Thursday, April 20, 2006

• Father's Day

  Currently Listening Stadium Arcadium By Red Hot Chili Peppers Dani California see related

  I met Brock Peterson’s dad last night. I was sitting where I usually sit and having my usual sarcastic conversation with Brian. He was sitting across the aisle, and one row down and I guess he was listening to my remarks, which mainly had to do with fun things they COULD have done with Way Back Wednesday, which no one thought of doing.

   

  For example…how about a roster with the player’s names from 1992 on it? I’m sure if it were explained to the players, they’d not mind us cheering for guys that were long gone, just in the spirit of having fun. Other things that came to mind were selling off anything from 1992 you could come across down in the basement, like pocket schedules, programs, t-shirts… (“I’m sure those were all chucked a long time ago,” one of the interns said. Yeah, but…did you look?”) Or having Sammie the Pet Psychic in to try to raise the long dead spirit of Jericho, the original Miracle mascot who is now buried in the outfield.

   

  Okay, okay, it would weird out the norms, but….it would have been more of the blast than having a bunch of signs tacked to the walls that talked about what was happening in 1992, none of which seemed to be related to the Miracle.

   

  Anyway, he started off with “Are you one of the blog ladies?” You mean there’s more than one of us? I’m sure he’s not thinking Bat-girl, but perhaps he reads themarkedwoman or EdenTreadway41? That wouldn’t surprise me, since Brock was pretty popular in E-Town.Anyway, he later goes on to guess my name (correctly) but then gives me a fictious name, “Mike Norm” when I ask him.

   

  We talk a lot of baseball.He asks my opinion on a lot of players and says he agrees with my ascertains.He’s also drinking Merlot.I suppose the first thing that should have tipped me off was the “Captain Morgan” comment, because he was trying to represent himself as a fan who generally sits “Over there” or somewhere closer to home plate along the third base line. “But I came here for a different perspective.” If that were the case, how would he know about things in E-Town?

   

  He has me run down the starting rotation, we talk about catchers, we talk about…

   

  “There’s no such thing a ‘10’ in baseball.”But he had me up 9.5?I thought the phrase was, ‘no one bats a thousand’, but I guess if he’s got my average up .950, I shouldn’t complain.Heck, in baseball you’re doing well if you’re hitting .333.It seemed like a good conversation.

   

  He goes for another Merlot, comes back and moves up a row, so he can talk to me easier.Meanwhile, Brian has herded his youngest out and probably didn’t see a whole heck of a lot of the game again.(Luke was wearing dinosaurs on his shirt.Very MEAN dinosaurs. I said ‘vicious’, but Luke hadn’t learned that word yet.)

   

  Anyway, we finally get to Brock, somewhere between starting pitchers and Beerman, and my trying to get 1992 programs out of Izzo and 1992 pocket schedules out of Beerman.

   

  I ask him if he’d heard the skunk story and he said no. So I started in on it. “Where there other people in the car?” I said yes,although I didn't elaborate. I know Ronnie Perodin was in the truck with Brock when this happened and I think he said one other player. So I relate the skunk story. Then I relate the “first baseman story” from the season ticket holder party.

   

  Then he says Brock Peterson and Kyle Aselton are from the same town. I said I did not know that, but a look at the media guide when I got home confirms this information. He then says they attended the same high school. Again this information is available in the media guide. He was feeling the Merlots at this point when he said, “Brock Peterson and Kyle Aselton went to the same Day Care center together.”Now, that I don’t know about." I said something to the effect that I’d have to check the story out with Kyle, who is generally easier for me to talk to than Brock as he’s off for four nights out of five.

   

  He stands on this for a few minutes and he says “Brock Peterson and Kyle Aselton…” I said "If you’re going to tell me they wore the same diapers, I’m NOT going to believe you.”

   

  Anyway, maybe the whole thing was meant as a warning, but…you know me.I’ll be happy to crush your feelings if you want me to.Anyway, he asks about first base and how come Brock didn’t go up.He’d also asked for a while about the All-time Miracle Team voting but I don’t have an answer as to what Mr. Ogre has in mind with it.I explained about the horrors of past polling on the Miracle website, including the player of the month award which came with a player spotted 2,200 votes before the polls even opened and the Legends of Rock concert in which the band that finally played wasn’t even on the friggin’ poll in the first place.

   

  Does Brock have a chance at the majors? Not with the Twins at the very least. Justin is good for quite a few more years until his salary gets too big for the thrift-minded Minnesotans. I’m concerned that they really don’t have a back up for him, and suggested that Garrett Jones might be able to hit off the bench and platoon with Justin. Then again, he’s hitting like .167 right now, so it’s not a reasonable idea. Matienzo might make it, but only as a D.H.He really doesn’t have the size to make the majors as a corner man.

   

  Moses to first? You know…that’s an attractive idea I’d not previously considered. He’d have less room to cover at first and certainly wouldn’t be called upon to make the large defensive plays that he can’t seem to make at third. I like that idea. I don’t think he’ll displace Justin anytime soon, but he COULD hit off the bench and give Morneau a rest now and then. And besides, if he acted like a major league ass-hole, no one would notice, as I’m sure he’d not be the first player in Minnesota with that attitude. That might be a really good fit for him. Which means that unless Brock wants to take up second and/or short, he’s even less likely to make to the majors but…

   

  Hmmm, yeah… Moses to first….

   

  I show him the picture of Aselton I got signed and he’s like “I’ll buy that off of you.” I decline. I don’t sell my graphs. I did suggest I’d get Kyle to sign one for him though if he’s going to be around for the next home stand.

   

  Anyway, the game is finally over and I say “Well, Mike…”

   

  “It’s Norm,” he says.“Norm Peterson.”

   

  I nodded then and said “You’re Brock’s dad.”He agrees.“And you knew the skunk story.”

   

  “I should, it was my Suburban it happened to.”And yes, he says I’m correct, after it happened he did call them up in the middle of the night to find out how to get skunk stink off of his truck.

   

  “I played baseball with Kyle Aselton’s dad.”

   

  I roll my eyes.

   

  Anyway, here’s hoping Mrs. Peterson drove him back to the hotel as I don’t think he was fit to drive.Thanks for the beer, and next time…just ask because you’re just one guy, and I’ve taken the Buffalo Sabres – the whole team – under the table before.

   

  Meanwhile, yes, next home game I’ll get Kyle to sign an 8 x 10 for you and we’ll get it sent off.No worries.

   

  Some quick hits off Danny Santiesteban:

   

  Nathan Crawford was in a car accident and had his hand busted up.He’s finally reported to training camp, but he’s lost a lot a weight and doesn’t look too good just now.

   

  Jannio Gutierrez has gone home following shoulder surgery in February.

   

  Jose Leger has moved up to the Miracle…I’ve not seen him yet, but I said “We’re supposed to get Javi!”He said we will and that he’s playing in extended right now, as is David Winfree.Jose Leger is the mystery Miracle?

   

  Where is Rantz? If he thinks he’s going to make us suffer through remedial catching for another season, I will KILL him.That is just so not fair.I paid good money to watch this team compete, not to watch some guy that took up catching two weeks ago screw the whole thing up.My god….he saddled us with ELVIS for half a season.No fan should have to suffer more than that.

  ---

  You Are 56% Abnormal

  You are at high risk for being a psychopath. It is very likely that you have no soul. You are at high risk for having a borderline personality. It is very likely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at medium risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is somewhat likely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at medium risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is somewhat likely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

  How Abnormal Are You?

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