Twins at Boston. Red Sox 6, Twins Goose Egg.
The explosive article about A-Rod made baseball headlines and left the fragile third baseperson a quivering mass of feelings such that when Jason Giambi lumbered into the Yankees clubhouse the day after the article came out, A-Rod--despite all the comebacks he had practiced in the mirror that day--took one look at him and ran into the bathroom crying. Inspired, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine stationed a reporter in the Twins clubhouse, trying to capture a scoop of their own.
And boy, did they pick the right day. Up until today, the Twins couldn't stop patting each other on the back, but after today's soul-crushing loss versus Boston that cost them exactly no ground in the division race and left them a disgraceful 10-3 in their last thirteen games, the veneer began to crack.
Batgirl was able to obtain an exclusive advance copy of the article, but she warns you, it's not pretty:
"Gardy wants to see you."
Little Nicky Punto was still weak from the hangnail he had suffered that had confined him to his room that afternoon and made him miss the team fieldtrip along the Freedom Walk—not to mention forced him to cancel a recording session for his ringtone endorsement deal—when he walked into Fenway and was told to go to the manager's office.
The shortest and most plucky baseball player was in trouble. He had gone only 1-4 on the night and had provided absolutely no power. His teammates said he seemed insecure, unfocused, and he couldn't step to the plate at Fenway without someone shouting, "You're a wee little #@$!#%, Little Nicky Punto!"
Punto has long been the major league equivalent of the prettiest girl in high school who also gets straight A's. The Punto of September 21, though, was different—unhinged. With his one hit in the game, his numbers look fine, but even Punto admits the statistics can't mask the unbearable pain of the three-at-bat slip into a dark abyss, when he lost his confidence and, some teammates believed, worked a little too hard at keeping up appearances. "A false confidence," said Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau.
"I can’t help that I'm so plucky," said Punto. "I know that's a bad quote to give, but I can't pretend to be anything but a little ray of sunshine."
Gardy had been patient with his third basemen. He hit .187 for the Mets one year and then .045 the next, giving him a deep understanding of the ebb and flow of performance. Punto will hit, he thought, and he kept telling the third baseman that.
Gardy's trademark placidity ended, though, when Joe Mauer asked to talk to him in Boston. "Skip," he said, "it's time to stop coddling him."
Before Mauer went to Gardy, he had scolded Punto for not getting the big hit.
"What do you mean?" said Punto. "I've had four hits this series!"
"You f------ call those hits?" shrieked Mauer. "You just keep dinking the ball and running around the basepaths like your a— is on fire! What do you think you are, a piranha or something?"
Said one teammate, "I think he ought to get his eyes checked. He's swinging like a blind crap weasel out there."
Said another, "He thinks he's all that, but his theme song is superficial, and frankly derivative."
Said another, "He's such a little #@$!, always running around pulling unicorns out of his a--."
Ask Punto what the source of the scrutiny is, and he'll tell you without blinking, "It's the contract." In the spring, Punto made Minnesota headlines when he signed a one year, .325 million dollar contract. "No one around here had ever seen that kind of money, especially on a dollar to inch ratio. It created a lot of hard feelings."
"Justin Morneau only went 1 for 4 today, and no one's talking about him. He's making the same money as I am. Jason Tyner was 0 for 3 and you don’t hear anyone bitching about him. I don't know what it is—is it because I'm so good-looking, I date supermodels, I'm so good at Pilates, I play on the most popular team…?"
That is the rub. On a team like the Twins, your value is what you've done for the team that day. Under the immense national media scrutiny, everything becomes amplified. The question remains, though, is Punto too emotionally fragile to succeed on a hard nosed, big city team like the Minnesota Twins? If he doesn't manage to go at least 2 for 4 tomorrow, the questions will begin to surface—can he not succeed under the bright lights and storied history of the HHH Metrodome? One thing's for sure, his teammates will be ready and willing to give quotes criticizing him to national media, because that's just the way it is in Minnesota.
Great work Batgirl. That was hilarious!
"If he doesn't manage to go at least 2 for 4 tomorrow, the questions will begin to surface—can he not succeed under the bright lights and storied history of the HHH Metrodome?"
