Category "Cheesehead Craig"

Category "Life"

Category "Stadiums 2006"

Category "Twins"

May 30, 2006

Life is good

• What the heck people!?!?!? What the heck am I supposed to write about? For the past three nights I have sat down at my computer ready to lay into those morons at the legislature only to realize they have actually passed a workable stadium bill! Can you believe it? Who am I supposed to lay into now? This recent development has changed my life. You remember the Seinfeld episode where George stops having sex and becomes more intelligent? That is now happening to me. Not thinking about stadiums has freed up oodles of time and brain waves. I can feel myself getting smarter, healthier, happier. Needless to say, I am a better person because the legislature passed a workable stadium bill. In fact, the Minnesota legislature may have actually saved my life (if not my marriage). It is a strange feeling not having to think about stadiums. I kinda like it.

• So, Cheesehead Craig and I were watching the Twins game on Sunday when we started talking about the players on the current Twins roster that will be around when the new stadium opens in 2010. Specifically, we asked the question, what 5 players do you want to see on the Twins roster when the new stadium opens in 2010? What five players do you want to still see in a Twins uniform in 2010? Anyway, here is the list I came up with:

Johnan Santana
Francisco Liriano
Joe Mauer
Justin Moreneau
Torii Hunter

Yep, that is my list and I'm sticking to it. Santana and Liriano are no brainers, Mauer is a must have, and Moreneau ... I just really like him. But more than anything, I want to see Torii Hunter in a Twins uniform in 2010. I think he has given enough of himself and his body to stick around 4 more years. Pohlad has already said he wants Torii to stick around. Torii himself has said he wants to stick around. And this isn't because I think he is the best player, or because I don't think Denard Span will be ready, it is only because seeing Torii Hunter in center field on opening day 2010 will make me feel good. It will give me the warm fuzzies all over. It will make me happy. And I like to be happy. If you've got a list of your own, put it in the comments.

• So, I got an email from Jiminstpaul today. Jiminstpaul has been reading this blog almost as long as Cheesehead Craig, and more importantly Jiminstpaul is putting together the big New Ballpark Celebration going on this Thursday at the Summit Brewery Rathskellar (you are invited). Anyway, when Jim first came up with this idea last year to hold a "ballpark celebration" it was going to be just for "Greet Machiners" ... maybe 20-30 people who read this blog and who would be interested in getting together to quaff a few brews in the company of friends. Well, Jim now tells me that his little party has been advertised in the Star Tribune and on Cities 97. What was originally going to be 20-30 people may now actually be hundreds of people. So, are you coming? I'll remind you again tomorrow.

• So, I got a comment today from long time reader, and stadium opponent, David Wintheiser that was just too good to not highlight:

Betty Crocker Park. Come on.

General Mills has long been a supporter of pro sports in the Cities - they had a long-standing agreement with the Vikings to purchase unsold tickets so that Vikes games wouldn't be blacked out on local TV, though that agreement finally ended some time around the start of the Red McCombs era. It's a well-known Minnesota company with strong ties, would make a nice family-friendly image, and opens up some interesting cross-marketing opportunities, since food is a big reason to go to a game (and Hormel will still be there regardless).

And those of us who aren't quite classy enough to get behind the ballpark now that it's a fait accompli can refer to the place as 'The Crock'. It's a win-win!

I'm sorry, but that is funny. "The Crock!" Genius! David! Where the heck have you been all this time? By the way, I think some Summit Brewery fans/employees have made my little poll on the ballpark's potential name a little less than "scientific." For shame! I'm of half a mind to declare Land O'Lakes Park the winner and start the negotiations for naming rights! Don't mess with the Greet Machine!

• Finally, back to my opening point. What the heck am I supposed to write about now that the legislature has passed a ballpark bill? I'm sure I'll write about more ballpark stuff as the news comes out, but 2010 is four years away, and as I said above, I don't want to think about this anymore. It isn't healthy.

So, after the big New Ballpark Celebration, I may take a little break. I've got to regroup and "reinvent" this little site. I may talk more about music, or religion, or books, or libraires (I am a librarian), or maybe all of the above, including new ballparks. We'll see. Whatever the case, I am looking forward to a little vacation. Hopefully I'll see you on Thursday!

Posted by snackeru at 08:26 PM | Comments (14) | Cheesehead Craig | Life | Stadiums 2006 | Twins

Category "Stadiums 2006"

Category "Twins"

April 04, 2006

Let the games begin

• Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way: I am very excited for the first Twins game of the season today. Santana vs. Halladay should be a good one. And I am also excited to see 1) Kubel take over right field, 2) Liriano get the Rookie of the Year award, and 3) Morneau belt over 30 homers. I think all of this is a given. So, let the games begin!

• But you don't come to this blog to hear all of that, do you? You come because, like me, you like to torture yourself with news about stadium politics. Well, as has already been reported, the Twins actually won their first game of the season yesterday when their 10th stadium bill effort passed through the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee. And not only did the bill pass, but it passed quite easily.

For those of you that want to know, the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee has 14 members. 11 of those members voice voted "Yes" for the bill.

Linda Higgins - Yes
Charles W. Wiger - Yes
Debbie J. Johnson - Yes
Dick Day - Yes
D. Scott Dibble - No
Michelle L. Fischbach - No
Gary W. Kubly - Yes
Sharon Marko - Yes
Claire A. Robling - No
David H. Senjem - Yes
Yvonne Prettner Solon - Yes
David J. Tomassoni - Yes
Jim Vickerman - Yes
Betsy L. Wergin - Yes

Sen. Fishbach made an interesting speech at the end saying that she only voted "No" because there was no referendum attached to the bill and that she expects the Senate Taxes Committee to attach one in the next couple of weeks. She said then she would vote "Yes." Gutsy position, Senator.

All of this talk of votes in the Senate has whetted my appetite to figure out where all the Senators stand on my favorite topic. Yes, I am putting together a Senate version of the Voters' Guide. I am about a fourth of the way through and I should be done by the end of the week. I must say though that putting the Senate version is proving to be more difficult than the House version. Our senators have been a little quiet about this issue.

And speaking of Taxes Committees, I read in the AP version of yesterday's committee hearing that the House Taxes Committee will hear the bill this Monday. Can anyone confirm this? I don't see it on the schedule yet, and quite frankly I would be surprised if Krinkie has agreed to hear the bill so soon. Stranger things have happened I suppose.

In conclusion, I've got three thoughts. The first is that yesterday's committee hearing has now prompted the Twins and Hennepin County to begin negotiating a new agreement. Opat hinted yesterday that the extra $30 million would be split between the county and the team and that the agreement will look almost the same. We'll see how that shakes out. Secondly, it is very interesting to me how it looks like both the House and the Senate are building off of the work that was done last year concerning this bill, especially the House. Thankfully, it looks like this bill will not need to go through the House Government Operations Committee or the House Local Government Committe since last year's bill already passed these committees. Methinks House leadership (Sviggum) is working in the background to move this bill along in a timely fashion. Finally, now we will see the real fun begin when the bill is heard in both the House and the Senate Tax Committees. Oh boy, this will be interesting. Truth be told, I don't think the bill will get out of either of these committees without referendum amendments attached. And this might not be a bad thing. It looks like there are enough votes on the whole in both bodies to strip these amendments off if the bill gets to the floor of the House and Senate. At this point, it may be more important to get these bills to the floor than to fight off referendum amendments. We shall see.

Talk to you soon.

Posted by snackeru at 08:34 AM | Comments (10) | Stadiums 2006 | Twins

Category "Twins"

March 13, 2006

Thoughts on the Puckett Memorial

I went to the Puckett Memorial last night. Like many of you, because of the snow coming I thought I would just watch it on TV, but I'm really glad I went. It was a beautiful ceremony complete with lauging and tears. I choked up when Andy MacPhail started to choke up, and I shed a few tears when John Gordon introduced Kirby's kids. Man that must be hard.

All of the speeches were wonderful, but I especially enjoyed Cal Ripken's, Harmon Killebrew's, and Kent Hrbek's. Ripken described his first meeting with Kirby and how Kirby talked his, and Eddie Murray's, ear off for 15 minutes during a one-sided conversation before finally letting Cal and Eddie go on their way. Cal then jokingly revealed that Kirby talked them right out of their chance to take BP before their game. Who knows if that was Kirby's true intent, but I wouldn't be surprised.

As the papers have already described, Hrbek talked about how God must have needed a 3 hitter and that He took Kirby too soon. Hrbek also said that during their time as Twins, most of the animals, dogs and cats, in Minnesota were named Kirby. But if anyone ever had a horse or a cow in Minnesota they named it Herbie. That got a big laugh.

