Cell Phones Cause Cancer

Well... great.

A new study by the World Health Organization found that cell phones could possibly cause cancer.

When will we learn to stop inventing things that could cause cancer? In the past, ignorance was bliss and meant enormous profits, but haven't we experienced enough 'negatives outweigh the positives' to know we might want to put a little more effort in to product R&D?

See: cigarettes and atom bomb

There are an estimated 5 billion cell users; 3/4 of the world's population wields a super-smart walkie talkie. These guys have been on the scene since the 1970s and we still have no conclusive evidence as to whether or not cell phones cause cancer. Ever heard of the precautionary principle? Apparently neither has the inventor of cell phones.

Guess there is no going back from here... maybe instead of focusing on the research as to whether or not cells cause cancer, maybe we should be funding cancer-curing research? Just a thought.

I suppose we do have to take in to account the $14 trillion deficit.

Final Moments in LSAT Preparation

The time is winding down on my 6-month study hiatus. In one week I will have completed my LSAT examination and already have 24 hours of celebrating under my belt (18 if you subtract the time I will be in class actively not celebrating).

Thinking about next Tuesday brings me a huge feeling of relief. Don't get me wrong, I am nervous for the test, but not in ways you might think. I am not nervous for the questions - I know them. I am not nervous because of the stress - I have been stressed for months and have been able to manage it. No, I am nervous for what comes after the test. Logical reasoning, strategic reading and logic games have been my life for half a year now. When was the last time you were committed to anything for that long that 1) isn't caffeine and 2) you weren't financially compensated for.

When those 3 aspects are cut from my life after a four hour period during which I reach the upper epsilons of what the human brain can handle (this is actually true by the way) I might feel a little lost... I can't tell you the hours I have logged in the library pouring over inferences, paradoxes, assumptions and the like. The meltdowns that have ensued from and the time consumed by topic, scope, purpose and main idea. Or the actual enjoyment I get from solving sequencing, distribution and selection games.

While I am nervous, I am also excited. I can't wait to visit schools, apply to those school and start living my future.

In the meantime though, it seems as if I may need a hobby.

Reading Keeps My Mind off the Twins

I need a break from writing about the Twins because they are breaking my heart.


I recently just finished, for the second time, the Hunger Games series. The series is fantastic and I've never read anything like it -- I can't wait for the movie to come out in 2012. I have to say that is a generous graduation present from Suzanne Collins.

Unfortunately, after finishing such a great series, its always most difficult to move on and read a book that even compares... especially if you are looking to stick within the same genre. I have been searching Amazon.com high and low for a book that interests me enough to download it to my kindle. So far, I have had no luck. I'm picky in what I read, most likely because I have so little time to do it.

I won't pay the standard $7-10 price for a kindle book that is less than 250 pages-- it isn't practical. I'm not proposing books be priced on a variable basis consistent relative to the number of pages, but I can't say that's a bad idea... though Harry Potter VII would have cost a small fortune.

Speaking of, while I bide my time and conduct a thorough search through the libraries of Amazon, I have been rereading HP VII in preparation for the part II release due in theaters July 15th. I realize I am premature, but I'm kind of in a bind as far as decent literature goes.

I suppose I'll eventually have to break down and purchase something without knowing I'll certainly like it... but not without a trip to Barnes and Noble!

If you have any reading suggestions for me... please comment! I would love to hear what you have to say.

My Moral Compass

I think you can justify a lot... if not everything. Maybe its the lawyer thing, my lack of a moral compass, but justification comes quickly to me. Sometimes, I may even agree with a person, though I argue for another point just for arguments sake. Call me a devil's advocate.

You can justify a lot.

Whether it is fortunate (for those of you who think I am on par with some of the infamous and evil people of the world) or unfortunate (which is my belief), I just had my first Business Ethics course at St. Thomas. This course is designed to pomote the ethical thinking within the business world and our lives.

After the first class, I'm fairly certain my teacher thinks I am a malignant drain on the goodness of society and that my moral compass points due south to Hades.

