The Chairman, *SWOON*.

Insider, you rock.

Agreed! Insider, you rock! Thanks for your updates on the real stories from Spring Training!

Just Beth

I guess Durbin is the "Real Deal" with a putter. Yup, I went there. Anyway, the answer to Nathan's question is simple--he can be the Pres. in 2008 if he promises to win a Cy Young. I mean, that's all Johan had to do. That and the VP is always the favorite to win Pres. after the 22nd amendment ends the current President's term.

Dearest Insider -

Thanks again for the pics. Fabulous!!
How'd your foursome do??
Glad to hear that Mr. Trombley is doing well;-)

Hope you're still having lot's o'fun!

Boy - the Chairman - has some skinny legs!!

Much Love-
Wonder Woman

This is TOTALLY lame, but Torii is going to be on Kent Hrbek Outdoors tomorrow (Saturday 12:30 PM UPN - in Sioux Falls, SD - not sure what that would translate into up yonder).

Not sure if any of us are really into fishing shows. I'm not, but I might check into it anyway, just out of curiosity.

Wonder Woman, glad you enjoy the picts.

Our foursome ran out of gas, we started the front 9 six under, but only ended 8 under. The Secretary of BB hits the ball a mile, he drove on green 359 yards, and another about 340. But he started practice at 7:30 and then to the course in time to play, and it was slow. We finished after 6, so he was bushed. It was alot of fun.

Mike Trombley is really a nice guy. Every year he always has a sincere greeting and warm handshake.

You just wouldn't believe the size of these guys. I watch them from 15 feet away when they are together and it doesn't register, but when standing next to them I feel like a dwarf!

Wow. Some day, some day, I will play golf with the Minnesota Twins players. I can only imagine the fun that would be. Insider, you're pictures are great. The tech geek in me wants to know what kind of camera you're using. The baseball fan and golfer in me (yeah, there are a lot of voices in here) is jealous as all hell and not ashamed to admit it.

Dearest Insider,

You are my hero. Thanks for the pics!!!

-Stacy

I didn't know where to put this -
I just read Boo took a Mrs. Boo this off season ;)

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs. Boo Berry ;-)

Much Love -
Wonder Woman

Dearest Insider -

;-)

Holy crap -that's a long way isn't it?? I know nothing about golf - but it seems like it. That is a long day - but as long as you had fun - it's all good.
oh well you'll get 'em next year!!

Mike is one of the nicest people I've ever met - I miss him ;-)I guess I'll have to go and say hello.

You feel like a dwarf?!?!What about me- I'm all of 5'3" - yeah they are a lot bigger in person - it's amazing - on tv it looks like I could put them all in my pocket.

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Much Love -
Wonder Woman

Cuddy, honey, yellow is NOT your color. (It looks like he'll be the first target of BG's anti-unfortunate-facial-hair 2005 campaign...)

Somebody take that golf club away from Mr. Mauer before he hurts himself.

And thanks for that photo of Jacque, Insider. That just made my day...

**Sigh**
Thanks for the pics, especially the VP!
I had to get up and take a look at the Magic Muffin (a.k.a the sh*thole). I can now see it from my new office . . . only 42 more days.

Insider, great job and thank you. I even sent my husband, Senor Superstar, to check out these pics. He's a professional photographer and he gives it two thumbs up. We enjoy the Spring Training updates for those of us who can't make it down there.

Thanks all for the kind words. Mahtomedi mmm, I'm from across the lake. I'm using a Soni Mavica that's about 5 years old. It's hard to take shots in the sun because the screen is hard to see, but I just click and hope, some work, some don't. I almost didn't bring it to the tourney, but glad I did!

Wonderful pictures. Wonderful! As has been rightly observed: Insider, you rock.

There's been a lot of talk about who has come into camp lighter and leaner this year (i.e. Luis). Might we observe that our secretary of beer bellies seems to be moving the other way? Or did I miss something in previous years? Goodness. With the scruffy facial hair, he looks like he's auditioning to understudy Matty LeCroy.

Keep the pictures coming. I might make it until opening day.

Tragic story. Wonderspouse decided to surprise me with lovely box seats for early-season Twins/White Sox game. For a night on which I teach. What are the chances that 26 college students would fail to notice that they're discussing Sherman Alexie's short stories without me?

What are the chances any of the 26 college students will care that their professor had to cancel a class? Think of the shortened class schedule as a lesson in short stories. You have less time (analogous to page space) to convey your thoughts and images across. Oh, and give them all As and they wont care about anything...

Hopefully helpfully,
YankeeFan

Hrunting--as a current college student, I can definately tell you that your students not only wouldn't mind not having class, but would LOVE to have class canceled. Especially if it's at night. That's not a knock on your teaching skills, just an observation that, as a rule, students prefer not having class to having class. And really, is there a better reason to cancel a class than box seats at what will surely prove to be an epic Twins game?

"Why don't you call me sometime...when you have no class?"

I miss Rodney.

YankeeFan

I suppose 26 GA tickets would be a strain on the spouse's budget?

Hrunting,

Have you considered amending the syllabus and having them watch "Smoke Signals" that night under the watchful eye of your TA? I know that the author would approve.

