I have long had baseball boyfriends, hockey boyfriends, and yes, lacrosse boyfriends. friends and family have worried. but I am glad to have found others who understand the concept of sports boyfriends! I and my cat, Tumbleweed, thank you.

and Tumbleweed thanks Batgirl for the special BOD recognition of her boyfriend, Li'l Nicky.

(Spankees lost to Angels 5-1... hahahahaha)

Hey guys, I am kind of new around here, but I have to admit something tonight. I haven't had a favorite player for the Twins since i lost AJ a few years ago, but over the past few weeks I think I have found a replacement. I guess you could say that tonight I have decided that Little Nicky Punto is my non-sexual man crush.

Dearest Mr. Tommy,

A tear just came to Batgirl's eye. That was beautiful.

Love,
BG

Congrats Bartlett on another big league first! Tonight you earned what we hope will be the first of many B.O.D awards. Bartlett deserves this award for being at bat twice with runners on in clutch situations and not hitting into a double play.

Did anyone else see the highlight on MLB.tv (I think highlights are free to anyone) of Crede getting hit but not getting his base because the ump (correctly) said he leaned into it. Hearing the so-called announcers from the sox side, not surprisingly, bitch about it brought a smile to my lips and a little warmth to my heart. It would make my season highlight reel, if I were to actually make one.

Geez, has AJ really been gone that long? How time flies, and Twins scatter... :-(

I've also had boyfriends for many years. I actually have several categories, which I'm happy to share:

Pookie: Poor little thing, often a player who is unfairly maligned and I feel bad for him. Also pertains to a total sweetie that you just want to hug till he bursts. Don't dare criticize a pookie or I'll hit you.

Boyfriend: Player I love to death and tirelessly root for. Sometimes a hottie, sometimes not. Currently the entire Mets infield (including Dougie Baseball, who enjoys boyfriend seniority by way of his Twins boyfriendhood) are boyfriends.

My Man: A level above boyfriendhood. This player is worthy of worship. Usually not a hottie, just my favorite player on the team.

The Man: The second top honor goes to the player known as The Man. He's not even my favorite player, and he's way above even putting him in a category. He's earned the title by being... The Man. Mike Piazza is The Man.

Baseball God: Greg Maddux.

Oh, and the Yankees suck.

I saw it TFIC, and TOTALLY agree.. he basically reached out with the elbow and said, here hit me.

I also got to see them replay the little altercation between JC and Pudge. I just started laughing because there he was!! Lil Nicky in the middle trying not to get eaten!!!

CONGRATS, YOUNG JASON!!!!!!!

Indeed, it is an honor to get your first BOD!

Congrats, Jason and LNP!

I totally agree with TFIC as well. That highlight absolutely made my day. I can now go to bed totally happy.

For those who haven't seen it, go to http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mediacenter/index.jsp?c_id=cws , then click "Top Plays," then "Crede ejected." Gotta love (which is to say, hate) those Bitch Sox announcers.

Wait a sec. Does it still count as overcoming the bases-loaded-ass-bats situation when the bases were only loaded at the BEGINNING of the at-bat? When he hit the triple, it was just 2nd & 3rd (due to the wild pitch).

Wow, Nick. Those White Sox announcers are worse than Gladden.

Haha, but I think it should cuz he didn't make an out. I willing to say not making an out is a step in the right direction and in virtually every situation will ensure at least one run.

Congratulations, Tommy.

Ooh, Adam, a conundrum, to be sure. Perhaps we can just call it a step in the right direction and leave it at that.

Let's do a little comparison.

1. Sox announcers ( http://tinyurl.com/bu9ak ):

Jackson: "He threw it right at him. You can't make that call. It's in the batter's box. ... It was right at him. It's a different story if he leaned over the plate into it."

Harrelson: "Wait'll you see the location of this pitch, and then what ... what Crede did."

Jackson: "Joe Crede does NOT have to move out of the way. He's right there; even if he leans, it doesn't matter. How much did he move, two inches? The ball is so far inside ... that's just ridiculous. If a guy leans out over the plate, into a pitch, it's a totally different story. Well, that's just bull right there."

Harrelson: "Yeah, it is."

--

2. The official rules of baseball ( http://tinyurl.com/3w4cl ):

The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when ... (b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless ... The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; ....

