Bert Deserves But Misses by 5 Hall of Fame Votes

Close but no Cigar... YET

Bert Blyleven, who had 287 wins, 3,701 strikeouts and 60 shutouts, missed this year's MLB Hall of Fame by 5 votes. . He had 400 votes (74.2 percent), up from 338 last year, and gets two more tries on the BBWAA ballot. The highest percentage for a player who didn't enter the Hall in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

Next year's vote also will include newcomers Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, John Franco and Kevin Brown.

C'mon voters, get it together and vote for Bert. He deserves Cooperstown!!!

Twins Announce New Logo, Uniforms for Target Field Debut Season

Twins Announce New Logo, Uniforms for Target Field Debut Season

TWINS TO UNVEIL NEW LOOKS FOR INAUGURAL SEASON AT TARGET FIELD

You're invited to join the Twins at the IDS Crystal Court on Monday, November 16 at Noon to witness
the unveiling of new uniforms and logos to be used throughout the Inaugural Season at Target Field.

Players Scott Baker and Denard Span will model new uniforms to be worn by Twins players on the Home Opener
at Target Field and at all Saturday home games as well as a new road uniform. New team marks will also
be shown for the first time. The Twins Inaugural Season collection will be available on twinsbaseball.com
and Twins Pro Shops starting Monday, November 16.

Twins Trade GO GO, for JJ. Not sure I like this

Damn, just when you think the Twins get an excitable player with TONS of potential, and fun to watch, they go and trade him to Milwaukee.

Today about an hour ago the Twins traded Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for SS JJ Hardy. The trade seems to be fair, but I really don't the Twins waited long enough to see Go Go's potential. I was hoping that we would re-sign Orlando Cabrera, and hang on to the speedy little outfielder was honestly one of favorite Twins. It will be hard to see his career evolve in Cheeseheadville.

My opinion on Hardy? Well he has some power, but it is not reliable power. He is closer to Greg Gagne with the glove, but has nothing on O-Cabs all around game. I am not sure I like the trade, but I hope it pans out of course. My first reaction when I heard this was "NOOOOOOOOOOO."


FROM MLB.COM
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

11/06/09 11:58 AM EST

MILWAUKEE -- It didn't take long for the Brewers to make the trade everybody saw coming.

The ticker tape was still falling in Manhattan on Friday when the Brewers dealt shortstop J.J. Hardy, a staple of trade rumors this year, to the Twins for speedy center fielder Carlos Gomez. The move has multiple ramifications:

- It eased the shortstop logjam between Hardy, a former All-Star, and Alcides Escobar, the organization's top prospect, essentially handing the baton to Escobar for 2010.

- It gave the Brewers their center fielder and perhaps their leadoff hitter, making Milwaukee even more unlikely to pursue two of its outgoing free agents. Mike Cameron, who manned center field at Miller Park in each of the past two seasons, and Felipe Lopez, who was excellent in the leadoff hole after a July 2009 trade from Arizona, will probably move on.

- It could allow the Brewers to use second baseman Rickie Weeks in a spot other than leadoff. Weeks has always been viewed as a future run-producer but was forced to the top of the order out of necessity.

Gomez does not turn 24 until next month but has already played parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues. In 348 games, he's a .246 hitter with a .292 on-base percentage, 12 home runs, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in 70 tries.

The Twins acquired Gomez as part of the mega-trade that sent pitcher Johan Santana to the Mets in February 2008, and Gomez made 90 starts as Minnesota's leadoff hitter that year. He hit .258 with 59 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 33 steals, enough to enter 2009 as the Twins' center field incumbent.

He lost the starting job after hitting .195 through the 2009 season's first month and spent the year in a timeshare with Denard Span. For his career, Gomez has made 101 of his 263 starts in the leadoff spot and is just a .240 hitter with a .279 on-base percentage.

Twins manager Rob Gardenhire loved Gomez's speed and his range in center field but conceded before Game 2 of this year's American League Division Series against the Yankees, when Gomez made a start, that his offensive game was a work in progress.

"He irritates people," Gardenhire said. "Sometimes me."

The skipper was asked to expound.

