Check me out on Puckett's Pond!



If you've enjoyed my posts on "Paula's Pitch", I hope you'll check out www.puckettspond.com, where I have recently joined the team as a staff writer.  That will be my primary blog about all things Minnesota Twins.  However, I may occasionally add a post on some of my other favorite topics here at Paula's Pitch.  I hope you'll follow me on both places.

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They say hitting is contagious

When the Twins' 2012 season began, homer that I am, I wistfully hoped for (okay, fully expected) a team that would be in contention this season.  I mean, I didn't really expect the playoffs.  I just secretly hoped they'd prove everybody wrong.

But after the shock of the opening series (because who expected this year from Baltimore?) and the disappointment of the home opener loss (the first home opener I've ever attended - I was not a happy camper), the Minnesota baseball fan's 2012 mantra became "All we ask is that you make it entertaining!"

The Twins' first successful sweep was in May against the Tigers, and the season was starting to plane out.  As the games rolled on, answers were beginning to form for some of the biggest questions of spring training, and those answers were looking good.  Joe Mauer had played almost every game.  Justin Morneau was successfully making a case for more and more playing time.  Ryan Doumit, Josh Willingham, and Jamey Carroll were showing themselves to be shrewd investments.  The bullpen was faring better than expected, and Diamond (who I've had a soft spot for since I attended his debut in 2011) was beginning to inspire a succession of terrible puns in headlines about pitching "a gem" of a game.  The other starting pitchers seemed to be the downfall that would keep the Twins from turning the season around, but there were more than enough good things happening to "make it entertaining."

From June 1-August 7, the Twins were playing better than .500 baseball, .517 to be exact, going 31 and 29.  So the two weeks worth of games since then have come as a shock to the system, with the boys going 2-11 in that span, a dismal .154.

Definitely not "entertaining."

Wednesday's game was painful to see progress in little dots and tiny figures on GameCast Mini.  Day games like these make me happy I work in a building that AM radio cannot penetrate.  In the last 13 games, the Twins have had only one loss that was decided by one run, while they've had seven games in that time frame where they lost by four or more runs.  And while a normal loss finds many a fan lamenting the men the Twins left on base, it was worse on Tuesday when they didn't leave a single man on base.  It felt like they walked away with nary a whimper.

When the boys hit a skid like this, it's easy for the fans, and probably far easier for the team, to focus on the negatives and to begin having flashbacks of 2011.  But while there were only two wins in the last two weeks, those wins were decisive: 9-3 vs. the Tigers, and 7-2 vs. the As.

I couldn't possibly count the number of times I heard Twins players, coaches, or reporters say "hitting is contagious" during the first month of the season.  It proved to be true for the 61 game stretch from June into August, a time when it was easy to see that the boys still had some fight left in them.

We know the Twins aren't going to make the playoffs.  We know they won't see .500 for the second year in a row.  But as of the wee hours of August 23, the Twins have still got the #4 (Mauer) and #6 (Ben Revere) hitters in the AL.  And there are still the Twins' bombers.  It may have been over a week since Willingham hit career high home run #30, and La Velle E. Neal III wrote on Wednesday that Trevor Plouffe is 2-for-39 without at home run in 92 plate appearances.  (Activated from the DL on August 13, it would have been nice to see Plouffe return to form before nine games passed.  But it took until about June 1 for his bat to heat up this season, and heat up it did.)

But, I don't think this slump will last forever.  In fact, the boys may still be reeling from Nishioka's recent stint in the Big Leagues.

But come next Wednesday (August 29) when I'll be at Target Field, I fully expect to see a recovered Plouffe and another home run or two from Willingham.

And you know, they say hitting is contagious.  Maybe they'll make it entertaining!

Image from: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_20985192/no-all-star-spot-willingham-or-diamond

A White Sox Mole in the Twins Front Office?



I'm convinced the White Sox have a member of the Twins front office on their payroll.  It's the only explanation for the Twins' decision to recall Tsuyoshi Nishioka.  As a starter.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the White Sox are worried that the Twins will overtake the division; the Twins record is virtually impossible to overcome, and the White Sox and their mole are certainly laughing themselves all the way to 2012 playoffs.  I'm pretty sure that the White Sox have a mole in place for the express purpose of extinguishing any glimmer of hope Twins players, coaching staff, or fans might have of the future success of any rebuilding effort.

Post-All Star Break, the stars aligned for the Twins.  Their pitching, their offense, and their defense began to ignite, and the best games for each of those areas started to coincide.  They've been playing better than .500 baseball since the break, and no MLB team has scored more runs in that time.  The boys have been playing like the games mattered, like there was meaning to the outcome.  They've cared and they've fought.  They way they were playing, a fan might be tempted into thinking #itshappening.  What a contrast to 2011!  Statistically, they're 2012 record is worse than last year.  I had to triple-check my California Math, but it tells me that after 111 games this year, Minnesota's record is 49-62 and last year, it was 51-60.

