tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41606246719990797202024-03-12T22:12:32.176-05:00Just a Bit Outside...Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-85701073182466217122010-06-21T13:13:00.005-05:002010-06-21T13:25:40.171-05:00“Super Pavario” Outduels “Doc Halladay”<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TB-ub-mQXbI/AAAAAAAAALs/lOi6jKW70LU/s1600/Pavano.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485294666843708850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TB-ub-mQXbI/AAAAAAAAALs/lOi6jKW70LU/s320/Pavano.JPG" border="0" /></a>If that title doesn’t sound like either a comic book or a video game than I don’t know what would.<br /><div><br />Sporting one of the fullest and creepiest moustaches I have ever seen, Carl Pavano pitched the Twins to a series win yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Pavano went the distance, marking the second time he has done so this year. His line for the day included 1 run on 4 hits while walking none and striking out just 2. Pavano didn’t need many strikeouts as he claimed 14 of his 27 outs via ground balls.<br /><br />Other than making him far less popular with the ladies, Pavano’s newfound facial hair has provided him with somewhat of a performance boost. Over his last 3 appearances vs. the Royals, Rockies and Phillies (the mustache first appeared prior to his outing against the Royals) Pavano is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 24 IP with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.<br /><br />This is exactly what the Twins pictured when they avoided arbitration by inking the Super Mario lookalike to a 1-year $7MM deal last offseason. A solid veteran presence who can pitch late into games, induce a lot of ground balls, and win 12-15 ballgames with an ERA below 4.00. One thing is for sure, with the rumors swirling around about Minnesota being a possible destination for Cliff Lee, I would be extremely comfortable with a postseason rotation that includes Liriano, Lee, Pavano and more than likely Baker.</div><div><br />I would fully support the idea of the entire Twins roster growing moustaches. If they have the same effect on everybody as they did on Pavano, the Twins may begin to resemble the 1927 Yankees in terms of their on-field performance (as those moustaches clearly wouldn’t fit the “clean cut” dress code of the pinstripes).</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TB-uJ9_vJVI/AAAAAAAAALk/YBRhIW43KE8/s1600/Delmon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485294357444502866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TB-uJ9_vJVI/AAAAAAAAALk/YBRhIW43KE8/s320/Delmon.jpg" border="0" /></a>One area that I have failed to write about yet this season, and I feel is being overlooked is the success of the leftfielder for our beloved Twins. Delmon Young has “quietly” been putting up some monster numbers this year out of the 7 spot in the lineup. Outside of Justin Morneau, who is having an MVP caliber season, the argument can be made that Delmon Young has been the Twins’ second best hitter this season.</div><div><br />I am not trying to make a case that Delmon Young is somehow a better hitter than Joe Mauer, because we all know that would be ridiculous and asinine. But in terms of numbers, Young currently not only has a higher batting average than Mr. Mauer, but has also driven in more runs, while also clobbering nearly 3 times as many homeruns. Young’s statistics through .306/.343/.502 with 8 HR and 43 RBI, and those 43 RBIs are second on the Twins only to Justin Morneau’s 47.</div><div><br />Another area that has also been overlooked is the number of “clutch hits” that Young has this season. He has, on multiple occasions, delivered a big hit for the Twinkies at just the right time, with his latest coming on Saturday afternoon vs. the Phillies when he singled in the top of the 11th inning to give the Twins an 11-10 lead they would not relinquish.<br /></div><div><div>Although I believe his decreased playing weight this season (Young lost 35 pounds in the offseason) has given more speed, quickness and flexibility, I fully believe that Young’s emergence in 2010 has mostly to do with his age. People forget that young is merely 24 years old and yet is already playing in his 5th major league season. Most players by age 24 are either just reaching the majors or beginning their 2nd or 3rd years.<br /></div><div>People were way too quick in writing off Young as a “bust” based on his first two seasons with the Twins. He is just now developing the plate discipline and baseball IQ necessary to be a star in this league, and I don’t see his 2010 numbers as a fluke. I fully expect Young to be one of our better players for the remainder of the year, and to be a staple in left field for the Twins in years to come.</div><div><br />The Twins’ “stretch of aces” continues this week as they are set to face Yovani Gallardo Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee and Johan Santana Saturday in New York. This stretch of interleague road games comes to an end Sunday in New York before the Twins return home for a fun 7 game home stand when they will face the Tigers for 3 before welcoming the Tampa Bay Rays for 4.</div></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-89956600883252536932010-06-14T20:58:00.004-05:002010-06-14T21:04:42.229-05:00The Hiatus Is Over!<p class="MsoNormal">My last legitimate blog post came nearly a month ago, following the 3 game series against the Yankees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh how far ago that seems.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The fact of the matter is that I recently moved into a new house with some friends (9 days ago to be exact), and I have been in the process of getting settled in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Throw in the fact that we do not yet have Internet access or cable and that may help to explain the reason why this post is coming 28 days after that May 17<sup>th</sup> post.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since I have last posted, a lot has happened with the Minnesota Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I look back on the last month, I realize that it was basically the worst month to not be blogging due to the innumerable topics that I could have written about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were numerous times throughout the past 9 days that I thought, “hey, I should blog about that,” and then I realized that I did not have an Internet connection at my newly rented house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only reason I am able to be writing this post right now is because I recently discovered that one of my neighbors apparently doesn’t believe in locking his wireless network, which doesn’t bother me one bit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since that series at Yankee Stadium the Twins have gone 12-13, somehow managing to game a half game in the AL Central standings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joe Mauer’s batting average has fallen even further from its’ May peak of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>.364, while Jason Kubel’s average has risen from a “Mendoza-esque” .213 to nearly .250 while also regaining some power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Delmon Young has silenced most critics of the Matt Garza/Jason Bartlett trade, and Orlando Hudson and JJ Hardy have seemed to be taking their advice on how to stay healthy from Eric Chavez.</p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 186px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TBbfFEnI45I/AAAAAAAAAKI/M39lYYcdldg/s200/Red+Wings+spikes+logoCLR.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482814874600399762" /><p class="MsoNormal">Let’s also not forget that the Rochester Red Wings made a visit to Target Field to take on the Atlanta Braves Sunday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The lineup that Ron Gardenhire trotted out against Bobby Cox’s squad was one that even the Orioles or Pirates may have been ashamed to run out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I realize that Hudson and Hardy are both on the DL, and that Mauer and even Denard Span occasionally need days off, but don’t you think with a day off on Monday (not even a travel day I would like to add) and the NL East-leading braves in town for a Sunday afternoon rubber match, Gardy maybe could have done something a little different?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Needless to say, the end of May and beginning of June has seen some interesting things from the Minnesota Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Being the, as Paul Allen would say, “great baseball mind” that I am, I would like to give my thoughts on certain things.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Justin Morneau officially passed Mark Teixeira in the All-Star Game balloting, and now leads the Yankees first baseman by nearly 200,000 votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is absolutely the way it should be as Morneau is having an “MVP caliber” season, batting .350/.460/.636 with 13 HR and 43 RBI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Teixeira is hitting a measly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>.229/.346/.392 with 9 HR and 37 RBI, numbers that aren’t even in the same stratosphere as Morneau’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If Teixeira somehow ends up regaining the lead and ends up starting for the AL, I may actually vomit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joe Mauer leads the American League in All-Star votes with 2,617,822 while putting up a fairly mediocre season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Don’t get me wrong, Lou Marson or Gerald Laird would love to be putting up numbers like Mauer has this season, but when you look at what Mauer did last season after missing all of April, this season doesn’t even compare thus far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obviously Mauer has lost some of his power due to the fact that Target Field seems to resemble the Polo Grounds at times when balls are hit into the power alleys (where Mauer hits a majority of his homeruns), but he still should have more than 2 homeruns and at least have a few at home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Francisco Liriano gave the baseball world even more confirmation that he is ready to assume the role of an ace on the Twins pitching staff with his latest outing against the Braves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Liriano and fellow Tommy John “recoveree” Tim Hudson dueled on Friday night, with Liriano getting the best of Hudson, picking up the 2-1 victory while pitching 8 innings, striking out 11 and walking none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Aaron Gleeman wrote an <a href="http://aarongleeman.com/2010/06/14/f-bomb-2-0-how-close-is-francisco-liriano-to-2006/">excellent article</a> over at his blog, comparing 2010 Liriano to his former 2006 self.</p> <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/TBbesUkP-8I/AAAAAAAAAKA/dti5zC6vTM4/s320/mike-lowell-rounds-the-bases.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482814449386519490" /><p class="MsoNormal">Over the weekend, rumors emerged around the Twins and Red Sox having discussions involving the Twins acquiring Mike Lowell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would fully support this move for many reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For one, Lowell is a significant upgrade offensively over Nick Punto, who is currently hitting .221/.295/.290, at what is typically a power position in third base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Additionally, although Punto is an above average defender, Lowell is no slouch at the hot corner, and wouldn’t prove to be much of a defensive drop-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I also believe that given his age (36) and the fact that Adrian Beltre has the third base position locked down for the Red Sox, Lowell would more than likely be able to acquired for mid-level talent, rather than one of our top prospects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of these factors make this an attractive deal, and considering that the Twins feel they have the pieces in place to make a World Series run, I don’t see why Bill Smith and Company wouldn’t make think long and hard about this.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is an exciting time of year for not only baseball, but sports in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The baseball season is entering the “dog days of summer,” the NBA finals are winding down, the NBA draft is a week from Thursday, and the NFL season is right around the corner with OTAs and minicamps already taking place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With me having taken nearly a month off from blogging, I don’t see myself having a shortage of topics to write about in the weeks to come.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Please feel free to comment or e-mail with any feedback or suggestions. In terms of topics and anything related to the blog, I appreciate hearing feedback and accept it openly. If you enjoy reading, tell your friends!