Social media encouraging conformity?

Okay, so the lack of self-confidence keeps me from blogging often. I end up in this what do I know, or what do I have to offer anyone zone that just shuts me down. My purpose is to learn while doing this, but the media itself implies I am informing. At cross purposes and being overwhelmed with life, it has been easier to just read bloggers. Which brings up another blogger mind block - if you read a lot of blogs - how to sound original and not accidentally end up plagiarizing someone. Messy business, this blogging.

I have added another layer by twittering. Well, honestly again, I read more than I tweet. Embarrassed by my lack of a "life" I haven't really told anyone I tweet. Just a few good friends. Again, I do it more to learn. I am following maybe 30 Twins bloggers.

After tweeting for a while now I have noticed a semi-disturbing trend. Tweeters start to self monitor their tweets because of the feedback. Maybe some of it is deserved. One guy I love to read is FanaticJack. He lives up to his name. He can get very negative in his statements, but it is just him and his emotions coming through expressing his frustrations. Fine. Read him if you like, if you don't, then the simple answer is don't follow him. Maybe a week ago he stated that he was no longer posting negative comments in Twitter because he got too much crap for it. I believe he has lived up to his word. Personally, I think it is a shame. While his comments were usually over the top negative, he made some good points buried under the harsh words. I usually learned something. In my opinion, on the other side is Seth Stohs. He points out negatives, but is much more like me in that he is more of a rah-rah guy who sees that this is a long season and is hesitant to judge a player based on one or two plays/games/series. He will, however, still point out negatives. He commented the other day that he had lost a few followers and someone said it was because he was too negative. Huh??? Wow, if they thought he was too negative, they have issues. Then I read his blog and there was a comment in there that he is too positive. It is interesting to see how one comment can be interpreted in so many ways.


What's my point? In this age of instant communication we have changed some of how we communicate. Emotions typed on twitter are the raw immediate emotions, the curse words that come out of your mouth while watching the game, but in the after game analysis may have been completely forgotten or at least unspoken. Watch Punto and he will make three horrible plays for every absolutely amazing you-are-so-redeemed-child type of plays. If you tweet each play, he is going to look like a clown. It isn't the individual events that make up the game of baseball or judge any player, coach or manager. It is the game in entirety, maybe even the season. If bloggers/tweeters want to call a horrible play a horrible play, or a horrible performance a horrible performance, and do it under the emotions of the moment, they should do so. Readers need to take it in and realize that these are no longer well thought out articles that have been read by several people before being deemed politically correct before being posted. The new social media means you get raw unedited emotions. Read them if you like them, but leave the posters alone if you don't.

Go Twins!

Congrats Twins!!!

The Twins have won the first five series of the season! The most consecutive opening series' they have won in team history is three. So we have not only broken the team record - we have shattered it!

Way to go Twins!

Just a few of the many pictures I took at the stadium. More to come later!

The wonderful Minne Paul logo sign. I have to admit I was unimpressed when I heard about it and saw it on tv. It is an amazing sight, especially at night! Against the skyline it is beautiful.

More Kubel fans! Okay - not taking my shirt off for him (at least not in public) and especially when it is as chilly as it was that night. Loving the Kubel-love!

I thought this made a cool picture. It is from the outside looking up. The louvred wall and cool lights, paired with the limestone were a striking combination.

I know - you have seen this one million times, but the first time you walk up the plaza, the sight of it takes your breath away!

First Target Field game!!

I was very excited to actually make it to a game at Target Field! What a game! Saw Liriano pitch a wonderful game, Delmon made a few excellent catches, Cuddy got a homerun so I got to see Minne and Paul shake hands, and enjoy the beauty and splendor the our new magnificent home!

I take it all back... I am thrilled that they did not leave the design open for adding a roof. There is nothing like walking around in the open air concourse, seeing the sky all around you, that makes you thankful that there are not pillars built in to accommodate future retractable roof plans. Yes, there will rainy/snowy days when I will be whining that I wish there were a roof. Yes, there will be days when I whine about the cold. Yes, there will be days when I whine about the heat. I whine by nature. Heck, I was freezing at the game. But, there were places to go up to the concourse and stand under some warming lights if cold. If it is raining, again there appears to be plenty of room on the concourse to get out of the weather. And unlike TCF, you can bring in umbrellas.

