Twins IN July

[Mudcutter]

Just got done at looking at the Twins schedule in July. They must play some good ball to have a decent chance in catching the SOX. They play 6 times agst the angles, and boston and the yanks on the road 3 times.. 5 games agst the tigers due to a make up game. Throw in some games agst the royals and other winnable games, the twins need to win at least 17 games to put the heat on the sox. The sox are on pace to win 111 games. It's going to be hard, but the Twins have pulled it off before, but going agst the best team the SOX has ever fielded (just as good the 1917 black sox or better) it's going to be tough to bite into a 9.5 game lead.

Nice thing about the playoffs thou now is the wild card. The Wild card is not as a long shot as it is in football. You can lose you division by 10-15 games, and as long as you win the wild card, the only thing you have agst you is playing a possible extra game on the road in the playoffs.

Ask the Angels of 02, the Marlins of 03 and the Red Sox of 04 how much that hurt them!!!!!

NO Pale hose fans, not giving up yet, but it would be nice to knock you out when it really counts!!!!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Mud,

Very true stats there, you seem to be a voice of reason amongst some rabid Twinkie-Lovers. The Twinks do have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way. I think they only have something like 40 games or so against teams with a .500 record or better so they should be able to make a run if they are up to it. I just don't see it happening because I agree with you Mud, this is the best team I have ever seen the Sox field. I was born in 59 so I didn't catch many of those games what with nursing and filling up diapers and all! The Southside Hit Men were a fun team to watch with all the homers and the other playoff teams were fun to watch during the regular season but the playoffs were another story, 3 and out in Seattle. This year the difference is pitching. I think that a three man rotation of Buehrle, Garland and Garcia is going to be awful hard to beat 2 out of 3 times and with travel days, they can basically use 3 pitchers through most of the playoffs.

Anyway, enough baseball talk, I have brats to burn and fingers to blow off (just kidding) Hope all my FM brothers have a safe and happy 4th of July!

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!

[genegodawa]

Hey Windy,

After all those brats, did you fill up any diapers?

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

I thought so for a moment Geno, but it was just "wind".

Have a safe and happy 4th Mi Amigo!

Windy

[Mudcutter]

Windy-

I agree with you on the Sox's pitching. That's the reason (along with a more contact/ Hit and run team compared to slugging teams of the past and bad fielding teams) that I respect the White SOx. Being a realistic, HUGE Twins Fan, the odds are stacked agst the Twins in catching the white sox. Not to talk down about the Twins (they are 3-4 games ahead of last years pace) but 8.5 games is tough to make up agst a solid def and pitching team the white sox throw out. No more Valentine throwing the ball into right field on a potential DP. They play to win, not like the Cubs. They get the job done on D.

I was wrong on my Black Sox team of 1917. The real Black Sox was in 1919.

anyways-- the Twins schedule Windy is not that easy. 6 games agst Angels (winner of 50 games), at least 10-12 games agst you guys and CLev in aug and sept to end the season is tough enough. The Twins need to win over 98 games to even make it intersting. But the Wild card is the jewel of the nile in MLB. What other sport can you finish 2nd in your div and not be really penalized in the postseason?? The White Sox may even help the Twins out by beating teams like CLev, BAlt, and Texas in helping the Twins get the WC.

I personally think they should add another wild card team and have those 2 wild card teams play a 1 game playoff on the mon after the season ends. That makes it more fair for the true champs of each DIV.

Just my thoughts.

Muddy

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Muddy,

As Artie Johnson used to say on Laugh-In..."Very Interesting". Don't know if you are old enough or not to remember Laugh In but two wild card teams would be very interesting, not sure about the 1 game playoff though. Have to sit on it and think for a while.

[fishpepin]

Windy City,

You are a real piece of work. If I had a dog like you I would shoot the SOB. Lets make a sporting bet, If the White Sox win the World Series, I will come to Chicago and buy you dinner and drinks at your choice of place. If they don't, just shut your mouth and never post on this site again!!!!!! Deal? Put up or shut up!!!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Hey there Pepe,

Welcome to the deep end of the pool, my boy. For the life of me, I can't figure out what the heck you are talking about. I was in agreement with my buddy Mud and was saying that his notion was very interesting. Did you have one too many M-80's go off too close to you today, or maybe you had one too many Leininkugels? What ever the case, I would hate to have all my Minnesota buddies miss my pearls of wisdom for the rest of the year and I can afford my own dinner and drinks. I guess there will be more Twinkie fans who get a little crazy as the pounding hoofs of the Injuns draw closer. What are they now a half game behind the Twinks? Here's to the 3rd place Minnesota Twins!

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!

[genegodawa]

Windy,

Stop it! M-80's, Deep End, Pearls of Wisdom, Dinner and drinks to get you to give up free speech....you're killing me! LMAO..great way to start a Tues am at work.

He sounds like the kind of guy, that if he was drowning in the deep end, I'd offer him a drink of water.

Don't you just love fighting an unarmed man?

Exit, stage left, laughing all the way....

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Now Geno,

Behave. If my boy Pepe was drowning in the deep end I would not give him a drink of water. I would, however, throw him an anchor!!!

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!

P.S. Sorry about the Cubbies slide, but I think we both saw it coming. As Brick used to say...Wait Till Next Year!

[fishpepin]

Windy call it what you want, but we all know it is just cowardice on your part plus a lack of confidence in the Pale Hose.

