AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Just wanted to be the first to share my excitement; the Dome was pretty electric tonight despite the prolonged ass-batting. CO-DIVISION LEAD!!! Bring on the Bitch Sox!

i love rondell's sign! and johan's cracked me up too. another good recap, BG.

beautiful tribute to radke as well. he has been tremendous for this team throughout the years.

"I don't know," said Johan Santana. "I just put up a picture of my naked torso. I thought that would be the best way to show my appreciation."

Sweet-N-Sassy will SO not be able to concentrate after reading that!

Go Royals!

HEY! The Gophers play the Wolverines at night. . . why don't you all stay and support them. The Gophers are even being so kind as to move their scheduled game so that the Twins can play. We're all Twins fans here.

This is one game I will be forever grateful I got to go to.
I'm also grateful for the explanation of the lack of battery over 8 and 1/3. And here I thought the Twins were doing vintage 2005 batting to go with Radke's vintage 2005 pitching.

We sat in the stands and could NOT figure out why the Twins were not scoring any runs - thanks fof clearing that up, BG.
Y'know, RD, if you play your cards right, you could make that work to your advantage. Whisper a little spanish in her ear and see what a lack of concentration could do...

I hope that if Radke starts in the playoffs, somebody reminds them EARLY in the game that they are also required to hit.

95 wins. 95! Think about that. 95! With 3 to go! After the way this season started, I never would have thought that they could piece together 95 wins with all the fish glue in the world.

This team is amazing. We are not worthy. (OK, well, I am.)

Some of this may be because it just happened...but that could quite possibly have been the biggest homer Mauer has ever hit.

...Ever.

Torhu,
As a batling with a few miles, I remember from my childhood that it came to pass that no true fans would leave whilst Harmon Killebrew still had an at-bat. Mauer is beginning such a legacy.

and here I thought the annoying Clapping Guy behind me was the one distracting the team, since they didn't score a run until he left.

I can hardly blame the guys for being in awe of Bradke. he was just outstanding tonight, and it was great to hear in the postgame that he wasn't in pain or anything, he still wanted to come out for the 6th, but the coaching staff told him he was done. so if everything goes the way it should, we can have Bradke pitching in the postseason, and how frickin' cool would that be?

Joe is HOT.Again.

Johan

Naked

Torso

How good does this look?
And, I know, I know, Detroit it really ahead but....
It looks so good!

Team W L PCT GB
Minnesota 95 64 .597 -
Detroit 95 64 .597 -
Chi White Sox 88 71 .553 7.0
Cleveland 75 84 .472 20.0
Kansas City 59 100 .371 36.0

With a memorable performance like Bradke's tonite, the team chemestry this team has shared the second half, and the excitement of great play all around...has it ever been a better time to be a Twins fan?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Doubtful.
Thanks Brad

Way back on June 4th I was in LV and I bet $20 (my entire gambling budget, cuz I just am not much of a gambler) on the Twins to win the WS when the odds were 75 to 1. When they clinched the playoff spot I was at a party in Chicago and couldn't even watch the game. But when the text message came thru that they had clinched I whipped out my phone to play my twins ringtone for everyone and then had to show everyone my betting slip. Tonights game makes upfor the excitement that I missed Monday night.

oh, bg. thank you for that most amazing post! I was at the game tonigth and still can't concentrate on writing a paper about guatemala because i am soooo frickin excited and it was an amazing game and i basically jumped around and yelled about how much i love joe mauer all the way back to my dorm. What a great game! and radke... wow.

Wow. What a fun game to be a part of. Pretty much the whole crowd stood up at the beginning of the bottom of the ninth and they pretty much stayed on their feet right up to and beyond the moment that the ball left Mauer's bat and headed toward the left field stands and I really did NOT think it was going out but it just kind of nicked the top of the wall and over it went and at that moment I don't think there was a single person there who didn't know for a fact that the Twins were going to win tonight.

YES! the 2007 schedule is out and the twins are playing the Mets next year at shea! I get to see my boys out of yankee stadium!

JC - Good luck with Michigan... the Badgers struggled a bit against them last week (at least we didn't get blown out like Norte Dame).

TAR - Joe is ALWAYS hot. He's hot when he goes 0-15. Just a minor drop in temp... never lukewarm.

Um, can I have a "Bradke is the Manke" t-shirt? Thanks.

