Bah! Humbug. Lifting curses is a fool's errand. See, once we buy into the notion of curses and the possibility and manner of their lifting, we will already have lost to the Yankees. The Yankees OWN curses and the other varieties of mystical mumbo-jumbo. The Yankees invented that whole "aura and mystique" thing. Why, even other teams' supposed curses all work to the Yankees' advantage. Curse of the Bambino? That hoodoo juju was slammed on the Red Sox by the witch doctors of the Bronx.

The baseball curse is one of those things, like the value of money, or the concept of a "chicken caesar salad," that springs entirely from our belief in the thing. If enough of us believe that a dollar is worth a McDonald's double cheeseburger, it is. If enough of us believe that a caesar salad with chicken is still a caesar salid, it is. And if enough of us believe that the Yankees have a hex on the Twins like the chicken oracles of the Azande, then they do.

Trying to break a curse requires belief in the curse, which paradoxically makes the curse true. Instead of attempting to counter superstition with reinforcing superstition, we should instead adopt an attitude of hyper-rational empiricism. Let us not try to lift the curse. Let us instead affirm our disbelief in such things as curses. Let us say to the Yankees, "Where is this aura and mystique of which you speak? I see on your roster players named Jeter and Rodriguez, but none named aura or mystique. I see in the construction of your stadium materials such as concrete and steel, but no concourses built of aura nor luxury boxes built of mystique. You say you have mystical powers, but we do not believe you. Yes, when you do your funny dance, sometimes it rains. But we do no dance, and yet it rains for us too, and anyway we play in a dome where rain cannot fall. It is not your dance that brings the rain, nor your curses and charms that win ballgames. It is, rather, your pitching and your hitting. Yet we have pitching and hitting, too, and if you seem to have had the better of us of late it is no more than the predictable manifestation of the scientific laws of probability and chance. Besides, we're due."

HURRAH arrScott! All hail this stalwart paragon of empiricism! Those pinstripes shall not intimidate us!

Okay, now go convince the players.

Adoringly yours,
She-Ra, P.O.P.

That game killed me. Seriously...I was sick the next day, and there is no doubt in my mind that it was due to the game. Terrible man! Anyway, I am confident this year will be different. We have Bradke pitching better than ever...even though he doesn't have the wins to show for it. We have Johan K. who is destined to beat the Moose because Stacy and Batgirl are both receiving their campaign gear the day he pitches...which can only bring him good luck. Also, we have a little weapon way better than Everyday Eddie...we have The Nathanest of all Joes! And, maybe The Jackal will feel more Jackalish after his last very un-Jackal like performance.

Bravissimo, Mr. arrScott. I, too, spit on this talk of curses. I plan on talking really tough this whole week to hide the fact that the Yankees terrify me. Curse or no, our Twins have proven themselves time and time again to be of a particularly fragile mental state (I'm looking at you, Mr. Lohse. And you too, Mr. Romero. Hell, I'm looking at most of you.). We've got this Babe Ruth-sized monkey on our backs, and the Yankees are completely and utterly inside our heads. Our boys, who don't let their talent deficiencies get them down against other well-funded teams, look like little leaguers lofting easy pop-ups to the ludicrously talented left side of their infield, and lazily chasing grounders up the middle (Mr. Guzman, anything to say for yourself?).

My fear is this: Though we are not cursed, our struggling players might think we are, and in a world where confidence is half the thing, thinking it makes it so.

Either way, this little tidbit in Sid Hartman's Strib column has got me riled up:
"Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on why he is not playing second baseman Luis Rivas on a regular basis: "The thing that is a little disappointing is that the guys go down and do their early work every day [in the batting cage] and Luis has been up in the clubhouse playing cards and all those things, and when you're not swinging good you should get down in the cages and do your work with [hitting coach] Scotty [Ullger]. We're getting a little frustrated. We talk to him about it, and he'll go down there for a day, and then miss two or three days. You earn your at-bats around here and that's what we're trying to talk this kid into."

Luis. Seriously. Not cool. You're a major league ballplayer. While we love all of our Twins in their own way, do NOT test the patience of the BatCommunity. For an already light-hitting second baseman, skipping BP is a sure-fire way of incurring the terrifying and beautiful wrath of BatGirl. The organization has been exceedingly patient with you, and has given you the benefit of the doubt, but never for a minute think that you are special, or that your place on this team is assured when stalwarts of the Pantheon of the Beloved like Douglas can be moved. Idle hands do the Bitch Sox's work, after all....

