I think Prince said it best:

“I could not resist when I saw little (Nicky) grind.”

Grinding out those last two RsBI for the Twins was HOTT!!

Yay! (again) for Torii! Bottle that BatBaby karma and sell it in the BatStore!

I would never second guess the BOD, but as we were driving home and heard the bottom of the nth, I said to my wife, I said, Willie E. "Coyote" better be boyfriend of the day. To share it with Sideshow and Superhero is even better.

Amen. And I'm glad LNP was awarded co-B.O.D. And Neshek too. I love them both-- well all, considering Eyre saved our asses.

Ok. All three saved our asses.

Great choices BG! There's no way you can take one over the other after tonight's game. What a team this is! WOW...

I am completely fried. I feel like I did after the tenth inning of Game 6, '91. I can't take any more of this s___. I don't even care what happens tomorrow. If we lose, I'm OK with that. Just so long as nobody gets hurt. Whew. We just kick so much, I dunno, ASS.

Go piranhtas!
Lets hear it for wearing your sox the right way. The bitchless way.
I'm exhausted!

PS: Whenever I hear Bert say 'pirhantas' I still do a double take and think 'What the hell did he just say?'

If you're gonna use the nickname, use it RIGHT. But I suppose since it is Bert we can let it slide.

Jeeze. I though last night's game made me tired. This was a heart stopper. Who does this Dye guy think he is, hitting off of Joe Nathan? Doesn't he know that's not allowed?

Thank the baseball gods for our little pirranahs though, we couldn't have pulled this one off without them.

Really - it doesn't have to get this exciting.... yet - I cannot take much more - maybe tomorrow it's just a good ol' fashion blow out - in our favour.

HA! AJ - take that ;-)
Whoooo Little Nicky Punto - who loves ya more then your superhero in arms =)
Willie - oh you made me so very nervous.

Bummer we couldn't get The Pres #16 - oh well bottom line we won - we didn't turn over and die after that 8th and 9th inning mess.

Two thumbs up for the Rondell Belly Flop =)
Congrats - to Luis for stolen base #300 =)

I need a drink

Much Love
Wonder Woman

great choices for BOD. what an absolutely virtuoso performance from pat neshek, just brilliant getting a guy out down 2-0 like that.

i can't remember the last time it's been this fun to watch sports. period. let's keep it rolling!

Piranhtas is like the diminuative spanish for piranhas.
Next we'll be calling him Nick Punito...

Have a drink for me too, Wonder Woman! Willie will never forget this night. What a great way to break into the W column, and break the hearts of the bitches. Gotta love it!

Wow, what a game. Though there were times I wished I could fast forward ahead on my Tivo (but alas, we were caught up with "real time"). Scary stuff. So glad we won.

I'm "Lewwwwwwwww-ing" over here.

Man, those fireworks are loud and annoying; I'm fine with the noise drowning out Coom-dawg (please!), but I want to hear what LNP has to say!

There is something inherently undignified about a grown woman using the lexicon of a teenager but, Batlings, please forgive me as I couldn't help myself. After Sideshow worked his magic, I spontaneously leapt off the couch, pointed at the TV and erupted, "You da man! YOU DA MAN!!" I hope I didn't wake the neighbors...

if there is a Twins fan anywhere in the world right now who doesn't need tums or prozac or aromatherapy candles or some combination of all of the above... yeah, they are already in a coma.

holy crap.

But Willie was beautiful and the boys running bases and hitting long balls... *sniff* I'm just a mess here.

I haven't seen a belly flop like Rondell's since Hrbek...

I kinda like that... Lil' Nicky Punito.

Okay nevermind, Punto is so much better.

Another intense game. I was hoping Johan could get the W even when he wasn't quite as sharp early in the game. But Dye had to ruin it :)Hats off to LNP and Eyre (boy has he stepped up).

Not feeling nervous going to my first game at US Cellular tomorrow. I hope Silva got his asspitching out of him during his last start and has it tomorrow. Seeing the sweep would be hot in person.

LOL, PJStP.

I think LNPunito taught Rondell to make that slide.

I think I aged about five years watching those two games.

JetChick, we were worried the what the neighbors must think about the hollering here 2 nights in a row. Our version of the batkitties have adjusted. All 4 just blink at us, muttering, "Are we going to the post season?!! Damn the nap disruption!"

