Twins Highlights for 2011: Mr. Thome's 600th In Multiview

In 2011, we Twins fans had the wonderful distraction of watching Bert Blyleven join the Hall of Fame ranks.

We beheld the sad passing of Harmon Killebrew (Homerun Derby, Hulu).

We could gaze at the tranquil, Minneapolis skyline behind the Target Field confines.

We stared in puzzlement & disappointment at the difficulties of newcomer Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

We stared some more at the Minneapolis skyline, while our team of recruits flailed...

But for sheer on-field pleasure, I don't know what kind of smoldering wreck 2011 would have been without the exploits of Gentleman Jim Thome and his quest for career homerun 600...

This photo set originally appeared at Starlins And Pinstripes blog (Tumblr)

The milestone game was at Comerica Park in Detroit, August 15th, 2011 (game log at BBRef).

Jim was traded 10 days later back to his original team, the Cleveland Indians.

It was an amicable parting of ways for him and the Twins, a means for him to

play yet with a team that was contention for the pennant. In short, it wasa way to say

 "Thanks" for all the good he did for Minnesota in his short stay with the club.

As our dear, old friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, put it: "...And the count rides along." - TT

Everlasting Impressions in Gif, July 2011

Today's post is a Twins smorgasbord of gif images, one of my newest photographic fixations. Each of the scenes below easily rank among the most famous in the short history of Target Field. They were moments of incredible joy in this season of angst, poor play, and suspect front office / on-field managerial decisions.

That aside, witness Ben Revere's stumbling, bumbling, but ultimately successful jaunt to third during the Friday, July 15th game against the Royals. He would eventually score the Twins only run in that game.  We sat in perfect view of Ben rounding second from our perch in the Legends Club section. See the smiling visage of third base coach Steve Liddle as the modern day Dick Van Dyke pulls in to station. See the full video at MLB.com, with Kris Attebury's play-by-play.

Goofiness aside, this is a perfect illustration of Revere's penchant to
overslide the base; you'd swear he never heard of a popup slide.

That same weekend, in the Sunday, July 17th contest Jim Thome gave us his own take on "The Natural." His mammoth shot (career number 596) into the upper deck in right field produced this gaping reaction from Delmon Young...Jim's resolute, Bunyan-esque expression...the fans' reaction behind the Twins dugout...this is just an all-time Twins classic moment! See Dick Bremer's call at MLB.Com.

I count myself fortunate to have witnessed the above two plays in person, with old friends!
They were originally presented at Twinkietown, by Jesse Lund

Now, flash back nearly one calendar year...

One of the more humorous sights for me is the spectacle of grown, macho men whole-heartedly laying hands on one another in moments of sheer joy. It is summer, the season has moved into its middle portion, and the moon is high. Inhibitions have disappeared, and the need to punch your friend in the ass reigns unchecked. A bottle of red wine, a soft jazz cd playing in the...er, I digress...this spectacle features Carl Pavano unleashing his famous right sucker punch (pitch?) on Orlando Hudson's derriere. The You Tube video gives some idea of the hysteria, if not much visual of the errant throw from Alex Rios from rightfield that allowed O-Dawg  to score the the winning run.

No word on whether the Stash Man had recently rented the Malcolm McDowell classic, "Caligula."

 

This transpired immediately following the Twins first Target Field walk-off hit (by Delmon Young), on July 18, 2010. Denard Span (#2) appears oblivious to the mayhem, while Nick Punto's (#8) expression seems to turn from exhilaration to "NO...STOP IT!!!"

It is in the revisiting of happy, inventoried memories that feelings of depression are conquered.

As good, old Herb Carneal would say "...and the count rides along." - TT

Twins Gleefully Welcome Back Jim Thome-Signs With Twins For 2011

You would have sworn Norman Rockwell was perched in the left field bleachers at Target Field with his easel, beret, paint palette and brushes,  etching Big Jim's posterior for posterity. Thome arrives at home plate on the night of August 17, 2010, after his walk off walk off two-run homer (box at Baseball Ref.)  beat the Chicago White Sox.  I say that painting of the Thanksgiving family doesn't look half as joyous as this (photo by Bruce Kluckhorn/Getty Images, from Sept. 27, 2010 Issue of SI (newstand edition)). Greatest picture of 2010 Twins season! QUESTION: was entire roster over-medicated on Ritalin at the time of photo shoot?

It bears repeating. In 2010, Thome:

 * Led the Twins in homers, with 25 in 276 at-bats

* Had a .412 on-base percentage, and a .627 slugging percentage (combined 1.039 OPS)

* Walked 60 times, batted .283, and scored 48 runs in only 108 games (statistics from Baseball Reference)

* proudly wore the retro Twins uni with as much throwback grace as anyone

It was one of the most noteworthy offensive displays by an individual batter in the first decade of this century, especially when you extrapolate his numbers over 500 at-bats and factor in that said player was 39 years old at season's end.

