Nice pics. Happy 4th Rick.

This is just sad!!!! WOW!!!! A meltdown of biblical proportions!!! If Cuddy catches that ball? Cisco cruising! We pull him and the wheels come of the cart! OUCH! Great game last night along with fireworks after. Now 4-5 @ TF!

Gardy is an idiot, he takes out Liriano when he is crusing along, even Bert criticized the move. This team is a joke! Record since May 5th is now 25-28. Another wasted season in Twinsville.

ha! ha! saw that coming from a mile away.

lame and predictable ron gardenhire once again proves why he is absolutely, positively the MOST OVERRATED manager in the majors. there are high school coaches who could out-manage ron gardenhire. your starter is cruising along and you and your predictable team of coaches take him out because he has a big, bad 100 pitches. your pathetic excuse of a bullpen predictably implodes and you lose the game for liriano all in one fell swoop. all because you are an idiot when it comes to the stupid "idea" of managing to "pitch count". guarantee your usually lame and predictable "reason" in the post-game will be because it was a big, bad 90 degrees out there. the guy is from the caribbean you fool. i am sure he was dealing with the heat just fine.

you are a joke gardenhire. i love it that you are being exposed more and more for the joke of a manager you are.....especially on national tv. ha! ha!

oh.......and make sure you give 4 or 5 starters the day off tomorrow gardy......you know because you already have an off-day on monday.....but we all know that never occurs to you on good old "get away day".

Couldnt agree more Beta, but Gardy will continue to get a free pass here. This team is so predictable whenever they play someone other than the AL central, they will be in 3rd place by the all-star break.

lol.

Beta,
I couldn't agree more!! This was the straw..It won't happen this year but I look forward to a new manager come 2011...No more..."The boys busted their tails off"(butt I'm an idiot).Just don't let anybody know..

Does anyone have photos of the Navy Seal skydivers and/or the plane fly-over from the game today to post?

Rick, Technically the first and last shots in your post are from me. Also, I have a ton of shots of the skydivers from today (including the one who darn near crashed into the wall). Just as I go to show my dad the shots I got of the guy almost crashing, the plane flies overhead, so I missed that. I have to get the shots onto my computer then I will post them.

I have attached a link to my photos from today's game. Like Jared, I was totally caught by surprise during the final plane flyover.

As I was leaving the stadium today, they made some announcements about not storing camping equipment. Are there actually fans that are camping out overnight to get bobbleheads?

I thought I would just show up tomorrow between 9 and 10. Is demand really that high for these things?

There have always been people camping out overnight for the bobbleheads, although a whole lot less in recent years.

I am guessing that there will be a pretty good party on the plaza tonight.

If I was a lot younger - I would be there. Certainly cheaper and closer than going camping at a State Park. I remember from the 1965 bobblehead give-a-way game that the cement gets real hard after a very short time and the party noise continues until the sun comes up. I will enjoy my own bed tonight and go down early.

The fireworks show on Friday night reminded me that Target Field is about more than just baseball. Here is a story I put together along those lines.

Rick-Any word on when the tickets for BPM night will be shipped?

I bet they get the grass from here...

Or not but it looks like they could use it to potentially harvest grass.

How does one post a picture on "InGameMagic?" I have a couple pictures from my cell phone from being down on the field before the game on Saturday.

Another solid outing today by Slackburn getting his ERA down to 6. A 3-4 homestand against two teams that have been struggling is very impressive. Are pitching staff and bad coaching has been exposed! Our offense scored 36 runs in 7 games and won only 3 games.

i also thought i read somewhere where that patch of grass in the parking lot is used to grow sod to patch the field.

I really want to hear what monstrosities people's bobbleheads looked like. I have 2, one has mistakes all over the place, and on the other one Minnie's head is literally half melted away. Worst bobblehead promotion product I have ever seen. How did everyone else's look?

Ben - don't the Twins consult with you before they run a bobblehead promotion?

HebrewHammer16-
All I checked was to see if mine were broken or not. I thought they looked worse than the picture, but I didn't pay for this game, so I didn't really care. I know some kids I can give them too.

I also heard that over half of them were broken or had something wrong with them, according to the ushers and they knew as early as a week ago that they were broken. +5000 broke bobbleheads...nice.

Not a fun weekend to watch baseball. The one thing I will say is that the Rays schooled the Twins on how to do it the "Twins Way." Gardy was again out managed.

As far as the new patch of grass, there were two large divots that were created on June 12, I believe. If anyone has pictures from the June 12 game against the Braves, you will see the divots out by the Overlook. I think this is the same area as the patch.

The guy I talked to made it sound like replacements have already been ordered and said "50 %" are damaged.

Any reason for the different stadium organ at the game today?

"Ben - don't the Twins consult with you before they run a bobblehead promotion?"

:-) :-) :-). If they do they don't listen very well!!! I believe I my well have dissuaded them from repeating the '65 "Heroes" disaster in 2007 - the facts are that they fully intended to do a 25 piece 1987 Series Team set as a SGA and switched to what I recommended at, quite literally, the last moment possible. But, if you are suggesting I had anything to do with this cheap piece of crap the answer is "NO".

Sat up high in section 314 yesterday. Loved the seats, loved the view. We were able to see balls and strikes from the 3rd row from the top. Great view of Mauer sliding into home on Morneau's double, too.

I agree with Jeff, the Rays "schooled" the Twins this weekend. Bullpen is on a bad stretch of games right now.

Big congrats to Thome on 574. Hope he hits another 15 this season. :-)

Awesome pics!!!

F_T_K, I will one up you and hope he hits 16 ;)

I mean 26 ;)

i have a pic of the navy seal flying down

I finally got to adding my other fireworks pictures and the navy seals pictures from the next day. There are quite a few. Click my name for the link. Enjoy!

BB - perhaps they finally got rid of the crappy organ they dug out of the church basement and replaced it with a real one?
Let's hope.

Jared's picture is the correct source for the sod replacement. There's enough in that spot for small patch jobs and it is a similar grass mix to what is used on the field.

Jared's picture is the correct source for the sod replacement. There's enough in that spot for small patch jobs and it is a similar grass mix to what is used on the field.

I have been going to the bobblehead giveaways since the first year in 2000 and was amazed at the number of people in line this year. It was like 2000-2002 all over again. I honestly did not know what line/gate to line up at. I figured any gate other than 29/34 would be pretty good, but it turns out that Gate 14 probably had more people in line than Gate 34.

I was nearly shut out at the gate for the first time as they ran out just as I was approaching gate 14. Luckily, the usher told us they had run out and suggested we could try another gate. I quickly walked over to gate 29 and was able to get one of the last ones.

Does anyone know if Gate 29 and Gate 34 had more bobbleheads than the other gates or did they evenly distribute 2,000 to each of the 5 gates?

Maybe most people thought the same as I did and figured your chances would be better at another gate aside from 34 and 29 since most fans enter those two gates.

Perhaps, I was wrong and there seemed to be plenty of bobbleheads stacked up at Gate 34 and 29.

It was definitely too close to call for me and I will be lining up even earlier for the Mini Target Field in August.