"We've been trying to get him to calm down and get him to control the situations, and sometimes the situation controls him," Gardenhire said. "There are times when, yes, you're like, 'Go-Go, you have to see what we're trying to do here.' We just had a 25-pitch inning from our pitcher, and he goes up and falls down swinging on the first pitch.

"Those things get you irritated as a manager, because we want him to recognize what we're doing in a game. But he can play, and he's fun to watch. He's very, very talented and has a lot to learn, yes, but like I said, when you see him out there in center field covering all that ground and then some of the offensive things that he can do that other people can't do, that's why the guy is in the big leagues."

Hardy, 27, was Milwaukee's second-round Draft pick in 2001 and one of the most popular players at Miller Park. He has been a big league regular since 2005 but is coming off his most trying season, when he batted a career-low .229 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs and drew a surprise demotion to the Minor Leagues on Aug. 12. Hardy was back in the big leagues on Sept. 1, but the Brewers timed the move perfectly, leaving Hardy one day short of the service time he needed to qualify for a full season in the Majors.

As a result, Hardy has an extra year of arbitration and his free agent eligibility was pushed back one year. Minnesota will own his rights through the end of the 2011 season.

Hardy could see a trade coming. With heir apparent Escobar getting a taste of the big leagues in August and September, hitting .304, Hardy said it would "make sense" for the Brewers to trade him. The team tried to trade Hardy in July but pulled back when nobody offered anything better than a bullpen arm.

"They've been waiting on Escobar a couple of years now and there have been all the trade rumors," Hardy said on Sept. 1. "I guess if both of us are going to be in the big leagues, it will have to be on separate teams."

The Brewers and Twins are so-called super-rivals in Interleague Play and will see each other twice once again in 2010, from May 21-23 in Minnesota and June 22-24 at Miller Park.

Kirby Puckett called his shot in Game 6 of 1991 World Series

Minnesota Twins' Kirby Puckett reacts after hitting a solo home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 to win the game and tie up the World Series against the Atlanta Braves in Minneapolis in this Oct. 26, 1991 file photo. (Associated Press: Jim Mone, file)
It's unclear whether the New York Yankees' Babe Ruth actually called the historic home run he hit off the Chicago Cubs' Charlie Root in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field.

The legend — or myth — remains an enchanting part of baseball lore.

Now, it turns out, Kirby Puckett actually did call his famed homer in the 1991 World Series for the Minnesota Twins against the Atlanta Braves at the Metrodome.

Terry Crowley, in town this week as hitting coach of the Baltimore Orioles, was a Twins coach from 1991-98. With the Twins moving outdoors to Target Field next season, Wednesday was Crowley's final visit to the Metrodome.

He has a special memory: Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, when Puckett's famous 11th-inning, walk-off home run advanced the Twins to Game 7, which they won.

Nicknamed "Crow," Crowley was among the first people Puckett eagerly embraced on the field after the historic clout to left field.

There was a reason, and most people were not aware.

"On some replays of the tape, if the crowd noise is diminished," Crowley said, "you can hear Puckett tell me, 'I told you so, Crow.' "

Just before Puckett went to bat against Charlie Leibrandt, he told Crowley he was about to end the game with a home run.

"Puckett told me, 'Crow, if they leave Leibrandt in there, this game is over,' " Crowley said. "That's the God's honest truth. That's fact, and that happened. If you listen (to the tape), he gives me a hug and says,

'Crow, I told you.' And I said, 'Yeah, you did.'
"That was the high point in that World Series; that was a do-or-die game."

Puckett's pal and teammate Kent Hrbek said Wednesday he couldn't recall Puckett specifically forecasting the homer. But he also said it wouldn't surprise him.

"You know Puck, how he liked to talk," Hrbek said. "He was always saying, 'Jump on, I'm driving this bus.' He talked like that all the time. But he had the guts to back it up.

"I do remember they put Leibrandt to pitch to him, and I don't know why."

Puckett was prescient in Game 6 of 1991 Series
By Charley Walters
cwalters@pioneerpress.com

The Battle of Ex Twins

Interesting blog about ex Twins and how they would fare as an existing team.

