Kind of a rough weekend, that’s for sure, but it’s time for happy thoughts. Going 7-11 against the top teams in the American League is not the end of the world. So, in honor of the good times that is playing the Royals (please don’t be a jinx…please don’t be a jinx) here are some links to make you feel a little better before the Twins take on the worst team in baseball.
- First off, it’s pretty clear that Torii is over his ankle injury. True, his catch on Sunday that robbed Konerko of a home run wasn’t anything spectacular (for him), but it was vintage Torii. If you want to see more, someone has put together a highlight film of Torii’s amazing defensive plays and home runs. (The film is put to a Tupac Song, so you’ll want to turn your sound off if you’re at work)
- Feeling a little better? Well, here’s some more good news: Zack Grienke has rejoined the Royals organization after leaving the team due to personal matters. And while it may not be good news for the Twins that the player that Baseball Prospectus called the future of pitching in 2005 is back in the Royals organization, it is heartening to know that he’s overcoming his demons and starting back on the road to realizing his enormous potential.
- One of my favorite parts of attending a baseball game is the scoreboard races. I have to say I wasn’t very happy when I didn’t get to see Tuffy, Speedy and Barney race around Minneapolis during my visits to the ‘Dome. But take heart, good readers, the Twins weren’t the only franchise to have animated characters race each other for the enjoyment of the crowd. If you’re planning on taking in a game somewhere besides the friendly confines of the Metrodome, check out Deadspin’s rundown of the races in the AL, the NL and the Minors and other leagues. I hope you enjoy the Nationals’ race as much as I do.
- Finally, a follow up to the Hardball Times’ look at left handed catchers has some more reasons why there should be more lefty catchers, and some pretty solid reasons why there aren’t (hint: baseball people aren’t open to new ideas). And it turns out that an old (and I mean old) favorite of Twins’ fans started out as a southpaw backstop. Who knew?
Posts
2 comments:
You know, I really have to make a comment about Torii's catch on Sunday. He didn't rob Konerko of a home run--if you watched closely, his glove was right at the line of the fence and a good foot in front, and the downward trajectory of the fly ball would have it whacking against the fence, probably for a double (or triple, if it caromed past the fielder).
Torii Hunter is an outstanding fielder, and that was a great catch. But, like our propensity to call Mauer the next HOFer, I think we tend to ladle the praise on a few too many times, and in great heaping piles. Christ, I've heard it said that Torii has made what could be the greatest catch in baseball history.
The left handed catcher story brings back memories. As a left hander myself, I caught both games of a double header when I was 15. It was an extremely hot day and I didn't have a catcher's mitt, so I used my first baseman's glove and catch all of the pitches in the web (not that the pitchers were throwing hard or anything). There was a play at the plate and I applied a tag and the runner's cleats got caught in my glove and ripped a hole in the webbing. We didn't have any leather to repair the glove, but there was a multi-stranded copper wire that I stripped the insulation off of and used to patch the hole so that I could play the rest of the game.
Post a Comment