The Yankees clinched the AL East a couple days ago with an impressive sweep of a day/night double-header in the Bronx combined with yet another crushing defeat of the reeling redsox by the mighty Orioles. Can't believe I was happy to see a smile on Buck Showalter's face; what's so much worse is that any bosox fan worth his weight in chowder was rooting for the Yanks this week. That has got to be so hard to stomach: in one game they had to cheer A-Rod; oh, the indignity of it all...

The Yanks pretty much took last night's game off and handed it to the Rays. Well, Colon maybe didn't mean to but he looks like he is pitching with nothing left in the tank. His body language sure showed it to me, but maybe he's being wise and holding something back for the post-season. And maybe that is a little wishful thinking because we need someone to step up. I believe when the bell tolls, CC will be ready to be CC again and when it really matters. Ivan Nova looks so sharp these days and really has taken the next step but who knows if he is ready and will have the poise to keep it up when the ALDS starts next Friday night.

Because after CC and hopefully Nova things get a little less promising. Hughes had an old herniated disk issue pop up and may not be able to pitch. This could be devastating to the Yanks' post-season as Garcia, much like Colon looks like he doesn't have much left and please, please, please don't get me started on AJ "Pass me the Bottle" Burnett. I don't want to see him on the playoff roster, let alone starting a game; thank heavens for the bullpen but that is not how championships are won.

And while I am on the subject of the bullpen, here's a big tip of the hat to Mariano Rivera. Mo, who has  long been considered the greatest closer the game has ever -- or will ever -- see and now, having carved save #602 (passing Trevor Hoffman for 1st all-time) giving him the numbers to back up all comers, all arguments he really is the best ever. Congrats Mo!


As for me, I am off for the weekend (missing the sox/Yanks weekend series, but gosh it would be great to sweep 'em and knock 'em out of the playoffs like Russell "I hate the red sox" Martin has hoped for) "tour managing" Zebulon Pike through Madison, WI (tonight) and Chicago, IL (tomorrow night). Math-metal is the order of the weekend...

Cheers,
Brian

I missed history being made in the Bronx yesterday as the game against the Twinkies was blocked out locally on my MLB package. I could have gone to a bar to see Mariano Rivera carve his name next to 602 saves in the record books. Mo is far from done even at the age of 41 so he will further distance himself from Trevor Hoffman, but it's not like there had been any doubt who was and is the greatest closer the game has ever seen. It's nearly incomprehensible that some pitcher will eclipse all that Mo has done over the last 15+ seasons. Look at the post-season record and then look deep into the rear-view mirror which is where all the other closers in the history of the game sit...

Going to get to at least one more regular season Twins games this week- a businessman's special on Thursday afternoon; a good opportunity to root for the hapless home team. They have really gone down in flames this year.

Speaking of going down in flames, the bosox maybe salvaged their chances in unloading on the O's during the night-cap of a day/night double-header last night. Again I hope it really galls bosox fans as they HAVE to root for the Yanks vs the Rays this week and into next.

Had a pretty good surprise of night out in the NE; actually couldn't get into Grumpy's NE on Saturday night when I went, I didn't have that problem last night. 1/2 priced MN beers which means $2.50 for a pint of Furious got me in the door, the cool-kid bluegrass band playing out back kept me there. I was meeting a friend and turned out she was friends with the band; turned out I knew one of them too from Recovery Bikes here in the NE.

Wound up back at the "big house" where 6 of these kids will be hibernating for the winter; yes, there was a "little house" as well. A couple of them were Burners; one a virgin this year, the other was just back from her 2nd burn. Neither of them really knew any burners in the 612, didn't even know that there was such a big and tight community of long-time and newer burners out here. I will make that connection for them and not only because one of them was a very pretty tall girl. Nope, that will have nothing to do with anything.

