Jim Cowan

Or like the galley slave chained to his oar, who asks if they are expected to tip the drummer.

He's going to play, both years.

It might have been one of those painful car door injuries.

I always wanted his name before the team name in the box scores. "Neifi Perez and the Detroit Tigers".

And as we leave Minnesota for the last time this year, may we pause again for a moment, as we do every year, in silent reflection. To reflect upon the reason why Calvin Griffith, who owned the Washington Senators in 1961, where they had been for 60 years, decided to move the team to Minneapolis/St.Paul. His reason was simple, there were just too many Negroes living in Washington. Way too many. And so he sought out the whitest large city in the United States that did not yet have a major league baseball team, and found it in Minneapolis/St.Paul. And that is the eternal legacy of the Minnesota Twins, that they exist solely because of the clarity of the world view of Calvin Griffith. Lots of people probably don't know that about the Twins by now, and don't still hate them for it. But I do.

Ordinarily I would say soak him in urine, but he plays for the White Sox, so

Lange has his moments but that 1.49 WHIP isn't going to cut it.

9-7! Need 6 outs! Bring on that lockdown bullpen!

Don't forget that you keep that volume on the highest shelf and that you will need the sliding ladder to retrieve it. And I understand why you are drinking whisky, the last time I was in there I finished off the best brandy with my cigar. Sorry.

Yes, you have a lot of explaining to do.

I agree, when people talk about his improvement they are envisioning him possibly making the team as a 4th or 5th, instead of being removed from the 40.

Brandon Inge could hit a ball up to the highest point of that dome with a fungo bat. He could also dunk a basketball, bowl a 300 game, impregnate your sister, and unite all the Christian denominations.

I like Alexander. He feels like a throwback, a lefty whose fastball tops at 89 and who throws offspeed crap all day. He is a nice contrast to the max effort flamethrowers and I want to reserve the number 4 spot in the rotation for him. He is the sort of guy about whom they used to say "He screws up your timing for a week".

It's feeling like he's going to be short by about 5. Maybe that will motivate him in the off season.

Do it before the season, do it in real time, it doesn't matter either way, they are both dead simple. Real time has the advantage in that it is possible that not everybody on a major league roster in September got measured pre-season. But it is not important and does not detract from the necessity of the electronic strike zone. And yes, as teenagers a lot of us would be up there hoping for something halfway up between the belt and the letters, to hammer with those level swings that were beaten into us. Like Henry Aaron's swing. That pitch never ever gets called a strike now and it does change everyone's hitting approach.

Just do it in real time, it takes less than 5 seconds. Make the batter stand still, no crouching, and define the top and bottom of the zone. If Rickey wants to crouch after that, that's fine, but his strike zone is defined by his standing posture. You don't need a human to do it, just a fixed position camera near each dugout with some recognition software.

Electronic strike zone is 10 years overdue. Do it. Also, let's calibrate the vertical strike zone based on each batter's height, knees slightly flexed, so that Rickey Henderson can't duck under it. You still need a home plate umpire for checked swings, plays at the plate and so on. But this nonsense about every umpire having his own strike zone is ridiculous.

I made it there once, for a weekend in 1975, to see that dreadful 57 win team. I loved the stadium, the whole atmosphere. The green seats were amazing to see when you walked down the ramp. Amazingly a lot of the 68 team was still there...Stanley, Horton, Freehan and some others I think. And Ron LeFlore. And for all you fans of Danny Meyer and Leon Roberts, they were there too.

Yeah, you're gone pal.

C'mon Mig. 17 more hits. Let's see some hustle.

A fastball that has to be surgically extracted.

I hope that at some point on the weekend the circumstances are just right for burying a fastball in Merrifield's ribs.

Reyes' OPS since the all star game is .856

So, just where the hell have you been?

I saw that photo, Tony Martin is 35 and he looks more like 60.