Tag Archives: American League

August 15, 2016

MN Twins: SMH!

Twins Helmet Speaking of big strike outs, my Minnesota Twins continue to slog along at the bottom of the pack. Things actually got a bit exciting just before the All-Star Game break, but the last week or so suggests the Twins are reverting to the hapless form from the first few months.

The Twins played their 108th game of the season back on August 4th. That’s two-thirds of a season. As of their first third, things were looking uglier than ever in their history. Fortunately, the second third here was significantly better, and July was even kinda awesome.

The batting has definitely improved, but the pitching is just killing us.

2 Comments | tags: American League, Atlanta Braves, baseball season, Major League baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, The Twins, Twins, Twins 2016 | posted in Baseball

October 17, 2014

Royals v. Giants

By Wyrd Smythe

I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog for a special announcement: The Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants are going to World Series!

Royals v Giants

Given that these are both Wildcard teams that fought their way through a do-or-die Wildcard game, a League Division Series and a League Championship series, it’s kind of double-plus cool!

[Those looking for more of the previous two posts, can read this older post about the Mike Judge movie, Idiocracy. Be assured I will resume the topic anon.]

14 Comments | tags: ALCS, ALDS, American League, Kansas City Royals, Major League baseball, MLB, National League, NLCS, NLDS, San Francisco Giants, World Series | posted in Baseball

October 1, 2014

Royals Win!

By Wyrd Smythe

Royals Win

Congrats to the Kansas City Royals for winning the MLB American League Wildcard game!!

And what an awesome game it was — an amazing kickoff to the 2014 post-season. Oakland off to a quick start with two runs at the top of the first and Kansas City answering immediately with one in the bottom. Royals take the lead in the third only to lose it in what seemed a game-losing pitching change in the sixth. By the time the dust settles Oakland drives in five runs. Royals get three back in the eighth, tie it up in the ninth, and we’re off to extra innings.

The A’s finally get a run in the twelfth, the Royals tie it up again and then a walk-off hit by catcher Salvador Perez (who has a .167 batting average) wins the game for Kansas City!

Good going guys!! Party like it’s 1985! Go Royals! Go all the way!!

Addendum (later that day): With the Royals win, I’m 1-for-1 on hopes. If the Pirates win tonight, I’ll be 2-for-2! I’ve decided I want to see a “Central Hoedown Showdown!” Pirates take the Giants tonight (and another Bay Area team goes home); Royals somehow beat the Angels; Pirates somehow beat the Nationals; Tigers take the Orioles; Cardinals take the Dodgers (I’m iffy on that; not a Cards fan). Ultimately it comes down to Royals and Pirates with the Royals taking home the bacon.

Yeah, I know. It’s more likely to end up Nats and Tigers (or maybe Nats and O’s), but I can dream!

8 Comments | tags: American League, Kansas City Royals, MLB, Oakland Athletics, Salvador Perez, Wildcard game | posted in Baseball

October 31, 2013

Boston Strong!

By Wyrd Smythe

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, winners of the 2013 World Series! It couldn’t have happened at a better time for the city of Boston, to win the World Series at home in historic Fenway park. This is the first time the Sox have won a World Series at home since 1918 — only six years after the park opened in 1912.

(Trivia fact: the 1912 World Series was played in Boston that first year, and the Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three.)

4 Comments | tags: American League, baseball post-season, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Boston Strong, city of Boston, Major League baseball, MLB, Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, World Series 2013 | posted in Baseball

July 16, 2013

Baseball Joy

By Wyrd Smythe

Yoenis Cepedes Imagine taking one of the most exciting parts of baseball—something not only dedicated baseball fans love, but something everyone agrees is exciting. Imagine creating something that distills a baseball game down to this one thing, this essence of baseball excitement. What is this universal crowd-pleaser? It is, of course, the ultimate crack of the bat, the best of the “three true outcomes.” It is the home run!

Imagine watching eight of baseball’s best sluggers vying to see who can hit the most home runs. The only thing at stake: simply hitting the most homers and winning the trophy. This isn’t like the All-Star Game this evening where the winner determines home field advantage for the World Series in October. It is like the All-Star Game in being one of three events that pits the American League against the National League (the World Series, of course, is the third and most important).

For sheer unalloyed baseball fun, it’s hard to beat the Home Run Derby!

2 Comments | tags: American League, Bryce Harper, Home Run Derby, Michael Cuddyer, MLB, National League, Oakland Athletics, Yoenis Céspedes | posted in Baseball

October 9, 2012

Twins: Another Bad Season

By Wyrd Smythe

It’s been another very disappointing season for the Minnesota Twins and their fans.

They managed to do better than last year, but that’s not saying much. Depending on how you look at it, 2011 was the third (or second or fifth) worst season in franchise history (which began in 1961). The equivocation comes from whether you look at the win percentage, games lost or games won.

This season is the sixth (or fourth or seventh) worst season in the 52-year history of the Minnesota Twins. It’s also only the second time they’ve such a bad win percentage two years running (and many don’t expect next year to be stellar, either).

I’ll explain about this and more, but regardless of how you look at it, it was an awful year!

60 Comments | tags: ALDS, American League, Central Division, meteor strike, Minnesota Twins, MLB, NLDS, Texas Rangers, World Series | posted in Baseball