My fav. line. One thing though I just can't picture Mauer shrieking and swearing. LOL
Posted by: Nora at September 21, 2006 10:10 PMPunto is convinced the fans don't like him because he's biracial. His father is a Hobbit and his mother a Pixie.
Posted by: E-6 at September 21, 2006 10:14 PMHeh. Your site never fails to shine light into the darkness. I'd hope that LNP would be offended for the A-Rod comparison.
Posted by: MTtwin at September 21, 2006 10:14 PMGoodness Punto! One hit come on! You don't want to get yelled at again do you?! Haha
Glen Perkins!!! GREAT MLB debut!! Struck out the first batter, no hits, no walks!
Welcome to the majors.
It's about time someone investigated the seedy underbelly of this seemingly storybook team. The Twins have lost one in a row. They squandered a .001 percent lead they held for four hours and have plunged to 1/2 game behind. Have the wheels fallen off? Why isn't anybody talking about this?
Posted by: Word Smith at September 21, 2006 10:20 PM*pees pants laughing*
*can't breathe*
*chokes*
*passes out*
BG, Do I detect a note of sarcasm?
Posted by: Twin-X at September 21, 2006 10:41 PMBG you are so brilliant. Thank you so much for this post... :)
Posted by: gina at September 21, 2006 10:52 PMOK... first I read the entry and laugh out loud.
Then I read the first few responses...
Nora: "One thing though I just can't picture Mauer shrieking and swearing"
Thats the ONE THING of all those things that you cant picture??? Nora, dear... you're imagination is far too advanced!
E-6: "Punto is convinced the fans don't like him because he's biracial. His father is a Hobbit and his mother a Pixie."
Um, I think that makes LNP bi-species. Frankly, either is fine with me, as long as he's not just.. well.. you know.. "bi".
Word Smith: I don't think this team has had a seedy underbelly since Batista was DFA'd, tho I think Boof has definite underbelly potential (or am I thinking 'overbelly'?).
Twin-X: "detect a note of sarcasm." I think maybe several notes... maybe a full movement's worth.
Melissa: Amen re: Perkins... imagine that, the Twins bring up a pitcher from the minors who performs well! Who'd have imagined that could happen, eh? :)
Finally, Babs: "pees pants laughing, cant breathe, choking, passing out".
I'm sorry, I've typed and erased about 3 comments concerning your post... and I just can't bring myself to post any of them... suffice to say, it made me... um... smile. :)
I think we twin fans needed this loss... we were getting too cocky. 8 out of the last 10, 1/2 game out of the division, 5 1/2 lead in WC, possible batting leader, mvp candidate, former roy candidate, cy young winner. We needed to be brought back down to earth. But enough fooling around boys! lets get back on track tomorrow!
Posted by: gina at September 21, 2006 10:59 PMAfter seeing Boof in his rookie hazing outfit, I would say, overbelly, definitely.
Posted by: Word Smith at September 21, 2006 11:06 PMOK, I take a lot of shots at the Baseball Tonight crew (tho arguably not nearly as many as they deserve), but tonight I actually learned something of value.
The Tom Hanks character in "League of Their Own" was based on Jimmy Foxx, the Red Sox 1B who's HR record Ortiz broke tonight. Foxx hit 500 HR by the time he was 32 and then "stopped taking care of himself." Finally, baseball news from BBTN that I can use. No Kruk, Brantley or Martinez tonight, so the show did have to be better than usual.
Posted by: JimCrikket at September 21, 2006 11:16 PMBG, you should write for the Onion.
Posted by: Neil at September 21, 2006 11:17 PMHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, Batgirl, you've outdone yourself yet again! Perhaps it's the glow of blogging for two? In any case, that was hella awesome.
Posted by: aussie at September 21, 2006 11:19 PMThat is so fabulous.
I'm waiting for the hit single: "Prima Donna Piranha" by The Blind Crap Weasels
Posted by: BAT bandwagoner at September 21, 2006 11:38 PME-6: His father is a Hobbit and his mother a Pixie.
THAT explains so much! The cheery disposition. The fielding. The magic fucking unicorns. The hairy feet.
