Review of Miller Park from a First Timer

My wife and I headed down to Milwaukee to see our beloved Twins take on the hometown Brewers.  It was the first time to Miller Park for either of us, and despite a couple of things (like the Twins losing like pigs and getting swept for the series, among other things) we had a good time. 

Here's a review from a Miller Park virgin: 

• Like their football brethren to the north, these fans love their tailgating.  We brought some chairs, beers, and chips to enjoy the outdoors ourselves, but most folks came way more prepared.  Grills were going, bratwurst frying, burgers flipping, parking lot games played, and beer drunk.  Lots and lots of beer drunk.  Here's a photo from the festivities.  

• And note that this was just the pre-game gathering.  After the game, the coolers came back out and lots of folks chose to wait out the traffic jam by hanging out, sitting outside, and having one or two more cold ones.  Smart folks, these fans, especially with the current construction on I94.
• The stadium itself is an engineering marvel, with its retractable roof.  While it is aesthetically not very pleasing, it makes up for it in its utility.  The design is ingenious, and while it remained open the whole game, one could see very clearly how the roof functioned. 
• The configuration of the open roof made for some very tough sight lines for those of us sitting on the first base side.  The combination of sitting in the shadows and having the field in the light made picking up the ball very tough.  I had to really concentrate to see the ball. 
• Their scoreboard is the best I've ever seen in MLB.  It is huge, clear, and comprehensive.  So comprehensive in fact that I had to text my brother to see what the stat OPS that they were displaying meant.  Turns out it is a combination of On Base Percentage and Slugging Percent that sabermetricians use as a method of quantifying offensive contribution.  Seems like those guys would be better served by finding measurements to calculate how they're going to get out of mom's basement and/or kiss a girl, but who am I to suggest something to stand between a nerd and his statistics? 

• The off-field entertainment was hit or miss.  Bernie Brewer still slides down from his post for a home run, but instead of falling into a beer stein he lands in a hot tub.  For a team like the BREWERS playing in a place like MILLER Park, it would seem that his rightful place of landing at the end of the slide should be ale-oriented.  Unfortunately for Bernie, that's just not the case.  But whatever Bernie failed to deliver was made up for in spades by the Klement's Racing Sausages.  I seriously could watch those guys every inning.  Too fun. 
• The game itself was a complete sell-out, as the Brewers had recently moved into first place, Twins fans had driven over for the series, and the day was perfect for a ballgame.  The crowd was about 10% Twins fans in total, and I was surprised at the lack of Brewers gear worn by the hometown faithful.  I'd say about 25% didn't have any Brewers paraphernalia at all which shocked me as I'm used to seeing Twins fans at Target Field loaded down in the stuff.  I was decked out for the game, as was my wife.

• Unfortunately some tool four rows behind me really wanted to get under my skin, and throughout the game was yelling stuff like "Mauer sucks, as does everybody that wears his jersey."  Guess who was wearing a Mauer jersey?  Not that I was not being obnoxious by overtly cheering or being loud.  I just wore a jersey and came to support my team.  That didn't matter to the drunk behind me, and our entire section had to listen to his garbage all game.  I was proud that I kept my cool - 15 years ago and/or with five more beers under my belt, Mr. Mouth and I would have had a conversation.  But I was there for the game (and my wife), the Twins were getting killed anyway, and I just let it go.  Unfortunately I found the sign as to where to text to get drunks thrown out in the 8th inning; too late to bother so I let it go.  I only had one other drunk get ugly with me - some drunk hot girl that never had anyone say a sideways word to her in her life.  Again I bit my tongue and let it slide.  Not sure what possesses people to act like such dicks, but considering the stadium held 41,000 I was just happy I only ran into only two idiots. 
• While the stadium was very nice, it sure wasn't Target Field.  Being at Miller Park, an incredible field in its own right, really made me appreciate what a gem Minnesota has.  The hype is really true with Target Field, and I miss being able to attend games there.  Even seeing the field by watching the games on MLB.TV makes me pine for being home in the beautiful stadium. 

