A letter from Art from Fort Myers:
Some thoughts on a strange day at Hammond Stadium...
Bummer: Game delayed a due to rain. What's going on here?
Good: Patti Creem presents a nice check to local charities on behalf of the Twins.
Sad: A moment of silence is observed for Bob Casey.
Sad: The Red Lake victims are acknowledged by the lowered outfield flags.
Bad: Reds 2B Ryan Freel, leading off the game, hits a screaming, and I mean screaming, line drive over my head. Two rows behind me, and one seat over, a young girl, probably 6-8 years old, is seated between her parents. The ball apparently struck her flush on the right side of the face with a sickening thud. Gasps. Silence. Then, after an interminable pause, the joyous sound of a child crying. Parents, you know what I'm talking about. If they're OK enough to cry, the odds have improved to the point where you are no longer required to fear the absolute worst. It did not appear she was cut, and hopefully the only residue from the event will be a bit of a headache. No news in the paper this morning, so we're hoping for the best. Our prayers are with her.
Sad (In a different way): Through 5 innings the Twins have mustered the sum total of 2 hits (Rivas & Ojeda) and are losing 1-0.
Both hits were singles... drag bunts down the 1st base line. They were accomplished only through the utilization of Gardie's all-time favorite maneuver, the head-first slide. I wish my vantage point allowed a view his reaction. Also, due to the lack of action to that point, I decided to enjoy a bag of peanuts at a ball game for the first time in more than 20 years. Hence, no pictures.
Bad: Luis Rivas gets an error. They play this guy for his defense?
Good ( and funny): Newmie explaining to fans wearing caps and/or shirts from other teams why they are not going to be getting a baseball from him, no matter how hard they beg or cajole. I swear, if he had no hands, he would be mute. Hilarious.
Good: Twins rally for a touchdown in the 6th. Jacque homers for three after looking really bad on the two previous pitches.
Mauer and Morneau get back-to-back hits off left-hander Kent Mercker. Those two guys in the middle of the lineup hitting lefties is definitely a good sign. Rivas triples.
You don't get to see many triples in spring training, as everyone seems to pull up at 2nd unless the outfielder falls down, or something. Luis was hustling all the way. Lyle was no where to be found and Kyle was OK.
Good: Twins 7, Reds 1
Great: El Presidente on Thurs. More then.
Posted by Batgirl at March 29, 2005 06:51 PMMy guess on triples is that as rare as they are normally, when only the people fighting for jobs (ala Rivas) are hustling full out (as opposed to the players with jobs, who are tuning up and trying to avoid injury) it's going to be even rarer.
Oh, and I cannot wait to see the hurt our new and improved lineup will be putting on teams. Stewart, Ford, Mauer, Morneau, Hunter is a veritable Murderer's Row compared to the lineups of the last few years.
Posted by: TBird41 at March 29, 2005 09:15 PMIf Corky Miller doesn't make the roster, I hope he gets picked up by Boston (do they need a backup?) Look at that hair and that 5 am shadow.
Damon would have a twin. (Pun not intended, but gladly accepted.)
-amr
BG,
Did you change some of the settings on this site, suddenly almost all the text on the blog is bold, and I did not change anything.
Posted by: talldrinkowater at March 30, 2005 12:38 AMThanks for the pictures, again! You should be a photographer!
Posted by: Just Beth at March 30, 2005 08:20 AMI was going to ask who the Damon wannabe was. Thanks for clearing that up. I guess with a name like Corky, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Again, Art, great images. You should go pro. And, lastly, I love eating peanuts at a game. I can only get through about a third of a bag before I'm done, though.
Posted by: mmmarkiep at March 30, 2005 08:53 AMThe best thing about a bag of peanuts at a baseball game is sharing them with your friends and other fans!!!
Posted by: T-Mac at March 30, 2005 09:11 AMPeanuts are the second best food for games, behind, of course, dollar dogs (and their 3 dollar siblings). Especially the bag of peanuts from a gas stations that fits in the pocket of my cargo shorts
Posted by: TBird41 at March 30, 2005 09:42 AMTerry Mulholland. So grizzled. So in need of a decent haircut.
Posted by: Roscoe at March 30, 2005 09:42 AMI try to share. Believe me, I try. I try to share with anyone around me who happens to even glance my way.
This just in: Stan McNeal of The Sporting News calls the Twins one of the game's four best teams. The other three, all from the American League, are the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels.
Check it out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7331917/
Posted by: mmmarkiep at March 30, 2005 09:54 AMI think Terry M is trying to summon the spirits of 1993 with that hairstyle. Rock it like Pearl Jam, old man!
Posted by: alskntwnsfn at March 30, 2005 11:42 AMDoes anybody else think that the Twins pitching has sure gone down hill the last week. I thought that the pitchers would be looking sharper at this time of the year, but all of them are getting smacked pretty much lately. The guys are making me alittle nervous. Up until the last week, the pitching staff looked unstoppable, not counting the ones who had already been sent down.
Posted by: Stan at March 30, 2005 12:37 PMStan, the pitching is fine, don't worry. We've got the best ticket in the country, with a terrific staff behind them.
Posted by: insider at March 31, 2005 07:12 AM