Have you read the Parable of the Sadhu? If not: long story short, there is a group of businessmen on a six month sabbatical in which they are climbing a mountain. These men are confronted with the precarious situation in which, while climbing the mountain they meet a naked Sadhu man struggling with hypothermia. Do the men leave the man behind for potential death or do they backtrack their once-in-a-lifetime journey to potentially save his life.

We, as students, laid out the criteria of which a person is responsible for another human. After a scant number of comments generally stating what the men did was wrong, leaving the man behind for, what was now exaggerated as certain death, was wrong. I was the person who raised their hand and asserted, according to the criteria (that I didn't even necessarily agree with -- it seemed too liberal), there was no obligation to save the man and that, while not only being a risk to the businessmen, to help the Sadhu could be doing him a disservice as he was on a spiritual journey and experienced in what he was doing. I reasoned that I was talking a utilitarian approach in maximizing the overall utility within the group.

My professor stared at me with shock and even mild concern (whether it was concern for my future or the well being of his students trapped in the room with a person like me, I don't think I'll ever know). Following, he addressed the class and asked if someone had a counter-view or comment about what I said.

Crickets. No one countered or commented. Does that redeem my classmates in my eyes? I don't know. They could have been silent out of fear of confrontation or, perhaps I persuaded them to see my side. Either way, I don't know their overall opinions and that seems like the ultimate form of ineffective discussion and communication.

Even if I am a moral-less student soon to be banished to the dark unknown, at least I can go out with enough honesty and backbone to assert my opinion.

I can't wait to start the group project for that class... seems fun. Right.

Proud to be a Politician

A democracy, a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in life-affecting decisions, is said to be the ultimate form of governing. The United States is democratic.

Can the form of government withstand the improprieties of the politicians who maneuver it?

Just in the past week or two, several U.S. and foreign politicians have hit the spotlight because of their less-than-political propositions. Here are a few:

Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently discovered to have followed in the unsavory footsteps of former President Bill Clinton when he had an affair "because he could". Schwarzenegger looked close to home for a sexual adventure with his family's housekeeper, which seems so traditional, despite the fact he is married. Men in power love women without none. Employer-employee relationships are the things of movies and, more often than not, those type of movies are based on real life.

The only stray from Clinton's "because I could" fairytale is Schwarzenegger's love child (as far as we know). This complicating, but not unusual factor became the limelight of the spotlight on California's former governor because the he deliberately tried to hide the child's identity and relationship to himself.

Sarah Palin recently just made a documentary. We aren't talking the stuff of Al Gore either. The documentary appears to be solely about herself... which is modest. Modesty, for me isn't the issue however, who cares really? My issue is that it is a documentary about herself and that worries me because I do not want Sarah Palin to further attempt movie stardom. It is bad enough she conducts all these interviews and we have to hear about them... I don't want to pop on IMBD one day to see she has landed a lead role in some romantic-comedy.

As much as I don't want Palin in politics, I would rather her there than on the Big Screen... at least we can hope Americans will be smart enough to not vote her in to anything ever again. Hmm... maybe that previous statement should be reversed and we should be hope Americans are thrifty enough to not see one of her hypothetical movies...

John Edwards may face charges for the illegal use of campaign funds to cover up an illegitimate love child (I do not necessarily understand that expression - to be an illegitimate child I feel like you have to be oh so close to human, but not quite there... like an ape... to be illegitimate) and affair. I see a theme trending.

My question is... should we care about the lives of politicians outside of their job: politics?

Does the mismanagement of their personal lives reflect the potential for their careers, and in turn our country, to spiral out of control as well? OR: Do we leave home at home, in Palin's case the igloo at the igloo, and the office at the office? Do politicians have the ability to compartmentalize their indiscretions in a way that it won't affect there work, meaning the American people should only focus on the politicians political assets or not?

Back when Brett Favre's scandal was at the height of its career, I instructed fans to separate his poor off-the-field choices from his playing career. I stand by that decision, but also think his decisions off the field are not ones that would affect the decisions he makes on the field, nor would it affect the fans.