Friends, Family, and Baseball

Our old neighbors joined us this weekend as their son was playing in a baseball tournament for 13 year olds.  It ended up being a great weekend for baseball here in Wisconsin as the weather finally cleared and warmed, making it perfect for being outside and enjoying some hardball. 

Unfortunately, the team we were rooting for went 1-2, despite our favorite player crushing the ball and playing well in the field.  Sometimes you run into a buzz saw, and there's nothing that can be done. 

A couple of points from watching the game:

• I was shocked at the amount many of these parents have invested in their kid playing baseball.  Every pitch is life or death.  Coaching is coming in a constant stream from the bleachers as the kid stands in the box.  Umpires are ridiculed like it is the World Series.  Most feedback is negative, not positive.  Personally, if I were a 13 year old kid playing in that environment, I'd choke.  I felt really sorry for a lot of the kids there. 
• 13 year olds can put on a really entertaining game, and I was impressed by the quality of ball being played, and by the grasp of fundamentals they had. 
• I'm quite sure that if the night is a nice one, I could sit outside watching any two teams playing and be quite happy to do so.  Nothing beats a ball game outdoors on a nice summer evening. 

We then attended the Twins game versus the Brewers on Sunday (I'll have a report on our trip to Miller Park tomorrow).  The Twins got swept (there's that buzz saw thing again), but it was a beautiful day to be outside.  After the game my wife and I met up with my uncle and his family for an early dinner where we were able to catch up.  It was good seeing everyone again, despite being razzed for wearing my Joe Mauer jersey to dinner. 

So while the baseball wasn't that good over the weekend, the weather and some great time spent with friends and family more than made up for it.    

Minnesota Twins 2011 Injury History

I attended the Twins game yesterday that featured a line-up that was nearly unrecognizable.  With four starters on the DL and Mauer sitting the day game after a night game, the crew that Gardenhire put on the field was a AAA team at best.  Here is the starting lineup:

Revere CF .272
Casilla 2B .251
Cuddyer RF .292
Valencia 3B .216
Hughes 1B.246
Repko LF .194
Nishioka SS .200
Butera C .175
Pavano P .000

Simply brutal, and one of the main reasons why the Twins were easily bested and swept by the surging Brewers. 

The horrible lineup got me thinking about this season and how many players have been lost by injury.  I conducted a quick analysis to show how it all lays out and offer it for your consideration (click to enlarge):

For the sake of the analysis, I did not look at pitchers.  If I did, this chart would look much worse. 

A couple of things of note:

• For the season, they've averaged 3 "starters" on the DL per week.  That does not include any non-playing time because Gardy chooses to sit a guy.  Likewise, it only includes time on the DL, not any other time lost due to injury where the player was still on the active roster but was held out of games.  If I included these into the numbers, the average number of starters out per week would be closer to 4.
• When at their healthiest at the start of the season, the Twins posted their worst record.
• Conversely, until last week, the Twins were playing their best baseball with their most amount of starters out. 
• The total time lost for offensive starter is a staggering 35 weeks.

I cannot remember a team so decimated by injury, and it shows in their record.  It doesn't help matters when Gardenhire continues to do things like sit Mauer the day game after a night game.  If there was ever a game that needed his bat in the starting lineup, it was yesterday.  By posting the lineup he submitted, Gardenhire all but signaled to the Brewers that we were ready to lose, so get the plane fired up and we'll take our chances with the Dodgers Monday at home.

Are we playing to win, or playing to not get injured?  If the latter, especially given what's transpired this year, why bother?

The Case for Jethro Tull for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In the latest installment of the top ten bands that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we visit the case for the great Jethro Tull.  

Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and a potpourri of mates have been making incredible music now for over 40 years.  Their portfolio of work is a hodgepodge of genres and formats with about as many misses as hits, but the ones that worked represent some of the best rock and roll ever created.   