Dear Batgirl -
How could you name a curse after Mike Trombley?? He was my favourite Twin back in the day;-( And a nice man.
Had Eddie not blown the save - we wouldn't have had to use Mike and thus no horrible memory for many Twins fans.
Might I add a Trombley highlight against the Yankees- that I was present at - Mike was called upon to get the side out with the bases loaded and no outs - he had to face some big Yankee bats - I believe it was Williams, O' Neill and well the third one escapes me -but he sent them down one - two - three - no harm no foul. He said he was pretty nervous coming in to that situation and he just hoped he wouldn't mess up. I think too that was the game that former Twin now Brewer - Chad Moeller hit an inside the park homerun. SO it's not all bad ;-}

Anyway-I'm not afaid of those pinstripes and niether should the Twins.
It's time to get down and dirty and kick some A$$!!

Well Wishes -
Wonder Woman

I think I know who is to blame: Chuck Knoblauch

Think about it, folks.

He has left the second base position barren as well. He is not a curse, but a virus.

You've opened a festering wound, bat-girl. Ouch.

Man, I hate the Yankees.

Batgirl has been remiss. She meant to direct a comment toward beloved BatReader YankeeFan. For Batgirl cherishes Mr. Fan and his every comment, and she wanted to warn him that there will be some things said in the next few days that are perhaps slightly bitter over his chosen team, and she wants to assure him that that in no way reflects on Batgirl's regard for him.

As for Mr. arrScott, he is a genius. You are all genuises.

Love,
Batgirl

*Puts away Jeter voodoo doll*

Chairman Mauer notwithstanding, barring any unfortunate off-day mishaps, this will be the healthiest Twins club to face the Yankees during the regular season in several years. The alleged 'curse' had much to do with a line-up heavily dotted with Edmonton and Rochester refugees (Hocking and Trombley were key players, that's how bad it was).

With Brad and Johan starting in the first two games, I will expect to have my broom in hand on Thursday. Curses be damned! Our pinstripes our better than their pinstripes! (and they won't be wearing them, anyway, on the road).

There is no curse! (Now I just hope I haven't jinxed our club, whatwith the sweep talk and all.)

I listened to that game on internet radio. I was so excited when we went ahead by three. A grand slam did us in. Giambi became a Yankee that day. My feeling at the end was that I just listened to one of the greatest baseball games of my life. I wasn't as mad as I thought that I would be. The way they won was very Yankee-like. Did I feel that we lost because of a curse? No, not at all. The Yankees just did what they have done so well for so long. Did it mess with the minds of the Twins? You bet it did. Will their past troubles with the Yankees be on their minds this weekend? Sure, but this baseball, fans. The game may be in the hands of the baseball Gods, but its not in Torre's or George's. I expect three great games this weekend. It's up to the Twins, not mystique or curses, to break the last few years of dominance by the team we so love to hate.

I hate the Yankees. I don't hate many things. I hate Nazis. I hate lights that don't give me the left turn arrow when I was clearly there in plenty of time to deserve it. And I hate the Yankees. If the Yankees don't win a game for the rest of the year, nay, for the rest of my life, I will feel no pity. For I hate them. May our victories this week be harsh and merciless.

Sincerely,
FL

P.S. aarScott, I am in your debt. Pure Genius.

Well put arrScott but I think the bigger question is this: "Is that really chicken in the chicken caesar salad?" Maybe it is more a salad to celebrate the cowardly leader known as Julius. In which case I think it should be called the Hail Caeser the chicken salad.

I base this largely on the fact that ALL caeser salads, if prepared according to the tried and true original Mexican recipe, contain vestiges of the flightless fowl albeit unborn ones.

McDonny’s is one of the few places I am aware of that has actually come up with an animal based food substance that DOES NOT taste like chicken and used it in McNuggets. When there are so many available meat sources that would be been better suited for this menu option that DO taste like chicken (rabbits, squirrels, cats, iquanas, muskrats, baby harp seals, vegatarians…I could go on and on) why would they instead use something that neither TASTE NOR LOOKS like chicken? So if it’s not in McNuggets, why would it be in a salad? Accordingly, the label must refer to something else.

