Written by yep, turns out the weather sucks in Chicago too… another game for someday, maybe.
I guess Joe Mauer gets to celebrate his 30th bday with a day off!
Posts in category General
Ballpark 10 Commandments Part 5, revisited – FINAL!
We have finally arrived at the original conclusion – have I had suggestions for additional Commandments in the intervening years? yes. But I think if these simple guidelines for Ballpark Interactions were followed, we would enjoy ourselves a LOT more attending games.
And to the Target Field STAFF PERSON who thought it was funny to deliberately PHOTOBOMB my attempts to get pictures of Pelfrey? No, I was NOT joking when I said “I will take you OUT”… just try me.
I really need to go dig up the bookmarks I made with the Commandments on them so I could have handed him a copy and told him, “if you’re going to work here, study up.”
This is the final installment of the series for the 10 Commandments at a baseball game. For a sport that is 150 years old, I would like to see it continue for at least another 150 years!
10. Thou shalt teach thy children the commandments.
This final commandment is near and dear to my heart. I didn’t discover baseball when I was a child so I had to learn all the commandments the hard way. It may seem counter-intuitive to include children in a discussion of societal rules and structure but the earlier they are exposed to how to work well with their neighbors the more natural it will be for them to respect others. These lessons will carry on into their interactions at school, during other sporting events and at home with the family. How can you argue with that?!
Please, bring kids to the game! Let them enjoy baseball! Let them enjoy the ballpark!
But understand that your unruly four year old kicking the seat in front of them (mine) or fighting with his six year old sister and knocking their soda onto the ground and into the row in front of them (mine) or just in general demanding constant attention, food, potty breaks, and distraction breaks the fundamental concept of respecting the other fans at the game (commandment #2). I have taken more kids to games than I can literally count – I have a huge family and believe it’s a fundamental joy I can provide. So I know what I’m talking about when I say it isn’t just expected that kids should be allowed to do whatever because they’re kids and others should be expected to deal with it. B as in B and S as in S. If you cannot control the kids you are bringing, take them away. It’s your responsibility. You are the adult – supposedly.
But put in that effort! Start early! TEACH THEM! There is nothing more emotive than a kid at a game who gets his/her first foul ball or learning about rally caps or catching that contagious enthusiasm from 35,000 people all screaming at a fantastic game of baseball. I have experienced those exact things with various youngsters and I’ll remember those occasions for the rest of my life – and they have brought new fans to the game each time. This is a gift you can give the children in your life. But again, it’s a privilege – and you BOTH have to earn it.
For those who have lost track of all the Commandments or would like to see them all together and share them, here’s a Powerpoint presentation. Just click and save AND SHARE: Ballpark 10 Commandments or a the PDF
Ballpark 10 Commandments Part 4 – continued
We’re closing in on the final Commandments here..
Since so many people seem to be at loose ends tonight due to the postponed Twins game – boy, are WE out of practice! – I decided to go ahead and share the next installment: commandments 8 & 9.
8. Thou shalt know thy limits.
Special Note: This commandment was written BEFORE some of the fans in Philly lost their minds but I would like to offer their absolute lack of intelligent outcomes as proof of concept. The girls over at Babes Love Baseball once again covered my feelings on that particular failing quite well.
Perhaps this would be more clearly understood if it said “thou shalt limit thy drunken misbehavior.” However, that in itself seems to be an unrealistic expectation. Once you are already too drunk to know any better, you aren’t going to remember any of the commandments unless overwhelming respect for others is a part of your everyday makeup.
So, we’re back to KNOW YOUR LIMITS! Please, if you like them and it’s legal for you, feel free to enjoy an adult beverage with whatever ballpark delectable you found on the concourse!!! And boy, are the ballparks really doing it up with the good food these days. Not only that but they are doing a great job with the options of adult beverages too! But pace yourself. No, we don’t want to see you jump in front of the guy four seats over from you who just showed up on the jumbotron camera. No, we don’t want to hear slurred opinions shouted at the umpire an inning and a half after the play. And Good GOD NO, we don’t want to see your naked ass streaking across the Outfield. Do security a favor and don’t torture them with the painful sprint and the even more painful thought about where to safely grab you in an attempt to curb your misplaced enthusiasm. That goes for all you guys too. 
9. Thou shalt dress appropriately.
Guys, I think we can almost leave you out of this one entirely. For all your stereotypical lack of fashion sense in more unfamiliar occasions, as a general rule, you all seem to know how to dress to attend a baseball game. Frequently, your date or companion is another story.