Today will be spent doing an edit pass-through "Giving In," the novel that maybe needs to be read. I am caught up in the whirl of it wishing that I could share some of what I had written before I even knew what I was writing about, but I will just have to sit on that "knowledge" until the timing is right. You may get to read it before she does...

Cheers,
Brian

Well, sorry it has been a full week since the last post. Hopefully you've been watching the Yanks and keeping an eye on those dreadful Bosox as they collapse like it's April all over again. Johnny Damon had the quote of the day with this one: "They couldn't root for me when I played for New York. Now they have to root for the whole team." 


And it's funny cause it's true. With the Yanks playing the fast-charging Rays 7 times out of the last 10 games, the "nation" must root for the Evil Empire. Gosh darn, but I hope that hurts... real bad.


But it has also dawned on me this past week or so - or maybe I've been distracted (Editor's note: Yes, he has been "distracted.") - but it's seeming like something of a ho-hum baseball season, but I suppose the post-season should amp all of that right up...




I had to push the maiden voyage of "Batting for Punto: A Salon" back from September 22 to a date to be determined this week as I personally dropped the ball and didn't get the event of my own personal part of it where they needed before disappearing off into the desert for 2 weeks and really, the subsequent following 10 days of attempted decompression.
Yes, I still have the faded mohawk atop my head and blue polish on 2 of my finger nails. Sue me...


But it is Autumn clearly and time for work as soon as I am able to settle into a new place to live and a new place from which to write. Hopefully both of those will be solved sooner rather than later; saw an apartment that I want on Friday night and had a meeting in regards to the studio space, but the previous sharer in that has yet to move out. This is fine (to some degree) as it means I didn't have to yet pay for a space that I am not mentally prepared to move into.


But all this will change -- and soon! Watch this spot for some real updates. Yeah!


Thanks
Brian

I have seen others having those painful, extended far-wells at Burning Man; it's sometimes hard not to stare when you see two people who probably just met that week holding on to each other for dear life. It is from some of those "hurts too much to say goodbye" goodbyes that lead to a slew of people picking up and moving to another city or in some cases, just never returning to what had been home until that week in the desert...

Last year on Sunday night after the Temple was reduced to ash and the dust devils had their way I had a surprising farewell that left me feeling exhilarated, hopeful and blessed. This year, I had a far more extended version with the same person and although it left me feeling blessed yet again, the sense of hope has changed into something more concrete and yet hard to hold and pick up; parting was sweet indeed but it was also topped off with sorrow. Had this long-playing, see you next year moment  occurred when the commissary was open and teeming with DPW crew, it probably would have gone down a little differently.

They would have demanded -- much like seagulls screaming -- that I kiss her, but I can't and I won't until I can and that is that...

And whilst some very big questions got replied to this year, I returned home with an equal number of still unanswered ones and new ones. I know what I need to fully settle and I almost feel like there is something like a ticking clock; it's music in 4-4 time and the chairs are being re-arranged and two weeks ago I thought I knew exactly where I wanted to be sitting when the tone arm gets lifted and the serenade ceases.

I know what needs to be done with what is in my control to handle and I have to trust the road after listening to the dust along the journey...

Yeah, it's good to be home and it's amazing that so much came back with me because at this precise moment it does feel like there was less waiting here and more that I need to create. And while I make it practice in the desert to ask for what I would like or for what I think I need, I need to bring that back with me, dust it off and put it into action in the so-called default world as well...

A dusty cheers to you,
Brian

Thanks for stopping by; I'm not here and I won't return for at least 2 weeks. I'm sure I'll have much to tell you the 2nd week of September...

Cheers,
Brian

Spent the majority of the weekend at Target Field giving the home fans mostly what they seem to expect: The New York Yankees coming to town and acting like they own it. It's a little sad because the Twins fans tend to be rather well spirited despite an clear inferiority complex; even the guy selling the "Yankees Suck" t-shirts out front as a little smirk on his face.

