Mes chers Twins,

s'il vous plait, hittez le ball plus aujourd hui, pour la Batgirl voudrais la victoire!

Avec l'amore,

Batgirl

p.s. Va Johan!

Johan to rebound in flawless form ...

Look for Señor to put up 12 K's in
8 innings of shutout ball today ...

Prediction 2-0 Twins ...

Enjoy the ballgame all,

-JB

I'm sorry -- what was that? A walk? What?

Woot! Go Jo!

That's better.

J

There we go, give the crowd something to cheer about.

Alright hitters, reward him for the start.

DANG! Somebody forgot to turn the fans on ;)

Hey, I'm bilingual too.

Ohanye Antanase, isey eatgrey.

Oyyay eyvay...igpay atinlay.

Ohyay ellway. Opehay eway inway. Ogay insTway!

Itsay ownday, itchbay!

J J

J J J

Woot!

Somebody mentioned in yesterday's thread they were going to be at the game with their kids and a sign.

Any one know if that was them that just got Circled?

Aw heck! Couldn't have taken the head with it eh?

Looks like we forgot how to hit, again!

J J J J

Good thing Johan's here to sit the Brewer bitches down today.

J J J J J

Jo's struck out four in a row. I like that.

I hope BatGirl isn't sending her time in France in a cyber-cafe. We'll watch over the Twins, so you can stroll down the Champs-Elysee (or sur la Croisette or dans la Petite France or wherever you happen to be in la belle France).

I find myself scoreboard watching more and more with the White Sox, which is a bad sign. Even if it's early, if the gap gets to 8 or 9 games, I'm going to start getting worried.

Come on Johan, we need a strong performance today. Win Twinks.

Way to sit'em down El Presidente!!

JJJJJJ

It occurs to me that the breaking of Corey's thumb may have re-released Johan's mojo.

J J J J J J

Whoa.

Hey Sara-I need Johan to sit down the Brewer bitches today so I don't get crap tomorrow at work from the Brew Crew fans!

Tell me about it! One of my best friends is from Milwaukee -- and is there right now, actually -- and I don't need any grief from him. It's bad enough that we lost yesterday.

Hey, was that a hit?

LEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Triple WOOT!!!!!

Huh. Lew musta still been tired. He needs to stop seeing ROTS.

That was a right pretty hit.

Cuddy!!! The radio guys say Lew wasn't running on that at first, and then really had to turn on the speed to score. Oh, Lew.

It didn't look like much off the bat, but it slowed up after bouncing past the infield.

Cuddy, Cuddy, Cuddy...

* sigh *

When did Castro take off? Was that after the throw?

He must have advanced on the play at third.

The outside strike is creeping ever outside.

Well, maybe it's a good thing Cuddy got out. Otherwise we'd have bases loaded with no outs again.

Good point, Torhu.

If Santana can come out now and pitch just a good an inning as he has been, the crowd and the team will both be in this game for the long hall.

Oh, Chairman. Now the Doctor is going to make fun of you.

Damn, Joe! Bring back Corky!!

Speaking of which, that stat that the Twins are the best in the league with runners in scoring position? I think it's a lie. We leave so many friggin' men on base.

Damn, left ducks on the pond.

I agree Sara, I don't need any grief from Brewers fans!! I was glad I didn't watch last night's game.

Well, we usually get at least ONE run when he load the bases. Maybe that's what does it. We're just not very good at getting in more than one.

Nice play Riv.

There is a very loud fan in the crowd. You can hear him on TV.

J J J J J J J

I like this. A lot.

I don't want to jump the gun here, but I think El Presidente is back in the saddle.

Santana is looking like his old self. Glad to see after his last start. Now that bats have to do their part.

Is everyone at the game today? Seems quiet on here...

It sounded like there'd be a lot of people going. *swings cat*

Yep...it's empty.

Sigh, I wish Torii and JJ would stop using the ass-bats.

...Johan has a theme song now?

JJJJ
JJJJ

of 13 outs

Wow.

JJJJ
JJJJ
J

of 14 outs

Let me quote myself--"Wow."

So many Js! And still so early!

Just showing up. Johan looks like he's got something to prove today, eh? Sweet.

Johan, Johan, he's our man
If he can't do it
No one can...

(or call the Nathanest)

In honor of the new Star Wars movie:

El Presidente Strikes Back.

He's mad about the Toroton game. And poor Milwaukee is getting the brunt of that.

Now, BATS! Where are the BATS!

News from Chi-Town. Their tied up at 1. Blanco hit a homerun 2nd.

60% of the outs Johan has recorded have been strikeouts.

At that pace, if he pitches the entire game, he'll have sat 16 bitches down. (and he still has a shot at the record for most K's in a game, though I doubt even Johan can strike out 12 in a row)

Now all that needs to happen is for hte Twins to get him some support so he can sit bitches down all game.