If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched.

--

And, as is obvious in the video, Crede not only didn't "attempt to avoid being touched" by the ball, he obviously intentionally elbowed the pitch.

So much for Harrelson and Jackson's Crede-bility.

Man, those Sox announcers drive me nutty. I'm gonna start looking through other game highlights so I can know if they're really as bad as i think they are or if that's norm for the league. They're definitely worse* than the WGN announcers or TBS announcers. I think those TBS guys put on a good all around baseball show, even if it's ATL-favoring.

*worse = more annoying to me, probably more appealing to ChiSox fans.

LNP executed the hit-and-run perfectly! He fooled those Royals into thinking he was going to bunt! Gotta love a little sleight-of-bat!

Having watched the replay, I dunno if Crede actually leaned INTO it... it looked like maybe he was sort of steeling himself for the impact. But he sure as heck didn't try to get out of the way.

But when you think about it, neither did Morneau when he got beaned a couple weeks ago; he was just frozen.

LNP also deked a Tigers baserunner a few days ago... he moved up like he was fielding a grounder, when it was actually a fly ball to shallow center. Hunter caught the ball and threw it to first for a double play. Like a lot of smaller prey creatures, Nick Punto has developed a survival sense of cunning.

THANK YOU BG!
I had hoped my selection of BOD would match yours. I now plan to add a star (maybe a heart) above his name on my JB BF t-shirt. With plans to add many more for each BOD nomination down the road.
Also, good recap as usual, we come to expect it from you. Sorry no coupons to donate to the cause.

"Crede-ability": Bravo Rieux.

I only have a simple response to all the Yankee-hating of the above posts (at press time, over 10% of posts, counting Laurie's 2 as one with a P.S.):

I was at last night's game and it was fantastic. There's something to be said about birthing a new baseball fan, and my three-year-old niece was "born" last night. With a Cubs fan for a father and a Yankees fan for a mother, it was destined to happen, but it was I who took her to her first Major League Baseball game.

I am happy to report that while she did not understand everything that was going on, her excitement flowed through when she cheered from the starting lineups through the final out. Her favorite parts were cheering for "Mooooooooooose!", saying that Derek Jeter is "dreamy" (her father has a wonderful sense of humor) and the (very large) cotton candy that her uncle bought her.

I am ashamed to report that Garrett Anderson, who was spared from my general heckling routines (keeping the three-year-old on your lap interested in a baseball game requires a mental and physical skill that I am surprised that I possess), refused to give my niece a game ball. She called his name (audibly enough for him to hear, she has great heckling pipes...ah, someday), even said PLEEEEEAAAAAAASE??? And when I asked him "how can you say no to this face?" he turned around and looked at her for 10 or 15 seconds. I was certain he would emerge from the dugout with a practice ball for her, but alas, he did not. In the 9th inning (when most three-year-olds are fast asleep) Anderson missed a foul ball right in front of us, and chose to flip the ball into foul territory instead of home run territory (where we were in the front row), even though she was sitting there, glove out, pleading with him.

Here's my beef. Normally, I couldn't care less about getting a ball. I have caught home run balls and been flipped balls from players before, and usually give them to the children around me. I feel that this plants a seed of baseball fandom that sprouts through the bloodstream. Last night, Garrett Anderson (in my opinion) did not entirely do his part in perpetuating the game and bringing in new fans for the future. He played a great game, which is part of his marketing job, but the people who will pay his fat pension are the three-year-olds of today. I understand that not everyone can get a ball, but it would have been too easy (and you should have heard the comments from the 4 or 5 sections that had been following the 9 inning ball saga when he flipped the ball deliberately in a different direction -- "classless" was the second-most heard word in those sections , the first being unfit for print) to give the adorable (yes, she is) three-year-old a ball and receive cheers from the left field crowd. She would have remembered it forever.

Anyway, that's my rant. And though the Yanks lost 5-1, it was one of the most memorable baseball games I have ever been to. That's what it is all about people... win or lose, that's baseball.

Warmest regards to the BatCommunity,
YankeeFan

YF--Isn't turning a poor defenseless kid into a Yankees fan some kind of child abuse?

Just Kidding...

