Final Standings, Awards, and why Curt Schilling Sucks

Well I can admit that this little Playoff Pool idea was a little more involved than I anticipated. I apologize for all the mistakes I made while trying to do this, but I am over 86.3% sure the final results are accurate.

After a pretty lame postseason if you ask me, only one man came out ahead. He didn't lead the whole time, but as the only person to pick the Red Sox to sweep in the World Series, it gave him enough points to come out on top.

Here is his trophy.

Congratulations Haasertime!

I adjusted the mistakes I made (too many points to Mr. P, not enough to Brunner or Damerus) and here are the final results.

Haasertime - 46pts

MrP - 38pts
TW83 - 37pts

Tfrezac - 27pts
Aunt Mary - 18pts

BizMarkie - 16pts

Brunner - 16pts

Damerus - 16pts

Daymonster - 16pts
Jeff - 15 pts
Soup - 13pts
LittleJo - 12 pts
Brex - 8pts
Roy - 4pts

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On a somewhat related note, Curt Shilling is now one of my least favorite pitchers. Today he listed about 13 teams that he would be willing to play for and guess what? The Twins were left of his list.

His list includes, Cleveland, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia, Arizona Dbacks, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, St. Louis, The New York Mets, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego and Milwaukee.

What the fuck Curt?!

"There are a million little things that go into this from stadiums to school districts to travel to spring training to etc. etc. etc.," Schilling wrote, "but the list represents the teams after Boston that have some of the off the field things that are big to us, plus the potential to go into October next year."

Screw you Schilling. Minnesota has some great school districts, and you would love the temperature controlled Metrodome, you old bastard.

The only good thing about this, is there is another team Schilling left off his list... The New York Yankees.

Halloween Is Expensive

By TwinsWin83

There hasn’t been anything posted on here in a few days so I thought I would just throw something up. There was a Halloween party up here on Saturday where if you had a costume on you got in for free. If you didn’t it was 6 bucks a person. 6 bucks! I’m strapped for cash as it is so I went with the lesser of two evils and forked out the entry fee because I figured it would cost well over 6 dollars to put together a decent outfit. I immediately regretted this decision because everyone else there had a costume on and I felt like the boring dude who thinks he’s too cool to dress up. But that wasn’t the case, I just couldn’t afford it and that got me to thinking: what can I throw together for cheap next time so I won’t have to feel like a big party bummer?


All black clothes and a scream mask? Nope. I think I did that once in high school at the last moment and it wasn’t very cool.


Ripped attire, a Jason mask and some fake blood all over? Naw, way too unoriginal. Plus, when I see those masks I tend to think of old goalies.


Bed sheet toga? Too frat party-ish. I guess it would be sweet though if the song "Shout!" came on at the party you were at.


Big black wig, white face paint and a black star around my eye to look like Paul Stanley from KISS? Yeah that’d be cool but where am I going to find a sweet wig at the last moment? Plus that would probably cost like 10 bucks for the wig and another 3 for the face paint. That's just too spendy.


Wear normal clothes and carry a homemade sign that declares: “nudist on strike!” I’m not that funny. Or clever.


Then I thought about what I already had on hand, an outfit that wouldn’t cost me a cent. As unoriginal as it may seem I have all the necessary equipment to dress up as my favorite thing: a Minnesota Twin. Ah yes, an oldie but a goody. I have the jersey, the hat, the pants, socks and even cleats that don’t have metal spikes so I don’t tear up the dance floor (at least literally). Sure it might seem a little 4th grade but that’s ok, I like to show support for my favorite team even during this difficult time. And best of all, it won’t cost me a cent and I would have saved 6 dollars getting into the stupid party in the first place.


If you guys have any ideas for cheap costumes I’m more than willing to listen because I’m sure I’ll have to dress up at some point this week for some ridiculous reason or another.

Twins Find Veteran Stability In Rotation

By Soup

To the surprise of the Minnesota Twins, Sidney Ponson was available to be picked up again this 2008 off-season. The Twins were happy to offer a bullpen-dazzling talent like Ponson three million a year for the next three years. It is true the Twins have a number of young major league pitching talents in Garza, Perkins, Baker, and Slowey. The front office, however, has come to the realization that none of these pitchers will be ready in the next four to five years. This makes Ponson an undeniably valuable asset to the organization.

This move has been criticized by a minority of the Twin's fan base citing the complete ineffectiveness Ponson had last year with his two and five record and his 6.93 ERA. Pitching Coach Rick Anderson made all naysayers sound like idiots when he commented on Ponson's bullpen. He said, "He threw a great bullpen. His sinker was sinking. His velocity was up."

Manager Ron Gardenhire agreed with his pitching coach. He said, "Did you see his bullpen? He had the velocity and his sinker was sinking."

