sampleSizeOfOne

Thank goodness, I'm not the only one.

That explains why their announcers call fly balls "cans o' corn." I always figured cans would be more difficult to catch than baseballs.

Game Thread, Twins vs. White Sox, 5/1 @ 7:10pm CT Location: Ye olde field of the Target. Weather: Isolated showers, 20% chance of precipitation... (from the airport) Humidity 69% Wind Speed S 10 mph Barometer 30.03 in (1017.0 mb) Dewpoint 49°F (9°C) Visibility 10.00 mi Last update 1 May 2:53 pm CDT Line ups: Chicago White Sox: Pitching: Jose Quintana {L} 1. Micah Johnson {L} 2B 2. Alexei Ramirez {R} SS 3. Melky Cabrera {S} LF 4. Jose Abreu {R} 1B 5. Adam LaRoche {L} DH 6. Avisail Garcia {R} RF 7. Conor Gillaspie {L} 3B 8. Tyler Flowers {R} C 9. J.B. Shuck {L} CF Minnesota Twins: Pitching: Kyle Gibson {R} 1. Brian Dozier {R} 2B 2. Torii Hunter {R} RF 3. Joe Mauer {L} 1B 4. Trevor Plouffe {R} 3B 5. Kurt Suzuki {R} C 6. Eduardo Escobar {S} LF 7. Kennys Vargas {S} DH 8. Shane Robinson {R} CF 9. Danny Santana {S} SS Mayday I know what you're thinkin'. May pitched yesterday. How can today be Mayday? Well, it is, just in a different context. Today is the first day of the month of May. As i learned from Episode VI, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Well, if i remember correctly, the proper way to celebrate Mayday, called a Maypole dance, is for the the Twins batters to stream line drives off the opposing pitcher, and run merrily around the bases. I don't know if there is supposed to be musical accompaniment or not. Maybe Morris dancers with bells about their ankles? Probably not. That's the danger of mixing points of views. You might get something strange thrown in to boot. It's not really a big deal though. You just gotta ask yourself "am i feeling funny?" Quintana I'm sorry. There must be something wrong with me. I can't hear that name without thinking of the bit part to end all bit parts, as performed by John Turturro in what has since become a cult classic Coen brother movie. "Bush league psychout stuff, laughable man, Ha ha!" But apparently this isn't that guy... This is a Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who held the vaunted Royal offense in check last time out. So he could keep things close, despite the festivities of the day. Gibson His Twin counterpart, Gibson also had himself a fine outing against (rattle rattle*) Seattle. This could turn into another pitcher's duel. Like, um, last night's. 7 run inning Only Vargas did not register a hit or a walk in last night's game. He'll get it one of these days, even if AAA jogs his memory. Plouffe took 2 walks, and everyone else chipped in hit-wise. That's how a team gets hot, and keeps their foot on the gas pedal. Can we do something like that again? Watch and see. Distractions Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a draft city that isn't inspired by alcohol, and some might pay more attention to hockey. That's okay. I would approve of Circus Boy Updates if ya do. But you'll be missed here... "You must do what you feel is right, of course." Again, i started with a theme, and lost it. It worked well enough last night, and being giddy from starting a game thread when the team won for a change, i figured i should change my ways. If anyone else feels like chiming in regarding the first of May, or one's own point of view (just another way of talking about context), go for it. Yeah, what's your point of view on points of view? *I can hear my grandpa sayin' it, but i have no idea why/what it might have come from or referred to, so i'm seeking a reason to go with the rhyme... Teh Googless was unenlightening a moment ago. Anyone have enlightenment? (I have a few other open questions if this proves productive) Er... Punchline contest seems like a dynamic thing, but if, come the 7th inning, nothing is done, i'll think of something...

Spot on. And thanks all for the thread (before it gets archived and all.) It was fun, but don't worry, a new one will be here presently (now that lineups have been posted)

Ah, this would be the fancy new movie coming out, not the British tv series from the 60s. Glad to hear it did not disappoint. Someday i'll get a chance to catch up on the marvel comic universe...

Now it is.

Thanks for the update! Obviously, don't let us get ya into trouble, or stunt your flute playin', but i bet if you gain the skill of reading a line of music quickly, and keep playing it while looking at something else (a conductor or TD game thread) this skill will probably serve you well in your musical career... (I just speculate, i do not actually speak from experience) And yeah, context? What's that?

Boy, i got that just in time. 12-2 is the CBU

Nice poke by Herrmann! This game score now goes to 11.

Okay Vargas, time to bust that slump!

Thanks a bunch. Mad props to Cap'n Piranha on this one as well for his contribution to tonight's theme. I am cautiously optimistic the Twins record under my game thread hostage will regress towards the mean just a tad (they are 0-4, pending the results of tonight's game)

Is that a rally avatar? Can't say it didn't work... Thanks for the support.

