Game 46: Royals at Twins

Time: 7:10 Central

Weather: Sunny and trombone-worthy, 76° at first pitch

Opponent’s excellent SB site: Royals Review

TV: BS North. Radio: Does Gladden use Glad bags or is he a Hefty man

Fifth-year righty Bradley Keller will be starting for Kansas City today, and is having a good season thus far. He throws a 93-ish four-seamer and sinker, plus an 86-ish slider; it’s his most effective pitch. (Keller throws a changeup too, but so rarely that it’s probably only when he loses side bets in the dugout.) The Twins will send out Bailey Ober, in his second game back after almost a month on the IL. Digits (career for Keller, 2022 for Bailey):

I couldn’t find anything particularly interesting about Keller, with the best of the dullest being that his “nickname” is Yeldarb (how he spelled his name as a toddler learning letters). This is from an article about the Royals’ Players’ Weekend jersey names, and they’re pretty lame, truth be told. The only really good one belongs to reliever Scott Barlow with SCOOTS McGOOTS.

Granted, the Twins’ Players’ Weekend names haven’t been much better. I liked Trevor May’s IAMTREVORMAY and Eddie Rosario’s EDISITO, but they have abandoned us.

Better than bad nicknames is this losing streak recap by Royals Review’s Matthew LaMar, “Oops, all losses.” And our community friend norff pointed out this creative Bi Billick recap of a recent ChiSox loss (oddly, their SB site actually has a section labeled “White Sox Art.”) So, good stuff as usual from our SB Al Central counterparts.

I will note that Keller played some time for the minor-league Hillsboro Hops, who have one of my favorite Mean Plant logos:

Compare that to this Twins affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels logo:

The hop plant is definitely a hop plant. The Kernels’ thing? Is it a bat, or is is corn, or is it some horrible The Fly mutation of both?

Furthermore, while corn may have conquered American agriculture, that’s because of economics and political decisions, not because corn is an inherently aggressive plant. Whereas hops are a certified monster that will take over your yard and your neighbors’ and get high enough to rip shingles off your roof if you don’t watch it closely.

So — Mean Hops are a good logo. Mean CornBat is a bad logo.

Finally, while we’re on corn and an Iowa logo, I’d like to mention that the fine Field Of Dreams actor Ray Liotta died yesterday (he played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie). While most people know him from that film and from GoodFellas, his breakout role was in a movie few people have seen, Something Wild. It’s a great film and Liotta is both seductive and terrifying in it — just be warned, it is rated R for a reason!

Besides, not everybody loves that other Liotta movie...