Squirrel

If he were any kind of a boss, he'd have told you to take the tickets and enjoy! There would have been a way to get them to you regardless.

Game-time forecast: Partly cloudy with a 60-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 70. White Sox: SP, Quintana Eaton CF Beckham 2B Gillaspie 3B Abreu 1B Dunn DH Ramirez SS Viciedo RF De Aza LF Flowers C Twins: SP, Pino Santana SS Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Suzuki C Parmelee RF Escobar 3B Fuld CF ------------------------------------------------ Okay, Brian ... thoughts on you ... hopefully unrained on ... ------------------------------------------------- "Only Love Can Bring the Rain... That falls like tears from on high" Umm... Must be lotsa love being sent toward the cities from JB. Since the Rain is coming from her area. Enough of the Love JB. Things to think about: 1. Yohan Pino -- 30 Years old from Venezuela and ain't Mother Nature Cruel. He has been in the minors since 2005... Wishin' and Hopin' for that Major League opp... And here it is and Mother Nature is going to make him sit in the locker room wondering if he will actually get that first start in the majors tonight. Seriously!!! Hands to the sky... Why!!! Yes... I'm channeling Pino right now and imagining the thoughts going through his mind. Just cause I can't understand his thoughts (which are in a different language) doesn't mean I can't understand thoughts. 2. Credit Due -- The offense is just sucking right now and it would be easy to focus on it but I'm not going to focus on it... I'm gonna focus on Kyle Gibson today. Kyle Gibson is on a roll. 22 straight scoreless innings... 4 out of his last 5 starts were scoreless... 31 out of his last 33 innings with a zero hung. I'm sure someone can tell me when a Twins pitcher last performed like this. Someone will have to tell me because I can't remember it... It's been so long... Scott Erickson maybe. 3. Jose Quintana -- Jose is 25 years old and he hails from Northern Columbia in the department of Bolivar. He's from the same home town (Arjona) as Ernesto Frieri. He was discovered by DEA agents and signed by the Mets... after a complete strip search he became a professional pitcher. He was suspended for 2007 because of a violation of baseball's drug policy and he became a minor league free agent in 2011 after the Mets forgot he was part of the roster. The White Sox signed him in 2012 and put him in AA. He skipped AAA altogether because the White Sox pitching staff sucked and they had no one else to turn to when John Danks got hurt. Jose Quintana got a surprise opportunity and he made the most of it and he stuck in the rotation and it looks like he might stick awhile longer because they quickly signed him to a 5 year deal. Fastball... Curve... Change. None of them are terrible and none of them are amazing. He's gonna need to work ahead. 4. The White Sox -- They started out pretty strong which was the surprise of many and have cooled a little as the months went by. They are acting like the Twins have this year just hanging around .500... Perhaps they have their own rubber band. They do have an interesting offense of players who can go yard at any time. Jose Abreu is acting like the top power hitter in the game... Adam Dunn is all or nothing... Viciedo can hit some bombs... Even Beckham, De Aza, Flowers can reach the seats if you groove one. I just don't like them defensively but you can see they are trying to improve that with the acquisition of players like Eaton. I hope they all get hurt in a weird washing machine accident. I don't like the White Sox. 5. Judging others -- The old saying... "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in their shoes"... It's something I try to live my life by. After you walk a mile in his shoes... Who Cares... You're a mile away and you've got a brand new pair of shoes.

Lots of speculation all around. It seems a mystery. But I think many read this article and thread and started wondering if Joe was going through some of what Morneau did. Whether or not that's the answer is anybody's guess.

Nope, this thread will not close itself. I will give it some help.

Moderator note: Let's stop with the 'absolutes' of opinions here. We are all entitled to view this differently, but let's drop the rhetoric and referring to other poster's views as from 'outer space' or '3rd grade like' or whatever. Keep your differences respectful.

Exactly.

Good; then we can move Esco back to short and maybe send back PFlo back down.

Thanks, Chief, I needed that.

