Sunday, July 16, 2006

Links of the Day for 7/17/06

Powered by Intern Sam

Okay, first off, in the interest of full disclosure, we should mention that Intern Sam is putting together this post a full day in advance of its appearance on the GameDay site, due to circumstances beyond his control that will require him to be the hell out of this insane oven of a city on Sunday, attending to family business while sipping sangria in a lounge chair on the shores of beautiful Lake Hubert.

So nowhere in this filing will you find the very latest up-to-the-minute info on Torii Hunter’s ankle, Shannon Stewart’s plantar fascism (whatever – Bert can’t pronounce it either,) Jason Kubel’s exploded knee, Terry Tiffee’s newly arrived offspring, or Ron Gardenhire’s impending coronary. However, because we love you, we have put together a helpful Google News search which we believe should be most effective in locating any pertinent new injury tidbits. You’re welcome.


  • Apparently, Terry Ryan is still looking to acquire a veteran power bat, and he has not been in the least deterred by Exhibits Batista, White, and Sierra. Welcome to the family, Erubiel Durazo…


  • The news this week that the Twins will be cutting ties with WCCO radio this offseason and taking its radio rights in-house (with games to air on KSTP 1500 beginning in 2007) has not apparently sat well with the demographic Intern Sam likes to refer to as “Crazy Old Minnesota Coots.”

    If there’s anything positive to be gained from the changeover from the fan’s perspective, it might be that teams often use flagship changes as an excuse to rejigger their broadcast team. With a little luck, we might finally get a play-by-play man who gives the score occasionally and spends more time describing the game than he does laughing hysterically at nothing and hollering “TOUCH ‘EM AAAAAAAWWWLLL” in reference to quartz countertops.

    As for all the hand-wringing over the once-mighty (and strong signaled) WCCO losing the Twins after lo these many years, everyone should probably relax. It’s not as if KSTP is some nowhere station no one can hear – it’s a 50,000-watt station (admittedly without the long-range nighttime reach of WCCO,) family-owned and with a long history in the area. And while some Twins fans may not be altogether enamored of their team being on a station known primarily for right-wing talk, you’ve gotta love the idea of The Mischke Broadcast serving as a lead-in to the old ballgame…


  • Twins Ballpark 2010 (not affiliated with the Twins) is soliciting fan input as to what the team’s priorities ought to be in designing their new home, and so far, it seems that what worked for the Wild might just work for the Twins as well: embracing the area’s sporting history as a way of tapping into the sometimes subsumed passion for Minnesota sports.


  • The Twins are not a perfect organization, as we all know, but on occasion, it’s nice to be reminded of what a truly pathetic baseball franchise looks like, and how it differs from a basically successful team with a miserly and somewhat disengaged ownership. Intern Sam grew up a Phillies fan, and he is here to tell you that absolutely nothing about this sordid tale came as any kind of surprise to him or anyone else who spent their childhood in the 700 level of old Veterans’ Stadium.


  • Finally, from the boys at The Brushback comes news that the Chicago Cubs actually intend to show some life before the calendar year ends. Punching someone in the head doesn’t actually sound particularly productive in a baseball sense, but at this point, we suspect that the long-suffering Wrigley faithful would take it.

2 comments:

Scott said...

WCCO isn't also known for a lot of right-wing talk? Seems people remember the late-80s WCCO if they're getting nostalgic. The only reason I would ever listen to the 2006 version is to hear Twins and Gophers.

Anonymous said...

Cisco, Johan and Radke then kick me in the nadkees.