Welcome to the resumption of a long-ago series called "We Said, She Said" in which we spar with a sporty female over a topic du jour. Today's battle: RandBall vs. Lizzy. Much of this renewal came about when longtime RandBall Internet friend/antagonist Lizzy threatened to attend Blogs With Balls 3 the weekend of June 4-6 in Chicago. Your Humble Proprietor is scheduled to participate on a panel on Saturday (get your tickets!), and Lizzy threatened to come and "heckle" us. From there, the gloves were off. The debate was set: Twins lineup vs. Red Sox lineup, though Lizzy somehow interpreted that to include starting pitchers. Whatever. In any event, Lizzy -- a Red Sox fan living in New York -- went first (keep in mind she wrote this around 5 p.m. Tuesday, before the Red Sox lost two games in a row and the Twins won three games in a row). Her IN YOUR FACE picture comes as close to challenging our blog picture in a smug-off as we've seen in a long time. Here we go!
Lizzy: You thought I was gone forever? How could I be, when I get taunts from Mr. Randball in my e-mail stating that the Twins have the superior baseball organization this year. I have one thing to say to that.
Shen-an-i-gans. (What's the name of that place, Farva?)
One of these days, the rest of baseball will figure out that it's the Sawx world. The rest of yoooz just live in it. If you can name a better top 3 of the rotation than Lester, Beckett and Lackey, I'll say you're nuts and then slap you in the face with a trout. Morneau over Youkilis? The Greek God of Walks for one reason. He's not Canadian. Pretty boy Mauer over V-Mart? Actually, maybe. Hey Joe...I'm recently single, and I totally dig that rustic, woodsy, manly, flyover country thing you have going on. Give me a ring. My Boston blood and New York attitude will be the best experience of your life.
But I digress. I won't bring up how the Twinkies were wicked manhandled like ginger kids on the playground by the Yankees last fall. You see Opening Night? Captain Cheeseburger was done after 5. I believe 8 of the Twins were whiffed by the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man during Game 1 of the ALDS. My Crimson Stockings played tee ball with the Yankee bullpen Monday night. Twinsies were held scoreless for 2 1/3 innings by such fireballers as Phil Coke and the ghost of the fist-pumping [redacted] Joba Chamberlain.
Needless to say, I can't wait till my Dirty Water Red Sox nuke the Twinkies Target Field Inauguration Party. Expect more, pay less indeed. You'll get less too!
And I will close with two words, that trumps every other argument possible in the history of the Universe of the Red Sox forever superiority over the Minnesota Twins: Carl Pavano.
RandBall: OK, first things first. The exact verbiage was this: "I like baseball season speculation, including this: how on earth the Twins have a better lineup than the Red Sox." While it's stunning you heard what you wanted to hear, rather than what was actually said, I would like to steer the conversation back to the lineup (though not before mentioning that Lackey is overpaid/overrated and that the Twins can at least approach the depth and quality of starting pitching 1-5 as your Sawx, especially if any of your fragile porcelain pitchers go down).
