shake it off!

We lost our first series shake it off!
New game today, lets start over.
Hopefully Joe and Justin are feeling better and Hardy and we get back to our awesome baseball. I do think I heard a few people jump off the band wagon yesterday but they'll climb back on soon enough!

Tip of the cap to Mike for making my new header! Thanks Mike I will work and doing my own but yours rocks!

GO TWINS!

Bert loves me!

Have you ever noticed that Bert says my name during broadcast quite often!?!





You just listen sometime soon he Will say "Kitty Kitty Kitty!"

Go Twins!

FRANCISCO!

What a game last night! First and most importantly Liriano looked awesome. He looked nasty and dominant! He definitely has his mojo workin'! His pitches were moving and he just looked really confident on the mound. Seems like he and Joe were working the batters well. We needed him to pitch awesome because Verlander was throwing some crazy nasty stuff of his own.

That ball was dropping and moving all over. Almost can't get mad at the ump when he has to track such crazy stuff. Though the pitch D-span got mad about was very outside. D-span knows he needs to keep his disgust to himself! That was very out of character for him and really stupid. We have to hope he does not get suspended for throwing the bat! I can't even imagine what Gardy said to him after that but am guessing D-span is beating himself up. I say shake it off let it go and don't do it again!

How about our old guy Thome! Running the bases like a spring chicken! Got to love it when the big diesel is out there cruising around the bases! I really appreciate the effort he puts out. I expect he'll hit more home runs as the season goes on just to avoid running like that!

Tigers really hurt themselves with some really terrible errors! Crazy they got more errors in one game then we have had all season! Good job Harris being so versatile, not only holding up 3rd base but then moving over to 1st! Lets hope Moryes is feeling OK today!

Go Twins!

PS Way to go Rauch!!!

No sweep.

We won another series but everyone seems focused on our not getting the sweep. While I agree that a sweep would be great I don't think it makes our team bad. Or as LaVelle E Neal III suggests a "sign of inability to finish." This is a good team that is playing good but not even as good as they can and they are winning. I have heard fans complaining about their patience at the plate. Yes that's right PATIENCE! They think they should be swinging away.

Consider these stats:
2nd in American league in runs 98
2nd in AL runners left on base 144
.262 with runners in scoring position
4 for 26 .156 bases loaded

Now you can look at those and say wow we left a lot of guys on base. How about instead you say we scored 98 runs and had potential for a lot more? There is no way we only hit .262 the rest of the year, not with these hitters. You could also say Wow we loaded the bases a lot! Our hitters are not going to bat .156 at those times for the rest of the year. Hey we left a lot of runs on the bases but gee! we have won 13 out of 19 games.

Lets try our best to be positive fans not negative. Enjoy the day off and get back at the cheering Tues!

Go Twins

Poor Punto

Nicky was put on the DL today luckily it will be retroactive to when he last played last week. they will bring up Luke Hughes. Luke was in triple A Rochester and evidently is playing well, hes a second basemen who can play anywhere in the infield and outfield. Surprised that its not Matt Tolbert but maybe hes not playing well right now!? Bet it would be fun to go to some of those Triple A games see some future stars.
Smart of Nicky to rest it now, this early in the season better to take the time unlike later in the year when you gut through it! He did that at the end of last year. Its good in some ways just as I said before witht the pitchers its good to get those young guys up give them a little taste of the big leagues. Maybe next time they come later in the year they aren't as nervous and will play better. Or they go back down and play harder so they can get back up to the BIGS

Good to have Pavano come back with a strong game after his tough last start. Also glad that Kubel got a hit to shake that hitless streak. It is important that even the guys who haven't gotten hits are still getting productive outs! you know moving the runners around. Besides if you have guys like JJ stepping up and if Thome can get on a big role. Lets keep loading the bases eventually someone will clear 'em.

Go Twins!!

Twins!

So we lost today but hey we can't win them all. Though maybe we could win all the series! That would be pretty sweet!

I am feeling good about the all around play. We are getting on base with a lot of patience at the plate. Lots of walks and then good base running and little hits! The big hits will come, but the small ball is going to be what gets us wins! Its classic baseball= get on base, get the ball into play and run the bases.

I am a little worried about Nicky Punto. Though can't complain about how Brendan Harris is filling in...decent defense and getting on base. Hoping Nick will play at KC this weekend. Did you see Casillas play from SS today! He is quick! Hope he keeps improving, his potential is high.

Neshek hopefully is going to be OK and not go on the DL. If he does it will be fun to see Slama if they bring him up. Also its good to get some of the pitchers up, get their feet wet. Then if they are needed later in the season they are rid of the jitters.

