2021 Minnesota Twins Year in Review

 When I think about this year's Twins season that just concluded yesterday in Kansas City, disappointing and underperforming are two of the words that first come to mind. It was difficult to think that the two time defending American League Central champions would fall out of contention so quickly. I don't think anyone thought that this team would wind up last in the division.

It seems like this team's troubles began in April when several players were unavailable to play due to Covid-19. Injuries, errors, ineffectiveness and underwhelming pitching performances plagued this team all season long. Just when it seemed like there were a few rays of hope, the team would go into a funk or lose a key player. 

Some of the highlights of this season were:

1. Jorge Polanco. The team's former starting shortstop made a successful transition to second base. He also had a career year at the plate, finishing with a .269 batting average, 33 home runs (breaking Chili Davis' 1991 record for home runs by a switch hitter) and 98 runs batted in. 

2. Byron Buxton. Buxton hit a career high 19 home runs this year in only 61 games. However, he missed several months with injuries. Diehard Twins fans have wondered how Buxton would do if he played a complete season. He won the American League Player of the Month in April and finished strong. Hopefully this is just a taste of what's to come next year.

3. Luis Arraez. Arraez finished second on the team in hits with 126 and played multiple positions in the infield and outfield this season. He ended up with a .294 average and 43 RBI. He will undoubtedly find a place in the lineup for most games again next year. 

Some disappointments were:

1. Andrelton Simmons. The Gold Glove winning shortstop was brought in to anchor the Twins' infield defense. He came into this season as a career .270 hitter. He ended the year with a paltry .223 average in 412 at bats and 12 errors at short. Simmons wound up losing playing time to rookie Nick Gordon at times in the last two months of the season.  Andrelton has long been known for years as an excellent defensive player and has saved plenty of runs, but I can't foresee the Twins resigning him to another contract after a subpar season. 

2. Miguel Sano. Even though Sano crushed 30 home runs in 135 games this year, he also struck out an astonishing 183 times in 470 at AB's (that's 38.9 percent of his at bats). He also got off to his typical slow start and his defense at first base was less than stellar (16 errors). With the Nelson Cruz trade in July, Sano may find himself in the DH role more often in 2022, with Alex Kiriloff, utilityman Willians Astudillo or even Arraez spending time at first. 

3. Pitching. Most fans (myself included) were amazed by how poorly the Twins pitching staff performed this year. I'm not surprised that 35 different players (including Astudillo) took the mound for the team this year. Jose Berrios did well before being traded to Toronto (7-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts) and team wins leader Michael Pineda (9-8, 3.62 ERA in 22 games) finished strong. Former Cy Young Award candidate Kenta Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery (after a 6-5 record and 4.66 ERA in 21 starts) and may not be available to pitch at all next season. That leaves a lot of holes in the rotation to fill. Bailey Ober (3-3, 4.19), Joe Ryan (2-1, 4.05 ERA in 5 starts) and Griffin Jax (4-5, 6.37) showed what they could do, but the rotation will probably still need some help.

The bullpen was fairly solid for the most part. Alex Colome (4-4, 4.15 ERA and 17 saves in 24 opportunities) anchored the back end after the usually reliable Taylor Rogers went on the injured list. Tyler Duffey and Jorge Alcala were solid, but there were some regrettable outings from Randy Dobnak, Edward Garcia and others. The Twins may need to spend some more money on bullpen help or make a few trades to find the right components. The team has a history of taking a risk on low dollar veteran pitchers, but it may be time to pursue a few vets with proven track records who want to pitch in Minnesota. 

Despite a bad year, there were still some signs of promise. Josh Donaldson played well when healthy and rookies Kiriloff and Trevor Larnach did well in limited duty before going down with injuries. Second year player Brent Rooker also played well at corner outfield spots and as a DH during his time with the Twins and at their AAA affiliate in nearby St. Paul. I wouldn't be surprised if veterans Jake Cave and/or Max Kepler were released or traded to allow these young players to have more time playing corner outfield spots alongside Buxton.