Posted by: Beth at September 21, 2006 11:41 PMHey BG, as a fellow Minnesotan in Massachusetts, I feel I should be the one to point out that it's the "Freedom Trail," not "Freedom Walk." One mistake in two-plus years of posting is still quite impressive, however!
Posted by: Jeremy Wahlman at September 21, 2006 11:51 PMYou know, I was wondering when LNP's rugged good looks would start to become a problem. And the money, oh, the money...
Fabulous, BG. Reminds me again how glad I am to live in a place where baseball is still a game, and not some weird hybrid of big business, media circus, and theater on the grandest of stages in front of the harshest of crowds.
A colleague of mine is a Bitch Sox fan, and has conceded the season. He was trying to needle me about the Twins tonight, and I looked him square in the eye and said "You know why we win? Because we don't get our panties in a twist. You guys lose a few, and the season is immediately a loss. This is nothing. We have lived through far worse."
And then, after a grand pause, I added, "Oh yeah, and we aren't whiners, our bullpen isn't a sieve, and we don't have any humungous buttholes on our team, which helps a lot."
Nah, I didn't say that last part (I try to be as classy as my team.) But I may have thought it.
Posted by: Carmen at September 22, 2006 12:10 AMBG you have done a most amazing thing – we could have had the AL central lead but we lose, and yet the comments are all upbeat and cheerful – you have turned us all into winners who believe we are winners. Ok, the players may have had something to do with it, but it is you, Batgirl, who has truly brought us all to this glorious state of, of, of, confidence?
Too bad about A-Rod though, isn’t it ;) – Neil is right, you should write for The Onion.
I'm sure TR keeps the dollar-to-inch ratio chart on the wall next to his desk, right next to Mike Tice's old laminated and autographed 'When Should I Go For Two?' chart.
Posted by: TD at September 22, 2006 01:10 AM"I don't know what it is—is it because I'm so good-looking, I date supermodels, ...."
So THAT's why Barbie dumped Ken! :O
Posted by: Piranhtachew at September 22, 2006 03:21 AMit's LNP's own fault for signing that big one year deal. One year, it's just ludicrously long, it's stuck him in a situation where he has to play for the Twins for the WHOLE year, because there's no way a trade is possible, not for someone that short. If he'd been just a little less greedy, and his Agent had been a little less 'I'm so great look what I got this guy' and only signed a 6 month contract like most people he'd be free to walk and find a team that appreciated him.
Posted by: dan in london at September 22, 2006 04:41 AMBG, you always get right to the heart of it. I especially like how you left the "ringtone recording session" intact -- it's ridiculous enough just as it is.
Posted by: LeftCenter at September 22, 2006 07:56 AMWell, I'm glad someone is finally taking LNP to task for his 1-4 performance. Why, there have been nights he hasn't gotten a single hit! We can't have that. :stern teacher look: It's nice to see the veterans like Morneau and Mauer step up and take some leaderhsip.
Posted by: JustBeth at September 22, 2006 07:59 AM"... [point]325 million dollar contract... "
cake-taking line of the day.
Posted by: Say Rah! at September 22, 2006 08:04 AMLOL!!Thank you for my Friday morning funny =)
Don't worry Nick - I got your back - even if you did sign that huge .325 contract - I know that will bearly keep you above water - a hobbit you say -hmmmm - can live with that - tho I didn't know there were Italian hobbits =)
Well I blame Johan's non hotness pitching last night on the Venezuelan President visiting - he cleary has been disruptive to him.
Heads up for all you early birds next week on the Morning show on KSTP tv - they will be going 'beyond' baseball and Rusty Gatenby will be asking all the tough questions to our boys -
from an exclisive clip - he askes The Chairman - where he likes to hang out and what kind of music does the Good Doctor like - I'm going to go with the hard rock - he likes hockey ya know tune in for this hard hitting expose =)
Happy Friday -
Magic Number is 5 =)
Much Love
Wonder Woman
Can't breathe... too funny... must breathe...
Posted by: CarrieICL at September 22, 2006 08:24 AMI must respectfully disagree with those who suggest that Batgirl should write for The Onion.