For our side, we really don't taunt the Twins and their fans as we would many other teams. I almost felt like it was overkill to employ mojos against the Twinkies, but old superstitions die hard and I wouldn't any loss other than the expected one to be my fault.

And mostly I had great conversations with the 612 fans. They know their team but it pains me to hear them so down on Mauer and Morneau and to boo them. They lustily boo Derek Jeter too, but I think that's because they really want to dip his pigtails in the inkwell.

Friday night was a nice, yet game-delaying tribute to Jim Thome in honor of recently hitting his 600th home-run on the road. The lone boos during the ceremony was when A-Rod came out to congratulate and hug Thome for joining the club. Outside of a reversal call on a HR that almost evens the score for getting ripped off in Kansas City, the game was in CC and the Yanks hands: 8-4 F

Saturday night Phil Hughes was lights out, gave up a solo shot in the 1st and then didn't allow another hit until the 7th, the Yankees hit and rolled to an 8-1F. Sunday was the game I told the crestfallen ushers and concession workers that they would win. AJ Burnett is the freaking kiss of death and acted the part, giving up 7 runs in an inning and 2/3rds toward an eventual 9-4 F.

Ivan Nova proved yet again why he must stay in the starting rotation. He was nothing short of phenomenal. When the Yankee outfield put him a 2nd and 3rd situation he notched it up further, stuck out the next two and then closed out the inning with a weak grounder to 1st. Granderson hits an inside-the-park homerun (which sent the 1 obnoxious Twins fan in my vicinity home; my withering look maybe helped him out of his seat) and Tex follows with a blast and the Yanks take the series 3 outta 4 with a 3 zip W.

It was great to overload my baseball before taking my 2-week hiatus from such things...

Cheers,
Brian

Of all the other major league parks in which I get to see Yankee road games, Target has become possibly my favorite. Yes, it's close by and I can even bike there; I didn't last night as my face is still recovering from some dude in a face mask cutting me open, gouging me out and stitching me back up-- unlike a mugger though, this time I didn't have to pay the oral surgeon and even got some lovely, take-home prizes. I will bike to at least 1 of the 4 game series this weekend, possibly even 2 or 3. And it's a gorgeous new park dab-smack in the middle of downtown Minneapolis (yes-- there IS a downtown Minneapolis and just because it's clean doesn't make it not a downtown, he said with a barely discernible wink) and yes, the Yankees tend to have their way with the Twinkies, although it is hard to sweep a 4-game series and no, that is not a concession. Speaking of concessions, last night in deference to my mouth it was just sub-standard cheese curds but a few nice Summit EPA's to wash 'em down with. Should step up to the chili from Loon's tonight and then be in shape for the brats from the local Polish place that I won't even attempt to spell, but it starts with a K and ends with one too, I think.

In the stands though, is where the Twins fans differentiate themselves. Actually, even before you get into the place, about the most hostile person you will see is the guy hawking "Yankees Suck" t-shirts and even he knows they don't actually mean it. I have never been given less crap as a visiting Yankee fan (and last night was 3 pieces of flair: hat, t-shirt and #31 jersey) at any park I have ever been to and that includes World Series games on the road too (hello San Diego. How are you today?). Twins fans expect to lose to the Yankees and they expect some good-natured ribbing from the horde who root for US Steel.

And after having a reviewed home-run call go against the Yankees in KC the night before (and erroneously I may add) last night a ball that was originally deemed out of the park was reviewed and benefited the Yankees. I could read Morneau's lips in the dugout when he said that the ball went over the foul-pole, but the umps saw it differently and after Morneau returned to the plate to strike out it was if most of the wind went out of the Twins sails as Gardenhire argued the review, which you're not permitted to do.

8-4 was the final, the Yankees showing how to actually hit home-runs in the spacious Target Field. Tonight is game 2- Hughes vs Slowey and I'm in my favorite seats: high up but directly behind home plate. Another beautiful night for baseball by early indications. Come buy me a beer now that you know where I will be sitting.

Cheers
Brian