Love this site! Love the Sox (Sorry)! FYI: I'll be linking this on my site tomorrow (and crediting you of course). I'm up for Next Great Sports Writer on FoxSports.com. Check it out here: http://blogs.foxsports.com/Elizabeth_Bennet/2006/05/19/Not_By_the_Hairs_on_My_Chinnychinchin

Best picture of AJ taking it in the chops: http://chicago.metblogs.com/archives/2006/05/shameful.phtml

Ignore the text (freakin' Sox fans,) but the photo is amazing.

Thank you, O Batgirl of Batgirls! We Cubs fans need a bit of humor in our lives these days, and I am truly grateful to you for providing that! This is my 36th year as a Cubs fan, and this is possibly the most painful of those years yet. Wah, wah, wah.

I still think it's funny that a similar play by a Twins player is STILL treated with disgust by some Sox fans, while AJ is considered a hero.

Hypocrits. You betchya.

Right on, Torhu.

Torhu,

I think it's Torii's propensity to turn would-be ChiSox homers into outs that gets him 'treated with disgust.' I've never seen the Hunter-Burke play (It happened on Day 2 of a week long vacation, and was old news by time I got home.) yet I dislike Hunter simply for all the runs he's cost us.

I think a better question would be why does AJ get booed so loudly at the Humpdome? He was always well liked when he was in Minny. He brought at least 2 arms, and maybe three if Boof pans out, that any team in baseball would love to have. And he was replaced by a younger, better player at the same position. What's there to boo?

Hunter at least only hit Burke once, and that on his way to the plate, not on his way away.

It's the second hit by AJ that's really exceptionable. The first one was fine.

Cheat, AJ gets booed because it's fun to rile AJ. And who knows that better than us?

I think AJ needs to realize that he'll get a lot less grief from opponents if he stops running with that crossbow.

This may be your best work yet, BG! You continue to delight and amaze. Love that Rowand remark!

Cheers!!

I saw all sorts of replays of this over the weekend, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't seeing the whole story. I don't know what it was, but it just felt like there was something incomplete about what ESPN was showing.

And then, like an angel swooping in, Batgirl provides me with the reenactment I've been needing. Now I know what happened. Now it all makes sense.

I mean, can you believe I didn't even see a crossbow in the ESPN angles? How could they miss that? And I didn't see John Mabry go all Matrix to avoid a punch. Guys with crossbows and guys who might be the One are the people ESPN should be focusing on, not guys who have had more needles in them than Pinhead.

I was at the Hunter/Burke game and watched the AJ/Barrett play on tv. To those who wonder about the Hunter/Burke play: It WAS NOT THE SAME SCENARIO. First of all, the AJ throw was coming from left field. AJ could not tell where the ball was. The Hunter throw, on the other hand, was coming from right field, and Hunter could see it and judge where the ball was at better than AJ could on his collision. Secondly, BARRETT STOOD ON THE BASE LINE BLOCKING IT. BURKE WAS OFF THE BASELINE GIVING HUNTER THE PATH. HUNTER MOVED TO HIS LEFT TO HIT BURKE. Burke wasn't 5 feet off the path, but Hunter had to change direction slightly so he could run into Burke. He could have gotten past Burke without changing his direction, and Burke was OBVIOUSLY not challenging Hunter on the path. Just because they were both collisions at the plate does NOT mean they were the same thing.

and now all the Bitch Sox fans come out of the woodwork again to cry. hahahaha. that's just as entertaining as the Lego re-enactment.

hooray for Legovision!

Ahem. We're got nothing to cry about.

BARRETT PUNCHED AJ. AJ DIDN'T PUNCH BARRETT.

The classlessness in this matter was shown by the catcher for our crosstown rivals. AJ did nothing wrong.

Great work as always, BG!

*snickers*

:applauds:

wonderful work as always BG! Much better than the replays on ESPN!!

Dear Mr. Cheat,

People at the Humpdome boo AJ because some baseball fans are idiots. Some also boo Doug Mientkiewicz, which is sort of like booing your mom.

Dear Mr. Ilk,

AJ can be...problematic but BG saw the play a number of times and doesn't think he did anything wrong. In fact--and BG never thought she'd type this--AJ showed a great deal of restraint.