Manager Rocco Baldelli will have plenty of decisions to make for 2022. He's usually trying to figure out where to put Arraez in the lineup and on the field. Now he also has to come up with a capable pitching staff, and figure out where his rookies and reserves fit in the mix. It isn't going to be easy, but I'm optimistic that this team can rebound quickly. Hopefully it won't be long until the Minnesota Twins return to the playoffs. Now if we could just figure out how to beat the Yankees or win a playoff game....

That's all for now. Until next time, have a great week! 

Blogging in a Covid world

 Hi everyone,

I took a break from this site, but it wasn't intentional. I had every reason of blogging regularly when I had something to say, until I had to eventually replace my computer. My old laptop was handy, but it was getting to the point where I couldn't update certain programs and access my blog with it anymore. It's not gone yet but will probably be retired soon.

A lot has changed in the world since I last wrote here. We've had a change in leadership in the White House. We've also had to deal with the global Coronavirus pandemic. Lots of things shut down for a while and we had to readjust our lives. Things are starting to get back to somewhat normal, but it's probably going to be a while. Some things may never go back to normal, which isn't all bad.

I'm thankful that no one in my family or network of friends have contracted the virus, but I do know a few friends of the family who have. Most of them have pulled through and many people I know have been vaccinated. However, I do know of a few friends of the family who lost their lives to the virus. One was a person who was vaccinated. My heart goes out to their family and loved ones, and everyone who has been affected by it.

The one thing I don't like is how politicized the virus has become. It's pitting friends and family against one another at times, and it really doesn't need to be that way. Masks aren't fun to wear, especially to those of us who wear glasses like me, but it's a minor inconvenience in comparison to being seriously ill, intubation or even death. Masks have always been about protecting others than yourself during the pandemic, anyway. 

This virus is a real concern for everyone in the world. It doesn't discriminate and it does not know about or care what your political affiliation is. I'm amazed at the people who follow politicians' advice instead of doctors and other health professionals. Some health experts have even been shunned because they've given different advice as knowledge and situations regarding the virus has changed. I never thought I would be living through things like that. Personally, I trust the medical and health experts over politicians any day when it comes to handling a worldwide pandemic. I have nothing but the utmost trust and respect for anyone working in the medical field over the last two years. 

I've heard talk of possible booster shots eight months after vaccination. I'm perfectly fine with doing that. To me, it's not much different than an annual flu shot. I barely felt the first vaccination shot and the second dose left me tired and achy the day after, but I've been in very good health ever since. 

I'm glad that I've been able to attend a few concerts this summer (I went to four consecutive Sevendust shows at the end of June/beginning of July, but that's a story for another post) and that people can gather in public at shows, ballgames and other events. Each venue and business has their own rules and regulations, and I see no problem with that at all. Whatever we can do to reduce the spread is great in my book.

Well that's all for now. Just checking in now that I can access my blog again. Looking forward to another couple of shows at least later this year. Until next time, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Everyone Matters

Hi Everyone!

I wasn't planning on posting again so soon, but I'm finding that writing is very therapeutic in this chaotic world that we're living in right now. It helps me escape from the stress and negative that I'm seeing myself and others getting caught up in.

Things have gotten to the point where I haven't watched the news in weeks. I try to avoid it on social media, but of course it's everywhere, along with other people's opinions. I'm all for having differences of opinions and rational discussions about those opinions, but I'm getting really tired of people criticizing, ridiculing or insulting others who don't think the same way as they do. We all have different perspectives.

I've even seen people insult others who post that "all lives matter" instead of saying that "black lives matter." Of course black lives matter. Racism is wrong. It always has been, and it always will be. The way I see it, people who are saying that "all lives matter" aren't trying to ignore black lives. It seems to me that they're just trying to include people of other races and cultures. After all:
Native American lives matter.
Asian lives matter.
European lives matter.
Canadian lives matter.
Animal lives matter.
All living species matter.
Every living organism is important.