Dear Ms. Shelley,

Done.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

Wow, what a game, I just got back and... wow.. So we couldnt hit early, but Brad... I'm pretty much speechless after Brad pitched so well, Joe's homer, wow... If crying was something I did, I'd have done it..

Still in shock. Go Twins.

That was unbelievable! Not that it matters at all, but why was the score not 3-1. I just saw the highlights and Bartlett's hit bounced into the stands for a groundrule double. Do extra runs only count on walk-off homeruns?

Mike, I asked myself the same question over on my blog and went and consulted the rules... Rule 4.11(c) to be exact.

Turns out, yep, the exception only counts if it's a homerun.

Someone who studies the Bible should do some research to see if Brad Radke could actually be some sort of demi-God sent to save the baseball world from douchebags and whiners. He has singlehandedly restored my faith in this beautiful game. An anachronism in post-strike baseball, he plays for all the right reasons. I love him more than my girlfriend.

And I think they officially scored it as a single, NOT a ground-rule double. I suppose because it wouldn't normally have been a double; in fact, when you think about it, it was just a sac fly.

Reminiscent of the end of Game 7 in '91, in fact.

Adam, good insight. That was like '91... kinda gives me a good feeling inside.

Brad Radke is not a demiGod, though is his resembling Gabriel a little bit...

Amazing ending to listen to; hard to believe we're tied for the Central! But here's a question for all BGers, since I can't find it online:

Let's say that the Twins win two of three against the Sox, while Detroit loses two of three to KC and the Yanks lose two of three to Toronto. That leaves both the Twins and Yanks with 97 wins for the best record in the AL. How is the tie broken? I know the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, but they split their six games (each winning two of three at home). So what's the second tiebreaker?

The fact that we can discuss this with some location in reality says a lot about these last four months...

"It's amazing," said Carlos Silva, "and against such a strong line-up!"
LOL Batgirl, that was pretty good. I was so scared for Brad, SO HAPPY he did well. I was driving home, listening to the good neighbor station when Mauer hit the big HR...felt like playoff baseball to me right there! Can't wait, Let's do this boys!!!

I was so happy last night, just to see Bradke throw that first pitch. And then to pitch well. And then to pitch that long without re-injuring himself. And then to FINALLY get the win. I wish we would have known that the team needed to know that there was a game on earlier, but there is something so fun about a dramatic 9th inning homer to get into extra innings and then the win. Hopefully this game gives us good mojo to wipe out the bitchsoxs without too much angst.

(and I was told the second tiebreaker is record within your own division, and Yankees win that tie breaker)

The Yankees win because of a better record within their division - so sayeth the Strib

Ack! Sandee is so much quicker than I. Must have been because I was still dazed from the marvelous come-back victory last night. Once Mauer hit his home run there was NO WAY they were gonna lose. GO TWINS!

Never underestimate the power of #34 from the Great Beyond.

I was driving home from my part-time job last night and heard on our local ESPN Radio (since I'm about 7-8 states away from Minnesota) that the Twins were down 1-0 to KC in the bottom of the 8th. In the absence of a rosary (left at home), I urged Puck to help his team. (And Herb Brooks, too, since he knew a thing or two about championship drives.) Obviously, they did, through the hometown Chairman.

Now I need to figure out how to get a Homer Hanky before the playoffs start....

As we stood cheering after Mauer's homerun last night, one in the group commented, "Who needs the first eight innings?" and another came back with "YEAH! FUCK THE FIRST EIGHT INNINGS!" which then became our cheer. And Jason BartLETT should get a double. Watching that poor Royals center fielder run to and then into the wall in dejection was poetry.

C-pipe, if Radke is in fact a demi-god, that would not exactly be in the realm of the biblical. However, if you knew anyone who knew a thing or two about Greek Mythology, they might be able to the settle that question for you... a Close Personal Friend perhaps??

*wink* Me, I just think he's pretty damn cool.

Yes, C-pipe, the Bible does not countenance demi-Gods; there's only the one real one. All the others fall into the idol category, y'know. (No, not Kelly Clarkson.) As for Brad...what can be said? Dazzling stuff. Be sure to read Jim Souhan's story today; here's a taste from the end:

"After the game, his eyes misted as he thought about the victory and what it means.

