"And maybe most impressively, the Twins even shut up Guillen. Sort of."

ha. As if that'll ever happen.

For some reason, I just can't stop giggling. I have to go to work tonight, and the customers are gonna think I'm crazy. But this just feels so good! And on top of it, I finally get the chance to go to Minneapolis tomorrow and watch the Twins! I'm in heaven...

Man...who'd a thunk we'd be reading something like that after the first couple of months this team had?

Heck, the second week in June or so didn't even seem like this.

I don't know what the big deal is. I've known and said all along that this team was going to end up in the playoffs.

:cautiously looking over his shoulder in case just having the initials "JC" isn't enough to protect him from a lightening bolt from the heavens:

JC

I distinctly remember you saying all those things, JC. Distinctly. And I recall thinking to myself, "You know what? He's right, doggone it! We are going to the playoffs! We will jettison TPhat and Castro and Ruben Sammich and start winning with a herd of Jasons and a tiny superhero! It's all so obvious!!!" And I owe all that to you, JimCrikket - thanks for restoring my ability to dream.

:giggle: this is so much fun!

Oh my goodness, that was funny. It's almost like a 5 year old saying "I told you so!" is in order. That's what you get for counting out the Twins, bitches.

"No one else believed, but they do now."

I believed.

http://www.bat-girl.com/archives/001539.php#comments

Now he mentioned that Liriano and Santana are pitching this weekend. He failed to mention Bradke, who has been pretty outstanding as of late. That's okay. I'll be there to cheer him to victory Saturday night.

Never count out a team that has awesome chemistry. Because they believe in themselves at all times, and sooner or later that pays off--everything gels and they turn into an enormous juggernaut.

I love reading things like this--I love knowing that the world of baseball is looking at us and wistfully wishing the Twins were their own. I love knowing they're all salivating over our pitching and our young lineup that will only get better (isn't THAT amazing?!)

And last but not least, it's my birthday, and waking up knowing we'd swept the Bitch Sox was the best present ever. It almost makes up for having to share my birthday with A-Rod.

"'For the first time in my life, I'm speechless,' the White Sox manager told reporters after the game. You can't blame Ozzie. Who saw this coming?"

Ohhh! *raises hand* Right here! I'd say all of us in Twins Territory saw this coming and we aren't done yet!! I'm already on edge for this upcoming series with Detroit and I've had a huge grin stuck to my face since Tuesday!

I am absolutely, definitely, looking forward to the drama of Francisco Liriano and our David Wright staring each other down in October, mano a mano. I get shivers just thinking about it.

Batgirl has made the Twins my AL team - I'm with you all the way.

This is fun, too.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have agreed to terms with catcher Mike Redmond on a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2009.

Redmond, 35, is batting .333 (38-114) with eight doubles and 14 rbi in 29 games this season. Since signing with the Twins as a free agent prior to the 2005 season, Redmond has played in 74 games, batting .321 (84-262) with 17 doubles, one homer and 40 rbi.

Redmond has a 1.000 (466 TC, 0 E) fielding percentage since the beginning of 2005 and has thrown out 6 of 16 (38%) runners attempting to steal this season and 134 of 398 (34%) in his career.

There is so much about that article that makes me smile.

Just last week I was listening to K-F^@#ed radio trying to pick up something - anything - about the Twins. NOTHING, I tell you, NOTHING. Vikings, fishing, golf and even politics (ooo, just where I want to go for deep political insight) but no mention of the Twins. But now . . . Now it's like they knew it all along.

Spike,

I have NO forgiveness in my soul for people who try to make it football season in summer. Summer is for BASEBALL. I hate when Vikings mini-camp takes over the sports page in August (which is usually when the Twins are REALLY flashing the leather, swinging the lumber with authority, and sitting the bitches down.) As though a talented, homegrown, surging baseball team is only worthy for page 7 of the sports page.

And THAT is why I don't even listen to those people on K-FAN, and stay with the devoted crew of 'CCO. John Gordon forever!!

This is by far the biggest mid season turnaround since "wild thing" Rickie Vaughn, "Willie Mays" Hayes and Pedro Cerrano led the Tribe back from the dead about 1989.

If "Major League" isn't the Twins favorite baseball movie, it should be.

YAY - more Naked Batting Practice!!!

Batgirl - I'll try to remember all the good stuff at Unplugged tonight - tho I don't think Boo will have any stories about wearing green speedos =)

Much love
Wonder Woman

Carmen, forgive some of us if we're able to divide our interests among several things at once. (While it may not seem like it, some of us even get some work done during the baseball season.)

