Neither the Twins nor the Yankees have much room to breathe. The Twins are currently 1.5 games behind the Orioles for the last wild card spot. The Yankees have the Blue Jays right behind them. That race is so close that almost feels like the Blue Jays are ahead of the Yankees.

It's past the midway point in August and the games have a sincere value for both teams. The comfortable cushions are gone and the furniture needs some serious repair to be comfortable once again.

Here are some Things to Think About:

 

1. Cushion - The Yankees were hot and now... not so much. They currently lead the AL East by a half game but the cushion they had is now like a pillow that has been under my butt for a solid week... or like a pillow that has been driven over and over again by a Ram truck... Yeah... I'm making a comparison between my butt and a Ram Truck. Remember when the Twins had some Wild Card cushion? It wasn't that long ago and now we don't... The Yankees are feeling the same way.

2. The Yankees - They used to be known as the Highlanders. It sounds like I'm making that up but it's true. Around 1904 they decided to change the name and they really liked that song. A vote was held and it was real close. The New York Yankees received 35% of the vote... The New York Doodles came in with 34% of the vote and the New York Dandy's came in with 33%. 22% simply wanted to call it Macaroni. Some of you math majors realize that those percentages add up to 124% and the explanation of that is real easy. It's New York... The Home of Wall Street. That's how they add things up and why we are victims of crashes on occasion.

3. Home-Road Splits -- The Yankees have a winning record both at home and on the road. The Twins on the other hand... the difference is striking. The Twins are 38-24 at home and 21-34 on the road. For the Twins it seems to matter and it is reflected in the splits. The Twins are saying to everyone that they like Target Field and they don't like airplanes and hotels, I guess. If you are looking for a positive about playing on the road for this series, here ya go... The Twins have won 21 games on the road so it's not like it hasn't happened before. The odds are that the Twins will win at least 24 road games before the season ends. So... winning 3 games in New York is entirely possible.

4. New York -- While in the Big Apple there will be plenty of things for the Twins to do. They can go to Central Park and… well, they can go to Central Park and stand in the middle of it and say that they are in the middle of the park in the middle of the city... you know... just to be in the middle of it all. They can go to Times Square and think to themselves... You know.. this doesn't really look that square at all. They can go on the internet and spend 3 hours trying to decide which restaurant to eat at. By the time you have looked at all the options and make a decision, you realize that you are now beyond hungry and can't wait any longer so you fill up on Doritos instead. There will be plenty for the Twins to do... but nothing more important than at least winning this series because the Yankees are potentially one of the teams they will have to catch for a playoff spot.

5. Water Parks -- My Sons and I had a great weekend together. Although... Saturday was a little challenging as we spent the entire day at Michigan Adventures Water Park on a beautiful, hot weekend day. In other words... the park was packed and the lines were long. After waiting in line after line and doing it again and again and looking at all the people waiting in line with you and walking past you and accidentally bumping into you. It became obvious that a water park is a lot like spending an entire day at the DMV with the addition of water being dumped on you every hour or so.

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Game-time forecast: 87 deg F, partly cloudy with a 2% chance of precipitation, winds from the S at 8mph.

Lineups:

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

Gibson P

YANKEES
Ellsbury CF
Gardner LF
Rodriguez DH
Teixeira 1B
McCann C
Beltran RF
Headley 3B
Gregorius SS
Drew 2B

Mitchell P

Go Twins! Play ball!

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Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

 

Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

Is that a Yogi Berra Quote?

Ya know what I wanna see this week outta the boys?   I wanna see pitches busted in on A-Rod’s knuckles.   I wanna see a Yankee shortstop get put in the 3rd row on a DP slide, and if he beefs, tell him it’s 4-year-old payback from Nishioka.   I wanna see Dozie or Poof slap a tag on a runner with some meaning.   I wanna see some swagger, I wanna see some fight.   I wanna see 10-pitch at-bats, and plenty of ‘em.    I don’t wanna see anything remotely resembling Minnesota Nice. 

 

Go into that Bronx like you own it for change.   By golly, call up Arcia just for the sheer moxie of it.   I    wanna   kick-   some-   Yankee-   a$$.   Win or lose, I don’t care.    Just show me something this week, boys.

I want a win TONIGHT!!!

Twins win....

 

Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

 

 

Is that a Yogi Berra Quote?

Who? Never heard of him.

Ya know what I wanna see this week outta the boys?   I wanna see pitches busted in on A-Rod’s knuckles.   I wanna see a Yankee shortstop get put in the 3rd row on a DP slide, and if he beefs, tell him it’s 4-year-old payback from Nishioka.   I wanna see Dozie or Poof slap a tag on a runner with some meaning.   I wanna see some swagger, I wanna see some fight.   I wanna see 10-pitch at-bats, and plenty of ‘em.    I don’t wanna see anything remotely resembling Minnesota Nice. 

 

Go into that Bronx like you own it for change.   By golly, call up Arcia just for the sheer moxie of it.   I    wanna   kick-   some-   Yankee-   a$$.   Win or lose, I don’t care.    Just show me something this week, boys.

I can see the appeal of beatin' 'em in their own house at their own game.