In the case of politicians, the blackmail that could potentially accompany infidelity could affect the decisions of politicians and citizens. A little bargaining power in favor of the one who 'knows' could go a long way.

The poor decisions these people make outside of the office reflect on their character and their character embodies through and through the types of choices they make in any situation. There is no line between home and the office for politicians.

As for politicians hitting the silver screen... unless you are doing it for the betterment of the country, its citizens or the world... its not considered multitasking. It is considered you not having enough passion for your political career that you must venture off in to the world of Hollywood. Why should we vote for you if your passion does not lie with the betterment of America?

Minnesota Twins: Who is to Blame?

The current Minnesota Twins team is the worst in Twins history, with the only team even coming close to how bad these guys are was in 1982 when they went 60-102 -- a .370 winning percentage. Right now, the Twins are boasting a .341 winning percentage.

Not only are we the worst in Twins history, but we have the worst record in baseball.

Since Ron Gardenhire, who won manager of the year last year, took over as manager in 2002, the Twins have only had one losing season which took place in 2007.

The next 20 games are becoming increasingly critical as the Twins look to win another ALC Division Title.

In 2011, Murphy's law applies in that everything that could go wrong, will and has gone wrong and, while pointing fingers is never fun and almost always done by artificial hypocrites, I find that I probably am not personally to blame and, therefore, am exempt. Let us take an in-depth look at who really is to blame.


Ron Gardenhire.

Is Gardenhire to blame? As the old saying goes, 'you can't fire the team', but can we really blame a manger with a .545 winning percentage -- a coach with a winning percentage better than Harris' (.485) or Kelly's (.478).

Perhaps expectations are greater because of Gardenhire's success. While that doesn't seem very fair, I guess we aren't in the business of being fair... have you seen the Yankee's payroll lately?

One critical aspect that I have noticed is all the Twins injuries. Yes, we have been plagued by them again this year, but in the past Gardy has always managed to work with such injuries and manage around them. I'm not sure if that is the case.

It is easy to blame the manager. However, I don't. Gardenhire has always been a players-manager and there has got to be behind-the-scenes happenings that such fans like myself aren't privy to. We can't blame Gardenhire.

Rick Anderson

The Twins are without the services of Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch, who combined to appear in 204 games in the 2010 season. The 4.75 combined ERA for the Twinks starters is the second worst since pitching coach Rick Anderson joined the team in 2002 with Gardenhire.

However, in the bullpen alone, the 5.34 ERA is more than a full run higher than the 3.97 ERA of the 2004 Twins team... which is the next highest.

The return of Joe Nathan (who I almost allotted his own category) has not worked out like anyone thought. I respect the way the team has handled Nathan. More often than not Nathan has given up runs, but the team keeps him in because, without the confidence that results from working through tough situations, Nathan will fast become fruitless.

I would like to see more Anderson magic, as I'm sure he would like to see more bullpen talent. I can't point my finger at Anderson.

Bill Smith

Since taking over for Terry Ryan as the Twins GM in 2007, the Twins payroll has increased almost exponentially from $71 million to $112 million -- from 18th highest to ninth.

Do Smith and the Twins know how to spend money wisely?

I will concede that Bill Smith would have been run out of town, if not the state had he not signed hometown hero Joe Mauer to such a lucrative deal.

Further, I must submit that we cannot blame Smith for the decline in Twins pulling their weight in hitting, but we can address the issue of off-season bullpen assembly.

Additionally, the Minnesota Twins farm system, which has always been a symbol of pride for the organization and a money-generating machine, has dwindled in talent.

No longer are the farm system or bullpen reliable. Do we blame Bill Smith for this?


My point is... it is very easy to blame the coaching staff and front office. But with epically disastrous season plaguing the Twins thus far, there is no doubt in my mind that we cannot blame one person; no one person can be responsible for all this destruction.

For me, this season started with Spring Training. That's intuitive, right? Seasons are marked by the start of Spring Training, but what I am actually referencing is how our missteps began that early.