Despite having a worse record in 2012 than they did at the same point in the Lost Season of 2011, the talk of the town turned from how painfully awful the Twins are (and who they need to dump before the deadline) to nuanced conversations about moving up the ladder in the Central Division, batting titles, and the delicate balance between signing and releasing players that is needed to turn the Twins around next season.  If not yet playoff contenders in 2013, the expectation was that the Twins would make significant progress.

And then, the Twins recalled Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

I should have known something was amiss when the Twins first recalled Danny Valencia.  It was my fervent wish that he'd never again see an MLB uniform as a Twin.  Unfortunately, the Twins recalled him just in time for me to observe him live at the July 28 Twins game vs. Cleveland.  I cannot quantify my gratitude to the Boston Red Sox for claiming Danny V on waivers; that they promptly sent him to AAA made the pronouncement even sweeter.

Danny V, well, he can play when he feels like it.  Tsuyoshi Nishioka, on the other hand, that poor player has simply become a laughing stock in MLB.  Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with Phil Mackey that Nishioka isn't to blame for the spectacle we've all watched in horrified fascination over the last three games.  I have yet to find video of Nishi's first-play error on Monday, but his reaction today when he lost a pop-up in the sun is a good secondary example of the joke that he is on an MLB field.

Duensing did not have a brilliant start on August 8 by any stretch of the imagination.  But the game had a completely different vibe than some recent games when the starters pitched okay (or even poorly), but the defense made incredible plays and the offense kept the Twins in the game.  Today felt like the end of 2011, as if the boys said, "Why bother trying when we're only going to lose?"

I imagine it's difficult for a player not to lose hope when you're praying the ball won't be hit to the middle infielder, and when you know he's an automatic out when he's in the batter's box.  And it's almost impossible not to question the front office when that middle infielder has done nothing in AAA to warrant another look in the majors and has no trade value.  At all.  As a fan, I find the move perplexing at best, and if I were a player, I'd start to wonder if the move wasn't sabotage from the front office.

If Gardenhire's statement that "It's not just three days for Nishi" is true, I won't in good conscience be able to blame the Twins players if they reach the dreaded 100 loss mark.  With this latest call-up, I think they have every right to believe the organization doesn't see any hope in them and may even be trying to sabotage them.  (And Gardy is probably justified in being the most frustrated man in the clubhouse.)

If I cling to the notion that the Twins organization actually wants the team to win, I can only conclude that the White Sox have planted a mole to prevent the Twins from rebuilding anytime in the next decade.  The only other alternative is to believe that Terry Ryan and the front office team actually thought Nishi could contribute.  And management that deluded would tank the team for the next decade, a prospect I'm not ready to believe.

I guess the Nishi call-up is payback for even thinking this week about buying one of these t-shirts:



Now that this is old news...

This post has been one of those good intentions for a week.  I am finally writing it after the gnashing of teeth & cries of jubilation have died down, reaction depending on one's assessment of the trade.


After spending last Friday evening (7/28/12) with some friends at the third annual "Paula's Pals" game at my favorite place (Target Field), I rejoiced heartily when I received the news that FRANCISCO LIRIANO WAS TRADED.  The only thing that kept me from doing a Happy Dance was the fact that I was driving.  I really didn't care that (Interim) GM Terry Ryan had seen fit to send former White Sox players Pedro Hernandez (LHP) and Eduardo Escobar (INF) directly to AAA.  The Frankie Era was over!

In the last week, the trade has been dissected by the lovers and the haters, who have very divergent opinions on the move.  The chief complaint of the critics is that the Twins traded Frankie to a division rival for a discounted price.


While I would have loved to have seen Frankie go outside the division, say, to the Braves, who apparently had interest in him, and for more than the Twins got back in this trade, let's face it; Francisco Liriano of 2006 is a thing of the past.


I've been keeping up with the Liriano trade rumors and trade discussions all season, as I looked for anything that could justify my hope that he'd be in another uniform before season's end.  I started the season by hoping his good showing in spring training would lead to teams sniffing around earlier rather than later.


Throughout the season, nothing in the trade discussions and rumors surprised me more than what many of the Minnesota media and fans thought the Twins should get for Frankie.  It seemed that they thought no one else could see what the Twins organization and Twins fans saw.  It was like a two-year-old covering her eyes and thinking that means no one can see her.


I established my "Liriano Rule"* early in the 2011 season, and I haven't looked back.  While I laud him for the 2011 No-No, his intermittent brilliance, and his nice games of late, I'll never trust him again.  And this trade confirms that the majority of the league needs to see more than just a handful of post-bullpen-demotion games to hold on to any hope that the flailing hurler will return to half of his 2006 form.