I would have to say that the Killer got the biggest ovation last night. That was special to see and I think he was touched by it. But his lamenting on how Kirby will no longer be able to sing at his funeral was heart-breaking.

I brought my older son with me to the ceremony. He saw Kirby play when he was younger, but of course has no recollection of him, or any of the other old-time Twins that were sitting on the field. He still said he was glad he went. I think he could see how choked up I was.

So, after the ceremony walking back to the car I tried to explan what Kirby meant to me and the state of Minnesota. I told him about how Kirby never left Minnesota, and how rare it is for a baseball player to play their entire career for one team. I described to him my freshman year in college during the 1991 World Series, and I how I don't think I have ever hugged that many people at once after Kirby hit that game 6 home run. I told him about dancing in the streets into the wee hours of the morning in Moorhead after game 7, and how Twins baseball has given me lifelong friends and memories I'll never forget.

I told him that I hope he will have his own Kirby Puckett, and his own memories of Minnesota on top, because I have never seen this state so happy and so in tune with each other since that magical 1991 season.

My son just smiled at me, and laughed at my stories, and let me ramble on until we got home. It was good to get it all off my chest. And while it would have been nice to see the Metrodome packed last night, 20,000 people gave Kirby a really nice send-off and it hopefully gave the organization and the current Twins players a nice bit of closure. Gardy promised us all Kirby-style baseball this year full of hustle and hard work. Because of last night, I honestly feel better now, and I am very excited for another season of Twins baseball.

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Category "Twins"

March 09, 2006

The Kirby Puckett Memorial in front of the Metrodome

I went to the Kirby Puckett Memorial in front of the Metrodome today. It was a touching and moving display. These pictures really don't do it justice. And while I expected to be one of the only mourners at the memorial, there was actually a steady stream of people while I was there.

Those of you with slower internet connections, there are 12 more pictures in the extended entry.

Posted by snackeru at 10:39 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

March 08, 2006

Tough week

So, needless to say this has been a tough week for Twins related bloggers such as myself. Like I said below, Kirby's death has impacted me in a way I didn't expect. I don't mind admitting I have gotten a little misty eyed reading some of the great stuff that is being written about Minnesota's greatest sports hero. (For a great listing of all the stuff that has been written about Puckett see this fantastic post from Seth Speaks. Nice work on that one, Seth!). The outward display of affection towards Puck has been inspirational and I only wish Puckett could have been alive to see it. There is no doubt he had a rough go of it the last few years of his life. While he might have deserved some of it, everyone deserves a second chance. This is especially true considering all the positives Puckett brought to Minnesota as a state, and the upper Midwest in general. Puckett became a forgotten man, it seems, these past few years. Maybe even the butt of some ill-conceived jokes. That is a shame because truly, of all the athletes I have watched throughout my life, he did not deserve it. What he deserved are the accolades he is receiving now.

Speaking of which, I have some comments about some of the articles I have been reading:

• I agree with Seth that Reusse's article on the topic was one of the best. His description of Puck ribbing Harper over the fall of Jimmy Swaggart is hilarious. I also liked Jim Souhan's piece about how Puckett was so welcoming of new teammates, young and old.
• And as you might expect, I just about lost it reading Nick "Stupid Head" Coleman's tribute to Puckett in today's paper. It really, really has me steamed considering all the hate he pours towards the Twins franchise. It is like Stalin writing a tribute to Trotsky. It is like Nero writing a tribute to the Christians. It is so shallow and hollow and deceiving ... it just really ticks me off that he would even dare to try to buddy up to Twins fans. Where does this guy get the balls?
• I was also ticked off with this ESPN article by Gene Wojciechowski. First of all let me just say I agree with all he has to say about the mockery of a baseball player that is Barry Bonds. He is a drugged monster who has no place on the field. He has tarnished the game and shouldn't even be able to buy a ticket to see the displays at Cooperstown. But what has me ticked off with Wojciechowski is that he even mentioned Puckett in the same breath as this turkey. Leave Puckett out of it. (Isn't it ironic that I have just made the same mistake in this post?)
• I loved this piece by Boof's Bergblog. How he pulled off a comparision between Optimus Prime and Puckett I will never know, but I am impressed. And regarding the Transformers movie in which Optimus Prime was killed ... that has to be the dumbest idea ever in the history of animation. Who was the marketing genius who approved that idea? Kill off everyone's favorite character? Sheesh ... it almost makes Nick Coleman look like a Rhodes Scholar. OK maybe not a Rhodes Scholar, maybe just a graduate of National American University (hey Tim!).

There were more articles I enjoyed, but I would have to say that these were the ones that prompted a reaction. Also, now I am reading that citizens of Minnesota are clamoring for a new stadium to be named Kirby Puckett Park or something like that. All I have to say is don't hold your breath. Personally I would love it, but there is too much money to be made to allow that to happen. We'll see how it shakes out.

Finally, I hope this event has taught all Minnesotans what a powerful impact sports can have on all our lives, fans and non-fans alike. Puckett brought us together like no politician or celebrity ever could. Like the Star Tribune said concerning the '87 and '91 seasons, "No one who lived here in those magical days can doubt the spirit that sports can bring to a community." That is what we can thank Kirby for: reaching the pinnacle of his sport and brining us all along for the ride. Thanks Kirby!

Posted by snackeru at 12:14 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

October 18, 2005

The first step has been taken

Thanks governor. Thanks for nothing.

Posted by snackeru at 07:04 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

August 24, 2005

How about those Twins?

I'm speechless. It really doesn't happen too often that you watch a game that will be remembered, not just for a couple of years but I would wager for a long, long time. So much drama! The pitching, the fielding (!), the fact that Jacque Jones seems to always come through when most of us would have been hobbled by grief ... Man! What a game.

Too bad Mays is pitching tonight.

• Charley Walters is reporting today that:

Although talks have picked up in recent days, no decision on whether to have a special Legislative session that would include stadium issues is expected until after Labor Day, and insiders say odds are no better than 50-50 that it will occur.

50-50 is better than nothing. Our best bet still remains in the fact that the Gopher's stadium bill needs to be heard before December:

In the past seven days, almost 2,000 e-mails have landed in the offices of Gov. Tim Pawlenty and state legislators, asking for a special session to pass a bill providing the public's share of the football stadium's projected $235 million cost.

Apparently, a large group of Gopher stadium backers have been successful in catching the ear of the governor. In addition, the article included this quote:

"Their Web e-mail thing works,'' Brian McClung, the governor's chief spokesman, said Monday. "It's a noticeable volume of e-mail.''

Too bad the thousands of letters they've received in favor of a new Twins stadium seem to have gone unnoticed. I guess its only when they all look the same and have the same content do they start counting them.

But whoever would have thought that the best chance for a Twins stadium bill would be to piggy back on another stadium bill's chances? I still say a special session will be called.

Posted by snackeru at 01:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins

Category "Twins"

August 22, 2005

Me and Joe

In honor of Joe Mauer's excellent play, I am growing out my sideburns. I encourage everyone else to follow suit and post a picture, or send me a picture and I will post it for you.

And yes, I realize this is a little goofy, but as I've said before it is the little stuff that makes life worth living.

Posted by snackeru at 08:29 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

August 17, 2005

Yoo hooo ....

• Sorry for my silence yesterday everyone. I am working on a new, redesigned University of Minnesota Libraries web site and it is sapping all of my time. But enough about that ...

• What a joy it is to watch Justin Morneau play baseball. I see nothing but good things in his future (as long as Scotty Ulger stays away from him). His blast in the White Sox game last night seriously had me launch myself out of my chair to sing the introduction to the "Also Sprach Zarathustra" which, as you probably know, is pretty hard to do considering it doesn't have any words. In fact, the introduction to the "Also Sprach Zarathustra" should be Morneau's walk up music. That would be awesome. Man can he smack the ball!

• And speaking of last night's game, as you probably also already know, the Twins play the White Sox 11 more times. If the Twins win all 11 games they will probably win the American League Central. The chances are slim, to be sure, but there is a chance! This "jinx" was officially brought to you by McDonalds: you deserve a break today at McDonalds! Seriously though, sweeping the White Sox for this series would be quite spectacular for this team. Tonight's game should be a doozy (unless you've been living under a rock it is Santana vs. Buehrle). If the Twins can manage to get even one run, Santana better hold on tight...

• So I walked out of church last Sunday and turned on the Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave (which I normally do) only to hear Sid say, "Well, that was Dean Johnson on the phone. Sorry about the length of the conversation everyone, but there was some important things that he said concerning a special session." Argh! I was beside myself with grief for missing the contents of that call. Anyway, knowing Sid I knew that he would discuss the call in his Monday column. Well, while he did discuss it, his recap was a little disappointing because of its brevity:

Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, said Sunday he was going to talk to House Speaker Steve Swiggum, R-Kenyon, about sending a letter to Tim Pawlenty suggesting that the governor call a special session this fall to discuss a limited agenda including stadium bills for Gophers football and the Twins. Johnson said everything would have to be agreed to before calling the special session, but that he was for it.