I think my favorite moment was when Sideshow Pat struck out AJ. Payback is sweeeeeeeeet!

FSN showed the homer from the night before and how AJ flipped his bat toward the Twins dugout and I couldn't help think of Romeo and Juliet when the Capulets and Montegues were exchanging words in the beginning...

Sideshow: Do you flip your bat at us, Sir?
AJ: I do flip my bat, sir.
Sideshow: Do you flip your bat at us, sir?
AJ: No, sir, I do not flip my bat at you sir; but I flip my bat, sir.

The Piranhtas strike again. B-E-A-U-tiful.

Co-boyfriends. I love it! So well-deserved.

Wow. . . um. . . I don't know what else to say. I, uh. . . yeah. . . I'm just impressed that I'm still alive.

I made a special sit down bitch comment for AJ when he struck out.

Shelley, I think you have the convo exactly right there.

I was playing Final Countdown and remembering GOB and Buster during the 11th. And damn, it totally worked.

Now I have to go to bed because I'm exhausted.

I just about had a heart attack after Dye hit that HR. I was thinking that Joe was home free after that 1st one went foul. Hitters almost never hit another one fair after that. So when Dye actually hit it out fair, it was totally unexpected. These 2 games have been awesome!

Wowza!!!

Great win...though I would be totally fine if we didn't have to play another games like that one the rest of the season.

I get a chuckle when I imagine the grief Rondell is gonna get over that belly flop. And even more so when I imagine LNP mentoring him on the art of the head-first slide.

During the 10th inning, I turned to my husband and had to laugh 'cuz he'd put on a rally cap (he hadn't been wearing any sort of Twins cap earlier in the game).

This is so exciting!

Me: (after 9th inn.) Yeah, I guess I will have another. Can I pay with a credit card?
Bartender: $10 minimum
Me: shit.
Batender: there's an ATM down the street.

Yes, I did run to that ATM between the 10th and 11th innings. And yes, I am a loser. But because I cheer for the Twins and the Twins are winners, I am not THAT much of a loser.

I'm pretty sure my heart, and head are no longer functioning. But we won! (I think). Oh, dear, I don't think I can do this again, don't get me wrong, I love an exciting game, but can I/we please have a day or 2 off. I could go for one of those you know good old blow out, or simple good pitching-hitting-fielding-no-drama-win. I think I need a nap.
PS Pat “the bunny” striking out AJ was B-E-A-utifal :-)

My heart can't take anymore of this. My nerves are shot to heck. And we still have a month of regular season baseball left to play. I'm going to be a mess by the end of September.

Yay for Nicky! And Sideshow and Willie and Jason Barlett for sacrificing Lew over and Lew for getting on base and Torii for homering in his fourth straight game and everyone else! This team brings a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.

I'm so happy Willie Eyre got a co-BOD. He's my bullpen boyfriend, and my Bestest Ever Boyfriend scored the winning run for the second game in a row. But Castillo robbing Podsednik and then flipping to Justin who stretched like only a former goalie can...wow. That was amazing. I had no idea such a big guy could do the splits like that.

Where can i find the Smell em' t'shirt?

Ha - SportsCenter gave the Call of the Day to the Hawk. I wish I could have heard him after the game.

As much as they play with my heart, I LOVE THESE BOYS!

Dear Mr. Paul,

The Smell 'Em shirt is apparently available at Nick's Sporting Goods. Looks like it's the new homer hanky.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

I am going to need a Willie Eyre is my boyfriend shirt after that!!

I...ah...but...lead...ball...base......piran...holy hell.

A bunch of us were at Tom Reid's in St. Paul watching this together, and much debate was had about the B.O.D., glad to hear it went to all three that we picked. yee! These last two games have been tres emotional.

while i hate blown saves/dye not knowing the laws of playing joe nathan, i laugh when i look at the box score and see that it says BS, cause thats what it is.

i also love all the spellings of piranha (i just looked it up, cause i had NO idea what was right)

and does anyone else think that rondell white triple = inside the park hr for tyner or lew or lnp

and....the splits are hot, really really hot

I love, love, love this team so very much. Every single one of them. I love them. I was half-hoping BG would make like Gladden and award the BOD to all 25 Twins, but this is just as good.