There's also a lot of talk and controversy lately surrounding recent movements to defund police departments. From what I understand, this doesn't mean getting rid of police departments altogether. It sounds like they just want to allocate some of those funds to other services and departments that have been underfunded. I don't have enough knowledge on the subject just yet, so I'm not going to state my opinion on it.

I'm at the point where if you want to follow Trump, go for it. The same thing if you want to follow Biden. In fact, if you tell me that one plus one equals five, I'm okay with that. Think and believe what you want to believe. Just don't treat others poorly because they don't share your same perspective. I'm tired of pointless, counterproductive arguments.

Well, that's enough for today. Time to get back to listening to music and anticipating the days when we can enjoy live concerts in person once again. Until next time, have a great day and be kind to one another.

Ghosting is Bad, Mmkay?

Hi everyone,

I wasn't planning on writing anything until I had a good conversation online with a friend this morning. He brought up the subject of ghosting. He didn't like the fact that a casual friend had blocked him and basically ghosted him when all he was trying to check in and see how that person was doing. It reminded me of a former friend who did things that were very similar to what he was describing to myself and others.

Ghosting is defined as "the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication." By that definition, I guess I've ghosted a few people in my time. However, these actions are usually not intentional. Most times it was just because I lost contact with the other person and didn't know how to reach them. This was especially true before the Internet, when people would change schools or move out of town. I don't intentionally stop talking to someone unless they treat myself or others poorly, or they sit back and allow such treatment to happen. I'm nice to everyone, but I don't have time for nonsense. I'd rather focus my energies and attention on people who treat others how they want to be treated.

I've been ghosted by more than a few people in my lifetime, and I'm sure it will continue to happen. Most times, I don't even give it a second thought. Intentional ghosting is a form of emotional abuse. It's immature and unacceptable. I may think about it once in a while, but I try not to let ghosting bring me down, because I know that I deserve better than that.

If anyone feels that I've ever intentionally ghosted them, I want to personally apologize for that. If you feel like I cut you off on social media, please know that I would dream of hurting anyone. I don't communicate with people as often as I'd like, but that's usually because I'm busy with work and other responsibilities. It's nothing personal. Social media doesn't hold my interest as much as it used to. If we used to be social media friends and you see that we're not, please feel free to friend request me if you'd like. Sometimes my accounts unfriend certain people if I haven't interacted with them a lot. I've had other friends complain about this problem with their accounts as well.

That's all I have to say for now. I hope everyone is doing well in these unprecedented time. Until next time, have a great day and remember to treat others well. Thanks!

The World is Tired of Hate

I got the title for this post from one of the T-shirts in my collection. It felt rather appropriate considering the state of things in the world today, especially in my home state of Minnesota.
I woke up on Tuesday morning to see my social media news feed filled with information regarding the death of George Floyd the night before. I saw a couple of the videos that were posted multiple times. I couldn't believe that something like that really happened in a town that I've been to many times for ballgames and concerts over the years.

Unfortunately, this is just one in a string of terrible situations in recent years that never should have occurred. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, the false claims of threats by Amy Cooper in New York's Central Park, the tragic shooting of Justine Ruszcyk by Somali-American police officer Mohamed Noor and several other incidents in the national news immediately came to mind.

Floyd was accused of forgery, a crime that would normally carry a sentence of one to five years in jail at most. From what I've seen, it didn't look like he was actively resisting arrest. It also didn't look like three police officers needed to hold him down. The officer kneeling on his neck drew the most scrutiny. I've learned from research that his particular technique is not taught or recommended in police office training because it's likely to cut off a person's air flow. It came across as cruel and unnecessary punishment to many people.