Girls, please understand that according to #2, other fans are there to see the GAME not you. We appreciate it if you add to the general atmosphere rather than detract from it BUT it is not appropriate at any time for you to DISTRACT from it.
First, if the heels are so high that you walk carefully when crossing the parking lot, you are going to look ridiculous attempting to make your way down the stairs going to your row and we aren’t going to even talk about the damage those spikes will do to the toes you will accidentally step on as you move in front of people to get to your seat. Please, choose footwear that is appropriate to the terrain and hopefully the rest of your outfit.
Second, I’m going to say this politely, STADIUM SEATING! That means that there are people above you looking down and people below you looking up. If your neckline is so low we can see your navel, don’t wear it to the ballpark. If your skirt is so short that you can’t bend over without showing cheek dimples, don’t wear it to the ballpark. The guy in the row in front of you may be thrilled with the free panty show (I hope) you provide when he turns to look for a vendor but his wife doesn’t. Besides, we’re really doing you a favor with this warning: we’re talking plastic ballpark seats and sweat – it would be nice if you didn’t leave all the skin on the back of your legs behind when you get up to leave.
Thirdly, clothing that fits is preferable. There was one entire season where KL and I dealt with another season ticket holder in the row in front of us who could not find a way to make her shirt and jeans come together when she was standing up much less when she sat down. And the underwear joke above was more serious than you want to know – she never wore any. That season involved more butt crack than a plumbers’ convention.
Lastly, just as a general commentary on life at the ballpark, I personally will never appear in team wear that is not in team colors. However, I do not necessarily fault those who want to wear the cute little team t-shirt in pink – as long as it follows the above directions! If you are making the effort to dress in team wear, whatever the color, for your trip to the ballpark, I commend the effort.
Guys, if the girl you are with is breaking this commandment, you really need to consider if the situation is due to lack of baseball knowledge or lack of ballpark experience. In which case, you should assist in her education. If it is simply a matter of she wants to advertise the goods to everyone else at the park in addition to you, perhaps she’s not quite the girl to take to a game.
Minnesota Twins Podcast – Talk to Contact – Episode 33
Written by Episode 33 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
We ran into a slight audio issue this week, because Eric is bad at recording. There is a slight echo on the recording for the first 25 minutes or so. Sorry!
In Episode 33 Cody and Eric discuss the finer points of a five game losing streak, Oswaldo Arcia’s surprising call-up, what the do with a struggling Aaron Hicks, and we look at the general happenings around the league.
Cody and Eric both enjoy a Leinenkugel’s beer to remind them that summer is near.
Just a one hour show this week, but Cody and Eric are pretty cool dudes, so they make it work.
Thanks for listening!
You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan. You can follow Paul on Twitter (@BaseballPirate) or read his writing at Puckett’s Pond. And of course, you can find me on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read my writing here at Knuckleballs!
- ERolfPleiss
Sunday Morning Comic Relief – almost
Apparently all those diehard fans that sat in Target Field to watch the first two games of this series have had enough – and so have the players and coaching staff. With more snow already arriving here in MN, today’s game has been officially postponed until August 19.
Maybe they figured out that the MN boys don’t have any more advantage in the cold than any other team would have??
But just so you actually get to see some fun baseball today anyway, I found this clip on Deadspin that I thought you guys would enjoy!
10 Ballpark Commandments Part 3 – again..
This weather has me wondering if eventually there might have to be a player/fan Bill of Rights to go with the 10 Commandments but I’ll let that absorb for a little while and ponder..
Continuing in our series hoping to improve the baseball experience for everyone, here are Commandments 5-7!
5. Thou shalt not STOP in the pathway.
This is one of those things that can happen “accidentally” more than anything else. But as you learn to be more aware of others while at the baseball game, hopefully, you will understand why this is such a difficulty. After all, there are fellow fans doing their darnedest to get to their seats before players take the field! Please, do not stop at the top or bottom of a stairwell while you try to figure out (or remember) where you are going. God forbid you would actually stop in the MIDDLE of the stairwell. Understand that the general flow of traffic is much like the streets you drove on to get to the ballpark. Stay to the right and merge gradually if you need to get to the left – which might mean planning ahead a little bit. STOPPING to turn into oncoming traffic where it’s unexpected is a good way to get run into – from both directions. This is just plain DANGEROUS not to mention disrespectful to the other fans you put in harm’s way. Stairwells are a limited and crowded pathway already, so please be kind and move out of the flow of traffic if you have to consult regarding your destination or if you need to wait for someone.
