I took my kids to Target Field for the first time tonight. The most memorable reaction? The Boy asking me "If they put so much money already into this thing, why not add a roof?"
That just about killed me. And I don't mean that in a ha-ha funny way. I mean in a "Oh my god, what have I done to my impressionable young son?" kind of way. Keep in mind that he is named after an outdoor ballpark.
And then, because God wanted to make me his own personal Job for a half hour, he made sure it rained on us for the first couple of innings. The kids enjoyed that quite a bit. So that was nice.
Fortunately, The Big Guy ended up coming through before the night was out. And by "The Big Guy", I mean JJ Hardy. I saw the defensive play and the offensive blast, but I missed how he got the skies to clear in that third inning. Still, it's a skill that should come in handy with an outdoor ballpark, but probably not as much in a place with a retractable roof. No wonder the Brewers were willing to trade him away.
Hey - how is that trade going for the Brewers anyway? I'm honestly asking. I haven't heard Gomez' name since he went 4-5 in that first game. Let's find out....
Since that first game he's 14-62 since then with a .225 batting average. Overall he's hitting .269 with a .310 OBP and 14 K in 67 AB with 4 walks. Those ratios look awfully (emphasis on the first five letters) similar to what we saw here the last two years. And of course he's batting second, where he can do the most damage. But I'm sure his defense makes him worth all of that....
Finally, I have two questions to those who could watch replays at home...
- The miss by Delmon should have been an error, right? It looked from our seats like he had that measured all the way.
- Did Hardy break into a home run trot up to the point where he was rounding first base? It looked like it in the brief replay I saw.
That's it for tonight. The Voice of Reason is waiting out on the stoop for me with a pint of Premium. We'll talk more tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
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15 comments:
According to the post game, Hardy never thought it was a homerun but he also wasn't sure how many bases he'd be able to get out of it... make what you will of that.
and yeah, I totally think Delmon got away with that one - should have been an error.
I decided last night that JJ Hardy reminds me of a cartoon character. The legs are moving quickly, but he's just not getting anywhere.
I agree with the scorekeeper. I think the ball was a little out of Delmon's reach all the way.
Fortunately, The Big Guy ended up coming through before the night was out. And by "The Big Guy", I mean JJ Hardy.
WWJJD?
Since that first game he's 14-62 since then with a .225 batting average. Overall he's hitting .269 with a .310 OBP and 14 K in 67 AB with 4 walks. Those ratios look awfully (emphasis on the first five letters) similar to what we saw here the last two years. And of course he's batting second, where he can do the most damage. But I'm sure his defense makes him worth all of that....
Give me a break, John. If you want to criticize Gomez, this is the wrong time to do it. After tonight, he's hitting .282/.329/.465 (funny how you conveniently neglected to mention the excellent slugging percentage) and is 6-for-6 on stolen bases. His strikeout rate is 11 percent, as opposed to 20 percent last year and 21 percent for his career. To claim he's looked "awfully similar" to the player we've seen over the past two years is disingenuous; so far he appears to be turning into the player we wanted him to be.
If he can throw up a 775 OPS while swiping bases and playing stellar CF defense, he's a very valuable piece. Let's wait until Hardy gets his OPS up over 700 before we start declaring the Twins blowout winners in that deal.
From TV replays, the ball hit Delmon right in the heel of his palm. I feel it was a play he should have made.
Delmon should have made the catch, but wouldn't have gotten there LY.
Span playing LF would have been backing up Gomez on the play.
MC
I read a tweet last week that said that Gomez struck out swinging on a pitch that hit him! That sounds like the Gomez I know and love.
You named your son "Target Bonnes"?
It was a tough play but Young could have made the catch, he over ran it.
I appreciate the wild pitch and all but I was so ready to dub Wilson Ramos the second coming of Baby Jesus if he was able to bring Hardy in.
>>You named your son "Target Bonnes"?
I'm going with "Fenway Bonnes."
Paul Newman Cuddyer(PNC) Bonnes
U.S. Cellular Bonnes?
I can't believe I never talked about my son's name here before. Now I need to keep you in suspense a bit longer so I can see more guesses.
BTW, I know another father who did the same thing, but with a different ballpark. Only mine was a middle name, and his was a first.
Oh, and Nick, I gotta say, I just think your devotion to Go-go is adorable. It's truly touching.
No matter how much he fails (or is it flails?) you continue to see all that is bright and good. You're going to make a great father someday.
Gomez: .282/.329/.465 4BB/15K 2HR
Hardy: .250/.299/.400 7BB/16K 3HR
Both play stellar D, if you're going to make flailing comments regarding Gomez you might want tog direct them at Hardy first.
No matter how much he fails (or is it flails?) you continue to see all that is bright and good. You're going to make a great father someday.
I think it's quite the opposite John. You have to go out of your way to see Gomez's performance this season as bad, not the other way around.
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