The Best Hormel Row of Fame Song EVER

It's 2005 and I'm attending an afternoon game with a bunch of friends from work. We've done this a few times, so by now I know the Hormel Row of Fame Song is going to illicit some boisterous karaoke. Sometime around the fourth inning, it starts.

When you are at the game
(ba-ba-ba-bum)

Are you in Hormel's Row of Fame?
(ba-ba-ba-bum)..

Except that this time the track gets stuck.

If you are in the lucky seat
(ba-ba-ba-bum)

You'll win a Hor....skip

You'll win a Hor....skip

You'll win a Hor....skip

By this time, the work friends and I are exchanging uncomfortable smiles. The skipping audio seems to goes on forever, but it was probably only three more times before the booth quickly faded it out. At which point I hear the guy behind me remark:

"That WOULD be a lucky seat."

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Yesterday's comment of the day was a late entry from blasphemer over at the new StarTribune.com TwinsCentric blog:

Casilla's problem...

is Ron Gardenhire. He's in love with Punto. Casilla would be picked up by another team in an instant. If you want to take a chance on waiving someone do it with Punto. No one is going pick him and his salary up. Tolbert is a hustler, but he is a hack. Send HIM down.

I wanted to address this comment because it's a common complaint about Ron Gardenhire - he's in love with so-an-so or he doesn't play rookies enough. But here's the thing...

Q: Who played second base the most last year?
A: Alexi Casilla.

Q: What did he hit?
A: .202/.280/.259. In 228 at-bats.

Q: How was his defense?
A: His UZR at 2B was -9.6. His UZR/150 was -20.9.

No, Casilla wasn't given free rein. But he was given lots of opportunities, and he mostly sucked:

• To start the season he played second base in 22 of the first 27 games (being replaced in five games by Harris, not Punto). On May 2, hitting .160, he was benched and Tolbert was given a shot.
  
• Because Tolbert also struggled, Casilla was given another week or so at the end of May. He went 6-29.
• He was handed the job again for the last two weeks before the trade deadline. He has 6 hits in 43 at-bats. (To his credit, he also had 10 walks. Which raised his OBP to .264.)
  
• When the Twins acquired Orlando Cabrera, he and Punto split time. Over the next 13 games, he started seven of them. He went 6-22 and after a brief period...
• Was handed the job again for eleven straight games at the end of August. He hit like crazy the first five of them and then got one hit over the last six games.

To get on Gardy for not giving Casilla enough leash is nuts. He gave him enough leash to hang himself, and almost enough leash to hang the rest of the team.

Just so it's clear: I like Casilla. I think he's a good player who just needs to turn a corner. But make no mistake: he has already received far more time than he's deserved. And the person who kept giving him that time was Gardy.