She's far too good for that. And far too original and inventive with every new piece. To write for The Onion, her style would have to become redundantly repetitive. And that would be a frimpin' shame. Also, I have it on good authority that writers for The Onion have a tendency to become deeply depressed by the non-creative nature of their job, and turn to drink. The Onion is bad for your liver.
Besides, I believe she recently signed a .00001 dollar contract to continue writing this blog for the life of her contract.
Don't be swayed, Batgirl! Stay right here in blogland, where the fans respect and admire and adore you. Writers at The Evil Onion Empire are booed and reviled the first time they don't hit the right metaphor, or drop a comma, or make a grammatical error. The pressure to perform is terrible. (Not that you couldn't perform, or handle the pressure, but hey, who needs it?) Stay where you're needed and loved.
The sad thing about this dazzling bit of prose from our all-a-glowin' BG is that our buddy Reusse will probably take it seriously and write another of his "Yeah, so maybe they're going to the playoffs, but they lost last night with Johan pitching - so ALL IS LOST, THE SEASON IS OVER, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT HAS CEASED TO BE, AND GARGOYLES WILL SOON RULE THE EARTH".
(Can I tell you guys how cute it is that my 18-month old son has, ever since we saw Bonser pitch against the Orioles in Baltimore a few weeks ago, been walking around the house saying "Boof!" Every night, when he goes to bed, he asks mommy about people in his life - you know, he asks, "Grandma?", and she says, "Grandma is going to bed, too", etc. Well, every night, he asks about Boof. It kills me.)
Posted by: adidasman at September 22, 2006 08:43 AMKenK-
Yes, this wonderful blog is obviously a fulltime job for BG during the season, but what to do with the down time. I agree, the Onion would be a waste of her prodigious talents.
I have a unique and original idea! She should write novels!!
Posted by: pab at September 22, 2006 09:07 AMPlay Ball--I checked the site last night in a lousy mood after a lousy game, and in a matter of minutes BG had chased those blues away. Amazing how she does that.
KenK--Couldn't agree more. Batgirl writing for the Onion would be like using a thoroughbred to pull a milk cart. Like using a Giacometti as a doorstop. Like cleaning the toilet with a Vera Wang blouse. Like deglazing a pan with Chatenouf du Paup. Like-- ah, you get the picture.
Posted by: E-6 at September 22, 2006 09:09 AMAdidasman -- someone needs a Boof shirt :)
Posted by: CarrieICL at September 22, 2006 09:11 AMYou mean I'm not supposed to clean the toilet with a Vera Wang blouse? It is a Vera Wang toilet, after all, so I assumed that's what the blouse was for...oops!
Posted by: adidasman at September 22, 2006 09:28 AMAnd Carrie, something tells me you may be right. BG, any chance of a Boof onesie??? "I Heart Boof"?
Posted by: adidasman at September 22, 2006 09:30 AMwho needs the Onion? blogging, books and babies, don't need nothing else
D
Posted by: dan in london at September 22, 2006 10:02 AMBG, once again, you pulled me out of a deep funk over a loss we didn't see coming. I mean, where are we when we can't count on Johann to win the game for us, even when our bats go dead? But, as you so ofetn help us see, baseball if life, and life throws us some nasty split-finger fastballs from time to time. But your riff on the A-Rod story should get you a Pulitzer Prize! Thank you!
Posted by: roy hobbs at September 22, 2006 10:08 AMfor anyone who wants it, here is an update on Bradke. Click on my name for the link. The outlook is good people!
Posted by: californiamaki at September 22, 2006 10:46 AMBeth sez:
"E-6: His father is a Hobbit and his mother a Pixie.
THAT explains so much! The cheery disposition. The fielding. The magic fucking unicorns. The hairy feet."
Not to mention the flying around the bases in true Superhero fashion.
BG, the contract line was indeed the cake-taker, as Say Rah! previously said. Lovely.
Posted by: FH at September 22, 2006 11:08 AMAliens have kidnapped Johan Santana and replaced him with Folgers crystals. That's the only explanation I can come up with for his last two starts...
Posted by: DhruvK at September 22, 2006 11:18 AMsee, we grew to love "Johan Classic" what we are seeing now is "New Johan" just as f'd up as New Coke.