When Ponson was asked directly about his previous ineffectiveness he responded, "Did you see my F*ing bullpen?!!!"

Picking up Ponson once was a gift from God. Having a chance to sign him again is destiny. This move is an incredible sigh of relief for the Twins fans worried about losing Johan Santana. The thought of losing a multiple Cy Young winner like Santana has been greatly weathered by the signing of a bullpen dazzling veteran like Ponson. The availability of the Twin's 2008 World Series tickets, however, is unknown.

Random Thoughts

by Michael Haas


- On channel 11 at 4pm, there's this show called 'Kare OnLive' It's like a weird variety show with Diana Pierce and Pat Evans. It's cool because it's an interactive show, with viewers adding to the program by chatting online. Today, they asked one of my questions. It was so cool! My roomate requested that they shout out to our Troy who is in the hospital, and they did! It was much appreciated. (The well wishes for Troy aren't online, but you can see the lame question from Mike H by clicking here, and watching the 'your family disaster plan' segment and skipping ahead to 3:20.)

- With Halloween right around the corner, it might be time to start thinking about costumes. Here are a few ideas:

Princess Leia

Hank Aaron

Luke Skywalker

Babe Ruth

Darth Vader

Hamburglar

- Another thought: I might have to dress up in a costume three separate nights for halloween this year. That doesn't sound fun at all.

- Is there a rule that says the kicker has to run up to kick off the ball during a football game? I feel like if the kicker could just stand behind the ball and flick it with his foot and ankle, it could produce a better ratio for recovered onside kicks. Think about it.

- When time is running down, and a team is out of time-outs, they often 'spike' the football to stop the clock. Why isn't this intentional grounding? Because he's inside the tackle box? That doesn't make sense at all.

- Are the Feds and NASA doing what's best for all by withholding the results of an airline safety study? They commission a 4-year project, but then shut it down because they don't like the results? This should especially strike a chord with Minnesotans, as we have seen one disastrous result of the spending vs. public safety fight.

- There are a lot of things that make me sick during the FOX broadcast of the World Series. One thing is the fake fans holding up computer generated advertisements.

- oh my gosh did you see the Gophers get beat by NDSU? Well you heard about it right? I owe CC $15 bucks, remind me to pay him for that ticket. That game was so stupid, and there were so many NDSU fans there. I think the Gophers are cursed. We should pull a University of Chicago Maroons and withdraw from the Big Ten.

- This train was parked behind my house the other day. It's the most badass train I've ever seen. It's home is right near our house in Nordeast. Imagine our surprise when we saw this thing heating up on our way home from the bar one night. And how surprised the conductor was when I started asking him drunken questions over the roar.




- I wonder if Slug or any of the rhymesayers crew root for the Twins or anyone. Cuz they should. I'll bet Brother Ali likes them.

- Joke of the Day: On the first day of college, the Dean addressed the students:

"The female dormitory is out-of-bounds for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time. The second time you will be fined $60. A third time will cost you a fine of $180. Are there any questions?"

A male student inquired, "How much for a season pass?"

Wednesday Notes

By Michael Haas

Today is Wednesday, and it's late October. There's really not much to write about. We write about sports a lot here at Alright Hamilton!, but sometimes I wonder if there's anything else worth writing about. I doubt it. I mean, I could tell you about the things I think about or the things I do each day, but that would even disgust me, and I'm me.


Prince is awesome. I swear that two of the best videos on the internet feature Prince.

Purple Rain in 1985. The crowd is just going crazy the whole time.

Prince with Tom Petty and some folks performing at George Harrison's induction to the RocknRoll Hall of Fame. Watch the whole thing. Harrison's son can't believe his own eyes.

Lately, I've been thinking about how great it would be if I were able to witness the turning off of the lights in the Minneapolis skyline. They turn the three main buildings off around midnight, so tomorrow night, I'm going to sit on my back deck and watch. I'll report back how awesome it is on a scale of one to ten.

I feel like no one actually enjoys Joe Buck and Tim McCarvers analysis during baseball games on FOX. Why do they (specifically McCarver) still have jobs?

I think Casey Blake deserves almost as much criticism as Joel Skinner for the Indians game 7 loss. After Skinner held up Lofton, there was still just one out with two men on - a great opportunity to score at least that one run. But Blake bounced into a double play. Then he promptly makes an error in the bottom of inning, opening the door for Bostons massacre.

World Series Preview

By TwinsWin83

Two months of Spring Training, 162 regular season games and three rounds of playoff baseball all come down to this: the Colorado Rockies against the Boston Red Sox for the 2007 World Series title. If you had the Rockies as your pre-season pick to win the National League you’re probably out buying a new car or boat with your winnings. The Red Sox aren’t quite the Cinderella story that the Rockies are with their 143 million dollar payroll and World Series title three seasons ago but this squad has taken a much different path to reach baseball’s biggest stage this year then it did in 2004. Will nine days off between the NCLS and Wednesday nights World Series opener cool off the white-hot Rockies? Can Beckett continue his October mastery on the mound and does Schilling have enough left in the tank to recreate his 2004 magic? Stay tuned over the next week and half for the answers.

