NoCryingInBaseball

Guess no one is watching and after 3 1/2 there isn't any score...but the team does have 4 hits and no runs against them...

Made my way back across Alligator Alley again to Ft. Myers now that Pitchers & Catchers are in full practice mode. Most position players are also going through their respective routines….even Mauer was in practice today. The only two not at Hammond were Plouffe & Dozier. I didn’t see Sano practicing, but around 11:00 I saw him walking through the parking lot from a back Minor League field in full white uniform, I was told he was doing some publicity photo shoots. Rained just a little. The coach pitching a batting practice group including Kepler & AB Walker yelled to the neighboring field where Brunansky was pitching to BP group made up of Buxton, Park, Arcia and D. Santana “Bruno, do we keep going” and received the answer ”if it gets any worse, maybe”. It let up and practice continued.

I moved to Miami over a couple of weeks ago and perhaps the best part of it is that I can make the jaunt across Alligator Alley once every week or two to see our boys of summer! By the time I got there yesterday, I was told that Sano had been working hard going up & down that hill next to the minor league practice field. Maybe that explained why when I watched him shagging fly balls (along with other outfielders like Rosario and Arcia), he only caught a minority that were hit in his direction. I watched with a small group (including Halsey and other Twins Daily readers who claim to be “lurkers”) and Patrick Reusse was mingling among the players as well. As mentioned by Halsey, today was much colder (didn’t think I needed a coat and Halsey was kind enough to lend me an extra that he had along), and I didn’t see many position players (no Sano). Left too early to see our new DH with his hand iced. Appreciate Halsey starting up with his reports again…I enjoy reading them and participating when I make it back across the “Alley”.

I joined Halsey and a small group yesterday and again this morning, and it's no surprise that there are a lot of players and interesting stuff happening....Don't you think it's time to do another Hammond Happenings Halsey? By the way, it was chilly today...appreciate loaning me a jacket, Halsey!

If the Twins actually have a one year and $3-4 million offer in front of Bastardo, it would be the same as trying not to be taken seriously. I realize that that type of offer would have been considered a competitive offer in prior years, but not so much now, Although, I really wouldn’t want the Twins to go in on a three-year $18 million deal….I’d sure like to have a lefty that is good at strikeouts! I’d go high for one maybe two years.

OK, forget about what "Curios" minds want to know....curious minds are really interested and surely (and don't call me Shirley) our friends in the Ft. Meyers regions can share with us?!!!

85 wins.

That's what the general pronunciation has been...although I was just listening to Reusse and he seems to be making the mistake I made up until yesterday.

I’m a little reluctant from providing the phonetic pronunciation of Byung Ho Park’s name because I think my earlier comment was interpreted as making fun of his name, when I really was pronouncing it incorrectly and I was embarrassed about my mistake. It seems that most radio and TV guys are saying “Be-Young Ho”, so that’s my interpretation of the correct phonetic pronunciation of his name.

Time to learn the correct pronunciation of our new slugger. Imagine my embarrassment when I've been pronouncing his name very similar to a vulgar term related to an individual's rear end....just heard the correct way to say his name on the nightly news and boy was I off....

I agree that Spring Training should be the place to sort this out and Buxton may very well need more time in triple-A. Another candidate for CF competition was Danny Santana and I thought he was working on that position in winter league.

I am in agreement that the signing tells me that Ryan & Company are in talks with another Catcher for a possible platoon. I am hoping for a Lefty/Righty combo at Catcher!

Chicken Dinnah Time!!!! TWINS ARE RELEVANT!!!!

GOT HIM!!

Regain the lead!!

NICE!!!

I realize that the team is watching Duffy with some sort of pitch count concern, but I am having a wonderful time watching this kid show his skills. Didn't see him in my potential 2015 line-up, now I think he has established himself as a strong rotation guy for 2016!

Damn.....I like this kid!!!

