4/30/05: Angels/Twins

[Steak]

Twins finish the month of April by playing the Angels in the second game of a three-game series tonight at the Dome. Twins are coming off a come-from-behind win last night thanks to timely hitting by Lew and Michael Cuddyer.
That win was huge because it gives us a chance to win the series with Johan starting tommorow.

I am starting to feel real good about the offense. Justin has been a huge part of it and now you are seeing everyone follow his lead. Lew has been hitting good. You have to hope Michael can do well after getting the big double to give the Twins a lead and then a double to give additional runs last night. I am hoping the offense is starting to play to its potential if last night was any indication.

Brad is on the mound tonight. Let's hope he does not get off to a bad start in the first inning. He has been good in his last two starts so let's hope he can keep rolling. His counterpart, Kelvim Escobar is making his first start of the year for the Halos. Twins made Escobar look like an All-Star last year. Let's hope there will be different results.

Escobar vs. Radke

BTW, I hope I don't get the Angels coverage on MLB.TV tonight. The Angels announcers are so freaking homerish especially Rex Hudler.

[Porter]

Steak, Would you rather have Rick Rizz hes worse than Hundler.

Im glad that Morneau is back into the swing into things im hopling that the Twins pull out the win today. I hope going into the Angels series were at least tied or 1 game back. It doesnt help that we get the Red Sox after them.

[Steak]

I rather listen to Hudler than Rizz. Rex can drive me crazy with his infatuation with the Angels players, but I tell ya what, he at least has enthauism and he is more entertaining than Rick Rizz. Could you imagine Rex working with that village idiot, Hawk Harrelson who does the Sux games in She-ca-go? Oh man. Hawk is 15x worse than Rex.

I don't hate the Angels announcers, but ever since Arte Moreno brought the team, they have been instructed to go way over the top with their incessant homerism towards the Angels. Arte is known for marketing so he wants the announcers to market the team through homerism. I think that's pathetic. Rex and Steve were good back then because they just talk baseball instead of being shills to the team. Now, it's different. Sadly, they are not the only ones. I think most announcers have become shills to the team. I am just glad Dick and Bert are not like that on the Twins telecast.

Justin rocks. A mark of a good player is expecting him to do something good and Justin fits that bill.

[riverdunesrat]

[Steak]

The night started with Torii being awarded for his Gold Glove award and it ended with a Twins win. The Twins are rolling, rolling, and rolling right now. They won two games in a row in this series against the Angels and they have won five games in a row. Life is good for our Minnesota Twins.

Brad was super tonight. There was nothing to complain tonight. He started off bad in the first as usual, but he got out unscathed with no score. Then he settled down and got it done. He stymied the Angels 5-9 hitters pretty good. He did a very good job.

The offense is in a groove right now. They got the big hits again and they drove the runners home. Justin is just on a groove as he had two hits tonight. He is just hitting everything that a pitcher is throwing out there. Did you saw that HR in the first? That was a bullet to the Vikings press box at the Dome. That was something. I am telling you. Justin may be our best player since Kirby in terms of carrying the team on his back. Twins hasn't had that since Kirby retired and now that void may have been filled with the way Justin is playing. Like I said last night, I expect Justin to come through when he is in the dish. Joe Mauer came through with another big hit that drove Shannon home

How about Nick Punto? He played a great game. He had two hits and made some good catches. Nick hit a triple that sent Lew home. It's good to see him starting to play well after a rough start and he may have likely taken Luis's job at second base for the immediate timebeing.

Juan and the Nathanator made a quick work on the Halos to finish the game.

God it's so good to win two in a row against those guys and I want this sweep badly tommorow afternoon with Cy-tana on the mound. I don't hate the Angels, but I sure like to get that sweep. Angels has owned the Twins forever so it would be nice to send a message. I got the broom ready for tommorow and I like the Twins chances.

[mntwinsfan]

Steak the Twins are playing some good baseball finally. The Chi soxs are losing. They were off to a fast start it is about time they cool off.

Santana is on the mound today, we should get the sweep of the LAA.

Now to homer announcers who about the chi soxs guys. There " YES" call bothers me the most. Then the back back back call. There should be awards for the stupid play by play calls.