Posted by: bhedrick at September 22, 2006 11:45 AMadidasdude--I think Stella McCartney's designs could be used for that task :/ (What do I know? Most of my clothes are from the Salvation Army--the "hipster doofus" section.)
Ditto your response on the previous post. Love this site--from BG's witty prose to the unbridled optimism of the Batlings. A tonic for the troops, indeed.
Posted by: E-6 at September 22, 2006 11:46 AMoutstanding post as usual..I was wondering what would be here today!!!
I agree with Ken K--BG is much too good to write for the Onion.
DAM
Posted by: DAM-DC Twins Fan at September 22, 2006 12:06 PMThe only expanation is Johan is human and will have his bad starts. Considering in those 2 starts he gave up 3 ER and 2 ER and a costly error I just don't worry that much about it.
Posted by: Nora at September 22, 2006 12:09 PMBatgirl, that was hilarious! Now I'm gonna get in trouble for laughing out-loud in Spanish class! Too funny!
And I totally agree with u Adidasman! Reusse was sayin yesterday that "We shouldn't count the Bitch sox out yet, and with their schedule they could win the next 7 of their games"--Hahaha. Ya right! And then he was sayin today that Santana could be a whole in the rotation for the playoffs! 2 bad starts and HE'S A FREAKIN' HOLE! Not sure what the hell he's talking about, but whatever.
Anywho, I should probably start doin my actual school work now!
Posted by: L.H. girl at September 22, 2006 12:12 PMcould be a *hole* in the rotation--sorry
Posted by: L.H. girl at September 22, 2006 12:14 PMI'm a faithful reader of batgirl but rarely post but after today I thought I'd share that "boof fever" is spreading rapidly. I'm from Mpls but attend a small college in Missouri and today in Literature our professor spent 10 minutes talking about the Twins and how amazing they were and spent 5 of those minutes talking about Boof! Needless to say I was shocked!!
Posted by: Monica at September 22, 2006 12:26 PMThat was freakin' hilarious.
Posted by: Stick at September 22, 2006 12:47 PMThat was truly, absolutely pee-your-pants funny (though I'll leave the actual doing so to Babs...). But the best part is how many lines were lifted directly from the A-Fraud article, and how insane and over-the-top they sound when there's just a little perspective on them. Thanks, BG!
Posted by: twink at September 22, 2006 01:51 PMAin't gonna lie, that made my day.. And Johan, he's just gettin everyone's hopes up til we make the playoffs and he throws 4 no-hitters..
Posted by: Drew at September 22, 2006 02:27 PMI dunno, Twink - Nim-Rod's comments sounded pretty durn stupid all by themselves. I think BG's "adaptation" just made them funny instead of narcissistic and insipid.
Posted by: adidasman at September 22, 2006 02:34 PMSo I've been thinking about this whole dollar-to-inch thing. Does the measurement always have to be taken vertically? Or does the player get to choose? That might explain the occasional increase in circumference that has occurred from time to time on this team (Ol' Hrbie leaps to mind for some reason, as does T-Phat); it wasn't that they wanted to let themselves go physically. They were just gunning for a raise.
Posted by: adidasman at September 22, 2006 02:39 PMawww, be nice to Punto...
Posted by: Elle at September 22, 2006 03:05 PMJust priceless. Hats off.
Posted by: Jay at September 22, 2006 03:50 PM$4710.14/inch is quite exorbitant. And it is quite loser-y that I actually did that calculation. $325,000 divided by 69 inches...yep, $4710.14. Wow.
Posted by: Erin at September 22, 2006 03:58 PMI tend to not believe the 5'9" listing... anyone think that LNP is really that tall?
Posted by: FH at September 22, 2006 04:03 PMCaveat: I know this is long, and I apologize if it's annoying as well. But some thoughts and feelings are better if they're shared, and I'm willing to risk being annoying because I want to share these thoughts with the best baseball fans on the Web.