I'm sorry, but I think you give the move to the guy who deserves it, and I think Pino does. And if your goal is the future, then make sure those who are the future are ready for it, so why rush them today, when they will likely get a call yet this year to get their feet wet. Why does it have to be right now? The goal was, imo, to move Deduno back to the pen, which, imo, is the right move. So who replaces him tomorrow? May just pitched, so that wasn't going to happen. I think they are being careful with Meyer, which I think they should if we want the impact out of him in the future that we do. So, who pitches tomorrow? Just because you call up Pino to pitch tomorrow doesn't necessarily mean he's here forever. He'll be here in the short term, and if we get some wins out him, great. But he will be replaced eventually as he is what he is. But for right now, he's the hot ticket. You try it because we need someone to pitch tomorrow. I'm not for giving Deduno any more chances to start, at least not right now, so this is the move to make. For tomorrow. Not for the future.

Okay, strip away what the future may hold and what our projections are for M and M, and who right now, is the best starter on the Red Wings? Who has the best line? I get the eagerness to get M and M started in the bigs, get them acclimated so that next season they can hit the ground running. But who right now holds the best record in Rochester? For me, that's who you try next, regardless. That's the hot ticket. And maybe because Pino has been a minor league journeyman he busts out here. But I'm all for thinking that calling up the one who has done the best right now, this year, is the move to make to help us right now.

Game-time forecast: Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 75. Twins: SP, Hughes Santana SS Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Arcia RF Suzuki C Escobar 3B Fuld CF Red Sox: SP, Lester Holt CF Bogaerts 3B Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Napoli 1B Nava RF Gomes LF Drew SS Ross C ------------------ What interesting thoughts, observations, musings have you for us today, RB? Inquiring minds want to know! ----------------------------------------------- Thoughts I have 5... Observations... again 5. Musings... I'll have to look up the definition before I answer that but I am listening to "Supermassive Black Hole" right now. Things to think about: 1. The Rochester Shuffle -- Through Twins Daily... THEE Source for Minnesota Twins information. I have learned that Sean Gilmartin has been advanced from AA New Britain to AAA Rochester and will start for the Red Wings tonight and this move will push everybody back one day in the Red Wings rotation. Gilmartin had a 3.13 ERA with the Rock Cats and the reason this has become a thought today is because of the math problem that I have. I haven't seen any of these folks pitch yet but the Starting pitcher ERA's in Rochester are sparkling and there are 5 of them. There is May, Meyer, Johnson Darnell and Pino. All 5 are performing well and certainly will not be sent down to AA to make room for Gilmartin so that means that... umm... ???. Purely a guess but it seems like the Twins are prepping for a move to the big club for someone. 2. First Names -- Yesterday we faced Rubby De La Rosa and it didn't go so well. Today we face Jon Lester. So we've gone from a guy with no obvious first name to a guy with two of them. I'm thinking they should trade a name for balance. Rubby can be traded for Jon or Lester and you'd have Jon Rubby or Rubby Lester along with Jon or Lester De La Rosa. Personally I like Rubby Lester the best. 3. Josmil Pinto -- I almost forgot about him... He hasn't been around for a little while. While looking for info on the Rochester Red Wings rotation I came across an article in the Rochester Democrat. In the article... It quotes Glen Perkins as saying that Josmil is "surely not at the big-league level as far as catching for me". So there ya go... The Mystery has been solved. Maybe a Pino for Pinto trade was the plan all along. 4. Jon Lester -- Rubby Lester takes the mound for the Red Sox tonight... He's 30 years old and from Tacoma Washington. He was 2nd round pick of the Red Sox in 2002. He moved through the minor leagues and was always considered a top prospect. He made his debut in 2006 and today is considered the top pitcher in Beantown. He's a tall lefthander who mixes 5 pitches from the left side of the rubber and this makes him difficult to pick up because he doesn't come straight over the top. In the times I've seen him pitch I've never been totally impressed. I think he can get wild at times and that will make him ripe for the picking. I wouldn't never say this to his face because he's tall and left handed and I wouldn't see the punch coming. 5. Father's Day Gift -- I forgot to mention yesterday that my family surprised me with a nice father's day gift. They got me a Kuerig and what a practical neat gift it was. She is 57 years old now but she still has a certain cuteness to her and she tells me all about the news of the day when I wake up and get home from work. I'm nervous with Katie and my wife in the same household... I figure someday they are just going band together and turn on me and life is going to change. So far it's been great but I did find out that Katie will not make me a cup of coffee. Since she won't... I'll have to get one of those new things that make single cups of coffee in a bunch of different flavors.