Best, RD

hrunting,

As a college student, I would accept a Twins game as an excuse for a professor to be gone. I'm sure many would agree.

Acceptable reasons for a Professor to cancel classes:
Attending Twins game
Watching Twins game
Listening to Twins game
Rainy
Sunny
Tuesday

Many others are available as well. Pick any of the above

Have the students write a short story about what the professor will be doing with his night off (this would be only if the cat has not been let out of the bag).

Advantages:

1. Seeing the Twins pummel the BitchSox
2. At least one tenuous tie in to education (and that's all you really need right?)
3. Insight (in a reverse Freudian kind of way) into your students psyches
4. Seeing the Twins pummel the BitchSox (it's worth repeating)
5. You get the goodwill of the students for cancelling class, but don't let them off the hook completely

Disadvantages:

1. Um ............

I believe that settles it. We'll see you at the ame

Current College Student as well...I can tell you for a fact there is nothing like going to class and seeing that beautiful sign on the door that says class is cancelled for the day. During baseball season, I rush back to go watch a game when that happens. THEN, the next class period, you could discuss the game. And have them write a paper on their favorite Twins player. Wow, that would be one paper I would actually enjoy writing!!

Dear Insider,

Thank you for the photo's too!!

Good to know That the VP has higher aspirations...

bubblemint

Sherman Alexie was my class TA when I took African American Lit (from Alex Kuo) at Washington State University, many moons ago. Call him "Sherm" if you meet him. I have a signed copy of The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. He autographed it for me on a night when he compared T.S. Eliot to a manual typewriter, casting himself as the latest MacIntosh. I'll leave it to you to decide what that says about him. Maybe it was just brash youth. I don't know if he's much of a baseball fan, but I know for a fact that he loves basketball. He'd probably dig it if you cancelled a class and assigned the students to watch a basketball game and write a scouting report on the home team, instead. Bonus points for any student who asserts that the best basketball players in the world are American Indians. No, he might give an automatic 'A' for slipping that in.

Actually Cuddy is down in weight I'd say. There's really no bb there. I'd also say Torii and JJ both put on upper body strength, or so it looks.

Insider, please accept another "thanks" for your generosity, and especially for the snap of Mr. Jones. Mmmmm...my favorite Twin, wearing my favorite color.

Only six days 'til the first game of spring training! Oh, may our boys start the season right by pounding the living sn*t out of the World Champeeen Boston Red Sox.

hrunting,
The chances of 26 college students noticing you are not there is fairly high but caring about is zero. Go to the game you dummie!
John

For those politically minded Batlings out there, Dougie Baseball may have let slip his political leanings when talking about the upcoming Red Sox trip to the White House:

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/news/nym_news.jsp?ymd=20050225&content_id=950518&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp

Thanks Chris for that, one more reason for me to love Dougie Defense. I sure hope he has a good year for the Mets (gawds I miss him!)

Win Twins!

Sorry, Chris and Drink, wishful thinking, but Dougie clearly isn't being partisan. He refused the white house visit after his gold medal in 2000 too, still the golden (Clinton) era. The best we can say is that Dougie is non-political. We can only wish he were the anti-Schilling. Anyone want the title?

I love the pictures from this week! Oof, has the VP always been so cute? Wow. New boyfriend material? I guess he'll have to get over the "I screwed up late in the season" funk before I'm sure about that. Why, oh why, no good pictures of Lew (and why, oh why doesn't he have a great batling-christened nickname)?

Thanks, all, for serving as the little devil on my left shoulder. I appreciate your inspired sans-teacher lesson plans and your reminders that really, unless I'm dead, the students would rejoice over any situation that got their class cancelled. Still . . .. I think I'm supposed to set a good example or something.

Insider -- so glad to hear about Cuddy's shape. It must have been the billowing of his yellow golf shirt (which, as Twinsgoddess notes, really is not his color).

Frightwig -- Thanks for the "Sherm" stories! I don't think I'll tell my students about that typerwriter/Mac thing, but so funny. I understand he's mellowed some in person. Certainly his book-back pictures have lightened up. I was at WSU, too, although I missed overlapping Alexie. If you did English there, we probably know lots of the same folks. (Never had a class from Alex, though.)

Thanks again, everyone.

In response to this, I must say:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/150/5261732.html

I really love Torii. I just love him. I had an inkling that he might be my boyfriend (though Jacque, Lew, and Doug were his competition), but now he is for sure.

Also, let me add my thanks to insider for the great pics and stories.

Help! My site's been hi-jacked!

hrunting, small world. Yes, I majored in hanging around Avery Hall in the early '90s. When were you at WSU?

yeahfan, the adjective "Adorkable" was coined by a Batling to describe Lew Ford. Does "Adorkable Leewwwwwwwwwww!!!!" count as a nickname?

frightwig -

I got to WSU in fall of '93, took my MA and PhD exams in the Bundy Reading Room, and lived mostly on the third floor of Avery until '99. (I did go home from that building from time to time, but it didn't feel like it for a couple of years there.)

I worked mostly with Carol Siegel and Virginia Hyde, who may know nothing about the Twins but are nevertheless goddesses.

And "adorkable" was definitely my favorite new word of 2004. Inspired.