I also base this belief on my strong desire to use one of my favorite movie lines: “Hail Caeser. And if it’s not done by sunrise I’ll cut your balls off.” A great line as a well as a great motivating statement – perhaps one, with a slight revision, could be used to ensure that any perceived demons/hexes/negative auras are overcome by our boys. Kind of like adding “or die” to a statement but with even more impact.

Sorry for the digression.

Dave

Oh, and I, too, hate Yankees (and Illinois Nazis)

Batgirl, I believe there is a curse, and it was brought on because Terry Ryan did not trust in the young talent of Johan Santana but instead chose to go with the ol' devil he knew in Mike Trombley, when he had to call up a pitcher 3 days before that fateful night in New York. The fact that he tapped Trombley when he could have brought up Santana is CRUCIAL to the tale. It's what gives the legend the tragic heft of Coleridge, Shakespeare, and classic Greek drama.

The curse was brought down upon us because Terry Ryan denied the nature of his ballclub, for what are the Twins if we cannot depend on the talent and promise of youth to prevail? The light of baseball heaven will shine upon us again, only when our management learns to trust our top prospects and stops paying deference to false idols (aka "veteran experience") such as Mike Trombley and others who shall remain nameless for now.

As for the question of why Trombley is to blame for that loss more so than Eddie or any other pitcher who took the mound that night: it's just a fact of life that sometimes the closer, even the best of them, will happen to give up a solo HR to Bernie Williams in the 9th inning. That's just what Bernie Williams does. If it hadn't been him, it could've been Jeter, or maybe Posada. Well, what can you do but shake your fist at the damn Yankees? I can get over that.

What can't be lived down is when fans stay up half the night to put themselves through the wringer of watching their team fight through extra innings; the ups & downs of the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th... Until, finally in the 14th, our team goes up by 3 runs on the Yankees (THREE RUNS!) thanks to RBI singles by Kielty, Hocking, and Jones, and we feel like all the dedication of sticking with the game through half the night is going to be rewarded!

And if the pitcher who comes out in the bottom of the 14th then proceeds to give up singles to Shane Spencer and Derek Jeter, walks Bernie Williams, and then serves a meatball with the first offering to Mr. In-N-Out Burger that loses the game (poof!), completely wrecking all that the team had worked to accomplish, draining all the euphoric joy out of my heart that had filled me just 10 minutes before... (oh, where was I, again?)

Oh, yeah. This is the crux of it:

You might give up an unfortunate clutch hit to some Fabled Yankee Hero now and then. You don't load the bases and then serve up a cookie so the Sta-Puf Marshmallow Man can rip out my heart at 2 in the morning. That's unforgivable to me.

And when it happens just days after he'd been called up, so I'm thinking even as I watch the horror unfold, "THAT SHOULD BE SANTANA OUT THERE," that just ensures I'll never forget that dark, rainy night, on more than one level.

I think I'm in love.

*beams at arrScott*

Frightwig -
what makes you so sure Johan wouldn't have done the same or even just given up a single to end the game???? Clearly a single would have been less heartbreaking then a grand slam - but in the end the result could/would have been the same - a Twins loss.
Wonder Woman

Dearest Ms. Woman,

In this particular case, the Twins had come back to go ahead three runs in the top of the inning. All that was required of Mr. T was to get three outs in the bottom of the inning without letting in four runs. Batgirl must admit, she too suffers from that affair, though she is frankly sorry for poor Mr. T. that it happened to him. He must still see it when he closes his eyes at night. Still, I wish they had sent out BatMom. But your love for Mr. T. gives us all strength. Together, we shall prevail.

Love,
Batgirl

Now don't get me wrong, I myself have been an avid Yankee Hater since I was a small boy. My mother is from New York and is a Mets fan. However, doesn't anybody else ever feel sorry for Bernie Williams? He's not like the rest of them, he just looks so sad all the time, and he's so quiet. I'm pretty sure Jeter and Giambi pick on him all the time.

Today's Olympic Baseball scores:
Italy 3 CANADA 9
TAIWAN 3 Australia 0
Greece 4 CUBA 5 (Greece scored 3 runs in top of 9th)
Netherlands 3 JAPAN 8 (Close until Japan scored 4 in the 8th)

And the Twins minors:
Tamburrino (AUS) was 0-4
Oeltjen (AUS) was 1-2 with a strikeout
Smit (NED) did not pitch

Well said arrScott.