There is a notable exception to this commandment that was previously noted in #3. If you are going to your seat and a batter comes up to bat, it is appropriate to stop and sit or kneel in the stairway. Obviously, other fans who are paying attention will do the same thing as they wait for appropriate travel times. Those who are NOT paying attention probably need the reminder of pausing to wait for you to become aware of their circumstances – just use caution and know your surroundings.
6. Thou shalt not scream, “throw it back!”
This is perhaps the dumbest thing you could do at the ballpark – unless you are in Wrigley Field and btw Cubs fans, I have a bone to pick with you. For one, going to the ball park is not an everyday occurrence for all the fans in the park with you. For some fans just being in the ballpark is a special occasion. And that means that catching ANY homerun ball – even from the opposing team – could be a once in a lifetime experience. Should you choose throw such an achievement back on to the field of play, a) you’re really not thinking about how to best use your opportunities and b) you’re not being respectful of the players on the field or the security and officials who now have to WAIT for you to be done with your moment of mental failure.
But for the fans that brought their gloves to the game and sat in the outfield, I can guarantee that they weren’t hoping for a foul ball. So let’s leave the peer pressure routine in Jr. High shall we and allow other fans the personal choice to pass that Homerun ball to the four year old kid they brought with them to the game or whatever their options are and shut your trap.
7. Thou shalt leave the beach ball at home!
It’s all in the name folks. It’s a BEACH BALL. So what could be even less respectful of the other fans at the park (breaking #2) than getting so bored, you do the Wave (breaking #4)??? The answer is bringing a beach ball to the game (or horror of all horrors, dozens of them), inflating them and choosing to toss them down onto the unsuspecting attendees in the lower rows.
What on earth went through your mind as you packed the car to go the game? “I don’t think getting drunk and screaming obscenities is nearly rude enough so I think I will come supplied with things I can throw at people – maybe I’ll even get lucky and it fall on the field and disrupt the game!!!”
Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds? That is what every other fan on the field thinks about you if you fall into this ridiculous fashion trend. It’s kind of sad to have to say this but it falls under a common-sense category. If it is something your mother would scold you for doing in the car when you were 8 (or should have), please don’t do it at the ball park.
Ballpark 10 Commandments – Part 2 – again..
People argue with me a LOT about the 1st Commandment – like booing is somehow the only way to express frustration with your team. However, especially when going through rebuilding times (we all know that is what the Twins are doing) there are just going to be daily disappointments.
But as the snow is coming down outside, I challenge our readers to not get hung up on a single Commandment – keep reading and see how it all fits together:
Continuing on yesterday’s introduction and Commandment #1, I would like to propose the following 2-4.
2. Thou shalt respect thy fellow fans.
Again, this is a fundamental principle on which the following commandments are based. There are thousands of people here to watch a game and YOU are not the most important person there. Be respectful of the people around you – don’t intrude on their space whenever possible – this includes your spilled beer, sunflower and peanut shells or whatever. You can’t help that you are tall but be conscious that it will affect the eye line of people behind you. People will adjust for it but if you keep moving? That requires a LOT of adjustment. Don’t have an extended cell phone conversation during the game while in your seat. You can wait for the changeover and take the conversation to the concourse. No, trying to find your buddy on the other side of park and standing and waving during an at bat is not acceptable. Please consider that there is a time for everything.
In addition, playing to the cameras with your signage is a great way to connect with someone at home whether you are at a home game or away! However, if you are attempting to get the attention of said cameras by holding up your giant poster board during game play whether you are standing or sitting, you are asking to get hit in the back of the head with a beer – and that is a criminal waste of a good adult beverage. Be aware of the activity on the field and restrain yourself.
3. Thou shalt not leave thy seat with a batter in the box
As a natural correlation to the 2nd Commandment, active game play is the primary focus for those in attendance. This means hitters waiting for a pitch or pitchers serving up a hitter. There are two sides of your own team going on here. If there is active game play going on, WAIT TO MOVE! If your bladder is such that you can’t hold it until the change over, the polite thing to do is warn those around you that frequent exits might be necessary because you are infringing on their game experience – apologies are appropriate here. If your bladder situation is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, my general reaction is ‘life is hard, be a grownup.’ If it’s not for a potty break, I honestly don’t see anything short of medical emergency that requires you to move from that seat you paid for while your team is playing the game. No, getting another beer is NOT a medical emergency.