</p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-6163291786325427262010-06-14T10:31:00.003-05:002010-06-14T10:32:43.489-05:00Coming Tonight!The wait is over, I am moved into the new house, and am fairly "settled in." I wanted to post this before I left for work and let any readers know (if they are even still checking) that a new post is coming TONIGHT! Check back later!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-50422867388484150392010-05-26T21:02:00.005-05:002010-05-26T21:12:16.578-05:00Yuck<div>I wanted to name this post "disgusting" but then I decided to look up synonyms instead and here is what came up. I figure just about any one of these words could be used to describe my feelings toward the Twins' offense right now:</div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/abominable"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">abominable</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/awful"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">awful</span></a>, beastly, cloying, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/creepy"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">creepy</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/detestable"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">detestable</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/distasteful"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">distasteful</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/foul"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">foul</span></a>, frightful, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/ghastly"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">ghastly</span></a>, grody, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/gross"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">gross</span></a>*, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/gruesome"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">gruesome</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/hateful"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">hateful</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/hideous"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">hideous</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/horrid"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">horrid</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/horrific"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">horrific</span></a>, icky, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/loathsome"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">loathsome</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/lousy"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">lousy</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/macabre"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">macabre</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/monstrous"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">monstrous</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/nasty"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">nasty</span></a>, nauseating, nerdy, noisome, objectionable, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/obnoxious"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">obnoxious</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/odious"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">odious</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/offensive"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">offensive</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/outrageous"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">outrageous</span></a>, repellent, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/repugnant"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">repugnant</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/revolting"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">revolting</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/rotten"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">rotten</span></a>, satiating, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/scandalous"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">scandalous</span></a>, scuzzy, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/shameless"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">shameless</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/shocking"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">shocking</span></a>, sleazeball, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/sleazy"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">sleazy</span></a>*, stinking, surfeiting, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/vile"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">vile</span></a>, <a href="http://thesaurus.com/browse/vulgar"><span style="color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">vulgar</span></a>, yecchy, yucky</p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p></div>I am far too upset to post right now, so I will just leave this for you to chew on...<div><br /></div><div>Over the past 5 games the Twins have left a combined 53 runners on base while our opponents have only stranded 30</div><div><br /></div><div><i>p.s. I am in the midst of preparing to move into a house on June 1st, that is why my posts have been few and far between. I am planning to pick it up and begin posting on a regular basis again sometime after I move in.</i></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-46106309292422098082010-05-17T10:59:00.007-05:002010-05-17T15:12:10.975-05:00A Pretty Good Weekend (yes, taking 1 of 3 at Yankee Stadium qualifies)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S_FpMbiujpI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/dD-ggnG9yn4/s1600/twins%20yankees%20baseball-86690929.widec.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472270684504624786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 364px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S_FpMbiujpI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/dD-ggnG9yn4/s400/twins%2520yankees%2520baseball-86690929.widec.jpg" border="0" /></a>I have been known to describe myself as an optimist. I have even gone so far as to describe myself as an “eternal optimist” in one of my posts within the last few months. I am that guy who doesn’t want to leave a game until the last out is recorded, not because I am trying to “get my money’s worth,” but rather because I fully believe that “my team” has a shot to win no matter how large the deficit.<br /><br />This weekend, the Twins threatened to send me deep into pessimistic territory.<br /><br />Following Saturday’s 7-1 beat down that the Yankees issued, the Twins had zero wins in their last 12 meetings with the pinstripes, including last postseason. This stretch consisted of what seemed like an infinite number of late inning, come from behind victories, including Friday nights 8-4 loss which included a 7th inning grand slam from Alex Rodriguez to put them ahead 7-4.<br /><br />Saturday night I was as close as I have ever been to abandoning all optimistic hope and buying into the notion that the Twins just aren’t in the same league as the New York Yankees. I was drinking the kool-aid served up by fatalistic Twins fans that claimed they were unable to hold a late inning lead, because quite frankly, they hadn’t been able to.<br /><br />My twitter post immediately following the A-Rod grand slam stated, “I think A-Rod's confidence came from the fact that he saw Guerrier wet his pants when he stepped to the plate...”<br /><br />I was just about to dive head first into pessimism, and then Sunday happened...<br /><br />Phil Mackey said it best on Twitter when he said, “Twins can exorcise a lot of demons here if Kubel (coldest hitter) comes through w/ bases loaded (achilles heel) against Yankees.” This came just moments before what I would consider the biggest homerun of Kubel’s career. I know that it is May, and this game is only 1 out of 162 that will be played this year. But it is less about the grand slam itself, and more about what it represents.<br /><br />That homerun was “epic” (yes I just used that word) in more ways than one. It came at a time when the Twins desperately needed it. This is the year that the Twins have been dubbed as “ready to make a world series run.” One of the obstacles standing in the way is the hated Yankees. Getting swept in the Bronx to make it 13 straight losses would not have done well for the psyche of anybody on the roster.<br /><br />Not only did the Twins come back in the late innings against the Yankees, something that has forever been the other way around, they did it against Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera, probably the best setup man and closer in all of baseball. To put into perspective just how huge this was, here are some facts for you; Rivera’s blown save was his first at home since 2007, a span of 51 consecutive saves. His bases loaded walk to Thome was his first issued since 2005, and the grand slam that Kubel hit was the first given up by Rivera since 2002! I would say that is reason to call the blast “epic.”<br /><br />Let’s also not forget just how bad Kubel has been so far this season (.225, with 3 HR and 15 RBI), and also how bad the Twins have been with the bases loaded. This late inning comeback against arguably the best closer ever, might be just what Kubel needed to jump start his season, and also what the Twins needed to get going with the bases loaded and give them the confidence that they can win come October.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S_FofAVvLcI/AAAAAAAAAJo/Ubsze5Gcsyk/s1600/kwilsongif-4cc8baad5445a72f_small.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472269904108268994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 155px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 232px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S_FofAVvLcI/AAAAAAAAAJo/Ubsze5Gcsyk/s320/kwilsongif-4cc8baad5445a72f_small.gif" border="0" /></a>The other reason for this weekend being good for the Twins organization as a whole was the AA debut of Kyle Gibson.<br /><br /><em>“There was a time not too long ago when Kyle Gibson's name was mentioned in the same breath as Stephen Strasburg's. Judging by his recent performances in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system, it may happen again in the near future.”</em><br /><br />Geoff Morrow of the The Patriot-News hit the nail right on the head regarding Gibson’s Saturday performance. In his debut with a terrible New Britain Rock Cats squad, Gibson went 7.1 innings, giving up zero runs on 4 hits, while walking only 1 and striking out 10. Pretty impressive for a 22 year old already pitching at AA when he didn’t throw a single minor league inning last year due to a stress fracture in his right forearm.<br /><br />Gibson is on the fast track, some scouts and writers have said that we may see him pitching for the Twins as early as this September, although I believe that time won’t come until next season. Either way it is clear that the Twins have a special talent who fell to them at the #22 pick in last year’s draft, due solely to this forearm stress fracture that prior to diagnosis, many feared was the precursor to elbow problems. Prior to that injury, Gibson was pegged as a top-5 lock, I think you could say this is one time that an injury to a Twins prospect was a good thing.<br /><br />I am really excited about Gibson soon joining the Twins for more than just the fact that he is a special talent. I also had the chance to speak with him briefly at TwinsFest this past winter, and he is an extremely nice guy. He is very grounded and humble, a strong Christian (he actually signed a baseball for me with a bible verse included below his name, something that I have never seen an athlete do, and I thought this was extremely cool) and seems to be a very genuine individual.<br /><br />Gibson is now 5-1 with a 1.60 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 50/13 in 50.2 innings on the year, split between A+ and AA. This kid is for real and could be just the ace that this pitching staff will need for years to come.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-22957568579320141042010-05-14T10:17:00.002-05:002010-05-14T10:22:08.038-05:00Coming SoonYou may have noticed that I haven't made a post in quite a while. I just wanted to assure my thousands... hundreds... 13-14 readers that I have not abandoned writing for this blog. I was very busy last week, and I actually made a trip home last weekend to officially move my things out of my parent's house. I assure you that a new post will be coming in the next day or two, so please check back and read!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-17422839797895011782010-05-04T21:54:00.003-05:002010-05-04T21:59:01.152-05:00Pitcher of the Month, Bases Loaded & Wilson Ramos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S-De6WI_UNI/AAAAAAAAAJg/b7j_J1gZH1M/s1600/fantasy_g_liriano_300.