Dear Readers,

If we have Sox fan guests, please respect them as you would any commenter. Also, BG would realy prefer this not get into a debate on the Hunter play.

Sincerely,
BG

You bastard! Pods cries, tackling Barrett, Not AJ! He's sensitive!

Bwa-hahaha. Sensitive, indeed.

What a day! First a Legovision reenactment of Roe v. Wade, er, AJ vs. Barrett and then, in the Strib, the secret of the T-Phat batting stance! We certainly live in bountiful times amid the chaos. Click on my name for the latter.

I [heart] legovision. This was much better than any replay I saw of the brawl. Thanks for giving me something to giggle about this morning, BG.

The Cubs are my second favorite team after the Twins, and while Barrett was totally and completely in the wrong on that play it was still my favorite moment of the crosstown classic last weekend. I know. I'm going to hell. But thanks for the Legovision, BG.

You know, I don;'t wanna debate whether it was a good thing to throw the punch or not, I'm just happy he had the cahones to throw it.

A.J. did nothing wrong, IMHO, and handled things in the post-game interview well.

I always cheer for A.J. when he's in town at the Dome. At first this last series I thought I was just gonna clap and cheer for him when announced and for his first at-bat, but when some other fans were boo-ing him, I was moved to cheer for him every time.

Honestly, from my seats in the Dome, it seemed reaction when A.J. batted was pretty evenly divided between cheers and boos.

I am ever grateful that the Twins traded AJ to the Giants who did not appreciate his greatness and therefore let him get away so that we could have him! Not only is he a fantastic player, but he is far more entertaining that any catcher we've ever had. And he's hitting .336! I know you guys love the Chairman and the Nathenest of Joes, but we've got a winner in AJ.

Thanks so much BG for the reenactment. This is the first place I've seen the REAL story - Barrett got tackled by our little leadoff hitter! Pods can move mountains when AJ's honor is on the line.

"Crash! AJ barrels into catcher Michael Barrett! His hat goes flying off!"

Upon viewing this freeze-frame, I now see what might have inspired Barrett to throw that punch...

*sings the Nutty song*

"had the cojones" indeed, billhedrick.

Great re-enactment, BG! It's nice to come some place where all the chaff is taken out and we're left with the pure and simple truth of what happened!

I'm grateful to AJ for bringing us the Nathanest of Joes, Frisco, and Boof.

(off topic, sorry)

Booing players and former players is often quite strange and sometimes very sad. The most disgusting example I ever saw was shortly after Frank Viola negotiated a new contract to stay with the Twins, I think for about $7 million a year. Apparently, the average Joe thought that was too much for a billionaire team owner to fork out. I took our kids to the Ringling Brothers circus and in walks Frank with his kids. He was roundly booed by the boorish circus audience.

I applaud AJ when he comes to town and loudly cheered Chuck Knoblauch after he left. He always did a good job for us, I thought.

I didn't get around to checking the site this morning until I was sipping my second cup of coffee... and damn near sent it spraying out over the keyboard. Hilarious, BG!

I've always liked AJ. It's more difficult to like him now that he's a Bitch, but I just can't dislike him. He's the guy everyone wants on his team (unless you're a Giant I suppose) and nobody wants to play against. The Twins made out like bandits on the trade, for sure... but I guarantee you the BitchSox don't have rings right now if AJ wasn't part of that team.

And the best part of this re-enactment is that we all know that Legovision breaks losing streaks (even if it's just a one game "streak") so Johan is assured of a win tonight!

JC

"The ump pulls Mabry away from Anderson while the crowd shouts, "Rowand would have had that!""

Brilliant.

I love legovision...

I LOVE Legovision! Brilliant as always BG! Oh - and the more I see the replays the more I don't think AJ was in the wrong.

But I can't help but enjoy seeing a Bitch Sox player getting punched just a tiny little bit (even if it is our very own AJ). . . Anybody feel like punching Buehrle?? ;-) (just kidding)

BG, I said the same thing when I saw the clip on SportCenter. It was totally a clean hit, and I don't think AJ did anything during that particular play that deserved a punch in the face.

