FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[DutchFan2004]

TWS: Will you be at Bethel on Saturday?  It would be a pleasure to meet you...

Big game tonite.  TDT is skipping The Eagles concert to watch the game.  Cobbernation is right on the money here.  Very very important to get out to a good start and take the lead.  The only sound sweeter than a rabid, raucous Metrodome sellout crowd is a dead silent Comiskey Park funeral...

Mayor: Would you like to go Double or Nothing on the wager?  I say the Twins take out Tampa Bay (provided they win tonite on the SouthSide)...

BlueDevilBob: When are you gonna come hang out with us??

I am a little hurt here TDT you didn't even respond to my post.   

[Pat Coleman]

Unfortunately Delmon can't hit a walk-off. The game is in Chicago.

[The White Silly]

TDT:  I will not be at the game on Saturday, but I'll have to see if I can make an appearance someday and meet some you.  I was at the game last year and it was a phenomenal game to watch, hopefully this years will be as well.


Can't wait for the game tonight!!

[Rugman]

TDT:  I will not be at the game on Saturday, but I'll have to see if I can make an appearance someday and meet some you.  I was at the game last year and it was a phenomenal game to watch, hopefully this years will be as well.


Can't wait for the game tonight!!

TGWS, the milestone of getting over -100 karma is courtesy of me.

The White Silly
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[TC]

OK peons, here's how it will go:

Blackburn pitches a complete game shutout. Delmon goes 6 for 6 with a walk-off to end the game and gets carried off the field. Reaching the dugout he collapses in tears upon discovering he finished with a .299, and will not get to split the coveted Hamm's Trophy with TDT.

This is tough to do, unless you plan on keeping Blackburn out there for a day and a half or the Twins load the bases every single inning without scoring.  (And, as Pat notes, playing on the road will make it even tougher.)

There isn't anything I like about this matchup:  Twins suck on the road, Sox are tough to beat at home.  Twins suck against lefties.  Blackburn sucks on the road (5.20 ERA vs. 2.95 at home), especially at the Cell (7.20 in three starts there this year).  The wind is (if you believe the Star Tribune) supposed to be blowing out to CF at 30 MPH.  Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.

Still, the Twins come to Chicago relatively rested and ready.  It would have been great if the score stayed 6-2 into the ninth and the Sox wasted Jenks for an inning, but at least they had to use Thornton, Dotel, Linebrink and Carrasco, who I'm sure are all pretty spent by this point in the season.

An argument can be made for John Danks being the Sox best starter this year, but the fact is he's coming off a pounding by the Indians and is starting on 3-days rest for the first time in his career and has thrown 41 more innings this year than any prior season, not a good combination.  Mauer and Morneau own him--heck, the Twins own him, he has a 6.88 ERA against them in 7 career starts--and he pitches worse at the Cell than on the road.  (Well, everyone does.  Chicago sucks for pitchers.)  Even though we typically turn mediocre-or-better LHPs into Sandy Koufax-reincarnates, at least there's historical hope tonight. 

I want to believe, I really, really, do, but I just don't see it happening tonight.  From earlier in the year:

Speaking of not striking anyone out, I'm skeptical that Blackburn will ever be more than a back-of-the-rotation starter.  He's already 26, K's more than a batter and half per 9 innings less than even Slowey, and for a supposed groundball pitcher doesn't even really get that many groundballs. His ERA is at 3.69 now, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it around 4.25-4.50 by the end of the year.  Of course, that makes him a very valuable commodity over the next 3 or 4 years before he get's expensive, and the Twins' ability to continually churn out pitchers like that (Mark Redman, Joe Mays, Kyle Lohse, Carlos Silva, etc., with a handful more on the horizon) SHOULD keep them from flushing resources down the toilet on pitchers like Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz and Livan Hernandez.

For the record, Blackburn's ERA is currently at 4.14 and I think there is a very good chance it is at least 4.25 at this time tomorrow.  He is what he is: a guy who doesn't strike anyone out, tries to keep his walks to a minimum, and has trouble with homeruns.  He's a 29th round draft pick with the corresponding talent level, which isn't to say he's not a valuable commodity, but he relies a ton on his defense and good fortune keeping the baseball in the ballpark.  That is precisely NOT the kind of pitcher you want starting a winner-take-all game at the Cell with the wind blowing out.

Speaking of blowing, I imagine both bullpens will see extensive action tonight.  I'm just afraid the Twins' pen will be in the game earlier than the Sox' and won't have a lead to protect.

Sorry for the extremely rambling, stream-of-consciousness diatribe.  In summary:  Anything can happen in a single game of baseball, and I would love nothing more than to see the Twins pull this one out, but looking at the matchup objectively doesn't give them a great chance.

[finsleft]

Unfortunately Delmon can't hit a walk-off. The game is in Chicago.