[Steak]

Hawk Harrelson is an idiot and a loser. That's the best way to decribe him, mntwinsfan. Ken's phrases are not only annoying but obnoxious. The "He Gone", "You can put it on the board! YES!!!!!!!!!!", "Ducksnort" "Good guys/bad Guys", "Twinkies", "C'mon Strech", "Please stay fair", and "Ducks in the Pond" phrases are just silly and stupid. It's not even funny if Hawk thinks he is being funny. He sounds like a complete idiot when he mentions "we" as in the White Sox. What the hell is "we"? Did he pitch or hit with the players? No. Just because he works in the organization does not give him the right to say "We". He is a PBP announcer not a player. When he contributes something by hitting or pitching, then he is entitled to say we. Until then, he should shut his trap and just act like a professional.

Ken is a bitter old fool too. He has made it a point publically to hate the Twins. He rarely ever praises the Twins. In fact, he never does. He makes it a point to degrade them at every opportunity. He has constantly rip Ron Gardenhire, the current Twins manager and Tom Kelly, the previous Twins manager over the years. He never has anything good to say about Terry Ryan, the fine GM of the Minnesota Twins. He never says anything good. Years ago, he ripped Kent Hrbek, Twins first baseman in the late 80s and early 90s. He would make fun of his weight and all. Real professional from a PBP announcer not mention how immature he is by saying that. Kent eventually confronted him and he almost killed Harrelson. Kent should have beat the crap out of Ken and he was well within his rights. I know I would have. I would love to pick a fight with that son of a *****.

Ken loves to pick fights with lot of people. He had confrontations with talks show hosts Boers and Bernstein on WSCR AM 670. He also had a confrontration with Jay Mariotti, the fine columninst for the Chicago Sun-Times. In Minneapolis last year, Hawk apparently pushed Mariotti in the press box and Mariotti reacted. Mariotti wanted to go after Hawk for starting a fight. He should have punched him in the face and make Hawk cry. Better yet, he should have charged Hawk with an assault. That old senile man has other things to do than pick a fight with a sportswriter.

Ken also was instrumental in forcing his former color analyst, Tom Paciorek to quit considering he and Tom had no use for each other. He treats Darrin Jackson like a fool. He clearly has no respect for Darrin and it shows.

My favorite part of Hawk's announcing is dead-air when his beloved Sux are losing.

Ken needs to act his age and stop acting like a fool. He also has a lot to learn in doing Play-By-Play because he is so bad.

[mntwinsfan]

I am not happy with Cuddyer Hunter rivas castro just to name a few. Where is the hitting out of these guys at? We need Hunter and Cuddyer to pick it up. I think we may need to get a third baseman called up. Cuddyer has been a major dissapointment to me. What do you all think of it?

Only 4 hits today what is wrong with that? Stewart hit a homer to get us are only run. Santana gives up 2 hits both homers. He pitched well i thought - the two taters. Another thing Mauer should play more. He is healthly the new is good so why not play him? How about at 3rd? I am just worried about Cuddyer!

[Steak]

I hope Michael's performance on Friday will get him going and I am sure he will. If he stinks it up in June, then I am going to start worry for sure. Torii will be fine as the season progresses. I am not too worried about him. Luis is likely not going to be playing much anymore with the way Nick Punto is playing and fielding. Juan Castro is never going to hit. He is a defensive replacement in the late innings and nothing more.

The hitting has been good this week. They slugged the Royals out @ KC and they got the big hits with RISP against the Angels this weekend with the exception of today. Let's hope that continues into the Indians series.

You gotta give Colon credit today. That hombre was throwing strikes. Twins had some good pitches to hit, but the ball hit the mitt a lot here.

Joe was off today because he played last night. Normally, managers never use the same catcher on the previous night into today's game.

[DiamondGirl]

Steak,
I gotta love your take on Hawk - I can't stand him either! I'll watch a Sox game but only with the mute button until they are losing then it's dead air as you said anyhow. He is the most annoying radio/tv guy I've ever heard. I can't wait for the Sox to go on their downward spiral and the Twins take over the Central Division.

Let's go Twins.