And on the whole Garret Anderson thing, maybe he was sick of yall (meaning the bleachers in general) heckling him? From what I hear, the things that are heard from the bleacher bums would make BG and her "free crap" look G rated in comparison. So maybe that's the reason. Then again, maybe you're right.

And what about the Yankees left fielder? How come they didn't give you a ball?

YankeeFan -- how awful. May Garrett Anderson whiff for the next ten at bats.

And to be fair, although I do indeed not care greatly for the Yankees, the Red Sox are moving ahead in the race for my least favorite team. They've been utterly unbearable since last October (by the way, did you hear they won the World Series? 'Cause they'll be happy to tell you about it, if you haven't).

Although I'll never forgive the Yankees for that kid in '96 taking the "home run" ball in the playoffs against the Orioles, and then the kid being whisked off to be declared the "hero of New York" by the FOX announcers and going on Jay Leno and suchlike. At the age of 12, which I was, that kind of bitterness can take root.

That aside...

My cat is becoming a very big LNP fan. Being on the tiny side himself, he listened intently to the radio, and twitched his whiskers whenever Little Nicky got a hit. I will have to get him a tshirt.

YankeeFan -

Gameball or no gameball, it sounds like a great day. Thanks for making a new fan, as you surely did if you kept a 3-year-old focused for nine innings. My nephews were still aisle-crawling terrors in 5th and 6th grades. Now they're a bit older, and I think they think baseball is only about snacks. I could take them to the food court at the mall and I'm not sure they'd notice the difference. So my admiration goes out to you, who have clearly succeeded at a noble and difficult task.

Did anyone else catch Little Nicky's post-game interview on the radio last night? It was so cute... He even talks like a little guy! He referred to the "big guys" like Mauer & Morneau. I just wanted to give him a hug for being so darn cute.

Congratulations Young Master Bartlett!! A very deserved B.O.D.

I don't think Morneau knew what was coming when he got beaned. And I honestly don't think he said "Self, this 90 mph fastball is coming right at your head, go on, take it for the team".

Crede on the other hand, clearly saw it and clearly tried to get hit.

ndtf-
I did hear the LNP interview on the radio--I was online with my sister (who can't get radio broadcasts) and quoting lines that just made us want to give the little guy a hug! Exact quote: "When you're a little guy like myself..."

Of course, I appreciated his saying, "It's nice to get runs. I wish we could do this for Santana and Radke."

And, good choice on B.O.D., Batgirl. LNP deserved some mention, but Bartlett had it all the way.

(BTW, no one pointed out that it was JoeM's first win since June 2003, which deserved a mention, but not a B.O.D. especially when you look at Barlett and Nicky.)

(And YankeeFan--congrats on the creation of a baseball fan! She's a lucky little girl!)

Just Beth

yay - congrats to Jason. Did anyone else see the post-game interview where he explained the "real reason" he lost his fingernail? and to "not believe everything you read." props to bat-girl I'm thinking.

Hahaha - child abuse indeed...

TBird, I understand where you are going with your comments, but Anderson was playing left field, far out of traditional "bleacher creature" earshot. Nobody "heckled" Mr. Anderson the whole game in the traditional sense -- just a three year old smitten new baseball fan (no need to worry, she WILL know of the Twins as well) and her adoring uncle.

She asked where "Moose" was about 400 times, and wanted to know who everyone was "who is five five?" (Matsui) and "who is the guy in black?" (ump) and "when are we getting cotton candy?" (when a number appears under the six on the scoreboard, i.e., middle sixth). She definitely will be a baseball fan, and in true YankeeFan family tradition, when asked in the eighth whether she wanted to stay or go, she said "is it over?" and when we said "no" she said "then i want to stay!"

If pictures become available, I will either make them available to BatGirl, or send them ad hoc to those interested (she's almost as big as LNP!).

Cheers,
YankeeFan

, except

KUDOOS to JB..much deserved BOD. I was impressed with Punto tonight...Rivas better watchout!

Oh, my bad YF--I thought LF was where the bleacher creatures were. Since it's not, then Anderson totally deserves the pox that CarrieIC put on him.