And Sale doesn't want to give Plouffe anything to hit. 2 on, no out.

Twins have a knack it seems for bouncing the ball off defenders gloves and getting safely to base.

Done and done.

1-0 Minnesota after 1 inning of play. Circus Boy Update jingle (whatever it sounds like)

"She'll make point five past lightspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself."

He was hustling to make it into second too, as the left fielder played the bounce pretty much perfectly, and fired a gem in that he just beat.

Wow! That's a good play to come up on, a throw home to cutdown the runner!

Thanks for providing the depth to the analogy i wasn't up to doin'. Do ya mind if we jump on your back today? I think you're drivin' the bus... Perhaps Ervin Santana as Bran? Anyway, on to watchin' the game!

Game Thread, Twins vs. White Sox, 4/30 @ 7:10pm CT Game of Threads... 0. Weather and line ups: Mostly Sunny, high of 68F. Winds calm (as of 3pm) Visibility of 10 miles (as reported at the airport) which should be just enough to see where that Vargas home run lands. Line Ups... Chicgo White Sox: Pitching: Chris Sale {L} 1. Adam Eaton {L} CF 2. Alexei Ramirez {R} SS 3. Melky Cabrera {S} LF 4. Jose Abreu {R} 1B 5. Adam LaRoche {L} DH 6. Avisail Garcia {R} RF 7. Conor Gillaspie {L} 3B 8. Tyler Flowers {R} C 9. Micah Johnson {L} 2B Minnesota Twins: Pitching: Trevor May {R} 1. Brian Dozier {R} 2B 2. Torii Hunter {R} RF 3. Joe Mauer {L} 1B 4. Trevor Plouffe {R} 3B 5. Kurt Suzuki {R} C 6. Kennys Vargas {S} DH 7. Eduardo Escobar {S} LF 8. Shane Robinson {R} CF 9. Danny Santana {S} SS 1. Mauer is coming. Mauer's been good so far. But one expects dominance from one's super stars, if that's what they are. But don't worry. Mauer himself will execute. What do you think will be his biggest contribution to this game? (Same deal for whoever you think is the Mauer equivalent playing for Chicago, for extra credit) 2. A Song of Fire 'n Ice Wild are on fire. Rather, they're not playin' too shabbily. They play on ice. (clever, no?) But their next game doesn't start until tomorrow, so let us not be distracted. Fire usually is associated with hot, or in baseball, streakiness of an approved variety. Ice, streakiness which is less approved of. Who will end up (when the game ends) with the longest streak regarding... i) hits. ii) runs. iii) Ks. iv) outs. v) errors (or poor play resulting in runs, in your subjective opinion) 3. Mayday. With all the players getting injured yesterday, and after a couple of starters go down at the beginning of the season, one might say they were um, dropping like flies. But we're the Twins. We do the little things right. Like not letting flies drop. So neither is Mayday the international distress signal (like SOS ... --- ... which i still think gets used? So we're still in the SOS age*...) but the first day of May in the outside world, or (finally getting to the point) the day Trevor May pitches. He's been hurling pretty good of late, or so i hear, but he'll really have to be on his game if the Twins can put one over on the White Sox tonight, as they're trotting out Chris Sale. Oh yeah... Which pitcher gets the most called third strikes, Sale o' May**? (but of course you're not really limited to starters) *sausage **salami I really should have worked in more luncheon meats, but oh well. Left like this, one can only hope the wurst is yet to come... 4. Draft day. Not that i'm paying attention, but i vaguely recall the Vikings being perennial last minute movers regarding draft picks. I'm still not paying attention, but couldn't help but notice all that AD speculation. I'm not wondering what will happen there, but on a more long term antithetical question... Who do folk think will the next Twins pitcher to be involved in a trade? 5. Improve vice. I had kinda meant to put together baseball questions coming out of the game of thrones series, but that fell apart pretty quickly. I suppose i could salvage it, by comparing the Royals and the Tigers and the other central teams to various factions in that series, and asking who will come out on top. And then i thought it was just easier to end everything with a question as a sort of challenge to the reader to pick and well, making a Game of it. But all and all, i just kinda petered out. But a good manager changes on the spur of the moment, as the game dictates. I don't wanna know how the Vikings trade their picks on draft day, or if AD ends up going for something, but rather What do ya figure Molitor's most meaningful move will be today? And these perhaps are just as interesting to ask after the fact, so no need to show how smart ya are, and predict everything. But of course you can do that too. Oh, and credit where 'tis due: Game of Threads idea came from a thread earlier this week where glunn mentioned the mother of dragons. I'm sure someone will eventually do the idea justice...

Hmmm... Does this mean the Twins are starting to figure a few things out? I like it.

If it works once... I like where this is going!

It is something useful to have in your back pocket for when you and 10 kids are back from a hike, and van/bus is late to pick ya up.

(Goony takes) balls but not strikes.