So honestly, my ONLY serious complaint is that on their site they claim to have gluten-free and vegetarian food choices. I now need a gluten-free diet. If you know anything about GF you know that it is VERY hard to find foods you can eat. So I excitedly (is that a word) went to Customer Service to find out which vendors had gluten-free offerings. My answer was Caribou coffee, a beer, and the Farmers Market (fruit and veggie stand). So in other words - nothing. I was pretty disappointed. Now - it just may be that as the stadium gets going and the vendor get established they will communicate more offerings. But in the meantime, I welcome being able to bring in my own food.

Curious what you can bring into the stadium with you? I was surprised to find you can bring in food, unopened water bottles, empty refillable water bottles (although my friend did have a hard time finding a drinking fountain to fill hers), and umbrellas. I assumed they were all no-nos. Wonderful move by TF. The whole event feels so much "homier" than it ever did at the dome. The dome was like going to an institiutional event, Target Field is going to a huge tailgate party.

Bring a camera. The sights are amazing! And walking into the stadium for the first time - all I can say is WOW!!! You will walk in a stop in your tracks and stare open-mouthed.

Go Twins!!!

Off to a GREAT start!

What a fun year to be a Twins fan! I am so used to making excuses, and looking ahead to the eventual improvement as the young team finds their footing. But here we are 10 games into a new season at .700. Last year we were only 4-6 (.400).

What does the early success mean for the rest of the year? Only time will tell. We have been a team that has revelled in the underdog role. Give us a challenge and we posture and somewhere down deep find a fighting spirit. This year we may not be the underdog. Does that mean we will become apathetic or pompous? Possibly. But I doubt it. One stat I saw (that I have not verified) is that the last time we were in this position was 1987. We know what happened that year!

I believe that we have enough of a young and hungry team that will fight the entire season. But this year we also have the veterans to guide the young players on how to get through a very long season. I hate to jinx us but I really think we have a chance this year.

But no matter what, they have already made it a very fun season to watch. I am loving baseball in Minnesota this year!

Oh yeah - and WHO got the first Target Field homerun??? Way to go Jason Kubel!!!

Go Twins!!!

Game 1

Well, it was a late night last night. So what is your opinion of the first game?

It was not a great game, and at times hard to watch. But what surprised me the most was the tweets and blogs that were so unbelievably negative. It was ONE game. Had this been in the middle of a winning streak, it would have been written off as just another stinker of a game, but go you amazing WS bound Twins! It seems many are already writing the team off for the year.

I believe that the spring hype over the team with the new aquisitions and resignings may have contributed to last night's negativity. We believed for an instant that we were invincible. Watch out world, the Twins are new and improved. But we forgot that this is a game, and the best players have bad days, and moderate players can make amazing plays.

So we had a bad game. It could have been worse. We had a few good plays. We had a few disasters. Yes, we left a lot of men on base (my biggest frustration) but to leave that many on base meant we GOT that many on base.

Call it for what it was - ONE bad game.

161 to prove the nay-sayers wrong.

Still saying - GO TWINS!!!

Opening Day Tomorrow!

Dear family,

It has been fun spending time with you and getting to talk to you these last few months.

But, baseball season starts again tomorrow. Yes, I realize I have been listening and watching Spring Training games for a month, but this is the "real" season. I apologize in advance for all the screams of joy or anguish that will wake you from that nap on the couch, the nuked meals so I can concentrate on what is important (the game), the long dissertations about all things baseball which you neither understand nor care about, and all the things I will say I will do that don't get done because I wasn't really listening to you when I nodded in assent. (Actually want to get my attention? Try starting your sentences with the word Kubel.)

I will try not to scoff when you ask questions such as, "What team does Span play for?" I may not understand your lack of interest in the greatest game on Earth, but I will try to be patient with you. After all, you are my family.

I love you all! See you in November!!!