So, let's do our own recap. A couple of weeks ago Steve Sviggum, the Speaker of the House, spoke in favor of calling a special session for stadium issues, and now we have Dean Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader, also publicly giving his approval to the possibility of a special session. This is good people. So, so good. It makes me happy, jubilant, thrilled, and wholly too optimistic. I need to calm down.

Of course, Pawlenty has been silent for a while on the chances for a special session, but we should here from him pretty soon concerning the possiblity. My guess is after the state fair.

And even though I missed the call itself, I listened to Steve Thompson's show afterwards where he asked callers to call in and let him know whether or not they (the people!) approved the idea of a special session to discuss the stadium issue. Of course the vast majority of the callers expressed their strong approval for this idea, but there were definitely a few misguided individuals who were against a special session. But not for the reasons you think. Sure, some of them were just flat out against a Twins stadium being built with taxpayer money, but a lot of them were against calling a special session because our legislators "don't deserve another chance." According to some callers, our legislators had their chance to pass meaningful bills and they shouldn't get another. What?

This reasoning is pure stupidity. These callers think we should punish our fine legislators by NOT letting them come back to the state capitol to take care of their unfinished business. This is exactly what those morons want! They don't want to come back to the state capitol. They would rather play tic-tac-to, or stare blankly into the distance, or change their drool bibs (or whatever it is morons do when they aren't working) than come back to the state capitol and finish what they started! Gah! I say we demand that they come back and finish their business! If you haven't already, please write Pawlenty and demand that a special session be called to deal with the stadium issue.

I'm still of the opinion that a special session will be called. Our saving grace is the Gophers stadium and the fact that it must be dealt with before December. Keep the faith people. Just like the Twins are proving on the field, it isn't over until it is over.

Posted by snackeru at 08:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins

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July 12, 2005

Chances

• I like that the Twins have acquired Bret Boone. Some interesting facts that I've been reading about Boone:

• He is a career .271 hitter at the Dome with 4 homers and 16 RBI.
• Concerning the Dome, Boone has said: "And the Dome ... I love playing there, I really do." I am always stunned to read something like this.
• He has 25 extra base hits this year which would put him in second place concerning this statistic on the Twins.
• When the Twins acquired Shannon Stewart in 2003 they were 7.5 games back. They went on to win the division. The Twins are 9 games back now.
• Boone has won 4 Gold Gloves at second base. That is 8 more Gold Gloves than Luis Rivas has (since Rivas actually has negative Gold Gloves).

Will this be the spark the Twins need? I think the chances are good. This is an upgrade at second base no matter how you slice it.

• OK, now let's talk about stadiums. Of course, you've probably heard by now that the legislature will most likely adjourn without dealing with this sticky problem. It has already been suggested that Pawlenty may call another special session to deal with the Twins' and Gopher's stadia, but even if that happens it may be as much as four months away. With this reality, Bell has already stated:

"We're going to find out if the numbers still work," Bell said. "We calculated this on beginning work in June, foolishly believing that the Legislature would end on time."

Bell hinted that the delay caused by waiting for a special session this fall may collapse the proposed deal entirely.

You know, at this point I wish Bell would just shut up. That is a stupid thing to even hint. Here we have Hennepin County raising over $1 billion dollars over 30 years for the ballpark, and Bell "hints" that a delay of 4 months may kill the deal entirely. Of course, he may be saying this to try to convince the legislature to deal with the issue now, but you know and I know that that Twins will take whatever they get whenever they can get it. 4 months shouldn't make a lick of difference and if Pohlad has to pay an extra $10 million then so be it.

The best shot the Twins have at even being heard in a special session is the fact that the Gophers stadium bill will also need to be dealt with. The Gophers stadium lobbyists are working hard right now to try to convince the legislature to deal with their bill now. If they are successful, if the legislature decides to take up the Gophers stadium bill in the waning moments of this special session, then the Twins stadium bill is dead.

In other words, I can see the governor calling a special session to talk about stadiums if the Gophers are part of the mix, but if it is just the Twins (and Vikings)? Forget about it.

• What are the chances then of a special session being called for stadium discussion? I would say they are pretty good. The Gophers deal with TCF hinges on a financing plan being in place by this December to build their stadium. Since the next legisaltive regular session doesn't begin until after that another special session will need to be called this fall to pass the Gophers stadium bill.

In addition, I was listening to Mike Max last night on WCCO and he had former Senate Minority Leader Duane Benson as his guest. Benson said the chances for a special session to deal with stadiums is very good. He would not give the same chances to a Twins stadium bill actually passing in a special session, but the bill will be heard. He also said that part of a Vikings stadium plan could also be dealt with. The Twins, the Vikings, and the Gophers ... the legislature would indeed have a lot to discuss.

Here is hoping that Pawlenty does the right thing and calls another special session to deal with the stadia issue in Minnesota once and for all. It is all in his hands now. I know, this is a scary thought.

Posted by snackeru at 07:45 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins

Category "Twins"

June 01, 2005

Going to the game

Cheesehead Craig and I are going to the Twins game tonight. It will be only my second game of the year and I am very excited to be going. Radke is pitching, which should make for an interesting score, but that is OK. I have a feeling Radke is going to come through for us tonight. Call it a gut feeling, but I think Radke will be all right.

So, if you are going to the game tonight and you see two short, dark complexioned, mustachioed men trying to get the wave started in section 220 ... well, that won't be us. But we will be there. Skol Twins!

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Category "Twins"

April 21, 2005

Tiffee had a chance

Terry Tiffee had a chance today. He had a chance to stay with the team and not be sent to Rochester. Bases loaded, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, Tiffee enters to pinch hit for Rivas:

Click for larger version

Unfortunately, he struck out on a foul tip. If he would have hit a grand slam, gotten a base hit, even if he would have walked, I doubt Gardy would have sent him down.

Sucks to be him.

Posted by snackeru at 04:15 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

April 11, 2005

Attendance and winning (or losing)

One thing you won't see much of on the Greet Machine is statistical analysis of baseball. It's not that I don't enjoy the statistics of baseball, I just don't want to take the time to compile all the statistics nescessary, and I think other Twins bloggers do a fine job of it already. Having said that, one statistic I find very fascinating that doesn't get much attention from other bloggers is attendance. Whenever I look at a Twins box score, especially for home games, my eyes always dart to the bottom to check out the attendance. Of course, it is usually pathetic for the Twins as evidenced by their ranking in the bottom 1/4 for attendance in the American League. I wonder, though, is this such a bad thing?

Whenever I see the Twins actually break the 30,000 person mark for attendance at a single game, or whenever I hear that the Twins are expecting a big crowd for a particular game, it always 1) makes me happy since I want the Twins to be successful and 2) I always think, "They had better win." Because whenever there is a big game in terms of attendance I always think the Twins are going to play poorly. It may be my Norwegian pessimism, but my impression of the Twins is that they do not play well, they do not win regularly, when they are playing in front of a big home crowd.

Take this weekend for example. They stunk it up against the White Sox by losing the first two and winning the last thanks to the heroics of Santana and Hunter. And the crowds were huge! They drew over 118,000 fans for the three games making this the biggest opening day weekend in 9 years. In my mind, though, the fans were not rewarded for coming out to the ballpark. Another obvious example of their attendance-based futility are the playoffs where the Twins have only won two out of eight home playoff games in 3 years. That sucks.