I understand the anger regarding this situation. Floyd didn't deserve to die for the crime he was accused of. I understand the anger that's been building up for a while now. I think that part of it has been due to frustrations from the changes and limitations brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. People have lost jobs, had their hours cut, been unable to enjoy sports and live music or sometimes even go to the doctor when they need to. Most of our lives have been thrown upside down.

What I don't understand and don't condone are the looting, vandalism and violence that have occurred after Floyd's death. I get the fact that people are pissed off and need to vent, but trashing businesses only makes the situation worse. It creates chaos and puts strain on the business owners and their employees. It also threatens people's sense of security. I'm very concerned about the safety of my friends and family members who live and work in the Twin Cities area right now.

I can see Floyd's situation as a racial attack. A black man was restrained and later died primarily because of the police officers' actions. There have been too many racist incidents all across the globe in recent years. I'm sure that there are many more incidents that haven't been in the news. Racism is wrong. It always has been, and it always will be.

It feels like there's been a growing sensation of hate in the world. I'm sure that there's many causes for this. People get fed up with others for various reasons. Differences only seem to fuel the fire for some of these problems.

I don't know what the answer is and I'm not going to offer a solution, because I can't. It's going to take more than just me to resolve the issues of racism and hatred.

Hate is also wrong, and I know that many people are tired of it. I understand why people hate others at times, but hate is something that's never been in my heart. There are people that I don't like, but I definitely don't hate them. I just remove myself from the equation and move on. Life's too short to be consumed by such negative thoughts and emotions anyway.

These are just my thoughts and opinions on the matter. They in no way reflect the thoughts or opinions of anyone else. I just felt like I had to say something, because I'm hopeful that we can eventually start making efforts to work on the issues at hand in a more constructive and positive manner.

That's all I have to say for now. I probably won't blog again until music and sports resume, whenever that may be. Until next time, take care and be good to one another.

Bucky's 2019 Year in Review

As I write this, there's only a few more hours left in 2019. It was another challenging year, full of ups and downs. I learned a lot, experienced some frustrations and smashed the shit out of some goals. I went new places and tried new things. I also had some great experiences with some great people along the way. Here's a breakdown of some of my favorite moments from this year:

I didn't go to my first concert until February...in Florida! My friends in St. Pete had been asking me to visit them for a while, and I was finally able to during the first week of the month. I flew in on a Monday afternoon, and met my friends. We were happy to finally meet in person, and were anticipating the Sevendust show at Jannus Live the next day!

A bunch of us gathered outside the venue for the pre-show meet and greet. Some of us were lucky enough to catch up with Sevendust lead guitarist Clint Lowery while we were waiting in line. After the meet and greet, we met for dinner at a local restaurant before heading back for the show. We also ran into drummer Morgan Rose before the show. We gathered in a nice suite for the concert, where we were able to converse and enjoy the music of Cane Hill, Lullwater, Kirra, Tremonti and Sevendust. It was an incredible night with great people!

The next day, I joined my friends for a relaxing afternoon at Madeira Beach. I said goodbye to some of my Midwest crew that day, and didn't mind that I got my first-ever February sunburn. I joined my Florida friends for my first NHL game the next day. Even though the host Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the visiting St. Louis Blues 1-0 in overtime, it was still a fun game. I went out again the next day with my friends before heading back to the frozen tundra later that evening.

I didn't get to another show until a friend's birthday bash in the Cities in April, but spring and summer were busy. I drove down to Milwaukee on Mother's Day weekend for my 25th Sevendust "family reunion" at the Rave. I stayed just down the street from the venue and had a great time at the show with friends. I would see the guys again 10 days later in Mankato for another show with In This Moment. This time, I managed to chat with ITM guitarist Randy Weitzel before the show and snagged one of Morgan's drumsticks that he tossed into the crowd after their closing song "Face to Face."

