Matthew John Kinney (born December 16, 1976) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He spent 2008 with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League. Kinney is a graduate of Bangor High School.
Kinney was drafted out of Bangor High School in the sixth round of the 1995 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins along with John Barnes for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell in July 1998. Kinney made his MLB debut in 2000 with the Twins, going 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 8 starts. In 2002, he had just a 4.64 ERA with the Minnesota Twins, but went 2-7 that year. He was traded in the 2002 off-season to the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2003 and 2004 with the Brewers, he combined for a 13-17 record. On August 6, 2004, Kinney was designated for assignment by the Brewers and was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. He made 11 relief appearances with the Royals that season. During the 2007-2008 offseason, Kinney signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions, playing in Japan for a single season. Kinney returned to the United States in 2009 to play with the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
What do you want to do tonight
Brush shoulders with the end of life?
Not on purpose, of course,
That way we won't feel remorse.
Let's go and toy with some minds;
Theirs, not ours - that will kill some time.
Maybe we'll pass with it and be left behind
Not on purpose, of course.
My friend rang the doorbell two or three times.
Wee awaited in anticipation for the door to open...
Finally opening, a tall, lanky creature stumbled from the
darkness;
With its left paw, it opened the screen door, slowly revealing
a handgun in the other.
Aiming the gun between my eyes, I starred down the barrel;
The black metal shimmered in the moonlight.
Mumbling something about us not being wanted there, the
Creature gave the impression of drunkenness;
It's arms stiffened while cocking the gun.
Am I sick of this world?
Do I value this life?
Why do we live
Eagerly waiting the outcome, the trigger was pulled...
The gun was empty.
I stood there, smiling, letting the event slip out of thought
almost instantly.
Fear was never present.