Was this the most emotional game of his career? "I don't know what to say about it," he said. "It's unbelievable. It wasn't easy.

"Just before the game, I did a lot of thinking, and ... "

Radke's voice caught, his lower lip began quivering, and he turned and walked away.

But not for the last time."

That's the best part. Brad and the Twins have a bit more business to attend to. Man, this is really good.

Bradke? He is Prometheus in reverse, after 12 years of being chained to a rock and having vultures pick out his liver, he is bringing fire to humanity.

I'm sure Brad was completely unfazed by the entire game. He's never had a close relationship with the elusive Run Support, and has trouble recognizing it.

I am so very happy that he was able to return to his usual form. Who else could do something like that? I hope it inspired the guys.

Twins have to win all 3 vs. Chisox, while Yanks drop 2 of 3 for us to have home field throughout. This is an unlikely scenario, but, remember that time when they had only 4 singles and no runs thru 8 2/3, and Mauer hit that h.r., and they won it in the tenth? It was fairly recent, so unlikely things can happen.Oh, the Tigers would have to lose at least one also, or we would still be the wild card. If they were only paying attention in April/May, we would not have to worry about this crap now.

I'm thinking a little Samson for the biblical tie in ... without all the bad relationship choices.

Brad must have told A.J. about the connection between his hair and his pitching. That would explain the arm finally giving way back in August. A.J. must have mixed something in with Brad's usual gel.

And then, with the Landed Gentry feeling in high spirits after Wednesday's game, they called Brad out to entertain them. Brad said, "Put me on the mound so I can lean against it." He said quietly to himself, "O Gwynn, please strengthen me just once more." He stretched his right arm and said, "Let me die with the Landed Gentry!"

But, oh, he would not die ...

I am in awe. No need for a bloody sock. Bradke is my 11 year old son's favorite player, so we just HAD to go last night. Thanks Brad!

Just read this disturbing article in the Redeye (Chicago’s free newspaper)
Chicago's Hot
"We're No.1
Yes, we know the White Sox missed the playoffs and won't be able to defend their title. And, yes, we know the Cubs are among the worst teams in baseball.
But Chicago baseball fans still have plenty to celebrate. According to a SI poll of 415 major-league players, we have the most attractive fans in baseball.
Almost a quarter (22%) of the players said Chicago's fans wer the best-looking fans around. Rounding out the top five were LA (18%); San Diego (13%); Atlanta (10%) and Phoenix (9%).
While the Tigers and Twins are playing in the playoffs this year, just remember this; Detroit and Minnesota didn't draw a single vote in the poll."
All I have to say is Yikes... I am glad Chicago has found a way to fell good about them selves...

I have only one complaint about last night: I would never question Gardy, but I wish he would have sent Brad out for one batter in the sixth and then pulled him, so people could give him a proper standing O. Just my two cents.

Also, forgive this side-note, but I hope it will be tolerated given the movie Bat-Girl has urged us to see, which is about a family impacted by Alzheimers': Tomorrow is the Alzheimers Association's annual Memory Walk (http://www.alzmndak.org/memorywalk/). A little late, but you can still register or give!

Sorry to be a shill, my wife works there.

"[Brad]has singlehandedly restored my faith in this beautiful game."

C-Pipe, of course, Brad *singlehandedly* restored your faith. He is, afterall, The One Armed Man. :)

-- sporto

1) Brad Radke and the 2006 Twins. This is why it is imperative my son become a baseball fan...

2) gina, you're so excited about the Twins playing the Mets in New York next year, you forget that the Twins might be playing at Shea this October...

Admiringly yours,
YankeeFan

"I don't know," said Johan Santana. "I just put up a picture of my naked torso. I thought that would be the best way to show my appreciation."

Yes, please.

So, yeah, I watched the game in bed with a cold, but that's not the only reason I went through half a box of tissues.

I (Heart) Bradke.

After yet one more "feel good" evening, I'm left this morning looking at the standings and thinking just how true a couple of baseballs greatest cliches are. "Every game is important", and perhaps "a win in May counts just as much as a win in September."

We're all rightfully awestruck by how this team has come back to get to where they sit today... but looking back... would sure like to have back one of those games that got away.

All I can say is that at least the guys were distracted by Radke's pitching during his start this time, and not the pope again.