Is anyone else getting annoyed at the Brewers who are actually managing to put the ball in play? I want to say, "No, no, no -- Johan wants to sit you down himself."

SaraZ--Me too. This reminds me off a video game I had, where I'd purposefully make errors so my pitchers could get more strike outs. Of course, I usually had a larger margin of error when I did that.

They did that against Silva too. Stopped swining in the 8th so he had to throw more pitches.

Jerks. ;)

I agree on the bats. There's really not that much time left. Santana is pitching very well right now, but they're putting all the pressure on him right now.

I'm not too annoyed about it Sara. I just wanna see Johan continue to pitch well and see the Twins get the W.

Yeah, so on that foul pop, I actually said "get out of play'. I wanted the strikeout...

I think these hitters right now tend to look just terrified when they come up against Johan. All they can do is guess what he'll throw and go with it.

But you're absolutely right about the bats. Johan should just be able to relax and sit 'em down.

JJJJ
JJJJ
JJ

of 17 outs.

Oh, ****.

Oh, damnit.

Son of a BITCH.

Damn! Damn, damn, damn!!!

Man, now I have to try and get a hit!

Damn. well, if he just strikes out the next 7 hitters, he'll tie the single game record.

I meant 10 hitters.

If we don't get that one back this next inning, with the top of the order coming up a third time, I might be grumpy.

Okay, El Presidente, time to get this over with. Sit 'em down.

Whew!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Torii.

Torii catching that last one was pretty important. And thus pretty hot. Now for the bats!

He might not be able to hit right now, but damn is Torii good at center

Ok guys, time to put the lumber on the ball and break the tie.

Whew!

Well, that was an annoying inning. And now, even more annoying, I have to go to work. Cheer a little extra for me, will you?

(And ass-bats? You're coming with me. Right now.)

Dang. Well, if we keep hitting the ball hard like Stewie and Rivas, good things should eventually happen.

Okay, thanks for putting away the ass-bats. Now aim for the gap, boys, aim for the gap.

It'd be cool if Mauer and Morneau showed Clark what a real home run looked like

Walks will Haunt!!

Ugh. I've missed the game up to this point, but it sounds like the bats have been quite assy. Again.

Uuuuugggghhhh...

*bangs head against floor*

C'mon, Johan, let's get out of this.

$!$#@Q!$#Q!$#!#

CRAP!

I think they've figured out what Santana's doing.

*sigh*

Doh!!

Once again, Santana pitches what is still a fantastic game...but Assbats abound and the day is in danger.

He keeps getting 0-2, but can't finish them off.

Yes, we definitely need to win this game. The ass-bats are becoming quite inexcusable.

It would be nice to get a 5 or 6 hitter who can consistently HIT.

The radio says the Brewers aren't even swinging at his fastball. They're assuming it'll be the changeup, and swinging only for the changeup.

It only works once in awhile, but when it does, it hurts.

That's interesting, Carrie. Then why even throw the changeup? He's still got the excellent slider and the fastball.

OK, we got 'em right where we want 'em.

That's Cuddy, Shaun.

And Nick, I agree. Johan does not deserve a loss here. Just like he didn't for the his first loss against Anahiem earlier in the year.

I noticed that too Carrie. He's getting 0-2, and then they never swing at his next pitch. They always end up 1-2.

Oooo, and the Cubbies are up 4-2.

Okay...seriously. What the heck is this guy doing?

Not even Torii was swinging at that first pitch.

This two Santana thing hurts my brain.

DO NOT SWING! DO NOT SWING!

Wow. Just a little wild, it seems. But this is (I hope) the guy we want on the basepaths.

Why did they take the starter out? He had our number. Now this guy walks the first guy with 4 (2 of which weren't even CLOSE)

Nick -- I think it took him awhile to figure out what they were doing.

And this Santana's never going to be confused for El Presidente.

DO NOT SWING!

My dad is watching the game with me right now. He's threatening to drive down to the Dome and buy a ticket to kick Jone's in the butt if he hits into a double play.

He'll do it too...he's CRAZY! ;)

How about a weak fly out? Ugh.

Agreed. DON'T SWING.

If we waste this start by Santana (ours), I'm going to cry.

Use the Force, Lew. Use the Force.

Go Cubbies.

You are wise Padawan...but you are not a jedi yet.

Wow...down in Chi-Town, Prior forgot that you DON'T want to give up runs.

Boy, we just made a lousy pitcher look good.

Sweet Christ. ASS BATS. Unbelievable.

If we don't win this game, we'll have a losing homestand. I believe it's our longest of the year, and it's not like we were playing the Bitch Sox, O's, and Cardinals.