It's nice to see not as many bobbleheads available on eBay this year, meaning all of those sellers who bought "cheap seats" at the Metrodome were essentially shut out at Target Field this year. Last I looked, only 14 Minnie and Paul bobbleheads on eBay.

Anyone know what gates ran out the fastest or what gates had the longest lines?

M&P SGA, I am not too sure what the defects/broken parts of the giveaway are, but my M&P had the bat missing and not even in the box!

The bat seems to be the biggest culprit so far.

One of the bobbleheads my family recieved had Minni's head snapped off and floating in the Mississippi. I would take a broken bat over that any day.

I heard that the gate where the skyway from the parking ramp, which enters on the Legends Club/Metropolitan Club level, had less than two dozen bobbleheads to give out.

Confirmed Friday night about half of the reserve grass is gone, which is for patching. Heard on the radio the other day they are ordering more sod from Colorado. I'm guessing they planted it when they did the field.

Some Detroit radio station is reporting that Cliff Lee to the Twins is done. Twins are denying.

Between already sold and currently listed there are several dozen Minnie & Paul bobbleheads accounted for. The usual hoarders must have had to be more creative this time - probably buying SRO tickets for their bowery types - but they still seem to be a presence. Profit margins have to have taken a beating, though - SRO tickets represent at least a 3x sunk cost.

Twins reportedly offered Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks for Cliff Lee.

Heard on ESPN radio that Twins are the frontrunners also and that Seattle really like Ramos, The way Blackie and Slowey have been pitching I think I would even throw one of them in on the deal if thats what it takes. Got to get him asap or we are looking at a 3rd place 500 team!

That is way too much to give up for 1/2 a season.

The rumoured trade acceptance was premature. Also, the Mariners have been scouting the Twins system relentlessly the past couple of weeks. It is possible that the M's would include Brandon League or David Aardsma to bolster the Twins bullpen. I think it is important to remember that the 1/2 season rental would include 2 compensatory picks from the team that signs him (likely the Yankees). It would be their 1st rounder plus a sandwich pick (between the 1st and 2nd rounds). There are lots of moving parts here which is why these deals take weeks and months to complete. I mean Wilson Ramos is really struggling at Rochester .208 BA. The Mariners are in the driver's seat. Even if they hold Lee through the season they would get the 2 picks for him leaving. Not the worst scenario in the world...

Maybe the Twins should have done the same thing with Santana!

Do it. Two prospects (by definition we don't know if they will turn into anything) at positions we are already set at for the next 5-10 years. No brainer.

Must win tonight with the matchups Pavano vs Litsch. Only 6 games above 500. These road warriors need to go minimum 2-4 on this trip. Next 17 after all star break looks like we should gain ground. Must go at least 12-5! We get Lee yet?

Rick- I was just thinking about when you might write your definitive review posting of how you feel about all aspects of our new ballpark. I think I remember reading one day on here that you were going to wait probably as late as possible before you do it-but with the ESPN saying our ballpark gives the best fan experience for a baseball game in the country and all I think it might be one day soon that you could do your big review.

Don't you still owe us a "flagpole history" piece or two?

What's left to tell about the flagpole?

I'll do the Little Big Horn --- you do the pole.

random: there was a really funny bit about "twinks" and "bears" on the cable show "it's always sunny in philadelphia" last night. featured danny devito. hilarious! immediately thought of our friend "twinkfan". :-)

Does anyone else have a problem with this #1 ranking thing? I would say a day at Fenway or Wrigley is more of an "experience" than TF. I really think it's great, but this park has no tradition yet. Same goes for out-ranking Lambeau? Hard to believe in my book.

Lee will be going to the Mets, fyi.

JCTwins, Its more or less just another opinion. Except this one has ESPN attached to it, which I guess in the sporting world is the say all on anything sports. It is nice to see Target Field thought of in such high regard though from people outside of the Twins fan base. I will say that each game I've been to at Target Field, I have enjoyed completely. The experience in and around Target Field is intoxicating.

Has anyone heard what they are doing with any of the broken SGA M&P Bobbleheads. Are they as is and no replacements? I am just wondering what people have been hearing since so many had concerns.

A friend of mine who was going to the game said to me that if I was to get a bobblehead and she was left out, she was going to break mine...

Looks like the manufacture did a nice enough job and in the end, she got one and her M&P made it out safely.

to some of you rubes who obsess over rather meaningless trinkets.....for example catching every foul ball possible while at a game......take note. c

click on my name for video from tonight's indians vs. rangers game.

over zealous fan falls from second deck.......all the way down to the lower deck while trying just a little too hard to catch......a rather meaningless baseball.

another perspective on the "rangers fan who fell". this one from espn

this one is video of the paramedics taking him away afterwards. from a ballpark patron.

neither team's broadcast station seems to have video of the actual fall......or they are making a decision to not release it.

reaction from rangers president nolan ryan. amazingly at this point there does not appear to be any life threatening injuries to the person who fell or those he fell on.......according to nolan ryan's comments.

apparently the rangers fan from tonight did not have "the guns" like this cincinnati reds fan from 1981 did while at old riverfront stadium.

how this guy saved it at the last second, i will never know. unbelievable video.

Wow that's so crazy! Glad he was still responsive after! That 81 video was a crazy stunt by that guy! Also i loved the awesome music and graphics at that end of the inning

Sometime recently, someone posted a link to a pretty thorough list of the concession prices at TF. I'm hoping to put together a game for an upcoming event and would love to see that link again. A little help? Thanks.

Careful --- one of the resident dick-heads will find you "jaded" for suggesting it's just a ball.

Wow Ben, thanks for calling me one of the resident dick-heads. I believe I'm the one who asked if you're so jaded about everything in life. Glad to see someone who disagrees with you (I believe in a relatively polite manner) is a dick-head. Yes, I thik scrambling for a foul ball is fun. No, I wouldn't risk life or limb or jumping over seats and possibly breaking an arm or worse yet, falling out of the second deck.

The sort of activity cited today is exactly the point I was trying to make - not just casually chasing after a lazy foul ball in safe territory. For that I am accused of leading a jaded lifestyle? Are my posts so complicated or difficult to understand that people respond to what they think I mean without reading? Usually, I just wait for my point to be made or confirmed without further effort on my part - as happened today.

When are we going to get Cliff Lee? FCOL!

Nice comeback win by the boys last night! Pav did not have the A game going fer sure! Dam Tigers came from behind 3 times last night and pulled out the W in the 11th! Wow Whitties 20-5 last 25 games! Nice run! We need a run like that and soon!

Ben, you just seem very crumudgeonly about a lot of things, whether its people doing anything other than paying strict attention to every single solitary pitch while at a game or getting excited about a foul ball nearby or constantly thinking the Twins are always trying to screw the fans. You just seem like a glass is half-empty sort of personality.

My earlier post to you last week about foul balls was more about you seeming to find no joy in the rare occurrence of having a foul ball land near you. It just seemed like a jaded viewpoint to me. I certainly didn't mean to insult you. You did post you have many, many foul balls from over the years so perhaps that's why you shake your head at the people who scramble for one. I just don't think my comments warranted being called a "resident dick-head."

Nor did mine rise to the "jaded" level - reread it and see for yourself.

