2008 AL Central Catch-All Thread

[Benchwarmerjim]

I never want to hear a Sox fan complain about the 'luck' the Twins have at the Metrodome

I swear, you guys in the Cell....there is always about 10 games a year where you hit a 3 run bomb late in the game to win.

 

and on that note, welcome back to first place. This division race is like a close horse race, neck and neck and were are coming up on the 3/4 mile post

 

[whitesoxfan101]

I never want to hear a Sox fan complain about the 'luck' the Twins have at the Metrodome

I swear, you guys in the Cell....there is always about 10 games a year where you hit a 3 run bomb late in the game to win.

 

and on that note, welcome back to first place. This division race is like a close horse race, neck and neck and were are coming up on the 3/4 mile post

 

I agree on the race, and you might be right about us at The Cell. The thing is though, when you look at how we come back and win at home, usually it's because of home runs. To hit a home run, for the most part, you have to hit the ball pretty damn hard. On the flipside, most Twins comebacks at home involve bunts, seeing eye singles, balls getting lost in the roof/lights, etc. I think you see where I'm going with this, it just seems like luck when it's done in that fashion.

Edited August 6, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[Benchwarmerjim]

I gotcha

 

btw.. I hope my comments didnt come off as bitter or anything. I dont want to start something. I respect your team...its just that...oooh first place tasted nice and Nick Swisher hits a HR when you really needed one. It just seems to happens a lot

Edited August 6, 2008 by Benchwarmerjim

[YASNY]

I gotcha

 

btw.. I hope my comments didnt come off as bitter or anything. I dont want to start something. I respect your team...its just that...oooh first place tasted nice and Nick Swisher hits a HR when you really needed one. It just seems to happens a lot

 

You've always been respectful here. I don't think anyone that's been here awhile would misinterpret that post.

[BigSqwert]

Ron Gardenhire is so boring. His team has lost 2 games in a row that they should have won after being in first place for the first time in over 100 days (and effectively losing any hold they had on first place), and he's just having a ho-hum interview after the game "we tried our best, we threw everything we could at them, but they just pulled it out. Good hitting team even in a rough season, yada yada yada."

 

He's a fantastic in game manager, but he just doesn't seem to be a motivator.

Who's he supposed to be motivating in the post game interview?

[whitesoxfan101]

You've always been respectful here. I don't think anyone that's been here awhile would misinterpret that post.

 

Absolutely agreed. I didn't take his post at all as disrespectful either, just explaining why I think the Twins home comebacks are perceived as luck where ours aren't. Realistically though, anytime you erase a big deficit, there is luck involved though.

[RockRaines]

I gotcha

 

btw.. I hope my comments didnt come off as bitter or anything. I dont want to start something. I respect your team...its just that...oooh first place tasted nice and Nick Swisher hits a HR when you really needed one. It just seems to happens a lot

Come on Jim, you have to know that the Dome, its surface, its awful background, and the mysterious amplification of crowd noise and air conditioning give the Twins one of the best home field advantages in baseball. There arent many parks where bleeders sneak through on hard carpet, balls bounce over 3B head like clockwork, and you can lose a ball so easily in the ceiling. The Twins are going to have a hard time gaining that advantage with an outdoor grass park.

[fathom]

Twins pounding the Mariners early so far today. I expected a little bit better performance from Washburn against a bad Twins lineup today.

[Benchwarmerjim]

Come on Jim, you have to know that the Dome, its surface, its awful background, and the mysterious amplification of crowd noise and air conditioning give the Twins one of the best home field advantages in baseball. There arent many parks where bleeders sneak through on hard carpet, balls bounce over 3B head like clockwork, and you can lose a ball so easily in the ceiling. The Twins are going to have a hard time gaining that advantage with an outdoor grass park.

 

The ceiling sucks. But both home and away team have struggled with it the last few years. The Air Conditioning thing is a totaly myth. And the Astroturf has been long gone. Its now that field turf where the balls dont bounce so high.

 

I dont deny that the Twins play better at home. Its probably due a little to the Stadium. But the last few years its been because the Twins have fielded a pretty good team. And its perception too. I see the posts, the threads that bemoan going to Metrodome. 'We cant win there' they say. I always think back to Mothers Day 2006 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN200605140.shtml) There ws no give up during that game

 

I really cant wait to leave that hellhole of a stadium though. Its sucks. I guess the demensions of teh new park are going to be similar to Metrodome. But now the groundskeepers can cheat 'with' fooling around with the baselines so bunts can be fair. long grass so the speedy outfielders that we have lined up in the farm system (Ben Revere, Aaron Hicks) can get that extra base, so on and so forth.

 

===

back to todays game. 4-1 lead....I dont feel safe

 

[Harry Chappas]

Lopez on the verge of a god awful day.

[WilliamTell]

Denard Span just robbed Adrian Beltre of a 2 run homer. Would've given the Mariners the lead.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Who the hell is randy ruiz, what do they f***in clone people. They all are the same people.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

6-3 Twins, luckily they go to KC now. blah

[Benchwarmerjim]

Who the hell is randy ruiz, what do they f***in clone people. They all are the same people.

 

Ruiz is actually a career minor leaguer. the Phillies was his last team. Something like 8+ seasons of AA and below. Got his chance at Rochester this year and all he did was mash

[witesoxfan]

Who's he supposed to be motivating in the post game interview?

 

well the press of course, trying to make sure they do their jobs right

[witesoxfan]

I also want to say that Greinke is a dirty son of a b**** and that I hope someone throws a baseball back at him, just so he can see what it's like trying to dodge a bullet. I have no problem with throwing at players, but it's a "privilege" more than it is a right. You do it when the time calls for it - and there are times for it - but it's not any time a player hits a homer and stares a little or because some dude hit Miguel Olivo and got tossed because of it.

 

I love the pure aggression behind the thought process, but he needs to limit it; in the meantime, I would be OK with him hitting Pronk and having (cow/syringe)-wrestling Hafner coming at him.

[joejoesox]

lets hope this rays/angels game goes into the extras, depleting the rays bullpen, that would be awesome

[Benchwarmerjim]

they are an after thought nowadays, but the Cleveland Indians are playing some pretty good baseball lately. They are on a 7 game win streak, and 8-2 in thier last 10 games

[Brian]

they are an after thought nowadays, but the Cleveland Indians are playing some pretty good baseball lately. They are on a 7 game win streak, and 8-2 in thier last 10 games

 

I think we may miss Cliff Lee when we play them next week.

[Benchwarmerjim]

I think we may miss Cliff Lee when we play them next week.

 

 

lucky!

the twins have been lucky this year. We have played the Mariners 3 times, and looks like we'll miss King Felix all three times