YF, I think the chances of a WS game being played at Shea this year or getting longer by the day. Of course, it's not easy to point at another NL team that would be favored, but I suspect everyone in that league is hoping the Cardinals hang on because none of them would want to face the Astros right now.

Personally (and I know I'm getting ahead of myself), I think a Twins-Astros world series would have just about the best story lines you could imagine. Thinking about a Clemens-Radke match up for the deciding game just gives a person chills.

And since I mentioned the "every game is important" thing above, don't you just imagine Roger and the 'stros are looking back and wondering how things might be just a little different if he had been able to get back in to the rotation a couple of games earlier than he did?

Dearest Yankee Fan -

I hope he becomes a baseball fan too - when seasons like this happen to any team -it's magical. It's something you will remember forever - kind of like the first time your dad or mom took you to a baseball game -
By the way - Thanks Dad =)
Hey I've been a Twins fan for 34 years - is that
Karma???

Oh dear Brad I wish I was there last night-my eyes would have been just as misty as yours -if not more.
I have watched you for 12 years-and really it's been fun - I'm so very sad that this year will be most likely your last -
I can't believe you're not going to be a Twin.
What will I do - I don't think I can handle all this change =(

Thanks Brad!
Let's just take it all.

Much Love
Wonder Woman

PS- be nice to Little Nicky Punto - he's a sensitive soul - he cries when he watches Grey's
Anatomy - I've never seen it but being a drama I'm sure the show has it's moments. Michael - Gardy and Kent Hrbek also cry during movies - Lew Ford does not -man he didn't even shed a tear when he found out Darth Vader was his pops!

PSS -
WE have the best looking team in the majors so take that SI poll =p

Awesome game! Radke is DEFINITELY the Manke.

Also: Bat-Girl gets a mention in the Sports section of the Star Tribune! http://www.startribune.com/509/story/709004.html

"Bat-girl.com is selling "You Can't Handle The Boof" baby clothes, among other things."

Yankee Fan: For the Mets to make it to the series I think they will need some of that fish glue--I just read Pedro is shut down and the rest of the rotation has not been strong lately...

Bat Girl: thanx for the explanation regarding lack of offense last nite--you forgot to mention that Cuddyer did have 2 hits (of the 4) guess the nite off helped.

AMAZING GAME--Cant add anything to whats been said already.

DAM

True yankeefan, but who can get tickets for the world series in NY?

Dear Gina,

No worries.
There will be no world series in NY.

bubblemint

Dear Gina,
My bad...I hope you realize I meant to say there will be no world series in NY for the Yankees.

The Mets on the other hand?

Best of luck to them!!

bubblemint

Trust me, no better luck trying to get WS tickets at shea as well.

You know it's funny, I'm from NY but I've never been a fan of either NY teams. It's always been a fan of the Cubbies and the Twinkies, but if it comes down to a WS in NY, then I am going to be rooting hard for the metropolitans to pound the skanks in a 4 game sweep. ugh lets just hope the skanks don't even make it to the alcs.

Oh. Oh. OH.

No words. Just no words. Whenever I think my heart cannot fill to bursting with love and pride for this team, they have a game like this one.

I bought a new Bartlett t-shirt on Wednesday to wear to the game (after being told that they no longer have Radke shirts to sell at the pro-shops) and I think it's become my new good luck talisman. I'll let you know how it goes after tonight!

34 days between Bradke starts.

I believe.

Dear Wonder Woman,

My sister and I have been saying all season long that the Twins players are the best-looking ones in all of MLB. There are so many hot ones it's impossible to choose one as the hottest.

Lest you think we're really shallow, we do actually watch the games for the brilliant fielding and clutch homers.

Cheers!

Tricia

the oakland a's could give the twins a run at the best looking mlb team category, but i don't think anyone will disagree with me when i say that the yankees have the ugliest team in baseball.

Thanks, Batgirl, for this glorious, perfect explanation for the ass-bats that were making their appearance through the first 8 innings last night! Of COURSE this is what was going on. And aww, I love Rondell's sign.

It is, indeed, all good.

I don't know, jj, you have to remember that Cleveland has Travis Hafner, and Gwynn bless him, because I think he is a terrific baseball player, but he is good for 2 or 3 players worth of ugly all by himself.

And jamar1700 -- for real???