Hope to catch a game at the end of the month and am considering SRO tix. Should I go that route and pay processing fees or go to the park on gameday and pick up an inflated pair. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

"You did post you have many, many foul balls from over the years so perhaps that's why you shake your head at the people who scramble for one."

I posted that I have a grand total of ONE foul ball, not many, many". I also referred to the people "I've seen --- damn near break an arm jumping over seats, etc." as those who might want to " --- go to Dick's and plunk down $12 --- ". And I get jumped for that? Again, why not read the post before responding?

Tyler (or anyone), where is that 'timeline' wall located?

I'd love to see if I can find myself in the groundbreaking picture, as I was standing about twelve feet away from where the dirt was being tossed. :-)

F_T_K,

That display is on the club level, right next to the Legend's Club entrance on the 1st base side (near where they have the stadium model displayed). Neat exhibit - they've got an enlarged copy of that great "guide to the stadium" that the Strib ran right before the stadium opened, a cross section of the sod/topsoil further down the wall, etc. - more than just the great pictures. On the opposite wall, they have pictures from the exhibition games, and from opening day.

Ben, I, for one, don't find you to be jaded. Faber, the only way you could be considered a resident dick-head is if you overused the word, "Rube."

ND Rube:

I was at the game the other day walking around the concourse and had an epiphany. Holy sh!t there are some outstanding places to stand with SRO tickets. The Twins have done an excellent job of installing the metal drink rails to lean against/place food & drink behind many sections. If you are in decent shape and not very young or very old (thus necessitating a seat to rest your legs), an SRO ticket would be an outstanding way to go to the game. Many different perspectives if you wish and then the ability to try different concessions throughout the ballpark.

Anyone heading out to Comerica this weekend? I will be there with about 40 other Twins fans. Thinking about being that annoying out-of-town fan with a Circle sign. Any thoughts on what we should write?

It's Detroit, so how about, "Please don't kill me."

Twins sure picked the right day to leave town for awhile.

I sure hope that guy feels it was worth almost killing himself, and much more importantly, and the people he fell on when he gets out of the hospital. What a moron. I would be seriously pissed if I'm sitting in the lower deck at a game and some dumb ass just falls on me.

I see fans leaning over the railings reaching out for balls all the time when I go to games. It's amazing that people are that willing to risk a fall to go for a stupid ball and even more amazing that this kind of incident doesn't happen more often.

There's another Faber --- jump on him hard!

I never like to sit directly below an upper deck railing. Partially for the fear of a fan coming down on me (yes - odds are less than 1 in a million) but more likely the threat of beer, soda or whatever coming down from the top deck. That has happened to me way more than once.

I wouldnt even waste the prospects on Cliff Lee unless he can pitch everyday. This whole pitching staff is coming apart at the seems. You cant keep having to score 5+ runs a game to win.

Ladies and gentleman your 3rd place Minnesota Twins!

And with the playoffs starting next week...

Yo Lo Tengo!

Playoffs! Playoffs! are you kidding me with this pitching staff. If your a Doctor you should get your head examined.

Firedog--did you watch the game? Slowey wasn't the problem tonight. The Delmon/Span show was the problem. This outfield defense is laughable.

Slowey's line for tonight 6.1 IP 9H 5ER, that wont win you many games. The pitching is putting way to much pressure on the offense.
Slowey, Baker, and Blackie have all been inconsistent all year. The bullpen overachieved early on but now they are widdling in the summer heat.

Rick,
I sent two pics attached to two separate emails to twins@(this domain).c0m (the real address) from my phone, and one from gmail to see if they'd post, but to no avail. I typically don't have issues with this kind of stuff, but this one has got my number... any help? Thanks much!

"widdling"

Wow! Great word!

You can't blame that defensive play on the loss...give me a break!

It's been the same old inconsistent pitching all year long...the offense did the job tonight and scored enough runs to win the game, it was the pitching that gave up the lead several times after the offense had put them in the lead.

It's the inconsistent and lack of pitching that is hurting this team more than anything....starters and relievers.

And when the pitchers are cruising along, Gardenhire and staff like to take them out after 100 pitches...putting even more stress on a worn out bullpen. Is a pitcher's arm going to just fall off after the 100 pitch mark?? These guys can pitch more than 100 pitches, especially during the middle of the season. It's not April anymore.

The general rules of thumb (or, at least, some of them):

--- You should win the games in which your offense gets you 4 - 5 runs.
--- Catch-able balls should be caught, without incident.
--- It's not what you have gotten out of your team - it's what you should be able to get.
--- If your bullpen is shaky and your starter says "I got this one", sit down and enjoy the game.
--- When you occasionally employ one of the best base runners of all time (and a local boy to boot), employ him more often.

To be continued --- please feel free to add your own.

So...If I'm not a doctor, I don't need my head examined?

Between Gardy's getaway day lineups and coddling his pitchers they will have the whole offseason to rest. This team has given away so many games with the were happy to win out 2 of 3 attitude, now look where were at, in third place. Hopefully they clean house and get a real manager in here, Gardy is continually outmanaged by his counterparts.

I didn't watch the entire game last night, but what I did see were Twins pitchers giving up too many line drives into the gaps.

And as Bert always says, after your team scores you runs, your job as a pitcher is to go out and "put a zero on the board". That wasn't happening last night.

I'm going to be the Gardy apologist and point out the Santana was near the top in innings pitched while he was here. Since going to NYM he had one good year, hurt the next and still not what he used to be. I would say his system for removing pitchers has some validity to it.

Teams have ups and downs, good days and bad, blah, blah. I think we are seeing a pattern develop here, however - and when you have a pattern (at least a negative one) you have a problem. This team is far too talented in it's construction and constitution to be as disappointing in general as it can be and often is.

This team turns the corner tonight.

You heard it here first folks!

Fingers crossed - but this one good game and then a series of duds ---- .

It does seem like every time they lost a game everybody calls it a pattern and predicts they are done. But if they win tonight they've taken 2 out of 3 from Toronto and could be back on track yet again. Perspective is everything.

I hope you're right, TK. By the way, has there been any word on the health of Morneau and Young?

Startribune says Morneau is out, Cuddy playing 1st and Mauer DH.

Greeeeat.

This team is slowly turning into another piece of AL Central crap. Gardy needs to get canned immediately. It took him 40 games to figure out Young should be starting. He pulls Punto right when he's getting hot for a free-agent bust. Baseball managers are no-factors in general, but Gardy finds a way through constant lineup manipulations to get in the way.

How long until fans turn on Mauer? His numbers are an embarrassment for that contract. Through the increased revenue with the stadium, the Twins had a real shot to turn a good team into a long-term power. Instead, the ink a guy who has clubbed 4 HRs in 85 games to an 8-year 23.5 million a year deal, most likely to DH the 2nd half of it. . Had Mauer not signed going into the final year of his contract, he would be staring at 16-18 million going forward. His #s are those of a decent hitting 2nd baseman...one who has no power.

The Twins got coerced into mortgaging the future for 4 HRs and 35 RBI. Ramos would have better #s than this. Meanwhile, you know it's not good for team chemistry when someone like Morneau, who has an MVP of his own, sits there and is forced to wonder why Mauer is getting paid double what he is.

