I gotta tell you, the way I’m feeling right now, the more I can relate to how Gardy felt in the clubhouse after the game last night. There is a part of me that is glad he was pissed off – because if you aren’t going to play, why do the rest of us show up? BUT part of me thinks that it’s not so much true anger as it is exhaustion and frustration. This has NOT been a good road-trip so far and it”s the end of the regular season so everyone is tired. So reactions are probably exaggerated for players, managers and fans alike.
I think we all need to get over it. The post-season is coming. This is a GOOD thing and being tired is not a very good excuse. So have a few things to deal with at home and the boys have a few things to deal with on the field. Let’s get this done.
| Minnesota | @ | Kansas City |
| Span, CF | Dyson, CF | |
| Hudson, O, DH | Aviles, M, 2B | |
| Young, D, LF | Butler, DH | |
| Kubel, RF | Ka’aihue, 1B | |
| Cuddyer, 1B | Fields, 3B | |
| Valencia, 3B | Gordon, A, LF | |
| Morales, J, C | Betancourt, Y, SS | |
| Tolbert, 2B | May, C | |
| Punto, SS | Miller, Ja, RF | |
| Blackburn, P | O’Sullivan, P |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Kansas City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
*sigh* Since so little is going the way we WANT it to right now, I’m going to ask anyone who is thinking more clearly than I to point out nice performances by players during this road trip in our comments. Just to be reminded that yes, we do have people that know how to play this game.
And just to highlight that a bad road-trip week is a temporary bump, the Reds are officially in the playoffs this year for the first time since 1995. Thanks for the heads up in chat!
Make excuses for them all you want . . . I spent a quiet evening with Ken Burns’ “The Tenth Inning” on PBS . . . and will do the same tomorrow: http://www.pbs.org/baseball-the-tenth-inning/
Still waiting for the Twins to decide to play baseball again . . .
who was making excuses??
I don’t see it as making excuses simply to acknowledge that a significant portion of the Twins lineup on a nightly basis has been made up of reserves, utility players and minor leaguers. The starting pitching has been an issue, agreed. That is disconcerting. I’ve just decided it’s not worth getting upset about until the Twins start playing games that matter again with the players responsible for winning over 90 games already. If the ALDS is a disaster, then I’ll get upset again. Until then, I’m choosing to look at this as if it’s the last week of spring training and the ‘real’ games don’t start until next Wednesday.
By the way, I watched The Tenth Inning tonight, too. In fact I watched it twice, back to back. I can’t say I felt it was up to the standards of Burns’ original Baseball series, but I thought it was well done and interesting. I’m looking forward to Part 2 tomorrow night.
As a former teacher, it feels to me much more like “I’m already getting an A in your class, so I’m going to blow off the rest of the semester . . . who cares if it goes down to an A-.” I HATE that.
Alternatively maybe it’s one of those “guy” things I don’t understand . . . like “saving yourself” before the big game . . .
I’m not asking them not to rest . . . just suggesting that putting out 100% for 3 hours a day isn’t that much to ask. Especially for those fans who may have had tickets to the games on this road trip or the games to come this weekend. And to relate this to the Tenth Inning: I was one of the fans who gave up on MLB for several years after the strike. I went to lots of minor league games, but didn’t even watch MLB games on TV, noless shell out $$ for a seat . . . I suppose that means it’s pretty easy for them to piss me off . . . and I know how to hold a grudge 🙂 I’m actually leaning toward spending my postseason rooting for Dusty Bakers’ Reds.