Tigers win!! Twins lose!!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Hey Crossin',
As Chumbawumba sang, " I get knocked down, I get up again, their never gonna get me down"
Been a little busy lately with my DJ business but (and I think Gene, a Cubbie lover ) will back me up on this fact. That while I am most definitely a huge pale hose supporter (which is different than an athletic supporter) I never said the Sox would win their division this year. I thought that they were a .500 team that surprised me the first half of the year and faded once their 3 and 4 hitters went out in the second half of the season due to injury. They were playing .600 ball with Ordonez and Thomas and faded after their departures. I stated on another thread back on July 20th that I thought the Sox would lose out to the Twins and possibly the Tigers. I didn't see the game that Buehrle lost but I was at the game the next night in our company sky box when the Sox pounded the Twins with a seventh inning grand salami by Juan Uribe. Anywho, here's to good luck in the playoffs...for anyone who plays the Twinkies that is! Buerhle was just stating his opinion when he said that he did not think the Twins would go very far in the playoffs and I could not agree more with him. I guess the big wind from Chi-Town is back in the saddle again. YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES!!!

[Willy]

What makes you think that the twins won't get past the first round of the playoffs?

They lead the A.L. in era and their first two starters are lights out. Radke has pitched very well in the playoffs and Santanna is on a streak where he is now the best pitcher in the league, period. Both of these guys will probably get two starts with Silva getting one. Santanna is a guaranteed 2 wins. One out of the other two guys-good possibility.

How can you say that the Twins won't win at least three of those games? You're just sour because you know the turdsox can't hold a candle to the Twins. But I guess four years of fininshing behind the Twins and making excuses for it will do that to a guy.

[This message has been edited by Willy (edited 09-24-2004).]

[genegodawa]

Attaboy Windy....keep stirring the pot. There is no doubt that without Thomas and Ordonez the Sox were in trouble and it made the going easier on the Twins for sure.

As to not going very far in the playoffs, it is impossible to judge. Any injury or cold-streak could derail a good team. Luck plays a role for sure. Will there be a bad call by the ump? Will a blooper fall in? Will a potential HR be pulled back? WILL A FAN INTERFERE WITH A FOUL BALL?

As a master of the obvious, I can only state that it takes both good pitching and timely hitting to win it. I think this year the playoffs will be more interesting than in a long time....especially since it looks like the NHL is on hold for awhile.

Gene

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

See,
I told you that Gene's "got my back" and he is a Kool-Aid drinkin' Cub lover. But he is a baseball fan who does realize the obvious and states it so good regarding Thomas and Ordonez. As far as my prediction, Willy, it is not "sour grapes" they are for makin wine. It is my opinion, which last time I checked, was something that every American has the right to. I think that the Twins are just a bunch of punch and judy hitters who can never win the big one and I think that their weeknesses will be exposed in the playoffs. No envy, just opinion. Just like Mark Buerhle said when asked his opinion. He did not think that they would go very far in the playoffs either and the Sox have beaten and been beaten by all the other teams in the playoffs so where does the sour grapes come into play? YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES!!!

[buzzsaw]

Hawk Harrelson is a dud and so is anybody who talks or acts like him!
Re: Punch and judy hitters... Justin "moonshot" Morneau may disagree with you.. but hey, it's obviously enough to take the division over the White Sox by double digits right?! Just wait til next year when Mauer is healthy, Morneau is more seasoned and Kubel takes over for Jones... we may pass the solo HR hitting Sox by 20 games! I thought the cubbies were chokers, the White sox can't even make it to the playoffs and then their fans cry about injuries! Oh did I mention that your Bears are going to get beat this weekend as well!
P.S. I'm glad that the Twins late season call up's could provide you white sox fans with something to cheer for.... a win over the division champ Twins! Also, Beuhrle has an opinion and is entitled to it, I just think the disrespect shown to the "overachieving" Twins is ridiculous... you win three str8 division titles and other competing teams should dummy up and be more humble and congratulatory... atleast thats the way I was taught growing up. The problem with the Chi-sox is that they play for themselves and not as a team.. there coach tried to and almost fixed that... now he just needs to teach Beaurle how to say the "right" things to the media, not neccesarily how he really feels.
P.S.S. With the way Santana is hurling how can you rocket scientists, I mean sore losers bet against the twins... plus we beat the great white sox teamlike 7 times in a row recently.... help me out here.

[genegodawa]

Buzz,

Explanation: see 2003 Cubs' reliance on Wood and Prior vs FLA. Twins fans are making same mistake with Santana and Radtke.

Besides, it doesn't really matter how far the Twins go because even if they win the AL, the Cubs will take them down in the Series.

Exit stage left, helping you out all the way....
Gene

PS Do have to agree that Harrelson is a dud. Then again, the Sox haven't had any good announcers since Harry and Piersall.