Am I insane to think that JJ should have sacrificed Torii over?

yeah the offense certainly stinks

And poor Santana doesn't get a win he deserved. Why can't we get hitting and pitching to click at the same time.

Well, Torhu, we had it Thursday and (especially) Friday. Yesterday we had neither; just one so far today.

Oh bloody hell. This is not a good thing.

CRAP...CRAP CRAP CRAP.

Boy Torii, lack of production at the plate not enough for ya!?

Errors and homeruns...

I think we really might be going through a period of sucktitude. Seriously, this is just really bad.

If these keeps up, by July 31 TR should swing a trade. At this point, I would give up something in the bullpen for a bat that isn't so damn streaky.

Torii... it's time for a talk.

Nuts to the bullpen, they aren't that bad. It's more often problems with the bats and STARTERS than the bullpen.

And now it's just bad luck. Wow, this is really bad.

...Seriously not cool. Not cool.

Damnit, the Rincon has his head elsewhere today.

*moan* This game got ugly in a hurry.

Rincon's not really doing anything wrong. It's just a bad throw and some bad luck.

Hunters seems a lot more sloppy in the field this year.

We've just FOUND ways to lose games of late. And even when it looks like we're going to win one...we throw it away.

It started especially with Game 3 at Baltimore. We haven't had a decent game since.

We waste a great start by our most trusted starter too, what happens to his confidence. It's like, gee guys...I have 10 J's and only 2 runs and this is how you thank me?

Does anyone else keeping thinking the radio's saying "Junior Spiffy" and flashing back to the O-Files blog?

I wouldn't say we haven't had any good games of late, Torhu. Thursday and Friday were both good. But overall, I agree, it's been pretty sucky since then. We've manage to pull out some games, but we're really not playing well as a whole.

There we go, Boo.

What I should've said, Nick...is we're not consistantly good. We have break out games like Thursday and Friday, but then just go NOWHERE right after that.

It's like we're on or we're out, we're never just in the middle.

What hurt though I think was Radke's terrible start yesterday. He ticks me off to no end.

Are both of those runs really earned? They are according to SportsLine... regardless, it looks much worse for Boo than it actually was.

The Twins for awhile were on streaks of winning then losing. Lately, we haven't had even a short winning streak.

On another note, the Bitch Sux are still down to the Lovable Losers in the 8th.

Yankees won. White Sox won. Baltimore lost. Boston's winning.

If the Twins don't pull this out here, my home is on track for an 0-5 day. And those suck.

And once again we'll fail to capitalize on a rare CHW loss.

Wow, that was a miserable AB for Tiffee. Just awful.

Wait! BitchSox are losing! *frowns at Yahoo's un-updated page*

Yep, Carrie, it's 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth. But let's not count it yet... we don't want to jinx them.

...this is interesting. So what'll the field look like?

Cuddyer to 2nd, with Tiffee taking over at 3rd?

*groan* I just got home from work... Johan? four runs? is that true?

Perhaps Rodriguez to 2B and Punto at SS?

Don't worry, kafumbly, Johan was great. He only gave up two runs. An error by Torii cost us two more off Boo.

TORII!!! I am liking him less and less.

No, no, kafumbly. 2 runs from Johan. He pitched a gem. 11 Js.

The assbats are making him pay for his few moments of weakness.

Hmm... running Rodriguez for Matty? Why not Punto, who has more experience?

c'mon, Joe, save us!

They're not going to steal, just have somebody run.

Punto will probably come in for the ninth.

so Rivas started at second instead of Punto? why does Gardy do that to Johan?

LOCK ARMS!

Well, here we go. Let's go, Doctor!!

oh god oh god oh god...

Doc, cure what ails us... I see no demons on your ass, honey...

Oh God, not the bases loaded. Why, oh why didn't Stewie run?!?

*moans*

Doc, if there was ever a time for your first career grand slam, this is it.

when Torii ... y'know, with the bases loaded the other day... I peered into the dugout with my binoculars, and Punto did NOT have the guys linking arms. I hope he does it today.

Well, this is the moment of truth really.

Personally, I'd walk the guy if I were Milwaukee.

And yes, that is a slam on Hunter.

Man, I had to switch off gameday. That is one UGLY Gameday pic that reliever has.

BASE HIT! Just get a HIT. DOesn't have to be fancy!

Charge!!!!!!

My mind is flinching in pain. It's becoming reflexive.

you're right, Torhu. that would be the smart thing for them to do...

...This at bat DEFINES the homestand really.

*sobbing*

It's just an at bat. Let's not hang too much on the poor Doctor.

Well, the Doctor struck out and looked horrible doing it. But the bases aren't loaded anymore.

So Morneau can't advance because there's already a guy on 1st at the time correct?

Still, weak.

Um...

Well...

That was ugly, but at least moderately productive...

is Scottie Ulger working with Morneau? what's the deal with him? this is very un-Doctor-like.

and here we go. yeah, hi, Torii.