Twins release 2009 Homer Hanky

The Minnesota Twins are bringing back the popular Homer Hanky for the 2009 playoffs.

The team is selling the Homer Hankies for $2 each at its Twins Pro Shop retail stores in Apple Valley, Minnetonka and Roseville, while supplies last. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Minnesota Twins Community Fund, the Twins’ nonprofit organization.

The Twins also sold Homer Hankies during their World Series runs in 1987 and 1991, as well as other recent postseason appearances in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. They are produced in partnership with the Star Tribune.

The Twins, who clinched the American League Central Division title on Tuesday, begin the playoffs Wednesday evening on the road against the New York Yankees.

Quiet Drive Lead Singer to Sing Last Twins Anthem for Regular Season at Dome

FROM VICTORIA ADVOCATE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Quietdrive frontman Kevin Truckenmiller could become a footnote in Minnesota Twins' record books.

Truckenmiller is set to sing the national anthem Sunday at the Twins' last scheduled game at the Metrodome, against Kansas City. Next spring the Twins move to the new Target Field in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

Truckenmiller's appearance comes the day before Quietdrive performs a free acoustic set for fans Monday at Best Buy in Roseville. The Twin Cities band is launching a 29-city U.S. tour to promote a new seven-track EP, "Close Your Eyes," followed by a second tour of Japan in 2010.

Crazy Ass Office Talk; People Hoping the Twins Lose out & Trade Morneau?

It never fails.

Just when you think you have seen and heard enough stupid in your lifetime, some idiot across my cube at work blurts out to a co-worker:

"Oh my, I sure hope the Twins don't win out this weekend and make the playoffs, wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because then Bill Smith will feel empowered, and stick to his guns, believing that Twins won't have to go out and pay for talent. They are cheap ya know?"

"Well.."

"You know what else? They should trade Morneau now when they can. He will never sign with the Twins once they have to pay for Mauer."

Conversations like this are wrong and without merit. But Twins fans, they happen pretty much happen everyday. When I hear junk like this, all I say is...

"Are you guys a special kind of baseball dumb?"

No Smoking in the Metrodome

This is link to a really cool blog "No Smoking in the Metrodome"

The blog touts itself as "Twins in short form"

READ IT

Save the Metrodome

From Sullybaseball Blog in 2008:
"I know it sounds crazy, defending the single most maligned stadium in the game, but I say there is a place for it and a real group of reasons to keep it as the home of the Twins.

Indulge me! (READ MORE)

40% of The Top Ten DH of All Time Were Twins!

According to the baseballpage.com, 4 of the Top 10 Designated Hitters of All-Time were Minnesota Twins!

The greatest was Paul Molitor who ranked first, followed by David Ortiz at # 4, Don Baylor at #6 and Chilli Davis at #10.

Of course, it's unusual that Molitor is the only former Twin to not have a World Series ring. Ortiz got 2 rings with the Red Sox (and is on "the list") in '04 & '07. Baylor and Davis got their rings with the Twins in 1987, and 1991, respectively.

The list:

1. Paul Molitor
2. Frank Thomas
3. Edgar Martinez
4. David Ortiz
5. Harold Baines
6. Don Baylor
7. Hal McRae
8. Brian Downing
9. Andre Thornton
10. Chili Davis

Kevin Youkilis Can't Fight

Wow, I just saw footage of Kevin Youkilis Boston Red Sox getting beaned by Rick Porcello from the Detroit Tigers. Yooouk took off and rushed the mound, throwing his helmet at the young Tiger pitcher.

I laughed, when Yuk tried to tackle the the pitcher, who dodged him like an aged NFL running back with torn knees, and ended up underneath him. Dude, you just got punked!!!

Carl Pavano No Fan of Joe Torre For Sure

From: A Cleveland Indians Blog called Waiting for Next Year, in a story posted in February 2009, New Twins pitcher Carl Pavano was identified by former Yankees Manager Joe Torre as a "slacker."

" According to Torre and other sources, Pavano was not only hurt most of the time, but his teammates hated him."