Now let's PLEASE have a less-exciting game tomorrow! I really can't take this three days in a row. Two have almost killed me. And for Pete's sake, the season had better not come down to that last series against the Bitches, cuz if it does? My head. Will just. Explode.

Excellent Shelley!!

Katofrog,

Hrbek used to do that too, and it was equally funny. The irony of that play was that the splits weren't even needed. The throw had him beat by a couple steps.

Mort

Holy mother-a fuckin' god.

I needed more alcohol than I thought I would need to get through this game.

Heck...back in the day...Killebrew did the splits. Don't see it as much anymore as it's a good way to get hurt.

Somebody please pass Will a paper bag. He's hyperventilating.

----

I love this TEAM!

----

I hope Silva pitches his butt off tomorrow.

Wow, what a couple of games. The only thing that could make it better would be Carlos the Jackal throwing an uneventful nine innings in a Twins blowout tomorrow, thereby giving the bullpen a much deserved rest. Then, how about Garza, Bonser and Baker being just good enough to sweep the Royals? Lots of wierd stuff has happened already--why not more? Go. Twins!

Man, good game, but really freaking annoying. I live in Dubuque, IA and only get the White Sox coverage (stupid cable not having Fox Sports North). I had to deal with both the Twins almost giving the game away and also with the broadcast team saying "put it on the board ... YES!!" after every homerun, which you would think is the most annoying thing ever, but no, they have a worse catch phrase, after every strikeout or close out the guy goes "He Gone" arrrgh ... ok rant done GO TWINS!!

For the 1st time ever I'm happy I had to watch the Bitch Sox feed.

And Los Tigres lost.

These boys don't know the word quit. Keep fighting, keep winning.

I'm spent. Where're my smokes?

You know how normal humans are 70% water? Nicky Punto is 70% HEART, with a healthy dose of grit and a heaping portion of sass. Seriously, this guy personifies everything I love about baseball. Oh, you're a career utility middle infielder? How about when I get the chance to play third I put it on LOCKDOWN. Oh, you're 4 feet tall? Whoop-de-dee-do, so was Eddie Gaedel, and a 1.000 career OBP is nothing at which to shake one's stick. HE DIVES FOR EVERYTHING. Even his headfirst sliding, so irritating and pointless when done by other players, is another adorable example of his grittiness. If you told Nick Punto that selling beer in the stands would help the team win, he'd outsell every vendor in the Dome.

I just absolutely freaking love this ballclub. It's got the most sheer Twinsness since 1991, I swear. Punto and Redmond may have been raised in other organizations, but holy crap do they ooze Twinsness as if born to it. And I might be jumping the gun here, but I've got a great feeling about the Twinsness level of Matt Garza.

It says so much of this team that on a night when one of our best weapons (our bullpen) failed another (El Presidente), we scratched and clawed our way back like a group of, dare I say, Batkitties? Joe Nathan, go buy Johan, Pat, and Willie a beer and shake off the blown save. Don't worry, your ERA is still better than Mariano Rivera, Bobby Jenks, and Todd Jones, and we need your supreme bitch-sitting-down-itude if we're gonna have a shot at this thing. So buck up.

Awesome fortitude by the lads. Don't know how many more of these I can take... Special kudos to Willie "Rarified" Eyre. Don't look now, Tigers but objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

I thougth I caught Sideshow Pat mouthing
"Bat flip that, beyotch".

What a game.

Another gem from the BBTN guys: "Dye the hero in this game with his 5th home run in 13 games."

Uh, good thing there isn't a guy play for the Twins who has 6 home runs this week. Good thing Dye won the game for the Sox, too...

Keep it up, ESPN. Our boys love it when you show them no love.

Swedishdest, meet the Hawk. I suggest next time you turn the sound down on WGN and try to find the game somewhere on the radio, unless you enjoy breaking your TV and/or household objects

Amen, Chris.

What was with Dye taking a curtain call for his game-tying home run? I couldn't believe that. It's one of those things you just don't do, because if you do it, you're gonna look like a complete ass if your team doesn't win.