So, in order to get to the bottom of this I decided to take a look at the Twins record in home games where the attendance was above 30,000 over the last 3 years (including playoff games). While the numbers aren't as bad as I thought they would be, they still aren't that good either:

Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
April 12, 2002	Detroit	W	48,244
April 20, 2002	Cleveland	W	30,146
May 10, 2002	Yankees	L	35,727
May 11, 2002	Yankees	L	43,465
May 12, 2002	Yankees	L	26,165
June 29, 2002	Milwaukee	L	30,125
June 30, 2002	Milwaukee	W	33,193
July 27, 2002	Toronto	W	40,306
July 28, 2002	Toronto	W	30,554
August 3, 2002	KC	W	32,567
August 4, 2002	KC	W	35,641
August 16, 2002	Boston	W	35,824
August 17, 2002	Boston	L	43,345
August 18, 2002	Boston	W	37,196
August 28, 2002	Seattle	W	31,414
Sept. 7, 2002	Oakland	L	43,628
Sept. 28, 2002	Chicago	W	32,072
Sept. 29, 2002	Chicago	W	31,270
October 4, 2002 (playoffs)	Oakland	L	55,932
October 5, 2002 (playoffs)	Oakland	W	55,960
October 8, 2002 (playoffs)	Angels	W	55,562
October 9, 2002 (playoffs)	Angels	L	55,990
April 4, 2003	Toronto	L	48,617
April 5, 2003	Toronto	L	31,421
April 18, 2003	Yankees	L	37,843
April 19, 2003	Yankees	L	36,139
August 13, 2003	Cleveland	L	30,082
August 21, 2003	KC	W	30,179
August 22, 2003	KC	L	36,101
August 23, 2003	KC	L	37,782
August 24, 2003	KC	W	34,265
Sept. 16, 2003	Chicago	W	32,921
Sept. 17, 2003	Chicago	W	40,304
Sept. 18, 2003	Chicago	W	39,948
Sept. 19, 2003	Detroit	W	30,013
Sept. 21, 2003	Detroit	W	33,396
Sept. 23, 2003	Cleveland	W	33,650
Sept. 24, 2003	Cleveland	W	32,986
October 4,2003 (playoffs)	Yankees	L	55,915
October 5, 2003 (playoffs)	Yankees	L	55,875
April 5, 2004	Cleveland	W	49,584
May 21, 2004	White Sox	L	30,116
July 30, 2004	Boston	L	34,263
July 31, 2004	Boston	W	40,283
August 1, 2004	Boston	W	38,751
August 17, 2004	Yankees	W	38,766
August 18, 2004	Yankees	W	41,125
August 19, 2004	Yankees	L	37,959
September 5, 2004	Royals	L	33,855
September 19, 2004	Baltimore	W	31,399
October 8, 2004 (playoffs)	Yankees	L	54,803
October 9, 2004 (playoffs)	Yankees	L	52,498
April 8, 2005	White Sox	L	48,764
April 9, 2005	White Sox	L	41,533

According to the table above, the Twins have a record of 28 wins and 25 losses in home games where the attendance is over 30,000 over the last three years. So, they are barely breaking .500. This is not too bad, but it is also not very good at all. In addition, in games where the attendance mark breaks the 40,000 barrier, the Twins are an anemic 8-12. In other words, I just don't think the Twins are rewarding fans for coming out to the ballpark. I just don't think they play well in front of big home crowds. Are they nervous? Do they try too hard? The Twins may also be subliminally sending a message to fans that says if there is a big attendance the Twins will not perform well. Twins fans may also be sub-consciously thinking that they should stay away from the ballpark so that the Twins play better.

I know what a lot of you are thinking right now. That this is hogwash. And I would have to agree with you that it doesn't (that it shouldn't!) make sense. There are also, obviously, a lot of other factors involved when it comes to winning and losing a baseball game. But you gotta admit, fan attendance at Twins game as yet another factor is kind of interesting. So, what is a Twins fan to do about this startling data?

What the table above might also suggest is that we need to go out to the ballpark this year like never before if for nothing more than to get the Twins used to playing in front of big home crowds. Of the 252 home games (including last night) the Twins have played over the last 3 years, they have only drawn over 30,000 fans 53 times. That in itself is a problematic number as compared with the rest of MLB. However, what I think it suggests more is that as fans we need to get over our hatred of the Metrodome and our desire to be outside and start going to more baseball games. We need to start giving the Twins more big home crowds so that when playoff time comes they are used to playing in front of more than 18,000 people.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by today. And I'm sorry if you don't share my passion for attendance numbers. As always, I just gotta be me.

Posted by snackeru at 07:14 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

April 08, 2005

Go outside!

Sorry about my lack of posting this morning. I went to the Twins' "Breakfast on the Plaza" and it took me quite a while to get through. I didn't get into work until 9:00 AM. But I did get a nifty Twins poster from UPN 29. So, that made it worth it. It lists 29 great moments in Twins history, and it includes the game in 1990 where the Twins turned two triple plays. I actually remember when that happened. So, I thought it was neat that they included it on the poster. I know, you could probably care less, but it is my blog and I'll write about what I want to.

And for all of you going to the Twins home opener tonight go outside right now! You'll be spending three hours in the stifling Metrodome air so get outside now and enjoy this beautiful weather while you can.

Finally, I am really beginning to hate the Boston Red Sox. I mean, I hated them before, but now they have become even more intolerable. For years I have been subjected to all this whining about the "curse." Thankfully that is over. But now I have to be bashed over the head with how wonderful the Red Sox are, and how they are the antithesis to the Yankees, and how Red Sox fans are the best in the world ... blah blah blah. I tell you that I would now enjoy the Twins beating the Red Sox more than I would enjoy the Twins beating the Yankees. The Red Sox and their fans make me sick.

Now we have this new movie Fever Pitch coming out. Please, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE. If it makes even a little bit of money we will all be subjected to this Boston Red Sox love-fest that much longer. And somebody tell me how anyone in their right mind thinks Drew Barrymore is attractive. Anybody? Look at that picture. She looks like the studio model for The Scream. So, Fever Pitch ... first its a movie about the Red Sox, and then they cast Drew Barrymore to play the love interest ... please, I'm begging you, stay away from this movie. We have to stop baseball fan abuse like this in its tracks.

Posted by snackeru at 12:14 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Life"

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

Category "Vikings"

February 11, 2005

Speak Monkey!

Sorry for the prolonged silence everyone. Things have bee really busy for me lately. And then when our connection to the Internet went down yesterday here at the U it just totally discombobulated me. I swear, I just sat in the corner drooling all day mumbling "fix the router, fix the router..." I could not be consoled. So, today will be an extra special edition of my inane ramblings. Lucky you.

• Let's start this off with some stadium news. No, not Minnesota stadium news, but some interesting news coming out of New York/New Jersey. The Giants are planning on building a new 80,000 seat stadium next to their existing stadium, and they have agreed to pay for the entire cost. Wow, wow, wow. However, their plans have hit a snag because an entertainment and shopping district called Xanadu (read "big mall") is also being constructed in the area. The Giants are very concerned with this. They want Xanadu to be shut down on gamedays because they think it will be a parking nightmare if the mall is also open at the same time. This could seriously stop the entire project from happening. I truly can't believe this. In addition, check out this little snippet:

The team currently occupies 33 acres of the 400-acre facility. The sports authority's land offer was about 50 to 75 acres, the source said.
The Giants have offered to pay $4.8 million in rent and another $1.5 million in PILOT fees, payments in lieu of taxes. The state is looking for more than $6 million in rent plus PILOT fees, said a source close to the state.

What in the world?!?!? I don't think I have ever seen anything like this. Let me see if I understand this. In addition to paying for their own stadium (to the tune of $700 million), the Giants will also pay rent for the land and these strange PILOT fees, and the total of these payments could be close to $6 million. Wow.

• Back to Minnesota. Unless you are living under a rock you know that we now have a two horse race between Fowler and Taylor to buy the Vikings. Sid wrote an interesting piece today talking about this potential sale and saying that Taylor is still very much in the running and actually might be preferred by the NFL.

Taylor is a Minnesotan who has the financial wherewithal to own the team and, in my opinion, has a better chance to get a stadium built. Fowler would be the NFL's first minority owner, but his group would be new to this community.

After the league's bad experience with a splintered ownership group before McCombs arrived on the scene, there's little doubt in my mind the NFL would prefer Taylor.

I gotta admit, I would prefer Taylor. I'm really excited to have the Vikings sold, but Taylor, hand's down, has the best chance to build a new stadium or renovate the Metrodome. Unless, of course, Fowler is planning on going the Redskins/Patriots/Giants route and paying for the stadium himself. His partners, which include the mall magnate Zyggi Wilf and New York real estate tycoon Alan Landis, might suggest that he is putting together a unique plan. Given my choice, though, I'll take Taylor if only because he is a Minnesotan who would be committed to keeping the team in Minnesota. In fact, I'm a little ticked that Taylor has waited until this point to get serious. It seems like a repeat of what happened the last time the Vikings were put up for sale.

• Did anyone watch the finale of the "Amazing Race" last Tuesday? I thought it was pretty good, although I was upset that Kris and Jon didn't win. I have never seen a better combined attitude out of a couple in my life. Always happy, always nice to each other, they were simply an inspiration. However, what I found most interesting about the show was when the teams were in Japan trying to catch flights out of Tokyo to Chicago. Two teams found out that they could catch earlier flights to Chicago so, at separate times, they ran up to the gates and begged to be let on the flights. Both times the Japanese staff at the gates admitted that there were seats available on the plane, but that they wouldn't let the teams on. Here is what I found interesting though. Both times, and at separate gates mind you, the teams begged to be let on and the attendant said, "But you would not get a meal." This was always the first reason given why they would not let the teams on the flight. It seemed that they thought not having a meal would be enough to dissuade someone from wanting to be on the flight. Do most Japanese people say, "No meal? You animals! Of course I'll wait for the next flight. I mean, I have to have my meal. I don't think I could live without my meal." Of course, both teams said, "We don't need a meal, please let us on." Only then did the Japanese staff at the gate revert to the old standby, "It is against company policy." Anyway, I thought that was weird. You probably could care less.