However... given AJ's reputation for being an all-around ass, in the heat of the moment, Mr. Barrett's assumption that he was being harassed is quite understandable.

I think what is really being lost in the discussion of this situation is the fact that Michael Barrett hits like a girl. Honestly, you land a punch square on the jaw of a guy who didn’t even see it coming and you fail to knock him on the ground? Unbelievable. Somebody should tell Mikey he needs to put legs into it. But then again, they may have been a tad bit shakey from just getting trucked at the plate.

Is that a Cambria-brand countertop underneath Lego-Bitchular field?

meh. I never liked AJ, and I still don't. I don't boo him, but I certainly don't cheer for him. and I think slapping the plate and then throwing his shoulder into Barrett were pretty low-class. sure, he was going for his helmet, but uh, you can't tell me he didn't see Barrett standing there and only "accidentally" bumped into him. he was making a statement, and that statement was, "hi, I'm AJ, and I'm an ass."

obviously, many of you don't/won't agree with me, but that's the way I see it.

LMAO

ahhh... BG, there is nothing like Legovision to amuse and entertain!! Your inside access definitely provides knowledge we would get no other way. *wink*

Dear Kafumbly -

I agree with you - I was never a big AJ fan - my mother loves him to pieces go figure - I was somewhat giddy when Barrett clocked him and then laughed louder when Podsednik got into it - and I'm not a violent person- but does anyone think AJ would have tried that 'handslapattheplate' stunt with ohh say - Jason Varitek behind the plate - my money says hell no

But I have to think somewhere something must have happened to put some chip on AJ's shoulder -because I've met him a couple of times and he was polite and everything - but of course I wasn't an opposing player.

Eh what's done is done -it will just get uglier when the Bitches visit Wrigley -

Much love
Wonder Woman

I wonder what JJ was thinking when all of this was happening?!?

Much Love
Wonder Woman

I have absolutely no problem with a baserunner laying out a catcher. That's baseball, ladies and gents.

And I will always love AJ. I have never boo him. Same with Dougie. Same with Guardado, Hawk, any member of the Mohr/Kielty/Ryan/Restovich 4-headed monster, and ESPECIALLY never our dear Mr. Koskie.

However, I would like to use this opportunity to mention that I happily booed the crap out of JC Romero in his appearance here, and if Messrs. Guzman and Rivas ever play a game in Minnesota again, I shall boo them lustily. Because they suck most fiercely.

This BatCommunity feels divided today, so I will try and unite us. If there's one thing that can bring all baseball fans together, it's the notion that Guzman and Rivas are thoroughly crappy ballplayers. Punches and bench-clearing brawls are nice, but for my money, the single most PAINFUL plate appearance I've ever witnessed was Guzman's joke of an AB in the 2001 so-called "All-Star" Game.

I don't think there's many plays in baseball that deserve a punch to the face.

However, the horrific umpiring decisions that A.J. benefitted from during the postseason last year? Remember those?

I'm just saying... maybe the punch was karma evening the score.

But I'm sure if you asked A.J., "If you could win the World Series, but one day get punched in the face for something unrelated, would you do it?" he would say yes in a heartbeat.

So it all washes out, you know what I'm saying?

Michael Barrett reads BatGirl! Did you see he called AJ a bitch before he sucker punched him? http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/05/21/sports/pro_sports/c7d5828329d9386286257174007a531c.txt

And AJ doesn't want to be the bad guy, anymore, he's grown up: http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-aj23.html

Thanks again for the memories, AJ. And thanks for Nathan, Liriano and Bonser.

The year I worked as an usher for the Twins I was assigned to help with photo night for AJ. For 45 minutes the player is supposed to sit there, hold babies, smile, say nice things take pictures. I am sure it is not the highlight of the day for most players. Other players I saw fulfilled their duty, were kind and did a good job. AJ was amazing. He seemed to understand the reason he can get paid millions for playing a "kids game" was because of the fans. He came accross and very warm and open, even signed a few balls/jerseys which kids were not supposed to ask for. The line was long and he stayed late. (some players would walk, leaving kids in line out of luck) He impressed me greatly.
I don't deny that on the field he plays hard and plays to win, and sometimes that bothers other players. But I think he is a good guy inside. I saw him on PTI yesterday, good interview. He better not get suspended because he did nothing wrong.