A few days later, I went to Route 47 Pub and Grub in Fridley to catch up with friends and see my friends in Eaon, Cold Kingdom and Emergent perform. This was Emergent's only show of the year, and they only have one more left next year before calling it a day. It was my first time seeing the new group Eaon, and I thought they did well. Cold Kingdom rocked the house with their new lineup, and plenty of fun was had by everyone in attendance. Another great local show on a beautiful spring night in Minnesota!

In early June, I returned to Route 47 to see Otherwise for the first time in a couple of years. I attended the pre-show meet and greet, where I and a few other fans got to hear some new songs from their upcoming album and watch the guys play a few acoustic songs for us. Local group Nuisance kicked off the show, and both bands did a great job! Afterwards, the remaining crowd was invited back to the merch tables to watch Otherwise perform an acoustic version of "The Ballad of Ivan Patrick."

At the end of the month, I drove to Iowa for the first of three trips there this year. This time, I was meeting up with some of my friends to watch John, Morgan and Lajon work on a new Sevendust song at QC Rock Academy in Davenport. The guys had some instrumentals already recorded, and myself and a couple dozen other spectators got to hear them lay down additional guitars, drums and write and add vocals on the spot. It was a unique experience that I'd definitely do again! Afterwards, my friends and I caught up with the guys at nearby Jumers Casino.

I took a little downtime during my birthday month to take in a Twins game (they beat the visiting Texas Rangers 6-4 on July 6th) and enjoy the birthday with family before returning to the concert scene in August. I stayed over at a friend's house in Wisconsin the first weekend in August as we attended Sevendust's headlining show at Route 20 in Sturtevant. My 28th Sevendust show would occur a day later at the Cavalier Theater and Lounge in Lacrosse. Both shows were excellent! I enjoyed Sevendust's headlining sets as well as openers Burden of the Sky and Alborn. It was also great catching up with old friends and making new ones in the process.

The next weekend, I went down the road to see my friends in VIA and Cold Kingdom play the Red Carpet in St. Cloud, just a few miles from my home. While it would have been nice to see more fans in attendance, I still had fun. Another week and a half later, I made my second Iowa road trip, this time to the historic Surf Ballroom and Museum in Clear Lake to see Sevendust and Pop Evil in support of Skillet. There were plenty of references to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in town. Lajon even referenced them during their set, as he stared out at the portraits of each legend hanging up across from the stage. It was another fun show, and I had a great time catching up with friends during Skillet's set, including a chat with Morgan for a bit outside the venue afterwards.

My only local show in September was the Fire Fight CD release concert at the Dog House in Maplewood, MN. It was good to see some familiar faces and the debut peformance of Favor the Fall. The next weekend, I went back to Davenport, Iowa with a friend to attend a Three Years Hollow show. We ran into Jose and Morgan Rose before the show, who had both worked on new music from Alborn, one of the evening's performers. Morgan and Jose joined my friend and I during Alborn's set to talk about the recording sessions and critique the band's performance. All four acts were very impressive, and Three Years Hollow sounded better than ever. Another night that I'll never forget!

I started taking on more responsibilities at work in October, just after I attended the Alter Bridge/Skillet show at the Myth in Maplewood. I got there early for the Alter Bridge meet and greet and caught one of Mark Tremonti's guitar picks after their sound check. My friends and I stayed on the front rail for Dirty Honey and Alter Bridge's performances. A great show on a balmy October Minnesota evening.

My last show of 2019 would come a few weeks later, when I decided to go see Cold at the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. It was my first time seeing the band in 15 years, and even though the lineup was quite different, they couldn't have been any nicer. They even brought their friend Sierra Swan, who lives in the area, up onstage for the songs "No One" and "Suffocate."

I worked a lot the last few months of this year. I didn't really get out much, except for a little get-together in early November with some old coworker friends that I used to work with starting when I was still in college. Even though some of us hadn't seen each other in years, we picked up right where we left off. We met at one of our old hangouts in St. Cloud and are planning to get together again in the coming months.