By the way, just for fun, I came across an "I (heart) Piranha" t-shirt. Click on my name for the link, or go to Cafepress.com and search for "piranha." There are a surprising number of piranha-related items, oddly enough. What would be REALLY cool would be a shirt with a piranha (fish) on the front and the Piranhas (Tyner, Bart, Castillo & Nicky) on the back. :)

Piranha: $20.00
The Little (Bleeping) Piranhas: Priceless

Eyre Willie, Sideshow Pat & LNP himself...

What a wonderful selection of boyfriends for the night.

And no worries Joe...we still love you.
As we all know, even vice presidents make mistakes sometimes.

I got the chance to watch this one, and seeing the guys pick each other up over and over was incredible. I think we may have caused permanent psychological damgage to the sox announcers. Games like this can make/break seasons, and I hope this one will.

There were lots of heroes out there, but don't forget the play that Castillo made to start the 9th inning, robbing Podsednik. It was SICK! If he doesn't make that play, Dye's home run gives the Bitch Sox an 8-7 win and we're not quite this happy.

And one more thing: $(&#W you, AJ!

My sisters and I are two-thirds drunk, sitting in an apartment in Chicago, and we just got home from the bar where we were watching the game. We are SO HAPPY. (Well, two-thirds happy; one of us is a Chicago resident.) Yay Piranhthtas!!! Yay for the Sideshow (who I finally got to see pitch tonight, albeit on TV); yay Wilie whoever-you-Eyre!
This is Some Sweet Action.

Twitchy McXanax is going to give me an ulcer. :(

Okay, sorry, I JUST read Wonder Woman's comment about the Rondell bellyflop and wanted to say: Well, I don't even know what I want to say. No hands, balls out, much happiness. Actually, that started the drinking-fest. Lord Love a Duck.

Swedishdest--Couldn't agree with you more about the Sox announcers on WGN--I got stuck listening to them, too. Most annoying when they are yelling so loudly they overmodulate their microphones. I was tempted to hit the mute button and do the play-by-play myself.

Oh, and the stress of the extra innings made a serious dent in my supply of cognac. And on top of that, I decided to order a Batgirl t-shirt. This was an expensive evening...

Anna, yeah I plan on doing that, because I will otherwise start throwing stuff, I also forgot my other thing he says, the whole refering to the other team as the bad guys whenever he says the score.

Tonight, I was watching the Twins in a random sports bar. And I was hammered. And then I bought pull tabs for the first time ever. I won $200 off a $5 investment.

So, as any self-respecting Twins fan would do, I bought drinks for two fellow fans named Stoney and Al.

And, true to form, they tried their damnedest not to let me do it.

Now, I'm born and raised Minnesota, and I can say that there is something about being a Minnesotan, and being a Twin, and being a Twins fan, that is summed up by the act of trying to politely refuse a free beer.

I haven't felt this way since `91. I'll do my best to avoid jinxing the good guys, but doesn't it just feel like we're gonna do it? Doesn't it?

ok, during my rant I guess I forgot to mention the other cool thing. I did a whole pat the bunny chant and handclap thing when Neshek was pitching to perzinski (don't care about the spelling) and then he struck him out and it was awesome. yeah i'm done now.

That was a good story, Swedish ... yeah I thought so too, thanks

i lurk here every day, but today's win just got me pumping my fist. thing is, i was pumping my fist at the computer, "watching" gameday. it all spurred me to write a twins-love post on my new blog. click my name.

thanks, batgirl, for letting us all share the joy.

tom

Dear Batling folk,

Everyone who posts here is a very cool person, and I wish we lived closer so we could be friends. Not that I don't already have friends, you understand, so I'm not like, you know, a pathetic lonely guy or anything . . . really, I'm not. No, I mean it. I have plenty of friends. Lots of friends. As many friends as I want. But you see, when it comes to baseball . . . well, I was born in Detroit, and raised in a Detroit suburb, and soaked up baseball through my pores in the great classic old ballpark Tiger Stadium, as a Tigers fan, many, many decades ago, from my earliest conceptualizing of how very cool baseball is, and cannot ever be a true fan of any other team, and I now live in northeastern Ohio, and I'm surrounded by Indians fans, and they're all, like, oh, how can I put it? -- uh, lame, when it comes to baseball, and the total grooviness of the game, and they most certainly and decidedly and definitely do NOT, repeat with much emphasis NOT want to talk baseball with me this year (although for the past mumblety-mumble years they have been very eager to trash talk my team when their team was medium good in a not good division, and then choked every time they reached for the big brass ring).