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S-De6WI_UNI/AAAAAAAAAJg/b7j_J1gZH1M/s320/fantasy_g_liriano_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467615041584845010" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">If any Twins fans were in need of validation for Francisco Liriano’s performance over the first month of the season, they definitely received it on Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Liriano was named American League pitcher of the month for the month of April after going 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his first 5 starts of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This marks the first time a Twins pitcher has won the award since September of 2006 when Johan Santana brought it home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Across his first 5 starts, Liriano has accumulated 36 strikeouts over 36 innings pitched, but walked 13 batters, a trend that hopefully will not continue over the next 5 months.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s been most impressive about Liriano thus far aside from his numbers is the fact that his velocity finally appears to be back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His fastball late in ballgames has been consistently 94-96 mph with his slider working around 87-88 and his changeup around 84-85.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is usually the surest sign that a pitcher has fully recovered from Tommy John.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another encouraging sign was something that I noticed in his last start against the Indians last Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Coming into the game riding 23 consecutive scoreless innings, Liriano proceeded to quickly give up 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning, something that would have lead to a complete mental breakdown a year ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Liriano recovered well, and ended up throwing 7 strong innings, giving up a total of 3 earned runs while striking out 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This ability to settle down after a rocky start shows a maturity that we haven’t seen from Liriano. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anybody that has watched the Twins so far this season has probably noticed that they have been struggling a bit with the bases loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Anybody who consistently reads about the Twins is probably sick of reading about their struggles with the bases loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This has frustrated me all season, so I decided to do some statistical digging to see just how bad it really is, and the results are disgusting…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Entering Monday the Twins led all of baseball in plate appearances with the bases loaded at a whopping 52. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The league average slash line in these situations sits at .292/.334/.443, meaning that on average that amount of opportunities in 25 games should lead to a ton of runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, the Twins in those situations have hit an abysmal .163/.192/.186</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Albeit those numbers are terrible, the Twins are tied for 3<sup>rd</sup> in all of baseball with 140 runs scored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As all of my readers should know by now, I am eternally optimistic and believe that the Twins production with the bases loaded will improve significantly over the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This increased timely hitting will make one of the best offenses in baseball even more potent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">To make Twins fans and even the occasional sports writer even begin to think about muttering the words “Mauer who?” would take nothing short of a superhuman performance on the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Somehow Wilson Ramos was able to perform well enough in his first 2 major league games that had some people thinking this way.</p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S-DemPNarlI/AAAAAAAAAJY/iqNQNswO0X0/s320/103414_feature.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467614696126983762" /><p class="MsoNormal">Wilson Ramos began his major league career by going 4 for 5 with a couple of doubles that he absolutely laced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He didn’t skip a beat by going 3 for 4 last night in his first game at Target Field, giving him 7 hits in his first 9 at bats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you were a casual observer at Target Field on Monday night you would have thought that people believed they should begin etching Ramos’ name on a plaque in Cooperstown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I even heard one fan two rows behind me trying to muster up the chant, “trade Mauer.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, Ramos has been hitting the ball well and calling a good game behind the plate, but how even the most casual of fans trying to reason that the Twins should trade arguably the best player in baseball, a 3-time bating champion and reigning AL MVP who we just locked up with a long-term deal just makes me want to vomit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that Minnesota sports fans have been called “short sighted” or “fair weather” by people outside of this market, and it is thoughts and comments like this that lead to this belief.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ramos is one of the top 3 prospects in the Twins organization, one of the best prospects in baseball, and is a prototypical catcher who is built like a brick wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is a guy who will hit for average, and seems to have as much raw power as just about anybody in the organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He will fill in nicely while Mauer is injured, and will be sent back down to Rochester when Mauer comes back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am sure that many fans will be up in arms when this takes place, but you just simply cannot risk stunting the growth of one of your organization’s top prospects by sitting him on the bench and giving him maybe 4 at bats a week.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Literally as I am writing this sentence, JJ Hardy is crossing the plate for the Twins first ever walk-off win at Target Field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems fitting that Hardy be the one to score this run as he made a phenomenal heads up defensive play for the last out of the 9<sup>th</sup> and preserve the tie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought the ball that Hardy hit was gone when it left the bat, which probably would have been cooler, but a win is a win. </p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-80552331190544816052010-05-01T16:53:00.002-05:002010-05-02T22:08:38.746-05:00Thoughts From The First Month<p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday marked the final day of April, which means that the first month of the MLB season has come and gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems only fitting that I would reflect on the first month of the season, not only in terms of the Twins but the league as a whole.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--></p><p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; mso-add-space: auto" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"></p><ul><li>Things in the AL Central are what I thought they would be up to this point in the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Twins appear to be the class of the division, driven mostly by solid starting pitching and an offense that appears to be one of the best in baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Tigers aren’t too far behind and appear that they may be a bit “pesky” as the season continues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only things that may be a bit different than I expected are that the White Sox starting pitching up until this point has been fairly sub-par, and the Indians may actually be the “cellar dweller” rather than the Royals.</li><li>Jon Rauch has stepped into the closer role nicely, and has had better success and better overall numbers than I expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His numbers at this point are that he is 7 of 8 in save opportunities with an ERA of 1.80 and a K/BB ratio of 7/2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His lone blown save came against the Royals last Saturday in their 9-7 extra inning win, and Rauch actually earned the win.</li><li>Francisco Liriano is 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 27/10 over 29 innings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Enough said.</li><li>Orlando Hudson went 3 for 4 in last night’s 9-3 victory over the Indians to raise his batting average to .301.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His season line now stands at .301/.387/.387.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Denard Span’s batting average stands at a measly .211, but his on-base percentage is .339.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With Span’s batting average likely improving as the season progresses, his presence at the top of the lineup with Hudson setting the table for Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel & Thome, this lineup will continue to score a ton of runs.</li><li>Roy Halladay is rolling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA, 2 complete games, and a K/BB ratio of 33/3 in 40 innings this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This not only confirms that the switch from the AL to the NL is much easier for a pitcher, but also that I made the wrong choice in my preseason pick for the NL Cy Young.</li><li>We may be seeing a changing of the guard in the AL East.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of course the Yankees are going to be there, but with the Tampa Bay Rays looking like possibly the best team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox appear to be the odd man out in that division.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are off to a sub-par start at 11-12 and currently sit 4<sup>th</sup> in that division behind the Rays, Yankees and Blue Jays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes their starting pitching has been bad, but with how good the Rays and Yankees look, barring some sort of an injury, it doesn’t appear that the Red Sox will still be playing in October.</li><li>Finally, Paul Konerko is absolutely raking right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is currently leading the league in homeruns with 11, and slugging percentage at .784.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His current line is .297/.413/.784.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those are some pretty impressive numbers, especially the homerun total when you consider the fact that he is only played in 22 games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is currently on pace to hit 81 homeruns with 155 RBIs and score 96 runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obviously that won’t happen, but that doesn’t make his April any less impressive.</li></ul><p><strong>UPDATE: Roy Halladay pitched yet another complete game shutout Saturday afternoon, defeating the Mets 10-0 while striking out 6 and walking just 1 on 118 pitches. This now brings his season numbers to a record of 5-1 with an ERA of 1.47 and a K/BB ratio of 39/4 in 49 innings. Let's also not forget his measly WHIP of 0.878. I will say again, it appears that I picked the wrong NL pitcher as my preseason CY Young Winner.</strong></p><p></p><!--EndFragment--><p></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span></p><!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-58897495921445749922010-04-25T23:18:00.009-05:002010-04-28T19:57:18.741-05:00These Aren't Last Year's Twins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S9UWCpxiGgI/AAAAAAAAAJI/pnGfumiiXss/s1600/game-163.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 338px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S9UWCpxiGgI/AAAAAAAAAJI/pnGfumiiXss/s400/game-163.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464297957713123842" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">2009 was an exciting year for the Minnesota Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>162 games were not enough, as they won the American League Central with a record of 87-76 after defeating the Detroit Tigers in game 163. <i>(fun fact: only one person shown in the picture on the right is currently on the Twins major league roster)</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Remember last year when the Twins led all of Major League Baseball with a bating average somewhere near .290 with runners in scoring position?