*prays to every Deity he can think of*

Torii can't ask for a better chance to justify his being the #5 hitter.

Torii... I'd beg, but I don't think it would do any good.

Scottie needs to work with Torii, too.

Torii. Sucks.

Torii, you are looking godawful at the plate.

I'd seriously contemplate violence, but I'm too depressed.

And I don't think that counts as properly converting on full bases.

The following should be done with Torii:

1. Torii should be forced to sit out at LEAST the next game.
2. Torii's should be stripped of his nickname.
3. Torii should be dropped down in the order upon his return.

JOE NATHAN!

oh, it's my boyfriend. oh oh oh. hi, boyfriend.

I don't like putting Rodriguez out there. We have a slim albeit existant chance to get a few runs in.

But we NEED defense right now.

I was thinking around the 6 inning with the amount of assbats going around, screw the DH and have Johan hit. I was at his start in Milwaukee last year and he had 1 maybe 2 hits. Much better the Torii can do these days.

How many years are left on the bloated Hunter contract?

Sox lose 4-3.

Agreed, Torhu.

Bitch Sox lose. I'd feel so much better about that if we had had just one more hit in the last inning.

The Nathanest is a little wild so far. Am I the only one who thinks he tends to be significantly less awesome when he's not going for the save?

This game should've been a celebration of Santana's sitting of 10 or so bee-yatch's.

Instead, it becomes a reminder of our inability to hit in the clutch.

haha, Moeller, can't even bunt right. neener, neener!

siddown, bitch!

Wow, that was a sad little AB for Moeller.

I just want Santana to not have to get stuck with a loss.

His line just doesn't LOOK like a loss.

So how long is Torii's defense worth his .267 lifetime average and complete and utter worthlessness in pressure situations?

What defense? The last couple games that's floundered a little.

Heck, this would probably be a 3-2 game if not 2-2 still if it weren't for that throw.

Johan doesn't get the loss. Rincon does at this piont.

No, the Twins were behind when Johan left, so he'd get the L.

... or were those Johan's baserunners?

oh, dammit, Tiffee. dude. relax and play like you know you can.

That was an error. That WAS an ERROR. And now extra outs yet again.

Well, now Gardy's move looks even dumber. Out on three pitches, and a bobbled ball.

*sigh*

Hunter has a .267 lifetime average? That surprises me. I would have guessed better than that.

F***!!!

$%@!

Wow, nothing's going right at the moment. Let's go, Nathanest!

And now Tifee's error is HUGE!

*sobs*

*more sobbing*

They mentioned his average earlier in the game. Dick even said "he's not going to hit .300, but he gets on base and drives in runs."

Could have fooled me on both counts.

Mr. Tiffee hasn't been the same since they brought him up again. His head just isn't there.

And what in the world is wrong with Nathan right now? Argh! Sucking time is upon us!

Yikes, the VP is not looking too hot.

As for Torii-I say let him walk after his contract is up next year if he continues to flounder at the plate. I would rather keep Stewie anyway.

Okay, this here is what we call irony.

*screaming*

It never fails. We fail to execute, and the opposition comes right back in the next inning and kicks our ass all across town.

Nathan... WTF??????????????

@##%$%!$!

I have no words...

That's the other thing we do, give runs right back.

Oh, *God*.

*weeps openly*

At least some good news-we still be 6 games out. But at this rate, 6 games is way too far with the way we are playing.

What can I say? Other than Johan K., pretty much every one of our players has sucked it up.

this is what happens when our bullpen doesn't get to work. last night and tonight.

no more complete games for our starters.

Booooooooooooooooooo!

Gardy needs to do a LOT of screaming at this team. All of these guys are playing like they're asleep. What in the world is this crap?

Punto didn't suck today. :)

Well we are going to Cleveland next. Maybe they should have everyone break a chair.

Fair enough, kafumbly. He hasn't had a chance.

thank you, Tifee.

Thank god...that could've gone a LOT worse.

Cubs won with Mark Prior throwing 126 pitches. Hey they need bullpen help-how about Torii, Rincon, and Balfour to the Cubs for Derrick Lee??

This is the kind of game that chases fans away. You get them started in a good mood, cheering and having fun.

And then you start to suck...hard...

This game was pretty much the same as the Homestand opener against Texas. Things were going GREAT and either the bats or the pitching were keeping the audience positive.

And then everything just went to hell.

We're on our way to a 4-5 homestand...when we should've at LEAST gone 6-3.

LNP woulda had two home runs, probably. and a triple. and a single and a stolen base. 6 RBIs. 4 runs.

Gardy shoulda played him instead of Rivas. LNP woulda won the game single-handedly.

Rincon isn't that bad...and Balfour is injured (nobody will take him)

Torii + prospect perhaps. But who'd we put in center?