I'm a baseball fan first, and a Tigers fan second. I love watching great baseball, no matter who is playing it. The Twins have had an amazing and (over used, but truly applicable word) "magical" season. They've overcome injuries, pulled out incredible wins, put together stunning streaks, gotten outstanding performances from young and unknown players, and made fools of all the pundits who wrote them off after their poor start. I love that, for the Twins and their fans. I love to see teams go above and beyond the predictions and the odds and achieve things nobody thought they could. I love to see well-played baseball, great baseball. I'm happy for all you Twins fans who are getting to enjoy this season.
You are all familiar with the special, magical-ness of your team this year. But, since you love baseball, as I do, please have a look at the season through my eyes, watching *my* favorite team: there are a lot of similarities, perhaps more than you realize. This year, the Tigers have had an amazing and yes, "magical" season. They've overcome injuries, pulled out incredible wins, put together stunning streaks, gotten outstanding performances from young and unknown players, and made fools of all the pundits who wrote them off in spring training. Most analysts picked them to finish, at best, around .500 this year. I know of no one who predicted anything close to first place.
Their pitching has been, all season long, the best in the league, and it hasn't even been close: but who are these pitchers? A forty-plus has-been who nobody else wanted, a couple of guys in their late twenties who had never had winning seasons before and were never expected to amount to much, several rookies with no major league (and virtually no minor league) experience. And a twenty-three year old who, most people agreed, had a lot of potential but had never lived up to it, and who also had never had a winning season. To me, what they've done, putting together a season with more shutouts, and an ERA a full half-run lower, than any other team in the league, is nothing short of magical.
When Mike Maroth went down with an elbow injury in May, a "nobody" rookie came up and won six out of his first seven decisions. Magical. When that rookie started hurting and getting rocked a couple months later, another unknown kid stepped out of the bullpen and became a starter -- and in his first start pitched a one-hit shutout against one of the better offensive lineups in the league. Magical.
A rule-five draftee in his first full season of play started off the season with a record number of home runs, when he'd never been a power hitter before, and jump-started the team's shocking success. Who would have predicted that? The Tigers this season have had more come-from-behind, late inning wins than any other team. Amazing, last-at bat rallies, walk-off home runs, a grand slam with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, a sixteen-pitch at bat to draw a walk with two outs in the ninth, leading to a game-winning double, three baserunners gunned down by the left fielder in the same game -- two at the plate, to prevent the tying run. . . . These are just a few of the "magical" things I've watched my team do this year.
The Tigers don't have anyone close to being a league MVP candidate, or in line for any batting title or pitching crown. It's possible that Verlander will get the Rookie Of The Year, perhaps, but other than that, the Tigers don't have anybody at the top of any category (other than the pitching staff as a whole, for which there's no award other than whatever they can achieve in the post-season). They've gotten to where they are, and held on to it (by a sliver), with no season-carrying performance by any one or two players, but (like the Twins) by having new heroes step up their performance just when they need to, coming through with a clutch pitch or at bat or fielding play, just enough and just often enough to stay ahead of the other teams.
They have slumped in the past five weeks, and seen their lead dwindle, and watched the Twins perform amazingly well, and now the pundits (and most everybody else, it seems) is saying "See, I knew the Tigers would fold." On the flip side of that, the Twins underperformed for the first couple of months, and everyone said, "Oh, the Twins are out of it, they'll never catch up." Ain't it fun watching your team prove the self-anointed experts wrong?
If my team doesn't win the division, well, that will be very disappointing. But not anguish and angst, Sturm Und Drang kind of disappointing, because the season they've put together for us has already provided more jubilation and joy, magic and surprise and triumph, than I think any of us Tigers fans could have expected. The wild card still gets them into the playoffs, and whatever happens in the postseason, this will have been one amazing and fun-filled season.
I'm sincerely happy for Twins fans, and honestly respect the Twins organization. If the Tigers don't win, it will be, perhaps, because the Twins had more fire, more spark, more . . . magic? . . . than the Tigers, and I'll be disappointed, but still able to feel happy for you fans. These two teams, although clearly very different in some obvious ways, are really very much alike in a lot of ways, too. Seeing them go down to the wire, with one team winning the division by a nose, is exciting and satisfying and . . . well, "magical".
It's been a fun ride, for both of us. And it ain't over yet. So let's all enjoy the rest of it for as long as it lasts.