According to the book, In 2006, Torre reportedly invited Pavano to join the team on its last trip of that spring training so that all the players would have an opportunity to confront Pavano about how much they didn’t like him and thought he was milking his injury time. According to Torre, the Yankees teammates didn’t even care enough to confront Pavano at that point.

Bullpen catcher Mike Borzello recounted this gem about Derek Jeter giving Pavano the proverbial business.

“Guys on that team despised him. One day Jeet walked by him and said, ‘Hey, Pav. You ever going to play? Ever?’ Wow. That was a damaging comment, coming from Jeter. He didn’t say a whole lot, but when he said something like that, it was pretty piercing.”

Pavano's Response?

“I am extremely disappointed that someone I had a lot of respect for would make these type of comments in his upcoming book,” “I wish nothing but the best for Joe Torre and my former Yankee teammates, but with that said it does explain why I haven’t received any Christmas cards from Joe the last few years.”

Carl Pavano May Be the Luckiest and the Stupidest Man Alive

The Minnesota Twins acquired right-hander Carl Pavano from the Indians on Friday in exchange for a player to be named later. Pavano, 33, was 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA in 21 starts for Cleveland, allowing 150 hits with 23 walks and 88 strikeouts. He pitched six or more innings in 14 of his 21 starts and seven or more in seven of his starts.

With the news that the Twins acquired Carl Pavano from the Indians, I did a little web search and discovered that the former Yankee pitcher has had some "hits" and "strikeouts" with some All-Star ladies. None of this is confrmed fact, but it's the crap that people like to read, so here goes

From April 4th, 2009, Surviving Grady Red Sox Blog:
Carl Pavano May Be the Luckiest and the Stupidest Man Alive
If Carl Pavano seemed a bit, er, distracted during Monday's opener in the Bronx, he had pretty good reason. According to the New York Post, he'd been dumped by his super-freaking-hot girlfriend, model Gia Allemand, just a few days earlier.

The reason? According to Allemand, Pavano -- who's already been up close and personal with Alyssa Milano's spectacular knockers -- just couldn't keep his hands off other women. Allemand yesterday declined to discuss what led to their breakup.

But in an upcoming issue of Steppin' Out magazine, the curvaceous beauty says she dumped Pavano, 31, because he played the field despite her dedication to his comeback effort.

After weeks of trying to patch things up, the sizzling Queens native finally decided to call it quits.

"I was the one that trained him and got him there all year," she told Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden.

"I stood by him and didn't work so I could help him out, and he cheats on me. Nice, right?"Still, Gia's apparently keeping Pavano's well-being front and center:
Allemand insisted she doesn't want to cause any headaches for Pavano. She'll still be in Las Vegas when the Yankees take the field in The Bronx against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Monday.

"That's our personal life. I don't think it needs to be in the paper," she said. "I don't want this to distract him at all."
I'm no fan of Pavano's, but I will say this: when your life has reached the point that screwing Gia Allemand actually becomes boring, you're leading a pretty f--king charmed existance.

Twins Acquire Orlando Cabrera

From the Star & Tribune: The Twins and A’s have agreed to a deal sending shortstop Orlando Cabrera and cash from Oakland in return for infield prospect Tyler Ladendorf. Landendorf, 21, was a top prospect who hit more than .400 at Rookie League Elizabethton (Tenn.) before being promoted to Class A Beloit, where he’s batting .233 in 15 games. Ladendorf was a second round pick in 2008 after a prolific junior college run. Cabrera is expected to be ready for Saturday's game at the Metrodome against the Angels. Cabrera is a two-time Gold Glove award winner and played for the Red Sox when they won the 2004 World Series. The 34-year-old is hitting .280 with four home runs this season, including a .373 average in July

Puck and the Watertown, SD VFW Hat

by Mookie The Twins Freak
***I Wrote this back in 2001, and just stumbled upon it again. One of many reasons why Kirby Puckett was so beloved by Twins fans and the baseball world. This baseball story is just one of the thousands of fan interactions with the Puck.***

It was toward the end of 1986 and I was sitting in an almost empty dome in the first row right by the Twins bullpen in Section 134 of the Metrodome. The Twins were just finishing up with their pre-game batting practice and I was in earshot of the players as they strolled around the left field area, stretching and doing wind sprints.

