TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Saturday, June 12, 2004

The Pre-Game Show

There was another Home Run Derby at the Metrodome last night before the Twins and Phillies squared off. You can read about the first such spectacle, involving a showdown between T.C, the Twins mascot, and Dave Kingman here. Apparently this is a regular event, every Saturday game at the Metrodome. I'm going to try to catch as many Saturday games between now and whenever I move to San Diego this summer.

In this edition, there were two John Q. Public types, a couple of guys from the Minnesota Vikings, and T.C. I have to say I think I misunderestimated the distance between where they put home plate and second base. It's probably more like 50 feet from second, making straightaway center about 230 feet, rather than the 25-30 feet I reported before. Or perhaps the put home plate further from the wall for Kingman vs. T.C., I can't say for sure.

Anyways, JQP #1 gets one homer in his seven pitches. JQP #2 actually has a nice run at it, getting three fairly lengthy dingers for his efforts, with all three landing a good 15 rows up the bleachers.

The first Viking is backup wide receiver Aaron Hosack. He struggles to get one over the fence. The other Viking is backup center Cory Withrow. He comes up empty in his first four swings. You have to believe at this point that he's thinking that if he rolls a bagel and gets beat by a rookie wideout that he'll never hear the end of it. Fortunately for Withrow, he slugs his last three out, the third a liner that just clears the fence in center.

Now it's T.C.'s turn, clothed in full mascot regalia. He's already got a 5-4 victory over a 50-something Dave Kingman, so that's going to be hard to top. But T.C. comes out ready to go, and uncorks three absolute bombs on the first three pitches. We're talking 20 rows or more into the bleachers, a good two-thirds to three-quarters of the way up the seats. He then takes a pitch before blasting two more about halfway up the stands.

So here he is, 5-for-5. I think the moment kind of caught up with him. He hits #6 but it doesn't have quite the lift, and it's a liner that goes about 5 rows back. Apparently T.C. has never gone 7-for-7, so the announcer gets the crowd to cheer T.C. on as he goes for it. Last pitch is another liner, with even less lift, but it just nestles over the wall, and the guy in the mascot suit has just hit seven straight out of the park. The contrast between his earlier efforts and his last homer sort of reminded me of the contrast between the typical Mark McGwire homer and the record-breaker he hit off of Steve Trachsel, a bullet that barely cleared the fence in the left-field corner.

Clearly the guy is a ringer, but in the two times I've seen him go, he's had 12 homers in 14 swings. I don't care if it is batting practice softball with a short porch, going 12-for-14 in a homer derby in a mascot suit is damn impressive. That's how well-run the Twins' organization is, even the mascot is hitting the ball on the screws. Maybe the Expos or Royals should look into signing him.

My All-Star Ballot

The last time I went to the Metrodome on May 1-2, I didn't cast an All-Star ballot, even though they handed them out. It was just too early then. This time around I did, though, and here's how it went.

I tried to stay away from many of the frontrunners. Too boring. My NL selections stayed entirely in the NL Central, and, oddly enough, the Rangers got a lot of love from me in the AL, more than the Twins.

For the NL, my ballot went:

C - Michael Barrett
1B - Sean Casey
2B - Jeff Kent
SS - Jack Wilson
3B - Aramis Ramirez
OF - Moises Alou
OF - Scott Podsednik
OF - Lance Berkman

A little Cub-heavy, but I think all the guys I voted for deserved it. I'm still wondering when Michael Barrett is going to wake up and realize he isn't Mike Piazza or I-Rod.

For the AL, I went with:

C - I-Rod
1B - Frank Thomas
2B - Alfonso Soriano
SS - Michael Young
3B - Hank Blalock
OF - Vladimir Guerrero
OF - Carlos Beltran
OF - Jacque Jones

I felt obligated to vote for at least one Twins player, but I had a hard time picking one. The position player who is most deserving is Lew Ford, but he wasn't on the ballot and I didn't have anything to write with, so I went with Jones.

It was weird turning in a ballot with a vote for Kent and none for Bonds, as well as voting for The Big Hurt at first, since he hadn't played there before tonight. I may have to go to tomorrow's game and cast a vote for Bonds (and not a second vote for Kent), and bring a pen for some write-in votes as well. I'm thinking I need to cast at least one vote for Chone Figgins, I just have to decide what position.

And finally, the game

So, there was baseball at the Metrodome last night as well. The pitching matchup was Kevin Millwood vs. Carlos Silva. Millwood was, unbeknownst to him, putting his lifetime 0.50 ERA when I was in attendance on the line. I saw Millwood in Atlanta toss a four-hit shutout against the Expos with David, on a hot Sunday afternoon, June 14th, 1998. The date sticks in mind because of a certain Game 6 (and the subsequent ending of an era) in Salt Lake City, the results of which we learned on the flight back to Chicago. David and I also caught the first two games of the 1999 NLDS matchup between Atlanta and Houston in Atlanta, and Millwood one-hit the Astros in Game 2, the one hit being a Ken Caminiti solo shot in the 2nd.

The Twins took control early, scoring four in the second. Millwood hadn't been fooling anyone, the Twins went down in order in the first, but SS Cristian Guzman grounded sharply to Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz lined a bullet right to Phillies 1B Chase Utley, and then LF Lew Ford lined out to short to end the first. CF Torii Hunter made the second out in the 2nd on a sharp liner about 10 steps behind Phillies CF Marlon Byrd's defensive position before Jacque Jones lined a single to left.

DH Jose Offerman then walked, and C Joe Mauer laced a single up the middle to score Jones, with the runners moving up to second and third on the throw home. The big blow came on 2B Luis Rivas's triple to the gap in right-center, scoring Offerman and Mauer with ease. Guzman singled to right to plate Rivas, and the Twins had a 4-0 lead after two innings.

It was good for the Twins that they took advantage of Millwood early, because he didn't give anything up from the third through the sixth, when he was lifted. Carlos Silva was in control through the first six innings, striking out a career-high eight on just over 70 pitches. He then very nearly turned into a pumpkin, giving up a cannon shot to DH Jim Thome to lead off the 7th, Thome's 18th of the year and #399 of his career. Then two of the next three Phillies reached, and on Silva's 89th pitch C Mike Lieberthal hit a 380-foot shot that landed in the first section on the foul side of the foul pole in left. On Silva's 90th and final pitch of the evening, Lieberthal grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3.

Larry Bowa got ejected in the bottom of the 7th for arguing a play at third on a double steal. Lieberthal's throw beat Rivas to the bag, but 3B David Bell had trouble catching the ball cleanly, and a momentary juggle allowed Rivas to beat the tag. Naturally Bowa had a dissenting opinion on the matter, but to no avail, leaving the field while serenaded by Dale Evans classic Happy Trails to You. The Twins tacked on two more in the 8th to get to the 6-1 final score. All in all a big day at the big bubble-looking thing.

posted by Tom Renbarger 11:04 PM