Twins have a slightly better winning percentage in such games (league average is .198).
Recently, the Twins have played quite of few of these games -- in 13 of their last 16 games the Twins have scored three or fewer runs. In the other three they've scored 11, 11, and six runs, all wins. In those 13 games, the Twins are 3-10, a .231 clip -- just what you would expect. The Twins preach pitching and defense, pitching and defense, pitching and defense. But, the team has to score some runs or they just can't win. The everyday lineup is so thin that even when everyone is healthy there are about three or four huge holes in the lineup every day. When the final analysis of this team is written, it will be plain and simple. The Twins went into the season believing that if they could get good starting pitching they could win. And, after they jettisoned their unsuccessful reclamation projects, they got good starting pitching. But, the offense was void of power and that was their eventual undoing.
Today's game features Johan Santana v. Kevin Millwood (at least his name should start with a K). Millwood is making $11.2 million this year in the second year of a five year, $60 million contract and he has been underwhelming. He's sporting a fat 5.63 ERA, but his FIP (4.62) and xFIP (4.68) suggest that he's been a little unlucky. His line drives are down, his ground balls and popups are up, his home runs and strikeouts are steady. His walks are up almost one and a half per game, which accounts for an increase in his FIP, but big the even larger ERA seems to be attributable only to luck of the bad kind. If anyone can fix his bad luck, its the team he's facing today.
Johan has been pretty darned good again this year, although the one criticism that can be justly served up is his propensity to serve up the long ball. He's now giving up 1.39 HR/G, which is a high number indeed. His ground ball rate has also dropped dramatically to just 37.2%, which suggests that he's leaving a few pitches up-in-the-zone. I'm pretty sure that dicknbert, the foremost up-in-the-zone experts in all the land, will point that out today.
I need some help from the Nation. I need a new book to read. Here's my M.O. - I'm trying to catch up on all the books I feel like I should have read by now. I've just finished Brave New World and The Stranger. I'm considering The Great Gatsby or The Catcher in the Rye. Any suggestions?
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
Warning - the Aubrey-Maturin series by O'Brian is highly addictive (20 volumes).
Once done with that marathon, you may need to sate your craving to fight Bonaparte more with the Horatio Hornblower set, or with the Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpes' series.
I really enjoyed that movie (even more so on the big screen than a TV). How does it compare to the book?
The movie's kind of like a brief trailer of the series. The books take the reader through the career of an English captain and all of the travails through his career in the British navy.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. Or if you want to read something more offbeat, Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis. They're both great.
I've heard of the Chabon work, but I think it's a little new for what I'm going for.
Fair enough. The Great Gatsby is very good, and although I didn't really love The Catcher in the Rye most everyone else seems to. I would recommend Catch 22, but you've probably already read it. As far as other "classics" go, I've always liked Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
I was supposed to have read Catch-22 for a satire class last fall, but I didn't get through it (or really started all that much). I might go back and re-visit it. I really liked Frankenstein when I read it in high school.
Derivative of Smoke on the Water, I thought.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. - This was remarkably goood.
If you are in a "Classic" mode: Native Son
If you are in a "Classical" mode: History of the Peloponesian War
If you liked The Stranger, I think you'd probably enjoy Malraux's Man's Fate.
Not that they are all that similar in plot. But they went well together for me (during my "existentialist" phase, anyway).
I've read the first two volumes of Ashok K. Banker's Ramayana (and purchased the balance of the sextet). Outstanding. I've previously mentioned Minneapolis's own Lois McMaster Bujold as well. Character-driven sci-fi (e.g., Cordelia's Honor) and fantasy (the fabulous Paladin of Souls and its predecessor, The Curse of Chalion).
Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell lives up to the hype.
Right now, I'm splitting time between The Know-It-All and the final Harry Potter.
Hermann Hesse's Demian and Siddhartha fit the groove here also.
ohhh, yea. Siddhartha rocks!
You can't go wrong the John Steinbeck. East of Eden or Grapes of Wrath are classics. How about Lord of the Rings. That's classic. A good winter book is The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.
Death in Venice is my Mann-favorite.
Reportedly, Mother Mann used to go into bookstores and demand that the store owners place her sons' books in the front window.
my Mann-taste runs more to Manfred.
although DinV is excellent. I also liked The Magic Mountain and his version of Faust.
Those are two good ones.
Here's a list of best English language novels written since 1923.
Here's another list.
What's the deal with that Randomhouse Reader's list? Ayn Rand and L. Ron Hubbard at the top 3? Yuck!
Who is John Galt? (Ayn Rand would have been a natural on Jeopardy).
A Fountainhead of knowledge.
Yeah, I'm not really a fan of Ayn Rand. I tried reading Atlas Shrugged because the premise sounded good, but I found her to be a bit, shall we say, pretentious.
Yeah, that's puzzling.
L. Ron Hubbard is at least entertaining. I very much enjoyed Battlefield Earth. The dude knew his craft.
obviously, this list was constructed by a very self-selected set of readers, representative of mostly themselves. Lots of libertarians casting votes.
That said, how about that Board list? Ulysses?? Seriously? Unreadable does not equate to greatness. Portrait of the Artist on the other hand, is great.
and what's the deal with listing Catch-22 without an author?
Of that top Board 100, I can tick off only 19. Is it me, or them? Of the reader top 100, I can lay claim to having read 30.
