Double Whitewash

About the only thing I remember about the Minneapolis Millers is Orlando Cepeda at first base, Minneapolis shunning the Giants when they chose to move to San Francisco, and a young guy named Carl Yastrezmski patrolling left field in 1959-60. But when Calvin Griffith moved the Senators to Minnesota in 1961, it opened a whole new world for me. Of course I was in school for most of the early season day games, but in May of 1961, my Mom got tickets for us to see my first major league game in person, a Sunday double header against the Cleveland Indians. We had just settled into our seats when Jim Landis led off with a shot off Pedro Ramos. A solid single to center that went right past Lenny Green and all the way to the wall. By the time the Twins ran it down, Landis had circled the bases, 1-0. There were a lot more hits that inning. In fact, I can't remember if Pedro even retired a Cleveland hitter. I do remember Cookie Lavagetto removing Ramos from the game in the first inning with the score about 7-0. The thing I remember most clearly is when Pedro walked toward the dugout, he was so disgusted he drop kicked his glove. I'm sure he meant to kick it into the dugout, but instead made a perfect field goal into the box seats at Met Stadium. The Twins went on to lose, 9-0 in the first game, but no problem, another nine innings would be starting soon. I don't remember too much about the second game. Only that our pitcher once again got in trouble in the early innings. Manager Lavagetto went to replace him in the first or second inning and brought in...... None other than Pedro Ramos!! And the amazing thing was that Pedro threw 7 or 8 scoreless innings against the same Cleveland team that shelled him in game one. But the damage had been done, and the Twins dropped the second game, I think by a score of 2-0. Not much to talk about in the Twins favor that Sunday, but it was my first major league game and I'll never forget it. Maybe if I had a Homer Hanky back then, things would have been different.

Spring Fever

I refused to get my Spring Fever shot this year so now I have contracted the malady. Even though we're still seeing single digit readings on the Minnesota weather map, it won't be long. There's only about 8 weeks of bowling left, and I tune in to KSTP and listen to John Gordon butcher the Twins broadcast from Florida. In the blogosphere, Pat Neshek has the number 1 blog in all of major league baseball. Not only that, but he's a great guy, and from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota! He reads his mail, returns autographs, collects baseball cards, and really enjoys his fans. I hope his attitude lasts and he won't get burned out. Joe Mauer doesn't answer mail, snd his website has not been updated for months. Also looks like he's more interested in selling his swing-o-contraption than anything else. Justin Morneau has a website run by an outside agent, and it has stuff for sale also. Season opener this year on March 31. I hope Torii Hunter strikes out a few times and drops a can o' corn. I hope Bert Blyleven puts his foot in his mouth again and gets suspended for a few months. I hope John Gordon expands his vocabulary a bit so he doesn't have to say "and" 150 times per inning. I wish the Twins would try to sell the team this year, and lay off the "new stadium priority" crap. They make it sound like if you don't buy tickets this year, they won't let you in to the new ballpark. There's a new bowling center in Blaine, and an almost new, completely refurbished center in Monticello, and not once was I ever approached about getting new bowling center priority.