So I sometimes hunger for good baseball talk with cool baseball people. [Other than my wife, who, praise be to Whatever, is a) a true lover of the great and magnificent game of baseball and b) a Tigers fan, though converted by marriage, having grown up favoring the Reds.] And here at Batling Virtual City there be so many cool and good baseball people. And though my beloved team and your beloved team be rivals, always, and in particular fierce division championship rivals now, in this weirdly wonderful season which has seen my team come from nowhere to rise to a magical first place, and your team rise from a sorrowfully disheartening (for you) beginning to now be tearing the ass out of anybody who dares try to keep them down, still, I place the game and beauty and concept of baseball above any team loyalty. And so I am compelled to say unto you, Batlings and Twins fans of good heart and great love for your team, congratulations on the triumph of your Twins so far, for oh my, they are doing amazing things, and oh my, what an exciting and powerful and emotional season it is, and has been, and will be down this final stretch -- for both you, Twins fans, and we, Tigers fans (who expected nothing like what we've been seeing this season).

I am glad you're beating the Bitches, and hope that you end up in second place in the central division, soundly and resoundingly ahead of the hated and despised Southsiders. I know you have your sights and sighs firmly fixed on the division title, and will be gunning for my Tigers, and I know you'll understand and forgive me if I still hope, and in fact believe, that my team will end the season in first place. But however it resolves itself, OH MY CHRIST, what a cool season we're having, both you and we!

Now if only the Tigers can remember what they're supposed to do with a bat in their hands, it will be a fabulous final few weeks for all of us. We'll see you in October. One way or another.

Most sincere regards,
KenK
Passionate lover of baseball,
Devoted fan of the Detroit Tigers

I was forced to spentd this evening not ONLY away from a TV, but in the company of people who, among other sins, SNEER at baseball. I got up during dinner repeatedly to check in on the radio, no matter what the reaction was from the non-baseball folk.

I got to hear the Gload HR (shit), A.J. vs. Sideshow Pat Part II (looking to get lucky again, A.J.? Think again, sucker.), and the 11th. Oh LORD.

Bob, my thoughts exactly. You know, it must suck to be the Bitch Sox for a lot of reasons, but right now it sucks because they've played two dogfight games and gotten their hearts trampled on twice. By the likes of a tiny superhero, pirhantas, and a bullpen full of dangerously underestimated youth. That's how it is with us. Someone having a rough night? No worries, my friend, the rest of us will pick you up.

I love these guys. EVERY DAMN ONE.

Let's send this Video to AJ!

http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/08/piranhaattack.html

KenK,

I've said it before and I'll say it again...truly classy. Twins fans and Tigers fans everywhere, we are indeed the lucky ones.

I wish the Tigers nothing but good things every game (except when they're playing us, of course!) And Tigers fans--no one deserves it more. After all your seasons in the darkness, you have earned a place in the sun.

KenK. Your comments make it almost impossible to enjoy the Tigers temporary slide, but here in Twin Town I think we all have our sights set on the division title.

You're a class act, KenK.

We want the division title, but we want to get it because we're winning like crazy, not because the Tigers slump. The Tigers are having a great season and it would be sad to see them miss the playoffs at the end of it. Plus, we like cats.

And we can all agree on the need to keep the BS out of the playoffs.

Nice to see nice fans for other teams, especially ones you are in a playoff race with.

I cannot remember a more fun baseball team to watch than these Twins. Outstanding!

Little Nicky Punto's home run yesterday had me almost in tears. Good stuff. You just never know what you're going to see.

Eyre's two shutout innings... honestly, what's going on!?!?! I'm glad I have the batlings to enjoy this with... those who stuck through the assbats last year. We fully appreciate this.

Go Twins!

wow, over 75 comments on a BOD entry, BG!

Well deserved to all 3 co-BODs. Eyre has clearly decided that he doesn't want to be odd-pitcher-out if Gardy decides to carry one fewer arm on the playoff roster and Neshek sure as hell isn't going to give up HIS spot.