And this ends another edition of "Who Gives a Rat's Butt Theater."

• I think most people will agree with me, but I hope the Twins sign Santana to a 4 year contract. Right now the offer on the table seems to be 4 years for $38-$40 million. I realize that this is a big gamble, especially for someone who has already had elbow surgery, and for a team that has already been burned by the Joe Mays deal, but this is the freaking Cy Young award winner. This is the next Sandy Koufax. If the Twins wait, it will only get more expensive. To me, it is worth the gamble. Let's get it done Terry.

• You know what I hate? No? Well, I'll tell you. I hate it when I open my camera up to take a picture and there is a big fingerprint smudge on the lens. And this happens every time I go to take a picture. What is it about the lens that makes kids want to touch it? I am befuddled by this. Given the choice between touching a big Teddy Bear, or touching a camera lens, I would bet that 90% of children will go for the camera lens. And I don't care if I put my camera in a vacuum sealed, airtight room with alarms and electric shocks attached to the camera itself, the next time I open it, it will have fingerprints on the lens. I need this to stop. I really do.

• That's it. See you all later.

Posted by snackeru at 08:00 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack | Life | Stadiums | Twins | Vikings

Category "Twins"

February 04, 2005

Community ownership of the Twins

Vince has chastised me for not writing about this sooner, so I've decided to tackle this before the weekend starts. In today's Star Tribune, Julian Loscalzo writes a thoughtful opinion piece concerning community ownership of the Twins entitled, If it's our baseball team, the funds will come. Personally, I think this is a pretty good idea and I wouldn't mind seeing it happen. Have the state buy the team, and then the state and the people of the state profit from the team and the construction of a new stadium. No brainer, right? I don't know if it is very fesible, but it is a good idea.

There is a little history with this initiative, as there is with almost every stadium plan in Minnesota. Loscalzo is no stadium newbie; he has been around for a long time and actually fought against destroying Metropolitan Stadium with his "Save the Met" campaign. Plus, this idea of community ownership of sports franchises is definitely not unique. Green Bay has done it, the Boston Celtics have done it, the Kansas City Royals have (kind of) done it, and even the Twins have tried it before. In 1997 Pohlad offered to donate the Twins to a local foundation, a move that would have tied the Twins to Minnesota seemingly forever. There were two "catches" though. First, he would only do it if the deal included a new publicly financed ballpark. Secondly, the state, or the foundation, had to cover Pohlad's accumulated losses while owning the Twins. At the time that was $85 million. The deal obviously fell through.

What are Pohlad's thoughts about this now? Would he still donate the Twins to a local foundation ala the Kansas City Royals? And if he did, would he agree to donate the team without the promise of a new ballpark? And what about all that debt? Loscalzo wants to do something a little bit different than having Pohlad donate the team to a foundation, though. He wants the state to buy the team. I would expect that this means the state would incur the team's debt, but that a new stadium would not have to be a part of the deal. I must admit that I don't know how Pohald feels about this or if he has ever made any comments about it. It has also been widely reported that Jim Pohlad, Smilin' Carl's son, wants the team to remain in the Pohlad family. All of this, of course, means that Loscalzo's plan will be an uphill battle no matter what. What else is new.

Loscalzo does have some convincing arguments though. He writes:

[C]ommunity ownership of the Twins is the only way to determine whether the Twins are a valued community asset: If fans, corporations and taxpayers are not willing to invest in their team, there is no reason to expend any public dollars for a new stadium.

This is a little bit of a sticky wicket, if you ask me. How much of an investment from the public would be necessary before we proved that we are "willing to invest in the team"? Whatever the figure though, I don't think the Twins would have any problems reaching it. In 2003, Harris Interactive found that the Twins were America's 5th favorite baseball team. The Twins dropped to 17th in 2004, but even then, I think this is an indication that the Twins have a nice fan base who would probably be willing to make an investment in the team.

We successfully passed in the Senate last year a "community ownership" bill with a 55-10 margin and had more than 35 House members from both sides of the aisle as coauthors. Our proposal complies with Major League Baseball's ownership guidelines and its rather traditional business ownership model.

If anything, this demonstrates once again what a bunch of idiots the legislators in the House are. The Senate is not the problem when it comes to stadium politics in Minnesota, it is the House. A bunch of worthless stiffs if you ask me. But, I could go on and on about that. Let's move on. I found this next statement by Loscalzo to be a little confusing:

The last thing Minnesota ought to do is repeat our Metrodome mistake. The Dome was the last multipurpose stadium; now stadium backers seem to want to build the last of a generation of ho-hum "renaissance stadiums."

We should get ahead of the curve and think about how to build the next Wrigley Field or Fenway Park -- a cantilevered stadium that would keep fans close to the action but still provide them with better amenities. We don't need or want the next Miller Park.

First of all, I love Miller Park. The seats are close, the atmosphere is great, the grass is green, the sky is blue, the brats are tasty, the stadium sauce is spicy. I don't think we could go wrong with Miller Park. Does Loscalzo not like the retractable roof? Does he not like Wisconsin in general? I would love an explanation of this. Secondly, I am of the opinion that Bostonians hate Fenway Park. The seats are too small and uncomfortable, they are angled poorly, and people are practically sitting on each other. Am I wrong here? Do I have the wrong impression? Still, I'll give Loscalzo the benefit of the doubt. He seems to know what he wants in a stadium whereas I'll take anything at this point.

Loscalzo makes some good arguments throughout the article. And I would love to see his plan implented. It would keep the Twins in Minnesota, and I do think that the state could monetarily benefit from owning the team and building a new ballpark (since the state only seems to care about ROI in terms of money). These questions still remain though: is the House capable of doing anything that involves the word "stadium," and is Pohald willing to go along with this plan? In order to buy something, you have to have a willing seller. Right now, I think Pohlad wants to keep the team.

Posted by snackeru at 03:43 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

Category "Vikings"

December 14, 2004

It ain't over till it's over

• I just read this little tidbit on Mr. Cheer or Die's Viking Underground and I gotta say that I am shocked. The Vikings still have a chance to win the division. If the Vikings win all of their remaining games, they will win the division, even if the Packers lose to the Vikings and win two more. That is remarkable. The Vikings can play horrible all season, have the same record as the Packers, and still take the division.

I truthfully don't know how I feel about this. After the Seattle game I was practically begging the Packers to beat the Lions just to put me out of my misery. After they won I thought, "Well, I don't have to worry about the Vikings any more. If they beat the Packers on Christmas Eve I will be satisfied." Now I find out the Vikes are still in the running! OK ... you know what, I may be a glutton for punishment but I think I am actually happy about this!

So here is what we know:

• Daunte Culpepper has never lost to the Detroit Lions. I don't see why he would start losing to them this Sunday.
• If the Vikings beat the Lions, I don't see them losing the Packers at home. The Vikings know they are playing for their playoff lives and Mike Tice's job. Beat the Lions and I practically guarantee the Vikes will beat the Packers.
• Again, Mike Tice's job is in serious jeopardy. The Vikings, I predict, will use this to their advantage and play with a little more heart.
• Linehan will never, ever allow Randy Moss to pass again. So, we've got that going for us, too.

The Vikings can win these last three games. So, I cannot give up hope until its all over. I'm a Vikings fan. I'm used to this.

• Well, it is over for the Twins and Corey Koskie. Again, this doesn't upset me too much. That is what we get for being Twins fans. The Twins are like a college team. About every four years the team completely changes and we find ourselves with a new set of players to cheer for. Koskie had a good year last year, not great but good. He will certainly be missed, but it is time to give someone else a shot. Is anyone else really upset that Koskie is leaving? I mean he was injured a lot, he is getting old, and the Twins have at least two players that can fill in. I like Aaron Gleeman's take on the situation. One of the biggest negatives to Koskie leaving is that it opens a door for Rivas to still play second. Yikes! For me, though, again being a Twins fan I'm kind of used to this.

• One thing that never seems to be "over" is my favorite subject, stadiums in Minnesota. In case you missed it, Sid Hartman reported this Sunday:

Behind the scenes, the Twins are working with Hennepin County and St. Paul in order to come up with a reasonable plan in which each group could present a plan to the Legislature for a baseball stadium. Then a vote would be taken and a committee would decide whether the ballpark is in Minneapolis or in St. Paul. Sam Grabowski, executive director of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, calls the ballpark a top priority, as do officials of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce.