I was lucky enough to go to the game Tuesday night with my two brothers! We got there really early and explored the outside of the stadium. I toured the pro shop finding the things I want but can't afford! Think I will get an inaugural away cap, the one with the red bill. Didn't think I would like the red but its a sharp cap. In love with the light blue jacket that Bert has been rocking!

The ballpark was beautiful! The seats we had were really high up in the left field bleachers but still great view. Super fun to be there in sunshine and have it transition to evening. Everything changes as the light does, I am sure the players are still getting use to all those little elements. From the lighting to the outfield walls...it will take lots of games for it to be ingrained. Soon that wide warning track will be easy for our guys and discombobulating for other players.

We only sat for a little bit then wandered around the park exploring! You can see the field almost everywhere you go. It feels spacious and intimate at the same time! The food was good though a little expensive, but they let me bring in my own peanuts! Went up and hung out with the organist! I loved it! Hope to go back soon!!

GO TWINS!

PS I love how the guys look with the black on their cheeks (see pic above)! WHat is that called

Knocked their Soxs off!

Another beautiful afternoon for baseball! The boys played nice small ball lots of hits and good base running. Great defense and stellar pitching from Liriano! By the looks of it he has got it back! Threw that slider well and smoked the fastball -94 mph. Fun contrast to the knuckle baller Wakefield.

GO TWINS!!

Rainy game!

Guess we can't win em all, but it sure is fun trying. Though they had to play in a light rain the game was good today against the Red sox. While we didn't pull out the win there were lots of bright spots.

Slowey pitched well which to me is what is expected from him. Coming off a wrist injury its still early for him. i imagine it will take a few games to get into top form but overall he looked pretty good. Its important that our pitchers just keep the game within reach.

Not going to discuss Delmons fielding play wasn't pretty but not worth brow beating him. I am giving him an incredible amount of slack - he did hit two doubles!

It was also good to see that fans handled the rain just fine. Some seemed to enjoy it! Think everyone is still in such awe of the ball park they are happy to just be there! i am still not use to watching them play on TV there...doesn't look right or normal. It looks good though and I will get use to it!

Lets tighten up and get the series win tomorrow!
GO TWINS!

Outdoor baseball!!

The Twin Cities were a buzz today! First game in the new ballpark!!
As you probably already know the Twins won. Kubel hit the first homerun, Pavano got the first win and Rauch got the first save. A huge day of firsts and lots of fun! Though it had to be an exciting day for the players and the hype had to be sort of overwhelming they played ball like they were suppose to. Great example of small ball with a touch of long ball.

Hope that kid that caught Kubels homerun was well rewarded. I would have demanded the whole team has to hang out with me! Oh and really good season tickets! I probably would have settled for getting to meet Kubel and maybe see if Joe wanted to meet my niece think they would be a good pair!

I can't wait to go to a game!
GO TWINS!

Why you should like Kubel...

There are several things to consider when discussing the value of Kubel. One that this is only his 6th year of MLB he missed all of 2005 with a severe knee injury. It took a couple years for him to really get back fullfilling the huge potential he had before the injury. Really feel like last year was his first year at full strength. He could play the outfield everyday if we needed him.
Lets look at his stat compared to Cuddyer and Morneau last year. You love Cuddyer and Morneau - Cuddyer kept us in it last year and Morneau is a league MVP.

2009 Kubel Morneau Cuddyer
HR 28 30 32
RBI 103 100 94
Slugging % .539 .516 .520
AVG .300 .274 .270

He looks good compared to those big dogs. You must also keep in mind that Gardy loves him. Kubel came into the league as a hot prospect, people expected him to hit the snot out of the ball. He blew his knee out and almost was out of baseball for good. I think Gardy admires how hard he has worked to get back to the form people expected of him. Who knows how much we would have to be paying him or where he would be if he hadn't hurt his knee. We should feel fortunate to have him as a DH just the price we are paying. He will play more this year including the outfield and I think it will make his game all around better. Look for him to contribute lots of RBIs even though he's in the middle of the lineup following Mauer, Morneau and Cuddyer.

So I say cut the "beast" some slack be a good fan that cheers for all the players and realize nobody is going to play a perfect game every time out. Sure he'll leave some runs on the bases but so do our two MVPs. The hope is that if the MVPs don't get the hit then Cuddy or Kubel will, the way its been so far this season the 7-8-9 hitter will do it.

GO TWINS!

CLUTCH!

Mr Kubel was clutch in saturdays game!!

I neglected to mention that Denard was clutch friday night before with his diving catch. Sorry Denard!! You rocked!!

Not sure who will be clutch today but I am sure it will be a different player!