So much enthusiasm is clearly contagious.

Killer game (darn near killer Spamsdad). MLB has jumped on the bandwangon and now calling referring to the "piranhas". Check out MLB, I suck at trying to get links.

Now LNP is Nick Rose according to ozzie.

Quote of the day, from Ozzie's pre-game chat with WGN:

"Those piranhas eat you and eat you and eat you," Guillen said. "And then you wake up and you're dead."

In spite of the utter impossibility of the second sentence, I gleefully understand him. I am frightened by this.

Chan, that video was sick. In all senses of the word.

I only caught a small glimpse of its dorsal during the frenzy ... but did it say "A.J."?

Will: "What was with Dye taking a curtain call for his game-tying home run? I couldn't believe that."

My feelings exactly. I was appalled. A curtain-call for _tying_ the game? Um, how many Bak-Ball teams in ancient Greece got their eyes poked out or got killed by their own mothers who were also their wives (and sisters?) on account of hubris? At least two that I can think of off the top of my head.

Hey, KenK, it's been hard to see what's been happening to the Ligers (extremely powerful hybrid of Lions and Tigers--pretty much my favorite animal). I somehow want them to get back on their wonderful pace AND for the Twins to overtake them. If anyone can pull off that unlikely stunt it's our piranhtas.

I wore my Punto shirt out to a bar. Hmmm....that didn't pay off or anything. ;-)

I love the Piranhas shirt and fully and completely believe someone needs to make up about 120,000 "Smell 'Em" shirts and sell them outside the Metrodome before the Bitch Sox series the last weekend of the year.

Neshek striking out A.J. was the top play for me last night, even as a devout follower of all things Punto. THAT is how you get revenge in baseball. None of this "throwing at the other players" crap.

Smell it, A.J. It's the sweet smell of wood under your ass.

Now, complete the sweep and go home and sleep.

Kelly

I'm sick. I've got a case of "piranhta fever" and it's not going away anytime soon. And the worst part is I'll be away from the computer for a few days and unable to receive the only vaccine available--the required daily dose manufactured by BG and the Batlings.

Oh. My. Gosh. That game almost killed me! I was extremely grateful for the rain delay because I was able to see the entire game! But yeah, I just about passed out...died...one of the two.

Willie Eyre, I love you. That was AWESOME! You stepped up BIG time!

Lewwwwwwwwww!!!!!! Two nights in a row! WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Way to go, Nicky!

I was thoroughly entertained by the rip in Justin's pants.

I also watched BBTN. Why, I'm not sure. They didn't mention Willie. At all. They didn't mention that Torii has had four home runs in four straight games until the very end of the show. And that technically doesn't even count as a mention. They did however talk about us and our game for like the first five or six minutes of the show. Oh, and the comments about Dye being the hero? Yeah. They totally won that game, didn't they? Oh! And Tim Kurkjian, I heart you. He readily admits we have the potential batting champ, potential MVP, potential Cy Young and potential rookie of the year. Hearing that come out of his mouth made me smile.

And my long rambling comment is done. I'm wearing my Twins hat to work today. I should find another Twins shirt too....gotta show the love!

I had an Anti-BOD last night. That has never happened to me before. I don't think thats real fair to him (After being awarded with a left-handed contract extension). But I did have an Anti-BOD last night. Sad.

Dear Jackyl,

This might seem like a lot to ask from you, but since you haven't been pulling your weight this season, you need to pitch into the 7th today. The bullpen, who've been putting out your fires all year, is spent from the past two nights. It's high time for you to stand tall, throw strikes, and let that fabulous D behind you make some plays. And, for heaven's sake, try and keep the ball in the yard, will you? Do it for Brad the warrior. Do it for Johan and the kids--Matty G & Boof. Do it for over-worked bullpen. Do it, fot yourself, Carlos. It's about time that you paid these guys back. Show everyone that we can rely on you down the strech. We're all counting on you. (shudder)

E-6

p.s. Well said, KenK. As long as the Bitch Sox ain't in, it's all good. Let it be known, however, we're gunning for the Central Crown.

That game was HOTT! LNP was also HOTT! I love those pirahnas so much...I was biting my nails for pretty much the entire game, but I'm glad that I stayed with my boys for the entire game. It really paid off. ;)