Hi folks. My name is Steve Phillips. I am a former General Manager of the NY Mets and a regular on Baseball Tonight.

You may have heard me a few weeks ago say that I thought the Twins would be the odd team out of the AL playoff race.

Well Terry Ryan, Mgr. Ron Gardenhire, and the rest of the Twins team has proven me wrong.....way wrong.

This is a cast of hard-nosed, never say die players that just keep coming at teams. Every night there is a new hero....last night it was Radke and Mauer.

Who will it be vs. the Bitch Sox? Time will only tell.

For the rest of the Baseball Tonight staff (including Harold Reynolds), this is Steve Phillips signing off and wishing all of you Twins fans out there the best.

P.S. You can catch me most evenings on Baseball Tonight.

There is a great slide show on the Strib's site recapping some Twins highlights - turn up the sound too=)

Dearest Tricia -
My sister, bless her soul, and I love baseball - the fact that our team is the hottest is just a major plus =)
So no I do not think you are shallow.

Dearest JJ
I must respectfully disagree - the A's lost A LOT of hotness when Mark Mulder left - just my opinion.

Oh come on don't pick on Travis Hafner - he is after all just as lovable as SHREK =)

Much Love
Wonder Woman

The game is sold out tonight - YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!

"It's amazing," said Carlos Silva, "and against such a strong line-up!"

Wahhh hahaha. I just finally caught that it was Silva talking, on the second readthrough. Hi-larious.

Wasn't firing all cylinders when I got home from the game last night and read this the first time, apparently! Not surprisingly, though. Too many synapses at that point were busy vibrating with "THAT WAS THE MOST FREAKING AWESOME GAME EVER!"

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060929&content_id=1688990&vkey=news_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min
This made me cry.

//With tears brimming in his eyes and plenty of sighs to try to collect himself, Radke tried to find the words to describe just what this night meant to him.

"I'm sure relieved," Radke said with eyes glistening. "Everything was fine. I don't know what to say about it. It's unbelievable."//
And,
//"It wasn't easy," Radke said of all the emotions he's gone through to come back. "Just before the game I did a lot of thinking."

And with that statement, Radke had to quietly walk away from the questions and try to compose himself. It was the type of raw emotion that is rarely seen in the pitcher or his teammates but was found nearly everywhere around the Twins clubhouse on this night.//
I love you Bradki,
and here's to the best of luck in the play offs.

Yes! :-)

I suppose it depends on how you choose to count it but ...

per the strib story http://www.startribune.com/150/story/709315.html

"Radke pitching after a forced 34-day layoff"

Works for me.

"Oh come on don't pick on Travis Hafner - he is after all just as lovable as SHREK =)"

I actually was compared to Shrek at my wedding, by our usherette. "He's so lovable and ogreish, like shrek." So I have love for the Hafner, as long as he's not playing the Twins.

On a sad note, I almost was there last night but I had to go to Business Law class instead. Would've loved to see the Bradke aura, my wife saying "I'm going to divorce you SHREK and marry Joe because he's a stud and hit a homerun. What have you done for me lately?" and the Bart fist pump.

At least if my wife does divorce me and marry Joe, I can hopefully get tickets out of the deal.

Off subject (and realizing I'm probably the worst offender in this area around here) but someone over on Aaron's blog posted a link to the "McCovey Chronicles", a Giants blog, that I found very funny and almost "Bat-girlish" in it's use of tongue-in-cheek wit. Click me for the link, read it, and think REAL hard about that trade he's "proposing".

It's nice to see there's at least one Giant fan with a sense of humor concerning "the trade."

Or maybe I just find a lot more things funny this week for some reason.

JC

By the way, BG, my favorite part of the post was Cuddy saying, "I used stencils." That was muy amusing. As was the rest of it, of course...like a bunch of 5-year-olds arguing about whose papier mache pig is superior. Sweet stuff indeed.

is it wierd that I find hafner slightly attractive? Well maybe it's his slugging percentage that I find attractive.

But the twins def have the hottest team. I mean with an ace is as hot as johan, and a veteran as classically handsome as radke, and centerfielder with a smile as sweet as torii's, and a first baseman with huge lovely biceps, and cuddy's dimples, and ahh you get the point. This team is hot in more ways than on the baseball diamond.

each game i don't think it can get any better...then it does... thank you twins!! again and again..

i browsed through the comments and didnt see anyone else mention it, so i thought i'd say something.
i followed BatGirl's link to the tribute to Bradke, and saw that Mrs. Bradke posted a comment there. click my name for the link that i think will work.