The opinion has been expressed that Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire under-utilized Thome before the  concussion injury of Justin Morneau sidelined the superb first baseman and cleanup hitter after July 7.  Thome mashes righthanders far better than rightfielder Michael Cuddyer (.261/.319/.423,  over last three seasons) which should appeal to the field general's grasp of Aristotelian logic. In the perfect world, that is... 
 
 

To clarify: anytime a righthander is facing the Twins (roughly 100 games out of 162) it would seem to dictate that Mike Man should be warming the bench, deferring to Big Jim. Would Gardy sit Cuddy after taking in these stats? Fat chance, owing to his tendecy to stroke veteran players' egos, not wanting to offend their poor, fragile sensibilities. Seems dumb, easy choice to you and me-"hmm, Hall-of-Fame caliber player instead of long-time regular??"- but that's politics (logic courtesy of Aaron Gleeman site article).



The full panorama of the above photo, including fat guy (Matt Capps),

 at left. Didn't fit into original SI article, for obvious reasons.
Photo version from Gleeman site. Full text of SI story is here.

 May Your Taters Fly Far!

TT

For Ye Twins Fan, A Long, Long, Hard Fall Into Winter...

Leif Enger sums up the "disgruntledness," and sad longing for many of us. April is so damn far away...


Autumn for the Desolate Twins Fan from Leif Enger on Vimeo.

Dripping cold, the spare guitar of Robert Johnson, grainy black and white. Such sweet sorrow!

And to quote the great funk poet R. James, "[waiting for the Twins and winter to end] bums the *&%# otta me."

May Your Taters Fly Far...
Twinkler Out

The Argument Against Jim Thome's Hall of Fame Candidacy

I have problems with his argument against Thome. Interesting, anyway... Bob Coen's article at The Baseball Page website offers some food for thought.  Would like to have you weigh in!

May Your Taters Fly Far!
Twinkler Out

Classic Twins Game of The Week: Jim Thome Booms Walk Off Homerun! Aug. 17, 2010

Jim Thome follows through on his game-winning homerun on August 17,  the first "walk-off" homer
ever hit at Target Field in Minneapolis.  The 581st of his career, and he cranked the living crap out of it.

Jim has since hit his 586th career dinger (on Tuesday, 9/8/10, 6th inning off

Luke Hochevar) which narrowly missed hitting the flagpole in right field. It tied him
with Frank Robinson for 8th on the all-time homerun list. He passed THAT on Sat. night, 9-11!

TURN DOWN YOUR VOLUMN for the above video to see the big tater! Thome's shot can also be seen in this official Twins MLB video, which gives the standard camera shot from centerfield.  Irritating drunk driver (another evil white male) psa precedes the clip!

Jim Thome's game winning homer on Aug. 17 (see box score and game details at this link) was huge in this modern Classic Twins Game of The Week. It was spectacular. It brought to mind the past glories of a Harmon Killebrew, bashing a big fly just before the All Star break in 1965. And it was hit off the Chicago Stinking White Sox' best reliever, Matt Thornton, in the 10th inning, nobody out, with one strike, to drive in Delmon Young to give the Twins a 7-6 victory! And it gave lefty reliever Ron Mahay a cheap victory, who came in to get out the last Sox hitter in the top of the 10th after Chicago tied the score. The Twins went up four games over their division rival with this win. Boo-yah!

Numbers Schmumbers

Thome has given the Twins amazing production for a one-year, $1.5 million investment this off season, hitting .278/.407/.636 with 22 homers, 16 doubles, and 52 walks in 297 plate appearances. Among all AL hitters with at least 250 plate appearances Thome leads the league in slugging percentage (.635) and at-bats per homer (11.0) while ranking fourth in OPS (1.042) behind only Justin Morneau, Miguel Cabrera, and Josh Hamilton. He's also good at making those chocolate chip muffins too, I hear.

America, Rock & Roll, Shaving Cream Pies & A Chevy Hit & Run Over Jon Rauch

Twins fans love this guy as if he were one of their own.  He comes across as a ego-free team player, and humble as Dudley Dooright. He's always passing off credit meant for him to his teammates and the other team, for the love of Pete Redfern!! Go ahead - watch him on the bench during TV games - you're liable to see him giving away hitting nuggets to younger players such as Dan Valencia. A coincidence that Valencia is now a rookie of the year candidate? I think not!


Speaking of nuggets: it took a lot of them for partial closer and complete knucklehead Jon Rauch to give Thome a shaving cream pie in the face (see stupid baseball player pranks) during a post game interview.

And again, from another angle, with more of humble Jim discoursing on his exploits...



Probably a lucky thing for Rauch that Big Jim didn't relieve him of his head from his shoulders after that stunt!

For another day...

AS AN ADDED BONUS, THIS VIDEO FROM THE JUNE 28TH GAME AGAINST DETROIT...JIM THOME HITTING HIS FIRST TRIPLE SINCE 2004!!