OK...I'm done venting. I am so pissed at this team...in particular Gardy, the front office and Mauer. Getting their asses kicked again tonight...a sweep by the Tigers, and I think we're done. It seems like a waste of what started off as a special season. Can this team just once go on a 9 game winning streak, and maybe just maybe threaten to beat up the AL East?

Let me see if I have this straight: After Mauer's spectacular year last year, he HAS to produce at that same level every year from here on out. If he doesn't, he's considered a bust. Got it. Never mind there's still three months left in the season for him to boost his numbers, it's official: he's already a bust.
Hey! We could offer Mauer to Seattle for half a season of Cliff Lee. Think they'd bite on that deal?
What it all boils down to is this: Mauer has to go.

Am I reading that right?

Tonight may have been the worst performance of the year; however, I think a few of you need to look back at how the Twins were performing at various times from May-July in the years 2006, 2008, and 2009. Every year we go through this 'woe is us--the Twins suck' thing, and then they get on a roll and end up playing pretty well. This year, when they are playing their worst, they are only a couple of games out and have a lineup with Delmon Young batting 8th--in other years they have been back by double digits late in the season with much inferior lineups. Let's assume Mauer has one of his .450 month and a half runs (happens every year he is healthy). How about Cuddyer getting hot for a long stretch (happens most years)? Do you expect Span to continue hitting under .200 on the road? Sure, the pitching could use some help, but I'm not nearly as worried as I was the last couple of years when the Twins were trotting out the likes of Tolbert, Punto, Lamb, etc., etc.

Let's hope last night was an aberration, and not a trend.

Although when I read about a starting pitcher having 'tendinitis', that just can't be a good thing.

yanks on verge of getting cliff lee. rich get richer. anyone think TF will have sell-outs if the twins fall out of contention?

The place is already pretty much a sell out for this season. People aren't "buying" the team, they're buying the new park, experience, etc. As soon as the ephemeral fans have gone back to wherever they go, things will settle down. Two years from now (give or take) the Twins will be back to having to deliver real value in terms of on-field product, promotions, etc. They are skating now, skating VERY well.

it will be interesting. i think this is front-running sports town in everything but hockey.

There were a LOT of lean years for the North Stars. If you'll recall, they had to merge with the Cleveland Barons at one point.

ew - good point you made.
I remember one June the Twins had...back in 1991.
15 wins in a row. That turned that entire season around.

Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that the Mariners have agreed to trade Cliff Lee to the Rangers. Now what do the Twins do? They can't ride it out with the rotation as it stands?

That last sentence shouldn't have been marked as a question. Regardless, Lee to the Rangers settles one debate for the Twins and creates a new one.

You need solid and consistent starting pitching to go on any type of winning streak...the Twins do not have that consistent pitching right now other the Liriano and Pavano.

Random thought: How much pitching wisdom could Nolan Ryan impart on Cliff Lee?

That's a scary combination, methinks.

It's official, Lee to Texas.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/98140149.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUs&elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyU

Lets try that again. Click name for the Star Tribune article.

Charley Walters made mention of this in his article today. Here is more information:

Open seating.

Hennepin Stages

Saturday, July 24 at 7:00pm

Hennepin Stages is located on the left side of Hennepin Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Streets

Hennepin Theatre Trust hosts a free baseball talk and photo presentation about Twin Cities ballparks featuring local historian Stew Thornley. Celebrate America’s national pastime and the opening of the Twins’ new ballpark, Target Field, with a visual journey of local baseball history told through the photos of storied Twin Cities ballparks including Nicollet Park and Metropolitan Stadium.

Thornley is the author of several books including “On To Nicollet: The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers” and “Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History” and has served as the official scorer for the Minnesota Twins since 2007.

Franky is serving up batting practice tonight. Argh!

No cash for Cliff Lee...all tied up in one player. Bankrupt team beat us to the ace. I think it's pretty obvious we need him.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Another Twins loss!

It definately hasn't been fun lately.

The Twins can go right back to the Metrodome til they deserve such a palace to play baseball in.... I've had it up to my eyebrows with this, and there seems to be zero fire, zero hustle and zero ambition to pitch good, hit good and just the fire to want to win... A Lee trade would have shooken things up, and got some guys goin' but we're too worried bout losing Hicks...psh!

So..... Any chance at getting Oswalt?? Cuz... if this keeps up, just let Mayhay and Crain start some games cuz it cannot honestly get worse.. :|

The picture of Liriano on today's (July 10th) Star Tribune is perfect. He has this glazed look in his eyes, like he's totally lost and has no idea what he's doing.

Seems to fit the entire team right now.

The eternal optimist in me hopes they come out of the All-Star break with some real energy and fire. If they don't, they might finish dead last in the division.

I'll be curious to see if Gardy survives the All-Star Break if he loses these next 2. I predict he's gone if that happens. Front office moves this year include signing Mauer to an ungodly huge contract with 1 year left, giving Brendan Harris and Nick Blackburn millions more, electing to go with a rotation with huge question marks, and signing an ex-Brewer. Had they done none of these, they would be no worse off, and they'd have millions to play with (i.e. get talent like Cliff Lee). And, they'd be able to pay Mauer what he actually should be making going forward. Instead, I'm getting surveys asking me how much more I'd like to pay for tickets next season...

Gardy isn't going anywhere. It is frustrating right now, but he's been here since 2002 and in that time, he has 5 division titles with an additional game 163. Two clunker years out of 8. Not bad. I think we sometimes forget about the late 90's. We are very, very fortunate to be able to watch winning baseball pretty much every year. It sucks that it looks like this year will be yet another year without a deep playoff run, but it still beats being in Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Gardy makes shaky lineup decisions and weird bullpen decisions, but for some reason, he figures out how to have good seasons. Even if the Twins were to be swept this year, that would put them 5GB at the break. Without looking it up, that is better than at least 2 (maybe 3?) of the years that they made the playoffs.

I will ask again --- where are all the "The Twins have no choice but to sign Mauer" posters?

Thank God that baseball isn't a life or death issue. It helps to remember that it's still just a game and only a game, with no more importance attached to it than simply its value as a diversion.
Mauer's not having a sensational year? So what; who really is impacted in a significant way by it? The pitching staff is getting shelled right now? Worry about something more important, like whether or not your job will still be around by the end of the year.

When it's all said and done, the Twins and baseball are good for killing a few hours, and hopefully giving us a little enjoyment. Forget any poetic bullcrap speeches by James Earl Jones in "Field of Dreams," baseball may mark the time, but its importance is minimal.

I'm still here Ben. I stand by my stance that Mauer was worth the signing in ticket sales/merchandise/fan goodwill. He'd be getting offered a very similar deal ($23M/yr) from the powers of the AL East if he went to Free Agency this November. The backlash would have been something to see. The Twins had too much to lose from a dollars and sense standpoint.

Worth was never the issue in any of my arguments. My basic argument was always that the Twins did not "have to" do anything. That stand is obvious.

