Thursday, March 27, 2008

Getting back in the swing of things

Well, sports fans. It seems like this site has pretty much died since I stopped gracing it with my presence. Sad, but glad to know I've been missed ;)

Anyway, hopefully I can convince Corey and the other writers to start producing some content now that baseball is starting again! And, this year, Corey and I have more games to go to (with slightly better seats this year) and a new camera to try out, so hopefully things get going. I just wanted to welcome you to spring (though it doesn't look much like spring) and see if y'all can help me get Corey to revitalize this site!

Does anyone still visit the site even?

Friday, May 11, 2007

It's that time of year!

Well folks, I know I've been a lousy blogger lately, but I have a pretty good excuse. Over the past few weeks I've been finishing up with college, enjoying senior week, and graduating. Plus we've had a few birthdays and Mother's Day around here. But let's go back to that bombshell I just dropped...I am now a college graduate! (A lot of good that has done me though since I still can't find a real job.) Oh well though.

As to the sports world, I'm sure there has been a bundle of activity that I have missed out on. Corey has done his best to keep me up-to-date, but let's be honest, I had bigger fish to fry.

And, the latest news is that Corey and I have started coaching a 14-and-under girls softball team. We are both stoked to have the chance to coach, each hoping to turn it into something bigger in time. We will be coaching 12 eighth graders together, each of us sharing the the head coach position. I will be the pitching coach for our team and the other 14U team (7th graders) as well as doing batting and fielding coaching. Corey will probably mostly be a fielding coach and then also help with the batting part. Then again, if I'm coaching the pitchers, I might not get to do much other coaching. At least as long as we practice with the other team. I think for our practice next week I will have us split up though and use 2 fields instead of just one. We'll see though. Corey and I have a week to come up with a practice plan. I know a lot of fun games and drills to have the girls do. They are still pretty rough as they are just starting to learn some of the skills required in softball. Hopefully Corey and I will have a lot to teach them.

In other news, Santana seems to have decided to go back to being a god among mere mortals with his last two pitching performances. In the last two games he's pitched, he has given up a total of 3 runs. All of them have been on solo home runs. If he would stop giving up HRs, he really would be a god with 11 and 13 strikeouts a game. That's why he's a two-time Cy Young winner. Minnesota bows down before him.

It's also been a nice change to see our offense producing some runs. Morneau's two homeruns last night paired with Torii's homer were really a godsend last night. Yet it's funny, either we can't score any runs or we score more than necessary. No real in between for the Twins.

Now if we could just get Joe back (though he should be back for the next series) things could really get going. If we can stay healthy, that is. With at least five guys on the DL, things just aren't going to look so good. We can keep hoping for the team to produce some runs and put up a good defense, but we need to stay healthy.

Well kids, that's really all I've got today. My heart just isn't in this. I'm sorry I haven't been writing, but I just really haven't felt inspired. It's probably just a phase while I get over school and look for a job (I have an interview on Tuesday). If anyone has any ideas for content they would like to see covered, feel free to drop me a note. Maybe that can be my source of inspiration. Otherwise check out the rest of the site, it's much better than the lack of content I produce.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

I'd like to volunteer myself to rub Joe Mauer's leg.

It's time for a quick post before I write a real one today or tomorrow.

How disappointed are we in Joe Mauer's legs? First a stress reaction, then a "really tight" left quadriceps? Left leg both times too... After being out a second straight game, Mauer's MRI reveals a strained left quad with some bleeding on the muscle. It's unsure if this will send him down to the disabled list or he can heal on the bench. Either way, the injury has fans and the team worried. Mauer also seems worried, noting that his leg was still "pretty sore" upon arriving at the clubhouse for the game today.

I'm also very disappointed at the timing of this. Not only did he miss most of the Red Sox series, but he was gone for BOTH of my first games of the year. And I had even brought a friend on Saturday who adores him. We were both very excited to see our man and then his left leg let us down. We can only hope that it will heal quickly and he'll be back to help out this struggling offense.

Until then, if he needs a personal leg masseuse, he should give me a call because I'm great with my hands and would do anything to get him back in the game!


In other news, Joe has also been named American's Most Eligible Bachelor by Extra

AND he takes care of his family! Joe has recently said that his parents are free to retire as he will take care of them financially.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Joe Mauer bio

After seeing so many google searches landing on my page because of having "Joe Mauer" in my title, I decided it was time to give all of my loyal fans something worth looking at. Here it is.

Proper Name: Joseph Patrick Mauer
Born: April 19, 1983
Birthplace: St. Paul, MN
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Age: 23
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Position: Catcher
Experience: 3 years
2007 Salary: $3,750,000
High School: Cretin-Derham Hall HS
College: N/A

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mauer was a three-sport athlete, baseball, football, and basketball, for St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. He was a good enough athlete, even back then, to make it into a Sports Illustrated issue as a "Face In The Crowd."

