6/3/05: NY/Twins

[Steak]

One thing about sports. You can't seem to enjoy the last game with the next series or game coming up next. Twins got a very good win yesterday afternoon, but now they gotta play the best team money can buy that is slumping. Yankees will be a tough challenge. This will not be an easy matchup. While the Yankees are struggling, they are still a darn good team and they probably will be in the ALCS since the AL is so weak. It would be nice to see them not make the playoffs, but I am not banking on that.

I really wish the Yankees took care of KC because now they won't be in a good mood this weekend. They are going to vent big time. Twins has had a mental block against them since 2002 so this won't be easy. I am not going to lie to you. I am extermely nervous about this weekend. It wouldn't suprise me if the Twins get swept. Let's hope I am wrong here.

This is obviously the first time both teams met since the ALDS last year. Ron Gardenhire had a series to forget in which he screwed up this entire series like leaving Joe Nathan out in the 14th in Game 2 when he was done or when when he took Johan out after 5 innings in Game 4 in what was a do or die game. It wasn't his greatest moment as a manager.

This is going to be a toughie. I think the Twins have the team to get it done though. They just have to execute and not make silly mistakes like they do against NY.

As for the Yankees, Jon Heyman, who I don't care for, wrote a great piece on the Yankees this week. He is right on. Those points he pointed out are why I don't think the Yankees are winning a WS championship this year. Here is what Jon wrote:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/column...rts-columnists

Kyle Lohse is on the hill tonight. He has been great in his last three outings, but if he really wants to show his teammates, his bosses, and the fans that he has arrived, he can prove it by shutting down the Yankees offense tonight.

Mussina vs. Lohse

BTW, I am not even watching the games on the Al-Yankeezera aka YES Network this entire weekend. Bob Raissman, the fine critic of the NY Daily News, always rips the YES Network and he mocks them as Al-Yankeezera. Raissman is right on too. I can't stand the Yankees announcers particular Michael Kay, who once said the Twins should be contracted. Listening to Yankees radio is even worse. It's WCCO for me. It will be tough to understand what Gordon, Carneal, and Gladden will stay, but I will try to grasp it.

Just a rule of warning:

I do NOT want any trouble this weekend from anyone. If Yankees fans have nothing good to say about the Twins, the posters, or anything, don't post. I prefer that Yankees fans spew their two cents on their own board. If I feel that this board is about trolling or rubbing it in, I will delete the post and lock it.

[riverdunesrat]

BTW, I am not even watching the games on the Al-Yankeezera aka YES Network this entire weekend.

That is a good one Steak. I've not heard that one before but then I don't get out much anymore.....especially to the right coast.

[Steak]

rdr: Here is an article on Raissman describing the YES Network.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...p-263515c.html

Raissman rips YES all the time. I love it. I hate the YES Network. YES always never shows the other teams on Yankees and Nets telecast. YES basically talk about the Yankees without mentioning what their opponent does. Now it's that way for Nets games too. YES annoyed me by firing Ian Eagle for that prevert Marv Albert to do the Nets games next year. Ian Eagle has paid his dues as an announcer yet YES never seemed to like him. It's too bad Ian was treated like a piece of crap. Here is hoping the Timberwovles hire Ian Eagle to do their games. He is so much better than Tom Hanneman.

BTW, I think this game is over.

Yankees will likely win. I am suprised the Twins are even close.

[riverdunesrat]

And I thought we had it rough out West.....it must suk to be under the realm of the evil emperor and his empire.....

[Steak]

I can't wait to get the hell out of NJ. I hate it there. I hate the people there. I hate everything about NJ. NJ is like a pitstop to NYC. North Jersey is like NY basically. I can't stand anything about NY sports. It's been fun seeing them suck in recent years.

New Yorkers are the rudest mofoers out there. I just hate them. The day I move out will be awesome. I would never raise a family there, rdr.

[riverdunesrat]

SO where you gonna go Steak? Warmer climate maybe, smaller town, less populated, mountains, Minnesota, ocean, WHAT, WHAT, and when?