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The combination of their batting average with RISP, missing Joe Mauer for the first month and Justin Morneau for the last month of the season, and having generally “shaky” starting pitching seems to show that 2009 Twins may have overachieved just a bit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That is not the case with this year’s squad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Bill Smith and the gang went into last offseason with one goal in mind, to become a legitimate contender, rather than a stepping-stone for the Yankees, Angels, or Red Sox to yet another World Series title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As the offseason came to a close, most Twins fans were extremely optimistic about the moves that had been made, and how this year’s team would fare.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 2010 season is now 3 weeks old, and the Twins haven’t disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They own the second best record in all of baseball at 13-6, second only to the Tampa Bay Rays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have a 3 game lead in the Central division over the Detroit Tigers, who they will be facing for the first time this season on Tuesday.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Twins are off to one of their best starts in franchise history, having won each of their first 6 series to start this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have scored the 4<sup>th</sup> most runs in all of baseball at an average of 5.32 per game, and have the second best run differential in all of baseball at +31 overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But what is crazy about all of this is the fact that the Twins have hit poorly with runners in scoring position, and have been downright awful with the bases loaded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Twins have hit .262 so far this season with RISP, and they are an abysmal 4 for 26 (.154) with the bases loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What does this mean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It means that the 2010 Twins with the second best record in baseball are actually underachieving!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Can you imagine what this season may look like 3 weeks in if the Twins were hitting anywhere close to their mark of last season with RISP, or if they were able to produce with the bases loaded?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One thing is for sure; the Twins would be 14-5 rather than 13-6, because the they had the bases loaded twice today in the final game of the series at Kauffman Stadium and were unable to do anything, eventually falling 4-3 to the Royals.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Don’t get me wrong, I am not searching for things that are wrong with this team, nor am I a fatalist who believes the Twins record to be empty and that it is only a matter of time before they come crashing back down to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This Twins team is very, very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They possess the second best record in baseball in spite of their lack of timely hitting because they have played outstanding defense (only 1 error this season), they have pitched very well, and their offense has scored a ton of runs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think that Bill Smith should be proud of his offseason work, because I, along with many Twins fans can see that he accomplished what he set out to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This team is a legitimate contender, and is ready to make a run at the franchise’s 4th World Series title (Twins 3rd).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All I have to say is that the rest of the league had better look out, because when the Twins begin producing with RISP and the bases loaded, this lineup could be the most potent in all of baseball.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-12676565617610577132010-04-21T23:20:00.004-05:002010-04-23T14:05:59.331-05:00The "Treasure Island" Twins?<p class="MsoNormal">When listening to a Twins game on the radio via AM1500, just before the game begins there is a message that comes across saying “you are listening to a Treasure Island broadcast of Twins Baseball.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano have seemed to take that literally for the last couple of nights, appearing as if they are employed by the casino as they were both absolutely DEALING for 8 innings in their respective starts.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462813367406230130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 142px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8_P0H6A-nI/AAAAAAAAAIw/GCtQAMuVjBw/s200/Screen+shot+2010-04-21+at+11.24.40+PM.png" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal">Slowey shut down the Indians for 8 innings on Tuesday night, finishing his 98 pitch outing having only given up one run on 5 hits, striking out 9 while walking none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Slowey essentially made only one mistake; a second inning first pitch fastball that Travis Hafner tagged to right for what would eventually be the Indians’ only run of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What impressed me most about Slowey's outing was that he threw 70 of his 98 pitches for strikes, regaining the “Greg Maddux like” control (as Bert Blyleven put it) that he has been known for.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Liriano followed up his superb outing against the Boston Red Sox with another gem Wednesday night against the Indians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Liriano needed only 4 more pitches than Slowey to finish his 8 innings, also throwing 70 of his 102 pitches for strikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is a very promising sign for Liriano who struggled mightily with his control last season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He finished the night having given up no runs on 6 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Twins were actually outhit by the Indians 7 to 6 Wednesday night, but unlike the past week, tonight's hits came with runners in scoring position. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Brendan Harris drove in the first run in the second inning on a 2 out single to center, followed up shortly by a 2-run single to center by Denard Span.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Michael Cuddyer accounted for the rest of the Twins’ runs, homering to right in the 6<sup>th</sup>, and driving in Mauer and Morneau with a triple in the 8<sup>th</sup>.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462813502752699426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 162px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8_P8AHINCI/AAAAAAAAAI4/xUJxQVSvPoY/s200/Screen+shot+2010-04-21+at+11.25.13+PM.png" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal">It is officially time to cease speculation regarding whether or not Francisco Liriano is for real. Liriano’s numbers combined through Dominican winter league performance, his dominant spring training, and now his first three outings of the 2010 season look like this: 98.1 innings, 1.19 ERA, 114-21 strikeout to walk ratio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I realize that the winter league and spring training are not the same level of competition that Liriano will face throughout an MLB regular season, but those numbers lead me to the conclusion that Liriano is as close to his 2006 form as the Twins could hope.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Also with tonight’s win, the Twins have won their 5<sup>th</sup> consecutive series to begin the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only other team in baseball with the possibility of doing that is the Yankees who could do so with a win either tonight or tomorrow against the Athletics.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This Twins team is for real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If they continue to receive starting pitching like they have thus far, and this lineup hits like it should, the American League should watch out!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Random Vikings Update:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><i>The Vikings signed free agent cornerback Lito Sheppard to a one-year $2MM deal tonight. With the NFL draft beginning tomorrow night, it appears that the Vikings will no longer be looking to draft a CB with the 30</i><sup><i>th</i></sup><i> overall pick, as was expected up until now. This signing also increases speculation that the Vikings will possibly select a quarterback with their pick, more specifically Tim Tebow, whom they have been said to have “serious interest” in over the past couple of weeks. Personally, I like Tebow, and I would like to see the Vikings select him at 30, but I still believe if there is a solid safety available at #30, we will more than likely go that direction.</i></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Please feel free to comment or e-mail me with any feedback or suggestions, but in terms of topics and anything related to the blog. I appreciate receiving feedback and accept it openly. If you enjoy reading, tell your friends!</p><!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-41390734406075623492010-04-18T15:04:00.004-05:002010-04-19T10:17:45.638-05:00Twins Off to a Fast Start<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“Orlando Hudson smacked a high fastball into the left field bleachers to lead off the <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>bottom of the seventh on Saturday.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>-snip-</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">That’s when Usain Bolted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hudson took one step, calculated trajectory and ball speed, <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>tossed his bat, put his head down and sprinted like a man who is late for the bus and lacks <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>cab fare.”</i></p><p class="MsoNormal">This quote from Jim Souhan, found in today’s Sports Sunday section of the Star Tribune not only describes O-Dawg’s reaction to what would eventually be a game winning homerun in yesterday’s win over the Royals. It also fittingly describes the beginning to the Twins 2010 season.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Twins began the much anticipated 2010 season with a bang, winning 3 out of 4 in Anaheim against an Angels team that they have struggled against for what seems like forever (39-55 in the last 10 years, including 17-28 at Angel Stadium).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They haven’t slowed down since.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Twins are currently leading the league with a record of 9-3 and with a win yesterday, officially won their 4<sup>th</sup> consecutive series to begin the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This marks something the Twins have never done in the 50 years they have been in Minnesota, a feat not even accomplished the '87 and '91 seasons when they won their World Series titles.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This also puts the Twins in some very elite company across the league.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only other team in baseball who has already won their first 4 series of the season is the Yankees, last year’s World Series champions, marking the first time they have done so since Gehrig and Ruth donned the middle of the Yankee batting order in 1926.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In case you were wondering, the Yankees went on to lose 4 games to 3 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1926 World Series, one year before going 110-44 and being regarded as quite possibly the greatest baseball team of all-time.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Cardinals, Phillies & Giants could also become winners of their first 4 series with wins today.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Twins have not only gotten off to a great start, but have been extremely entertaining to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Clearly the “giddy” feeling associated with the opening of a new ballpark has yet to wear off, and playing well should keep that spirit alive.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The new additions to this year’s team are starting to get into the act with Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson both homering in yesterday’s ballgame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For Thome, his towering blast into the pine trees beyond the center field wall was his second of the year, and Hudson’s shot off of the second deck facing in left was his first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>JJ Hardy has also been a solid contributor offensively thus far, while also playing flawless defense.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Pair that with solid pitching and the offensive contributions from the rest of the lineup, and this Twins team looks like everything I expected them to be throughout my offseason optimism.