DOH!!   Revision: Delmon's 6th hit is a solo shot in the 9th, to take a 1-0 lead. Then Nathan comes in and pitches a 1-2-3, but all 3 batters hit deep balls to various parts of left field, all caught with spectacular dives by Delmon...etc.,etc.

[TC]

For the record, Blackburn's ERA is currently at 4.14 and I think there is a very good chance it is at least 4.25 at this time tomorrow. 

And I'm back to hedge my bets already...  A 4.25+ season ERA would require about a 3-inning,  4 ER outting and I just don't see his leash being that long tonight.  Still, the point stands:  He was pitching over his head earlier in the season and he's just not all that good.

Now, time to sell some hope:

If any rational Twins fan was offered a 163rd game at the start of this season, they would have hurt themselves leaping for the opportunity.  The Twins still control their own destiny, just like they did before the Sux came to town last week just to get swept out of town.  Speaking of the Sux, they've really lived up to their name the last month.  They're missing their best player and their thirdbasemen and they've been forced to use a 4-man rotation for the last few weeks which has decimated both their rotation and their bullpen.

Speaking of their bullpen, their relievers should just trade in their gloves for gas cans at this point.  If the Tigers had anything to play for besides to honor of tieing the f'ing Royals for last place rather than holding that post outright, even that 8-2 lead wouldn't have necessarily been safe last night. 

Honestly, Chicago, a blackout?  I hope Nick Blackburn really makes them regret that decision.  If I were the White Sox, I'd worry less about coordinating my fans' outfits and more about keep my fans from assaulting an umpire.  But I guess they already have a ton on their plates, trying to keep their manager and players from assaulting each other...

It's going to be a bitter fall for Chicago sports fans: after tonight, the only thing standing between them and a Kyle Orton-intesive black hole is the Cubs' ability to end their 100-year drought.  And we all know how that's going to end...   

[BDB]

Unfortunately Delmon can't hit a walk-off. The game is in Chicago.

DOH!!   Revision: Delmon's 6th hit is a solo shot in the 9th, to take a 1-0 lead. Then Nathan comes in and pitches a 1-2-3, but all 3 batters hit deep balls to various parts of left field, all caught with spectacular dives by Delmon...etc.,etc.

Almost fins.

After 2 diving over the fence catches in the bottom of the 9th, Delmon comes in and pitches to AJ Pierzinski, getting down 3-0 by placing AJ on the ground with 3 fast balls just off the chin, then lays out AJ with 2 strikes on the inside corner and a major swing and miss on the outside of the plate for the game winning out number 3.  8)

[finsleft]

Good call, BDB. See TC? You're waaaay over-analyzing this game.

[retagent]

Since "The Season" is over, what Delmon does today is irrelevant. This is the first game of "The Playoffs". It should not count for purposes of the bet IMHO. Anyone else care to weigh in?

Since I have to put up with more coverage of baseball preseason than hockey during the stretch run of the hockey season, I would hope we could discuss hockey when the season starts.

[sju56321]

TC:
Just like your expertise on Kofoed, you will be wrong again where the Cubs are concerned.
BTW-what is the Vikings record? Bitter Fall for Chicago-Hello, wake up TC!
And I actually like the Twins.

[PRF07]

Since "The Season" is over, what Delmon does today is irrelevant. This is the first game of "The Playoffs". It should not count for purposes of the bet IMHO. Anyone else care to weigh in?

Season isn't over.  This game counts towards purposes of regular season stats according to the MLB.  I cannot explain why, but mr. Commissioner says so. 

[BDB]

Since "The Season" is over, what Delmon does today is irrelevant. This is the first game of "The Playoffs". It should not count for purposes of the bet IMHO. Anyone else care to weigh in?

I believe the stats tonight all count towards the regular season, including Mauer's efforts as they pertain to the batting title.

Since I have to put up with more coverage of baseball preseason than hockey during the stretch run of the hockey season, I would hope we could discuss hockey when the season starts.

If it helps retagent, son of BDB has fall hockey camp practice #3 tonight. 

[TC]

TC:
Just like your expertise on Kofoed, you will be wrong again where the Cubs are concerned.
BTW-what is the Vikings record? Bitter Fall for Chicago-Hello, wake up TC!
And I actually like the Twins.

Yeah, after seeing the studs SJU had on the bench last year play this season, it's pretty clear that the only thing standing between the Johnnies and the 2007 Stagg Bowl was Alex Kofoed...

[tmerton]

This just in from the SJU Office of University Relations:

You can nominate Saint John's University head coach John Gagliardi for the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors the college football coaches who best exemplify responsibility and excellence on and off the field of play.  You can cast a vote each day for Gagliardi to be one of five Division III finalists until Dec. 6 at www.coachoftheyear.com. 

Finalists will be announced Dec. 12.  Once finalists have been selected, fans will vote for the winner.  Fan votes are combined with votes from select College Football Hall Of Fame members and members of the national media to pick the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coaches of the Year

Aw, come on guys, let someone else win it.