I dunno, kafumbly. I mean, yeah, LNP might've done all that, but Torii might've found a way to screw things up even more.

...or is that were Lee plays?

Would the Cubs take Torii and a prospect for Lee? I wouldn't.

And Lee plays 1B.

Torii wouldn't have had a chance LNP woulda finished 'em off before Torii came up to bat. ;)

and I don't want to get rid of Rincon. I want to keep him.

Nick, Torii would've fouled a ball back into the dugout and into Santana. Which would've then ricochet into the bullpen, leveling Rincon and Nathan.

The Dome would've followed by promptly exploding.

Torhu, you couldn't have said it any better. This is why Twins fans are turning into the type that leave in the 7th or the 8th when the game is still in doubt. There is no energy or confidence because the team has given them no reason to have any. And without energy or confidence from the fans, the players walk up there and go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th. I was at yesterday's game and it was absolutely miserable to see. The entire dome was depressed.

Well, it's nice to see the that we're not the only ones who have trouble converting with the bases loaded.

Now, are you listening, boys? You do whatever you have to do to make sure Johan doesn't get a loss. Understand? He needs SUPPORT! So go out there, and if you see any demons on your asses, feed them the ass-bats instead.

Think Butters in the South Park dance-off episode. Total chaos.

With his hair, this guy looks like he's in high school.

haha, Torhu. I can totally see it.

CF, I am not sure, but I will say this. Teams like the Yankees sure as hell never had a defensive CF when they were winning the WS all the time.

Actually, the Cubs would need a firstbaseman, to I would put LeCroy in there.

Ford in center, Lee to DH/1B with the Doc. If not Rincon, maybe Baker?

well, at least this is a good at-bat.

Oooh. LeCroy and some fluff for Lee. Then put him in DH I would presume.

Heck, LeCroy/Hunter would work fine. Lee would move into DH, and Ford would move into the outfield.

Attaway, JJ!

hooray, JJ!

A very Cuddyesque at bat.

why can't we have shit like that with the bases loaded?

Lil' Sweetcheeks is taking a page out of Cuddy's book.

Would the Cubs really want to start LeCroy at first? Keep in mind, they can't DH him.

That's true. However, he might turn into a good power hitter. Which wouldn't be bad for a first baseman.

The weakness is he doesn't have the range.

I am most seriously displeased. If this isn't the sucking time, I don't know what is.

I just hope to whatever God may be out there that this doesn't last much longer. And the the CHW continue to become...human.

Well, I just want to get rid of LeCroy :)I just honestly think 2 months in the Twins need a steady bat at 5 and our bullpen can help with a trade.

LEEEWWWWWWWW!!!

RUN JONES! RUN FORD!

HIT CUDDY!

LEW!

LEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Geez. That Hunter error and that walk...those are HUGE runs now.

Luke Fordwalker used the Force!

Cuddy's started a trend!

Lew is one of my boyfriends. :)

Yeah Carrie. Ford force pushed that one all the way. Just needed that little extra umph that he didn't quite get.

Ugh. Cuddy.... you're better than that. Remember? You're good now.

oh, DJ.

...and then Cuddy. Jones stole his at-bat.

Cuddy, what was that!?

New batting order idea:

Stewie
LNP
Chairman
Lew
Doc
Cuddy
JJ
Castro
Torii

What the heck is going on? He's throwing crap and they're biting.

Ok, guys... stop swinging at stuff way out of the zone!!

Tiffee is going deep here.

*sobbing again*

C'mon, Stewie...

OK, Stewie, time for all your plots and plans to come to fruition...

Up to you Stewie, let's see a sweet HR.

Hey Joel:

Stewart
Punto
Mauer
Morneau
Cuddyer
Jones
Ford
Castro
Gorilla

Put the gorilla in a uniform, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between his hitting and hunters.

GOOOOOOOO!

HOLY SH!!!!!!T

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STEWIE!!!!

YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

STEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!

Well, J's off the hook ;)

My God, how awesome was that?

...Thank god they're changing pitchers right now.

I need to go change pants.

"That's it, Mr. Giraffe, get all the marmelade"

Stewwwwwwwwwiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!!!

Victory is mine!!!

YAHOOOOOO!!!

okay, my DQ Twins hat is officially my rally hat. I finally have a rally hat!

I could KISS that man!

Stewie, I forgive you for the 10th inning superfluous homerun off of the O's! I forgive you!

HUZZAH!

Here's an idea ;)

Should this not end in the 9th (which it will), let's bring Silva out to pitch a few :)

If my roomie weren't around, I'd have just emitted a Howard Dean-esque scream. Stewie, I heart you!!

Damn, I am glad I mentioned "sweet HR." If we get this win, we are damn fortunate. And I am glad for El Presidente.