After writing game thread starters over the weekend, I have a new appreciation for what you do starting each series off for us! I wrote only two game thread starters and I understand what you mean when you say "...I'm running out of things to think about when it comes to Cleveland". Love what you do here Riverbrian!

Game Thread: Twins @ Tigers, 9/27 12:08pm CT Yesterday was my first attempt at authoring a game thread I the team delivered a winnah! Here we go fellow TDers, let’s go for two-in-a-row, get me that Chicken Dinnah! (photo) Here are some things to think about: 1. Guess there is an illness issue of some kind in the clubhouse and apparently Plouffe and is out on account of it and Rosario is sitting because of LHP Wolf. Molitor said there's "a bug going around the clubhouse ... Temperatures ... Bodies aching." 2. Santana on the mound. Probably the best arm the team has at this point in the season….let’s go! 3. Buxton is playing (Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play, today, Look at me, I can be Center field)…I realize his bat needs to come around before he is a regular, but I love it when this guy is out there. 4. I would love to see Kepler, but since the team is still legitimately in contention, he’s sitting these games out. Heard that there is a missing person alert on Shane Robinson, but since there is no room for him next year, no one is looking for him. 5. Go Rangers and Mariners! -------------------- Game-time forecast: 69 degrees F, mostly cloudy with 15% chance of precipitation, winds from the SSE at 9 mph. Lineups: TWINS Dozier 2B Hicks LF Mauer 1B Hunter RF Nunez 3B Sano DH Escobar SS Suzuki C Buxton CF E. Santana P 6-4, 4.31 ERA TIGERS Davis CF Kinsler 2B Cabrera DH V-Mart 1B J Martinez RF Castellanos 3B Collins LF Avila C Wilson SS R. Wolf P 0-4, 5.91 ERA Go Twins!

Haven't figured out how to edit yet..... Good Guys: Dozier Mauer Sano Plouffe Rosario Hunter Hicks Suzuki Escobar Udder guys: Gose Kinsler Cabrera V-Mart JD-Mart Castellanos McCann Machado Davis

Game Thread: Twins @ Tigers, 9/26 6:08pm CT Never started a game thread before, so let’s give it a go…The Twins play the second game of the series with Detroit tonight. Here are some things to think about: 1. Last night’s loss to Detroit clearly falls into the woulda, coulda, shoulda category. Less than 10 games remaining in the season and the team seems to be trying to limp toward the finish line. The Twins held a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning, but another short outing from Pelfrey then a cluster fumble by the bullpen….judges, what say you? 2. Technically, the team can still make it to the wild card one-game playoff. Although they have slipped to fourth, place now that the Angles have leap-frogged over the Twins, they are only a game and a half out of a playoff spot. Tomorrow is the beginning of the last week of the season and the twins are STILL playing relevant baseball! 3. Today’s pitcher is Tyler Duffey. I did not pay much of attention to him at the beginning of the year and now I have started to feel like he is about the best in the team’s rotation to send out every 5th start. I now have him included as a likely starter in next year’s rotation. 4. This season was supposed to be a devilment year when many prospects make their way to the “Bigs” and begin to learn how to adjust to “The Show”. I think everyone is in agreement that the Twins surprised everyone that their ahead of schedule and some of the young guys (Rosario, Sano) are here to stay, Hicks isn’t a complete flop and that Escobar can play a decent short stop. 5. They may not cross the finish line as a playoff team, but the fact that they are playing relevant baseball the last week of the regular season is great learning experience for the young guys! -------------------- Game-time forecast: 71 degrees F, partly cloudy with 0% chance of precipitation, winds from the ESE at 11 mph. Lineups: TWINS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Duffey P 4-1, 3.15 ERA TIGERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 Simon (not Paul) P 13-10, 5.21 ERA Go Twins!

Looks like Santana might get a win after-all....

Nicely done, Rosario!

Winnah, winnah, Chicken Dinnah!!