Last Thursday many wifflers and non wifflers alike gathered to pay tribute to, and take in, the HRL Twin Cities' signature night. By my count only the Cardinals didn't have at least one player there for at least a part of the night. The beer flowed freely as did the wide gauge beef franks. Many were seen enjoying the franks but a select few (such as Sanchez) were seen imbibing in the wonder that is the NY Strip steak.
HR Derby
KARE 11 was on hand to document the first event of the evening. First round results were as follows:
T-Bag: 5
Mart: 5
Alex: 3
Sanchez: 3
The Man: 2
Cousin Dave: 2
Cota: 1
Shirls: 1
Truck: 0
Doc: 0
Sidoti: 0
T-Bag, Mart, Alex and Sanchez advanced to the second round which Mart won outright with 3 blasts while T-Bag emerged from a tie breaker round into the finals. Teen Wolf, Southy and Toad all had 2 blasts in the second round to create the tie breaker.
Mart and T-Bag engaged in an epic battle in the finals – each hitting 1 HR to their 5 outs – sending the match into a sudden death style homer off with many big swings and close calls. With cameras rolling and the pressure on, T-Bag broke the tie with a colossal shot to left. After rubbing some dangle mojo on his bat, Mart came up just short. It was a great battle. The oddsmakers had Bagger as the favorite and he came through.
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 From Left: Bob (Mets), Gusto (Cubs), Ten (Senators), Cota (Royals), Bork (Indians)
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Fun-Star Game
The Fun Star game featured a matchup of some of the best personalities in the league. Hopkins put in a lineup of Dutch, West, Joe, Pieks and Nelson with Pieks taking the ball for the 1st inning. Eagan countered with a lineup of Gusto, Cota, Coop, Borky and Ten with Ten taking the ball in the 1st. Eagan pounced on Pieks early – scoring 6 in the top of one off of back to back HR by Bork and Ten and a couple of timely hits by Coop. Ten pitched a solid first, facing only four of Hopkins' funnest. With Nelson on the mound in the 2nd, Eagan would unleash the bats again, plating another 6 - keyed by another Bork dong and a 3-run not very fun Cota homer.
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 From Left: Dutch (Dodgers), Nelson (Twins), Westy (Padres), Peeks (Padres), Joe (Brewers)
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The Hopkins Funs would rally in the bottom half – scoring 4 off of a steel faced Josh Dick Luis Cota. After whiffing Nelson to start the inning, Cota proceeded to translate his blazing funball into an inside the park Dutch HR and a Westy BB and back to back Pieks and Joey L base knocks. Cota would get out of the inning – fanning Nelson again and beaning Dutch on the basepaths. I think a large part of this inning was played with no defense behind Dick – literally. Pieks also took an at bat – and got a hit – hitting naked Erkel style – shirt off and shorts hiked all the way up baby! At another point, with Cota still on the hill – Dutch served up a pile of snapping firecrackers at Cota's feet. The joy was rampant. Dutch held the Eagan Funs scoreless in the 3rd as Cota's drunken prowess continued. Hopkins returned with vengeance in the bottom half facing Bork, scoring 3 off of a Nelson Homer and a Nelson double. Eagan led 12-7 after 3. At this point, the game and box score began to disintegrate – with the game being euthanized as the fun took over the structure. Eagan wins it 12-7. Bork gets the game MVP with his 2 HR, radical wig, and 5 RBI. (Cota played pretty well too – going 4-5 with a BB – but he was too serious to win the MVP of this game)
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 From Left: Cousin Dave (Orioles), Chops (Braves), The Man (Red Sox), Sanchez (Braves), K-Mart (Twins), Shirls (Padres)
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All Star Game
So what if Eagan leads the intercity tally by a 12-5 margin. Hopkins won the All Star game 9-1. Eagan sent a lineup of Alex, Molgs, Doc, T-Bag and Truck up against their Hopkins foes while the Hopkins crew went with Chops, C-Dave, Sanchez, K-Mart and Ted. Cota pitched the first 3 for Eagan and dug an early hole for his team. Chops set the tone taking Cota deep in the first at bat of the game. Hopkins would plate another 2 that inning off of hits by Sanchez, Shirls (filling in for Ted early) and Chops. Shirls held the Eagan men scoreless for his 3 innings while Hopkins would add one more in the 2nd (keyed by Ted running circles around the bases) and 3rd innings (a K-Mart double) to make the score 5-0 after 3.
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 From Left: T-Bag (Indians), Truck (Royals), Alex (Senators), Cota (Royals), Molgs (Indians), Doc (Tigers)
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The story of the next 3 innings was Doc. He came on to demoralize the Hopkins batters pitching a perfect 3 innings with a perfect 9 K's. It was a spectacle to behold. Sanchez did his part pitching for the Hopkins side – conceding only one run in the bottom of the 6th off of a Teen Wolf hit which drove in Doc.
The final 3 featured a match up of The man and Truck. The Man would get the better of this episode as the Hopkins guys would score another run in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th while The Man shut down the Eagan insurgency by pitching scoreless innings. Chops accounted for all 4 runs off Truck – driving in Ted with a productive out in the 8th and unleashing a 3-run dong in the 9th. Hopkins scored 9 runs off of Royals pitching in the HRL's big night. Cota split his colon again – wearing the split shorts to the bar afterward with pride. Game MVP's go to Chops for Hopkins and Doc for Eagan. Lines were as follows:
Eagan
Alex: 1-7, 1 RBI, 2 K's
Molgs: 0-5, 2 BB's, 2 K's
Doc: 2-7, 1 run, 4 K's
T-Bag: 0-7, 4 K's
Truck: 1-6, 1 BB, 5 K's
Cota: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 K's, 2 BB's, 5 Runs
Doc: 3 IP, 0 H, 9 K's, O BB, 0 Runs
Truck: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K's, 3 BB's, 4 Runs
Hopkins
Chops: 3-8, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, 3 K's
C-Dave: 0-6, 2 BB's, 1 R, 2 K's
Sanchez: 1-8, 1 R, 5 K's
K-Mart: 1-7, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's
Ted: 2-4, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 K's
Shirls: 3IP, 0 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 0 R
Sanchez: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 1 R
The Man: 3 IP, 1 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 0 R