There's no way in hell Mauer was getting 24 mill from anyone in Nov with these #s. If the Twins didn't sign him, they would've caught hell...but they surely didn't need to sign him last season. I'd rather have Mauer in a contract year with the risk of losing him. They paid a guy with like 75 career HRs the 2nd most in the history of baseball. And, I hold Mauer and his agent accountable a little bit. He wanted to play in his hometown badly, and there was not only no hometown discount given...there was a hometown gouging. The Cardinals elected not to extend the best player in baseball, and I think they will let him go this year instead of paying upwards of 30 mill a year. They'll build a team around Holliday instead, knowing they don't want to tie up $200 mill for a thirty-something Pujols. And, Pujols is having the worst year of his career. Long-term huge contracts almost always come back to haunt the team. The Twins didn't need ticket sales or merchandise sales this year...that comes with the stadium. They needed to build a borderline dynasty around Morneau and probably Mauer with that money. They should've gotten 2 new starters, and looked at potential replacements for Cuddy and Punto. Twins baseball could look brutal in 3 years if they don't start winning and the new stadium tickets sales slow down, with huge money tied up. Also, re Gardy's 5 division titles in 8 years...a lot of that has to do with the AL Central. Except for the Sox title year, this division has been really bad.

Stadium rubes unite...if the team goes downhill ticket prices drop and better seats become available! Either way I think as fans of the ballpark we win.

Seems like they always play like crap when they were the home blues on the road. Back to Grays boys.

gardy needs to go to perham and make potato chips. let kenny manage the team.

Has anyone looked at the hops lately? It seems like that may have been a failed experiment. The idea of those lighting up through the game sounded cool, but it doesn't seem to be a reality.

Uh oh... the Fox announcers said that Justin is on his way back to the cities for a visit to the doctor and will not participate in the all-star game.

Gardy-watch is officially on. This team is gonna be the Royals' bitch pretty soon.

"gardy needs to go to perham and make potato chips. let kenny manage the team."

That was Juicy Twists I believe.. :)

I'm not going to join in on the fire gardy BS.. he is one of the best and under appreciated managers in the league and every single flippin' year people want to point the finger at him when things go wrong, yet he has taken a team of nothings and turned them into all-stars, batting champs, gold gloves, mvp's and DIVISION CHAMPS, and is a perennial contender every single year, and again, does it with mostly nothing and til this year, with peanuts for a payroll. The one downfall of the team as of right now, is starting pitching. To have just maybe one more maybe two, solid pitchers than go 7 innings game in game out and give up no more than 3 runs or less, would be the difference. Would that take a Cliff Lee, or even Oswalt?.. Perhaps not, but one thing is for sure, even with woes in mid season every year, Gardy get's us in or dang near into the playoffs. Fear Not Twins fans.

Methinks the panic button is too easily accessible.

Delmon is batting third today. Mauer on the bench.

K

They need to keep Mauer fresh for that meaningless exhibition Tuesday night.

Am I the only one who's bothered when a "Twins fan" says if the team sucks the rest of the way we "win" because more tickets at Target Field become available? I mean, that's a really warped way for a fan to look at his team's on-field performance.

I'll say it again (and continue to say it all season to rub it in certain peoples' faces) ... it's a damn shame Rauch was "exposed" as a closer earlier this season.

If you feel you must...

I can't fault the guy for wanting some cheaper tickets. The whole point of this blog was about the stadium. Good for him if he can get in cheaper...even if it means me bitching about the team. At least there is an upside for some if the team fades. A few other random thoughts...why is Butera on the squad? I mean, Ramos is not doing well as an everyday catcher in AAA, so just bring him up. I'm guessing he'll do better than .150 in a reserve role. Also, I'd like to see Valencia be an everyday starter until he gives a reason not to. It's not like the Punto/Harris/Hardy trio is lighting it up. I also can't fault Rausch...he, Young, Morneau, and Target Field are all I would put in the "pleasantly surprised" category at the mid-point.

Buff-I am coming to most games no matter what with a full season package. I'd rather see the team win the WS. As was mentioned in the followup, we are a small population that is equally interested in the ballpark as the team. I'll stand by the win-win for the ballpark enthusiasts that as the team fades, the potential for better seats goes up.

Personally, I lose, as resale on my season tickets (especially because I'm in a higher price range) drops big time. I win at renewal next year, though, because seats are sure to open up behind home plate on those that doubled up speculating on resale.

Said Charley Walters to the masses in the Press this morning:
"Don't think some Twins ticket brokers with huge inventory aren't nervous about the possibility of the team not being in contention in September, when Brett Favre could steal local interest by quarterbacking the Vikings for a second season."

Just want to make sure any interested parties know about the 1965 all star game starting right now on MLB network, at the old Met, of course. You probably already know or may have posted already.

it's worth watching if only for the commercials.

The first two series after the Break are critical. The Sox are en fuego, and we need at least 3 of 4 in that one. Then, we need a sweep of the Indians. Anything less than that, and it don't look good.

Here's hoping for a new mowing scheme at TF when the boys return on thursday :)

That should turn things around.

IMO, Mauer is worth at least 3 out of 5 pennies of that deal if not all pennies. We're looking at a future hall of famer here. Three batting titles? Yah, I'd say we got a steal.

j2eepgmr,

Sports contracts work like this, you get paid for future production based on past performance. Let's hope when this contract "officially" begins we see some of the things we have not been seeing for a majority of the season. I am fed up with the GIDP!!!

Wow whitties winners of 25 out of the last 30 games and 8 straight. Were 9.5 games out June 9th. Now thats what I call a run! We will need a run like that and need to take at least 3 out of 4 vs Sox to get on the right track again! Be at the game Friday night!

National survey: Twins’ popularity up as baseball loses followers

"The Minnesota Twins are growing in popularity across the country but there are few baseball fans who believe they will win the World Series, according to a survey released Monday."

"The Harris polling firm, in questions about major league baseball posed to 2,227 adults during the third week of June, placed the Twins ninth as the respondents’ favorite team. That’s up from 13th a year earlier."

Click name for complete Twins Star Tribune story...

Dear mhalvawhateveryournameis, and all you other "fans" who think the season is already over:

you are an idiot. You pontificate about what this blog is about, and then you list Target Field as one of the things you're "pleasantly surprised about at the midpoint." If you're pleasantly surprised that Target Field is a good ballpark, it sounds like you haven't been reading this "blog" for very long.
You say, "I'll be curious to see if Gardy survives the All-Star Break if he loses these next 2...I predict he's gone if that happens." Well I predict that the the Yankees are going to send Cliff Lee down to the minors if he fails to win in his first start. The only thing that our predictions have in common is that they're COMPLETELY IGNORANT MORONIC DRIVEL. You sound like a football fan saying things like: "The first two series after the Break are critical. The Sox are en fuego, and we need at least 3 of 4 in that one. Then, we need a sweep of the Indians. Anything less than that, and it don't look good." So let me understand you completely here. These two first series after the all-star break are in your estimation, somehow so critical, that we can't stand to lose any more than one game in the seven? (Have you ever watched a baseball season before? Or did Target Field rope you into your first one somewhere around April 12?) Because 46-42 is such a terrible record to have halfway through the season, that improving it to 52-43 in the span of a week is the only thing that could possibly be acceptable? So, if the Twins, god forbid, went 3-4 during that homestand to end up with a 49-46 record, that's just the end of the season, huh? Might as well throw in the towel, declare this team "sellers" at the deadline? Let's just unload some dead weight on the team. See if we can get something worthwhile for that bum Mauer, whose season-low .293/.368/.424 just won't do. It's certainly not worth his contract anyway...right? I mean, hell, there's no way that a team with a .500 winning pct. at the all-star break has any shot at the playoffs, especially in the stacked AL-Central division!