</p><p class="MsoNormal">In addition to my optimism moving forward, I have couple of observations after watching the first 5 full games at Target Field:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li>We have not yet seen how Target Field will play on a day-to-day basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The wind has seemingly been different during almost every game thus far, sometimes even changing as the game progresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It has seemed that during day games, the wind has been coming in from right and blowing out to left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even with this wind, people were beginning to talk as if Target Field was going to be a pitchers park, until yesterday when the ball was flying out of the yard like crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My thoughts are that it will be fairly neutral as the season progresses, although I believe more homeruns will be hit on humid days when the temperature is a bit higher.</li></ul><ul><li>Day games that begin a bit later in the afternoon or night games that begin a bit early may pose a bit of a problem for outfielders in the later innings as the sun goes down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was something I noticed on opening day from about the 6<sup>th</sup> or 7<sup>th</sup> inning on as the sun came through gaps between the second and third levels and just barely peeked over the canopy between home plate and first base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was later confirmed by <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/04/12/sunshine-on-twins-as-target-field-opens/">comments from Mike Cameron, Kevin Youkilis and Denard Span</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This shouldn’t pose much of a problem throughout the season as the Twins are only scheduled to play 6 games beginning at 3:10 and 4 beginning at 6:10.</li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">My apologies for the length of time between this post and my last post, I had every intention of posting something around Thursday, but became a bit busy and it got pushed back until now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will resume my former pace and hopefully post more in the coming weeks.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Please feel free to comment or e-mail me with any feedback or suggestions, but in terms of topics and anything related to the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I appreciate receiving feedback and accept it openly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you enjoy reading, tell your friends!</p><!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-33000018603661670972010-04-13T08:49:00.010-05:002010-04-13T22:35:18.669-05:00Opening Day at Target Field<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8UuMWGJCWI/AAAAAAAAAHo/UJ-gOcbzrcI/s1600/25526_10150167356230402_693110401_12075821_1206606_n.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8UuMWGJCWI/AAAAAAAAAHo/UJ-gOcbzrcI/s400/25526_10150167356230402_693110401_12075821_1206606_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459820912881240418" /></a><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">There isn’t a superlative in the English language capable of describing the new home of the Minnesota Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Although I had previously visited an empty Target Field a few weeks back during a season ticket holder open house, yesterday’s opening day experience can be summed up in two words… “Awe inspiring.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The above photo shows only the panoramic view of Target Field reflecting off of the lenses of my sunglasses, and if you were able to scroll down you would more than likely find my mouth hanging wide open.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My girlfriend, Jenny, and I arrived at the ballpark around 1:45 following a 10-block walk through the skyway from the University of St. Thomas. This walk, due to my excitement and impatience, seemed like it took about an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As we moved through Target Center and Target Field slowly came into sight, I could feel my heart start beating faster, and before I knew it I was 6 steps ahead of Jenny and had to be reeled back in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The amount of people on the Plaza was astounding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were people huddling around the newly unveiled statue of Kirby Puckett rounding second base following his walk-off homerun during game 6 of the 1991 World Series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many others were anxiously waiting for their chance to climb up into the pocket of the giant golden glove to have their picture taken.</p><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8UucfdqDzI/AAAAAAAAAHw/u6yYSpWp7Vc/s400/25526_10150167355080402_693110401_12075795_6193226_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459821190273699634" /> <p class="MsoNormal">I was on a direct line toward the Tradition Wall, only to be stopped once along the way to grab a bag of kettle corn (a must for every Twins game as this is the snack of choice for my usual game partner).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Back in June, I suggested that it might be a good gift idea for Father’s Day to purchase a spot on the tradition wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I walked up to panel 5 of the wall titled “History,” we quickly found my father’s spot on the wall, “Kevin Beck & Family.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">It seemed only fitting to enter the stadium in right field through gate 34, as Kirby Puckett was my boyhood idol (not to mention I was wearing his jersey).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were immediately greeted with some wonderful SWAG (stuff we all get), including an opening day homer hanky and certificate commemorating our attendance at the first regular season game at Target Field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Had we arrived earlier we would have also received a free hat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a two minutes of random stopping and staring at various aspects of the masterpiece that is this ballpark, we decided to head to our seats in section 122 as the pregame festivities were about to begin.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Upon taking our seats under the overhang of the legends club, we were wondering why nobody had mentioned that we would be sitting in the designated “alcohol section," which could be described as the exact opposite of the family section which used to reside in the upper right field corner of the Metrodome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obviously Target Field does not include designated “alcohol sections,” however, nearly every person surrounding us was absolutely bombed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At one point during the 5<sup>th</sup> inning, a guy who appeared to be in his late twenties passed out in his seat, still holding what seemed to be his 12<sup>th</sup> beer, began drooling all over himself, and woke up surrounded by 2 security guards and a Twins official who quickly handed him a small leaflet containing the “Twins Code of Conduct.”</p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S8UvPiLxXMI/AAAAAAAAAIA/8UsfFGb6hEM/s400/25526_10150167355940402_693110401_12075816_5346166_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459822067177315522" /><p class="MsoNormal">As the pregame ceremonies rolled along, the emotions began to take over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was awesome to see everybody from Shannon Stewart to Jack Morris raising flags in left field, a Minnesota born purple-heart recipient raising the flag on the original Metropolitan Stadium flag pole in right field, and the sheer magnitude of the American flag coupled with an F-16 fly-over and a superb rendition of the national anthem was enough to bring tears to your eyes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But what really got me were two specific events; when Kirby Puckett Jr. was introduced, and when the historic Twins video was played on the screen before introducing the batting orders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jenny, who was touching my arm at the time, held it up and called out the fact that she could not only feel but also see the goosebumps on my forearm.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">These goosebumps only continued as the Twins took the field to the sounds of the “We’re Gonna Win Twins,” transitioning into the Black Eyed Peas anthem “I Gotta Feeling.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As Pavano readied to throw the first ever regular season pitch at Target Field, the crowd of 39,504 got progressively louder, and Pavano proceeded to throw a ball… eventually giving up a single to Marco Scutaro.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That buzz kill didn’t last long as Pavano quickly picked off Scutaro before surrendering a double to Pedroia and eventually getting out of the first inning unscathed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Twins didn’t waste time making “firsts” history as Denard Span drew the first walk and later scored the first run with Michael Cuddyer recording the first RBI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The “firsts” continued as Span later stole the first base at Target Field, Jason Kubel delivered the first homerun, Jon Rauch recorded the first save and Pavano was credited with the first win, his second of the year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As we made our way toward the exits, I couldn’t help but notice just how fast we were able to not only get to the concourse from our seats, but also once we were in the concourse, how fast we were able to get to the exit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not once did we come to any sort of a “bottleneck” where foot traffic was at a standstill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is due mostly in part to the wider concourses (and probably to the fact that many people were hanging around their seats a bit longer to soak in just a few more seconds of Target Field).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As we exited through Target Plaza, the sounds reminiscent of the Metrodome were the same, there were a couple of guys banging on metal and plastic 5-gallon buckets, and the occasional man playing the same riff on an acoustic guitar over and over, but the feeling was totally different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This time I wasn’t walking away thinking, “how much longer do I have to get literally blown out of the doors of the Metrodome and wish that the next time I attended a game we would be outdoors?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I now could turn around, look at the amazing view into Target Field and know that for more than likely the rest of my life, I will be attending Twins games at this amazing ballpark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I absolutely can’t wait to go back!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Please feel free to comment not only with thoughts on this post, but also with recommendations for future posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love hearing feedback!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks for reading!</p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-12307891888708728752010-04-09T09:08:00.006-05:002010-04-09T09:24:34.326-05:00Reflecting on the Opening SeriesHave I mentioned that I love this time of year?<br /><br />The Twins opened up the 2010 season on Monday night at 9:05 in Anaheim, facing an Angels team that looks a bit different than it did last season. After seeing John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero, Darren Oliver and Gary Matthews Jr. depart via free agency, the Angels signed Hideki Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP, to make up for the losses of Figgins and Guerrero. They also acquired Joel Pinero and Fernando Rodney to fill the pitching staff voids left by Lackey and Oliver.<br /><br />There were 2 things I knew for sure going into this series with the Angels; I would not be sleeping much throughout the week, and many Twins fans would make unnecessary assumptions based on the small sample sizes of the season’s first few games.<br /><br />Both of my assumptions were correct, as I have averaged a mere 6.5 hours of sleep every night since Monday, and following the Twins’ loss Monday night, the phone lines of local sports radio stations and comment sections of blogs were filled with endless negativity making it seem as if the sky were falling.