No, it wasn't.

Oh right. You mentioned this before I think. They are playing up at Ravinia?

Oh right. Good thing I'm not working that one. But unfortunately one of my colleagues will. And now I want to stab my eyes over the image. Thanks a lot, Chief.

csn?

I've actually played the palace

But I just didn't have any time to meander. If I had two weeks off in a row, then yes, I could have hit all the spots you pointed out to me. But I just didn't have time to meander and get to Vermont to see my niece graduate, and get home in time to go to work tomorrow morning.

Hey ... I saw a yard full of toilets being used as flower planters! And horses at a rest stop! And received a text welcoming me to Canada just as I was taking a picture of a port-o-potty at an overlook on Lake Champlain. I'd say that was smelling flowers, so to speak.

Oh, thank you ... and here I thought I was just tired from driving a combined 1000 miles yesterday and today.

Game-time forecast: Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 70. Twins: SP, Correia Santana SS Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Arcia RF Suzuki C Escobar 3B Fuld CF Red Sox: SP, De La Rosa Holt LF Bogaerts 3B Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Napoli 1B Nava RF Drew SS Pierzynski C Bradley CF ----------------------------- Okay, Brian ... I'm back home. And am prodding your thinking, so go to it! Trips are fun but it's always good to be back home unless it's someplace like Illinois. Things to think about: 1. Boston -- Bwoast'n is a city along the Atlantic Coast of Massachusetts. It's like the worst city to be driving in a Cah. The roads are wicked narrah and people are all over the place. The driving rules are a little different. In Bwoast'n... never stop for a pedestrian unless he flings himself underneath your cah... You should always look both ways when running a red light... If you make eye contact with the other driver... you no longer have the right of way and study the hand gesture handbook provided by the Bwoast'n department of transportation. The population is around 636,000 people of that... approximately 400,000 are college students attending one of the 10 million colleges and universities in the city. Of the remaining 236,000 people of Boston... 100,000 are relatives of the Kennedy clan. They ski in to trees... the drive off bridges... they fly into oceans and that helps explain the driving that tourists encounter in the city. Like most major cities... The city of Bwoast'n consists of many neighborhoods... However... it doesn't matter because no one can understand how each neighborhood is pronounced so it's almost like they don't exist. 2. Fenway Pahk -- Without a doubt... It's iconic. It's been standing there since I was a child and since I was a child I've been mesmerized by the Green Monster. It was the most unique feature in all of baseball and watching televised games from Fenway were can't miss events because of the Green Monster. Now that I'm adult... I think it's possible that I may have over played it's significance because I was a freaking child. The Green Monster had to be built because the ball park dimensions had to be squeezed into the dimensions of the streets that surrounded it. It only left room for a short left fence so the fence was raised. The Park was built in 1912 and at that time... The Green Monster was the tallest structure in all of New England. It could be seen in a photo from space taken in 1915. The right field line is where the Pesky Pole stands. It was named the pesky pole because it kept toppling over when they were trying to erect it. The construction workers found it to be Pesky to place upright. Johnny Pesky came along 30 years later and named himself after the pole. His original name was Johnny Pleasant and he underwent a drastic personality change when his name was changed. They also have a place in CF which is called the Triangle. It is called the Triangle because CF'ers are challenged to Try" and take a decent "Angle" when chasing baseballs around the bullpen. 3. Rubby De Le Rosa -- Rubby is 25 years old and from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He is called Rubby because he likes Cheetos. The Red Sox acquired him in that huge trade with the Dodgers. The trade that emptied all the lazy overpaid superstars like Nick Punto off the Red Sox roster and put them on the Dodgers roster. Once Rubby became a Red Sock... The Team turned it around and won the World Series. He didn't pitch in the World Series but the team did rub his head for luck. I remember seeing him pitch with the Dodgers and back then he had a big fastball in the upper 90's and a decent change of pace and a wicked slider that he would throw for balls. He had TJ surgery since then and I admit I don't know if he is still that power guy. 4. World Series Winners -- Boston won the World Series last year... This year the Red Sox are 31-38 and 9 games out of 1st place. You don't have to look far to know where to place blame. John Ferrell is obviously a bad manager. 5. Kids -- I overheard my son arguing with a friend of his. His friend said "His Dad could beat up your Dad (meaning me)". I knew the kids dad... It wasn't true... This was clearly false. As a matter of fact... it isn't even debatable. So... I waited for my son to set him straight and he replied "Yeah... When"?

