The All Star game is coming up next week, which brings us all short, but vital breather midway through the sometimes soooooo very, very long baseball season - - and this is one of those sooooo very, very long type of seasons for Twins fans.
So, in case you don't follow MLB at all and only get your baseball 'information' from this blog (that would be incredibly silly, please don't do this), how about we do SIG Baseball's Take on the Top 5 Stories from the first half of the season.
1. the MARIANO RIVERA RETIREMENT TOUR
Hands down, my favorite story in baseball. Mariano Rivera is the best closer the game has ever seen, truly baseball royalty, and he is also one of the classiest, kindest, coolest dudes the game could ever imagine. To see him received in ballparks across the country with the enthusiastic reverence he deserves for his final year -- and to watch him so modestly and earnestly moved with each offering, each ovation -- has been sensational. I could go on and on about Mariano, and I probably will. Stay tuned.
Twins tie-in to the Mariano Rivera Retirement Tour: probably the perfect parting gift possible.
2. the ROOKIE PHENOM
And there is always a rookie phenom or two that dominates the coverage (the last few years dominating coverage to the point that you are already exhausted by said phenom before they can even hit their sophomore slump).
This year's RP: the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig. Puig had a sick opening month to his major league career, batting .436 with 7 home runs and 44 hits in 26 games. He narrowly lost out an ASG spot in a final ballot vote, but will probably still end up there. He's huge, twenty-two, hits monster homeruns, and has a mysterious backstory as a Cuban defector. He has an awesome name and he balls so hard.
(But, does this add up to anything more than YP's turn as the next big thing? That's a clown question, bro.)
Twins version of Yasiel Puig: Oswaldo Arcia, who also has an awesome name (and excellent hair).
3. these PIRATES ARRRRR FOR REAL
I like these Pirates a lot. After twenty years of losing seasons, they've quietly and efficiently built a strong young team with real offensive and starting pitching depth, solid defense, and a stellar bullpen called the "shark tank" (with an actual shark tank). They have Andrew McCutchen and now Russell Martin. They're packing PNC Park and their merch is selling like crazy; even if they fall off the second half like they have the last two years, I think the trend of good baseball again in Pittsburgh is for real and I am on board, captain.
Twins tie-in: Yes, that is Francisco Liriano. He seems to have recovered his slider and maybe his career in Pittsburgh. Good for you, Frankie.
4. A-ROD and RYAN BRAUN WERE PROBABLY BOTH DOPING, NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT A-ROD ANYMORE
The newest round of doping drama broke in June and I haven't heard much more about it since then, but I'm guessing big news is coming soon. Stop me if you've heard this before... illegal performance enhancing drugs, a list of players to be named and then suspended, Alex Rodriguez, lawyers, blah blah.
The Ryan Braun implication is bigger news to me since a) he had a previous positive test overturned on a procedural appeal last year (and, with his ugly attitude about it all, has burned all the good will he once had piles) of and, 2) nobody give as shit about A-Rod anymore. Bad news, good news, I guess.
and, most importantly...
5. JOE MAUER IS WEARING A LOT MORE STUBBLE THIS YEAR
No word yet on my request for tighter pants, but this'll do, Joe. This'll do.
Ciao, buddies!
-christine