"is it wierd that I find hafner slightly attractive?"

Gina, email me... let's talk!

"Well maybe it's his slugging percentage that I find attractive."

Damn... never mind.

JC

"That guy is my hero," Michael Cuddyer said. "I've said that ever since I got into the big leagues."

Hmmmmm... while BG's post was satire, it appears to be not far from accurate.

I think you're right, Eric, and well beyond applying it to Cuddles.

I can't imagine anyone on that team going in to the manager's office and saying, "hey skip, my (fill in the blank) is bothering me a bit today... why don't you let me rest it a bit today?" and then walking back to the clubhouse and looking Bradke in the eye.

How's the ankle and toe today, Torii? How about those knees, Luis/Joe/Jason? That blister going to be a problem today, Johan?

I'm not suggesting any of them would consider dogging it at all right now... just sayin', with Bradke in that clubhouse doin' what he's been doin'... those guys would have to be hauled off by force before they'd be the ones telling Gardy they "can't" go.

Californiamaki, it's very true, what can I say.

As for the No-Longer-Defending World Champion White Sox, it would not break my heart if they lost a couple this weekend; The Twinkies are getting the same type of key hits and breaks as we got last year, and I think you have a REAL chance to win.

BEAT THE YANKEES.

Some interesting thoughts on how Mauer should win MVP, the Veep's awesomeness, and how the Twins will win the World Series.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060929

Wow... David Schoenfield sure did his homework. I mean to even look up the fact that jeter did most of his damage against weak teams while mauer produced the most agaisnt the wsox and the tigers while they were playing for a playoff spot. I was already convinced before reading this article that mauer is more valuable than jeter, but now I'm thinking he may even be more valuable than morneau. That's good writing.

I've always thought Mauer was more valuable than Morneau. I just think that Mauer makes up for the lack of Morneau's power by being a better contact, better defensively (at a more important position), and better running. But I still think they both are way behind Johan.

Oh, and while I don't really know how attractive the Twins are in comparison to other teams, I know that by far that female Twins fans are the most beautiful fans around.

way to suck up, Will.

It's almost impossible for me to pick one M over the other with regard to MVP. They've each taken their respective turns at carrying the brunt of the load for the team. I guess, forced to choose, I would probably go with Morneau based on his productivity during the same 2/3 of the season that the Twins have been so hot.

Mauer's been a constant, all year long, and that certainly has been valuable... critical, even. But if Morneau hadn't woken up in June and decided it was time to play baseball, this team is probably getting ready to go fishing instead of going to the playoffs.

On top of which, Mauer is going to have his batting title... how cool would it be to have another guy win MVP... and a third guy the Cy Young? If that doesn't reflect the kind of TEAM this group has been, I don't know what does.

Dear Mr. Will,

Nice.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

Saying things like this:

"I tried my best but they thought that was enough for me," Radke said. "I know I'll feel like crap tomorrow and probably the next day but I'll take it."

Makes me swoon. Bradke's going to make it difficult for other Minnesotan men to compare in manliness.

As for other attractive Twins players: are we missing out on luscious Joe Mauer and friggin' adorable Jason Bartlett! Come on!

If I cry at Brad Radke stories AND Grey's Anatomy, does that make me sad?

Will,

Are you free tomorrow night?

Kind regards,
JetChick

Hey, Schoenfield also favored Veep over Rivera. Sweet.

I think Mr. Fuzzles and M. F. U. made a sign saying, "Twins rock at pitching and Sox good at only bitching!" (Translated from the paw and hoof prints.)

Many thanks both Sandee and Twinsaholic--I figure within a minute of each other is close enough.

Here's hoping that the question doesn't matter for good reasons...Yanks and Tigers are already leading, though, so I don't know how likely that is. Maybe the Royals saved their competence for the last weekend...

sir jj..
i agree with you about oakland, however the twins will always be first in my heart.

and the yankees? yeah, they're pretty ugly..although, put anyone in a yankees uniform, and they become ugly. even mr. mauer would be.