See where it says officials from both Minneapolis and St. Paul consider a baseball stadium a "top priority?" Here is what I don't understand: why are Minneapolis and St. Paul so desperate for a stadium if, as we are led to believe, stadiums have such a negligible economic impact on a community? Why? I don't think I've ever heard of a city ever say, "You know what? We don't want a new stadium. There is nothing in it for us." No, over and over again in cities all over America city officials practically beg for professional sports stadiums to be built. If the Minnesota legislature would allow it, the St. Paul city government would tax the wazoo out its people to build a stadium.

I ask these kinds of questions sort of facetiously since I think I know the answer, but still it makes me wonder why cities are always so gung ho about stadium construction and state legislatures are so typically against it?

Posted by snackeru at 01:01 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins | Vikings

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

Category "Vikings"

December 08, 2004

Happy day

• Yesterday I was getting ready to write a much different post for today. I was fully expecting neither Koskie or Radke to sign. This wouldn't have bothered me much, though. I remember two years ago when Radke was just pitching awful, and some guy joked in the paper that his kids must not love him very much because for Father's Day they bought him tickets to a Twins game with Radke pitching. So, I think Terry Ryan was wise to give Radke only a two year $18 million deal. With pitchers, you never know when they are just going to tank it. Don't get me wrong, though. I think Radke had a very good year last year and I am excited, no thrilled, to have him come back. When I saw the news this morning it immediately brightened my whole outlook.

However, again, losing Radke wouldn't have bothered me that much. That is what we get for being Twins fans. We should come to expect this kind of crap now: losing our best players, watching baseball indoors on a beautiful summer day, losing to the Yankees every year, praying that our minor league system can keep churning out talent, etc. It makes life exciting doesn't it? I love being able to complain about all this stuff. What would I do with my time if I wasn't belly-aching about Pohlad and his cheap ways or those idiots at the state capitol? I have no idea.

Having said that, I gotta also say that my respect for Radke has just gone up big time. How many times have we heard a player say "its not about the money" and then prove to us that it is, in fact, almost all about the money? Too many times (Guardado?). Radke could have probably gotten the 3 year $33 million dollar offer his agent wanted from another team given his track record, but obviously staying in Minnesota is important to him. I can relate. On the librarian free agency market I could probably command at least $500 - $1000 more per year from another library, preferably in a warmer climate, but I choose to stay at the U of M. Oh yeah, it's all about loyalty. Brad and I have something in common now.

With this deal the Twins starting rotation looks like this: Santana, Radke, Silva, Lohse, Mays. Mays, of course, is the big question mark, but if he can come back with his normal stuff I like the looks of this rotation. The TwinsGeek had a great column yesterday talking about what other teams in the Central have been doing and quite frankly it doesn't look like much. With the signing of Radke the Twins may have just become the favorites in the Central again.

What about Koskie and Jones? Again, the TwinsGeek did a nice job in today's column talking about how he expects that Jones and Rivas both will be gone next year to make room for Radke and Koskie. And even with Jones and Rivas gone the Twins payroll will be about $4 - $5 million more than last year. Has Pohlad had a change of heart? Sid Hartman reported on December 5th:

On another subject, Bell said he never has seen Twins owner Carl Pohlad as determined to win another World Series. "Sure, finances are important to him, but he talks much less about finances these days and a lot more about how we can put a team together that can win a World Series," Bell said.

This is good news, and the increase in the Twins payroll may be proof that Pohlad does indeed want another World Series. We shall see.

• I would be remiss if I didn't discuss the article in Sunday's Star Tribune that talked about the rumors of a Vikings sale to Glen Taylor. Of course, those rumors "fizzled" out, but the article itself was loaded with interesting tidbits, including news about Reggie "Donald Watkins" Fowler. That isn't really fair, I guess. It appears he is still in the game:

Fowler, whose group of potential partners appears to be growing, met with members of the Anoka/Blaine stadium contingent Nov. 22 at the Minneapolis Club. During the meeting, Fowler and a host of other interested businessmen listened to a presentation of development possibilities for the 740-acre land tract off I-35W.

Good news. Very good news. I think Fowler would have a good chance with the state legislature given that 1) he is a minority, 2) he has said he will move to Minnesota, and 3) he isn't insanely wealthy. It looks like Fowler is waiting patiently until either Red lowers the price or he can line up some investors. The article also had a good explanation of the total cost of buying the Vikings and why Fowler is taking his time:

Private development of a new stadium might prove critical to the team's future in Minnesota. The Anoka County Board, the only public entity to step forward for the Vikings, has approved a county-wide sales tax that would contribute $250-$300 million toward a new stadium.

That total still would leave some $300 million to complete the stadium portion of the project, and the state's $700 million budget shortfall makes it unlikely that any further public money will become available. The conceptual development -- which would include a major shopping area, a hotel, restaurants and a team museum -- is projected to cost $1.5 billion.

The stadium cost would come on top of the Vikings' purchase price for any new owner. McCombs had been seeking $600 million for the franchise, a number that could grow when the NFL completes negotiations on its remaining television contracts. The magnitude of that investment has led Fowler to continue his search for big-money investors to back his candidacy.

Truthfully, I hope Glen Taylor just puts us all out of our misery and buys the team. According to today's Pioneer Press (Charley Walters):

Of his interest in buying the Vikings, Taylor said owner Red McCombs' asking price of $600 million makes it a difficult transaction. He also said there wouldn't be many changes required if he bought the Vikings because the team has been well run and isn't far from becoming a contender.

I wonder what kind of price Taylor would be happier with: $500 million? $550 million? I have a feeling this off season will be very interesting for Vikings fans.

Posted by snackeru at 08:00 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins | Vikings

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Twins"

December 02, 2004

First things first

• OK, first things first. I can't believe it, but it appears that Pawlenty is in the midst of creating yet another stadium working group to try to solve this sticky issue. Members will come from both the House and Senate and it will be co-chaired by Andy Westerberg R-Blaine who, according the my voter guide, is pro-stadium. Don't get me wrong, I think this is great news, but this seems to me to be an effort in futility. What is this, the 3rd or 4th stadium working group that has been created? And with a $700 million deficit on the horizon whatever recommendations this group comes up with will, at best, be totally ignored. We've seen it all before. Every stadium working group so far has recommended building two stadiums using a variety of funding sources including ticket taxes, lottery games, taxes on sports memorabilia, taxes in the stadium district, metro area liquor and car rental taxes, etc. etc. This plan is usually thwarted by anti-stadium legislators who amend the resulting bill to death until no one wants to vote for it anymore. That is if the bill even makes it out of committee. I'm beginning to believe that our legislature is incapable of doing anything of value when it comes to stadiums (or possibly anything else I care about, such as funding for higher education) . Curse this Norwegian pessimism!

Ah! But there may be a silver lining in all of this. According to the article above, the Senate Majority leader Dean Johnson may reopen "the door for Indian gambling to fund stadiums." Again, the tribes have already suggested this and appear willing to work towards making this happen. How is this not a good idea? I've already talked a little about why I think it is a good idea, so I don't want to repeat everything, but I will say that this plan would NOT use any new, state, local, metro, clothing, take your pick, it would NOT USE ANY TAXES OF ANY KIND. It would finally solve this huge mess, make the Native American tribes heroes in our state, and keep a good working relationship between the tribes and the state government. Oh well, I'm sure Pawlenty will screw this up somehow.

Having said that, the Minnesota Daily reported something very interesting today:

But if stadium plans will be discussed, Pawlenty said more emphasis will be necessary to complete stadium plans for the Twins and Vikings.

An on-campus stadium would be easier to approve than a professional stadium, Pawlenty said, because the University is a public institution and it will raise a lot of the money.

“They’re the one team that can’t leave,” he said.

I don't want to get too enthusiastic about this, but Pawlenty is right. The Gophers can't leave. And while I wish and hope that every single stadium problem can be solved this session, the Twins and the Vikings (especially the Twins) will not stay in the Metrodome forever. This problem needs to be solved.

• Speaking of the Twins, it appears that the Twins will up their offer to Corey Koskie a whole $1 million for a total of $8 million over two years. I'm sure he is getting 3 year deals for at least $5 million per year from other teams. We will soon find out how much he really wants to stay in Minnesota. I'm a little torn about this. While I hope Koskie signs with the Twins, I also think they could do reasonably well with Tiffee at 3rd or by moving Cuddyer to 3rd. Regardless of what happens, the Twins have got to get Cuddyer some consistent at-bats. He has payed his dues. It is time for him to start.

• Finally, here is today's clue for what I got my wife for her birthday. And I've got to say, don't expect this to be the greatest gift ever. I feel like I'm hyping it up too much with all of these clues. I think my wife will love the gift, but keep in mind that I am buying this gift on a librarian's salary:

        Beatles single released April 1965

Now we are getting a little easier.