[Willy]

Maybe the twins are just punch and judy hitters. Too bad they don't hit the longball like the Sox, look where that has go them. Oh, I forgot they are 10.5 back.

Just so you don't say it is because of Thomas and Ordonez, in the last 4 years they are 30 games behind the twins.

[This message has been edited by Willy (edited 09-24-2004).]

[genegodawa]

Willy,

Interesting statistic you point out however more Wins than Losses THIS YEAR is all that matters. 2,3, and 4 years ago have no bearing on anything today. You think anybody on the Twins is afraid of the long history behind the Yankees? or that they are not afraid of the RedSox because of their historical drought?

All I know is that I am glad the Twins do well because I couldn't believe they were recently talking about disbanding the franchise. I remember my youth rooting for Oliva, Killebrew, Carew etal. Minn has a long history.

I am every bit an anti-Sox fan as Windy is an anti-Cub fan. Be careful what ammuntion you give him. He just loves to get your blood boiling. By the way, what is the Twins lifetime record against the Sox?

Gene

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Ah, you are correct Gene! These Twinkie loving people just can't get their facts straight. They say that the Twins beat the Sox like 7 times in a row yet when you look at the season head to head record...it is as close to .500 as you can get with an odd number of games. They are 10 and 9 and the Sox won the last two games. And if they can't see that Thomas and Ordonez were directly attributable to the Sox demise, as the Sox were playing .600 ball with the dynamic duo, then all I can say is, wait and see. Geno knows a thing or two about putting all your eggs into one basket as he went thru the pain of watching his Cubbies blow two games when they had the two best pitchers ever to take a mound lose two nights in a row. It will be a pleasure to see the Yankees take apart the Twins and beat them like rented mules. When the Sox get Thomas back and they part company with Ordonez and then sign Rentaria and Carlos Beltran, they will be in fine shape for 2005 and the Twinkies will still have to play in "baggie-dome". Boy, the playoffs can't get here fast enough. Now I have to concentrate on watching my beloved Bears take apart Moss and that reject of a Bear, Marcus Robinson. What quarter do you think the Bears will knock Culpepper out of the game? I say the beginning of the third!
YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Geno,
Right you are, my man. Hands down, Harry and Piersall were the best announcers of all time, in any sport, bar none. I used to love listening to Harry get under Jimmy's skin and get him going and then ask him if he took his medication that day. He would then tell Jimmy that he was nuts and Jimmy would say, "I'm not crazy, and I have the papers to prove it!" Harry was a class act in St. Louis, he was a wild man on the south side and you would have to agree that he made the Cubs the huge success they have been for the past 20 years. I remember games when the Cubs couldn't draw flys to their games. Anyway, you have to be lovin' those scores tonight! 1.5 game lead for your Cubbies! Let me know if you need any playoff tickets, my company works with the Cubs but they will most likely be pretty pricy. Talk to you later, I am sure I have lit a powder keg in the Land of 10,000 lakes tonight. Curt

[Willy]

You're dillusional. Thomas and Ordonez don't do that much for your team. They are whining, self-centered players. They never helped them overtake the twins in the past. They've flopped, year after year. And yea, we'll wait and see about next year. It'll read something like this....

Twins win fourth consecutive division title with Cleveland 4 games back and Chicago fighting to stay out of the cellar with Detroit.

And oh yea, the bears are terrible and no-one can stop Moss.

YOU CAN PUT THAT ON THE BOARD FELLA

[This message has been edited by Willy (edited 09-25-2004).]

[pikehunter]

I'm a die-hard Twins fan and I'm going to have to agree with the Chicago boys - to a point.
Yes, the loss of Thomas and Ordonez greatly impacted the demise of the Sox, but that's part of the game.
The Twins faced their share of injuries this year as well. But, being the punch-n-judy hitters they are, were able to continue manufacturing runs. While the Sox have a great group of players, the Twins have a great TEAM, comprised of players that complement each other and get the job done. I don't think any two Twins players could have been lost for the season that would have changed the season's outcome to this point. The Sox, however, are built around superstars that make or break the club.
Also, about the head to head record? I could care less. Success is measured in championships, as far as I'm concerned.
It's a great rivalry, I can't wait until next year!

[genegodawa]

Pike,

Glad to see you understand the impact that 2 all-stars like Thomas and Ordonez can mean to a team. However, when you say "any 2 players on the Twins", I'm sure you meant "position" players because I don't think you would have been champs without Santana and Radtke. Take those 2 players away and I think the Twins would have been scratching and clawing like the Sox had to do without Thomas and Ordonez.

Not many champs are built around a single all-star. Look at how many diff all-stars the Yanks have to buy just to keep in first.
I wholeheartedly agree it is a 'team' game and EVERY player is important.