May YOUR taters fly far too!
Twinkler Out

Twins Trade Glen Perkins & Francisco Liriano In Exchange For Pitching Legends!

After the devastating news Tuesday of Joe Nathan's ligament damage, Twins General Manager Billy Smith had seen the usually bright and happy Twins spring training clubhouse transform into something akin to the apocalyptic cover of Led Zeppelin's "Houses Of The Holy" album.

                                   

In one corner of the room was Delmon Young, seen giving "How To Be Unfriendly With The Press" lessons to All American Joe Mauer, while Justin Morneau and Jim Thome were in another cold-cocking one another with their bats, tiffing over who gets to bat fourth this year. Thus, to turn the tide, Smith went out and procured two of the best available free agents still on the market - veteran right hander Charlie Brown of the Charlie Brown All-Stars, and the eccentric Nuke LaLoosh of the Durham Bulls. 

Brown, a soft-tosser best known for giving up a record 100 runs to a pickup team of girls in the 1969 movie "He's Your Dog Charlie Brown," is thought by Smith to be useful in a specialist relief role, to pitch to righthanded batters.  "You never know - guys like him, Bugs Bunny for instance, throw so slow that they can get cartoon hitters to swing and miss three times on one pitch, what with the pinwheeling effect. "

One concern Smith voiced is Brown's makeup, as he's historically demonstrated a lack of confidence in pressure situations, an attribute not appealing in relief pitchers.

Also, line drives hit up the middle have left him undressed,with tiny imaginary birds spinning about his head; the specter of Brown lying scantily clad on the mound, causing potential morals violations (not even getting into child labor issues), is a situation the Twins have never had to deal with. "But for American schoolchildren," Smith went on "he's been an iconic figure for almost three generations, and should be a draw for people to come out to Target Field this year!"

Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, who threw nearly 100 MPH in the movie "Bull Durham," and wore bad leisure suits in the same,  is a character of another sort.  Best known for his off-beat attitude, he is thought to be the best closer candidate because of his brash approach.  Asked how he would have pitched to Alex Rodriguez with the bases loaded in the 2009 ALCS, he scoffed and said "[I'd] want to give him the heat and announce my presence with authority!

When told that Manager Ron Gardenhire is a "player's manager," one who likes to help his players stay relaxed so that they can perform well and have fun, he was overheard muttering "Have fun?  He's old, what does he know about fun?  I'm young...I know how to have fun.  I have a Porsche." 

Stay tuned...this should be an interesting year!

Meanwhile, equally brash and crybaby-ish lefthanders Glen Perkins and Francisco Liriano tearfully cleaned out there lockers, after vengefully loading the clubhouse clothes dryer with wet bubblegum (remember: they're lefties...EVIL!).  Perkins stalked about, ordering clubhouse boys to fill his satchel and carry it for him to the taxi.  Liriano went about Dazed and Confused(as is his norm).  GM Smith said "We're happy as can be to get rid er, provide them with a new venue to showcase their talent." And save on the clubhouse food budget, in the process!

Twinkler Out!

Possible Drawback To Thome Signing

Ask any red blooded American male, and they'll tell you that the allure of the "Baseball Annies" (heretofore used to designate camp followers, groupies, overzealous female sabrematricians...) is downright overpowering, especially those tall, cool ones in the red dresses, pining for those galoots in the 500 Home Run Club.

Such is evidenced by this intimate photo of herr Thome, once again drawn to lip lock on the warning track back of first base, caught on camera during the 7th inning stretch. As is his norm, the big fellow wandered drunkenly back to his position, a silly grin plastered on his face.

Less important is the lack of defensive prowess James T. is able to bring off the bench. As O.J. Simpson might say (another man who had run-ins with attractive blondes..) nobody's perfect. I write with lousy cursive under duress, and Sampson suddenly turned impotent with the ocassional bad haircut.

And no one ball player, save for Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Henry Aaron, Stan Musial, etc., ever had it made! Though Thome occupies a spot on the bench Gardy would normally reserve for mediocre, light hitting infielders, his leadership, attitude and professionalism should make him an excellent fit for the Minnesota Twins.

Welcome to Minnesota, big fella!

Twinkler Out!

Jim Thome Signs With Twins For 2010!!

With the announcement today of Mr. Jim Thome's signing, Twins fans throughout the upper midwest were pinching themselves, no doubt remembering the bloody carnage the former Cleaveland Indian wrought against Twins pitchers in the past.

Rick Reed, the most prolific pitching victim of Thome's murderous rampages coyly declinedto comment on the transaction, with a sly arching of one of his eyebrows. Reports had him being contacted in connection with the new opening as Thome's personal batting practice pitcher.

Whatever transpires, he will probably be asked to stand in when the longtime Twins handshaking logo develops power failures atop the Target Field scoreboard, or just needs a reasonable facsimile to represent the Twin Cities.

Good Luck Paul, er, Jim!