<br /><br />Denard Span went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts on Monday night, while Carlos Gomez was 4-5 with a double and a homerun in his debut with the Brewers. You would have thought that Gomez was Josh Gibson in the eyes of fatalistic Twins fans. What is it about opening day that makes people believe it is some sort of barometer to how the season will play out? Fun fact: the Twins won division titles in 2006 and 2009 after losing on opening day, so fear not, it is possible to have a successful season in spite of losing the first of 162 games.<br /><br />I realize that I am losing all credibility for any inferences I might make from the opening series by ripping on people who get worked up over a single game, because let’s face it, the 4 games that make up the opening series are still a small sample size. There still is something that I feel I can comfortably say in regards to this new and improved Minnesota ball club, “these aren’t your daddy’s Twins.”<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S784VAez2LI/AAAAAAAAAHg/XpsQ1PTpxXY/s1600/Twinsangels.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458143206953965746" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S784VAez2LI/AAAAAAAAAHg/XpsQ1PTpxXY/s400/Twinsangels.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Gone are the days of the Twins playing the role of the “little engine that could,” both in terms of the size of their payroll and their style of play. No longer will the Twins be forced to scrape and claw for every single run they score through a constant barrage of stolen bases, sacrifice bunts and general “small ball.” This current Twins roster can absolutely mash!<br /><br />The Twins hit 9 homeruns during the past 4 games, Joe Mauer, Jim Thome and Brendan Harris got into the action, with Justin Morneau, JJ Hardy and Delmon young each hitting a pair. I am not claiming that this year’s team will hit 365 homeruns (which is what they are currently on pace for), eventually shattering the current record of 264 held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. What I am saying is gone are the days of trotting out an everyday lineup with one guy having the potential to break the 20 homerun barrier (i.e. Morneau was our only 20+ homerun guy in 2008).<br /><br />This year’s lineup has 7 players with 20+ homerun power (Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel, Thome, Young & Hardy), and 5 of those players have legitimate 30+ homerun power (Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel & Thome). I am not saying that we should expect to have 5 guys with 30 homeruns come season’s end. I don’t believe that Thome will have enough at bats to reach that mark, and I also don’t expect every one of the other four to put up those kind of power numbers all at once.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S782ekFYQ4I/AAAAAAAAAHY/tV5zIlENyKc/s1600/alg_pavano.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458141172106544002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S782ekFYQ4I/AAAAAAAAAHY/tV5zIlENyKc/s200/alg_pavano.jpg" border="0" /></a>Pavano had an excellent outing Wednesday evening, giving up only 1 run over 7 innings, while striking out 6 and walking nobody. As I said on the Henry Lake show this past Saturday (as a caller, not as somebody who was being interviewed as a guest), when you look at Pavano’s FIP (4.00) and BABIP (.335) from last season, it becomes clear that his overall numbers were much worse than they should have been. I fully expect his ERA to come down much closer to his FIB of 4.00 than it was last season, and to be much less “unlucky” with his BABIP moving toward the league average of 3.03. Overall, I expect Pavano to have a nice season, surprising many fans with more wins and better numbers.<br /><br />This Twins team has shown a bit of what they can do this year offensively in just the first 4 games. Also, with the exception of Jose Mijares’ abysmal performance Monday night, the bullpen has shown that it should be strong again this year. Pair that with starting pitching performances that hopefully resemble Pavano’s first start rather than Baker’s, and as I have said before, I believe the Twins to be not only the AL Central champions, but a legitimate World Series contender in 2010.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-35981753023648846062010-04-05T23:05:00.006-05:002010-04-06T10:55:49.108-05:00Opening Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7q8ngCYxqI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/U-nyTdElvUU/s1600/0-0-0-0-060927-05.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456881285313644194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 315px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7q8ngCYxqI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/U-nyTdElvUU/s320/0-0-0-0-060927-05.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal">I woke up this morning to the sweet sound of John Fogerty singing of beating drums and holding phones all because the sun was out (yes I set my ihome so that I would wake up to that song).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With a smile on my face I went toward the window and pulled back the drapes to see if that was indeed the case for me.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Even though the opening day matchup between the Twins and Angels was going to be played 1931 miles away, for some reason the fact that it was sunny outside of my window made me a bit happier.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This day could easily be considered a holiday for me, and quite frankly, even if it were, it wouldn't have been much different because I basically treated it like one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had trouble focusing, I was antsy, I had an anxious excitement in my stomach throughout the day, it was as if I were an impatient young teenager on the last day of school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of this for opening day.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Yes I know there will be another 161 games after tonight, and that this game has no additional significance over another aside from the fact that it is the first one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is just something about opening day that gets me amped up for summer and the baseball season to come.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As I sit here in the 6<sup>th</sup> inning, with the Twins trailing 4-3 I have a few random baseball and general sports musings:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li>Mark Buehrle pitched extremely well today in the White Sox victory over the Indians 6-0.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Buehrle went 7 innings giving up 3 hits with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He also turned in one of the <a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/play-of-opening-day-mark-buehrle-flashes-leather.html.php">best defensive plays</a> I have ever seen by a pitcher.</li><li>I went into my fantasy auction draft last week hoping to pick up Jason Heyward for cheap after learning he would begin the season as the Braves starting right fielder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was successful as I picked up Heyward for a mere $5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am almost willing to say that the joy I received from seeing <a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/daily-dose-everyone-meet-mr-heyward.html.php#more">what he did</a> in the Braves home opener today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not only did he homer in his first major league at bat, he also had a pretty good overall day at the dish in the braves 16-5 rout of the Cubs.</li><li>Albert Pujols is <a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/albert-pujols-homers-twice-in-opening-day-win.html.php">good</a>.</li><li>I am really glad that the Twins front office doesn’t make decisions based on what fans want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Because if they did, we would have Jason Frasor as our closer right now, and he had a rough day, pitching only 1/3 of an inning, giving up 2 runs and blowing a save.</li><li>The Duke Blue Devils are national champions, despite Butler giving them everything they could handle, including a half-court shot from Gordon Hayward at the buzzer that was ridiculously close to going in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Had that shot gone in, Butler would have been crowned national champions, and that shot would have immediately become one of the top 3 shots in NCAA tournament history, right up there with Laettner’s in 1992 and Lorenzo Charles’ in 1983.</li><li>With 161.5 games to go in the Twins season, my “Twins Most Improved Player” pick has started off on the right foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Delmon Young homered in his first at bat of the season, and then showed off the blazing speed of his now “35 pounds lighter” frame, first by beating out an infield single and then stealing a base later that inning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I seem to recall another Twin homering in his first at-bat of the season last year, and that worked out pretty well…</li><li>I was extremely pleased to see the 5<sup>th</sup> inning sequence in which Young hit in an infield single, stole second, JJ Hardy hit a 3-2 pitch to the right side with a clearly intentional inside-out swing, and Nick Punto drove in young with a sacrifice fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was very good fundamental baseball, and shows that although we may have “beefed up” our lineup, we still are very good at creating runs, as the Twins have always shown.</li><li>If you would have told me that Delmon Young would hit a homerun in his first plate appearance of the season, and that Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau’s first hits of the year would come on infield singles, I may have laughed at you.</li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Check back throughout the week for new posts, including an upcoming post giving an economic analysis of Joe Mauer’s contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am always looking for ideas to improve the blog, including new poll ideas, writing topics you would like to see, or general suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Feel free to e-mail me or comment with any ideas.</p>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-52146737172508972382010-04-02T00:01:00.000-05:002010-04-01T23:48:03.979-05:00"Prediction Day" & Thoughts<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Twins-Specific Predictions</span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>• Twins MVP: Joe Mauer<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>• Twins Top Pitcher: Kevin Slowey<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>• Twins Best Rookie: Anthony Slama<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>• Twins Most Improved Player: Delmon Young<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>• Bold Predictions (there is a reason these are BOLD predictions)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o Kevin Slowey will win 20 games<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o Pat Neshek will save the most games of any current Twins reliever<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o Delmon Young will hit 25 homeruns this season<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o The Twins will win the regular season series vs. both the Yankees and Red Sox<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Central Prediction (Standings):<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1. Minnesota Twins (92-70)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2. Chicago White Sox (84-78)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3. Detroit Tigers (82-80)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4. Cleveland Indians (72-90)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5. Kansas City Royals (70-92<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Three Keys to Success for the Twins:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1. <b><i>Health</i></b>: The Twins have struggled in years past with staying healthy (Michael Cuddyer in 2008, Justin Morneau & Kevin Slowey in 2009, the list could go on and on). If this lineup stays healthy, it will score a ton of runs.<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2. <b><i>Starting Pitching</i></b>: Somebody needs to emerge as a leader/ace of this staff. They need to break the constant barrage of chatter around how the staff is comprised of number 3 & 4 starters. It could be Liriano finally regaining some of his 2006 form, it could be Scott Baker continuing to improve as he has each of the last 4 years, it could be Kevin Slowey bouncing back from a season ending wrist injuring last year (see “Bold Predictions”). The Twins will score plenty of runs, we just need to make sure we don’t have a team ERA of 6.00<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3. <b><i>Closer Situation</i></b>: The “closer by committee” approach that Ron Gardenhire will be using to begin the 2010 season cannot go on for the entire season, especially if the Twins see themselves making a deep playoff run. Somebody from the current bullpen needs to emerge as the closer, or the Twins will have to sign (possibly John Smoltz) or trade for somebody prior to July 31st.