Wednesday July 28, 2004
OUR REEL ADVENTURE
Yesterday was a pretty full day. Didn't really have any time to sit down and even just watch baseball or TV. As a matter of fact, I didn't even look at a computer until 11:30 last night. So, I apologize and please stick with me, ok?! Soon... I will get better! Today, I will discuss our fishing trip, the Twins beating the White Sox again, and that's about it. Tomorrow, there will be a real entry! I hope you enjoy when I write about 'other' topics as well. If not, well, I'm sorry, I guess!
OK, so on a normal work day, I wake up a little after 7:40, hop in the shower and drive into town for work by 8:00. Well, yesterday, with relatives up visiting and a fishing day planned, my alarm clock was set for 6:30. I almost literally get sick when I wake up and the first number on the clock is either a five or a six. But, I did get up and out of bed by 6:40. I know, I was impressed with myself. However, that was completely unnecessary. Our fishing charter was set to leave at 8, so we had over an hour to get ready. We had so much time that we made eggs, bacon, toast and more for breakfast. I can't even remember the last time I ate breakfast before work!
We drove into town and were at Reel Adventures by about 8:00. We were in boat and out on Lake of the Woods by about 8:45. Heath Corneliusen was our captain and guide for the day. He took us to the first spot. The others in our group all fish quite a bit, but not on such a large lake. Me? I fish about once a year, and that's enough for me. So, we get to the spot and because I am of "rookie status", I even got my line baited while the rest joked about my fishing. I let down the line, and within about a minute, I had a bite. It was a big bite and I knew it was a fairly large fish. I was feeling pretty good. I was going to show the others that I can fish with the best of them. The fish got to the top of the water... and I lifted up and it got off the hook. Lost. So, I went from feeling pretty good about myself to getting mocked in a hurry. A few minutes later, I had another bite. The fish wasn't quite so big, but again, as the fish approached the boat, I found a way to lose it too. The mocking was immense and intense... and completely deserved. Others started catching some walleyes too. Finally, I was able to catch a walleye and bring it all the way into the boat!!! We rejoiced! Ha!
But, it was just a fun day. The five of us all caught a bunch of fish. We didn't catch any of the really large ones that do frequently get caught on Lake of the Woods, but we had a lot of "good eatin'" sized fish. I really enjoyed it because Heath would take us to a spot and immediately, we would catch a number of fish. We would stay in that spot for awhile before moving to another spot on the Lake where the same series of events would happen. We angled from about 8:30 until about 1. At that point, we down-rigged until 5:00 when we had our limit of walleye and saugers. Down-rigging is something that none of us on the boat had done before, so it was interesting. Personally, I prefer the angling, just because I feel like I"m doing something at all times. But because we had never done it before, we were happy to down-rig.
We got back to the office about 5:30 and Heath then filleted the fish for us and we now have enough fish for a few meals!
Again, I know the people in charge of Reel Adventures. They are good people who are extremely helpful and friendly. They are also incredibly knowledgeable. I have their website linked under the SethSpeaks Sponsors, and now I have participated in one of their launches. Now I can say, and know, that if you are into fishing or traveling at all, you should definitely consider Reel Adventures Fishing Service.
I will try to get some pictures from our trip on here soon.
TWINS BEAT THEIR SOX AGAIN
We got home from the lake just in time to watch Game 2 of the Twins/White Sox series. The Twins won game 1 on Monday night in Chicago, and last night, they took a 2.5 game lead in the AL Central by topping them again. It was Johan Santana versus Freddy Garcia and neither pitcher allowed a run through the first four innings. However, in the top of the 5th, the Twins got to Garcia. Shannon Stewart and Cristian Guzman doubled in a run before Lew Ford singled in Guzman to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. The Twins added another run in the top of the 6th on a Matthew LeCroy sacrifice fly. Johan Santana gave up a home run to Carlos Lee in the bottom of the inning, which cut the lead to 4-1. In the 9th the Twins got the bases loaded and with Justin Morneau up, the Twins got an insurance run on a wild pitch. Morneau then singled in another run before Torii Hunter scored Guzman was the Twins 7th run. Joe Roa came out for the bottom of the 9th and gave up another Carlos Lee homer before a Carl Everett solo shot. But, the Twins got the win 7-3.
Johan Santana was great again despite going just six innings. He allowed the run on the Lee homer but gave up just two hits and two walks. He struck out six. Juan Rincon and JC Romero both pitched great innings in relief. On offense, Cristian Guzman led the way with three hits, two of which were doubles. Shannon Stewart was 2-4 with a walk, and Lew Ford was 2-5.
Nick Punto broke his clavicle on Monday night. Tuesday, he was put on the disabled list. That meant that one of my favorite Twins prospects was called up. Jason Bartlett was with the team last night, and likely will make his major league debut today. I hope that he gets a chance to play, although I really doubt that Ron Gardenhire will throw him into the fire too quickly. I hope that he proves me right in thinking that he should be given every shot at the Twins SS position next season. He is a solid hitter and isn't afraid to take a walk. He was really playing great before his broken wrist. He has struggled somewhat since coming back to Rochester, but still has some pretty good numbers.
So, two of the Twins prospects I have kept an eye on all season are now in the big leagues (Morneau and Bartlett). With Joe Roa's two home outing last night combined with his second-half struggles, I would not be surprised to see a third, Jesse Crain, called up and inserted into the Twins bullpen. That is a move I would love to see happen. JD Durbin and Jason Kubel deserve to get September call-ups this year, but both will definitely compete for major league roster spots next season.
This afternoon (noon central time), the Twins and White Sox will play the rubber game of this series. The Twins will be going for a sweep with Carlos Silva on the mound. He has really struggled against the Sox this season. Last time out against the White Sox, Silva actually pitched better than his six runs would indicate. Enough so that he actually pitched 8 2/3 innings. Hopefully he can duplicate the innings pitched while cutting the runs against in half! The White Sox will counter with Esteban Loaiza.
Not really sure where the Doug Mientkiewicz trade situation stands at the moment. Many were reporting that is was a done deal with him going to the Pirates for Kris Benson. However, now we hear that the Pirates are backing out of it because of the $5 million that he is owed over the next two years. The Pirates may hold out for major league ready prospects that they can play right away and not pay over league minimum. I can't believe the Angels would actually give up Casey Kotchman for him though! Stay tuned.
While watching the end of the Twins game, we played a tournament of Texas Hold 'Em. As I have mentioned before, I am terrible and normally the first one out of these things. But, this time, I finished second!!! Woo hoo! Maybe I'm actually getting better... Or, maybe, I just got lucky!
But, because of that, I am tired and must sleep! I have left my entries from Monday and Tuesday here for you to peruse again. Also, don't forget to check out the Archives Page and the Photo Album if you haven't yet. If you have any questions or comments on anything, please e-mail me and I will respond when I can. Also, my guests will be gone at some point tomorrow, meaning that hopefully I will be able to write a semi-decent entry again then!! Thanks and have a great day!