[genegodawa]

Shoot, Windy, I would call it confidence not cowardice. Me? I'm always confident enough to place a bet in Vegas on the Cubs to win the Series even before the season starts. Confident or not, the odds are worth the risk to any Cub fan. Risk and reward go hand in hand.

Maybe he has only known the reward of being a Twin fan and obviously isn't dealing too well with the risk right now.

I know you were just trying to save the guy some money so why don't you make it a nice cash bet, and to make it interesting, let him have the Twins. Then we will see who the coward is, won't we?

[james_walleye]

I would say the rewards of being a twins fan has just been a tad bit higher than any rewards of being a fan of either of the chicago teams.

As far as Fishpepin is concerned, i think he was just doing his best Mark Buehrle imitation by calling out the white sox posibilities of winning the world series.

[fishyguy]

Quote:

---

Maybe he has only known the reward of being a Twin fan and obviously isn't dealing too well with the risk right now.

I know you were just trying to save the guy some money so why don't you make it a nice cash bet, and to make it interesting, let him have the Twins. Then we will see who the coward is, won't we?

---

Mean Gene,

I got to admit I would not place any bets against the Sox until they cool off a little bit but I am not sure how it is a knock to only know the rewards of being a Twins fan. If you were a Yankee or Braves fan I could see your point but you got to be kidding if a Cubbies fan is knocking the reward a Twins fan gets out of his team.

I don't think Windy's response was cowardice at all but I got to admit you lost me with your reply.

[genegodawa]

My inference of knowing the rewards of being a Twins fan was having won the division the last 3 years. Much more rewarding than either ChiTown team for sure.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Hello Boys,

Just got back from "Raisin' Hell at The Cell". Caught a great game, lots of defense, some decent pitching, some not and The Big Hurt comes thru in the clutch with a 3 run blast to win the game!

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!

[TNFL]

Hell in the cell, 3 run blast into the night. Copy paste on every thread in this forum. Very entertaining

[pikehunter]

"Raisin Hell in the Cell" ??

Did you guys beat up another first base coach Windy?

[genegodawa]

Windy,

I like the rhyme, but not the reason.

I know every game is important and you certainly don't want to let down against poor teams, but braggin' about whippnig the DRays? Sox fans are starting to remind me of that 98lb weakling that works out and then can kick sand in everyones face just to get back at them for years of abuse.

And by the way, you gonna be able to get me any playoff tix?

[CNY Tim]

gene - I am sorry to see D. Lee go down he was on an absolute tear, hopefully this MRI reveals nothing and it's just a "tweak" in his shoulder, they need him and so doesn't baseball. I couldn't believe that Dusty said he's had it for about two weeks now, that's a gamer...

I never brag about beating teams because any givin game, series or season can be determined by freak injuries and slumps and inept pitching. Shtuff happens.

I think the Nats are baseballs big story, got out of that hockey crock pot up-north of the boarder and have been welcomed well and supported by our nations capitol, good for them.

[james_walleye]

I think what we all want too know is if you made it home from the game with all the hub caps in place on your vehicle.

[genegodawa]

Tim, just heard about Derek. He has been going good for sure. Hope he is ok too. Good for Chicago fans to have a decent guy as an all-star. Gotta admit I didn't like him over Choi originally but seems to have worked out for both this year.

Cardinals don't have much to worry about and it is good the Nats get most headlines now. But I hate to see a bunch of no-names take over headlines....like a few yrs ago when the Pirates did it. Maybe it won't last for them either. Will admit that anything is better than just Bonds this, Bonds that in the news all the time.

About bragging...I always remember that every team wins one and every team loses one but its the 3rd game that makes the diff, and not too many teams always win that 3rd one so there is not alot of bragging to do.

Riddle me this Batman...why are they so afraid of Bonds if they keep pitching to Manny?

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Geno,

If you talk real nice to me, and give up your "honey holes" on Cass, I might squeeze you into our skybox for the playoffs. But if we face the Cardinals in the World Series you better not cheer for the Redbirds or my buddies may throw you over the glass! LOL

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[CNY Tim]

Windy - Your team is wearing the wrong colored sox... :^)

If we can get there again I want Boston!

What a pitching gem last night between Chris Carpenter and Javier Vazquez, both were dealing last night. With a 1-1 score going in to the top of the 9th, Molina doubles, Nunez sacrifice bunts pinch runner Taguchi to 3rd and David Eckstein takes a sinking fastball and got enough wood on it to put it in play and squeeze Taguchi home. Izzy picks up his 200th career save....This team never ceases to amaze me they play small ball, home run ball, singles ball and just get the job done.

The entire NL west division is in an absolute funk right now the hottest team in that division is the sub .500 Colorado Rockies??? It would be nice to break out the brooms today before we head to San Francisco. I'm getting spoiled this weekend and will be able to watch two of the 3 games against the Giants. Being from New York you don't get to see many red bird games here so it was a treat to watch them last night on ESPN2 even if it was a 1000 p.m. start.

[genegodawa]

Windy,

I'm too introverted (nyuk, nyuk) to root against the home team no matter where. We used to go on annual bus trips to Busch and even under the influence I was always afraid to voice my opinion too loudly against the Cards even though, as with most parts of the country, there usually are more Cub fans than home-team fans in attendance. I might not be a big SSide fan along the way, but deep-down I'm a ChiTown fan so no need to worry about me rooting for the Cards (sorry CNYTim!)

Shoot me an email if you want to trade secrets. Your trip is coming up fast you lucky PaleHoser.