Here are the primary points for my case for Tull: 

• Ian Anderson and the flute.  Unique in all of rock and roll and hallmark to Tull's sound, Anderson's flute is the sound of the band.  And because of him and that instrument, nobody else really sounds like Jethro Tull.  Indeed, the band had their influences and borrowed from others before them, but Anderson and the flute always put a unique spin on the music that has never, and likely never will be, replicated.  How distinctive was that flute-led sound?  I was in junior high riding with my dad to be dropped over a friend's house early one morning, and we were listening to the car radio.  Dad always had younger musical tastes for his peer group, and as the radio played Cross-Eyed Mary, dad exclaimed that he really liked Tull.  I must have had quite a look on my face, as he followed up with "I bet most of your buddies' dads don't even know who Jethro Tull is."  And he was right.   
• One word: Aqualung.  This 1971 album is a must-have for any classic rock and roll fan.  Most of the album could be heard on FM formats through most of the '70's, and two tracks, Aqualung and Locomotive Breath, continue to be absolute staples on classic rock oriented stations.  It is a monster of an album, and even though it may not have garnered high critical praise, rock and roll fans have spoken, and this album is considered among the top by many of them.
• The longevity of the band has to be respected.  From their early blues roots in the late 1960's to the award winning Crest of a Knave in 1987, to the prolific work that has continued through the '90's and '00's, Tull has been winning accolades from music fans for decades.   Other than for health, they've not slowed much, and continue to poke into other musical area that allow for growth and maturity.  The band has fortitude, overcoming the transition of band mates, death, and even the loss and resting of Anderson's voice for a three year hiatus.  No matter what has befallen, Tull continues.   

So why are they outside of the Hall looking in?  Here are a couple of plausible explanations:  

• The Hall does not look favorably on prog rock acts.  This is a well-known bias, with bands like Yes, Rush, EL&P, Tull, and a multitude of others outside of the Hall.  It is a completely unfair bias, and given the massive lineup impacted, it clearly exists.  While Tull fell into that genre in their early years, they've expanded far beyond it, but still get painted by that brush by those ignorant to their library.  
• My personal conspiracy theory is that their exclusion from the Hall is some kind of "payback" for Tull winning the 1989 Grammy for Best Metal/Hard Rock.  Everyone was convinced that Metallica would win it for ...And Justice for All - even the members of Tull, as they did not attend the event considering the winner a foregone conclusion.  Upon Tull winning, the musical world (especially those in the metal arena) went into a complete rage that still simmers yet today.  Ultimately, due to the controversy of the award, it was subsequently split into two categories, Metal and Hard Rock.   But the damage had been done, and for an entire generation of music fans, Jethro Tull remains "that old, lame band that ripped off Metallica."  

While I've never seen the band live, Anderson still roams the stage as a force of nature, as he did in his younger days.  Toward that end, here are Ian and the boys from 1978, doing the classic Thick as a Brick:  



For the Hall, it is time to put aside the progressive rock bias, ignore the Grammy controversy, step up, and put Jethro Tull in the Hall where they clearly belong. 

The Team

Shown above is my team as it is currently configured, as taken at a recent strategic offsite event at my house.  

Some of these folks I was able to hire directly, some were hired by others on the team, and some I inherited as I joined to company.  Regardless of their origin, they are important parts of the whole, and this picture captures their individual personalities very well.  

All play important roles in what we do, and will dictate (in many instances much more than they know) our ultimate success or lack thereof.  

I'm very proud of this team.  We've accomplished so much in a short period, but also know we have much more to do.  

And that's the fun part. 

The Case for Journey for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In the latest installment of the top ten bands that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we visit the case for Journey. 