Was it gorgeous? How far did it go? I'm watching on game day. Now all we need is lil Nicky to pinch hit another, back to back.

Great call on the radio. They seemed as excited and shocked as everyone.

Who did we trade for Shannon Stewart again? Got to be the best trade in Twins history.

Stewie and Lewie are the rocks of this team. Absolute rocks. They don't get emotional and flustered. They just play good baseball. Neither is very fast or throws really hard, but they make all the big hits. All the headcases on the team need to take some lessons.

Come on! Walk off for the rookie! :)

Great time for that first hit, Rodriguez!!

Attaboy rook!

I think it was Kielty, wasn't it?

nope, Rod's at the plate. let's see what he can do...

hey, hooray!

YO JOE! let's bring him home!

GOP-it was Kielty.

Holy cow, Rodriguez!! L-Rod is the winning run!!

Go Rookie!

Let's just call him "Rook"

He's batting .500.

That's better than Hunter ;)

Torhu, YOU are batting better than Hunter at this point, methinks.

Stew's HR was just above the folded-up seats under 213, Vince.

I think the guy for Miluwakee that should be ashamed is the manager. His starter was taking names right up until he took him out.

We REALLY need to end this NOW.

I agree, Stewie is a rock. That's why he was first Twin whose name I adorned on a jersey :)

As for another two jerseys, its Mauer. C'mon Chairman!

You guys are harsh! Slumps happen. :-)

Thanks kafumbly!

So, does the Crain Train get another chance today?

I haven't been happy with Torii since I started watching baseball last year. he just doesn't impress me much at the plate.

I don't think we're harsh Laurie, just observant :) And the Twins clearly have some disturbing patterns this year.

The problem with Hunter is it's not really a slump. It's consistant. He had TWO opportunities against Miluawkee two night again with bases loaded and 1 out.

BOTH times he GIDP. BOTH. His swing isn't there, and he swings at the first pitch WAY too often.

Hey... this was me earlier--

"Now, are you listening, boys? You do whatever you have to do to make sure Johan doesn't get a loss. Understand? He needs SUPPORT! So go out there, and if you see any demons on your asses, feed them the ass-bats instead."

Johan's off the hook! Between that and Koskie's thumb, maybe I have special powers after all... especially since when I posted that, I was specifically thinking 'If I have the Baseball Force, I officially call on it now...'

Laurie, Doc and Chairman are slumping a little. Torii hasn't looked good at the plate all year. Big difference :)

This is still making me nervous. We've come back in a big way. And at least have taken Santana off the hook.

This is all just REALLY nervewracking.

Carrie... you are amazing. I hope you remain a Twins fan forever.

Yeah, I remember the comments were pretty much the same about Cuddy recently... "off with his head!! He sucks!! Get rid of him!!" LOL. Heaven help a slumping Twin...

We have to win now, guys. JC did a fantastic job last night, and I'm confident he can do it again!

Carrie. If you have the Baseball Force...please use it to keep the balls in the gloves of our players ;)

Oh, and nice Force Push on Stewie's ball there. Or perhaps taht was Ford. Maybe seeing all those movies paid off.

I'm not at the game, but did anybody see if Ford was doing anything funny in the dugout during Stew's at bat?

I never said bad things about Cuddy. I've always liked him. some of us only harp on the guys who deserve it. ;)

ROMERO???? ROMERO!!!! stupid Gardentool, what are you thinking?

Honestly, Nick, I can live with it now if we lost. At least it wouldn't be shameful at this point.

I wasn't on Cuddy's case as much. What makes Hunter REALLY bad is he's not protecting the guy hitting ahead of him.

And he consistantly KILLS rallies.

"Heaven help a slumping Twin..."

Heh, if not heaven, at least the hitting coach.

Joel, "all year" is a pretty short time. It's only May. :-)

All this talk is making my little Torii mini-bobble frown. And that takes a lot.

It's true, I would be more accepting of a loss now, because at least we didn't totally suck. But it would just seem wrong if we don't win this thing.

I try not to harp on Cuddy, at his last at bat I did. But I never thought he has sucked.

so do rally caps come off when the other team is at bat? or does the rally cap help only our team, pitchers included?

and I have SOME faith left in JC, but not much. he regained some of it last night. I think he can get us through the 10th, even with that double, there... *ahem*

I don't want us to lose. At least not in this inning. Not after that rally.

These fans are happy. BIG TIME. You have let them leave happy.

Sigh. Come on, JC, we need you to be like you were last night.

Breathe JC...take a deeeeeep breath.

... um, and that walk...

Oh crap. Former Twin with something to prove.

*bites nails*

Seriously, THANK your batters with a GOOD inning.

Torii is definitely going through a rough patch, no doubt. But that's no reason to demand that he be traded. May is way too early to panic to that extent.

