Fuck the White Sox

Oh, Twins fans, I'm really depressed right now. Nick Blackburn pitched the goddamn game of his life. But, he was pitching to the White Sox, so he gave up a home run.

Just one.

Nick Blackburn Has Sideburns Too

So, I didn't want to mention this on Man Muscles' birthday, to avoid any hurt feelings, so I waited until today. Nick Blackburn may be the new Joe Mauer.

He has the burns, he has the boyish charm. He also has a tan.

Better yet, he knows how to dominate the hill, even as a rookie. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched a 7.2 inning shutout against the division rival Cleveland Indians Saturday, earning his first big league win and lowering his ERA to 2.49 after the 3-0 victory.

Okay, so he didn't actually dominate the hill. Blackburn smoked a batter and allowed eight hits, but he didn't walk anyone and no one crossed the plate. That's good enough for this girl.

Of course, my Canadian Crusher gave Blackburn a little help with a two-run bomb in the first, his 5th of the season.

Speaking of great nicknames, Rumors and Rants has a hilarious compilation of current ballplayers' aliases. Give it a look.

[A Fan's View]

Practice Makes Perfect

Francisco Liriano, after polishing off a strong Spring performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates with seven strikeouts, was sent down to the minors, where he will begin his 2008 season.

Manager Ron Gardenhire wants the young lefty to have at least two starts before joining the Minnesota Twins rotation -- one with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle and another with the AAA Rochester Red Wings -- to work on his conditioning and fastball.

"I’ll do whatever they want me to do," Liriano said. "My arm feels great."

So what does all this mean? It means that Nick Blackburn has found himself a temporary spot in the Twins starting rotation to kick off the season. This begs the obvious question among the ladies in Twins Territory of whether he is single or not. He is, after all, a big leaguer now. Way to go, buddy!

In other Minnesota pitching news, righty Scott Baker will have one more minor league start on Sunday before a decision is made on whether he'll be healthy enough for the fifth spot in the order.

[Pioneer Press]