oh, Bradke. step it up, hon, okay?

or I'll be makin' ye swab the poop deck with a toothbrush!

I'm sorry to hate on Radke...but THANK YOU. He ticks me off on a regular basis.

Even though our other pitchers have had first inning problems, they make up for it with other VERY impressive innings. And adjust in the SAME inning they slip up.

But not Radke. Today...he got out by sheer effort from the D-Backs to blow that inning.

I rarely have confidence in Radke, and today didn't help that much. It took a monumental effort by the Twins to not just give up.

I'm just glad the win went to somebody else.

Wow. Goober needs some DQ.

Dearest Goober,

It is very nice to see the G-GOD again. We've missed it.

Sincerely,
BG

I know he's always Free To Be Rad And Bad, but he tends to take liberties with those freedoms.

I will forever be down with G-GOD... because I'm naughty by nature. Not 'cause I hate cha.

2 runs I could have lived with. But 4???

And it wasn't like there were missed plays or close hits. Every last one of those hits were line shots that nobody could've played.

Plausible explanations for the emergence of Two-Face Radke:

1. Exacting revenge on his teammates for low run support by spotting other team a few freebies right off the bat.

2. Unreported contract stipulation that identical twin, Bad Radke, must be allowed to pitch first inning. Though blessed with the same styling hair and chimp ears, Bad Radke has no formal training in the hurling of spheroids, and considers it ungentlemanly to throw "breaking pitches," being pitches thrown in such a manner as to intentionally deceive the batsman.

any other theories?

test...

I've decided that Bradke need to pitch two innngs before the game even starts. Maybe the batlings could volunteer to be the pre-game "team" to start him off!!

"1. Exacting revenge on his teammates for low run support by spotting other team a few freebies right off the bat."

Possibly. I remember last year, didn't he pitch like 389 games and each time get a ND? (OK, so I'm not very good with the stats either, but I remember it being ridiculously unfair).

At our house we believe that Mulholland should pitch the first inning of all Radke's starts - then Brad can come in and be dominating.

Dear Bradke,
Please don't get revenge on your teammates. They backed you up on Cupcake Day. Doesn't that count for anything? Last night you scared me. It wasn't the thunder rattling my windows, or the crazy lightning. It wasn't even the torrential rain. It was your pitching. I was afraid you were playing Crazy Pepe's Chug & Toss. It can be a very fun game when opposing pitchers are playing it, but Twins pitchers must never play this game. Not even JC. Try to keep that in mind. Thank you.

ndtf

Brad, you know I love you, right? Because I do. Even on nights that you're not yourself in the second inning and beyond. I get frustrated at those times; but that's the nature of love, right?
There is only one time when I don't love you: the first inning. In the first inning, I think very very bad things about you, and occasionally your mother. Yeah, you heard me, your Moms, too.

I admit to being an unabashed Bradke fan. Because we often see very solid performances from him. Usually he gives a quality start: six innings, less than three runs (it's just that all the runs are in the first inning...). Last night was an off-night. I'll forgive him.

And I think Say Rah! is onto something. His 389 games of NDs are probably starting wear on him. (Those stats sound good to me!) He might allow the runs, sometimes, because it's no use wasting effort if your team isn't going to support you at all.

In the post-game on 'CCO, Anderson said that after the fourth run scored, he went out to talk to Brad and the Chairman and suggested it was time to start pitching backwards. You know, starting out with breaking-balls early in the count to set up the fastball rather than the opposite.

Doesn't somebody mention this after just about every bad Radke first inning? I'm wondering if that's not a good way to START the first inning. Maybe just once. Just to see.

If that doesn't work, maybe Bradke should consider LITERALLY pitching backwards in the first inning. And get to the breaking of balls right away.

I love Brad, too. I really, really do and I always have (I have a shirt to prove it). But I agree that something needs to be done about the first inning suckitude. It's becoming harder and harder to forgive. However, forgive I shall.

Goober, thank you for saying what needed to be said and yet being so very gentle about it.

k-bro

Huzzah for the reprisal of G-GOD. May it return more often.

And I agree with sacky. I recall reading at least three times this year that Bad needs to start throwing breaking balls and off-speed stuff, rather than mostly fastballs in the first. Do the coaches, catchers, and Bad himself ALL forget this in the four days between starts?

Did anyone else see the quote from Bradke in the Yahoo game recap?:
'``I know I'm going to give up some runs in the first inning,'' Radke said. ``My job is to keep us in the game as much as I can.'''
*sigh* Yes to the second part, Brad, no to the first. Runs are not inevitable.

"1. Exacting revenge on his teammates for low run support by spotting other team a few freebies right off the bat."

That was last year. This year he has the highest run support among the starters.
Bradke-5.69
Lohse-5.07
Mays-4.92
Santana-4.86
Silva-4.01

Goob, I enjoyed your calling a Rad a Bad. He deserves it. What mystifies me is how the un-Rad-ness persists so consistently. Weird. Perhaps we need a teach psychologist or, better, an exorcist to chase away the ass-bats, ass-gloves and the occasional ass-crooked-numbers-in-the-*(&*&()&-first.

Yeah the return of the G-GOD.

Special thanks to goober for bringing up this touchy subject, but indeed it's gone on for far too long. San's the man, and everyone is still holding onto "Radke ACE" visions from the past. Radke WAS a fine pitcher for about 7-8 yrs, the last two he's been not his ACE-self. He is sooo inconsistant it's scary and painful. Also his attempts to redeem himself are a little to little and far to late ie..after we're down by 4 runs!!! Something must be done, and before it's too late--the Mullholland idea sounds good! Also for anyone that has ever caught, this is in response to double-a and others wondering about advice from coaches and catchers, it very well may be that they do point out such things like the a breaking ball,off-speed anything but the "fastball" and he ignores the call of just doesnt hit the spot. Most times when homers are given up it's because the pitcher doesnt successfully throw what has been called--just a side note. Have a good day everyone and let us get say a prayer for our friend Kyle that he not screw up a clean sweep:)