Posted by snackeru at 09:01 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | Stadiums | Twins

Category "Life"

Category "Sports"

Category "Twins"

October 21, 2004

Red Sox, Chimneys, and Gopher Basketball

• Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. For the Red Sox to come back from 0-3 to take the AL pennant against the hated Yankees is something truly spectacular. David Oritz and Dougie deserve it and I am happy for them. However, spare me this underdog/curse/anti-Yankee mumbo jumbo. The Red Sox payroll is almost $130 million. That is still $60 million less than the Yankees, but it is also an obscene amount of money. In my mind the Red Sox are just as much to blame for the economic problems in baseball as the Yankees and for this reason they don't deserve, and they will never get, my support. I know, I'm sure they are crying and gnashing their teeth over my lack of support, but I gotta take a stand somewhere. Are they the lesser of two evils? Barely and it pains me to even feel a little spot of goodness in my heart for their victory last night. All I've got to say is go Houston. If it is a Red Sox - Astros World Series only then will it have a modicum of respectability. But that is just me. All of you go ahead and slobber all over yourselves proclaiming that the Evil Empire has been defeated when in truth the evil regime's little brother has merely taken over.

• The Gopher's basketball team is in trouble. How do I know this? Advertisements in the student newspaper to help sell student ticket packages feature Jeff Hagen. In fact, he is the only player featured in the advertisements. Now don't get me wrong. I like Jeff Hagen. He is a good player and a hard worker. He is not someone, though, that you build your team around and I think he would agree. If that is the best player on the Gophers, the only player worthy of featuring in an advertisement to build excitement for the team, then they are in a load of trouble this year. He wasn't even awarded a scholarship until his sophomore year. Again, I like Hagen, but I am feeling a little queasy about the Gopher's chances this year.

• I had my chimney cleaned yesterday. Nick of Nick's Chimney Service came out a did a great job. However, he was the second person to come out and take a look at my chimney and wood burning stove. The first company to come out, and I can't remember their name now, told me that my chimney was so bad that they would have to pretty much rebuild the chimney for me. They said the tiles were all cracked and falling apart, that it wasn't up to code, and that it would need a stainless steel pipe running the entire length of the chimney to make it safe for use. They quoted me $3,000 to repair it. Now, either they thought they could give me a royal porking, or they were just plain stupid. Nick and his people came in and cleaned the chimney, showed me everything they had done and described it all in detail, assured me that the chimney looked very safe, and then charged me less than the first company would have just for the cleaning. Moral of the story is in the world of chimney cleaning, get a second opinion.

• You know what pains me the most about the Yankees-Red Sox series? It should have been the Twins vs. the Red Sox. Maybe that is why I am so bitter. The Twins should have won game 2 of the ALDS, and they had game 4 wrapped up too. I like what the Twins Geek had to say about the Yankees victory over the Twins, "this series was won when one team had (and continues to have) more mojo - not because they bought it." Were the Twins the better team? I would argue they had better pitching, but I will agree that the Yankees definitely had more of that confidence, that cocky attitude, that winners usually have. Will next year be different for the Twins? I sure hope so.

That is all for now. Maybe more later.

Posted by snackeru at 08:55 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack | Life | Sports | Twins

Category "Twins"

October 15, 2004

Let's talk about sports

OK, I've got some things to say concerning some stuff I've been reading about our favorite teams. Let's get to the important stuff first:

• I love Charley Walter's column. If you don't read it you should really check it out. I don't know where he digs up all the crap he reports, and I'd be really interested to know if even half the rumors he reports on turn out to be true, but he almost always has something to discuss in his column. Here is what Charley Walter's reported Tuesday that piqued my interest:

"More than the possibility of contraction for the Twins if they go two more years without a new ballpark is the possibility of relocation, as has happened with the Montreal Expos, who are moving to Washington, D.C. The site that will be mentioned most for the Twins is Las Vegas."

What does everyone think about that statement? Even CNNSI.com picked it up and put it in its "Truth and Rumors" column so it is getting some national press. I'll tell you what I think. Contraction was for real. If not for Judge Harry Crump, God bless his everlasting soul, baseball would have contracted the Twins. So we know that MLB and Pohlad were prepared to carry through with their threat. We also know that recently Jerry Bell has both said he personally will not lead another stadium effort, and he has also said that the Twins are right now evaluating whether or not they will even attempt to lobby the legislature this session. We also know through the example of the Expos that baseball is completely capable of buying out an owner and attempting to move a team. We also know that the Twins will not stay in the Metrodome forever. They can't and they won't. Two years may be a little soon, but if the Twins don't have a stadium solution in place by that time it wouldn't surprise me at all to see the ball start rolling towards an Expos like scenario. What other choice will they have? The Metrodome sucks as a baseball stadium. And not only that, the Vikings want out, and the Gophers want out. Do you think the Twins are going to stick around as the only Metrodome tenant? One day the Twins will move out of the Metrodome. That is inevitable. We can choose to have them move down the street or across the country.

• According to reports coming out of Green Bay, Favre's 5 year old daughter wants him to retire. Couple this with the dismal season the Packer's are having and that means trouble for cheeseheads everywhere. Personally I would be shocked to see Favre retire on such a sour note, but it is obvious his playing football is taking a toll on his family. I was shocked to read that his 15 year old daughter doesn't even live with the family during the season. That would be really difficult on me. Regardless, as a Viking fan I think it would be a very sad day to see Favre retire. Very sad. He has provided me with some world class entertainment and he has single handedly brought the Packer-Viking rivalry to another level. I can't see the Packers being competitive for a few years after his retirement, unless they bring in another stud QB. Anyway, while I would love the inevitable Viking dominance on the division after his retirement, I would miss Favre. No doubt about it.

• Has anyone seen the Fox commercials for the baseball playoffs this year? The tagline is "October isn't scripted" or some such nonsense. How many years in a row have the Yankess been to the playoffs? 10? How many World Series have they been to in the last 10 years? 6? It is ridiculous. Until there is more parity in MLB, until someone other than the Yankees wins the AL East, baseball is scripted. What other conclusion is there?

• Here is one person's view. Mark Yost of the Pioneer Press wrote a great article chastising Pohlad for his cheap ways and practically canonizing Steinbrenner for his committment to winning:

As a longtime Yankee fan from Brooklyn, let me say that Steinbrenner has given even the most faithful fans plenty of heartburn over the years. But the one thing we have never been able to criticize him on is his commitment — both economically and emotionally — to the team. Too bad the Twins fans can't say the same thing about their owner. For if Pohlad could pry his wallet open an inch, the Twins could probably win another World Series — and beat the Yankees on their way to doing it.

He's got a point. How close were the Twins to beating the Yankees? Pretty close if not for game 2 of the ALDS. How many more decent players would it have taken to finally get over this hump they've been trying to get over in the past three years? 1? 2? In addtion, Yost had this to say:

How has Steinbrenner built such a successful franchise? He's been willing to pay top dollar for top-notch talent. Of course, that's the primary knock on the Yankees; they buy titles because they're willing to pay more for players than any other team. That makes for nice rhetoric, but doesn't stand up to economic analysis. The Yankees formula has been a success because it has consistently filled the trophy case as well as the seats at Yankee Stadium.

The Twins lack of attendance has been discussed quite a bit lately, but one thing I think people have failed to mention as a possible reason is the lack of any big name players on the Twins roster. The last time the Twins drew 2 million fans was the year the Twins had Kirby Pucket and Dave Winfield. These are two big, recognizable names that filled the seats. Who do the Twins have right now that can fill the seats? Santana? Yes, but he only pitches once every five days. Torii Hunter? He isn't nearly consistent enough. Morneau, yes in a couple of years he will fill the seats but he is to raw right now and by the time he is hitting 40-50 home runs the Twins will lose him to free agency. I don't know, but it seems that the Twins are in a real catch-22. They are reaping what they are sowing in terms of poor attendance, but claim they can't raise their player budget because they aren't filling enough seats. Anyway, it was definitely an interesting and thought provoking article.

That's all for now.

Posted by snackeru at 06:42 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

October 08, 2004

Pain and hope

Pain, pain, pain. Santana, you are our only hope.

Go Gophers!

See you on Monday.

Posted by snackeru at 09:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

My dilemma

• I'm going camping this weekend. I don't know what I did to anger the baseball gods so, but instead of watching Johan wrap up the ALDS on Saturday night I will be sitting around a campfire singing "Kumbaya" and eating smores. Usually this wouldn't be a bad thing. I've got a new tent, and I love camping, especially camping with my son and the rest of the Cub Scouts. But why, oh why, did it have to be on this weekend? Not only will I be missing the Twins game, I will also miss the Gopher game of the century against Michigan. Apparently, SI.com has already picked the Gophers to win 24-20 (although I can't find the page). That game starts at 11:00, at which time I'll probably be learning the difference between a double half-hitch and just a plain old half-hitch. Argh! It is very frustrating. But I've got a plan.