Now Journey has some strikes against it.  Among them:

• Their songs were very pop oriented, and while that doesn't preclude a band from the RRHOF per se, it did limit their audience somewhat. 
• The band has been beset by personnel changes throughout its history, and just like Jethro Tull, that appears to have hurt the band's chances of making the Hall.  How bad were the changes?  Try six different lead vocalists in their 38 year career. 
• Journey made one of the worst music videos of all time.  Literally top ten worst.  I apologize, but I need to show it to make my point:

All that being said, there are a lot of reasons to include Journey in the RRHOF: 

• Neil Schon, lead guitarist, has been the linchpin of the group, and is an incredibly gifted guitarist.  Simply fantastic, and one of the main reasons why their sound is so good.  Personal aside on Schon.  I was drinking coffee and eating cereal over the StarTribune one morning before work, and I happened to breeze past the obituaries and the wedding announcements.  One of the announcements struck me as the woman in the picture was incredibly attractive.  I then cast my gaze to the guy she was marrying to see if he was worthy, and was taken aback at how incredibly much he looked like Neil Schon.  It was uncanny.  So then I go to read the announcement, and there in the middle of all of the other random Minnesota wedding announcements featuring Petersons, Johnsons, and the like was the announcement for the Kozan/Schon wedding.  It was cool and weird all at the same time. 
• Journey was a dominant band in the late 1970's and early 1980's.  While their music was popular for the critics to pan, it was equally as popular for people to buy, and their numbers of sales both in terms of albums and singles cannot be denied.   They were clearly one of the top five bands of this period. 
• Their popularity continues into their fourth decade.  Don't believe me?  OK, want to know the most popular song downloaded on iTunes, ever?  Don't Stop Believin' by Journey.  Not a song by the Beatles, or Zeppelin, or Floyd, or the Stones.  Journey.   
• Finally, Journey provided the soundtrack for one of the best scenes from one of the best movies of all time:

 

Look, I know this is not going to be a popular pick, but I think if you stack up all of their achievements (which continue to keep coming), I believe that Journey has earned a spot within the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.    

At Least One Arbitron Book Supporting Sirius XMU

As a marketer, I've always maintained a significant curiosity about market research.  Hence, whenever I'm asked to take a survey, even if it comes as a call in the middle of dinner, I always take it.  I like to see how the survey is designed, if I think they're effective, and how I might have crafted them differently to get at the data needed for decision making. 

Despite my willing participation in all things survey related, I have been frustrated that I've never been surveyed in any kind of election poll, nor have I ever been surveyed for media (e.g. Arbitorn or Neilsen). 

Those days just ended, as in the mail last week I received an Arbitron radio diary.  While I don't listen to too much radio anymore as my commute has been reduced to less than 15 minutes, I'm more than happy to share what's on my dial.  And it's nearly all Sirius XMU. 

It was fun to finally participate in the process that has molded the radio and music industry for over 50 years now. And it was also fun to turn in a book that will likely be the only one to show support for Sirius XMU.

A Dog Named Blitz - Chapter Five, "One Year Old", Part 4

For background on this serial, please click here. You can also start at the previous section

The neoprene dog vest hung off of the finger of the photo studio assistant looking like Everest must look to those that try and climb it.  I gazed upon the garment, then back at Blitz who was still in process of working the room and making introductions, and wondered how I was ever going to combine the two.  But we were there to model, and modeling is what we were going to do, come hell or high water. 

The vest itself featured two holes in the front for the dog’s front paws, zippered in the back, and then opened at the dog’s waist.  Thus, all I needed to do was get her paws in the holes, and then the zip up would be easy.  I hashed a plan where I would just lift Blitz’s paws into the holes, one after the other, and things would go smoothly from there.  I stood at her side, lifted a paw, and was immediately met with resistance by the dog.  She wasn’t taking to my lifting her leg in this fashion, and was waving it around like she was at a rap concert.  I quickly found I’d be able to get one paw in, but as I’d move to the other the first paw that I had in place quickly came undone. 