[[[DELETED BY BG FOR A) INSULTING ANOTHER POSTER B) SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE DAMN TORII PLAY ANYMORE.]]]

All of you Twins fans (especially posters to this board) have a grave misconception about what "bitching" really is. Presenting facts and having a discussion/debate about things that happen in baseball is not bitching. Complaining about the fact that you think Sox fans bitch is bitching and whining. Sox fans have nothing to cry or bitch about. We have a WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP! Your team is lucky to be staying in MN. Should we you call you bitches because you piss and moan constantly about the owners, gov't in MN, and Major League Baseball?

Nothing speaks volumes like someone bitching about being called a bitch when they purportedly have nothing to bitch abuot. Thanks for the unintended humor, Tim -- and yes, we're laughing at you, not with you...

YankeeFan

Let me add to the post above: I dig this site, and I know the fact that you call the Sox the Bitch Sox only adds to my enjoyment of the site. I understand the genesis fot he term and why it is so comedic, but I do think some of the posts have to have a grasp on reality. I don't expect anyone here to become a Sox fan or stop being loyal to the Twins, but don't say something completely outrageous out of blind loyalty. BG - great stuff, as always. I think we can all respect each other in this forum and add to the enjoyment of this site.

Heh heh, LegoVision was what I needed today. Bless you, BG.

And while playing hard, and playing to win, are the way to play the game, playing with class is also the way to play the game. To me, slapping the plate as he did is grandstanding. I would punch his lights out, personally.

But we in LA don't hold a grudge against AJ, oh no. Noooo. No. Well, maybe a little. Let's just say, if I had an AJ voodoo doll, the world would be a better and more amusing place.

Ummm, also a JC Romero doll.

YankeeFan - Proving my point perfectly. The sound of the laughing is in response to your team's playoff results lately.

Sorry BG - didn't think I was insulting anyone, but I do apologize if I did.

I'm sitting here continuing to laugh and couldn't agree more, YankeeFan.

Nothing says "bitch" like someone who goes to another team's fan website to complain about being called "bitch". (Of course "troll" is another term for such a person.)

BG, I apologize if I'm not treating this particular BitchSox fan with appropriat respect, but I am assuming that such respect really only is owed to those fans of opposing teams who come here demonstrating the same level of respect.

As for AJ, I bet he's laughing his ass off, too. He got to (a) score a run, (b) get in a fight (even if, technically, only his face got much action), (c) be cause of bench clearing incident, and just to make it perfect (d) essentially be able to play the "victim" and lay the blame on the guy he knocked over to score that run in the first place. Sounds like AJ's idea of a "perfect storm".

And sorry to Torhu, as well.

I don't think I disrespected anyone. Just disagreed. [[EDITED HERE. TIM! TIM!]] Again, I enjoy the site and know there will always be folks who will call someone a troll becasue they have a different opinion. It is hard to keep your opinion when the facts say otherwise, but some folks can still do it.

Dear Mr. Tim,

Basically, calling someone an ass is over the line, and as I said above I don't want this to devolve into an argument about the Torii play, because that's simply no fun for me. We differ on our interpretation of it and it is never going to be solved. I appreciate your kind words but please remember this is a site for Twins fans and coming on and insulting the team and the fans isn't okay in my house. You are more than welcome to post here, but please respect where you are as the lovely regular Sox fans who post here do. If my comments devolve into fighting, I have to shut the entry down and I get in a bad mood all day. If you say the Twins fans are whiners, someone's going to be rude to you, you're going to be rude back, and then the whole topic is ruined and so is the Legovision. That's the point. BG tries very hard to avoid flame wars.

She asks everyone now to drop it.

Sincerely,
BG

Understood, BG. Your house, your rules. You can feel free to block me if you deem it necessary. I would miss the banter, though. I've had some really good discussion/debate in here.

1) Legovision rocks.