All of these activities can WAIT until a vendor comes to you or there is a changeover on the field (or one of those protracted mound discussions). I would also like to point out that the corollary regarding to RETURNING to your seat also applies. You know those people that stop you at the top from walking down the stairs until the current batter finishes. Why didn’t you take the hint?!? Some of you have much better seats will have a long walk down to your seats and might not be able to do so in the time the next batter moves from the on deck circle to the batters box. Please be aware of this and consider it in your start time! You might want to simply wait by one of the TV’s until the changeover when you will have a greater length of time to move to your seat. If a miscalculation occurs, then kindly lower yourself on the stairs and wait to move your ass down the seats until the batter is finished. No, apologies are simply not adequate in this situation. You chose to infringe on your neighbors with no good reason and I would not blame them for retaliating by spitting in your beer while you aren’t looking – not that they would if they were following the baseball game commandments but should you really expect a consideration from them that you are unwilling to do?
4. Thou shalt not do the wave
See above!!!!! Just because YOU are bored at the game does not mean that the majority of others are. They are trying to SEE the game and people randomly standing in front of them does NOT allow for respectful treatment of your fellow fans. If you are worried about being bored, bring a friend and have a quiet conversation. Heck, play a quiet game on your smart phone or something. But please stay in your SEAT and do not deliberately choose to attempt to transfer the focus of the game to YOU. Please realize that the wave is for football. I sure as heck am not paying these ticket prices to see you.
Interestingly – I have discovered much of my dislike of the wave is PURELY because no matter where it is, it blocks my view of the action in front of me (I’m short). I still don’t like it at all but I am able to ignore it when I’m in the front row like at Swarm games! Funny how that works.
The 10 Commandments for the Ballpark – Part I
Yes, this is a re-release. No, I didn’t pull any George Lucas tricks or what have you to give it better effects and charge you more money – this will cost you the exact same price it did 3 years ago when I originally posted it:
Nada (unless it costs your pride a little to admit that you’ve broken a commandment or two).
Since the new season has started and since the boys are coming back to play here at home, I thought I would see how many people are in need of gentle reminders of how things would work If Babs Ran The Park. It came out in several installments due to the length and I decided to maintain that breakdown so here is Part 1 in all it’s original… um.. glory.
I have thought of doing this for literally YEARS. In fact, KL and I have discussed the possibility that it would be a great marketing idea for the Metrodome to do Twins roster baseball cards with the players on the front and a commandment on the back! Yeah, we aren’t in the Dome anymore so we thought, “what a great way to kick off a new park – make sure people know how to behave…” That doesn’t seem to be a focus for the facility folk at this point. They might have a few other things that are more important to think about though. And then the girls over at Babes Love Baseball did a post on baseball etiquette. They are nice girls and really presented a way to make everyone’s overall ballpark experience more pleasant.
Let’s be honest here. I’m not that “nice”. I mean it. I’m regularly tempted to slap someone at each and every baseball game I attend. (I don’t because that would break several commandments) But as one fan to another, seriously, there are things you should know!!! I’ll get lots of arguments from people who LIKE to break certain commandments. You know who you are. You know deep in your baseball heart that you are going to a place that others wouldn’t – all our actions are choices at that point. But know that we know that you know!
Baseball Game 10 Commandments
- Thou shalt respect thy team.
I’m a firm believer in the concept of ‘praise in public, criticize in private’ although I will admit that even I occasionally get caught up in a moment involving a little brother. Still…
The first and foremost commandment is Respect Your Team!! You are there to see baseball with hopefully a large number of others. This is a privilege! Privileges can be lost when they are not earned. All other commandments stem from this concept. Pay attention to the game. Cheer your team’s players – even if you do not particularly like that one guy. DO NOT BOO YOUR OWN TEAM. Leave that for the fans of the visiting team. If you must comment on the particular failings of a player – and we all have them – bring someone to the game with you to share that with in a quiet conversation. The general public doesn’t care about your opinion. If you REALLY think the general public needs to know something that only you know, there are innumerable blogs, twitter, Facebook or wherever with which to do so.
This turned out to be an IMMENSE post so I divided it into parts for better absorbtion. Please, watch for the continuing installments and contribute your thoughts!
The Knuckleballs Experience – A Refresher!
I think all Twins fans can be pretty happy with how the season has started so far! Yay for baseball!
But after a couple questions and for the sake of all the newbies who haven’t spent a season with the crew here at Knuckleballs, I thought a little review of what you can expect to find on any given day might be helpful!
FIRST:
We have four “blog operators” here at Knuckleballs: CapitalBabs, JimCrikket, KL and Erolfpleiss. The bulk of the material you will find here (photos included) is likely the creation of one of those four people. We occasionally have a guest poster – we like those so if you feel you have something you would like to contribute to our little community, let us know.
We started this blog to provide a place for Twins fans to gather, get to know each other and hang out – much like you would at your local bar. What makes that possible is for EVERY regular season game, we will put up a GameChat.