My frustration grew, as did Blitz’s enjoyment, as she thought this whole episode as quite sporty.  Soon her rapturous behavior erupted in her dashing from my grip and running around the photo studio doing what I call “the low butt.”  The low butt is what my wife and I called Blitz’s episodes where she’d euphorically dash around in a berserk fashion, in a posture that had her front end high and her rear end nearly dragging on the ground.  And in these moments, she loved nothing more than being chased, and we built games around her getting whipped up, doing “the low butt,” and me chasing her around. 

Unfortunately, here in the photo studio, this was not the time for “the low butt,” and my chasing of her to try and get her under control was perceived on her end as sport.  She zoomed around the photo studio crew, behind the set and out the other side, and all about the room with me shouting commands and waiting for a request to leave the premises that I knew would soon be coming from the photo studio staff. 

Blitz finally got settled down to a point where I was able to get her to sit, and I eased up behind her and petted her head in attempt to calm things down.  This appeared to work, so I pressed my luck and brought the vest around her in attempt to get it donned.  That immediately made her stand straight up and bolt, but it gave me a great idea on a new approach. 

Again I calmed her down and came in from behind her, however this time when I brought the vest around her and she stood up to run, I moved forward and sandwiched her between my legs.  While I was successful and she was trapped, the fight was clearly on and she bucked and shook in attempt to free herself.  However my grip was strong and I was able to move the vest around her, drop it to the floor, lift her front legs up simultaneously, drop them into the holes, and lift the vest into place.  Success! 

Unfortunately I was only half the way there, as the zipper required fastening.  I squeezed the neoprene material together to start the zipper, which was met by a whole new level of squirming and fighting.  After multiple tries I was finally able to make the zipper catch, ran it down her back, and completed zipping her up.  I immediately released my legs to let go of the bucking bronco between my knees, and Blitz instantly bolted from my grasp, flopped to the floor on her back, and squirmed to try and make the offending garment go away.  However the zipper held true, and Blitz soon resigned herself to her fate of having to wear the vest. 

At this point I looked to the photo studio staff that were looking at Blitz and I in looks that were simultaneously disbelieving and annoyed.  “Well, that wasn’t too bad,” the photographer muttered sarcastically. 

Immediately concerns were raised about Blitz’s ability to hold still, and doubts were voiced on our ability to get the needed shot.  After such an exhaustive investment, I asked that we try, and I moved Blitz to her spot on the floor marked in masking tape while the crew arranged lights and ran test shots. 

I’m not sure that the combination of the long walk, retrieves, playing with the kids, and fighting the vest being placed on her wore her out, or if she was just one of those diva types that is an enormous pain in the posterior off camera but instantly becomes the consummate pro once the cameras roll, but Blitz could not have been any better.  She sat on her mark on command, unmoving but engaged.  After about six shots the photographer exclaimed that he had at least three that were worthy of being in the ad, and that we were free to go. 

It was hard to believe that so much craziness translated to a grand total of two minutes of shooting, but that is all that was required.  I freed Blitz from the offending garment, placed her on lead, and headed back to the car and home. 

Here is the shot that ultimately got used: 

The benefit of this entire episode, beyond the bragging rights that go with one’s dog being a dog model, was that the vest was ours to keep.  Unfortunately that was also the curse.  Throughout her life Blitz fought wearing the vest, and fought like her life depended on it.  Once on, she was fine with it, but getting it on was always an epic. 

This fight was soon renown at our duck camp, and partners and guests alike lined up on the porch or on the yard as Blitz and I squared off for our famed “dog vest match.” 

My friends and I grew up watching professional wrestling on TV, and based on the feedback of those in the audience, I’m told that Blitz and I put on a better show.  Fortunately, I limited her wearing of the vest to only the coldest of days, but that never stopped the hopeful question being asked at the kitchen table over coffee every morning before the hunt: “So, are you going to put the vest on Blitz this morning?” 

Don't you wish, pal.  Don't you wish...