And glad your helping your neice come to enjoy the greatest game. If your smart, you'll take her to the next Twins-Yanks tussle and get her to love both teams (especially b/c I'm sure Stewie/LEEEEEWWWWW will hook her up). Child Services might be able to overlook you hooking her on the Yanks if you can get her hooked on the Twins as well ; )

from Chicago Sun-Times:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-sox28.html

Replays appeared to show that Crede dropped his elbow as a slow inside breaking ball from A's reliever Justin Duchscherer arrived at the plate. Afterward, Crede said he was just trying to twist away from the pitch, although players in the A's clubhouse applauded the call.

"I was still in the box and basically turning away from the ball," Crede said. "I just turned away from it."
--------------------

turned away from it?! in what universe was that turning away? bitch, bitch, bitch... *sigh*

on to happier things:

it seems LNP has become a kitty magnet! CarrieIC, Tumbleweed congratulates your cat on his choice of Twins boyfriend.

Thanks for the tip TBird, would hate to have child services breathing down my neck.

Alas, my niece lives with her parents in Chicago, so the next game we go to will probably be at Wrigley... Do the Twins make it out there this year? (my guess is no since the Cubbies come to the Stadium this year...)

Regards,
YankeeFan

Starting at around age three, I was made into a baseball fan by my uncle. He started by teaching me the names of all the MLB teams and he made sure I knew which were AL and which were NL.

Baseball-loving uncles RULE.

I'm glad to see Nick Punto get some mad propz! He had a few great plays. The great scoop-and-throw to end the game, the I'm-bunting-wait-NO-haha!, the tag he made on the base-stealer... it was a good game for LNP.

I was taught to love baseball by my mother, who would make sure we watched NBC's game of the week every Saturday afternoon, no matter who was playing. We also were required to listen to every Twins game on the radio, whether we were in the house, car, tractor, or in the barn milking cows. My first trip to the Metrodome didn't come until age 21, and I now try to make it to at least one game every summer.

This year I got to see Johan K. Santana sit down some Bitch Sox Bitches at the Dome because Mom knows her Twins Trivia. I don't remember the question, but the answer was Chuck Knoblauch. Let it be said that my mother is a Twins baseball genius and I love her for it!

I would like to announce that I have finally made my boyfriend selection. In a long, thoughtful process beginning early last season I have finally decided on lil' Nicky Punto as my boyfriend. Not only is he little, but he's yummy. Um, I mean cute! Yeah, cute.

YankeeFan:

I try to assume best intentions from everybody, but perhaps Mr. Anderson didn't know that he was doing something very heinous: allowing a young mind to be turned into a Yankee Fan. Visiting team players being nice to the young fans can stifle home-team fandom just a little bit. I bet that if Mr. Anderson had given her a ball, he'd be her favorite and the LAAoAna her favorite team. Instead, she's probably fallen to the clutches of the Darkside. Probably better for you, eh?

Got a nearly 2-yr-old daughter. Trying to decide when to bring her to a game. Next year?

I've always been a Twins fan, but I taught myself to love baseball itself last year, in May, I think. I believe the exact moment was Big LeRoy's grand slam. I started listening to Dick and Bert, and I learned the rules, and suddenly... all the mindless waiting was full of anticipation at what would happen next. is Torii gonna steal third? what pitch will Silva use on this 3-2 count? look at Lew chug it down the first base line! can he beat the throw?! my boyfriend Yo Joe! is so cute when he picks at his glove before he looks for the sign!

yay baseball!

This is into response of the posts bashing ChiSox TV announcers:

I do not know one person who like DJ. HE IS TERRIBLE. He has an annoying voice, was a terrible baseball player, every statement he makes the exact opposite comes true ('I think Dye is going to break out this series in Oakland.' He then went 2 for 14 and stranded a million runners), and on top of everything he sometimes looks like he has gotten into the batkitties cat nip stash. That guy is on something.

As for Hawk Harrelson, some people love him, others hate him. If you find his 'hawkisms' funny ('Stretch!' 'Grab Some Bench' 'I LOVE triple split scree' etc), then you probably think he is a great announcer. I personally loved him when I was 12, but he really gets on my nerves now. The only thing I enjoy about Hawk is that he calls your team the Twinkies. I don't know what it is, but I find that to be a cool nick name.

For decent Whitesox announcers (not that anyone here cares! :) listen to the Sox radio announcers Ed Farmer and John Rooney, they are much, much better.

Good luck against the Royals and then the Los Angeles Angels of way too many As.