[Steak]

What a game and what a relief! I am so glad the Twins pulled this one out. I thought the Yankees had this game when they led 3-0. The way the Twins were playing in the first two innings had me thinking HERE WE GO AGAIN! Twins were taking stupid at-bats, grounding out to the infielders, and mental errors. You had a bad feeling. I know I did. The Yankees are the type of a team that scares me the most and the type of team that can piss me off. Fortunately, things changed in the fourth inning and then the knockout punch in the fifth inning. Man I am glad the Twins pulled it out. I was so tensed up all night. I couldn't bear listening to the game on WCCO so I had someone from AIM to tell me what was going on. She was awesome BTW in telling me what happened.

I thought this was over in the third. Fortunately, Twins made it happen in the fourth inning. It started by a HR by Brent Abernathy, who was called up two days ago. Then, Lew tripled. Lew scored by Torii's single to cut it to 3-2. Then, Lew delievered the knockout punch by hitting a 3-run HR of Mike Mussina to give the good guys the lead. What a night for Lew. Lew has had a great season. He definitely should be All-Star material too though he probably won't make it. Still, he has established himself as a darn good hitter. He has been a very consistent hitter all season. It was so nice to hear the word "LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW W" from the crowd.

Good job by Torii and Jacque in being the table setters.

I thought the story of the game besides Lew was Kyle. Kyle was fantastic AGAIN. I think Kyle finally has arrived. I think he has now become reliable. He was simply fantastic. He never let anything bothered him out there. Yeah he gave up a 3-0 lead, but remember had Jacque caught that ball, it would have been a 2-0 lead. Kyle came through and found a way to get the job done. He gutted it out. I am really proud of Kyle out there.

Will Matsui stop killing the Twins? Twins can never get him out. I knew he would get hits against the Twins. He wasn't going to slump against the Twins.

I thought Gardenhire did a great job taking Lohse off in the seventh. It was time. Lohse is not a guy that will complete games so it was good to get him out at the nick of time. Gardy did not want to see Kyle lose this game so it was good to see him leave feeling good about himself.

The pen was huge. Jesse was awesome in the seventh, Juan in the eighth, and the Nathanator exterminated the Yankees. It was awesome seeing Juan and Joe finish it up after they got tatooed in the playoffs. I was happy for them after the beating they got last year. I know those two can get the Yankees out and it was great to see.

I got to see the FSN North feed of the Yankees/Twins tonight. FSN North had a great intro about both teams. Dick Bremer was talking about how the Twins are good and Yankees are evil and how the Twins are right for baseball and how the Yankees are what's wrong with baseball. That had me laughing. Then FSN North started the game with the Star Wars theme. Great creative stuff there.

Great win. I will sleep easily tonight for sure. I am going to rewatch that game at work in the morning and it's good to see FSN North having that game.

[Steak]

SO where you gonna go Steak? Warmer climate maybe, smaller town, less populated, mountains, Minnesota, ocean, WHAT, WHAT, and when?

Move to Minnesota. I would like to live in the Midwest. My goal is to live in the Twin Cities. I will take Minnesota weather than NJ's weather. When? Probably in my 40s. I am still a young pup. My goal is to be patriot's Smithers. I would love be Smithers to patriot.

[Steak]

Three things to point out:

-- Will someone please put it to rest about how Mussina dominates the Twins? First off, the Twins have beaten him four straight times (two in the postseason). I don't want to hear it anymore. Another thing. The Twins were so bad when he dominated back then. I think last night was a sign that Mussina's days of dominating the Twins are over when the Twins made great adjustments at their second at-bats against Mussina. Mussina even praised the Twins for their approach against him.

-- I knew the role players would do a good job. They always step up when they have to and it showed last night. It was nice to see Brent really make use of his opportunity. There is a reason why this team has had success. The role players rise to the occasion. I knew this team would do well without Morneau and Mauer last night. It says a lot about the organization when they can get role players to step up. I liken the Twins to the New Jersey Devils (a NHL team). Twins and Devils not only win with a small budget and with homegrown players, but they do a great job finding role players to step up and that's what championship teams do.

-- It was nice to read couple of Yankee players give the Twins some respect. That had me smiling. They never gave the Twins any serious thought in recent years. It's good to see the Twins made an impression on them in the postseason last year.