I bought a little radio last night that I hope to smuggle into the camp. The camp is in Stearns County, close to St. Cloud. You're not supposed to bring any electronic devices, but I'm sure I won't be alone. My question, though, is will I be able to pick up WCCO at the camp with this little radio? Does anyone know for sure, or if I should be tuning into a different station? I would greatly appreciate any advice anyone has. I plan on stringing the headphones up through my clothes, out my neck hole, and into my ear. Or I could string it through my sleeve and out my arm hole and pretend to scratch my ear a lot. Even if I can only listen like every 5 minutes it will still be worth it.

• Stick and Ball Guy has a good post today that you'll want to check out, but one part of his post in particular struck a chord with me. After he picked the Yankees to win game 3 he said:

You know what? I am not writing for a newspaper and I never will be. I don't have to be objective. Who really cares if I'm right or wrong? When it comes to the Twins, I am first and foremost a supporter...So forget that earlier prediction. The Twins are gonna rough up Brown and Silva's gonna give 'em enough. Twins win game 3. Good. I feel better.

Amen brother. What is the point of picking the Yankees to win? First of all the Yankees won't win, and secondly, there are many good reasons why they won't win and why the Twins will win the whole series for that matter:

• Kevin Brown is an idiot. Any pitcher who punches a wall, even if it is his non-pitching hand, is an idiot.
• The Yankees are evil. And I don't know if anyone ever told them, but good always beats evil in the end.
• A-Rod is bad luck. A-Rod leaves the Mariners and they still go to the playoffs and they win 116 games. A-Rod leaves the Rangers and they have their most successful season in years. The only way the Yankees are ever going to win another World Series is if A-Rod leaves the team. That is the way it works.
• I think the Homer Hankies this year look like the 1987 design. The Twins won the World Series in 1987. Enough said.
• The Twins have Dome field advantage. If you are reading this and going to the game please, for the love of all that is holy, scream like you've never screamed before. Scream so much that Derek Jeter wets himself. If he hasn't wet himself yet, you aren't screaming loud enough.
• I pet my lucky cat this morning and I smoothed the lucky Homer Hanky in a counter-clockwise direction. I will also wear my lucky Twins shirt tonight and I will probably put on my favorite Twins hat. Oh yes, I will do my part. Now it will be up to the Twins to do the rest.
• Because, because, because! The magic is back people! Who else feels it? Who doesn't believe in their heart of hearts that the Twins can pull this out? Two games! That is all it will take. If Silva can pitch his usual ground ball inducing stuff and the Twins can knock Brown around early, the Twins will be victorious. I personally feel it is inevitable.

Man, I am pumped up! Everybody sing along: We're gonna win Twins! We're gonna score! We're gonna win Twins watch that baseball soar! ...

Posted by snackeru at 07:48 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack | Twins

Category "Twins"

Category "Vikings"

October 07, 2004

Short hops

Before I begin let me say that I am not, nor will I ever be, a manager in baseball. Not little leagues, and certainly not in the major leagues. The game was painful last night, as I'm sure you'll agree, and I can't decide if I would rather lose in a blowout, or a close game in extra innings. I am leaning towards a blowout.

• Having said that, I would have left Nathan in, too. I cringed when I saw Jesse Crain warming up. Granted, he might be the closer of the future, but this was going to be too much for him. His first postseason appearance at Yankee stadium in an extra innings game? Come on. No way. When Nathan walked back out I was relieved. In hindsight, should Gardy have put Crain in? I have no idea. Should he have put Romero in to face Matsui? Possibly, but Romero has really struggled as of late. I would have liked to have seen Nathan finish it off. My question now, though, is will he be able to pitch Friday? Probably with a day off. And yes, I would still put him in. No question.

• And speaking of managerial decisions, I would have pinch hit for Kubel in the 8th. Here is another situation where a rookie was expected to produce, but it wasn't even a normal situation in regards to a playoff game. He was facing possibly the greatest reliever of this generation: Mariano Rivera. I know Gardy probably liked the fact that Kubel was a lefty, but the rookie looked so outmatched out there, it wasn't even funny. If only Koskie's ground rule double would have stayed in the park! We wouldn't even be having this conversation.

• Have no fear, though, Twins fans. We only need to go back 2 years to see somewhat of a repeat of this situation. In the 2002 ALDS vs. Oakland the Twins won the first game and then lost game 2 in Oakland 9-1, and then lost game 3 at the Dome 6-3! Man that was painful. However, you all know the rest of the story, the Twins take the last two games and go on to the ALCS. Here is hoping the Twins won't even need game 5. Come on Silva!

• Is it just me, or does Miguel Cairo bear a striking resmeblance to Bat Boy? It is probably just me. Apologies to Batgirl who I'm sure bears no resemblance.

• Non Twins news, I don't know how many of you saw this, but Charley Walters reported on Tuesday that Reggie Fowler and Denny Hecker are getting closer to making an offer for the Vikings. I predict next week. It is funny how my mind can change so quickly. When we first heard about this maybe happening, I was freaking out. Who is this Reggie Fowler character? Now I think it is exactly what the Vikings need. It will be a happy day when I don't have to think about Red McCombs and his veiled threats ever again.

• Mr. Cheer or Die of Vikings fan fame has created a blog on my humble U of M blog system, UThink, called Mr. Cheer Or Die's Viking Underground. I am thrilled to have him aboard! Anyway, he has already posted a hilarious account called "The Switch" which describes his efforts to display a Vikings lamp in his house. I encourage you to check it out and the rest of his site as he gets more content up.

Posted by snackeru at 09:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack | Twins | Vikings

Category "Links of the day"

Category "Twins"

October 06, 2004

Links of the day, Twins edition

• Yanks baffled by Santana
  

  Interesting quotes
  Posada on Hunter's throw to nail him at the plate:
  

  "That's why he's got a Gold Glove," Posada said. "We tried to get on a little run there, make him be accurate. There's not much you can do."

  A-Rod on Hunter's defense:
  

  "Torii saved two runs for them," Rodriguez said. "The throw home and the leadoff double -- or whatever that would have been -- in the eighth. Pitching and defense usually wins, so you just tip your cap. We played a good, sound game. We didn't beat ourselves."

  That is true, the Twins just plain beat you.



• Closer Look from CNNSI.com
  Interesting quotes

  On El Duque making a start:
  

  "The news on Orlando Hernandez wasn't good for the Yankees. Joe Torre said El Duque didn't have a bullpen session Tuesday and is a 'fingers-crossed proposition' to make a start in the Division Series."

  People, we just saw the only "ace" the Yankees will throw at us in Mussina.

  On the Twins chances:
  

  "Truth be told, Minnesota toed the line between victory and disaster all night. If any of those double-play ground balls had found a hole, if Sierra's fly ball had not been ruled foul, if Torii Hunter hadn't made two sensational plays in center field -- throwing out Jorge Posada on a sac fly and robbing Alex Rodriguez of a home run -- the Yankees easily could have erupted for one of their trademark big innings. Brad Radke and Carlos Silva, the Twins' starters for the next two games, might not prove nearly as evasive."

  Hmmm ... very interesting. No comment. We'll see what happens in game 2.



• Twins all about team from ESPN.com
  Interesting quote
  

  "Perhaps best of the all, Santana only threw 93 pitches, leaving Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire with the option of bringing him back Saturday in Game 4 at the Metrodome.

  'I think he's going to pitch the fourth game,' Twins catcher Henry Blanco said. 'That's why they got him out after seven -- to give him a little breather. I think he's going to be fine.' "

  I don't think there is any question he will pitch game 4 if necessary. Wow. I like the sound of that.



• Cudd-iary: ALDS Game 1
  Interesting quote

  "Compared to last year being up, 1-0, just remembering what happened last year will help us out a lot. Knowing we were feeling good about ourselves last year and they came and took it to us the next three games. We've got that feeling. We'll go out Wednesday with the same intensity level and try to take [it] to them."

  Good to hear, Cuddyer.



• Nothing Is Easy for Yanks, and This Series Won't Be Either
  Interesting quotes

  "'This game is over with,'' Jeter said. 'You have to have the approach that every game you play is the last game of the season. If you have that, it doesn't matter if you're up or down.''

  Jeter might want to be careful about mentioning the potential last game of the season because that could arrive much faster than the Yankees expected."

  Indeed.

  On the Yankees hopes to score early:
  

  "Jeter said the Yankees had hoped to score early off Santana, but that fizzled in dramatic fashion in the first two innings. Rodriguez was nab