Javier Vazquez vs. Scott Baker
It's Convention Time!! Hopefully the lads (and lasses?) have a good time at the game.
If you're like me, and rely on mlb.tv (or extra innings) to watch the games, it looks like we'll be blacked out. Usually I blame this on FOX, but I'll blame this blackout on FOX's ridiculous blackout policy and the University of Minnesota's silly idea to abandon their on-campus stadium to play in the Metrodome.
Pressured by downtown Minneapolis business interests and athletic boosters, the school elected to move out of [Memorial Stadium] to the Metrodome about two miles away during the spring of 1982. Athletic director Paul Giel cited the advantages of recruiting by playing in a new NFL venue. Also, the attendance was expected to go up with protection from harsh late fall weather.
So, how's that decision working out for you? Lots of top-notch recruits? Attendance records galore?
Javy Vazquez is probably a bit on the underrated side these days. (Of course, I haven't seen his ratedness posted anywhere, so it's a little tough to say.) The Twins' "offense" takes on the AL's seventh-best pitcher by xFIP today. Last night, Dick was droning on about how impressive it was that Mark Buehrle had pitched 200+ innings for the last seven consecutive seasons. Vazquez has pitched 198+ innings for the last eight consecutive seasons.
I like that Baker will be representing the Twins today at the Convention. We're behind ya, Timmy.
So, if you've got some time, pull up a chair and pipe up with a comment or two or twenty--we figure to be a little undermanned today. There's nothing quite like listening to a baseball game on the radio at 11am (or 9am) on a Saturday morning. :)
I saw the Goofers play a game on a glorious fall afternoon at the old Memorial Stadium back in 1980 or 1981. Marion Barber Jr. was the star -- but missed the game with an injury. I remember him coming out with the team. Even in street clothes, he stood out as a physical specimen.
Memorial Stadium was a great venue. Great location, tons of character. Moving out was tragic.
Going to school at Minnesota, it always seemed like the location would have been perfect. As it was, even from the West Bank, the Dome wasn't very close. Oh well, I guess they hadn't seen a conference title for a while, so they were probably willing to try just about anything to improve recruiting at that point.
I guess sleeping in a little bit today meant we were going to be really undermanned.
Well, Hunter has screwed up the no-hitter already and the Twins are down 6-0. At least they can still go for their 14th shutout.
So I guess Baker left the game with an injury to his hand? He was able to finish the second, but Boof has been out there since the third. Seems like it shouldn't be anything too bad in the long term.
It also explains why Dazzle was talking with Morris(???) about pitchers who were willing to go out and pitch no matter how hurt they were.
Twins down 7-0. Tyny lead-off hitter. Heintz, L-Rod, and Punto (SS!) all in the line-up. Thome home run. 7K's in 5 innings.
Sounds completely apropos for the First Annual WGOM Convention. :)
Gardy must have heard the boys were going to be on hand, so he sent his 'A' lineup out there.
DePaula Time.
Kubes!
Kubel!!!!!!!
Kubel! Respect to the Nation.
3 walks, another homer, and a zany string of slug bunts and we're back in this one.
The slug bunts are, of course, the key.
The comeback is on. The Convention will inspire the team.
You know, the Twins were 4-0 when I was at the Dome this year. I hardly think that's a coincidence. I guess I should have made the trip for the convention.
If you’re like me, and rely on mlb.tv (or extra innings) to watch the games, it looks like we’ll be blacked out.
Gameday Audio's not blocked out.
Right, which is why I proposed listening to the radio at the end of the post.
Do you know how the blackout logic works? It's not like either of us are anywhere close to the game.
It's a national blackout. FOX has a national window of exclusivity for any games that start before 6pm CT on Saturdays, regardless of whether they are showing the game or not. So by starting the game at 11am CT, the Twins guarantee that it will be blacked out. FOX wants us watching their games so we can watch their advertising. I've always thought that it would work just fine if mlb just broadcasted FOX's advertising along with the game, but I guess that doesn't fly for whatever reason.
Baker get pulled in the 2nd?
Injury, as I noted above.
You mean, RTFP, NBB!
Sort of. I'm still getting the sleep out of my eyes, so to speak, so I'm probably a bit surlier than usual. :)
Owens 5-5 w/ 3RBI. Major mojo there. (bent nail in back pocket)
Rondell's wife gave birth this morning, which is great news for him, but probably means that we'll have to see Rondell in the lineup a few times over the next week.
We should let him pitch. That's seemed to work for us recently.
Josh Fields showing Lew Ford how it's done. Sort of.
Ford's HR theft last night didn't make ESPN's top plays, but Punto's 5-3 from the first (which was admittedly quite nice) made #2 in top plays.
Yeah, well Lew Ford didn't make a throw from his butt. Maybe he should have tried that.
It is an ESPN conspiracy to get Santana to a big market. They continue focusing and praising Nick Punto's defense so Gardy feels compelled to keep him in the lineup daily. Thus the Twins continue to lose and Santana becomes increasingly irritated about the Twins situation and decides he wants to be in another market. Absolutely brilliant if you ask me.
Wow, I can't believe that Fields planned that.
Strange play.
Fields has been a terrible LF so far. One can only imagine that Gardy would have buried him on the bench months ago.
Punto strikes out and keeps the mendoza line in sight.
It seems really unlikely that he'll finish under .200 at this point. With 97 hits in hand, he'll need to get to 486 at-bats and not get any more hits to get below .200. For each additional hit, he'd need another 4 hitless at-bats. Gardy will probably sit him at least once from here on out, so it's highly improbably that Punto can get there.
You underestimate both Punto AND Gardenhire. Or overestimate, I can't decide.
What's the avatar, kg? Album cover?
No, it's a bear falling out of a tree (under the assumption that a branch broke) with the caption "Oh, snap!" I find it pretty comical.
Bet that last Buscher double will be pegged as a dome ball by Chicago Tribune tomorrow.
So, how’s that decision working out for you? Lots of top-notch recruits? Attendance records galore?
LOL!
With Fields out of LF, the entertainment potential of this game just took a big hit.
How good can Jesse Crain be next year?
Probably not good. Without looking into it a whole lot, I'm thinking he'll probably be about where Rincon is this year. Rincon's been a bit unlucky this year as far as his ERA goes, but something like a ~4.50 FIP for Crain next year seems about right to me, maybe a bit worse.
And I think the Rincon example makes some sense in that pitchers tend to have trouble with their control when they come back, and Rincon's had control issues this year.
* Geiger counter clicking *
High drama here--Punto's 7-game hitting streak on the line.
Twins Lose
Oppy: Pass me the deuterium.
A game that deserved its blackout, it would seem.
Good outing by Vasquez - mucho K-sto.
Yeah, giving a good pitcher like that a weak lineup to work against is a recipe for disaster.
Think how depressing things would be right now if Kubel wasn't hitting.
It would be pretty ugly. Dazzle seemed to indicate during the broadcast that Kubel couldn't handle playing LF everyday because he couldn't stay healthy. I've wondered how much Gardy has been DH'ing Kubel to protect his knees. I'm thinking that Kubel's place on the team next year is going to be the most-of-the-time DH and spot starter in LF.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
(I don't have my voice back, yet.)
It was a good convention, despite the game that was played.
The convention was quite fun.
It was nice meeting everyone considering all I knew before was their internet login names and their SBG personalities.
Did you get the "Welcome SBG Nation" on the big board? Moss didn't see anything.
Nope, didn't do that.
D'oh, I forgot about the convention, or I might've dropped by to say "hi".
The only highlight of the game was Wee Sister was a winner of an autographed Morneau baseball. As a Baker fan, the entire game sucked.