Getting primed for the derby

That subject of that headline could be either Justin Morneau or me, because we're both going to be at the Home Run Derby in San Francisco on Monday. Morneau prepared for his trip on Friday by becoming the first Twin since Tony Oliva to hit three home runs in a game as the Twins pasted the White Sox 12-0 in the nightcap of a doubleheader that featured an ugly 20-14 victory in Game 1.

Meanwhile, I prepared for the trip by packing a bag. It's not quite the same thing, but it'll get me to the Bay Area and that's all that counts. Kris and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary this summer, and decided a four-day trip to one of our favorite cities in the world would be a good way to mark the occasion. Plus we got all-access media passes thanks to a friend of her boss (it's good to be the king, or at least work for him), so we've got that going for us. Which is very, very nice.

I'll be blogging from the Bay Area this weekend and early next week, offering some insights on the Futures Game, Home Run Derby, the game itself, and whatever else tickles our collective fancy during our visit. I can taste the clam chowder already.

Meanwhile, here are some factoids about Morneau's feat to tide you over until then. Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew and Oliva were the first three Twins to hit three homers in a game. Oliva turned the trick in 1973, before I was old enough to follow the game. In the 34 years since then, 17 players have hit three home runs in a game against the Twins. The odds of 17 consecutive three-homer games coming off the bats of the Twins' opponents have to be astronomical, even given the putrid state of the Twins' pitching in some of those years.

Then again, when you realize that Morneau was the first Twin in 16 years to hit 30 homers in a season when he did it last year -- a period that encompassed the steroid era, the wave of smaller retro ballparks, the juiced ball and two expansion seasons when the pitching is always watered down -- maybe we shouldn't be surprised.

Just for giggles, here are the 17 players who hit three homers in a game against the Twins between Oliva and Morneau:

Bobby Grich, Al Oliver, Eddie Murray, Jeff Burroughs, Doug DeCinces, Harold Baines, Cory Snyder, Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, Dave Henderson, Juan Gonzalez, Darnell Coles, Ernie Young, Geronimo Berroa, Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Ellis Burks.

Not a bad list -- some decent sluggers in there -- but when the Coles-Young-Berroa trifecta hit, that's when I became convinced the baseball gods would never allow another Twins hitter into the club.

Thank you, Mr. Morneau, for putting that to rest. See you in San Francisco.