 

Personally, i'll be happy with winning three one run nail biters that the Yankees of New York can do nothing about, while we remain as pleasant and courteous as can be. "Bravisimo! Encore!"

 

But a no hitter, or a softball mercy rule style victory by the Twins as a statement certainly wouldn't be amiss...

 

Anyway, what happens happens, and i suppose the Yankees might have something to say on the matter. It'll be an evening's entertainment, at last.

 

I'm just glad i renewed my license a few months ago, before i got the temptation to show up in a bathing suit with a beach towel and a supersoaker. That could be taken the wrong way.

I say we make a statement the same way the North Stars did against the Bruins in 1981.  After getting dominated (and beaten) for years, when the Bruins sent Steve Kasper out to intimidate Bobby Smith, he started pushing back (for a change).  After losing that game, they won the war- the Stars wiped the Bruins out in the playoffs.  It's baseball, not hockey, but could we maybe throw a couple pitches that were actually a little bit off the plate inside?  Please?  Maybe a clean, hard, late slide, as suggested?

 

That might help.  Something has to change.

 

Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

Really? How would you know? When was the last time you were in New York?

Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

If they could just fit a restaurant in, people might go to it?

 

Kinda like, if you build it, they will come...

 

I wonder if hotdog stands count?

 

A favorite joke o' my sister's:

 

The Buddhist* walks up to the hotdog vendor and says "make me one with everything."

The corollary being he pays for it with a $20 and in response to further inquiries, the vendor responds "change comes from within."

 

*-ignoring the fact that i believe they are vegan, no? But humor also comes from absurdity, or so i'm lead to believe...

 

Nobody goes to the restaurants in New York. They're too crowded.

 

They are a lot like Michigan waterparks.

 

Ya know what I wanna see this week outta the boys?   I wanna see pitches busted in on A-Rod’s knuckles.   I wanna see a Yankee shortstop get put in the 3rd row on a DP slide, and if he beefs, tell him it’s 4-year-old payback from Nishioka.   I wanna see Dozie or Poof slap a tag on a runner with some meaning.   I wanna see some swagger, I wanna see some fight.   I wanna see 10-pitch at-bats, and plenty of ‘em.    I don’t wanna see anything remotely resembling Minnesota Nice. 

 

Go into that Bronx like you own it for change.   By golly, call up Arcia just for the sheer moxie of it.   I    wanna   kick-   some-   Yankee-   a$$.   Win or lose, I don’t care.    Just show me something this week, boys.

I agree with your attitude, but nobody can be blamed for Nishioka.

 

 

If they could just fit a restaurant in, people might go to it?

Kinda like, if you build it, they will come...

I wonder if hotdog stands count?

A favorite joke o' my sister's:

The Buddhist* walks up to the hotdog vendor and says "make me one with everything."
The corollary being he pays for it with a $20 and in response to further inquiries, the vendor responds "change comes from within."

*-ignoring the fact that i believe they are vegan, no? But humor also comes from absurdity, or so i'm lead to believe...

Hmm. The Dalai Lama actually eats meat. I was disappointed to learn that, being a vegetarian myself.

 

No joke.

I'm tired of the A-Rod and Teixeira blasting homeruns off us. Please let them be too old to do that anymore!

 

 

  By golly, call up Arcia just for the sheer moxie of it.   

 

I fear the only thing callng up Where's Oswaldo would do for us is guarantee us the victory in a pre-game Knucklehead Contest.

 

I agree with your attitude, but nobody can be blamed for Nishioka.

Bill Smith says hello. 

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.

 

Hmm. The Dalai Lama actually eats me. I was disappointed to learn that, being a vegetarian myself.

 

No joke.

 

Is there a typo at the end of the first sentence?  Otherwise, this not the kind of post that is proper for this board  (then again, it is the game thread).

Edited August 17, 201511 yr by D. Hocking

I fear the only thing callng up Where's Oswaldo would do for us is guarantee us the victory in a pre-game Knucklehead Contest.

I've won that many many times.

 

It's awesome. I've got trophy's.

Bill Smith says hello.

Tell him Hi back.... For me.

 

I've won that many many times.

It's awesome. I've got trophy's.

And the board falls silent in utter disbelief......

Drew apparently lacks some faith in his catcher.

Drew apparently lacks some faith in his catcher.

McCann was only off by 3 Manute Bol's

 

Hmm. The Dalai Lama actually eats me. I was disappointed to learn that, being a vegetarian myself.

 

No joke.

Meat.

Meat.

He eats MEAT.

Edited August 17, 201511 yr by ScrapTheNickname

 

Meat.

Meat.

He eats meat.

Edit

Edit

Try the edit.

 

Meat.

Meat.

He eats meat.

 

Meat.

Meat.

He eats meat.

I am sooooo relieved... as Twins strand Dozier

Meat.

Meat.

He eats MEAT.

So do Cannibals

 

You haven't wiggled out yet.... Just sayin

 

Edit

Edit

Try the edit.

Unfortunately, I left the site after I wrote it, and thus the edit no longer works. Try it sometime.

6 fastballs of some sort to start the game?