To quote Twinkfan "FCOL." WOULD YOU PEOPLE GET SOME PERSPECTIVE?!?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW ANY OF YOU COMPLAINERS, WHINERS, AND NAYSAYERS COULD POSSIBLE TOLERATE WATCHING A WHOLE 162-GAME SEASON WITH THE PESSIMISM THAT PERMEATES YOUR SAD LITTLE SKULLS. HOW DO YOU STAND IT, BEING 3 GAMES BACK WITH SEVENTY-FOUR GAMES TO PLAY? (And I'm only talking to the people who can't seem to remember the state of things 10 month ago - 7 games back in September, not a soul in MN who thought they were headed to another division title...) You gotta figure out how to cool your nerves each day. There's a lot of baseball left to be played this year, and if you are hanging as much emotional baggage on each win and loss as you seem to be, I can't imagine that you'll have any energy left for August.

Those are all points very well taken. And, there are several posters here who really need something else to do with their time. Speaking, however, as a "true" Twins fan it has been very frustrating over the last couple of weeks witnessing the team's play and perceived intensity. I have never required them to win (and have been richly rewarded in that regard since Day One), but DO require them to make a good account of themselves. I think they have fallen well short of my requirement in several games, at least of late, to the point where even "real" fans have not been getting their money's worth.

I agree with you, Theloniousjoe, that it's not time to throw in the towel yet. But don't let the "experts" on this site get to you. They're only venting their frustrations, and some folks use bombastic statements to let off steam. Perhaps you were blowing off a little steam there as well?

: ) I was absolutely blowing off a little steam Dr. X. And Ben, I agree that the Twins have been frustrating to watch lately. And if you're going to TF to see lots of games, i.e. you are a STH, I can see how you could feel like you're not getting your money's worth. However, if you're not a STH, (and this is one of the many great things about the baseball season), go spend your beautiful Saturday/Sunday afternoon or Wednesday evening doing something else if the Twins are pissing you off! They play 162 games per summer! If they're playing rather crappy, do some gardening instead of listening to the game. If Slowey or Blackburn are starting, go on a bike ride instead, or read a book...and then watch the next game. Or don't. Take a few days off from the Twins. And then come back and watch another game a few days from now. No one's going to fault you for it. Are you afraid that someone is going to call you a fair weather fan, or accuse you of not being a "real" fan? Well, don't be. What do you get for being a fan anyhow? A certificate? A plaque? A cookie? What is a "real" fan anyhow? Someone who watches all 162 games? If that's true, there aren't many "real" fans out there. Someone who watches 100 games? 75? 50? How many losses do you have to watch to be a "real" fan? What do you want from baseball? I know what I want. Pleasure. Enjoyment. Relaxation. Do I get frustrated when they're playing like this? Sure. Do I just stop watching until they're back in first place? No. I was a Twins fan in the 90s after all. But if I find myself spending more time being annoyed by the team than enjoying baseball, I'll take a few days off.
You true baseball fans know who you are, and you don't need anyone to validate your fandom. Nor do you need anyone to give you proper perspective. As annoyed and frustrated as I can get from time to time by the Twins, their starting pitching, lackluster appearance and tone in the front office, lack of fire, etc, I get way more annoyed by people who rant and rave about this or that in baseball the way NFL fans rant and rave Mon-Sat in the fall (which in football is totally appropriate). And to those of you who that applies to, get this through your thick skulls: Baseball isn't football. Aside from the absolutely obvious, they're completely different seasons. Baseball is an endurance race. "Wild card?" The words shouldn't even be uttered until Sept. 15. "Must win?" Not until the other team's magic number can be counted on your left hand that's missing three fingers. Baseball is a chess match. "What pitch is he expecting and what should I throw him?" "What pitch should I expect to get from him in a 2-2 count?" etc. Baseball is a staring contest. Baseball is the Tour de France. Football is none of those things. It's a series of high-speed, high-intensity, short-lived battles in a 17 week-long war in which every second counts. Baseball is a pastime. It's beautiful, and if it makes you endlessly upset, frustrated, and angry, you should stop watching it. Cubs fans know this better than anyone. They still love their team, even now. They're 11 games under .500 right now. I live by Wrigley Field down here in Chicago and frequently go to games, and I can tell you first hand, they still love their team. The point is not that you should be happy with poor performance. The point is that if you're freaking out in mid-July about being 3.5 games back, you need perspective. You need to relax. You need a beer. Go have a Surly Furious. It will make you feel a lot better.

Paragraphs people

Now on to regularly scheduled banter...

Paragraphs TK? If you got any sense, you agree with what I said.

And it's the regularly scheduled banter that this site could use a breather from...

This past weekend, my spouse and I went on our 3rd annual baseball road trip, going to Comerica in Detroit.

We had a great time taking a bus tour with about 30 other Twins fans from the Upper Midwest (Click name for information about their tours, a really reasonable option!).

We had a really good time, a could have only been made more fun with wins on the games we went (Friday/Saturday).

The ballpark is really nice. However, I think this park shows better on TV and in pictures than in real person...it seems like the seating bowl was placed together in a very choppy manner. However, all seats were at least 21" wide with plenty of leg room (at least in the Left Field Home Run area and the 3rd baseline.

The Tiger growl after each run scored, sounds more like a toilet flushing on an airplane when in person.

The fireworks display that is put on after every Friday/Saturday night game is amazing, as they are launched right behind second in short center field. The Twins could take some notes on fireworks, as they had some booming blasts. I am sure Larry would have concerns about his grass if they did it this way at TF.

I have not had a chance to eat at TF Metropolitan Club, but we had a chance to indulge in the Tiger Club and were impressed with the spread and the view from the similar spot as the Metro.

We were not impressed with there spread of food, but we were a fan of the frozen daiquiri's!!

The fan base in Detroit is some of the worse we have seen. Others made similar comments. We did not just meet a few rowdy Tiger faithful, but we were met with several throughout the ballpark, and were harassed with mainly homophobic comments, along with douche bags, etc....very creative stuff.

I am happy to report that I have never been an outside spectator at the Metrodome/TF, so I cannot say that we do not have these bad apples, but in the 35+ games I go to each year, I have not seen any of the displays from our Minnesota fans, as we consistently saw in the Motorcity.

If you have any questions about my experience, please ask!

My rank of ballparks visited:

1. Target Field (A-)
2. New Busch Stadium (B+)
3. Jacob's Field (traveled in 1995) (B+)
4. US Cellular (B)
5. Comerica (B-)
6. Metrodome (D-)

theloniousjoe,

I never said anything about content, just make it more readable. I do not want to have to use my bookmark to follow line by line.

Speaking of unreadable, I couldn't understand if you were impressed or unimpressed with the spread at the Tiger Club. You stated both in consecutive sentences.
Also,I have no idea what you were trying to say in your last paragraph.

