Well, is he?

Is Boof eligable for a nickname? I mean, Boof was a nickname, but now it's his legal name, so, could Boof, in theory, be given a nickname? Boof "Really Cool Nickname" Bonser?

This is what Voltaire thinks about.

At least it was A-Rod

Boof didn't do so well tonight. He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up six earned runs, walking two, and only striking out one. An A-Rod 2-run home run in the first started things off, and the Yankees tacked on another run in the second. Boof then found himself and sent New York down in order during the 3rd and 4th innings, but the 5th proved impossible. A series of hits and errors resulted in two more runs, and then Jesse Crain was kind enough to allow one of Boof's stranded runners to score.

Hey. It was the Yankees. It was the second start of the season.

And it's not as though Boof pitched out of character - when he loses, he loses by the long ball.

EDIT: Sure enough, the Twins didn't work a miracle, and Boof picked up the loss to slide to 0-1.

Boof blasts Orioles

Boof got off to a splendid start for '07 against the Orioles on Tuesday. Striking out 6 in 6 innings, Boof gave up a mere 2 runs. Of course, one came by the long ball, the bane of Boof's existence, but otherwise his start was worry-free. The interesting one will be on the 9th, against the Yankees.

EDIT: Because of a "cold-out", the Twins pitchers are being pushed back one day. Boof next starts on Tuesday, against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees.

A journey in meaninglessness

The MLB.com article on Boof's start against the Pirates on Saturday claims his rotation spot is not official. Sigh. Who cares?

Boof struck out 5, gave up 7 hits, walked 0, allowed 0 runs over 4 innings. He has yet to walk a batter all spring.

Official

In what everyone already knew, Ron Gardenhire declared that Boof officially has a rotation spot. Although he does run the team, Gardenhire didn't have a lot of other options.

To make this a post worth posting, have another Bonser pic:

Boof's first card as a Twin

Perfect!

A perfect outing against the Marlins...worth noting? Why not.

from twins.com:

Twins on the mound: Boof Bonser made a strong statement in the race for a starting spot as he threw four scoreless innings. Bonser did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out three, as the only baserunner reached on a Michael Cuddyer fielding error.

Don't be fooled by that statement. MLB.com makes many settled spring training roster spots "battles" to increase readership. Boof's in the rotation.

From twincities.com:

"I'm trying to get as many guys out as I can," Bonser said. "I don't need no trouble. I don't want no trouble, let's put it that way. Let's keep it rolling."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire would like to see Bonser keep it rolling as well.

"Pitching-wise, we threw the ball well," Gardenhire said. "We like to see Boof attack the strike zone, and that's what he did."

I think Boof has a good strategy. Get guys out.

Sarcasm never comes off well in print. Give Boof credit for trying.

Much better

Boof fared much better in his second outing of the spring, pitching 3 shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs aren't the White Sox or Tigers, but still.