One day in class we discussed for 2-1/2 hours why the earth was one time flat. Everyone agreed it was flat, hence it was flat. Until some one came and changed the public opinion it was not even considered.

The professor went on to say that Boston will never win a World Series because everyone in Boston believes there is a curse. So as soon as one little thing goes wrong the Collective sigh and says, "there it goes again, the curse."*

It becomes Self-Fulfilling Prophesy.

* Also see Cubs, Chicago e.g. Bartman foul ball.

Well arrScott, I'll remind you what you said about curses at a most auspicious time in the future, believe you me I will.

That said, I think we will be in first place in the division on Friday Morning!

"Frightwig -
what makes you so sure Johan wouldn't have done the same or even just given up a single to end the game????"
--------------------

1) He wouldn't have done the same, for he is Johan Santana.

2) Even if (for the sake of hypothetical stretching) Johan had loaded the bases and allowed Sta-Puf to hit a single, that alone would not blow a 3-run lead. Johan would've needed to load the bases, give up the single to Sta-Puf, and then give up yet another hit to Jorge Posada, Robin Ventura, or Enrique Wilson. The idea that all that could have gone wrong with Johan Santana on the mound is too much for me to believe.

3) However, even if Johan Santana had blown the game in such a fashion, I still would have felt devastated as I went to bed, but I could have been consoled by thinking that the Twins at least put their best talent forward--they fell short with guns a-blazin'. But by giving the roster spot to Trombley rather than Supernatural, that simply was not the case. I knew it even on May 14; it was just made painfully evident a few nights later, on the field in New York.

How else would you explain the rain that began to fall as the bottom of the 14th unfolded? Why, even the angels wept to see it happen.

It haunts me, still. The night haunts this team, too.

I just hope the young guys on the roster can finally set things right. If anyone can lift the curse, it must be up to Dr. Morneau, Adorkable Lew, the Chairman (when he's ready, in September & October), Chocula and Boo, and yes Supernatural--El Corazon! Boys, let's do it. Let us sleep the sleep of the Just and the Victorious once again!

Dear Batgirl -
I fully understand everyone's pain - I too was heartbroken - but I will forever love the "cursed" Mike Trombley - thank you for a kind reply and sympathy ;-)
Yes we will prevail.

Much peace -
Wonder Woman

Frightwig -
It was just a question sorry to upset you so.
I will no longer bring up that pitcher's name to you again.
May the baseball gods have mercy on Johan's soul should he ever blow a game in the same manner - probably a long shot at least for now - but for as supernatural as Johan is - he is also human and may on occasion have a bad day

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman,

Although I may forever hold a grudge against Mike Trombley, I would like to say for the record that I don't wish upon him the fate that has befallen Bob Wells, who truly had a bad night this past week at a bar in Yakima, WA:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/186213_wells13ww.html

I hate the sin, not the sinner. Besides, it wasn't Mike Trombley's fault that he was washed-up and had no business wearing a Twins uniform that night. That was Terry Ryan's doing, and I'll hold him accountable because he should've known better.

I, too, unfortunately remember this night all too well. A couple notes that haven't been mentioned:

1) It was raining heavily through basically the entire game. I've seen games get called for lighter rains than there were in New York that night. Maybe I'm biased, maybe the umps didn't want to face an angry New York crowd after calling a game with the Twins ahead, but I think if I were behind the plate that night, I would have called it around the fifth inning.

2) Let us not forget that in the 13th inning, the Yanks were threatening and would have scored the winning run right then and there were it not for Torii Hunter's amazing throw to the plate to get the runner out there for the third out, sending the Twins pumped up into that 14th inning.

If it were anybody else playing, it would have been the greatest baseball game I've ever seen. From a pure baseball standpoint, that's one hell of a game. But since it was the Twins on the losing end, I prefer to not mention it and have been trying to block it out from my memory ever since.

I absolutely hate the Yankees. When the contraction talk went around, I yelled for Selig to contract the Yankees, the real problem in baseball. Ever since, I've mellowed out a bit, but I still can't stand the Yankees. Their fans are usually sent to Earth from the devil with the sole intent to annoy. I went to the two terrible playoff games last year at the Dome, and both games our seats were right next to two Yankees fans who were just terrible. They made it impossible to enjoy the games. On top of that, before the second game, the one that was sitting next to my dad spit his chewing tobacco in my dad's full cup of Diet Coke. I have no idea if it was intentional (although I have reason to believe it was), but he is one of the worst examples of a human being I have ever met.