2) When I saw the post-game interviews from Barrett and Pierzynski, both seemed strangely rational about the whole thing. As I recall, Barrett said the punch wasn't warranted and that it was just a heat of the moment sort of thing. After all, who's in a good mood after they get knocked on their derriere? A.J. seemed to be saying that these things happen. Since both participants seemed to be taking things so well, I say this is just good clean fun!

Dear Tim,

Accepted and appreciated.

Sincerely,
BG

Hi Batgirl! I was hoping you'd put this incident in Legovision, and it was all I could have dreamed. Thank you. *blows a kiss*

Yankee Fan - that was pretty funny

Yes please don't make BG mad I hear - she is going to the game tonight and I don't want her to get all crazy and throw her veggie sub at my head -=) I don't think she would but still just incase - ;-)

Ohhh I came across a picture of David Blaine on people.com and he looked a little like Boof! But I'm sure Boof would not be so insane as to hang out in a bowl full of water for a week and get all pruney.

much love
Wonder Woman

I'm with ubelmann. In fact, I think baseball should adopt a rule (or at least an unwritten guideline) that says if one catcher barrels in to another catcher, it's ok for them to "throw down" like hockey players and go at it for a while. It would give us all a little something extra to anticipate any time a catcher got in to scoring position on the basepaths!

Dear Mr. Crikket.

BG isn't sure the Chariman knows how....

Concerned,
BG

BG, I bet the doc could give him lessons!

I know, I know... it would no doubt lead to most catchers having toothless smiles in the team pictures and the ladies here might not like that... but it would more than be made up for by the catchers becoming every guy's NSMC.

I'm sure that if anyone barreled over the Chairman, the Doctor would be happy to oblige in the take-down department.

Well shiver me timbers, I didn't expect a thread on this on this site. BG, thanks for doing the re-enactment - most excellent!

I have to say, this play/fight has fired me up more than regular season scenario I can recall. AJ has been a troublemaker in the past, but in this case, anyone who tries to blame him for this is just trying to find something to be mad about. He took back the baseline as he was supposed to, slapped home plate (the only possibly inappropriate action here), and swerved AROUND Barrett to get to his helmet. Barrett grabs AJ, and sucker punches him. Oh and by the way, Barrett was quoted on the radio PRIOR to the game saying his team needed firing up or to start a fight. I guess he found his excuse for it.

You can love or hate AJ, but the facts make it pretty clear that in THIS case, he did nothing wrong. Even Barrett himself, and Dusty, and everyone else on the field said as much. And I was in fact quite proud of him for what he did. Go AJ!!!

BG... legovision rocks, as do you! Nicely done!

The part of the equation that few are taking into account is A.J.'s reputation; he can do something that any other player would get away with, and he'll be attacked (physically or otherwise) as an arrogant, loud-mouthed troublemaker because...well, because he is. So his actions will be interpreted differently due to his perceived mode of behavior. When he was a Twin, it was endearing - even though you could understand why opponents hated the guy. Now that he's the enemy, well...maybe it's not so endearing, and maybe you can feel for the other guys who have to endure his crap all the time. We've all had friends who constantly put us down and then say, "Hey, I'm just having fun with you!" But of course, for the person being abused, it's not much fun. A.J. seems a good guy off the field, but when he crosses the line, it seems he truly does cross the line. So I have a hard time feeling bad for ol' Anthony.

The volume of posts from other teams' fans, especially Bitch Sox fans, to this site continues to amaze me. Is this normal? Do Twins fans visit Mariners blogs? It's a mystery.

It's a pretty unique BG phenomenon, I think, adidasman. I admit I've sent the link to friends who are BitchSox and Yankee fans (though I don't often publicly admit I have such friends) and they've thanked me for it. I think it's all because so few blogs are as dedicated to finding the humor (or "sass" if you prefer) in the game as BG is.

Oh, and the Legovision, too! You clearly don't need to be a Twins fan to appreciate Legovision.

"Do Twins fans visit Mariners blogs?"

There's a few, yeah. But I can safely say that, while there are a few most excellent Mariners blogs out there, nothing comes anywhere close to this for sheer entertainment value. Doesn't matter what team you're a fan of, if you appreciate the humor and can relate to the pain (as I think all real Mariners fans can these days) then this site is well worth the daily visit. I know it often eases some of my Mariner-angst.