(Interim) GM Terry Ryan was very clear that the Twins took the best offer they received for Liriano, and I have no reason not to believe him.  With teams unable to predict whether Frankie will be "effectively wild" or meltdown before the third out, there was absolutely no incentive for a team to take a risk on him.  I also think this shows that teams respect Twins' pitching coach Rick Anderson, who blamed Liriano for much of his gray hair.  Few teams thought their pitching coach could do what Anderson couldn't.


Last Friday, I got the good news, and sent a text to my parents.  Dad summed it up best in his reply:  "I would have taken a hot dog and coke for francisco"


----


*Paula's Lirano Rule: If he gives up a hit, think about pulling him.  If he gives up a run, for the love of all that is good, PULL HIM!!  There's no stopping the train wreck.


picture reference: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_21199506/shooter-now-ex-minnesota-twins-francisco-liriano-jesse?source=rss

Paula’s Five Best Tips for a “Cooking-for-One” Newbie

So it turns out that I’m all talk and no substance when it comes to my “Twins Blog”.  I crumbled under the pressure (I put on myself) to be a Twins expert outside my own little world of pretend, where I have Supreme Knowledge of All Things Twins.  In crashing down to earth, I have not abandoned the idea of blogging!  I’ve just taken a hiatus of about 10 months or so to gather courage once again…

…and as you can see from my updated “Paula’s Pitch” description, I’ve decided to tell the world about, well, whatever comes to mind!

I’ve been thinking a lot about “Cooking for One” as a way to save money and to eat healthier.  And of course, simply because I love to cook.  With that in mind, and the encouragement of several friends, here is the inaugural post of my (re)new(ed) blog.  This post is a revised response to a friend’s request to the Google world, which was an appeal for tips about starting to cook for one’s self with minimal planning.  Without further ado...

How can I get started cooking for myself...especially if planning scares me???

A little planning is inevitable if you want to avoid the drive-thru and cook for yourself, but it can be kept to a minimum if you’re willing to adopt a few basic habits.  There are five tips I would give to those who want to begin cooking for themselves. These are all things that can give you easy options and remove the pressure to make a gourmet meal every night.  It’s also important to try to pick one or two of these tips to help kick-start you.  Don’t try to adopt them all overnight!  As you get comfortable, you can add a new habit to your routine.

Paula’s Five Best Tips for a “Cooking-for-One” Newbie:

1) Keep a “standard” stock of canned/dry goods and frozen foods on hand to help avoid giving in to the drive-thru temptation.  An easy plan is to make sure you always have pasta, red sauce, canned black beans, rice, pre-cooked frozen chicken strips, and a frozen veggie on hand. The great thing is a lot of these things mix-n-match surprisingly well, so limited ingredients create options. Sometimes, you might go a long time before breaking into them, but they’re always there to prevent an excuse for that drive-thru drive-by.  Pick your favorites, so you’ll like them and want to eat what’s on hand.

2) Keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand and invest time once or twice a week in "prepping" them; or invest the money in buying them already prepped.  It also helps to keep it pretty simple, choosing what you like and what you can eat before it spoils.  For example, you might keep apples in the fridge, lettuce, a salad "throw in" veggie, and onions.  (Onions are one of my favorite ingredients.)

3) Keep a grocery list & a pen in a standard and accessible place, and write items down when they get low. Then, without having to plan what you will eat for the next month, week, or even for a day, you’ll find you have your favorite standbys on hand.  It makes it harder to justify a stop at the drive-thru.  Or, better yet, download a grocery list app and enjoy the ease and convenience of a paperless list.

4) Spend some time each week cooking one "big" dish – a favorite or a new recipe that interests you – and package the leftovers in single servings. Most things can freeze, so half or two-thirds of the portioned containers in the freezer for the future.  For a lunch or dinner on the fly, pop it in the microwave (probably on defrost first), and you have your own “TV Dinner” – no planning required.  This can be a great way to break up the monotony of eating boxed spaghetti with jarred sauce one more time.

5) It helps to have spices, condiments, and shredded cheese on hand. These can add pizzazz to a simple dish or change a third-day-in-a-row leftover into a new dish.

The Best News of the 2011 Baseball Season

A few days ago, I got a Tweet that was the best Twins news I’ve had all year:  the 2012 schedule.

I have a hard time even remembering to check www.twinsbaseball.com for the latest news.  And when I do check it, headlines like “Twins unsure if Morneau will return this season” barely garner a superficial scan of the article.  And it’s a really bad sign that I can’t even muster up the desire to turn the radio on for the game or the pre/post game coverage.  Like everyone else, I just want this misery to be OVER.