GameChats start with pregame notes and lineups being posted between an hour to a half hour before the game. We try to be VERY helpful about pointing our participants to additional resources so the players names in the lineups are linked to their individual stat profiles from MLB. That way you can check out the stats of any players you aren’t familiar with.
Also included is a chat window which is completely free and open for fans to participate in live, ongoing conversations during the game! Just as you’d likely expect, the conversation will likely center around the game… unless it’s not especially conversationally worthy and conversation will go wherever – just like at your favorite bar. And also like your bar, folk watching the game have some entertaining superstitions – sometimes we create our own. However, when our boys pull off a win, EVERYONE in the room gets a chance to vote for who they believe got the team that sometimes elusive W. We call that lucky designee our Boyfriend of the Day – BOD. This is a very special title – we will frequently award other worthy players during the game with various prizes assigned by the chatroom for good performances but BOD is pretty much our highest honor.
Once the game is completed, one of the blog operators will remove the chat window and put up the box score linked to the MLB stat log for that game as well as any closing comments or descriptions of the game that seem important. This provides you, as a fan, an opportunity to catch up with any games you may have missed in whole or in part. Especially if you aren’t local to other Twins fans, this is a great way to find some community to enjoy while following your favorite team. (basically, any time you see red text, it’s a link to something – check it out.)
SECOND:
We have a lot of other information that gets posted here in addition to Twins team info. We like to keep an eye on the minor league affiliates as well as the independent team in MN and whatever else strikes the fancy of a group of baseball/sports fans. So keep your eyes open – you never know WHAT we might post that day.
THIRD:
Several of us are photobugs so we like to post a LOT of pictures of various outings – unless otherwise noted, all photographs posted here are the property of Knuckleballs bloggers so please share only with permission.
FOURTH:
We have a LOT of information and resources available to baseball fans on our home page in addition to what is posted. Please see the right-hand column for links to Twins news, other fantastic Twins blogs you might want to read, and links to official MLB and MiLB up-to-date game stat and player information. I highly recommend these links to anyone looking for information on ANY team or play, minor or major.
There is also several different search methods if you are looking for something posted previously at Knuckleballs. You can search by keyword or name, by category, by the tag cloud or even by the calendar. If you are having any issues finding something you saw before, just let us know.
FIFTH:
You can follow Knuckleballs on Twitter (@Knuckleballs) or on Facebook through Networked Blogs. AND if you happen to be in the Twin Cities area, even temporarily, you will find that we frequently post invitations to gather at a REAL bar for a Viewing Party of some game or another at which you can meet and otherwise hobnob with other Twins fans bloggers!
SIXTH:
GameChats are NOT the only special feature posts here either. Erolfpleiss posts a podcast called “Talk to Contact” a couple times a week. They really aren’t to be missed. Most Sunday mornings, you will find a Comic Relief post – usually baseball oriented but not always – just for general entertainment in cartoon or video form. JimCrikket’s “evil twin”, SD Buhr, is also the newest beat writer for MetroSportsReport.com, covering the Cedar Rapids Kernels – the Twins newest minor league affiliate so he regularly will post special Kernels posts following the exploits of our minor leaguers.
LAST:
We have an FAQ available if you have questions that includes more information that I put here (believe it or not), and if you don’t find the answers you want or have a special inquiry, we have Contact info available. Let us know if there is anything you want to see!
GameChat – Twins @ Orioles #2, 6:10pm
Twins look to get back above .500 and even the series with the Orioles. Twins are looking for another solid pitching performance from a surprisingly solid starting staff.
Vance Worley is back on the bump looking to build on his first performance of the year when a few tough-luck ground balls led to some early runs.
| Twins |
@ |
Orioles |
| Hicks, CF | McLouth, LF | |
| Mauer, C | Machado, 3B | |
| Willingham, LF | Markakis, RF | |
| Morneau, 1B | Jones, Ad, CF | |
| Doumit, DH | Davis, C, 1B | |
| Plouffe, 3B | Wieters, C | |
| Parmelee, RF | Hardy, SS | |
| Dozier, 2B | Flaherty, 2B | |
| Florimon, SS | Reimold, DH | |
| _Worley, P | _Tillman, P |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| Baltimore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
The Twins picked up another win and are back above .500. This was a very enjoyable game with the lead changing hands a couple of times before the Twins ultimately won the game in the top of the 9th with a base hit from Justin Morneau. Morneau would have been the run away BOD winner if not for the yeoman’s work from Josh Roenicke, pitching three innings of scoreless relief before turning the ball over to Glen Perkins for the save.
Way to go, Mr. Roenicke! Your very first BOD!