If we must blame someone (which I'm not certain we have to)...

Justin Morneau missed almost all of spring training -- perhaps he could have smoothed out the his current trouble with normally-easily-hit pitches sooner than later, with 1/4 of a season gone.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka barely played in games with any sort of consistency while in Ft. Myers -- its likely he would have learned that American baseball differs than that of Japan's in our sliding techniques. He could have developed the habit of moving out of the way of runners like Nick Swisher.

Michael Cuddyer missed most of Spring Training with a painful wart on his foot -- this is common sense. If you have something wrong that will likely disable your ability to play, see a doctor before Spring Training. Its likely Cuddyer wouldn't have started off so slow, utilizing the month of April as his own version of Spring Training.

Joe Mauer and his bi-lateral leg weakness -- I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

It is easy to blame the coaches and front office. However, its much more fitting to blame the boys who are the face of the organization. Morneau, Cuddy and Mauer have made this team what they are over the past few years and I can't help but feel disappointment in their severely lacking performance this season.

For the fans and for the team... please figure out a way to pull things together. Even for die-hard fans like myself, this season is on the brink of unbearable.

Until then, I'm going to think about how good the Twins could be and, perhaps will be soon or next year. This is still Twins Territory.

Three-Peat

The Minnesota Twins (15-27) are one game short of reaching their season-high of four consecutive wins. I say that for those of you who have stopped watching... those of us who have remained faithful couch potatoes perched in front of the flat screen know the Twins have just won three in a row.

The former group of bandwagon, fair-weather-fans should be ashamed of themselves.

The Twins are left, barely above water, with 15 games below the break-even mark. They also hold a minus-81 run differential with the next-worst team boasting a minus-53. The Twins have the games largest division deficit at 12 1/2 games, the fewest home wins and an offense that regularly scores three runs or less. Yes, the Minnesota Twins have the worst record in the American League and, just as you would expect, none of us hard-working Minnesotans feel bad for them.

However, the Twins hold an attitude that says their last place, sub-par status is anything but permanent. You fans that have bailed, joined the Indians' bandwagon, maybe started following Tiger Woods' impending demise... be ashamed. When Morneau starts hitting regularly, Nishioka can walk on both his legs, Mauer plays and Plouffe starts consistently making throws within this zip code... you'll be the ones with your heads drooped, avoiding all eye contact. You'll be embarrassed at yourselves.

I, probably more than anyone I know, am excited about this potential season turnaround, but I also understand this isn't the most important Twins news.

Harmon Killebrew. No matter how well the Twins are doing, how well or poorly they finish, we will always remember this season as the season that baseball lost one of the greats.

Killebrew didn't give up his fight with cancer easily and we should take a page from his epic book. When times are tough, take hold of the deepest strength you can muster and push forward. Take tough times in stride and be the most admirable person you can be.

Remember Harmon Killebrew. Play for Harmon Killebrew. Win for him.

Let's Pretend Dating is a Sport

For the purposes of this post... let's pretend dating is a sport -- that makes the post work-related.

Besides... you can't really disqualify dating as a sport based on its lacking of physical betterment. Us girls always do the extra crunch before a big date and I'm sure the guys throw in a few more push-ups in their workout... not to mention, kissing can burn 120-325 calories per minute (depending on how intensely you pucker up).

Why is dating a sport? Because I need to rant about the semi-date I just went on...

My connection with this guy (who I will refer to as Guy) began a while back while I was studying for a month in Hawaii. Pay attention: this becomes a key detail later. Coincidentally... he was in Hawaii as a full-time student there, but, like me, is from Minnesota. Seems like happy luck.

Now, the January I speak of is January 2010. We have talked on and off since then, while maintaining our own lives on, basically, two different continents (like that UST geography?). He has asked me out several times, but I everything has always seemed to fall through.

Guy recently returned to the mainland for the summer and our talking became 'on' again. He invited me out for coffee, which some of you may know is my kryptonite, so I accepted. How bad could it be right? Besides, as one of my friends explained... I'm bound to get a free White Mocha out of the deal regardless.