ROMERO!!! ROMERO!!!

GO ROOKIE!

Woot!!!

Yay rook!

Woooooooo, L-Rod!

If JC gives it up to this .100 hitter, I am driving back to Mpls tonight to set him straight.

YAHHOO!!!! I just said, "double play, double play, double play!"

I like this Rodriguez kid. :)

I like The Rook. I like him lots.

Dude....if we win this now. Seriously...Rookie for BOD.

That was THE save right now.

Kafumbly, rally caps not only come off, but are hidden when the other team is up!! No mojo for them!!!

Speaking of mojo, is it safe to assume that Cordel gave it back to Johan?

That's better, I didn't really want to drive 6 hours tonight anyways.

I wouldn't demand that Torii be traded-but I think its safe to say he will not be the 5 hitter we need to help break a game open. It will be interesting to see what happens after next season with him.

LOL at Bert: "He kinda looks like a baby."

hmmm. I think mine works different, because I took it off, and then JC gave up a double. so I put it back on, and then the beautiful DP.

so I guess my rally cap works for pitchers, too.

No, I think if we do win, the BOD would go to Stewie. Even without consideration for TeamBatgirl boyfriends... it's all Stewie.

Dammit. I had visions of the Doctor ending the game right there, but he's really scuffling right now.

Twins, you have put your fans through hell today. Please end it now.

DIRP.

Rally caps are what they sound like... you wear them to encourage a rally... meaning runs scored by YOUR team.

However, perhaps it could be argued that a rally cap that successfully caused a rally by your team could then be used to jinx the other team... LOL

for sure, Carrie. Stew for BOD, if we can come through, here.

uh, way to go, Torii.

*shakes head*

Laurie, it is merely May, yes, but this isn't a whole lot different than Torii's career. We noted earlier that he is a .267 career hitter. This isn't a .315 hitter having a bad season. This is someone hitting 30 points lower than his career numbers. That's not so far off normal.

Torii... well, at least that was entirely expected.

Has Torii ever thought about bunting for a base hit? With how far back the infield was playing...

C'mon, JJ...

Gotta love those "free swingers."

Crap. The longer this goes on the more I worry now.

Well, that was a rather not good inning. At least Cuddy comes up in the 11th; let's get him there with the score still tied!

Mike Piazza was having the same problem at the plate as Torii until recently. Then it passed, as these things usually do, and he started hitting the crap outta the ball. Let's hope the same happens for Torii very soon.

one could argue that the rally cap can rally the pitchers to strike guys out and stuff.

but I see your point. now I'm afraid of my rally cap. I don't know what to do with it.

And Torii gets hot when we play the Bitch Sox-problem is, we don't play them again until August. Could be a long summer for #48.

Laurie, difference is that Piazza is a career .315 hitter, and not as good defensively.

oh, another of my boyfriends. you can do this, Jesse. YOU CAN.

Rally caps are not to be messed with. They are serious business. Use yours for good instead of evil, as it is clearly potent.

I hope that Hunter is back, partially just because my impression is that he's a good guy, and I prefer to have people that I like on the team. Plus, with his D, I still think he's an asset. Like I said though, I'm surprised that his average is as low as it is. He's got decent power though. Anyway, I think the impression is that he's the Twins star. He'll probably get more All-Star votes than any Twin (other than Santana). Might have to reconsider that notion.

I mean Piazza is a career .314 hitter.

The Rally is strong with this cap.

YAY!!!

siddown, bitch!

Sit yer ass down, bitch...

I just took it off, and then Jesse struck him out looking. yes, it will stay under my desk chair until the bottom half.

gopher: I'd take Mauer or Morneau as our rep right now over Hunter.

Heck, Cuddy's making a good play to be the rep. And since we only get one, we want it to be a good one.

The thing about Torii is, I suspect that what he does for the team in the dugout may be more important than what he does for the team on the field.

oh, Tiff, so close! nice hustle, buddy.

Bottom line on Torii for me is this: I like the guy. I think he's a great player and unmatched defensively. I don't want to trade him either. I'm just growing weary of the flailing away at the plate and the seemingly endless stream of GIDPs. He's a better player than that, but we haven't seen it in a while. :shrug:

Actually Piazza hasn't hit .300 since 2001. And since then, his average has gone steadily down every year. It's been frightening to watch. :-(

Stew!

HOLY SHIT!!!

yes, Stewie for BOD!

Wow, that was an awkward-looking beauty of a catch.

Another reason for BOD status...

Faboo catch, Stewie!!!!

My...god...what...the...heck!

*tears*

That was BEAUTIFUL! Two web gems in two innings. We NEED to win!

And if there was any doubt about this being Stewie's game... good catch!

I think Stewart has stolen some of Hunter's mojo.