One more day and we play in our own outdoor park!! Wish I was going to that game!! Might just go downtown to check out all the action!

GO TWINS!

Extra Innings!

Extra innings for the Twins and Sox last night not exactly what Gardy would have liked..but the twins won! After a redeye flight to Chicago the Twins did look a little tired but the crisp evening air kept them awake enough.

The Twins had an early chance to score but suddenly their bats went quiet. The quiet bats were compunded by a baserunning error from Orlando. As they should they kept battling. They took advantage of Sox errors and stayed in the game. Loriano pitched OK not awesome but not horrible. Pitchers just need to keep the score low and we can win.

Clutch hit from JJ in the 11th inning got the extra run we needed. Rauch again did a great job closing the door. Hopefully everyone was able to get some sleep and will be up for todays early game. I am sure todays game will be even more difficult for the Twins and even for the sox who had extra innings the night before the Twins game. Hopefully the sun is out!

Go Twins!

Series #1 = Success (3-1)

Excellent start to the new season! Winning the series against the Angels at their own park is quite an achievement! Also hitting 9 homeruns! Awesome! Having had so much trouble with the Angels in the past it adds to the confidence to go in and beat them 3 out of 4! The Angels are a good team, a good hitting team and we held them down - way to go Pitchers!!!

Loved watching Thome last night! The guy ran his ass off to get a double and then hits a HUGE homerun later in the game. I say buy him a glove and put him at first base once in a while - ok maybe too far there but he looked great!

The whole team looks great. Everyone looked so focused so serious as they played but then you'd see them in the dugout smiling and high fivin'! Great team chemistry! It does seem to me that they are going about the business of baseball while still having fun! All four starters looked good especially from the stand point that they each had moments of trouble but they stayed focused and worked out of it. They seem to be pitching with confidence knowing that they can manage the game and as long as they keep it close their hitters will come thru for them. And how about that bullpen!?! Mijares came in last night and did a great job showing that Monday was not the norm. Loved watching Burnett close out the ninth, you could see how excited he was but he kept it under control and worked the pitches!

Now I know this is only 4 games of 162, its a long season and there will be bad games but looking at this line up and seeing the 6to9 hitters coming up and knocking the snot out of the ball that just makes you feel GOOD! They still play the small ball getting people on base and moving them around but to have the long ball in your back pocket is fabulous. I do not envy the opposing pitchers there is no let up in this line up. You got the big dogs and the piranhas, get past the MVPs to Cuddy, Kubel/Thome and Del then Hardy, Harris or Punto and back to the beginning. WOW!

Ok was it just me or did you feel the emphasis behind Harris's bat when he hit the homerun. Like he was saying check that out! Play me at third - of course he followed up with a strikeout and missing a scorcher down third base line. Honestly I think Punto would have handled that ball but I will admit I am a Nicky fan!! I just hope Harris accepts the role he has and makes the most of it. So far the whole team seems to understand the plan, willing to get that productive out and keeping focused.

Tonight will be the beginning of another tough series. The guys will be tired from traveling last night and they have to play early sat. Guessing Joe and Thome won't play tonight. Thinking Thome is probably sore from hoofing it around the bases last night! Get to see Loriano throw - Hope he tosses a no hitter and sends Ozzie into a tizzy!

GO TWINS!

Pavano! or 2-1

Pavano started a little rough just like Blackie and Scotty but he didn't give up any runs. Got into a little trouble loading the bases but worked his way out of that too! Think it always is helpful to the pitcher when his team gets some runs on the board. Seems to me all three starters so far have looked good, when they had problems they were able to work out of it. I know its early but everybody looks really focused.
JJ hit another dinger...what has GoGo done the last few nights? GoGo is batting .333 he is 4 for 12 all four hits in game one one double & a home run. He also has a stolen base. JJ has two HRs. Don't know what gogo has done defensively but the play JJ made in the 9th was awesome!!

Have we ever played the Angels this tough! I know Morneau has never hit like that against them! Two homeruns in two games!?! WOW! Go MorYES!!!!

This fun!!
GO TWINS!!

1-1

The bats were knocking the ball around this time for the Twins and Blackburn pitched great! Happy to have a Twins pitcher go more then 6 innings! 3 HOMERUNS!! WOW!! Love that Joe got one and happy to see Morneau hitting too! New guy Hardy plugging one out, hopefully a taste of something he'll do thru out the season! Has to feel good to him to get that so early in the season.

Bullpen
Really looked sharp! Matty G 1-2-3 really great. Duensing did his job, getting a tough out in a tight position. Huge for a young guy to step up there! Makes me really happy and feeling a good vibe. Rauch looked really dominating! All around if our pitching can do that every night we will win a lot cause these guys can HIT!