We agreed to meet at 2:30 and he was to pick me up at O'Shaughnessy-Frey (being the good student I am, I was studying in the library). 230 rolls around... followed timely by 240... and as 250 approached, my Blackberry vibrated in distress. Despite being the Type-A personality that I am, I tried to cut him a break; Guy is probably still on Aloha time.

I answer his call and, to my dismay, he sounds as if he is stoned. Mental note: text friends and tell them where I will be... I sure don't need my face on a milk-carton. Anyway, I walk to where he is parked in a vintage Mustang sitting in the passenger seat, legs slung out of the car, waiting for me... wearing board shorts. I'm serious. Board shorts. I ask myself, "is this strange or has St. Thomas really made me that stuck-up?"

Before I can answer, he get's up from my soon-to-be seat and closes the door. Now, I'm completely fine if a guy doesn't open a car door for you, but deliberately closing the door that I will soon be opening crosses the line. What am I, some extreme feminist that HAS to do everything herself out of self respect? NO - leave the door open, please.

I hop in and close the door. He says, "what's up?"... "I don't know, homie, what is up?" Jeez.

From this point on... I tried to grin and bear it.

I give him directions to the nearest Caribou and, because the music is so loud, I yell said directions at him. Thanks for making the atmosphere so conducive to conversation, Guy. As we drive down the street, I become fully aware that this vintage Mustang is a manual... Before you call me judgmental, I do realize this isn't his fault, but it gave me a headache nonetheless.

We arrive at Caribou. Once inside, being the coffee fein I am, I already know what I want. I politely wait for him to peruse the menu and decide on his decadent treat. After a few seconds, he turns to me and practically whispers in my ear, "I'll just have a small strawberry-banana smoothie." Ok? I try to not take issue that he didn't order a coffee... c'mon, this isn't jamba-juice.

I step forward to order my drink, and after placing said order, step back to let him order on the same ticket. When he DOES NOT MOVE AN INCH, I realize that this White Mocha is on me. Yes... that is right... he made me pay for my own drink. How generous. Looking back I'm wondering if he expected me to pay for his as well? Good joke, Guy.

I'll fast-forward.

In the middle of our conversation, Guy asks how long I had been studying that day. When I respond with 4 hours, he says he can never study for more than 2 hours at a time. 'Shocker,' I think, but instead I politely say, "understandable, when I was in Hawaii it was really hard to study... must be all that sunshine." And then he responds, wait for it... "oh, when were you in Hawaii?"

Remember that key detail I mentioned above. Yes, we MET in Hawaii. THAT must have skipped his mind.

Obviously I just said, "are you serious? No, really... are you serious? How do you think you know me??"

UNBELIEVABLE. Let's just say I had a sudden urge to be back in the comfort of O'Shaugnessy. I downed my drink and basically said, "let's skiddaddle."

He dropped me off on Summit and as he leaned in to, perhaps peck me on the cheek, I smiled, opened the door and bailed.

Worst semi-date ever. The only upside was the nice Caribou barista who gave me an extra shot of espresso for free. Perhaps I wear my emotions...

If dating is a sport... bench me. I'm not cut out for this crap.

That's a Wrap!

With the spring semester finally over, you readers are in luck!

I have been fortunate enough to pick up more hours at Ticket King, which can only mean one thing: more money! And, of course, more blog posts by me.

I can't wait! This blog is one of my favorite parts of the job and I look forward to writing in it multiple times a week. With that being said, I would appreciate any comments relating to what YOU want to read about. I'm pretty flexible (a.k.a have an opinion for everything), so just leave a comment or email me: TicketKingCollege@yahoo.com.

I would love to hear what you have to say. We will talk soon!

Delmon Young off the DL, Rene Tosoni to Triple-A

The Minnesota Twins will greet Delmon Young with open arms as he has been removed from the 15-day disabled list that he was placed on after a strained left oblique muscle.