But hope springs eternal (at least in my heart), and that’s why I am excited to have a look at next year’s schedule.  The first thing I checked was when we host the Brewers.   This summer, I met up with my closest college friends for a Twins-Brewers game in Milwaukee.  (No surprise, it was a Twins loss.)  The plan is to make this a tradition, alternating seasons between Miller Park and Target Field.  Last year, I had my first tailgating experience.  This year, I hope to introduce my friends to the glories of Target Field.  (And nicer fans.)

I hope our guys will be healthy, as it’s hard to extol the virtues of Joe Mauer over Ryan Braun when Mauer’s not even playing.  For most of this year’s game, the best I could legitimately say was that Mauer was better looking than Braun.  Mauer did pinch hit late in the game, and he actually got a clutch hit.  But, not surprisingly, the 2011 Twins couldn’t do anything with it.  Pavano pitched a game worth forgetting, we had very little offense, and we played poorly enough to be easy targets for the person pushing the buttons on the sound effects that day.

While I don’t believe our mid-game cartoon “race” around Target Field can compete with Miller Park’s “Sausage Races”, and we can’t tailgate, I think the rest of the ballpark experience might win out:  gorgeous view from anywhere, electric atmosphere, giant scoreboards, and Minnesota nice.  Oh, and of course, I expect we’ll have a winning team next year.

One of my favorite moments of the day was when my friend’s six-year-old son (product of a “mixed” marriage of a MN mom & a WI dad) said that we can be happy whichever team wins.  I’ll let him be happy regardless of the outcome.  I’ll be happy when the Twins beat the Brewers, but I’ll enjoy the company and new tradition no matter what.

Ironically, I’ve decided to cheer for the Brewers for the remainder of this year.  I didn’t like how the Arizona fans treated Prince Fielder when he exercised his option to choose his teammates for the Homerun Derby.  But only for this year, which will work out just fine since it’s expected to be Fielder’s last year on the team.  If Morneau doesn’t recover, or doesn’t recover well enough, might the Twins be looking for a First Baseman/DH with some homerun power?

Beating a Dead Horse

July was a mirage.  I’m beginning to think the month didn’t exist.  As every commentator, fan, and armchair manager has stated, the Twins basically pretended to make a run at the point in the season when it could hurt the most.  Going 16-13 in July, up to the non-waiver deadline, the Twins gave the illusion that we might recover this year.  I was on the “best-recovery-in-history” bandwagon far longer than was reasonable.  I just couldn’t believe this season was happening.  I clung to the belief that #itshappening.

By contrast, August was 7-21.  I attended three August games, all losses.  It’s painful to think the Twins (and their fans) have to put up with it for 18 more days, or 16 more games.  Although I’m a fan who still catches the game when I’m able, it’s no longer with the expectation of any enjoyment.  It’s purely out of loyalty for the team that I know exists somewhere underneath the rubble of this season.  It’s surreal.

Rather than re-hash the scraps that have been left by others wiser than I, here are some of the favorite facts and frivolity I’ve come across in the last week or so, and the surmises I’ve made:

·         Chuck James’ Sep 11 tweet of “Feels good to be at home with the family, but would love to still be playing” seems incredibly anticlimactic after his Sept 4 tweet of “No luck this year on a sep call up. Hope for better luck next year. Maybe the twins will let me go, so mabe another team can give me a shot.”  Sorry, buddy, but if you’re an (almost) 30-year-old pitcher who hasn’t had much more than a season in the big leagues, I wouldn’t suggest insulting the team that still has you on the payroll.

·         Also regarding Chuck James:  If I were a player and the Twins couldn’t find a place for me as this season crashes and burns, I’d start looking at a new career.

·         Although a shameless Mauer fan, even I was chagrined that the boys weren’t able to come up with any homeruns in between Joe’s #2 & #3 on the year.  (Thank you http://twitter.com/#!/RhettBollinger for tweeting that fact.)

·         It’s a testament to the Twin’s respect for Cuddyer that his wrist hasn’t earned him a trip to the DL.  It's also a testament to the fact that we have called up anyone who might be able to pass for a major league player at a Halloween party.

·         I disagree with most of the commentators I have heard; I do think the majority of this season’s problems were related to injury.  The injuries might be caused by related, inherent problems.  However, we have a team that, when healthy, would be quality.

*** 

As a final note, I want to put this in the context of “real world” important things.  I wrote this post on September 11, 2011, ten years after our nation’s tragedy.  As I read repeatedly in the September 11, 2001 coverage from the  MLB archives, in the end, baseball doesn’t matter.  To all of the heroes, recognized and unrecognized, thank you from the bottom of my heart.