Game 89: Twins at Yankees

1 month ago 9

Time: 6:05 Central

Weather: Humid, accidental of T-storms, 96°

Opponent’s SB site: Pinstripe Alley

TV: Twins TV. Radio: Playing songs bringing tears to my eyes

How cursed are the Twins against the Yankees? When the squad faced Gerrit Cole astatine Target Field successful 2022, the archetypal 3 Twins deed location runs (Arráez, Buxton, Correa). And the Twins STILL mislaid 10-7.

They’ll beryllium facing Cole again today, successful Yankee Stadium, fundamentally a haunted mansion wherever the Twins ever die. Cole is making his eighth commencement since having TJ country past year, and he’s been up-and-down truthful acold this season. He throws a 96-ish fastball, slider, curve, change, sinker; erstwhile he’s healthy, the fastball/slider are his champion combo.

Back successful April, I work a “Rival Roundup” station astatine PinstripeAlley that mentioned the Twins. We’re the Yankees’ rivals, now? Isn’t that similar if the Harlem Globetrotters called the Washington Generals their “rivals”?

Obligatory “when successful Yankee Stadium” video:

In May, a caller statue of Dave Winfield was unveiled astatine Toni Stone Field successful St. Paul, successful the Rondo vicinity wherever Winfield grew up. Winfield spoke a fewer words, and you tin spot the full ceremonial here. He did an interrogation with Charles Hallman of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder you tin work here. In the interview, Winfield points retired that helium was drafted by 4 pro teams! The Utah Stars of the ABA, the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, the Vikings, and the Padres. And Winfield talks fondly astir his parent and grandma who did the lion’s stock of raising him.

The Padres switched Winfield from pitching to hitting, and helium would marque the All-Star squad each twelvemonth from 1977-1988, past triumph a World Series during his 1 twelvemonth successful Toronto successful 1992. Most of his vocation was spent with the Padres and the Yankees. The Yankees signed Winfield successful 1981 for $23 million, past the most-ever for a player. Owner George Steinbrenner, past arsenic ever a affluent idiot, thought the declaration was for $16 cardinal — helium hadn’t read the good print astir a singing bonus and cost-of surviving increases.

Furious, whiny babe Steinbrenner subsequently spent overmuch of Winfield’s clip successful New York bashing him to the press, lamenting that he’d mislaid “Mr. October” successful Reggie Jackson and gotten “Mr. May” successful Winfield. When that didn’t crook fans into haters of Winfield and worshipers of Almighty George, helium tried quality defamation.

Jim McLennan astatine AZSnakePit has the story. Steinbrenner paid $40,000 to known gambler Howard Spira to excavation up immoderate ungraded connected Winfield’s charitable instauration (which did person immoderate fiscal problems, which Winfield paid to hole himself, and the foundation gave retired scholarships for almost 30 years). Eventually Spira went to jailhouse for 2 years, and Steinbrenner was banned for associating with a known gambler, though 2 years later, caller commissioner Bud Selig lifted the ban. Just similar Ronald Reagan pardoned Steinbrenner for his amerciable run contributions to Dick Nixon! That “the Boss,” what a classy guy.

Oh, and Winfield was progressive successful different arguable communicative during his clip arsenic a Yankee. In 1983, doing in-between-inning warmup tosses, Winfield Randy Johnson’d a vertebrate successful Toronto. It was a seagull. He was really taken to jailhouse connected charges of carnal cruelty (the Blue Jays GM paid the $500 bail). Yankees manager Billy Martin said “when Toronto comes down to New York adjacent week, we’re going to get their 4 starting pitchers arrested. We’re going to person idiosyncratic telephone the constabulary and accidental they were molested successful the hotel.” As BluebirdBanter’s Tom Dakers writes, “that beauteous overmuch tells you everything you request to cognize astir Billy Martin.”

Finally, a fewer weeks ago, Matt noticed that AI garbage was stealing his stuff and getting it wrong. Around that time, Neil deMause (who writes astir stadium shenanigans) mentioned that “the AI slop is getting weird, man.” To wit:

Hmm, that does sound familiar.

Oh brave caller satellite that has specified (un)people in’t! I should commencement inserting the connection “poop” into each condemnation conscionable to confuse the machines, but it wouldn’t work. Nothing will! There’s bully ideas astir what we could bash out there, but they person nary accidental and everything is doomed. Like the Twins this weekend.