Personally, once this time of year comes around, I do find time to read and discuss the Twins, Vikings and Hawkeyes. (Of course, it also means there's less time available during the day for things like work and sleeep.)

I guess that means that between watching for lightning and the lack of forgiveness you have for my soul... I'm in deep sh... um... trouble.

I think NBP knows a good thing when he sees it... and so do the Twins. Glad he's going to be sticking around.

But why would you care about the Hawkeyes? ;-)

But Carmen is so right - when the Vikes hit Mankato, it's like everything else in the Minnesota sports world stops. No one says you can't think about more than one thing at a time, JC, but it's ludicrous that the travails of a fourth-round pick who'll never suit up for a real NFL game take precedence over another wunderbar Twins campaign. But the reality of it is, folks, if the public didn't want that, the paper (and the guys at KFAN) wouldn't be talking about it. It's just the sad truth; the Vikings will alwayes be number one in the hearts of Minnesotans. If you doubt me, just look at the joke of a lease the Twins had to sign to play in the Dome...nearly every little nickel flows to the Purple. Pathetic.

Yay for resigning Mike Redmond! So important, particularly with so much youth, to have a playoff-tested, World Series-approved catcher in the dugout.

Smell it!

Oh, and Woo Hoo and Yee Haw about NBP. That is such a good move by the Twins. They can smell it...!

JimCrikket,

It's not so much that football lurks throughout baseball season--I understand that football fans are waiting for their time to come. Fine. What irks me is the way football violently shoves baseball out of the way--it knock it down, steals its lunch money, and makes it promise never to tell anyone. It's so rude to see baseball relocated to the end of the sports section, the last few minutes of sports on the news, when the football PRESEASON hasn't even begun.

I'm just saying.

And let me give my shout-out to NBP. Excellent move all around.

heraldguy, dont EVEN go there! I spent a small fortune to get a couple of the new 'club seats' (the outdoor variety, however) at Kinnick this year. But yes, Ive been a Twins fan much, much longer than I've even known the Hawks existed.

adidasman, I think that's as much a factor of the NFL's relatively greater popularity than MLB as it is anything else. At the very least, it should be a little bit heartening to know the Twins got their stadium deal done this year despite the last second "me too" proposal by the Vikes.

The NFL has simply done a much better job of marketing itself than MLB has. Not a coincidence, by the way, that one organization has been led by Paul Tagliabue and the other by Bud Selig. But I won't go down that road further.

You all are fortunate to have a variety of professional sports to follow. I guess it's only fair since you don't have a major college sports program of any consequence. ;)

I hear ya, Carmen. I was expecting a big, huge, glorious pic of the Twins sweeping the Sox on the sports page this morning of the Strib...what do I find? A big, huge, pic of Brad Childress sitting in his office and football articles on several different pages. To say I'm a little exasperated is an understatement.

Siiiiiiggh.

Well. I can only look with pity on those who do not truly see and appreciate our Twins for what they are: magnificent.

Which is why I come to this glorious site--because we all know the truth about the Twins--best sports team in the state (and as far as I'm concerned, the universe) and we REVEL in it!!

I can understand that frustration. The sweep should have been big news in the local papers.On the other hand, given the talent (or lack thereof) of many of the Minnesota sportswriters, you might be better off NOT having them write about the Twins.

Calling it a day (boy was THIS productive). Bye all.

Heh, heh, heh.

"Obviously, the Twins aren't going to stay this hot the rest of the way ..."

Really? Obviously?

This isn't just a win streak. This is now an eight-week run of incredibly solid baseball. Some of us descrepit oldsters remember that 15-game win streak in June '91. When it ended, people (like my brother in law) said, "Well, that was fun while it lasted," expecting the team to return to the suckitude of '90. But that team got locked in, and we know where *that* ended.

This bunch is starting to get the destiny smell about it (sorta the opposite of what's wafting out of U.S. Smellular right now). Castillo and Mauer 'slump'? Ahh, well. Cuddles'll pick 'em up. Torii goes down? Don't worry: the Kamikaze Jasons got us covered. Other team scores first? We'll get 'em back. We score first? Starter and bullpen will start issuing "Sit, bitch!" commands.

They're so damn much fun to watch, I'm kinda hacked off that it's an off night. ;-)

Yeah, much as the boys deserve and probably need an off day, it'a bummer when they're going good and we have to go 48 hours without a game. Hell, the only team playing tonight of even remote WILD-CARD interest is the Jays, and (let's hope) they won't be posing any problems for us the rest of this season.