They're starting to tee off on Crain. Let's go, buddy!

Yipes. Anyone but Carlos Lee. Anyone.

can someone describe the catch for us suckers on gameday?

Oh, I'd definitely take other Twins over Hunter this year. I just said that he is the guy that gets the most votes. He's probably the only Twin position player that people in Texas or Boston know, due to the sportscenter highlights, but Mauer is probably coming on.

Stewart badly misplayed that ball. No need to congratulate him for that.

Now the HR on the other hand....

YEAH!

Yeah, the Crain Train is back on track!!!

THE MOMENTUM IS YOURS! TAKE IT!

YEAH!!! I KNEW he could do it! I TOLD him he could do it! and he DID!

Yeah, right now Torii is totally lost at the plate. But I honestly think it's just "right now." I think if we were in first place, everyone wouldn't be freaking out so much. It would be just a minor concern.

Have a seat, Mr Lee.

You bitch.

Nice job Crain!

So this would be a "Sit Down, Former Bitch"?

Vince, Stewart came charging up because he misplayed the ball off the bat, then retreated and saved his own butt with a "webgem" ala Dustan Mohr

I don't know how to describe it...

And yeah eh misplayed, but he was able to turn it around the still make the play. That's why it was good. He corrected his mistake.

Ok, kafumbly, I know you won't forget, but I want to be positive... put the rally cap back on. :)

Personally I think the Soul Patrol rocks. Wouldn't change a thing.

yeah, it could have been a better catch, but the point is that even with running to the wrong place in the field, he managed to keep the ball in his glove (or balancing on top of it) and get the out. he didn't drop it. and that's sexy.

If we can just one runner to reach, than walkoff for Stewie!

(sighhhhh) Dustan Mohr... former BF.

LEEEEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

USE THE FORD LEW!

Lewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

What did I say? ROCK of the team. LEWWWWWWWWWW!

LEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

and RIGHT after I put my rally cap back on!!!

this hat is ... it's... blessed.

LEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Rally caps... ON!!!!!!!!!!

LLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

Luke Fordwalker does it again! The Force is indeed strong in this one!

There aren't enough "w" in the world to get that Lewwww long enough.

What else can I say, but...

LLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Well played, Young Fordwalker.

L33333333333333333333WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

THAT is your freaking Boyfriend of the Day!!!!!1

Lewwwwww! Holy ####!

See, this guy could hit behind Morneau. He was on fire this series.

kafumbly, take good care of that cap. And use it wisely.

Kafumbly, keep that cap in a safe place. Have a feeling we'll be needing it for a while.

Let's go, Tiffee. We just need a medium fly ball here, buddy!

c'mon, Tiffee... this is a good time for a hit.

C'mon Tiffee!!

Wow! How amazing is this! C'mon, Tiffee!

C'mon Terry Tiffee, you're my favorite porn star-gone-ball player!

Okay, we have two tries to hit a deep fly ball. Seriously. Let's do this.

C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon.....

Walk off HR would be sweet.

The Power of the Ford resides in that cap. It will bring balance to the Division.

Do you see what the fates are bringing to be?

Rodriquez may come to bat with the bases loaded.

ARGH

You'll just have to be wary around any volcanoes, is all...

Ok, not what we were looking for, Tiffee. Not at all. Now they'll almost certainly walk Stewie, and make the Rook do it.

Tiffee didn't have the Force on that one.

ugh.

and they'll walk Stewie, dammit.

LNP! LNP! LNP!

Let L-Rod hit.

Put LNP in there.

Intentionally loading the bases? The *bastards*...

Welcome to the bigs, rook. All you have to do is win the game.

Fly ball. That's all they need. Fly ball. Somebody should be able to do it.

You know, grow some 'nads! Pitch to the guy! You don't have the guts to pitch to him, you shouldn't wear a big-league uniform. God, I HATE intentional walks!!

The Ford is strong with this one.

If I was the rookie, I'd be shitting myself right now.

*puts on chicken suit*

Pitch to Shannon!!! bawk, bawk, bawk.

Be smart, L-Rod....

Suicide squeeze. Do it.

oh, you can do it, Rook! you're a good player, or they wouldn't have brought you up!

Nah Vince. He's got this.

They loaded the bases intentionally.... those bastards.

Luuuuuuuuuuuuu

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't sit still. C'mon, kid!

YES!!!!\

WOW!! L-Rod!!!!

ROOOOOKKKKKK!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

KICK ASS!!!

Thataway, rookie...knock a knuckleball off the bat for the gamewinner.

HAHAHAHAHA! REVENGE IS SWEET!!!! Junior Spivey has made the Mets' lives a misery for years, and it took the Twins to finally give it back to him!!!!

Goddamn, this game was a sheer force of will.

A win...and the Moral High Ground! Woot!

what happened? What happened?