It looks like in my editing I had deleted a paragraph between the Tiger Club and regular concourse fair. I apologize for the error in my message.

I was impressed with the spread in the Tiger Club, but was not impressed with the options of food on the concourse.

In the last paragraph, we were consistently met with fans who were very rude and not creative in their criticism of the Twins fan base. What I was trying to say, is that I have never been in a position to be an outside at the Metrodome of TF to be a target of disorderly Minnesota fan base against traveling team fan bases, but I have never seen the display that was witnessed as a guest to Comerica Park in any capacity at TF.

: ) Fair enough TK. I see what you are talking about, just the visually difficult block of text without spaces...

Anyhow, regarding your observations about fan bases and respectful fans, I think Minnesota has some of the most respectful fans in baseball. I have experienced a lot of bigotry/red-neckedness at various parks that I have been to, especially in Chicago. I've never been to Comerica, but lots of White Sox fans have a particularly strong penchant for the homophobic/racist/sexist slurs and insults. I don't want to generalize about all White Sox fans, and I have noticed a marked improvement in this area in recent years (in the past few years, the Sox organization has tried hard to market their games as more of a family-oriented activity), but I still experience more of that at U.S. Cellular while wearing a Twins shirt than I've observed people at Wrigley do while wearing Brewers shirts.

I've also heard from many people that have been outsiders attending games in MN talk about how nice Twins fans are. Take that for what it's worth; some might take it to mean we're not as fired up and insane about supporting our boys, but I like to think it means we're not jackasses to visiting fans like people are elsewhere.

On a completely different subject, and mainly because it seems to be a slow day here at BPM, here are some things that would make me care more about the homerun derby, that is to say, more than not at all...

1) Get the hell rid of Chris Berman. He should never be allowed near a major league broadcast booth. "Bbaack, bbaack, bbaack, bbaack, bbaack, bbaack..." He sounds like a really, really, big duck. And I love, "This one's WAAAAAAAY bbaack!..." and then it lands in the bullpen, or the 4th row. Any why do his "B's" sound like someone about about to start doing the motorboat?

2) Get the freaking hell rid of Joe Morgan. Everything that comes out of his mouth is about as valuable as financial advice from Bernie Madoff. Just saying that got me nostalgic for FJM and sent me on a 45 minute diversion reminiscing with myself and reading old classics from their site that included articles like The Most Geniusest, Hilariousest, Bestish Post About Hyperbole, Ever, and Hey, Murray Chass Wrote Something! And I'm Feeling Long-Winded!, and gems like this:

The funniest thing to me about this kind of "Moneyball" criticism (I've been up for a while now, and am more clear-headed) is that, as we all know, "Moneyball" basically means: "finding untapped value and inefficiency in a competitive market and using it to your advantage." Thus, saying "'Moneyball' no longer pays off" is tantamount to saying "intelligence no longer pays off," or "it's no longer good to be good at something," or "buy stocks high and sell them low," or "you should throw more cash into that sewer" or "you should buy stamps and not use them" or "sure, I'll melt some gold bars and pour them into the ocean" or "I would like to invest in Murray Chass's future as a sportswriter."

Man, I miss firejoemorgan.com.

3) A raw total wins it. None of this "blank slate in final round" crap. It's way too complex a scoring system for something that's essentially meaningless anyhow. All we want to see is a bunch of strong power-hitters go up there and knock the cover off a bunch of baseballs. Plus, how embarrassing was it for Justin Morneau to win when Josh Hamilton belted his epic 28 homers in a single round? Morneau actually gestured towards Hamilton when they were presenting Morneau with the trophy, partly showing how much of a class act Morneau is, but you could also tell he didn't feel like he won it, and practically wanted to give it to Hamilton.

4) Did I mention getting rid of Chris Berman and Joe Morgan? If not, then definitely do that. And for the love of God, no matter what you do, DO NOT replace them with Joe Buck.

5) I know it's L.A., but did this have to take place at high-noon? I couldn't see a single ball in the sky on my 50" HDTV. Ok, fine, I don't have a 50" HDTV and I watched it on my 22" computer monitor. But still, those things looked like...well, nothing because you couldn't freakin see them in the blazing SoCal afternoon sunlight. Come to think of it, high-noon probably would've been better.

6) Is anyone still reading this? I sure hope not. I can't wait for Thursday when actual baseball returns...

That clears things up a bit. Thanks.

Wow TK. I don't think I've ever seen a more confusing clarification statement in my life.

"What I was trying to say, is that I have never been in a position to be an outside[r?] at the Metrodome of [or?] TF to be a target of disorderly Minnesota fan base against traveling team fan bases, but I have never seen the display that was witnessed as a guest to Comerica Park in any capacity at TF." Methinks you probably had a few beers prior to clarifying this. ; )

theloniousjoe, completly agreed!

I also loved the talk of how the Twins should have never let Ortiz go...apparently they were not looking at his production through 6 years with the Twins. What did he have, just under 60 homers total in those season, with wrist injuries in '98 and '01, with reoccurring knee injuries through the '02 season when he had a heightened 20 home run season.

I am a PR guy, we do our best work by talking through what we mean ;)

Oh yeah! Never should have let go of "big Papi." What did we call him when he was our hapless DH? "Big Donkey"? Gotta love Joe Morgan. He sees all the angles. Only problem with him is that even his hindsight isn't 20/20...

I started watching the (insert sponsor) Home Run Derby last night.

I changed the channel before the end of the first guy's at bat. Oh my goodness, was that boring! Take four pitches, swing once, take six more pitches, swing once... /yawn/

And Chris Berman and Joe Morgan are just painful to listen to.

Writing at SI.com, joe Posnanski says that Kevin Yukilis should have been taken instead of Paul Konerko because his stats are better. Posnanski states that average, HRs, and RBI aren't an accurate measure of a [player's value to his team. Posnanski talks about WARs instead. That's Wins Above Replacements. from his strange explanation, I gather this to be a player's win total contribution as measured against a replacement making the league minimum. It seems purely subjective to me. I can't understand how this could be objectively measured with any accuracy.
It all sounds like an attempt to justify putting another AL East player on the All Star Team, as if having five or six each of the Yankees and Red Sox isn't enough. Are these guys even aware of a world west of the Hudson River?

As much as we dislike the Yankees in our neck of the woods, heads will hang low tonight and the rest of the season as owner George Steinbrenner has died this morning. He did what the Twins didn't and no matter how much we dislike **cough** are jealous of **cough** his way, he won.

Lets just hope its not George Steinbrenner night (a mini Lebron-a-thon per se) instead of All Star Night. A tribute is due but Lebron-esque like name dropping every two minutes (while I pretty much expect it) is totally unnecessary.

Here's to the old man, his team and the All Star game.

WAR is an important stat and has been around for a little while now. A lot of the old school stats aren't a good way to judge players, like batting average is almost a horrible way to judge a player. You can't completely rule it out, but it's way less important than it used to be. You can't just pitchers by wins and losses alone, but old school people do. You can throw a no hitter and still get a loss. I wouldn't say that's the pitchers fault.

