Baseball and Birthdays

Today is my 16th birthday and what a great present MLB brings me every year around this time: Opening Day and the Regular Season.

We have all waited months for baseball to start back up again and I am super excited. We've got new players, a renewed attitude to win the division without an extra game, and, SI rated the Twins to be #1 in the Central Divison (Yeaaaahhhh!)

I was looking at all the new players in each of the teams and I didn't even realize how many NY Yankees were traded/not signed this offseason. Heideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, etc. I couldn't believe it! And, we won't have to deal with pestery Polonco anymore in Detroit :).

~Spring Training stuff and Pre-Season thoughts~

1. I am pissed that Tolbert won't be up in the Majors to start the year.

2. Slowey is going to ROCK

3. Peterson, Revere, and Portes are going to be awesome in the future.

4. Nathan...well, that sucks. Stupid Elbows...

5. Twins beating the Yanks in Spring Training CAN and WILL carry over to the regular season

6. Yay Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy!...and Thome I guess :)
7. Punto/Harris at 3rd: So hard! If Punto could just get some spark in his bat he would have that spot so fast! Kudos to Harris however, he has been swinging the bat really well this Spring

8. Mijares still scares me a little.

9. Rauch...he's tall!
10. Outside Spring ball to Outside Summer ball for the first time in a LONG time! Hoorah!

Lets start of the season well...expecially in the new stadium. I sure hope the Gophers didn't curse it!

This is for Harris :)

Kudos to Kubel

Kubes! You rock my world right now. Every time the bases are loaded and you are up, I know that something is going to happen. I called those Grand Slams both times this year. I always think: Yah! It's Kubel! He's gunna hit a Grand Slam! And you always pull thru for me. And to top it all off, it was his Birthday Yesterday too. What a great present for him.

Ah, what a way to start an off day. Knowing that you are in the winning column must make the Twins (and Twins fans) feel great.

And about Saturday's game. Lets just pretend that didn't happen. Lets only think of the positives...like Casilla's home run (He has more HR's than cuddy! :O )

Now they are off to face the KC Royals (all except Justin Morneau, who wants to watch Hockey).

And who better to start off the series than Nick Blackburn. :)

And then after KC, We go home to play the Yanks. Who actually aren't doing that great this year. Normaly when i hear: Twins vs. Yankees; I cringe. But I am actually doing quite well. Because WE are gunna WIN.

Slipping

ok...well, uh...that was super.

A sweep by THE WORST TEAM IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST.

I felt so good coming into these games....but now I feel worse going into the next few games vs. the Runner Ups (i.e. the Colorado Rockies)

We WERE in the lead of the AL by 3 games...and now we're down to Cleveland by 1.5 and only .5 ahead of Chicago.

I get very fusterated when they do this kinda stuff....

Dear Gomez, Casilla, and Lamb:
You seriously need to STOP striking out. Good Golly Gosh...on Wednesday, you guys were HORRENDOUS. 2 strike outs each? Sad. Very Sad. You guys should take lessons from Tolbert! ;)

Also: Happy (27th) Birthday to Justin Ernest Morneau. For his birthday present, he added an RBI to his collection. He now has 32. He keeps them in a box under his bed...

Twins: PLEESE get back on the top of the ALC. Pah-Leeeez!!!!

A blackout by Blackburn; and a great pitchers duel for Baker

Blackburn, You is amazin'. You make Indians sit and cry. I love you :P
Score: Twins 3, Indians NADA

My opinions of the the game:

-Morneau! You gotz 5 HRs!
-Punto, those wildman throws to first for a double play were AWESOME
-Blackburn: Congrats on your first win in the Major Leagues!


Also, Happy Belated Birthday to Mauer and Reyes!
<--Mauer & Reyes Discussing Birthday Party Ideas

*Anyways, For todays game (ha we won! In yo face BYRDIE!) Baker did supah good. And might I add,I have a VERY special announcement: Harris has been excepted to the HR club! HR Club:
~Morneau: (5)
~Kubel (3)
~HARRIS! (1)

Harris, my opinion was the P.O.G. (ha pog..pogger) because he got the game tying run, and scored the game WINNING run (yes, I know that Morneau pulled through and won for us, but i still think Harris did a better job)

Harris hit a homerun just less than 2 hours after Gardee was asked on "The Gardenhire Radio show" why there were only 2 Twins that had hit homeruns, and his respose was:

"Yeah, you know thats just how the season goes, I know that Young will be hitting
a bunch this year and Lamb is due to hit one and we also know that Gomez and
HARRIS can hit the ball far also."

To Morneau:
Wow, you really surprised me. I thought for sure you were going to strike out there in the 10th inning...but you showed me.Good job budie!

To Gomez:
Nice Catch in Center! That saved the game you know. Good thing you got your wind back so you didn't have to have Span come in for you.

P.S. You need to learn how to bunt.

Twins are tied for 2nd in the ALC! (2.5 games behind Chicago) (3 games ahead of Detroit)

Up Next (Tuesday) Twins vs. Oakland (the land of oaks, and LeCroy)