Punting Baxter

The Minnesota Twins have now swept the White Sox and Tigers and taken three of four from defending champion Boston in their last three home series. Not bad for a squad most people left for dead after losing Torii, Johan and Silva this offseason.

So I run downstairs after the game to get quotes and wind up on the Boston side first because Terry Francona likes to get his news conferences out of the way. With hordes of Asian media on the premises thanks to Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, and the fact that its the Red Sox we’re talking about here, I wound up near the back of the considerable-sized pack. Everyone is just sort of standing around looking at Francona, so I start asking a question. Well, it turns out there’s a soft-talker right in front of Francona who was already mid-question when I opened my mouth. So Francona shoots me a look and asks me in a way somewhere between average and rude if he can answer her question. I apologize and say that I couldn’t hear her. Then the media relations guy standing behind all of us decides he needs to scold me as well, so I shot back that I couldn’t hear her and gave another sarcastic apology.

It certainly wasn’t as bad as the time I asked Glen Mason about his quarterback situation during the 2001 season right after the Gophers were beaten by Purdue in a game where Travis Dorsch kicked a 50-yarder to tie it — arguably after the clock ran out — following a drive from inside the 10-yard line with less than a minute left. Then Tony Henderson’s overtime touchdown didn’t count because the officials didn’t understand the color scheme in the end zone and thought he was out of bounds. If it weren’t for television cameras in the room, I would have been killed that day.

But I digress…here’s the story: http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5199

There’s certainly nothing like a three-plus hour Sunday night baseball game that gets you home post-midnight to start off the work week on the right foot. But hey, at least it was an exciting affair.

Props to my editor, who shifted some things around to go Craig Monroe heavy at the top and in the process managed to fit the word “career” three times in the same sentence. I shouldn’t complain, though, for how many times they’ve taken the crap I wrote and actually made it presentable.

For you Boston fans (how so many wound up in the Twin Cities I’ll never know), Terry Francona said last night that Manny Ramirez would likely play today, so no need to worry about his hammy.

Here’s hoping for a sub-three-hour game this evening…

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5197

So, the only places I really know where to look for my Sportsticker stories are on the Yes Network’s website and the National Post’s website. For some reason, both places only have the first run of the story I wrote (no quotes). Not sure why, but had I known they weren’t going to use it I would’ve left after the game!

I didn’t think it was a bad optional, either. Oh well. Here are the links as proof I’m not lying…

http://web.yesnetwork.com/sports/mlb/game.jsp?id=2008/05/10/bosmlb-minmlb-1&oid=&mode=recap

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5188

Jon Papelbon had his head in his hands for several minutes in the locker room after the game, just staring at the floor. With the crunch of media members from Beantown waiting in the close confines of the visiting Metrodome clubhouse, Mike Timlin actually asked everyone to give him some space. There wasn’t really anywhere to go, but all of us sort of shuffled around in order to move a couple feet away. Fun story, huh?

Props to Carlos Gomez for actually taking his fourth walk of the season with two outs in the ninth. Papelbon walked the first and the last batter he’s faced this season with none in between. I’m guessing he’ll get another shot, though, before the Red Sox decide to cut him after two straight blown saves and losses (note: sarcasm).

Mike Lamb was the big hero, but I wouldn’t get used to those words being together if I were you: http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5182

I didn’t hide my disdain for Blue Jays manager John Gibbons when writing up the Blue Jays team and player profiles for a fantasy magazine I used to work for that will remain nameless prior to being laid off earlier this year, and the guy added fuel to the fire on Wednesday night.

Shaun Marcum pitched a gem through eight innings, striking out nine while allowing just one hit. It took awhile, but the Jays offense finally supplied him with a run in the seventh, then spent more than 15 minutes tacking on five runs in the eighth (it probably was closer to 25 minutes, but I wasn’t paying close enough attention while working). So Marcum, now with a 6-0 lead, nearly 100 pitches under his belt and no fewer than 15 minutes getting cold on the bench of course would call it a night. Or at least he would have if a capable manager was running the show.

But Marcum plays Gibbons, who went to the Dusty Baker school of destroying pitching arms, so there went Marcum back out for the ninth inning. Sure enough, Marcum gave up two runs on three hits after he recorded two outs in the ninth and had to be relieved.

I was no doubt more emotionally invested in this than normal because Marcum started on my fantasy club that was in the middle of one of its biggest moves up the standings this season. Regardless, I fail to see a good reason for Marcum to even be in the game at this point. What purpose could it possibly serve? Even if Marcum retires the side there like he almost did, what does that prove? Protect your pitchers’ arms!!! You’re going to need those come September!

Maybe Toronto will bring in a manager who knows that next season…

Nice choke job by the Tigers on Sunday, but much credit to Grace’s favorite pitcher Boof Bonser for turning things around and the Twins’ offense for not throwing in the towel. Who thought the Twins would be in first place as late as Cinco de Mayo???

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5149

I get to put in a few nights hard labor at the Star Tribune, but will be back at the dome on Friday for the start of the Red Sox series. By then, one of my two fantasy baseball teams should be pretty close to mathematically eliminated, so maybe I’ll complain more about that, too.

First, my condolences to Eight Belles. As an honorary member of the horse community, I took the tragic loss of one of our own following the Kentucky Derby quite hard.

But hey, the Twins won…

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5143

I never said anything about posting these in a timely fashion…

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=mlb-game-centre&mid=5135

Major leaguers never enjoy striking out, but I swear they get more pissed about striking out against Livan Hernandez than anyone I’ve ever seen just because of the junk he throws up there. Good times.

Hopefully the Tigers’ bullpen can actually get a few guys out tonight and keep this game under three hours…

After a nice hiatus from the Metrodome that left me with not one, but TWO nights off last week, I was back in the saddle covering the Twins last night. Here is the link from the National Post.

In other stuff, Michael Cuddyer said that the tornadoes that ripped through Virginia missed his house by 25 or 30 miles. He did say that his father’s wife (not his mother I’m guessing) is a nurse at a hospital that was hit – not sure the name, I didn’t read about it or ask him – but she was in the opposite wing of the side that was damaged. Otherwise, no other family or friends were in the line of fire.

Going back to last week, I happened to be in the Twins clubhouse when their latest TV commercial was unveiled – a 30-second spot that has all of Minnesota’s pitchers singing their own lyrics to the tune of Ode to Joy, directed by pitching coach Rick Anderson. Manager Ron Gardenhire was later asked about the singing skills of his squad, and somewhere along the line ended up dropping a Milli Vanilli reference on the assembled media. I happened to be walking up the stairs towards the clubhouse at the same time as him a few minutes later and commended his Milli Vanilli drop. He went on to discuss how it was too bad they were lip synching because it was a catchy tune. So there you have it – Gardy enjoys himself a little Milli Vanilli on occasion. Can’t say I blame him. I blame the rain.

This copy/paste thing is already getting old for me, so here’s the link to my PA-Sportsticker story in The National Post. Yes, that’s a Canadian paper. Yes, Canada loves Sportsticker. We’re taking down North America one country at a time, starting from the North.

The Twinkies have a week-long roadie starting Tuesday, meaning I’m in line for a whopping three nights off this week! Although one of those nights is booked for a wedding with another booked for a meeting/softball practice. But still, this will be the only time until June that I’ll have even one night with nothing scheduled. Maybe I’ll even get to watch some NBA playoffs and blog about it! Or sleep.