Mauer has always been a good hitter. In his entire high school career, Joe only struck out once. That’s right in four years he had ONE strikeout. He also set a Minnesota high school record for homering in seven consecutive games. Incredibly enough, his batting average in his senior year at Cretin-Durham was .605. Mauer also caught for the Team USA Junior National team from 1998 to 2000. In his final year on the team, Mauer hit .522 and was voted best hitter at the world tournament in Panama. In 2001, Mauer was named the Minnesota District V Player of the Year.

And that’s just what he did in baseball. Mauer was also the quarterback of Cretin-Durham’s football team his senior year. That season, Mauer completed 178 of 288 passes (62% success rate) for 3,022 yards and 41 touchdowns. And, he only gave up two interceptions that whole season. Not only is he a stud baseball player who doesn’t strike out, but he’s a stud QB who doesn’t throw interceptions. Mauer led the Raiders to two consecutive state championships and was named Gatorade’s National Player of the Year. Parade and USA Today both named Joe Player of the Year, AND he was named a Reebok/ESPN High School All-American. This is for football, his second sport. He wasn't too bad at basketball either, though I won't bore you with more of his stats.

Joe Mauer passed up a scholarship to play quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles, one of the best programs in the nation, and enter the Major League Baseball draft. The Minnesota Twins selected him with the number one pick overall.

Joe was All-State in basketball for his junior and senior seasons.

Joe Mauer quickly rose through the minor league ranks (in just 3 years) and made it to the Minnesota Twins and you know the rest of the story up to this point. Joe Mauer in 2006 bats .347 and becomes the first catcher in baseball history to lead the Majors in batting average. Mauer was racking up huge numbers, honors, and awards in high school and now he's already starting to rack up in the Major Leagues too. Many scouts say that Joe Mauer has the best swing they've ever seen in the history of baseball. It just seems like there is nothing this kid can't do.

Oh, and did I mention he's mildly good-looking and single? Mauer modeled for Perry Ellis in the 2004-2005 off-season. And in 2006, Mauer dated former "Miss USA", Chelsea Cooley, but he ended their relationship in November of the same year. Apparently she wasn't perfect enough for Mr. Perfect. Joe was very cautious about even admitting that she was his girlfriend, always saying something like "Uhh, we're still getting to know each other." When asked if he was still dating Ms. Cooley, he said "No, that's over. That ended in, I think, November. I'm single. I'm young." That's right ladies. Joe Mauer is single and presumably looking for someone to warm up these cold spring nights.

Especially now that he doesn't have Justin Morneau to cuddle with. In 2006, Justin moved in with Joe, in part because he was struggling with things on and off the field. Of course, Joe would be the one to straighten him out. The two shared Mauer's townhouse in St. Paul. For a great story about what it was like for the two of them to live together, check out this Sports Illustrated story.

However, in the off-season, Justin purchased a home across the river in Mendota because he wanted to be able to live with his girlfriend, a little-talked about Minnesota native. When asked about Justin moving out, Mauer said "He's got a girlfriend. He knows the rules. At my house, no live-in girlfriends." Justin acknowledges that he knows the rule and says "I couldn't pick Joe over my girlfriend." I think both parts of that are cute--that Joe has a rule about live-in girlfriends (even for his own girlfriends) and that Justin likes his girl enough to both protect her from the media and to move out to be with her.

I think it's safe to say the Batting Champ has won a place in our hearts for good. If you have any questions about Joe or would just like me to post more pictures, please let me know. Also, check out the Joe Mauer Fan Club web page.

In honor of the Wild making the Playoffs

I will have a real post sometime this weekend or next week, but for now I have to post this. I don't know how many of you follow hockey, but this guys is what makes it worth watching. His name, Derek Boogaard. His job, knocking people out. In the clip, pay attention to #24 on the Wild. He's crazy and gets into some of the best fights in hockey. He may not win them all (sadly) but the ones he does are fantastic to watch. My favorite part is the very first fight, you'll see why!

Derek Boogaard fights and knockouts video



That is all for now. Hopefully at least some of you enjoy it half as much as I do.

Also, check out my man Joey and give him some love. He has the best content of us all and has not gotten the readership he deserves! I promise if you read him you will laugh out loud, I do every time. So check out his stuff, comment, maybe even write him an email. He doesn't know I'm writing this, so pretend it's not out of pity.

Peace out.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Twins bloggers unite

Well, everyone here has been doing a pretty poor job of keeping up with their writing. So, to give the people what they want, I will write something short to entertain the fine people who visit my site. And while I'm at it, I 'll give you all a shout out and a thanks for viewing my site so much! I am really excited and flattered that so many people view my page, though I wish more of you would comment.

