Olympic Trials

The Little Woman (she’s got all of two inches on the 4’8” Simone Biles) and I enjoy watching the Olympics; especially women’s gymnastics and all swimming events. So you can imagine our disappointment when Biles got the “twisties”, which is apparently a real thing that causes gymnasts to temporarily lose their spatial awareness, and had to withdraw from most of the Olympic competition after displaying symptoms during warm-ups.

So it occurred to me, professional baseball players don’t deliberately chose to go into a slump, loose control of their fastball, forget to hit the cut-off man or how to play a hot grounder. It just happens, and sometimes it’s a mental thing. Not a wandering mind, a harbinger of mental illness or a lazy attitude, not that kind of mental thing, just a temporary disconnect between body and mind that throws of their hand-eye coordination, their balance, their athleticism, whatever makes them the athlete they are. Should they be faulted for being "human"? Simone Biles wasn’t. Her team and fans instead rallied around her and other Olympic athletes from different sports spoke up, saying they too have suffered similar lapses.

And yet we as baseball fans (I’m guilty) jump all over a struggling ballplayer as if our boos, snide remarks and constant haranguing is going to fix the problem.

How dumb is that?

But I suppose some of us feel that since our tax dollars paid for the stadiums they play in, our ticket and souvenir purchases and the outrageously over priced concessions we purchase in “our” stadiums and what we fork out to the cable companies for the privilege of watching games on TV indirectly pays for the players' multi-million dollar salaries we have the right to get on the players’ cases when they fail to perform up to our expectations.

But then again maybe gymnastics fans are more sophisticated than baseball fans. Maybe they better understand that these incredible athletes are merely human and they’re just as human when they fail to perform at the highest levels as they are when they win the gold.

Anyway, I'm going to try to be a more understanding, more forgiving Twins fan. As least as far as it applies to the players and their athletic “body and mind” performances. Managers and coaches, who only have to use their brains, I’ll hold to a higher standard. You know, since they're only half there.

 

Cincinnati  56-50

Twins 44-62

Pitching Tonight

Kenta Maeda. 4-4   ERA 4.40.  K 90

Tyler Mahle 8-3. ERA 3.71.  K 133

Line-ups

Twins - Late as Usual

Reds

Jonathon India 2B  .277
Jesse Winkler LF .302
Kyle Farmer SS .262
Joey Votto 1B .276
Max Shrock RF .333
Tyler Naquin CF .247
Eugenio Suarez 3B .174
Tucker Barnhart C .264
Tyler Mahle P .059

 

Donaldson hasn’t played in 6 days... another trip to the IL for him?

Tyler Mahle. They guy that broke Buxton's hand. He has to bat...... that is, if he makes it to the 9th spot in the order and he is still pitching. But chances are, he will have to be in the batter's box while pitches are being thrown, tonight.

https://www.mlb.com/news/byron-buxton-left-hand-injury-twins

And don't forget about Lucas Sims. Beaned Buxton just before the playoffs (Sept 25) in 2019 and gave him a super concussion. Cincy pitchers have been very bad for Buxton, and have made him suffer greatly.

 

Might want to walk Votto a couple times tonight, too.

https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-joey-votto-are-july-players-of-the-month

I believe, in baseball, that "mental illness" (really, mental illness?) or the "twisties" is called the "yips". The disconnect. Rick Ankiel and Chuck Knoblauch (throwing from second to first while with the Yankees.....) come to mind as famous cases.

Austin Martin batting leadoff for Wichita tonight.

Just now, Cap'n Piranha said:

Austin Martin batting leadoff for Wichita tonight.

Keep us posted ... might be the more interesting game

There goes the perfect game and the no-hitter......

There goes the perfect game and the no-hitter..... again.

7 minutes ago, h2oface said:

There goes the perfect game and the no-hitter..... again.

Boy, both pitchers just having mental struggles tonight, giving up all these baserunners.

Smalley, talking about Votto, opines that when you get on a hot streak where your mechanics are just right, it makes hitting a homer just as easy as hitting a single.  Which suggests that almost every hitter has broken mechanics more often than not.

22 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Keep us posted ... might be the more interesting game

Ok! 

 

 

Stay tuned, game hasn't started yet.

There goes the Reds' shutout.

Total mental breakdown there by Kenta, giving up that homer.

First pitch meat. There goes the shutout. 

Boy, Kenta just clearly is not there mentally.  He should probably pull himself out of this game so he doesn't keep hurting the team.

Wow. 2 pitches. Two right down the middle. Two homers....

and Mahle comes to the plate........

With our defensive outfield, best to pitch no hitters.

Hmmm.

 

Maybe Kenta's 5 game resurgence had more to do with facing the Royals once and the Tigers thrice.  If so, punting on 2022 by trading Berrios looks to have been a very prudent move.

This is where you walk Votto.....

"You guys 'member that time when the Twins had that one pitcher, who could get outs an' stuff?

'Member that? That was awesome."

 

Good for Madea. Gives up two first pitch homers and doesn't even get close to Mahle. He is a nice guy.

Good chance to practice for extra innings. Runner on second and no outs.....

Time for a 3 run dinger from Polanco!

Still time, right, Garver!

Just now, h2oface said:

Still time, right, Garver!

I bow to the greatness of your foresight.

THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKIN' (apparently to myself) ABOUT!!!!!

Just now, Nine of twelve said:

I bow to the greatness of your foresight.

And I thought I was talkin' to myself!

And Tyler Mahle - Breaker of Buxton's Hand - on deck, coming to the plate again........