I think Morneau is/was at some point in time either the best 1st baseman in the league or AL for most of the season so far. His WAR was way, way above Miggy Cabrera's showing that he didn't always get the same basic results as Cabrera but was actually playing a ton better than Cabrera is/was.

Youkilis did deserve it over Konerko, but Konerko has gotten closer to being as good.

I don't remember the circumstances, but one of the Twins' pitchers last year got a win throwing but one pitch!

Since it's All Star Day, does anyone know what face value, or season ticket holder price was on the game this year, or in recent years?

Interested in what we're looking at for 2014. Some seats were on Stubhub for today's game for around $150 I think in the upper levels.

I think there have even been a few games where pitchers got a win without throwing a pitch. The most recent I can think of was a year or two ago. One of the Rockies relievers came into the game picked someone off of first for the third out and never threw the ball home. That was his only involvement in the game and he got the win because his team scored the go-ahead run in their half of the inning.

I believe I read on an Angels' website that it was $80 and up for ASG tickets.

Theoretically, I suppose, the pitcher could win a game without ever even having the ball in his hand. Think about it.

2011: Arizona
2012: Kansas City
2013: NY Mets
2014: Minnesota??

The Twins brass has got to be hoping that Bud announces this to help them dangle the carrot for current STHs through the 2014 season...

It sounds like it will be for sure in 2014, from all of what I've read. When Bud said that KC was getting the 2012 game, it was mentioned in the news that we for sure have the 2014, but they can't announce it this early. It's unofficially official.

Also thought I read that the Angels STH's were charged $800 for 4-5 ASG events this year. That's a nice chunk of change.

The all star game didn't sell out this year, you could still get pairs of upper-level seats behind the plate for $200 a ticket. I went to the ASG last year at Busch and it's 100X better on TV.

Let's hope this is Mauer's last bad game of the season...

Hey all. I haven't written in a long time, so, forgive me if this has been discussed and/or beaten to death:

Are standing room only tickets available at the ticket offices/kiosks at TF as well as online, or are they online specific?

Luke, SRO are able to be purchased in any venue that tickets are sold, including at Twins Pro Shops. Tickets for Saturday are currently Sold Out, but are likely to release more as we get closer to game day.

I got a great deal on two blank authentic jerseys on Ebay. They are 100% authentic, not cheaps from China. I wanted to get a player name/number on each so I looked around to see if anyone in the area would be able to do this. After a few phone calls, I found out that Steichen's Sporting Goods in St. Paul does this sort of thing. Actually, they make all of the Twins player jerseys. The price was in my mind very reasonable as well (around $50.00/jersey). The lettering turned out great and I would recommend them to anyone. Click name for link.

I thought Russell Athletic maade all Major League uniforms.

Russell's been out a few years...I think Majestic has been on board for at least 4-5 years.

Yeah, Majestic now makes the jerseys. I should have said Steichen's stiches the names/numbers on the blanks for the Twins.

I like Joe Morgan. And for the record, NOBODY could make the Home Run Derby interesting. The State Department should declare it an official form of torture.

I think TF needs to install a retractable system in the overhang in right field that brings the overlook closer towards home when the Twins bat.

Kinda like the rumored advantage that the Metrodome turned on the vents behind home plate to help push the ball for the Twins.

Ya think Ozzie would notice?

I like that idea. Perhaps, since the wall must stay where it is all season, it could be connected to hydraulic arms that would tilt it out toward the diamond between innings while no one's watching, bringing the top of the wall closer to the plate. Technically, it would remain in the same place all season.

And let Mauer hit from secondbase

Here's to a strong start to the "second half" of the season!!!

Would be nice to jump on these guys tonight! Lets hope Slowey keeps us in the game!

We go

0-4 Look for nearest bridge
1-3 Major buzz kill
2-2 Staying the course
3-1 Here we come!!!
4-0 Nobody stopping us now!!!

The official (but unofficial) 2nd half begins! This series against the White Sox is not do or die, but three out of four would be good and confidence building. My buddy has an extra ticket for Friday night, so maybe I'll head up to section 316 and say hi to Rick and other BPM members if I get a chance!

Here's to a great 2nd half of the season and our favorite team making a run at another division title, which as a baseball fan, is all you can ask for - be in contention until late in the season and play meaningful games through September. We're spoiled here in Twins Territory. (regardless of what some of you think!)

The buzz is that Mauer is some kind of hurt - more than just sore - and that whatever it is isn't being talked about. Also that Morneau may need to go on the DL. Head injuries are not to be taken lightly and Morneau has had his bell rung several times since youth. Let's hope this does not turn into a Oliva's knees type of thing. We need some good news.

Yep Mauer has got to be hurt and not telling us. May see him over at 3rd base sooner than you think. Be interesting to see how he would do in the hot box. He sure has not thrown out as many runners and has many more passed balls then the norm. Will they trade Delmon Young for some more pitching before the trading deadline? I guess will depend how we do the next couple of weeks!

Not really much exciting out there now that Lee is gone. Oswalt won't want anything to do with Minnesota (Tommy Herr Syndrome).

Mauer is not moving to third any time soon, if at all.

Ben, the way Mauer is swinging, I would be surprised if he even ends up at second :p

Sorry, my last comment should have been directed at Buffalo...

I don't think trading Young is a good idea. He's our second best hitter this year. Who replaces that bat? Morneau's going on the DL. Mauer isn't hitting as well, though he has been unlucky too. The offense is already under performing and without Young they'd be even worse.

Another pitcher would be great, but it's a bad idea to fill a hole while creating another one. One that is likely to be a bigger hole than the pitching problem with how well Young has done.

I think Mauer would do well at third base, although hopefully not for a few more years. ;-)

He's got the arm, and he's obviously not afraid of the ball!

With Morneau out for another week we'll see what sort of lineup Gardy can piece together. Some bailing twine, some chewing gum, some duct tape - it might take some magic to keep this team in contention. (Dang, it pains me to write that -- maybe they'll prove me wrong and come out of the break and win several series in a row. /fingers crossed/)

F_T_K,
Would that be some Ballpark Magic?

Sorry, couldn't resist. :)

Jared, I'm sure if the Ballpark Magic regulars were in charge, the Twins would be 40 games over .500 by now. ;-)

Ah! There's some great TwinkFan wisdom for you! Let's go trade Delmon Young! Are you nuts?

That being said, a top rotation pitcher is definitely what the Twins need. Slowey and Blackburn have never been the best starters on the team, but this year they are showing just how bad they can be when they want to be...but you gotta be nuts if you think the Twins are going to give up one of the key guys in the current starting lineup for a Oswalt, Haren, or Lee (I know he's gone) type pitcher. If they go after one, they're going to use prospects to get him, i.e. Wilson Ramos or Ben Revere, or more likely a pitching prospect or two like Kyle Gibson.

The Twins would be dumb to trade Gibson. He's hit rough patches here and there, but they just drafted him and he could eventually be a #1-#2 starter. He could even be in the starting rotation next year (I think a callup this year would be too early).

He was supposed to be a top 5 pick in the draft but people were scared of his injury, which turned out to be nothing. The Twins were extremely lucky he fell that far. Gibson was considered the second most ready pitcher behind Strasburg. Obviously he doesn't have the same stuff, but the Twins clearly need starters and Gibson is one of them.