And Legovision is my absolute favorite. Well done, BG!

AJ rules. I don't understand the people that "boo" him either.

Here is another "photo essay" of the incident:
http://unknowncolumn.blogspot.com/2006/05/anatomy-of-brawl.html

enjoy!

I love legovision. One more reason to love AJ: I'll always be able to picture him charging home, crossbow in hand.

"Do Twins fans visit Mariners blogs?"

I think with interleague, the internet, cable/satellite, XM radio, and the great MLB radio and MLBTV feeds, people have lots of opportunities to get to know other teams.

I never paid that much attention to the Twins after Kirby Puckett left. I'm in LA. It's really, really far away. After a couple of margaritas, I'm not even sure which state (or states!) the Twin Cities are in. One o' those...cold states where they grow things, right?

But NOW, I see the Twins on TV, can listen to every game, check in with BG online, etc. I have followed the stadium story with great interest... on a blog concerned with eminent domain and taxation for such boondoggles. I have followed Jaque Jones's move to the Cubs....on a Cubs blog. I was glad to see Johan Santana in the running for the Cy Young last year, because I knew his stuff was good....after listening to Twins GameDay audio feeds. I stand in awe of Jim Thome.....after hearing a Detroit fan in despair over his heroics against the Tigers. And this goes both ways....we love being able to share our local knowledge and opinions with buddies around the country on our local teams.

I really *like* chatting it up with people around the country, on BG or other blogs as well. If I'm ever in the Twin Cities, and it's baseball season, you can bet I'll try to get to a Twins game! And try to hook up with some Batlings while I'm there.

(Sorry to sound all happy-sappy. LegoVision always brings out the love of humanity in me.)

'Flaming' should be reserved as an adjective to describe Liriano's fastball and slider. Memories can be short and selective, and World Series Championships do much to help people forget the sucking times (specifically 2002-2004 for the South Siders) when the Bitch Sox earned their nickname and reputation here. I think the Sox bitching has actually declined considerably with the advent of Ozzie Guillen at the helm. He's brought some real class to the organization, but the moniker is far too fun and holds too many fond memories for Twins fans to abandon it yet.

And I totally forgot the point of my last post. LegoVision ends losing streaks, cures the heartbreak of psoriosis, finds good homes for wayward kitties, enables instant karma, and promotes world peace.

A.J. was our @$$&@*! before he was the Bitchsox's @$$&@*!, not to mention the original Boyfriend!

nice job, batgirl. i eagerly await your next episode of legovision.

and thanks for recommending your close personal author friend. just finished The Disapparition of James. thoroughly enjoyed it. never liked clowns... =)

BG, Can I have permission to post this at my site? It's awesome.

Oh Batgirl...you make my life complete.

I *heart* Legovision.

I know AJ can be a provocateur, but, as you know, he's a winner. Winning follows him around. Obviously, most of my fellow BSox fans are anti-Michael Barrett right now, but I, at least, realize that Barrett only did what lots of other ballplayers have wanted to do since AJ came up.

It's nice to have someone getting inside the skulls of other players. Gamesmanship is never pretty, but it's necessary if you would like to win ballgames.

Unfortunately, I think the incident will mean that AJ will be booed more lustily next time he visits the Dome. That's OK, though. I'm pretty sure AJ's used to it.

Here's a funny from another member of the blogosphere.

http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2006/5/22/1830/05056

Dear Mr. Neck,

Of course!

Sincerely,
BG

dear JimCrikket,

as an avid hockey fan, a few toothless smiles on the team would make me giddy.

sincerely,
kafumbly

kafumbly, I'm not sure why I'm still checking this thread but I'm glad I did this morning... I needed a laugh.

Ah... Minnesota women. Gotta love'em.

JC

Thank you BG!

And please... Call me Goose. ;)

As big of a buttmunch that A.J. is, you guys should be still thanking him. Why, it was him alone that yielded Nathan, El Presidente: Part Deux, and Boof Bonser, who was worth getting just for the name alone.

Well, eh, I guess you could thank Brain, oops, I mean Brian Sabean, because he had his head so far up his pooper when he made that trade that he could...do stuff...involving that part of the anatomy.