Defense
Looked sharp, turned a few double plays. Our infield defense is really going to be a strength!!

This is going to be FUN!

0-1

Not the start I would prefer but there were a few positives. I really like the new uniforms and have decided my new hat this year will be the red billed TC one!

Baker started out a little rough but he got it under control. He really looked good after the first and a third inning. Crane looked good too. Mijares.....OUCH! We left a lot of guys on base but hey at least we were getting guys on base! Those Angels are a GOOD team and we didn't look horrible just didn't put it all together. I look forward to the game tonight. I was really sleepy at the beginning of the game but then woke up really expecting the Twins to make their move.

Feeling good about Delmon hitting a homerun, expected Cuddy or Kubel to do it too! Maybe the bats will get cracking tonight. As long as we keep getting guys on base we will be good. Mijares will do better and Baker is going to stay in the groove he got in after the first.

I think the Angels are one of the better hitting teams in baseball they are patient at the plate. If we could take back a couple pitches and a couple at bats- we were right in that game. I hope Morneau relaxes a little he seems like he is really trying tooooo hard!

Our little GoGo Gomez made a great debut in Milwaukee 4 for 5 a homerun and a stolen base! WOW! I know there will be plenty of o for 4 nights for him too but I am happy that he had such a good game. I want the Brewer fans to like him especially my cousins! Good Luck GOGO!

Lets go Twins!!

Game 1!!

Official the season starts tonight for the Twins!! I plan on staying up late to watch them play the Angels. Cutie Scotty Baker will be the starting pitcher, expectations are high for him this year, I don't think he will disappoint!

It will be fun to see Tor-i-i, I wish him a good season but not the rest of the team. Though when they play the Yankees I will cheer for them. Actually I will cheer for anyone playing the Yankees! I turned on their game last night and groaned because they were up 5 to 1. Woke up this morning to see that the Red Soxs came back to win!! OK not a Red Sox fan except when they play the Yanks.

Lets go Twins!!!

Closer Rauch

The Twins announced that Rauch will be their closer. Tattooed and over 6' he is an imposing figure, though he does not have the stuff like Nathan. He has experience as a closer and should do just fine. I am hoping this line up will provide him with some cushion.

I agree with the Twins that defining roles for the bullpen is better then doing the whole committee thing. it is important for players to know what is expected of them. They can develop a routine on game days which is helpful for getting into a groove!

I actually am afraid of how optimistic I feel about this team. Perhaps this has to do with my gopher disappointment every year. Always get all fired up and then they let me down. I guess I am willing to take the chance on this team, I am just plain excited!! I think any let down will come from unknowns like injuries not lack of effort. These guys seem ready to take that next step. They are cohesive and work hard, they are hungry for more then a division championship!

Day Game!

What a beautiful day for baseball! Not even worried about who won (though the Twins did!). The stadium was the focus of these two games with St Louis a chance for the players to get a feel for it as well as the fans. The state of art drainage system was the star yesterday! The negative nellies must have been pleased to see the rain coming so they could complain about no roof! But the rain stopped and the field looked beautiful! I have no doubts we will deal with really cold or wet weather at points this year but i have to say the ballpark is beautiful!! I cant wait to get to a game!

As far as our Twins Denard looked sharp in the game yesterday and today Mauer knocked one out and so did Cuddy! I have a feeling Span will be a big spark all year and once Cuddy figures out the parks wind currents he is going to hit a lot out of there!! No doubt Morneau, Kubel, and Mauer will be hitting them too! They will figure out the spots to hit on the wall to get those extra bases as well as learn how to play them defensively.

It is going to take some getting use for the fans as well. Watching on TV its hard to remember this is our home park. I am glad we had these two games to get the awe for the Park out of the way now when they come back we can just focus on the team.

By the way it is the Twins organizations preference that we call this a ball park not a stadium.

Twins are back!

The Twins are playing an exhibition game in their new stadium as I write this. They are behind in the 8th inning but its still a fun game. Double J, Jacque Jones just came up to bat and the crowd gave him a standing ovation!! Good for you Double J and way to go Fans!!! He made a great diving catch to get them out of the inning. He really looks great, one of the best smiles in baseball. I was just thinking when we had Jacque was when I really started becoming a Twins fan! Him and Tor-i-i really made me like the Twins!! As I have said before I was a Royals fan, I will always have a soft spot for the Royals but the Twins are my team now!!!

The park looks great and its a sold out game! The Twins gave 6500 tickets to people who helped build the stadium! I cant wait to go to a game!!!!