Now that that's out of the way, the real reason I came to write is to comment briefly on the wonderful blogger's get together on Saturday to watch the Twins lose to the White Sox. The game was pretty crappy, but it was a really fun time. The event was organized by Star Tribune blogger, Howard Sinker, and apparently it was not the first time such an event was organized. Next year y'all should make it out, it's a really good time. Basically, what happens is a bunch of Twins fans including Twins bloggers and their readers get together at a local Buffalo Wild Wings to eat, drink, and watch baseball. I think we had about 25 people or more there, and I got to meet some great bloggers.

That brings me to Nick and Nick. Yes, I got to meet both of them. Nick Nelson, the cute journalism major (who has an equally cute girlfriend, sorry girls) and Nick Mosvick, Nick's analytical counterpart. Once I met Nick N., my bitterness and anger at him for attending a game with my boyfriend subsided because I realized he is just a genuinely nice guy who loves the Twins and the game of baseball. He's a great guy who Corey and I look forward to spending more time talking with and maybe even hanging out. You all should check out their blog if you like baseball even a little bit. I also spent some time discussing law school and related topics with Nick M. While he did not make nearly the same big impression Nick N. had (Nick N. also had the advantage of being hyped up before I met him), it was still fun to talk to him about law school, and also to make fun of both of them.

I also got to meet Mr. Howard Sinker, Stick and Ball Guy and his wife, The Dread Pirate Will Young, and so many others that I can't remember all of their names (otherwise I'd link to them too).

Wow, this post is really lame. I apologize. I really don't have much to say, mostly because I yet again had to miss yet another game Corey had tickets to because of stupid softball. If I wasn't a team captain, I would have been there. It turns out one of my fellow team members faked food poisoning so that she could go to the game. I'm bitter about that, but this time I'm not angry at Corey, just at myself and my teammate. I have to miss another game against the Yankees tomorrow because I am supposed to have a softball game.

Shameless plug - If anyone is in the St. Paul area and wants to see a softball game, I will be playing at Dunning Softball Complex at 4:00. Feel free to stop by. /shameless plug.

Anyway, still looking for someone to take me to a game. Check my softball schedule for the days that I don't have softball and then send me an offer. Now that this post is thoroughly lame, I think I'll end it. Sorry for wasting your time.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Warning: bitter sports gal.

Well, I'm a little tardy with this rant, but I feel it is important that I get it out nonetheless. So here it goes...

On Tuesday, April 3, Corey attended his first Twins game of the season. This is a problem for multiple reasons. First of all, when he bought his season tickets, he got tickets for a game when I had a softball game scheduled. That means two things, first that he was not coming to my games and instead going to see the Twins. Second, that also meant he was going to the game without me! I know he won't go to all the games with me, but the fact that he had already scheduled the first game at a time when he knew I couldn't go really upsets me.

I am also bitter that he didn't even attempt to invite me to the first game. He claims that he didn't know I had a game that day, that I never told him. Yet, he also claims that he didn't invite me because he knew I had a game. Either way, he lied once to cover his butt. AND he invited about 3-4 people to the games before even thinking about whether I might like to go.

In the end, he went with Nick Nelson of Nick & Nick's Twins Blog. Part of me understands going with him, but I am still bitterly jealous that he got to go hang out with a cool Twins fan while I was stuck at a really lame softball practice. Granted, I probably need the practice, but I also didn't get much actual practice since my coach sucks (I'll save that for another post). So while he was eating Dome Dogs and watching his favorite team, I was chasing balls in a dark gym with a bunch of girls with attitudes that frankly need adjusting. So, Nick, if you read this, I hope you feel very special, honored, and privileged to have attended that game, because I am feeling quite the opposite. (You don't really have to feel bad, though I was trying to make you feel guilty...I'm glad you enjoyed the game.)

This brings me back to my post A sports lover's guide to getting their own sports gal. Remember when I said there are some downfalls to having a girlfriend who likes sports? Well, this is one of the downfalls I was talking about. I ended up getting very angry and bitter at Corey for going to the game without me, because I wanted to be at that game! I even yelled at him (well, not really yelled so much as talked at him in an angry voice) about the situation for a few minutes because I was so upset. I mean, I missed a good game only to go to a bad practice and then a really lame group meeting for one of my classes. You would be upset too!

And what's worse is that Corey will be going to another game on Monday without me. I wonder who he'll take with him this time. Maybe Aaron Gleeman, or Seth (I don't know his last name)? Or maybe Mike Pahl? Who knows. Corey is always a mystery. I do know that I'm looking for a date to a Twins game (or even a Wild game if you've got tickets), so hit me up and as long as you're not too creepy I would love to go on a date with one of you since Corey seems like he's forgotten about me. So drop me a comment, email me, whatever. If you take me to the game, I'll buy you a Dome Dog.