The Twins have yet to win a game at the Dome against the Yankees ever since, and just the one in the playoffs in Yankee Stadium (and I think the Yankees purposely dropped that game so they could beat the Twins twice at the Dome). Let's hope that can change this series.

What's all this talk about the Yankees "intentionally" losing to the Twins in game 1 of the playoffs last year? Let's remember the Yankees are not malicious Baseball Gods in pinstripes that try and inflict as much pain as possible on other teams and their fans. They are but humans. Anyway, any malicious Baseball Gods are busy in Chicago and Boston-we only get malicious Football Gods here in Minnesota

And, if I recall correctly, a certain Mr. Stewart did his best Torii "I am Spiderman" Hunter impression in robbing a homerun, the Twins bullpen did it's bullpenny thing where it's really good (even pre Nathanator) and the Yankees outfield was revealed to be the most overrated outfield defensively in the game and the Twins came away with a victory in Game 1. Honestly, everytime I hear an announcer refer to Hideki Matsui as "good" defensively, let alone "great" as some even go so far as to say, I tend to break things. It's very similar to when announcers refer to Andruw Jones as a "better" center fielder than Torii. On that note, I need to remove all the breakables from my TV room before tomorrows game.
-TBird41

Curses are just so much primitive superstition, like cargo cults, Taco Bell, or the expectation that "Revenge of the Sith" will be a good movie.

But viruses are real. Ebola, influenza, that whole putting chicken on pizza thing, and Chuck Knoblauch. Identifying the Knoblauch virus goes a long way toward diagnosing several teams' issues at second base. Yet we should not despair; although the Twins were the vector host of the Knoblauch virus, the Yankees and the Royals have both been infected. None of the three infected teams has had a good second baseman since Knoblauch, and none has a great prospect in the minors.

In time, surely, the Knoblauch virus will pass out of the Twins' system. In the meantime, any Knoblauch-related bitterness ought to be tempered by memories of how his quick thinking defense saved Game Seven of the 1991 World Series for the Twins. That runner scores, and Atlanta wins the game in nine innings, if Knoblauch doesn't pretend to have the ball at second. He was a secondbaseman once, and young.

Out of curiosity, did that game last year when Konerko and Thomas went deep off Eddie for the late rally cause any curses?

-Pander
the kick-em-when-they're-four-games-up White Sox fan.

Dearest Pander,

Obviously not.

Love,
BG

Dearest Mr. Scott,

My love for you knows no bounds.

Love,
BG

In the past two seasons (including playoffs) the Twins are 1-16 against the Yankees, being outscored 106-42. This is probably not news to anyone reading this, but I did a little research on the context of those series and it seems that Twins have managed to catch the most talented team in baseball (besides themselves, of course) in stretches where they are playing their best baseball.
In 2002, in the 22 games surrounding the two series with the Twins, the Yankees were 18-4 (.818), compared to their season-long winning percentage of .640. In 2003 regular season, the Yankees were 23-6 (.793) in games surrounding the Twins series. Their season winning percentage? a paltry .623. Even the playoff series follows the trend, the Yankees finished out the season 17-5 (.773).

What does all this tell us? The Twins have faced the Yankees over the past two years while they were winning at rates that exceeded their season average by at least .150 points. Meaning that the Yankees were not only beating the Twins, they were beating everybody.
This season, the Yankees are 14-6 (.700) in their last 20 with a season winning percentage of .641, not quite the vast difference from the previous years. My prediction? Twins take the series 2 games to 1

Hmm.. I don't believe in curses, but this makes me wonder..

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BOSTON (AP) .. Former Gold Glove First Baseman Doug Mientkiewicz made his first career start at second base in the Boston Red Sox's 8-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.. In an unusual move by manager Terry Francona to load Boston's lineup with left-handed hitters, Mientkiewicz played second base for the second time since coming to the majors in 1998..

Mientkiewicz had a rough introduction, getting plowed over and knocked to the ground by Carlos Delgado's elbow after fielding Frank Catalanotto's second-inning grounder. Delgado broke up a potential double play. Otherwise, Mientkiewicz handled one other chance flawlessly - starting a double play.

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