Pool Play Game Three
5-2 win vs Cleveland Indians
Highlights:
Al Kaline four hits, including two HRs
Earl Wilson with solid performance
Shaky:
Bullpen a little wobbly but gets the job done. Dobson comes in after two innings from McMahan.
Result: Tigers get on the board. Twins so far undefeated in AL, but there's room for the Tigers still to make a run.
Next up:
vs Boston Red Sox
Question: start McLain or Kilkenny?
1969 Playoffs
Round Robin style, so games against all 11 AL Teams.
Top 4 move on to regular postseason.
Game One-
Disappointing loss to Seattle.
Seattle's pitching held up well.
John Gelnar 5+ IP for Seattle
Tigers were down 4-0 in the 9th and tried to rally against Diego Segui, but it fell short.
Solid pitching performance by Denny McLain wasted (6 IP, 2H)
Game Two-
Brutal loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Offense gave Tigers a 4-0 lead, but Twins scored in 4th through 7th innings to take the lead and then Ron Perranoski held on. The bullpen was again a negative. Pat Dobson faltered in the first game and it was Tom Timmermann in game two. Lolich was also shaky.
Tough start to pool play. In game one, the offense didn't show up until late, and in game two, the pitching staff let the offense down.
After 2 games, zero points.
Next up:
Earl Wilson takes on the Cleveland Indians and Stan Williams
Listened to this one today. Tight affair between Mudcat Grant and Catfish Hunter
Box Score for Athletics (1) vs Twins (2) on April 12, 1966 at Metropolitan Stadium
After a pretty uneventful flight from Milwaukee, I emerged from the tunnel in Charlotte with about three hours before my next one would leave. Checking my phone, the American app pinged me three times with three different gates, none of which were all that far away.
The thing about Charlotte is that it's like a smaller version of Atlanta. Hordes of people moving in every direction and every gate seemingly overflowing with travellers. It's not as much of a bother when you have three hours to wait, but it did make me a little weary when I was trying to find somewhere to eat my lunch.
There's an atrium between terminals, and the atrium was filled with restaurants and convenience markets. I didn't really know what I was hungry for, but I could see Jersey Mike's and Chick Fil A. I could also see the lines at those places backing up for a while, so I eliminated those from consideration. Walking a bit further, I found a place that was a little pricey for sandwiches but also had no line. I ordered a breakfast sandwich, and I found a spot on a bench in an area that wasn't overly crowded.
I did eventually begin to get crowd fatigue. Since I was solo, I didn't have a partner to chat with. I didn't really feel like reading, and all I could focus on was the bustle of humanity flowing through the terminal. So I sat near my gate and people watched for a while, then felt an odd peaceful rush wash over me. In simplest terms, I just had to wait. I had no stress and no hurry, just a boarding pass for a flight to Cleveland. I had nothing pressing there, either, as the show I was attending didn't start for several more hours. I sat down, smiled, and imagined my flight in Cleveland landing and the freedom of being out of the airport scene for the day.
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as Egyptian Secrets. It's a mostly peppy, upbeat album. Not sure if I want to re-listen much to it, let alone get it.
I'm up early and an Uber took me to the airport this morning.
For a few years now, I've looked at the schedule on MLB.com and wondered what it would be like to take a baseball trip. Last month, I went through with it and booked my flights and my hotel room. Now, I've cleared security and am sitting at the gate almost two hours early for my flight to Charlotte.
This is my first solo trip in almost ten years. I visited my brother in DC in 2016, before I became a dad. But this is a pure solo trip. I've mostly got an itinerary. Since the weather is warm and dry, I'm seeing comedian Sheng Wang tonight, going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow morning, and seeing the Guardians play the Rangers tomorrow night.
I'm a little in disbelief that I'm actually here and it's a little bit of a shock to the system. Every day, day after day, I do most things with my family. Kids come home, have dinner, then we spend time together. Weekends, we wake up, get ready, set, go. Today, it's just me, and it's going to be just me for the next 48+ hours. I have some nerves about that. We've travelled a lot as a family, and we rely on each other, but now it's just me. The thought has crept into my head that I could just turn around and go back home, but I know I won't. That's just me being used to being immersed with family and all its responsibilities.
There's a family of three next to me, and I smile. I can watch the families navigate the airport, and it's not as big of a deal in Milwaukee as it will be in Charlotte, and I'm not responsible for them. It always takes me time to relax, and I know once I get seated on the plane, my nerves will calm. Some people have issues with flying, but I never have. Hey, if someone else is handling the driving or flying, I can kick back and relax...
Dealbreaker by Groovy Uncle
1 OK
2 OK
3 OK, I feel a Beatles influence (Sgt Pepper)
4 (I)- Good (Get?)
5 OK (Beatles/Musicals?)
6 OK (same/kind of Beatlesesque)
7 getting a little repetitive now
8 starting to get annoyed
9 "" ""
10 "" ""
11 What the hell is this?
12 So you're trying to sound like the Beatles with some cleverness. It gets repetitive after a while.
It's like this band took the "granny songs" that Lennon complained about and wanted to expand on them.
Lazy headline: Dealbreaker might be the dealbreaker.
On second thought, this was their 14th album in 14 years. Perhaps I should listen to their earlier stuff.