<br /><br /><b>Rest of the League Predictions</b><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. MVP: Joe Mauer<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. MVP: Albert Pujols<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Cy Young: Zack Greinke<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. Cy Young: Tim Lincecum<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Rookie of the Year: Brian Matusz<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Breakout Player of the Year: Max Scherzer<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. Breakout Player of the Year: Jay Bruce<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Josh Hamilton<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Russell Martin<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• A.L. Playoff Predictions:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o AL East – New York Yankees (100-62)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o AL Central – Minnesota Twins (92-70)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o AL West – Seattle Mariners (94-68)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o AL Wild Card – Boston Red Sox (95-67)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o AL Champion – Minnesota Twins (defeat Red Sox 4-2 in ALCS)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• N.L. Playoff Predictions:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o NL East – Philadelphia Phillies (94-68)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o NL Central – St. Louis Cardinals (92-70)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o NL West – Colorado Rockies (93-69)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o NL Wild Card – San Francisco Giants (90-72)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o NL Champion – Colorado Rockies (defeat Phillies 4-3 in NLCS)<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• World Series Prediction:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>o Twins vs. Rockies (defeat Rockies 4-2)<br /><br />With a new contract signed, and the distractions of contract negotiations in the rearview mirror, Joe Mauer can begin 2010 with a clear mind and focus on doing what he does best, being a stud. I fully expect Mauer to put up monster numbers this season, hopefully contributing to more wins out of the gate (rather than missing the first month of the season as he did in 2009). I am not saying that he will replicate the insane season that he had in 2009, but let’s face it, even if he comes close to those numbers, he will not only be the MVP of the Twins, but also of the American League.<br /><br />Judging by the spring that he has had, Kevin Slowey’s wrist seems to be just fine heading into the season. Albeit a small sample size, Slowey has posted an ERA 0.56 with only 3 BB in 15 innings this spring, dismissing all of the talk that his control may never be the same following wrist surgery.<br /><br />It is already beginning to happen in the bullpen, Jose Mijares has blurred vision, Clay Condrey has a sore arm, and it is inevitable that injuries will occur as the season progresses. The first guy to get the call may be Anthony Slama. I was actually hoping he would find a way to make the team out of spring training, but it just didn’t make sense that Slama would leapfrog anybody in the current bullpen. Slama gave up 0 runs and struck out 10 in the 6.2 innings he pitched this spring. Pair that with his outstanding minor league numbers over the past 3 seasons, and it is easy to see why I have tagged him as the “closer of the future” for the Minnesota Twins. Here are Slama’s numbers since 2007:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• 2007 A; 1-1, 1.48 ERA, 10 SV, 24.1 IP, 39 K, 0.99 WHIP<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• 2008 A+; 4-1, 1.01 ERA, 25 SV, 71 IP, 110 K, 0.94 WHIP<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• 2009 AA-AAA; 4-4, 2.67 ERA, 29 SV, 81 IP, 112 K, 1.20 WHIP<br /><br />He didn’t dominate at the AAA level following his midseason promotion in 2009, but he still managed to strike out 112 in only 81 IP between AA-AAA. I would put an ETA of Slama at some point in June.<br /><br />Delmon Young was an easy choice for most improved Twin, due to the fact most other players had great years in 2009, and also the fact that Young not only came to camp in the “best shape of his life,” but also that he has had success throughout the spring. I could have chosen Nick Punto or maybe JJ Hardy, the difference there is that Young’s ceiling is much higher than Punto’s, and JJ Hardy has had two all-star caliber seasons already, and had what I would consider to just be a "down year" in 2009.<br /><br />The bold predictions speak for themselves, and before anybody rips me on these predictions, let me remind you that the definition of bold is “requiring or exhibiting courage and bravery.” Therefore I am not saying that I expect all of these things to happen, I am simply going out on a limb to make these predictions based mostly on a “hunch” or a feeling.<br /><br />I discussed how I believed the AL Central would shake out in my post, “Examining the Twins Offseason.” I still believe the Twins will win the division, with the White Sox finishing second behind one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball, the Tigers coming in third behind a solid starting rotation as well, and strong contributions from a couple of young talents in Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore. The Indians and Royals are both rebuilding, and I expect them both to finish well below .500, and although I have them pegged to finish last, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kansas City finish 4th in the division, ahead of Cleveland.<br /><br />Looking at my predictions for the rest of the league, I feel that I should provide at least some sort of reasoning to support my decisions. As I mentioned earlier, if Mauer comes even close to the season he had in 2009, he will not only be the MVP of the Twins but also the American League. Albert Pujols is Albert Pujols... Need I say more? I expect Greinke to have a similar season to what he did last year, possibly with a bit higher ERA but more wins. As I said with Albert Pujols, Tim Lincecum is Tim Lincecum... He is going to strikeout a ton of people, have a low ERA, and win a lot of games for a San Francisco Giants team that has a shot to win the NL West this year.<br /><br />My AL Rookie of the Year prediction is a bit of a shot in the dark, but I expect Brian Matusz to have a good year on the mound for a Baltimore Orioles team that has to face the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays each 19 times a year. If he has a good year in that division, I expect him to win it. Jason Heyward is a unique talent who was just handed the starting RF job for the Atlanta Braves out of spring training as a 20 year old. That doesn’t just happen... He is a guy with enormous power, and is extremely patient at the plate for any hitter, let alone a 20 year old rookie. He could have some competition if Stephen Strasburg lights the world on fire when he is called up, but I expect Heyward to win it. <a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/what-kind-of-damage-can-jason-heyward-do-as-a-20-year-old-rookie.html.php">Hardball Talk recently wrote about the possibilities of what Heyward could do this season.</a><br /><br />I remember hearing Max Scherzer being touted in 2007 amongst fantasy baseball experts as the “next Tim Lincecum,” due to his excellent fastball and high strikeout rates in the minors. He wasn’t spectacular when coming up with the Diamondbacks in 2008, and followed that up with an average to below-average season in 2009. I expect with the change of scenery by moving to Detroit this offseason that Scherzer will find some success this year with the Tigers. Jay Bruce is pretty much the same story as Scherzer. Highly touted throughout the minors, but not sensational when called up with the Reds. I expect both Scherzer and Bruce to breakout this season, but to be completely honest this is as much of a shot in the dark as anything.<br /><br />The comeback player of the year is a little less of a complete gamble, due mainly to the fact that the candidates have had some success in the past, and either experienced a down year or went through injury ridden seasons the year before. Both scenarios apply to my choice in the American League, as Josh Hamilton not only struggled mightily in 2009, but was also limited to 89 games and only 365 plate appearances. Hamilton hit .268/.315/.426 with only 10 HR during his limited time in 2009, after he absolutely set the baseball world on fire during a 2008 season in which he hit .304/.371/.530 with 32 HR and 130 RBI. I expect Hamilton to return to numbers a lot closer to those of 2008 as long as he stays healthy. My pick in the National League, Russell Martin, did not struggle with injuries in 2009, but rather just struggled at the plate. Martin hit .250/.352/.329 with only 7 HR and 53 RBI in 2009. This came after averaging a line of .285/.371/.434 with 10 HR and 74 RBI from 2006-2008. I expect Martin to come back from his current groin injury and return to performing similar to how he performed from 2006-2008.<br /><br />Finally, I see the playoff picture shaping up to be a World Series matchup between the Twins and Rockies. In the AL I have the Twins defeating the Yankees 3 games to 1 in the ALDS, and the Red Sox 4 games to 2 in the ALCS. In the NL I have the Rockies defeating the Cardinals 3 games to 2 in the NLDS, and the Phillies 4 games to 3 in the NLCS. I then have the Twins going on to win the World Series by defeating the Rockies 4 games to 2.<br /><br />This idea of a prediction day, similar to “Nick Punto Day” on February 12 was exciting to me. Then once I began writing I realized that for the first time, my preseason baseball predictions would be documented on my blog for all to see, and as a result I will not only be held to them, but also be able to see just how “off” I can be. I am excited to look back at these following the 2010 season, and hopefully I will find most of them to be true (mainly the World Series prediction). Let the games begin!<br /></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-7677066638876642282010-03-31T08:44:00.007-05:002010-04-02T10:14:23.466-05:00Top 5 Lineups in BaseballThought this was something you all might enjoy Buster Olney's take on the top 5 lineups in baseball as I work on my next post, "2010 Twins Prediction Day" coming early Friday morning:<br /><br /><object id="ESPN_VIDEO" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="324" width="576" data="http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all"></object><br /><br />Something that I found quite interesting was his mention of the fact that the foul territory Target Field will be the second least in baseball behind Wrigley Field. I knew that there wasn't going to be much foul territory, and that this might be a hitters park, but wow...Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-71625962651043061762010-03-29T09:32:00.004-05:002010-03-29T09:49:02.554-05:00Twins Roster ThoughtsWith the regular season a mere 7 days away, there is a lot going on with the Minnesota Twins. Who will make up the 25-man roster? Who will win the 5th rotation spot? Are the Twins going with an in-house option, or make an outside move to fill the void at closer?<br /><br />As the season inches closer, answers to these questions are becoming much more clear. The Twins made another round of official cuts on Saturday, sending Matt Tolbert, Mike Maroth, Danny Lehmann and Ben Revere down to minor league camp. They also informed Jacque Jones, Kyle Waldrop and Anthony Slama, all of whom will be making the trip north for both exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals, that they will not be making the 25-man roster.<br /><br />This news is significant because it reveals that Alexi Casilla will be given the final roster spot, filling out a bench that will include Jim Thome, either Drew Butera or Wilson Ramos (eventually Jose Morales, who will begin the season on the DL), and Brendan Harris or Nick Punto depending on how the 3rd base competition finishes. Personally, my belief was that it was Punto’s job to lose heading into spring training, and my guess is that Punto will be the starting 3rd baseman when the season begins a week from today. Also, my hope is that the Twins choose Butera as the temporary backup catcher until Morales is healthy. Ramos is one of the top prospects in the organization, and I would hate for him to not only lose at bats at the minor league level, potentially stunting his development, but also waste a year of major league service time to backup Joe Mauer for less than a month.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7C7ARLRHKI/AAAAAAAAAG4/2SEwiG1kVvw/s1600/Jacque.