Looking back at these pictures and experiences, it kinda seems like the year has just flown by. Going into the next year, I'm planning on building on my successes and trying not to let the little things in life bother me. I'm also planning on visiting my friends in Florida at least a couple more times in 2020, helping out at my hometown Friends of the Library book sales, attending my 30 year high school class reunion, my 30th Sevendust family reunion (with plenty more to follow, I'm sure) and more shows by bands that I've seen recently and shows by other groups that I haven't seen in years.

No year is perfect, but there's usually plenty of fun, positive experiences in every year. Can't wait to see what this year will bring me! Until next time, Happy New Year, everyone!

The Lost Art of the Stolen Base

There are many reasons why I enjoy watching major league baseball. Diving catches in the field, strong pitching performances and grueling extra inning games are just some of the things that I look forward to every spring and summer. Even though the off season is only a couple of months old, I'm already anticipating watching spring training games. They give me something to distract me from the brutal cold winter temperatures.

My Minnesota Twins set several team records this year. It was fun watching them lead the division for almost  the entire regular season. They even set a major league record in hitting 307 home runs as a team. On the flip side, they also had one of their lowest stolen base totals (28) ever. There were eight players who stole more bases individually than the Twins did as a team. The Twins leading base stealer, Byron Buxton, swiped 14 bases in an injury-plagued season. That total still put him in the top 50 basestealers in the majors.

The stolen base is one of the more exciting plays in baseball. There's just something about watching a runner get a lead off of the pitcher, and advancing on a pitch. It's part of the game's strategy. Unfortunately, it's something that isn't done nearly as often as it used to. Stolen base numbers as whole have been declining in the majors for years.

There are several reasons why we're seeing fewer stolen bases:

1. Chicks dig the long ball. Stolen bases aren't sexy. Towering home runs are impressive, and home run hitters have always been featured during sportscasts. Some home run hitters can steal bases, but most of them either can't or rarely try for fear of injuring themselves. Home run hitters in the American League can also extend their careers as designated hitters, while basestealers' careers have been shortened more and more in recent years.

One of my favorite Twins players to watch was Ben Revere. I'll never forget seeing his somersault triple in a game against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field in person on my birthday a few years ago. He always went all out on defense and on the base paths. He was a considerable stolen base threat, but he hasn't played in the majors in a couple of years. He's in his early 30's and can still be an asset to a team, but he just doesn't seem to be given much of an opportunity. The same has been true for other speedsters. They are sometimes seen as being one-dimensional, even if they play great defense or can hit a few balls out of the park from time to time.

2. Managers play the numbers. Years ago, managers and coaches were much more likely to give base stealers the green light whenever they wanted. There's a lot less of that nowadays. Managers play percentages. They use statistics and video replays to determine whether or not a player can steal off certain pitchers and catchers. This usually leads to fewer stolen bases, especially when one of their power hitters is at bat.

I was listening to a Twins game on the radio a few months ago on my way home from a concert. The play by play announcers were recalling a Twins game in 1968 when the team stole five bases in one inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers that season. Four bases were stolen while their primary power threat Harmon Killebrew was at the plate. This included two steals of home (by Cesar Tovar and Rod Carew, respectively). Carew stole second, third and home during that at bat. An astounding feat that probably won't happen again any time soon.

3. There's more focus on defense. There are a lot more defensive shifts in both the infield and outfield during big league games now than ever before. While pitchers are making fewer pickoff attempts, their catchers are compensating by improving their moves and throws behind the plate. Some of today's catchers have played other positions or more sports, making them more mobile at their position. They aren't the lead-footed dinosaurs that older fans may be used to.

Stolen bases are still part of the game, but to a lesser degree. There's obviously more swipes in the National League which lacks the DH, but a stolen base can still be crucial in a close game. We may see stolen base totals increase eventually, but that probably won't happen until home run totals either level off or decline.

Well, those are my thoughts for today. It's been nice to take a day off and think about baseball on a cold, snowy weekend. Until next time, have a great weekend, everyone!