Most of the players had already worked their way back to the Twins 3rd base dugout, but as I looked straight ahead, I saw the "Puck" walking slowly toward me and I just could not resist.

"Hey PUCK!" I barked out to him, waving non-chalantly to him as he walked by.

"Hey! Hey! Whats UP my man?" he replied much to my astonishment as he changed direction and was suddenly walking right up to me as if I was an old friend. I was shocked by the fact that after all these years of waving and yelling salutations to Major League players from the stands, that one had actually come up to talk to me. Kirby was smiling and reached up to me as he came to end of the field nearest the stands.

"Where are you from with that hat on?" he asked in reference to my red hat which I was wearing at the dome that day.

"Oh this hat, this is my VFW team from back in Watertown South Dakota," I responded nervosuly taking the hat off to confirm that it was indeed my red hat, and not some other one"

"Well, do you want me to sign it,?" Kirby suggested as he reached towards me expecting that it was an autograph for which I had beckoned him. In fact, that thought had not crossed my mind and I was caught completely off guard by this young Twin's willingness to come over to just say "hi."

"Ah, sure... ah ya...here!" I handed him my hat, absent of having anything else for him to sign. Being a poor college student on a restricted budget it was all I could do to afford the Twins ticket and Metro Transit roundtrip bus ticket from my St. Paul campus. I did not have the money to buy a game day scorecard, yearbook, media guide or new Twins hat.

Puck looked over my sweaty hat for for a split second and then nailed me with the ultimate stumper question.

"Ah, man, you got a PEN or sharpie or something?" I was even more embarrased to admit to this potential MVP candidate, who was on the verge of finishing the season with over a .320 average and 30 plus homers, that I indeed did not have a writing utensil.

"No, I ah... actually don't have anything that writes." For some reason, I turned flush red with inadaquecy. It felt like I was taking a test that I did not study for, and I just wanted to take my "C-" grade and run. I could just feel the lost opportunity fading away. I was sure in my mind that Puck would just walk away and leave me with no proof of this brief and completely unexpected act of rare gratuity from a Major League Baseball MVPcandidate.
"Hey, that's okay man, just wait it out a few seconds here and this area down here (he pointed to the first row) will be full of kids who want autographs. We'll just steal one of their pens okay?" Puck then laughed at his own joke, roaring with that boisterous giggle that all Twins fans would grow to love over the next decade. I laughed with him and he then proceeded to strike up a conversation as if we were old friends from Chicago

"So how did our VFW in Watertown do this year,?" he asked as if genuinely cared. I literally could not believe what I was hearing. Kirby Puckett was going out of his way to make sure that not only would I get an autograph, but he was was polite enough to care about me and the team I had coached all summer! I don't even remember what I told him about the VFW team, but with just those few words and interaction, this man had won a fan for life. In my book, from this point in 1986, Mr. Kirby Puckett could do no wrong in his baseball career.

Within seconds just as Puck predicted, several kids were all over the area and they did indeed have pens. Kirby jokinly taunted me as he inked his signature onto that ratted out VFW hat,

"See, I told you they would have a pen for you, and it's even a good one...a sharpie!," he laughed in that now trademarked bubbly Hall of Fame laugh. He handed me the hat and I felt like that kid in the Coca Cola Mean Joe Green Jersey commercial. All I could say was thanks and Puck just nodded as he was now surrounded by several kids.

As I walked away with my new autograph, I could see #34 smiling and laughing and teasing the kids as signed what looked like thousands of autographs. I could hear high pitched screams of delight as kids would chirp out his name and beg for his attention. I watched Kirby walk down the the left field fence toward the Twins clubhouse, all the while he was laughing that laugh, and schmoozing with his adoring fans. He made them all feel good, if only for that brief moment.

Kirby signed for every single person he saw, and it all started because I waved at him and said, "Hey Puck!" I realize of course that it really wasn't because me that started that autograph session that day, it could have been anybody. I saw Kirby repeat that rutual almsot everytime I went to a Twins game and each time it made me realize how truly special this ballplayer was.