Unreadable does not equate to greatness
I, too, thought the list was somewhat aardvarkian, Booker Man'ish.
Unreadable??? Oh, this is the book! I was thinking more along these lines.
I can hear the back of your mouth.
I can see the words that are coming out.
Like a perfect smoke ring.
Are we saying the same thing?
Between the book and film versions of the first list, I lost count. A great surprise, however, was Richard Ford's The Sportswriter. I recently lent that book to my nephew and upon returning it to me he said, "The guy can write, but it's really kinda depressing." Man, I love that book...
I also like the fact that the last two game-logs have had almost as many comments about food, beer, and books, as there have been about baseball. And still, they were interesting. Bodes well for December's "Cup of Coffee."
Cheers.
Bodes well for December’s “Cup of Coffee.â€
But says lots about the number of balls hit out of the infield by the Twin.
The unexpected meanderings of a good WGOM thread brings joy to the owner of this site.
Complete shock to see The Worm Ouroborous in the reader's list. I remember writing a report on that book back in 8th grade or so. I'll have to dig through my boxes and find it again. If I remember right, it even had a page-flip animation I drew in the margin.
The Rangers leader in HRs only has 17, but they've still hit 39 more than the Twins.
Twins are putting Boof on a fitness and stamina program.
Boy, has Sammy Sosa slimmed down.
Way too many strikeouts for Johan. Pitch to contact, boy!
Cuddyer off the schneid!
I see we've gone with the literary Homer today. Nice choice SBG.
Looks like the literary Homer has been getting into the liquor cabinet.
Well, there hasn't been much use for him here.
+10
Where'd everybody go?
I really wish I was at this game.
My brother went last night. I just told him "Looks like you went to the wrong game." All I got was a "Yeah, shut up."
That Santana fellow seems to be pretty good.
Yeah, he's ok I guess. I mean he's no Kameron Loe, but I guess he does have 11 strikeouts today.
Whoa, hard contact. That's odd.
The offense needs to put a couple more runs on the board. Despite his greatness, Johan is apt to give up a home run from time to time.
The guys in the booth might be right...has Santana thrown a slider yet?
Milwood afraid of Watkins? 7 fastballs away for the walk.
Why does Punto still think he can bunt? Will someone please remind him that he can't?
Annnd Punto misses the bunt for a foul.
Someday this will stop, right?
Afraid of Punto, too?
Coach is gonna make him run some laps for that one.
Ahhh rainy days. I wish there had been more this summer.
God, the Rangers must be worrying about the changeup, as the fastballs aren't even coming in particularly fast and they're way behind.
Justin making it look easy (although it probably was).
He still hasn't thrown a slider?
Alright now, Twins, score some fracking runs!
Dick'n'Bert not on the same page with the State Fair here.
To get another run we might need to coax four walks in a row.
+10 - good yuks.
Heyyy that looked like a slider.
Michael Young lookin pretty awful there.
That was too close.
1-0 heading to the eighth. What a pathetic display by the offense.
business as usual.
How can not extending his contract even be an option?
Sometimes I realize just how lucky we are to get to see him practice his art every 5 days. Wow.
Two-hitter - wowski.
17 Ks for Santana. WOW!
Joe Mauer is more of a Baby Prophet than Baby Jesus lately.
A false prophet, at that.
He has consistently been on base almost 40% of the time since the beginning of July but he has had little to no power.
Sweet Zombie Jesus, 17K's!!! What's his pitch count, is he going back for the 9th?
I think I might go turn the TV on.
It took him 112 pitches. Nathan will take the ninth.
Looks like they are bringing in Nathan.
Again, with the trying to catch Bedard. If he'd have just focused more on winning I bet the offense would have scored more runs for him.
Thank God we have Punto in the lineup for some offense.
That is offensive.
Time to get some Hartford runs (insurance).
Let Santana out there in the 9th and see if he can get 20? I'm greedy.
Oh well, go get em Nathan.
Sounded like the crowd was booing a little as he was trotting in... funny.
SideshowTootie carring the load today - good job pally!
One of the few games I've been able to watch on TV, sadly.
Gotta get me some of that Internet in the 'man space' in the garage.
Man, I gotta get me a garage.
SST did a yeoman's work. Nice job, kid.
If my math is right, this gives Santana a game score of 95, tied for second in MLB this season (behind Erik Bedard's complete game 2-hit, 15K performance, tied with Verlander's no hitter).
Pfffft Nathan.
Nathan no Gene Kelly.
Huge gaffe there by Joe.
Strikeout would be nice.
Shoulda left the other pitcher fella in there.
Park the car, Joe.
Wilkerson definitely has a case, there.
Somebody catch that on the ubelmann-cam?
hehe.
Texas needs to get some bats without holes in them.
See the next log for some Ubelmann-cam. Good show, Andrew!
Yay Twins!
Eddie-esque nail biting action. What fun!
They get outscored 6-3 in the series and somehow manage to win 2 games.
Twins Win!
I wish I could've been at that game.
Career-high K-flight for the Venezuelan.
Incredible performance by Mantana. Another giant pile left on home plate by the hitters, Cuddy's dong excepted.
Morneau probably gets a pass, with a long fly and three walks.
Not a bad appearance by Milwood either.
Nah, that bum never gave his team a chance to win.
I have lots of empathy for Millwood. His line (and results) are far too familiar.