While I can't say Delmon Young is the best batter in the whole world (.228 so far this season), he certainly will improve the teams current line up that is absent of Joe Mauer (out battling the mysterious illness that not even WebMD knows about) and Jim Thome (who I wish was back INSTEAD of Young). Tsuyoshi Nishioka is also on the DL as one of the three regulars (broken leg from a Nick Swisher slide).

To make room on the 25-man roster for Young, the Twins optioned outfielder Rene Tosoni to Triple-A Rochester.

With the Twins last in the majors in scoring, I would say the more regulars we have back on the roster, the better. Now, let's just wait and see if Delmon can become more of the clutch hitter we need instead of the strike-out hitter we know.

Harmon Killebrew to End Cancer Battle

And now, an abnormally somber post.

Harmon Killeebrew, who's 11th on baseball's all-time home run list with 573, announced on Friday he plans to no longer fight his esophageal cancer. The 74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger won the American League MVP award in 1969 when the Twins won their division and lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Championship Series.

Killebrew released a statement, jointly with the Minnesota Twins that, "It is with profound sadness that I Share with you that my continued battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end." Killebrew went on further to say his cancer has been deemed incurable by his doctors.

It has been said Killebrew is one of the MLB's greatest sluggers while taking the mound. He enjoyed his regular stint in Fort Myers where he takes the role of guest instructor. Baseball allowed Killebrew to immerse himself in his passion and divert his attention from his treatment and disease.


The sadness of cancer is almost unbearable as we read about it infiltrating the bodies of those we don't know and live through it when the disease attacks those we do know. Killebrew is one of the greatest, and as a Twins fan my whole life, I keep him in my thoughts and wish he and his family the best as they go through this sad time. Cancer is an experience I wish on no one and can only hope the people I love never have to battle for their life the way cancer demands.

Please, keep Harmon Killebrew in your thoughts and remember him as one of the greatest sluggers who ever lived.

Minnesota Twins Call up Rene Rivera

The Minnesota Twins called up Rene Rivera to back up Drew Butera in the absence of Joe Mauer.

Mauer is still plagued by the mysterious disablement of bi-lateral leg weakness.

With Mauer gone, the organization has been grasping at straws to fill the offensive position Mauer boasts in the lineup. However, Butera and Steve Holm have struggled mightily to give to team any kind of hit or run production at the plate.

Butera is hitting .111 with a .158 on-base percentage while Holm hit .118 in six games. Not the kind of production the Twins need right now.

Rivera, who is still considered an improvement as far as batting averages go, is only hitting .200 in Triple-A.

The Twins are currently last in the AL in batting average (.230), runs (89) and home runs (13).

Maybe the Twins should consider giving away more of those sweet WeFest Cowboy hats before people decide to stop showing up... Those would be the bandwagon fans I am talking about... Who cares about a silly WeFest hat?

Brett Favre Returning...

... to work. Brett Farve is contemplating his return to the employment field.

He says his interests lie in becoming a coach or TV analyst (my guess is he could probably do both at the same time - just ask Deanna Favre and Jen Sterger).

The 41 year old Favre ended his playing career in the NFL after an injury-plagued, drama-filled 20th season in the NFL playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

We will wait to see what happens with this guy... Stay tuned for more - I will definitely have an opinion if something happens.

MLB and DUIs

Six active players have been cited, just this year, for driving under the influence. I have already addressed one of these players, the notable Miguel Crabrera (Detroit Tigers), but among him are: Derek Lowe (Atlanta), Shin-Soo Choo (Cleveland), Austin Kearns (Cleveland), Coco Crisp (Oakland) and Adam Kennedy (Seattle).

Wow, Cleveland seems fun.

With all these party animals within the league, as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, the MLB is seeking the ability for the commissioner to discipline players who are involved in such alcohol-related incidents. Somebody is jealous - if Bud Selig can't party nobody can. (With a name like Bud, you'd think he would punish those who DON'T have a beer in the center counsel)

None of the aforementioned players have been suspended by their respective teams and the current CBA does not grant the power for Bud Selig to suspend players for partying behind the wheel.