Posted by: KenK at September 22, 2006 04:20 PMI decided to read the linked article before reading BG's post. After reading the first page of the SI article, I felt I had to check out the URL address to ensure I was even reading SI -- it sounded like a parody in itself! So, I read the whole SI story, even though it was ludicrous and not so funny when I realized it was real.
Then I read BG's post. And pee'd my pants. Not original, but the truth is the truth.
Posted by: Brooklynegg at September 22, 2006 04:32 PM"The best Ozzie news from yesterday was that he said he would vote for A-Rod or Tony Batista for the Gold Glove, so that he could improve Joe Crede's chances."
from deadspin
KenK-
I thought that was well said. I had a voice in the back of my head throughout reading it saying "oh yeah, here's why my team's more special", but I've fought it off and can appreciate what you are saying.
I wanted to bring up a study some of the folks at bp did last year or the year before. They ran the season backwards and noted hot and cold streaks and standing and stats at different places in the season as a way to study how starts/finishes and streaks mold the perception of teams and players as the season goes along.
I've been reminded of this quite a bit the last month or so in watching this season unfold, especially when looking at the Tigers/Twins race. They have basically had completely mirror-image seasons. If you had run the season backwards, the Twins would have had the unsurmountable lead in the division and the Tigers would have made the huge comeback (and Santana would be trying to blow the Cy Young by finishing one of the best seasons ever 0-3) Of course, playing the season backwards ignores all the reasons WHY a team did what it did, but it is an interesting perspective.
Posted by: pab at September 22, 2006 04:35 PMWhile this entry was great, A-Rod's "don't hate me because I'm beautiful" comment can't be topped by any kind of fiction for laugh-til-you-puke value.
Posted by: Mark at September 22, 2006 04:37 PMpab,
Thanks. I hope nobody gets the impression I was trying to say "My team is more special than yours." I don't feel that way, and didn't intend to sound that way. It was the similarities and parallels that I was hoping to point out, so maybe we can both (Twins fans and Tigers fans) appreciate the race, regardless of the fact that one team has to finish second.
KenK
Posted by: KenK at September 22, 2006 04:40 PMErin -
Does this mean if LNP takes a headfirst slide into first, bonks his head and gets a one-inch lump on top ... that he gets a $4,710 raise?
Perhaps he thinks so ... which might help explain his exuberance/recklessness.
Yours in a fondness for math,
tgd
But then he could forget that he HAS money. :/
Posted by: Piranhtachew at September 23, 2006 01:23 AMClick my name for some funny reading...
Posted by: Eric at September 23, 2006 02:36 AMSo funny! I love how it fed off the A-Rod article, but even more how it fed off of the August 22nd blog... And the readers comments on that one are priceless.
KenK, sorry, but that was way too long of a post from a Tigers fan. I tried, but couldn't make it all the way through. I hope your team makes the playoffs as the wildcard and beats everyone in their way except the Twins.
Cheerily,
LTLC
Posted by: likeTwinsluvCubs at September 23, 2006 09:12 AMThe object of the ironic castigation, LNP, has gone 28 for 131 in his last 31 games. He bats 2nd in the lineup every night. Joe Mauer, who frequently bats 3rd, like 100% of the time, has hit .189 over the same period{18 for 95}.This tends to produce games like the last 2, where, dispite opposition errors, and {in the case of the Orioles}indifference,we are unable to produce runs. Rincon has done his part giving up 14 hits and 3 walks in his last 8 innings. So we are on the verge of the post season, with a .213 hitter batting 2nd, a .189 hitter batting 3rd, and an ineffective setup man lurking in the pen ready to destroy any leads we may stumble into; it certainly raises my confidence level.
Posted by: al at September 23, 2006 09:56 AMWhat?! Little Nicky Punto dates supermodels?! Those lucky supermodels...I mean, I LOVE YOU, JASON BARTLETT. Little Nicky Punto is not by boyfriend, so don't worry, okay?
Posted by: TwinsPrincess at September 23, 2006 05:47 PMOops...I mean to say "my boyfriend". He he.
Posted by: TwinsPrincess at September 23, 2006 05:48 PM