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Article: Game Thread: Twins @ A's, 7/17@9:10pm CT

Riverbrian
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Riverbrian Cooperstown

Riverbrian

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The 2nd half of the season begins tonight in Oakland. All I've ever wanted was for games in September to mean something and so far so good… it's looking like September just might mean something after all.

The trade deadline just might matter.

Everything looks like it just might matter.

It's been a long time coming. Everybody try and enjoy the dessert that is the 2nd half.

 

1. The 2nd Half -- Tonight begins the 2nd half of the season. I know... it's quirky but the All Star Break has always been the dividing line. Never mind that the first half was 89 games and the 2nd half is 73 games. It's like sharing your dessert with your wife when she asks for half of your cheesecake. She gets that little tip of the triangle while you keep the bulk of the slice and you call it half. This year... that little tip of cheesecake matters, which is such an improvement from the recent past. In the 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 seasons... nobody touched that little tip of cheesecake. It got bus'd by the busboy. It ended up in the garbage or the dishwasher took a break and finished it off in the back along with the prime rib from table 22 that was a little too big for Grandma to finish. This year... we are hungry for more. We are having our cake and eating it, too. Games in September will matter.

2. How??? -- Nobody thought we would be here. Nobody on TD thought we'd be here. The national pundits didn't think we'd be here... Let's be honest... the players didn't think it either. Oh sure... they'd talk about being here when interviewed before the season started but they didn't think it. So how did this happen? I'll boil it down to two words… Starting. Pitching. Gibson and Milone are sub 3.00 and Pelfrey, May and Hughes haven't been disgusting. We usually have 3 starters who have been a disgusting 5.00 plus. Our starters have kept us in games and given the offense a chance to win it... somehow... someway.

3. Molitor/Gardenhire -- Did Paul fix everything or is Molitor benefiting from all of Gardenhire's gardening? Did Gardy do all the work of planting and Molitor gets to enjoy the fruits of that labor? I really don't know but I think Molitor is removing weeds much more efficiently than Gardy did. Gardy kinda got comfortable with having the weeds around... in my opinion of course and based upon... nothing. I really don't know what Gardy thought of those weeds. I'm just saying... I'm under the impression that Molly has been more proactive. A little more willing to change the batting order... a little more willing to think outside the box; and after watching Molitor shift things around... rightly or wrongly... fair or unfair to Gardy... I'm looking back and feeling like Gardy was set in his ways... 2002 ways. DISCLAIMER: Thought #3 should be read with 5,000 grains of salt. It is based on an outsiders gut feeling... a gut feeling which is based on a few observations that can and have been twisted to fit a narrative... a narrative which becomes more and more flimsy as I continue to type this disclaimer. The only thing I know is that things are better this year and I'm giving some credit to Paul for fixing a few things because that's what it feels like to me.

4. Rick Anderson -- The Starting Pitching has clearly been an improvement over years past and I really believe it's the #1 factor in our sudden good fortune. So, yes... that leads to the obvious question. What does the sudden turnaround say about Rick Anderson? I really believe that we often give coaches too much credit and more often too much blame. But, seeing the pitchers all turn it around like a bunch of lemmings successfully avoiding a cliff, you can't help but wonder. Liriano turning it around in Pittsburgh also makes you wonder. I'm just wondering, that's all... Please read the disclaimer from thought #3.

5. Bigfoot and ET -- I recently hired a guy who firmly believes in Bigfoot. Obviously I need to expand the scope of my due diligence before making such hires, but the subject of Bigfoot never came up in the interview. A few days on the job... he walks into my office and asks... "Do you believe in Bigfoot? Because I do." I said, "No... scientists... or lumberjacks would have found a carcass by now." He immediately turned in his resignation. Thank God... I hate firing people.

--------------------
Game-time forecast: 68 deg F and cooling, no chance of rain (which, is unfortunate for that area, drought and all), winds from the WNW at 14mph.

