wsnydes

I've managed to stave off @Dave The Dastardly's bid at a series Game Thread sweep. It was a very difficult task to accomplish (I picked the day before he did), but I managed to do it! It took a strenuous training regimen and no less than four keystrokes in a message to @stringer bell to accomplish this monumental feat. If you're up to the task, be sure to train hard and message @stringer bell about getting in on the glory! But, enough of my modesty and on to the Game Thread intro! I grew up and got hooked on baseball almost mainly because of the Twins and A's duals of the mid to late 80s and early 90s, so these series with the A's are always somewhat nostalgic for me even if the luster has long worn away. I remember being fortunate to attend a game or two where the Bash Brothers brought their show on the road and into the ol' Metrodome. We'd always get those dirt cheap general admission, worse than nose bleed, upper deck in the outfield seats, but it was still fun. And as a small kid, how can you not enjoy getting literally blown out of the place when you leave! Speaking of the ballpark experiences, RingCentral Coliseum has had some interesting ones! Sidebar, RingCentral Coliseum is right up there with Guaranteed Rate Field as among the worst stadium names in existence. Anyway, in the late 70s, the place was dubbed the "Oakland Mausoleum" because attendance was so sparse for A's games that they TWICE had crowds of less than 1,000 fans. Of course, you've got the 1989 World Series that was interrupted by a major earthquake. I remember 8 year old me being angered when Game 3 was postponed because I was allowed to actually stay up and watch the game! A 1996 renovation added a third deck of seating in the outfield serving mainly football games. Within 10 years, the A's had tarped off these sections with the names and numbers of A's greats. And who can forget the state of the art plumbing! The field level is actually below grade and sea level, so there are some engineering hurdles to overcome with such a facility. There have been multiple sewage backups, most recently in 2013 after a game against Seattle. Sewage had backed up into the visiting team's training room, showers and offices. It was bad enough that both teams ended up having to share the Raiders locker room on the 2nd floor. I'm sure that didn't add to the problem at all. And the problem has even crept up with the A's on the road! Food service at the stadium's restaurants has been halted due to sewage backups in the kitchens! I'll eat before I get there, thank you very much! And now they've got possums roaming about forcing broadcast teams to vacate their booth! What's next? Hopefully not an earthquake... On to today's game! The forecast calls for a sunny day with highs in the upper 70s. On the bump for this rubber match, Sonny Gray will square off against Daulton Jeffries. At the dish facing those guys will be: Visiting Twins 1 - Buxton, CF 2 - Arraez, 1B 3 - Correa, SS 4 - Polanco, 2B 5 - Kepler, RF 6 - Sanchez, DH 7 - Urshela, 3B 8 - Jeffers, C 9 - Gordon, LF Hosting Athetics 1 - Kemp, 2B 2 - Neuse, DH 3 - Laureano, CF 4 - Brown, 1B 5 - Bethancourt, C 6 - Pinder, LF 7 - Barrera, RF 8 - Andrus, SS 9 - Smith, 3B

I'm more in favor of Lewis continuing to play every day than I am of him staying up with the Twins. With the current roster construction, I don't see Lewis playing every day even across multiple positions. And if he sits, what he's doing with the bat is almost irrelevant. I would agree that sending Miranda down first would have been my preferred move too, but I can see why Lewis went down. That doesn't mean that I have to like it, but I can understand it.

I've seen this too. Talk about absolutely brutal!

For what it's worth, the Twins also have Friday night fireworks.

I've got a two year old nephew and I'm waaay behind on the latest and greatest fads! Can I borrow your notes?!?

I get wanting to keep him playing SS every day, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it!

Tony O is awesome. So personable! Bert's number retirement day was pretty cool.

Now I want a ribeye!

The Buxton HR was something else. I would have figured that shoes would have been somewhere in this!

You've got me curious...do you mix your love of A1 and homebrewing? ?

Nah, Yakuza.

I'll go first! 1) Where do you follow the Twins from? The Twin Cities metropolitan area. 2) What's your jobby job? I'm a professional predictor of construction project bids. 3) How 'bout hobbies? Golf, being outdoors, cocktails, guitar, golf, Scotch, hiking in the woods, "hiking" on a golf course, Game Threads. 4) How long have you followed the Twins? For as long as I can remember, so somewhere in the mid 80s. 5) How many games do you attend a season? 15-20 6) Who is your favorite all-time Twin? Kirby 7) Who is your current favorite Twin? Buxton (CFers are my fetish. Torii is in my top 3) 8 )What is the coolest/craziest/most absurd/etc thing you've seen in person at a Twins game? I've seen a handful of 1-hitters, mostly by Scott Baker against the Royals, 3 cycles including this one, and Prince Fielder's inside-the-park HR at the Dome. Thanks Lew... 9) What is the most memorable thing you've seen in person at a Twins game? Mauer's final game. 10) What is your favorite all-time Twins moment? Kirby up high on the Plexiglass.

Welcome TD users! Whether you're a cagey site veteran or a fresh callup who just signed up to respond to this thread, this is the place to introduce yourself and let everyone here know a little about you. We may differ in age, location, height, weight and favorite ice cream topping, but the one thing that we have in common is that we're Twins fans! Below is a list of questions. Feel free to answer any and all, or riff on your own if the notion moves you. 1) Where do you follow the Twins from? 2) What's your jobby job? 3) How 'bout hobbies? 4) How long have you followed the Twins? 5) How many games do you attend a season? 6) Who is your favorite all-time Twin? 7) Who is your current favorite Twin? 8 )What is the coolest/craziest/most absurd/etc thing you've seen in person at a Twins game? 9) What is the most memorable thing you've seen in person at a Twins game? 10) What is your favorite all-time Twins moment? Got a question or comment that you'd like the TD community to answer, feel free to ask!

Maybe he's the Riddler?

I love give away nights!

Sewer backups will do that. Is that in the official program? Because it probably should be.

I've had either a goatee or a beard for over over 20 years now. My wife never saw me clean shaven. I'm almost scared to see what's underneath myself.

Probably had to vacate the clubhouse to track down another possum! Rocco wasn't sure when he'd get back to his office.

Great first post and welcome to Twins Daily!

Sure, but workouts and simulated games are no substitute for real game action. It's one thing to do something in practice, but often quite another to do it in a game with the adrenaline going.

It should improve as the season progresses, especially if they keep winning. The weather has been abysmal for most of the home series so far, with nicer weather more people should come out.

I did not expect to see Lewis excel to this degree coming off of two straight lost years. He continues to impress and it's fun to watch. It's great to see him taking the opportunity and running with it. Love to see him forcing the issue to keep him up.

He's actually had a pretty good year with the stick. He's hitting .347 on the year.

Well, not really for a UND student. Full disclosure...I'm a NDSU grad.