This Guy

ITEM ONE: So, the big deal for the Twins this week was the double header in which they scored a ton of runs while stomping all over the White Sox, and then subsequently dropping the next two games. Hopefully putting another bat in the lineup after the all-star break, in this case Rondell White’s, will even the keel and the team will get a little bit more consistent. What worries me is the Mike Redmond bat to the head incident. This pretty much guarantees that Mauer and Redmond will never be seen the same lineup ever again, unless, of course, we get the even more terrifying third catcher. I have a better solution. Teach Mauer to play first. He’s a good athlete, and things come naturally to him. On days Mauer needs a break from catching, put him at first and Morneau at DH, and everyone gets to play and if something happens to Redmond, as it inevitably does, Mauer can catch and we have plenty of guys who can play first. Problem solved!

ITEM TWO: So, you remember that post I wrote, er… yesterday? Well, it was actually voted down once over at Ballhype, which I am totally obsessed with. Were they Finley fans? Did they find fault with my theories? Did they just think I wrote like crap? Then, on the other hand, I got a legitimate link from the wonderfully named Nyjer Please. My favorite part is that they labelled me “This guy” which I think makes me sound like a total nut, and frankly, may not be too far from the truth. I couldn’t be more pleased.

ITEM THREE: Imagined horse track announcer commentary: “It’s Kegstand out in front, followed by Ducktaped to a Tree and Passed Out with Panty Raid charging hard on the outside! Panty Raid and Kegstand are neck and neck! AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! It’s Panty Raid by a nose!”

ITEM FOUR: I’m not sure whether or not this is positive news, but U.S.S. Mariner, a blog for, of all teams, the Mariners, recently wrote an open letter to the pitching coach, only to have it read by the pitching coach, and delivered to the specific player mentioned, Felix Hernandez, who was genuinely affected by it, and took it to heart. Like I said, it’s either good or bad. Good that rational pieces could find their way to the right people, or bad, because if someone important is reading someone else’s blog, somoene important could be reading this one too. Yikes.

ITEM FIVE: So, Doug Risebrough stopped sitting on his hands and signed a couple of free agents, bringing back Wes Walz and adding defenseman Sean Hill (who we will have for, at most 63 games, thanks to a drug related suspension) and center Eric Belanger (Bel-on-zhay), who seems to change teams like I change underwear. He has always been a good face off guy, and this is actually his first time as a free agent. He started his career in Los Angeles before being traded twice in a year. Well, lets just hope having Pavol Demitra and Belanger in the same lineup works better than it did for the Kings.