Rockies vs. Red Sox

Season Series: Rockies 2-1


What you should know: All bets are off. No matter what you might think about Colorado’s recent hot streak or Boston’s October-savvy starting pitchers it’s hard to peg this year’s World Series winner just by looking at the stats. The Red Sox are 2-1 favorites if you’re placing bets in Vegas but even that doesn’t necessarily make them the safe pick here. If you think the new-kids-on-the-block Rockies don’t have a shot against the October-tested Red Sox please see recent articles on 2001, 2003 and 2006 in your World Series guide.


Why the Rockies will win: Because there has never been a hotter team heading into a World Series then Colorado is right now. They have won 21 of their last 22 games and have been playing in playoff-like games for nearly a month and a half now. Just when everyone thinks they are about to return back to earth and fold to a team more experienced than them the Rockies simply bang out another win even more impressive the last. Their pitching staff has been great over the teams historic run, from 17-game winner Jeff Francis to the suddenly lights-out bullpen. The Rockies showed that they could play in Fenway Park earlier this season when they took two out of three games there in an interleague matchup. If Colorado can pull out at least one win in Boston before heading back to Denver for Game 3 they could grab the upper hand in the series. With a defense that doesn’t make mistakes, an offense that seems to manufacture runs every time it needs to and a pitching staff that has been the backbone of the team’s amazing run there is little reason to believe the Rockies can’t compete with the Red Sox in this World Series. I’ve said it before each round this October but it begs repeating: this team seems to have a bit of magic about them this postseason and that could mean trouble for the Sox just like it did for the Phillies and D-Backs.


Why the Red Sox will win: Boston has only seven players on their roster that won a title with the team in 2004 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped for this Fall Classic. Ace Josh Beckett has a history of pitching his best games on the biggest stage and Curt Schilling already owns a place in playoff lure for his bloody sock masterpiece during the Bo Sox last postseason run. Daisuke Matsuzaka seems to have found his fastball again after a solid outing in Game 7 against the Indians and Tim Wakefield always seems ready for some big innings if called upon. The bullpen has been strong with rookie Hideki Okajima setting up Papelbon and fellow newcomers Dustin Pedrioa and Jacoby Ellsbury provided a spark for the offense late in the ACLS. Thanks to yet another All-Star Game win for American League Boston will begin the World Series in the friendly confines of Fenway Park which could play a big role if the series makes it to a sixth game and beyond. If Beckett can cool down the Rockies in the opener it could knock Colorado off Cloud 9 and set the tone for the series.


What to watch for: Rockies staff vs. Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox leadoff hitter finally got his bat going late in the series against the Indians and the rookie could be the wild card in the series if he can continue to get on base and set the stage for Boston’s powerful middle of the lineup.


Who will win: The Rockies are one of the best stories baseball has seen in a long time but nine days off is a long time to remain as hot as they were without playing an actual game. Colorado only had five days off total in over the previous month before the NLCS ended, and as last year’s Detroit team will tell them, the time off isn’t always a good thing. Beckett will be tough to beat and if Boston has to they can start him three times in the series. The Rockies should play well in Denver but will struggle out of the gates in Boston. The Red Sox use the home field advantage to their benefit one more time and win it all for the second time in four years, ending the Rockies magical and amazing run. Red Sox in 6.


My World Series Champion Pick: Boston
Your Pick?....

MLB Play Off Pick 'Em Update

This is not today's post. It's just a quick update.

Ten out of the 14 predictors scored points this round. MrP, TwinsWin83 and Haasertime have taken a commanding lead by being three out of the five people to pick both the Red Sox and The Rockies to advance.

Here is how it scored this round:
TW83: 18pts
MrP: 18pts
Haasertime: 12pts
Brunner: 12pts
Damerus: 12pts
Soup: 6pts
BizMarkie: 6pts
Jeff: 6pts
Tfrezac: 6pts
Brex: 2pts
Daymonster: 0pts
Roy: 0pts
LittleJo: 0pts
Aunt Mary: 0pts

But it's still anybodys game (except for Roy; who, not-so-coincidentally did not make any picks this round.)

Here are the standings going into the World Series
MrP - 30pts
TW83 - 25pts
Haasertime - 22pts
Aunt Mary - 18pts
Brunner - 16pts
Damerus - 16pts
Jeff - 15 pts
Tfrezac - 15pts
Soup - 13pts
BizMarkie - 12pts
LittleJo - 12 pts
Daymonster - 9pts
Brex - 8pts
Roy - 4pts