Lineups:

TWINS
Dozier 2B
Hunter RF
Mauer 1B
Sano DH
Plouffe 3B
Rosario LF
Hicks CF
Suzuki C
Santana SS

Santana P

ATHLETICS
Burns CF
Vogt C
Zobrist LF
Reddick RF
Butler DH
Davis 1B
Lawrie 3B
Sogard 2B
Semien SS

Gray P

Go Twins! Play ball!

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Riverbrian
Riverbrian

The 2nd half of the season begins tonight in Oakland. All I've ever wanted was for games in September to mean something and so far so good… it's looking like September just might mean something after

Hosken Bombo Disco
Hosken Bombo Disco

If the Twins have a second half similar to their excellent 49-40 first half, they will..   finish 98-80.

Loosey
Loosey

I'll take it. Because that means they at least played in the World Series! MATH!

Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

Community Leader
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Posted

 

 It ended up in the garbage or the dishwasher took a break and finished it off in the back along with the prime rib from table 22 that was a little too big for Grandma to finish. 

Who leaves good prime rib behind? Assuming it was good and not gristly because, well, even the dishwasher isn't going to eat gristly prime rib leftovers.

 

Excited for this next 'half' … but also cautious … but excited … :)

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sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

Old-Timey Member
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5. Bigfoot and ET -- I recently hired a guy who firmly believes in Bigfoot. Obviously I need to expand the scope of my due diligence before making such hires, but the subject of Bigfoot never came up in the interview. A few days on the job... he walks into my office and asks... "Do you believe in Bigfoot? Because I do." I said, "No... scientists... or lumberjacks would have found a carcass by now." He immediately turned in his resignation. Thank God... I hate firing people.

"Do you believe in the Eastern Timezone? Because I do!"

 

"Oh, is that why you always try to leave an hour early?"

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gocgo GCL Twins

gocgo

Provisional Member
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"Do you believe in Bigfoot? Because I do."....wonder what he'd have done if you had said yes?

 

Anyway, here's to a second half of meaningful baseball for the Twins.  It's been a long time coming.  I'm interested to see what we do at the trade deadline and just as interested to see what Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland do.  Let's face it, the Royals are gonna be around for a while and I think we will too given our team age and farm system.  I would love to see Chris Sale traded out of the division, but I think that is asking too much.

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Platoon Cedar Rapids Kernels

Platoon

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Whenever we split desert at home, my dad made one cut it and the other got first choice! It guaranteed accuracy by the cutter. But what surprises me is Brian's wife lets him play with sharp objects? :). BTW, if I were you I would not be so easily dismissing Bigfoot. Have you saw what he does to those people that do in the Jack Links commercials? So if you have two of the big guys, are they Bigfoots? Or Bigfeet?

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sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

Old-Timey Member
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So if you have two of the big guys, are they Bigfoots? Or Bigfeet?

Yes.

 

I think my favorite reference to sasquatch in general is:

 

 

(be patient...) but then i haven't been out and about as much as is requisite to become an aficionado on the subject...

Edited by sampleSizeOfOne
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Platoon Cedar Rapids Kernels

Platoon

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You split a desert??? Which one? The Gobi? The Mojave? Or maybe the Kalahari? Wow! Cool!

 

 

 

tee hee <snark snark snark> tee hee

This is a perfect example of why spell check is an insidious device. I have let my usual nimble brain atrophy to the point where I can't tell a tasty treat from square miles of finely ground rock! I yearn for the bygone days of yesteryear, when men were men, and women were women, and Bigfoot was Sasquatch, and the Webster was law! :).
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Blake All-Star

Blake

Verified Member
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At my 8-5, I learned I've been doing all of my clients a disservice by not asking "Do you believe in bigfoot?" to candidates in interviews...

Well, there are the old standby questions: 

 

Janine Melnitz: "Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?"

 

Winston Zeddemore: "Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."*

 

*Note the key answer: Steady paycheck.

 

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