Kirby IS baseball in Minnesota. His accolades on the field, and induction to Cooperstown are all just confirmation of what we Twins fans have experienced all along. Kirby had many VFW hat days with many Twins fans over the years and each time, Puck added a more important stat to his resume. That stat is probably more significant then any other that will reside at Cooperstown. It's called "Fans Won Over" and includes the adoration and undying loyalty of fans who are respected by a player.

It is "PUCK" who goes into Coopertsown with the highest FWO stat because that is who is, was and always will be; a Hall of Famer with baseball talent, and a Human being with a heart of gold.

God Bless the Puck!

Bert Deserves the Hall of Fame Vote

Dedicated to Bert 'Be Home' Blyleven and his legion of fans!

The first time I witnessed Bert Blyleven, the non-pitcher, the prankster in action was on TV when a local station.
In the segment, it showed Bert doing crazy things like giving "rookies the hot shoe" and making weird faces, and wearing goofy glasses. There has to be that type of player on every team. The guy that keeps thing loose, and makes everybody around him less tense. Personally, I think baseball sticks it's nose up to these type of players, and that isn't fair. It might be the reason that the snobby league has kept this great player out of the Hall of Fame.

How can you not like a guy that pranks Sid Hartman every chance he gets? When I worked for the Twins in 1998, I remember a time, hours before a game when Sid was sitting at homeplate, watching the Twins Take Batting practice in an empty, tomblike Metrodome. I was sitting the stands, awaiting my instructions for the evening with the rest of the fan accomodations crew, when we saw Bert sneaking down the stairs behind Sid.

He gave us the "shh" sign, and pulled out a lighter as he approached the old Star Trib Sports columnist. He had the funniest, evil grin on his face as he pulled out a whole pack of Black Cat Firecrackers, and lit a long fuse. Tossing the pack a few rows behind Sid, he dashed out up the stairs as the noise started. Sid jumped straight up in his seat, and all the Twins players stopped their activities cold, to see what was going on.

As soon as people saw Bert running, they all laughed. It was great.

Bert Should be in the Hall of Fame

• 287 wins - 24th on the All-Time list.
  
• 250 loses - 10th on the All-Time list.
  
• 4,970 innings pitched - 13th on the All-Time list.
  
• 3,701 strikeouts - 5th on the All-Time list.
  
• 685 career starts - 8th on the All-Time list.
  
• 242 Complete games - 90th on the All-Time list.
  
• 60 shutouts - 9th on the All-Time list.
  
• Did you know that Bert Blyleven won fifteen games by the score of 1-0? Did you know that only two other major league pitchers have won more 1-0 games and they are hall of famer Walter Johnson and hall of famer Christy Mathewson?
  
• Bert Blyleven won major league games before he turned twenty and he won major league games after he turned forty — a durability "club" that includes only Herb Pennock & Mike Morgan.
  

Man dies after fight at Angel Stadium on opening day

This is sad, and just another reminder to ALL you sports fans out there: YOU DON'T PLAY THE GAME, YOU WATCH IT, YOU SHARE THE EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER FANS, and without a team to play against there would be no sports. RESPECT EACH OTHER'S DIFFERENCES, enjoy the game. It's life, and it's not worth taking over a sports game. C'mon...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A man involved in a fight at Angel Stadium on opening day has died.

Police said Brian Powers, 27, of Buena Park, Calif., died Wednesday at a hospital. No arrests have been made.

Angels spokesman Tim Mead said the fight occurred Monday night shortly after the game between the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. Witnesses told police the man was fighting with someone when a third person came from behind and punched the victim in the head. The man fell and hit his head on a concrete step near a stairwell.

Police are unsure what led to the fight and who started it.

East Bound & Down: Nothing Like Twins Baseball, but fun as Heck!

I just finished watching a season of East Bound and Down on HBO and I have to admit, I enjoyed the F'n sh*t out of it. Kenny Powers would not make a good Minnesota Twin, but it's fun watching him be John Rocker like on a TV series. Surfing the web, I found the following article that gave a great review of the series, and thought I would share it.

LIFE ON THE COUCH: Blue-collar 'Eastbound & Down' riotously funny

Getting a series on the air is hard enough. Trying to make one that defines an era? That's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. (Which, coincidentally, is how my cousin Stevie died.)

