killebrewlover

Community members face the choice of putting on a happy face, or the gloomy mask of tragedy. Either way, almost two months of regular season baseball remains to be played in a close division race, so it's hardly "Bye Bye, Birdie" for baseball talk.
@killebrewlover serenades us with that old meteorologist's torch song, This season's forecast. Darkening clouds. Stormy weather ahead. "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky, stormy weather / Since my team and first place ain't together, keeps raining all of the time..."
@strumdatjag observes the quiet end of a Twins career in Crickets for Sano. Or perhaps, like Mulan, these are good-luck crickets, and Miguel can return for the Twins postseason run he's been destined to lead since 2009? The Twins have previously benefitted from piranhas and goats -- could an insect be next?
Not all is negative: @PseudoSABR shares a FanGraphs article that suggests we received excellent value for What the Twins gave up in terms of prospects at the deadline. Mahle, Fulmer, López, and even Sandy León have already contributed to Twins victories. In fact, León's nickname is apparently "Noah" -- could he help the Twins survive this storm?
@bwillly suggests a potential new role for an under-the-radar Twins contributor: Could Smeltzer be a long reliever? Devin is still starting for St. Paul, but it's only a matter of time before the Twins need his innings again, either in the rotation or the bullpen.
In the minor league forum, @ScottyB kicked off a discussion of This Winter’s Rule 5 Draft. Which players on the farm have earned a 40-man spot after the season? Could any of them help even sooner, as major league reinforcements for the Twins stretch drive?
Lastly, when I find myself in times of Twins trouble, the Other Baseball forum can be a source of levity; but alas, not today. @Steve71 looks around the league and concludes that MLB is Broken. But other than that, how was the pennant race, Mrs. Lincoln?
Whether you're feeling cross and bitterish, or thinking of banana split and licorice, share it in the forums!

Thursday’s off day provided the Minnesota Twins with some much-needed downtime, including their annual Summer Potluck. But the charcuterie turned to carnage when members of the Twins bullpen botched their dish, injuring dozens in the clubhouse.
“We had a real nice spread laid out,” said a team source. “Buffalo chicken dip, sliders, Minnesota sushi, you name it. Then all of a sudden I just hear shouting and screaming and then the burning. The burning.”
Sources say the bullpen was assigned chips and ice, but when reliever Emilio Pagan got lost on his way to Kowalski’s and drove to Fort Smith, Arkansas instead, they improvised a pasta salad. That’s when the trouble began.
“First of all, they didn’t have any of the ingredients one would need to make a pasta salad,” said a clubhouse source. “They had plenty of enthusiasm, but noodles? No. Veggies? No. Dressing? No. A pot and water? Again, no.”
“I can’t stress this enough: the clubhouse doesn’t have a stove,” said former Twin and current Bally Sports North analyst Glen Perkins. “They removed it after they found out (Carl) Pavano was living there for a couple years to in his words ‘let some things sort themselves out.’ You couldn’t even start a fire if you wanted to. And yet.”
Multiple cell phone videos appear to show Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar and other unidentified relief pitchers pouring a Ziploc bag labeled “MAKE CAR GO WATER, DON’T DRINK” on a bucket of gum and sunflower seeds, then attempting to light the unconventional salad with a road flare.
“If I heard them correctly, they said they were marinating the gum and seeds mixture and hoping to sear it to seal in the juices,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “Right before the flames engulfed us, I heard Thielbar call it a Goodhue County sous vide. I don’t think that’s right.”
A team spokesperson said that no decision has been made about rescheduling Friday’s game at Texas. Although the injuries are minor, the spokesperson said the bullpen is entirely healthy and they must consider that before making the final call.