Timeline:

Kennedy was charged in January
Cabrera was arrested in February
Kearns was arrested in February
Crisp was arrested in March
Lowe was arrested in April
Choo was arrested in May

Looks like we've got this year covered so far, boys. Somebody is going to have to step up for the remainder of the year... if not, I'm sure Cabrera will do the honors. Again.

I can't quite put a finger on why two guys from Cleveland have gotten busted boozing behind the wheel, but one could venture they are already celebrating their successful season. Or, perhaps they are trying to numb their impending demise to the Minnesota Twins.

This is Twins Territory, baby. Stay sober guys.

LiriaNo-No

Liriano, who just so happened to throw his first professional complete game also threw his first no-hitter.

I watched this game and saw for myself how the men in blue helped Liriano achieve such a feat - they helped him in a big way.

It has been dubbed 'the out that wasn't'.

With pinch-runner Brent Lillibridge (White Sox) on first and only one out in the eight, Gordon Beckham (White Sox) jumped on the first pitch and hit a one-hopper to Danny Valencia. Valencia cleanly handled the ball and executed a perfect throw to Alexi Casilla, who was manning second base.

Casilla, wanting a perfect throw to Morneau, took his time making the toss and, unfortunately the throw pulled Morneau off the bag down the first base line toward the catcher... and Beckham. Morneau took a swipe at Beckham and clearly missed him (this was apparent to viewers at home who were provided a slow replay), but first-base umpire Paul Emmel called Beckham out to end the inning and to keep the no-hitter alive!

The out that wasn't.

In this amazing win, Liriano threw 123 pitches to catcher Drew Butera.

Now a game with the White Sox would be more than disappointing, even if it is a Twins no-hitter, if we weren't privy to an outburst by Ozzie Guillen. Lucky for us, the Morneau-Beckham play resulted in Ozzie storming the field in protest... Guillen made it as far as the third-base line before turning around and walking back in to the dugout.

Looks like our man Guillen has grown somewhat of an expert as to when arguing is appropriate - he is learning to pick is battles instead of battling all the time. I know I'm disappointed and I was disappointed that night too when I saw Guillen emerge from the dugout. I hopped right on Twitter to see what he would have to say... That lesson appears to be learned as well.

Ozzie Guillen needs to revert back to his old ways before I lose interest and start following Kobe Bryant's outbursts instead - now he knows how to start a media frenzy.

All Star Ballot, Minnesota Twins

I would just like to make a plug for the boys of the Minnesota Twins: As a reminder, the All Star Ballots are out, and as Minnesotans, you are obligated to vote for the Twins players.

I already maxed out my voting (25 times) for all three of my email addresses. It literally takes 3 minutes.

Please, show your support and vote for the Twins!

If Mauer and Morneau are again voted in, this will be the fifth year!

Again, please take the time to vote! The deadline is: June 30th, 11:59 PM ET.

Ryan Braun Engaged?

Ryan Braun, the slugger for the Milwaukee Brewers, had a memorable day last Friday not because of the 14-7 win over Houston, but because he was proposed to on a piece of paper... by a fan.

... A fan that was not his girlfriend.

During the game, a young woman held up a sign that said, "Marry Me, Ryan," and smartly added her cell number. Sounds like a keeper so far... really in-tuned with societal norms. The young woman, Robin, apparently thought the phone number was a good idea. Yes, sure was honey.

Braun attempted to give Robin a call (how did he get her number? oh, wait...) afterward to politely decline, but with the over 200 calls and 600 messages, her voicemail was full oddly enough.

In recent days, other clever individuals have created copycat signs, but none quite as smart as Robins. You go girl. (look at that picture, can you blame her?)

I guess I can take a learning lesson away from Robin's unfortunate situation. Instead of my cell phone, I'll probably use my email when I propose to Blackburn... I can just block all incoming messages except his - it'll be like our private means of correspondence. Can you say, "Meant to be?"

I just have one question: to the friends who attended the game with Robin, "What were you thinking? You guys are real standup friends, letting her broadcast her cell number to the world. Stay classy."