Here's a twins-related press release I ran across that you all might find interesting:

ESPN press release

ESPN would like to officially refute the rumors that commentator Harold Reynolds was fired because of repeated incidents of sexual harrassment. Mr. Reynolds was, in reality, fired in connection with remarks made to other ESPN staffers during a July 25 meeting.

During the staff meeting in question, Reynolds interrupted Steve Phillips' unveiling of his latest black velvet painting of Bobby Cox, stating that "Since July 7th the Braves are only 19-21 (.475) while the Twins are 34-8 (.810) - I think you're focusing on the wrong team." Burly loudmouth John Kruk retorted "But the Braves are 10-3 (.769) since July 7th, stickboy. We know who the legitimate playoff team is around here".

"Yes, but over that same time the Twins have an even better record of 13-3 (.813)", Reynolds squeaked from within a side headlock. "And anyway, that Braves' winning percentage over that streak is still short of what the Twins have been doing for a month longer" he added, before passing out and being taken to a nearby hospital. Related rumors that the hospital in question was in reality, a dumpster behind ESPN headquarters are baseless.

Harold Reynolds' behavior was in clear violation of the standard "team partisan hierarchy" clause placed in all ESPN employee contracts. ESPN takes a no tolerance policy on such violations, and was left with no choice but to render his contract null and void. We wish Mr. Reynolds success in his future endeavors. Perhaps he can find employment entertaining sabermetricians. Or chimpanzees.

Walt
Thank you for that little ditty. Just goes to show the suckitude of ESPN and the sucking up and ass fondling that they do to the major markets- you know "where the good teams play"

walt thats awesome

BG not only is that article great, but there's one on the Twins Website on a similar topic.

Wow, do I love this team right now. I will be the first to admit that I had basically given up on this team making the playoffs this year during the worst of the spring sucking times. I happened to catch all 3 games of Twins-Red Sox on NESN out here and suddenly I was drawn back in. This is an absolutely spectacular stretch of baseball these kids are playing right now. Its almost as if someone forgot to tell them that they werent suposed to win games like this(and I for one vote for keeping quiet on the subject). If we keep winning at this pace, not only will this weekend send shockwaves through baseball, but the series August 7-9 could be VERY, very interesting.

I would also like to add that, for batlings outside of MN, I just discovered that wcco streams their radio online (www.wccoradio.com). No more being forced to listen to terrible road announcers like DJ and Hawk just becuse mlb.tv wont give us the FSN North feed.

TiB, I tried streaming 'CCO once for a game, and they had it "blacked out", with a disclaimer about MLB copyright followed by pre-recorded programming of a non-baseball nature. Pregame show, though, if that's enough for ya.

For $15 you can buy an entire season of MLB radio. All the games, no blackout restrictions. I buy it every season, with no regrets (I live in Mpls, but radio reception in my bldg where I work is nonexistent.)

This is not a paid endoresement.

As much as that article makes me cackle with glee, I don't want to get ahead of myself here. As a wise Batgirl once said (clickity), "If the Twins end up being the greatest third place team in history this season, we'll still be blessed, because we got to watch them play."

I'm gonna sit here and enjoy some great temper-tantrum-inducing baseball. If the season doesn't end perfectly, I can still remember the way it began and revel in the turnaround.

I'm with you, wc. Championships are mighty fine, but the prospect of witnessing well- and intelligently played baseball day in and day out is what keeps me coming back. That and those two-out RBIs; God, I love those two-out RBIs!

That is an awesome article, really sums up the whole season.

I would just like to say that I can't wait to read BG's recaps and everyone's thoughts after a game (or on off days like this). This site has given me somewhere to go and hash over everything Twins-related (and some non-Twins related, but that's good too!). Even though I have a family of nine, three brothers and a father being insanely involved with sports- they don't want to talk about Twins all the time like you guys do.

So, thank-you everyone. But most of all- thanks boys for pulling this season together and making yourselves the most entertaining thing on TV to watch.
Sorry for the sappy stuff- just wanted to get that off my chest.

Twenty years ago an epic race was run. I watched it happen on live television, and could scarce believe what I saw. Two decades later I still shake my head in wonder when I think about it. I shake my head, and smile, and recall the thrill of witnessing something brilliant, something unexpected and unprecedented. Something heroic.

