I'm on vacation so you get this collection of random items.
Ozzie Guillen on the fish-like Twins: Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has been known throughout his career for his colorful comments. Several seasons ago, when the Minnesota Twins were still indoors at the Metrodome, Guillen referred to his Central Division rivals as piranhas.
He said, “The way they pitch, watch out. This team beats you so many ways. You wake up, they look like little piranhas. ... All of a sudden, you wake up, (looking at left arm) you ain't got no meat - all those little piranhas. A blooper here, a blooper there, beat out a ground ball then the first baseman hits a home run. Then they're up by four. How the (heck) are they up by four? Then you're down four with that pitching staff, that bullpen? Sit down and look at the lineup. Those little piranhas.”
This season he changed the fish to sardines.
“These are las sardinas (the little sardines) here,” he said about the current edition of the Twins. “They are (bleeping) sardines. You see a bunch of circus midgets out there. But they can play.”
Guillen, after the Twins won 6-2 on Thursday with 12 hits but 11 of them were singles: “They executed everything they had to execute early in the game. Everything. Get on base, steal, move the guy over. Score, steal, move the guy over, score.”
Here is a recent Guillen tweet. “Win or lose my wife still makes me vacuum after game.”
Another Guillen gem. “If you say, 'No comment,' you're guilty of something.”
Blyleven well liked in Minnesota: Why do people love Bert Blyleven? At the annual Harmon Killebrew charity golf tournament an auction was held for an original Killebrew statue. After winning the bid at $10,000, Twins TV analyst Bert Blyleven said he gave it to Killebrew's son, Cam.
The Twins' July 24 game with the Detroit Tigers will be moved from 1 p.m. to 3:10 so fans can view the telecast of the induction of Blyleven into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y., before the game.
Nephew named top rebounder: My brothers and I have talked many times about the “Smith family athletic curse.” It is in the makeup of our genes that we are not fast or able to jump. One of my nephews did manage to sprout up to 6-foot-3 and played high school and community college basketball.
Our best combination for athletes is my youngest brother and his wife. His wife is athletic and brings a few speedy genes to the mixture. They have two boys who play football, basketball and baseball.
I recently attended the open house for one of their sons, Brett Smith, who graduated from Dassel-Cokato High School in Minnesota. An avid basketball and NBA fan since his youth, Brett was a three-year starter on his high school basketball team but alas he only grew to 5-foot-10. A point guard, Brett was a long range shooter who could drive to the basket. He has given up on his NBA dream and probably will not play in college.
At the open house, mementos of his athletic and academic achievements (Presidential Scholarship winner) were laid out on tables.
During the festivities he walked over to me and said, “I've got something to show you.”
He took me to a loaded down table and showed me a plaque he had been awarded as the team's leading rebounder.
I didn't know how to respond because a slender point guard should not be the leading rebounder. I wanted to be positive. I said, “That award must show your ability to make hustle plays and get to the ball.”
He smiled and said, “No, it shows how bad we were at rebounding.”
Brett will attend Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Just as a side note: The real food and drink hit of the party was a keg of root beer on ice. It was delicious.
Early recruit: Kaitlyn Severyn, a sophomore-to-be at Pierre High School this fall has given a verbal commitment to play women's basketball at South Dakota State University, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
The 5-foot-10 Severyn is already a two-year starter for her high school team and is playing with the Dakota Schoolers this summer.
Yogi Berra on adults in baseball: Revered New York Yankees catcher and hall of famer Yogi Berra was quoted in a recent edition of Sports Illustrated as saying that he wishes kids would organize their own games.
When his sons were little and would ask him to play catch, Yogi told them to go play with their brothers. Yogi thinks adults should stay out of the way when it comes to baseball.
Soccer champion's son: Michelle Akers, a member of the U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer Championship team in 1999, talked about her son's baseball team winning a Little League Championship.
“It was so cool because they were just little boys playing and they are so innocent. It was just pure.”
Deb Smith is an American News Sports Writer who can be reached at (605) 622-2311 or dsmith@aberdeennews.com.
