RMJ 120 June 15

SUNDAY, JUNE 15 ● FATHER’S DAY ● Houston, vs Minnesota

I thought about my Dad when Judy and the kids gave me my Father’s Day card and a Hawaiian golf shirt this morning. He wasn’t much of a golfer, nor was he much of a beach fan. He did like Hawaiian shirts, however. I guess he liked to loosen up after a hard day’s work. He was always a hard worker.

I thought about how nice it would be if we could win a championship this year, and I could mention him on TV in front of the whole country.

           

When I got to the ballpark, I met with the coaches. They were generally disinclined to start practicing fundamentals before batting practice.

“Tell him to get us a shortstop and a centerfielder,” Mac said. “It’s not fundamentals we’re lacking, it’s ability. You have to have the horses.”

Bill’s opinion was that we would lose the team if we started having punitive workouts.

“If we drop out of the race, it’ll be different,” he said. “Then we won’t care how they feel. But we’re still in the race, and I think we should save our energy for the game. I think they take too much batting practice as it is.”

Cubby didn’t think workouts would be well-received.

“You’ve got to understand, this is a different brand of ballplayer,” he said. “It’s not like when we played. These guys do whatever the hell they want to, and if you put any heat on them, they call their agents. I’ve had superstars shit on me more than once, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

When we met with Gerry later on, we struck a compromise plan. It stemmed from Bill reminding us that in spring training fundamental drills, a lot of players are just standing around waiting for their turn.

“I don’t think you want a lot of guys out here standing around,” he said.

“What if we worked in smaller groups?” Gerry asked.

This idea struck a chord.

We already have Ricky Gutierrez doing exercises to improve his footwork. We have Sean Berry on a program designed specifically for his shoulder problem. Why not bring starting pitchers out to bunt at game speed against a pitching machine?

What about designing a drill for our fake-bunt/steal-a-base routine? It worked well at first, but then we abandoned it because the bunters were not executing the move like Tim Foli.

What about a pickoff-play drill? A bunt-play drill? What about working with some of the outfielders who have problems going up against the wall? What about full-speed bunting practice for some of our better runners?

I think these things make sense, and I hope the players will buy into it. If we have a 20-minute drill every day we are at home, and it only involves 4-7 players, it shouldn’t be such an imposition or a drag on much-needed game energy.

I am going to announce this program in Kansas City tomorrow night. We will start it on the next homestand.

Cubby made another suggestion, based on feedback that Biggio wasn’t getting enough fielding practice.

“He always takes grounders during the first group, then sits on the bench during the next group. If I throw to the first group, I can’t hit to him. He doesn’t want to catch grounders in the second group. I guess that doesn’t fit his personal program.

“If we went to 15-minute sessions, he could field in the first or second group and he would only rest on the bench for 15 minutes. This would also have the benefit of having fewer hitters in each group, which would allow everyone more time for their preparation in the field.” 

“Do you see any problem in this for the outfielders, Bill?” I asked.

“Not at all,” he said.

“How about you, Mac?”

“No problem.”

I felt pretty good about these changes. I hope the players will feel good about them too.

           

The game was tough again. It started like déjà vu.

Knoblauch walked; Lawton hit a home run. Like Kile, Chris Holt stiffened and held them scoreless until we pinch-hit for him in the seventh.

José Lima pitched better than ever, retiring five consecutive batters before Knoblauch singled, bringing Lawton to the plate.

I went to Wagner. Tom Kelly went to Greg Colbrunn. Colbrunn hit Wagner’s second pitch to third and Spiers, who played a brilliant all-around game, made the play.

With each passing inning, my respect grew for the Twins. No, they were not blessed with great speed or great power. Their pitchers didn’t throw very hard. But they were fundamentally sound. They simply did not do things to beat themselves.

In the ninth inning, they finally broke down. Eddie Guardado walked Derek Bell with one out. Mike Trombley came in and walked Sean Berry, hitting for Spiers. Then he walked Brad Ausmus on a 3-2 pitch.

With Listach hitting .180, we were still a long way from home. But Pat has been swinging a little better lately. I decided not to hit for him. At least he would have a better chance to beat the rap on a double-play grounder.

“We could squeeze here,” I told Bill. He smiled.

“That’s your call,” he said.

Normally the squeeze is employed only when there is a tag play at the plate. But with Derek Bell running, it wouldn’t take a perfect bunt to win the game.

“If the first pitch is ball one, let’s do it,” I said.

Well, wouldn’t you know, the first pitch was ball one. I was worried on two counts. First, Bell might miss the sign. Second, Pat might foul up the bunt. It’s a pressure play all the way. We’ve tried it three times this year, with two fouls and a missed sign.

This time, both players got the sign, and Pat popped up the bunt, down the third-base side. Terry Steinbach fired out from behind the plate, and was on it in a flash. But for some reason he simply dropped the ball. Bell sped by and scored the run — or did he?

Steinbach thought fast. He threw the ball to third, but Ausmus thought fast too — and ran fast and was safe at third.  If he had been out, the Twins would likely have turned the double play, because Listach, in his disgust over bunting poorly, wasn’t running to first. A third-to-first double play would have negated Bell’s winning run.

Talk about winning by the skin or your teeth!

We were lucky to say the least, but then, we had been hitting in bad luck all weekend long.

           

Now it’s off to Kansas City and a three-game set with the surprising Royals. Bob Boone’s team is two games below .500, but still in second place, just 3-1/2 games behind the Indians. I didn’t think the Twins were a good ballclub, and they were tough. I don’t expect the Royals to be any easier.

Judy is with me on this trip. Neither of us has been to Kansas City. We are looking forward to the visit.