On May 3, 1986, Willie Shoemaker, at 54 years of age the elder statesman of jockeys, climbed astride a chestnut colt named Ferdinand, a barrel-chested 18-to-1 long shot, and made sporting history. In a crowded field on a fast track, Shoemaker and Ferdinand broke from the starting gate dead last to commence the 112th Run for the Roses. But Shoemaker didn’t panic. He made some moves. Over the course of the race, Shoemaker guided, urged, and willed Ferdinand through heavy traffic, insinctively weaving, surging, maneuvering, slipping into openings as they appeared. They were relentless in their pursuit, slowly, almost agonizingly moving up, gainging ground, putting one thoroughbred after another behind them, and finally there they were, pounding down the stretch, hooves flashing and silks flapping, Ferdinand at last neck and neck with and then somehow, impossibly, pulling ahead of Bold Arrangement. In the end, Ferdinand and Shoemaker crossed the finish line 2 ¼ lengths in front, paying $37.40 on a $2 bet. Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby. It was his fourth and final Derby win. It had been 21 years since he last won on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs.

That race took two minutes and three seconds to run. This race lasts six months, and the prize for winning is a chance to play another few weeks of baseball for the real prize. When it’s over, I hope I’m shaking my head in wonder at the Twins, and smiling.

BG, that article made me smile. I went to work tonight with a huge grin on my face. And getting to gush about the Twins sweeping the White Sox with the customers? Completely awesome.

That '91 run was awesome, but I seem to remember more come from behind wins. These guys have been mostly dominant. It hardly seems like they're ever even behind. Once Liriano/Santana/Radke get through what is inevitably a shaky 1st inning, the Twins eventually seize the lead. Getting tied up just angers them-look at the Sox series. They took the lead back without a single out just about every time they were tied. Kubel, Morneau, or Cuddyer would go deep almost before I hit play after fast-forwarding through commercials.

I can't wait until Garza gets his shot at 5th starter. That's the scary thing: this team can and will get better. Guerrier will be back soon, too. I wish he would have been healthy this year. I'd like to see him make a run at the 4th or 5th starting slot.

Congratulations on getting what you wanted, Mike Redmond. And thanks a million for being like the most effective "team player" guy ever. I could see Redmond managing the Twins someday. Bert seems to see that as his career track, and he really is a good fit as a Minnesota Twin.

Anyone else notice that Bert was pimping Redmond and management's need to sign him on air yesterday? I wonder if he knew it was coming.

Oh, and I believed in this team enough to put $200 on them winning 84+ games at the beginning of the year. At betonsports.com, unfortunately. Stupid (In)Justice Department.

I agree with wc's quote of BG. If we're watching the best third-place team around, I'll take it. I want to see good baseball. I want to win, of course, but if that's not in the future, I want it to be fun. And the last two months have been fun.

One thing that is different this year is the respect our Lads are getting from the national media. I had a feeling after the Series in '91 and went to the local library. A rhetorical question: How many articles where there about the Twins in SI until the playoffs? exactly zero. Now everybody who is anybody is giving 4 Twins major props, the Kid, El Presidente, The Chairman and the Doctor get respect. We teins fans like to bitch about no respect have got to complain about LNP getting ignored.

The poll on Twins.com is "when should the Twins promote Garza?" Somehow, 1300+ people have managed to say next year. Gotta be White Sox fans hoping to see Baker next time around. Unless Silva & Baker both have quality starts this time, I'd like to see him get his shot on August 6th at KC.

For those who think it is mere coincidence that a video of Tony Gwynn discussing Mauer appears at the top of that page... Think again.

YankeeFan

What Beth said. It's fun to root for these guys. Even before they climbed back to .500, when the young guys started coming up from AAA and Liriano went into the rotation, it started to be fun. It was clear they were having fun, and the fun was infectious.

As far as fun goes, despite being in front of us in the division, can anyone really dislike the Tigers? They are a great story too. If it's the Twins and the Tigers battling down the stretch, it's just going to flat-out be a great race and fun baseball.

Click my name for respect from the Tigers!

"The Yankees are not so lucky (regarding making the playoffs). They are stuck in a Tigers-Red Sox-White Sox-Yankees logjam." From Fox's Michael Rosenberg in a story about the Yankees and Braves today - no mention of the Twins, interestingly. Just one more pundit who seems to think our boys are a fluke that will fade down the stretch - we'll show him, eh?

Thanks for the Party Crashers article, BatGirl. I sent it on to favorite relatives in Chi-town. They rubbed it in last October...and now it's ime for payback!