It's almost always just a case of good timing. "Miami Vice" borrowed much of its style from MTV just as the music channel's popularity was exploding. Premiering less than two months after Sept. 11, 2001, made Jack Bauer's fight against the terrorists on "24" feel that much sweeter. And "thirtysomething" would have been canceled before its first commercial break were it not for a large, untapped pool of similarly self-obsessed yuppies.

Which brings us to "Eastbound & Down" (10:30 p.m. today, HBO).

I'm sure its creators -- actor Danny McBride and his collaborators from the cult favorite "The Foot Fist Way" -- never set out to make anything deeper than a gut-bustingly funny comedy.

But the blue-collar series -- which focuses on Kenny Powers (McBride), an obnoxious, washed-up relief pitcher forced to move in with his brother's family and take a job teaching P.E. at the North Carolina middle school he attended, just so he can have wages that can be garnisheed -- feels a lot more relevant than it would have a year ago.

Although unlike most Americans who've recently experienced hard times, Powers contributed to his downfall. After gracing magazine covers from High Times to Highlights, the fireballer -- think John Rocker meets John Daly -- started treating his career the way he treated his mullet: neglecting the business in the front and focusing on the party in the back. Before long, a series of unfortunate comments about Jews, gays and blacks, combined with his rapidly diminishing fastball, led to his release.

Powers is a star-making turn for McBride, who's coming off high-profile supporting roles in "Tropic Thunder" and "Pineapple Express" and can be seen in June's "Land of the Lost" alongside "Eastbound" executive producer Will Ferrell. In fact, take away most of the F-bombs that Powers rains down on anyone and everyone in his life and this could have been yet another sports movie starring Ferrell, who guest stars in next Sunday's episode.

It's those F-bombs, though, as vital to Powers as the prized Jet Ski he tows behind his pickup wherever he goes, that make "Eastbound" particularly tough to write about. Replacing them with "(expletive)" just gets boring after a while, and it looks bad to children. (And believe me, in this day and age, any young person reading a newspaper is worth protecting.)

In that spirit, from here on out, that particular vulgarity will be replaced with something more kid-friendly. As in, Powers' catchphrase from his playing days was "You're (puppy)in' out!" Or that he regularly listens to drawled snippets from his autobiographical audiobook along the lines of "I'm the man who has the ball, I'm the man who can throw it faster than (a unicorn), so that is why I'm better than everyone in the world." Or that the book's title is "You're (Ice cream)in' Out, I'm (Rainbows)in' In."

This isn't to say that Powers is a bad guy -- the fact that he drinks while driving and throws his empties out the window, snorts coke, and tries to order a hooker over the phone from his brother's living room do that -- it's just to say he's a little, well, rough around the edges.

Which is probably why he regales his nephews with the story of how their now straight-laced dad used to beat up a pair of retarded brothers. Or why, when he finds out his niece was named Rose after Kate Winslet's character in "Titanic," he explodes. "Y'all named your daughter after (a Jonas Brother)in' 'Titanic'? Oh, wow. ... What's his name?" Powers asks, referring to his nephew. "(Another Jonas Brother)in' Shrek?"

I'm sure I'm not doing the series justice. In less capable hands, Powers would be an offensive, unwatchable mess. But McBride is funny, riotously so, in a primal, visceral way that's usually relegated to "Jackass" stunts or "America's Funniest Home Videos" clips of babies falling over.

And, sure, maybe I'm reading too much into this. Maybe decades from now Powers won't be remembered as some sort of foul-mouthed Tom Joad for this pending depression.

All I know is, "Eastbound & Down," with its above-ground pool and its Southern- and blues-rock soundtrack, is way easier to relate to now than, say, "Gossip Girl," considering that what's left of my 401(k) not only wouldn't pay those kids' bar tab on a given night, it would barely cover the tip.

And for the time being anyway, Kenny Powers, as his book-on-tape suggests, is (the cast of "High School Musical")in' in.

Christopher Lawrence's Life on the Couch column appears on Sundays. E-mail him at clawrence@reviewjournal.com.