Some Context...A Rare Occurrence at Classic Minnesota Twins!
Good luck with all that.
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Things got surreal and left-of-center at Target Field the other night. To wit: naked frat guy |
Wednesday was a rather big,news day in foreign affairs. An Afghan air force officer, possibly a Taliban agent, gunned down 9 Americans...Libyan and Syrian security forces continued the abhorrent murdering of their own citizens...Ominously, from the West Bank, came news that the rival Palestinian forces of Fatah and Hamas were unified, to the dismay of their mutual enemy Israel...Over in Britain, the lid was bubbling over with anticipation over the British royal wedding, in all its pomp and over-the-top circumstance...A catastrophic series of super-cell tornadoes decimated areas in 6 U.S. states, killing nearly 300 people...Meanwhile, the news of President Barack Obama's release of his long form birth certificate took a stranglehold on national media outlets, with the intention of squashing the long-standing debate over the President's country of birth.
Good luck with all that.
The National Anthem from Wednesday night. View gives idea of Minneapolis skyline,
and that of the main grandstand and distinctive canopy. I filmed by left field foul pole.
And with the hurricane of events encircling us, where did 36,714 Minnesotans go to escape the turmoil? Why, to our state's favorite new sports toy, Target Field, of course! Our little jewel on the prairie is but a virtual preschooler in the pantheon of Major League Baseball parks. What can I say? Life is to be lived. To be enjoyed.
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Game time temp was about 40 degrees. Then the snow started in the 2nd inning. A cold breeze of f Lake Nokomis began to blow. To hades with the warm chocolate! It's a cold one for the birthday boy. |
It was my buddy Al's birthday, in a matter of hours, anyway. And wouldn't ya know it...the wondrous Hand of the Baseball Gods reached down to hand us free tickets...thank you, friends, demigods! Their loss, our gain.
Against this background of mirth and narcissism is this truth, that is no secret in Minnesota: the Twins are on (ahem!) hard times. And how! As this is posted, catcher Joe Mauer, second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and left fielder Delmon Young are each on the disabled list. Rumour has it, even trainer Rick McWane has a powerful case of the yips (overthrew a container of Advil to Ron Gardenhire).
Wound-licking, groaning. Sad-ass blues music. Ohhhhhh-Nellie!
Wound-licking, groaning. Sad-ass blues music. Ohhhhhh-Nellie!
Compounding that stress is the continuing, uncertain return to form of first baseman Justin Morneau (concussion), and star reliever Joe Nathan (Tommy John elbow ligament surgery). Their slapstick, error-prone replacements, and under performing veterans (COUGH!-Alexi Casilla) are currently transforming the once-proud Minnesota Twins into the laughing stocks of baseball...this is just a natural fact, provable by the scientific method if you will. Sure as the cock crowed three times for Pistol Pete in Jerusalem, the boys in home pinstripes layed one, horrific, rotten egg for us to inhale. An 8-2 loss. And the count rides along...
That crap notwithstanding, I'll trot out an old saying, modified for the occasion: a bad day at the ballpark is still better than a good day at work. Target Field, no matter what your attitude towards sports commercialism and stadium politics, is one HELL of a good place to be, even for a bad baseball game!
That crap notwithstanding, I'll trot out an old saying, modified for the occasion: a bad day at the ballpark is still better than a good day at work. Target Field, no matter what your attitude towards sports commercialism and stadium politics, is one HELL of a good place to be, even for a bad baseball game!
Please don't pull an Elvis and fire upon your computer monitor.
It's only 'Lexi. I consider this video rather pretty, and not only for that clock.
from Michael Busch on Vimeo.
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| Behold, one of the Twins few bright spots! |
I have reason to hope for this team. Yes, the players' problems with base running, pitching, hitting, throwing, fielding, relaying coaching signals from third, spitting sunflower seeds without emitting saliva about the chops, properly scratching their privates, cussing out bad umpires competently - purt'n near every thing that can be done on, in, or around a baseball field - are disconcerting, agonizing. But they are not problems without solutions. The Twins are not a team that is completely, utterly broken. The advent of the sun's warmth, green grass, budding flowers and chirping birds will also (hopefully) coincide with rejuvenated pitching arms, quicker bats, and ballplayers returned to health.
Watch for guy in Santa outfit on monitor, while PA pipes in Christmas music.
All-in-all, owing to the snowy climes, the apocalyptic drubbing of the Twins,
we felt a historical vibe upon leaving the ballpark, as if we'd
escaped Normandy's Omaha Beach together. I exaggerate not.
from Michael Busch on Vimeo.
Those things failing, there's always the June amateur player draft, games on the radio, summer barbecues long, reflective walks around the area lakes, and hoping for next season .
Plus, the magic of the Classic Minnesota Twins blog for you to read. You can count on that!
As good, ol" Herb Carneal would say: "And the count rides along..." TT
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| Tony Oliva, the kid from Cuba |
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| Don't mess with the gods. |
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