*shudders at the thought, and reprimands self for even thinking it*

and sir word smith...
cleveland also has grady sizemore, and i believe that counts for something.

i vote detroit as one of the homeliest teams.
they have chris shelton. end of story.

and in other less catty news....the homely tigers seem to be losing to los royales en el 11th.....

but, it ain't over til it's over.....

I am looking at this loss as glass half full. While it would be nice for the Twins to win the division, I'm looking at the big picture. It seems inevitable that the Twins will play the yankees in the post season (I'm sorry, as great as the tigers have been this year they do not match up agaisnt the yankees well and I don't believe they can beat them in the post season). The twins do have a chance but I think the BEST chance would be in a 5 game series, so if that means taking the WC and facing them in the first round, then BRING EM ON!

I am going to go shoping for a new heart tonight (mine fell out) in the 9th.
But realy how sweet would it be to beet the Evil empire? sweet revenge.
Probably just consoleing my self but, Hey if it works, *shrugs*

Nice Will, Nice.
PS Just looked at my last post nice spelling Huh?
*Reminds self why one should use spell check*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx-NLPH8JeM&eurl=

"where has all the offense gone?
long time passing
where has all the offense gone?
long time ago
where has all the offense gone?
till the ninth and *then* they come
when will they ever learn?
when will they ever learn?"

In case anyone's wondering, I've figured out roughly what would need to happen in order for Mauer to clinch the batting title -- though I've only taken into account a 4-at-bat night with no walks to simplify (and confuse) things. So if Mauer goes [X], then Cano would have to go [Y] at best and/or Jeter would have to go [Z] at best to keep Mauer's title safe:

Mauer 0-4; Cano 2-4; Jeter 0-4
Mauer 1-4; Cano 3-4; Jeter 1-4
Mauer 2-4; Cano N/A*; Jeter 3-4
Mauer 3-4; Cano N/A*; Jeter N/A*
Mauer 4-4; Cano N/A*; Jeter N/A*
Mauer DNP; Cano 3-4; Jeter 2-4

*would not be able to surpass Mauer in 4 at-bats, provided they get 4 at-bats

If Gardy gets cute and starts Heintz tomorrow or something, Mauer's odds are decent, but the outcry would be ridiculous. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for any number of best-case scenarios, but the most feasible seems to be Mauer going at least 2-4 (which he's done six games out of the last ten he played), bumping his average up to .34741. If Jeter goes 3-4, he finishes an eyelash behind at .34727. The thought of a 1-4 or worse from Joe scares the crap out of me.

What makes me mad right now is thatump who cost Joe a hit a few days ago. I hope it doesn't cost him. I know umps make mistake but this is not the time to be doing it with titles on the line!

hello?? who gives a rat's ass about the batting title? how about the fact that we tanked our chances at the division, barring a miracle? and that our pitching looks shaky at best right now. we should have our sights set on a strong bounce-back game tomorrow to build momentum for the playoffs.

Hello? Of course the team winning is more important but a catcher winning a batting title in the AL has never happened. I'd like to see him get it and there is nothing wrong with discussing it.

I love the Twins, and I have all the hope in the world for them. After all, what's the last time they lost 3 games in a row? Wasn't it in early August? That said, hey guys, it's OK to get hits before the 8th inning. Please? :-)

TIGERS LOSE (!)(?) I think that is what game-day said. And go Mauer.

naked jumping jacks? oh dear...

http://www.startribune.com/509/story/712046-p2.html

OK Batling ladies... which two of you are "Natalie" and "Dejie"?

If the answer is "none"... then it's apparently a dark day in Batlingdom for a few of you.

LNP and Shaggy got hitched.

http://www.startribune.com/464/story/711737.html or click me

If we win and the Tigers lose, we play the a's at home, which is both possible and preferable, but, since either Siva or Baker will start, not probable. The Tigers are resting starters, so that is good, and giving up 7 runs in the first is good, but the recent penchant for saving your scoring for the 9th{1 run in the first 8, and 6 runs in the 9th in the last 3 games}does not bode well for our chances, and Garza's performance yesterday puts him in the Silva/baker category for ineptitude. If Radke can do it, he should start game 2 or 3, saving game 4, hopefully not a deciding game, for Silva/ Baker/ guerrier/ Perkins. This looks better vs the A's than the Yankees.

where are you BatGirl? I sure hope it is because you are busy puking, or depressed by the losses of the last two days...