Ugh. Just tuned in in between stuff. Deduno. <shakes head> Have never been that high on him. Too erratic.

If TJ surgery hasn't already been scheduled, I think he will be okay to play soon.

No way would I want to listen to TKs monotone for an entire season. I love TK and he definitely has some good things to say, but he puts me to sleep.

Exactly.

Game-time forecast: Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to center field at 10-15 m.p.h. Temperature around 65. Twins: SP, Gibson Daniel Santana CF Kurt Suzuki C Joe Mauer 1B Josh Willingham LF Kendrys Morales DH Oswaldo Arcia RF Trevor Plouffe 3B Eduardo Nuñez SS Eduardo Escobar 2B Tigers: SP, Smyly Ian Kinsler 2B Austin Jackson CF Miguel Cabrera 1B Victor Martinez DH J.D. Martinez RF Don Kelly LF Nick Castellanos 3B Alex Avila C Andrew Romine SS ----------------------------- Well, Brian, think! Think hard! Oh, but don't give yourself a headache! ------------------------------------------------------ OK... But I just ate a bowl of ice cream real fast. Things to Think About: 1. Detroit -- Nestled in the beautiful Mountains of the Rio Grande... Detroit is a destination city for tourists across the globe who are immediately struck by the beautiful turquoise ocean and it's soothing waves crashing upon the shore. The City of Detroit was built by the Auto Industry... Around the turn of the century Lew and Danny Ford were tired of getting where they needed by horse and buggy. Looking at the back end of a horse is no way to go through the life so they built the automobile. The brothers went to Kitty Hawk North Carolina and tested this new contraption and they found out that the pure weight of the automobile made it difficult for the horses to pull. A month or so later... they decided to put wheels on the automobile and the horses were soon able to pull them and an industry was born. A few years later... the horses were no longer necessary and fast forward to today and the Toyota Camry is the number one selling car in America. 2. The Tigers -- They have cooled off quite a bit and they seem determined. Determined to make the AL Central the tightest race in all of baseball. Just 4 games separate the 1st place Tigers from the last place Twins. If this keeps up for a couple more months... The entire division will be buyers and not sellers. 3. Drew Smyly -- He's a 25 year old lefthander from Little Rock Arkansas. He played college ball at the University of Arkansas. He's Arkansas to the bone. He wears a silly Razorback Hat... He's been to Hot Springs and finds the waters slightly warm. He was in Texarkana when the Bandit and Snowman picked up cases of beer. He was implicated in the Whitewater scandal and he doesn't wear shoes. His uncle is the Mayor of Bugtussle and used to date Jethrine. When I've seen him pitch... he looks like the real deal to me... His fastball will sit in the low 90's but it has nice movement into right handed batters. This would be the type of guy that Dozier would love to turn on but it seems he isn't in the lineup. 4. Brian Dozier -- He isn't starting today and that's the first time he hasn't started all year. His back must still be a little wonky after running into Nunez. Eduardo Nunez is playing SS once again so he will have to run into Eduardo Escobar this time. We have the Eduardo Keystone Combo working today. Obviously... Nunez doesn't have 2B experience because leaving Escobar at SS and putting Nunez at 2B would have been a cleaner move. 5. Restaurants -- I wanted to try a restaurant that we haven't tried but my wife got a bad review from a co-worker and didn't want to go. According to my wife... the co-worker said and I quote... "The food was terrible and the portions were too small". I just asked her to think about that combination of problems for awhile. My wife looked at me funny... She didn't get it. As we were driving to a different restaurant. All of a sudden she started laughing out of the blue... She finally got it.