Why can't you wait for next year already? I don't think you are giving up on the playoffs with the chance the Twins have, but they will definitely have to get a great team effort to win it all.

But I still want to see Cubs/BoSox in the series.
Gene

[pikehunter]

I think with two position players lost we definitely still win, and with our two aces lost, it would have been very close.
(It's not like we haven't beaten the Sox with our two aces gone for a good chunk of the season before!)
I'm very much looking forward to the postseason, but I love the rivalry that's developed in the division. Clearly the White Sox do to, as it seems they really don't care about the playoffs.Perhaps they only want to play division games.
I mean really, what pro athlete can sit in the clubhouse, talking about how another team winning the division isn't that big of a deal? It's no wonder they can't win one.

[genegodawa]

Pikehunter,
I appreciate the professionalism/tone of your replies. It seems we can build some good discussion so keep it coming.

Bottomfeeder,
As a fellow CPA I am shocked you would resort to name-calling. Winning the weakest division is better than losing, but doesn't give you much to really gloat about. As to the playoff possibilities, you are correct that I am not able to talk much until the Cubs make it in. But if they do, I would want to have a battle of wits with you-so long as I'm not fighting an unarmed man.

Gene

PS Only overpaid losers who have never won a championship would say that winning is no big deal. I think the real chumps might be the guys not making millions but supporting those who do.

[pikehunter]

Gene,
I appreciate the compliment.
I think I feel for you more this year than I did last year. As close as your squad was last year in terms of innings, I felt they were much more close this year in terms of personnel. After the addition of Nomar, I thought the team was finally destined to take care of business. Unfortunately, I'm more worried about the future of the club, since the young guns just can't stay healthy.
I'm a Twins fan through and through, but I think there's a little bit of a Cubs fan in everyone who grew up in the era I did: When you would come home from Little League, or whatever, in the middle of the afternoon, grab a soda and watch the only baseball game on television, live from Wrigley Field. Great stuff.

[buzzsaw]

awww id my buddy WINDYCITY say something about da Bears beating Vikes and knocking out Culpepper?? Ha ha... Once again your wet dreams and comments that have not been thought through don't come true... actually it was your boy Grossman who's season is over.... Which actually stinks! I wanted to see if you guys could get to 4 wins this year with him in the lineup... now we'll have to wait til next year to see if the mighty Bears can get over that 4 - 5 win plateau... I'm saying 4 wins this year and 5 next year.. whatcha think Windy?
P.S. I'm having fun, I hope you are as well.

[bottomfeeder]

The cubs can't even take two out of three from the lowly mets. I highly doubt they will get anywhere in the playoffs, if they even make it.

I guess going .500 against the Twins, is kinda like winning the world series for the White Flags. Maybe next year, eh chumps.

[Mudcutter]

Hey Buzz,
These guys that are windy city fans are kinda fun to read, but not dealing with a full deck. 2 players on the sox out for a majority of the year doesn't equal being behind by 11 games!!! If, and this is big if, they were pitchers, then maybe, but not position players. Imagine if the Twins lost Hunter and Koskie or Jones for the same amount time the pale sox lost thomas and ordorknez, NO BIG DEAL, because the Twins play as a team and don't swing for the fence and have a quality top to bottom franchise with top notch management. The Red SOx and Cubs world series is about the same as Ralph Nader winning the election. 3 reasons why-- the ball between Buckners legs, ( I know this was in the Series, but come on) Steve Bartman, and the Nomar trade. Nomar leaves the Red sox one bat short agst the yanks (or Twins) and becomes a curse in a curse for the much overrated cubs.
The bears beating the Vikes and putting Culpepper out??? What a joke, and why would you wish an injury agst a opposing team?? It comes down to jealousy, Cowards and just plain losers. Oh yeah, windy city yahoos, the Gophs made your wildcats look like sissys' in a thrashing sat night.
had to vent.

[genegodawa]

Pike,

I too remember watching the Cubs in the summer with a nice cold soda after a morning sandlot ballgame with the neighborhood kids. Heck, I remember when the Cubs were on during the day and then the Sox were on at night. That was great for a kid. Today, kids don't even watch baseball or get a group together on the schoolyard field. Very sad to drive by empty ballfields. Only organized stuff now, and too much soccer!

Today the Cub game is on WGN at 1:20 and I'm gonna sneak into our lunchroom and turn it on for a little while. They are not mathematically eliminated yet, so I keep rooting. They are definitely up and down-both pitching and offensively. Oh well, that's baseball.

Gene

[buzzsaw]

TRUE! A part of me kind of hopes that this Windy fella is a tongue in cheek kind of guy... if he's serious then..... well thats too bad. I just want to know what his predictions are for the playoffs?
All Minnesota does is Beat teams from Illinois period. ( :
Arghhh, darn relief pitchers blow Santana's gem today against the New Yorkers! Cy young in the future baby!!