Game 34: Twins @ Angels

Time: 9:07 Central. Vegas Line: -175 ANA / MIN +155

Weather: Start Temp 60°, That's, Like, Way Cold For There

Opponent's SB Site: Halos Heaven

TV: FSN. Radio: You realize this is a link to the affiliate listings, right? It's a handy thing to bookmark

Tonight’s game is rather late-ish, and that reminds me of an old job I once had. I worked about 3/4 of a mile from the bus stop, and walked to/fro. This was pretty hazardous in the winter (ice is not fun), but pleasant exercise in the summer. It could sometimes be a stressful job, and it was nice to unwind by walking through the smells of summer plants. The sounds of busy insects.

And the sounds of baseball. For there was a guy on that road who sat on his porch, every night, listening to the ballgame. I got off work at 10 PM, so usually the Twins game was over. If it was a West Coast game, it’d still be on, and there he’d be. Quietly playing the radio, waving hello as I waved back.

That guy wouldn’t have known Joe Mauer from a particularly enthusiastic squirrel. In fact, he barely followed baseball at all; soccer was more his thing. He had been a child soldier in Sierra Leone, and if you want to weep uncontrollably, look up what that is.

Somehow, he made it to Richfield, MN. And he didn’t really care if the Twins won or lost. He liked the sound of baseball, on the radio. After all the stuff he’d been through, after what it took to get here, to save enough for a home, to start a family — sitting on the porch, on a beautiful summer night, listening to Dan Gladden, that represented America to him.

And that’s what I think of during late games.

Also the guy was into fishing, which I think is stone nuts, but I realize you Minnesotans tend to like it, so I don’t judge. Much. (It’s a boat. The point of boats is that humans don’t breathe water! Why ever be on a boat! Early in the morning! You got baseball games to stay up for at night!)

Tonight's starter for the Angels Angels of Anaheim is Tyler Skaggs. You will note that he's been having a much more successful season than Twins starter Lance Lynn. Digits:

You may also observe that the numbers suggest Mr. Skaggs is most likely lefthanded, and Mr. Lynn righthanded. Those assumptions, it turns out, are true.