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454064762030726306" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7C7ARLRHKI/AAAAAAAAAG4/2SEwiG1kVvw/s400/Jacque.jpg" border="0" /></a>I am very disappointed to see that Jacque Jones didn’t make the team, for a couple of reasons. First, I really like Jones, I remember following him as he progressed through the Twins minor league system, and every year when my family and I were down in Fort Meyers for spring training, he was a genuinely nice guy (not that almost everybody in the Twins system isn’t). He was an outgoing, exuberant player whom I really enjoyed watching. During his time with the Twins, I would compare him to a much more fundamentally sound Carlos Gomez (although Jones swung at a lot of bad pitches as well), even though Gomez has much more raw athletic ability.<br /><br />Second, Jones has significantly outperformed Casilla this spring training, hitting .344, with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Obviously his 13 games and 33 at bats are an extremely small sample size, and the fact that the last time he had a productive major league season was with the Cubs in 2007 when he hit .285/.335/.400, but still I believe Jones would have been a better choice based on performance. I know that Jones’ defensive abilities have regressed over his career, and I also know that Kubel can occasionally provide a off-day for a corner outfielder. However, I would much prefer to see Jacque Jones play center field in a pinch, as opposed to Cuddyer, Casilla or Delmon Young...<br /><br />Finally, I really began to dislike Casilla last season, and my feelings weren’t altered this offseason. He has significantly regressed since his 2008 campaign in which he hit .281/.333/.374 and played solid defense, which is one reason to be frustrated. My main reason for disliking Casilla has less to do with his performance, and more to do with his overall demeanor. He seems to genuinely not care about anything that he is doing, and seems completely disinterested with every aspect of the game. This may stem from the fact that he saw a 2009 starting job at second base as a “right of passage,” due to his 2008 numbers. Unfortunately, instead of improving, he lost his starting spot as he regressed significantly, posting a line of .202/.280/.259, while playing below-average defense. A sophomore slump may have been more acceptable had he “battled his tail off” as Gardy likes to put it, but unfortunately he approached last season with less interest than I have for watching the WNBA.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7C7mK6VbtI/AAAAAAAAAHA/ComWBtuVLEM/s1600/Alexi+Casilla.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7C72Hx37vI/AAAAAAAAAHI/mibISIg-2uc/s1600/Alexi+Casilla.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454065687221235442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S7C72Hx37vI/AAAAAAAAAHI/mibISIg-2uc/s320/Alexi+Casilla.jpg" border="0" /></a>The fact that Casilla is out of options has a lot to do with him making the team over Jones. The only issue I see with this is that Casilla can hardly be considered a prospect anymore at the age of 26, making this a make or break type of season. Personally, I don’t believe that Casilla will be with the Twins all season, I see him being packaged with another seemingly unpopular clubhouse guy, Glen Perkins, and being shipped somewhere for a prospect or two, or potentially even a closer, making room for Jacque to slide up to the big club, taking over the backup outfielder job.<br /><br />The bottom line is that, barring an injury, the backup outfielder position shouldn’t be an issue for the Twins. Kubel will be able to play left field at times, with Thome stepping in as the DH. Denard Span played 145 games last year, and there is no reason to think that he won’t play more this season, as he wasn’t given the starting CF job last year out of spring training. If I have to watch Cuddyer play a few games in CF, or even Casilla for a game or two, it won’t kill me. I am just saying that if it were my choice, I would have liked to have seen Jones making the trip north for more than just a couple of exhibition games.</div></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-88292017525642132962010-03-24T21:58:00.013-05:002010-03-26T14:10:14.249-05:00Target Field<p class="MsoNormal">Pictures just don't do it justice…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that you are probably asking yourself, “if pictures don’t do it justice, then why are there six pictures in this posting?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I really don’t have an answer to that question other than because I would like to share my recent Target Field experience.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I attended the season ticket holder open house last Saturday at Target Field, and was absolutely blown away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the past couple of years I have been closely following the construction of the stadium through reading various updates, and constantly monitoring the webcam on the Twins website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Since the stadium was completed, I have been constantly looking at photographs of the finished product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As a matter of fact, the background on my computer at work has been a phenomenal photo of the new stadium with the grass installed for the past 5-6 months.</p><p class="MsoNormal">There is only one thing I can say about my experience at Target Field, that it is so much better than pictures could ever make it seem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can’t possibly imagine how amazing this stadium is until you walk through the gate and are standing inside.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I could write a lengthy review of how great the wide-open concourses, new restaurants, wider seats, and better sightlines are, but it wouldn’t matter, because until you see it for yourself you can’t fathom how unbelievable the experience truly is.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Instead of writing a description of all of the features of the stadium, I will just provide a few pictures that I snapped during my visit.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rVMBUUcAI/AAAAAAAAAGg/qUG84DLQDks/s1600/0320001331a.jpg"></a>Here are some photos from my season ticket seats in section 103, row 19:<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452404701374214146" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rVMBUUcAI/AAAAAAAAAGg/qUG84DLQDks/s400/0320001331a.jpg" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452404695327674114" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rVLqytjwI/AAAAAAAAAGY/0jzTkOBJsto/s400/0320001331.jpg" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div>Here are some other photos from around the stadium:<br /><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452404321905420994" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rU17r6KsI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/ukYx4DRpI58/s400/0320001249.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rTckwHmlI/AAAAAAAAAF4/9JrzYbxL6v0/s1600/0320001347.jpg"></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452402795468028258" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rTdFQ3-WI/AAAAAAAAAGA/nJP43xOjoh8/s400/0320001347a.jpg" border="0" /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rTcH3_LrI/AAAAAAAAAFw/SqcmT3OHL2w/s1600/0320001345b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452402778989080242" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rTcH3_LrI/AAAAAAAAAFw/SqcmT3OHL2w/s400/0320001345b.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452402770649562386" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6rTbozsPRI/AAAAAAAAAFo/1CTGURcEISU/s400/0320001345a.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-22941204698023671972010-03-24T09:15:00.003-05:002010-03-24T09:58:20.049-05:005 Stages of Grief (Joe Nathan Edition)The following is a diagram of the 5 stages of grief. In this case the red dot will represent where I am at in the process with regards to Joe Nathan's elbow injury and how it will affect the Minnesota Twins this season. Check back for updates... <div><br /><div><strong><em>FINAL UPDATE: As you can see, after 15 days of denial, anger, bargaining and depression, I have officially accepted the fact that Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday, and will not pitch this season. Now I know what you are thinking, "15 days is a short period of time, and we just lost arguably the best closer in baseball for this season! How could you go through this process so fast?" My response to that would be that the Twins provided me with 184,000,000 reasons to have gotten to the acceptance stage by now. I realize the loss of Nathan is huge, but I am optimistic that either someone will emerge in-house as somebody who can fill the role, or that the Twins will go out and get somebody. The bottom line is, I am so darn excited for baseball that reaching this point of acceptance this early was inevitable, Joe Mauer has officially signed essentially a lifetime contract, and 12 days from now at 9:05 CST, I will be sitting on my couch watching the Twins take on the Angels on opening day!</em></strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452206004116921106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6ogeUWkGxI/AAAAAAAAAEw/Ii63QEwyjkI/s400/cm_model_01_L.JPG" border="0" /></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-18142469232653416142010-03-21T22:50:00.007-05:002010-04-05T22:21:05.057-05:00"A Day That Will Live In Infamy" (for White Sox, Tigers, Indians & Royals fans...)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6brGwR_z9I/AAAAAAAAAEg/Fyba5HA_o-A/s1600-h/joe-mauer-2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6brGwR_z9I/AAAAAAAAAEg/Fyba5HA_o-A/s400/joe-mauer-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451302900250693586" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>UPDATE: I updated the title of this blog post, thanks mostly in part to the true definition of the word "infamy" being brought to my attention. I now know just how fitting the word truly was when, FDR used it to describe the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I realize that even to fans of the Twins' divisional opponents, the signing of Mauer will not be viewed as "evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal" or "an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act." However, it is certainly more fitting for them than it is for Twins fans...</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">Sunday, March 21<sup>st</sup>, 2010, a day that will live in infamy in the minds of Minnesota Twins fans, the day the Minnesota Twins signed Joe Mauer to what is essentially a lifetime contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I realize that comparing the signing to the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7<sup>th</sup>, 1941 through the utilization of the statement made by Franklin Delano Roosevelt may be a bit inappropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, I found justification in the fact this day will live in infamy for reasons much different than those of the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War II in the minds of Twins fans.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Patrick Mauer will, barring some sort of unforeseen last-minute contract hang-up, be a Minnesota Twin for life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mauer and the Twins reached an agreement this evening on an 8 year contract worth $184MM, which also includes a full no-trade clause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The contract details have not yet officially been released, and will more than likely be revealed following the press conference set for tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Initial reports are that the deal will pay Mauer $23MM over 8 years, obviously including no deferred payments.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This deal will go into affect at the beginning of the 2011 season, as this season Mauer is entering the final year of a 4-year, $33MM contract where he is set to make $12.5MM over the course of 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With Mauer turning 27 later this year, this new contract will keep him a Minnesota Twin until the age of 35, covering what most baseball experts would deem as his “prime years.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>More than just that, this ensures that the face of the Minnesota Twins franchise will remain in Minnesota more than likely for his entire career.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Signing Mauer to a deal of this magnitude both in terms of number of years and compensation marks an entrance into new territory by the Minnesota Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This has been regarded for months as a “deal that must get done,” with many writers stating it as “not if, but when” the deal would be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is less about keeping the “good ol’ Minnesota boy in town,” and more about signing one of the games elite players to a lifetime deal, as Buster Olney alludes to:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">“Mauer is generally regarded as the American League's best player and may be baseball's most coveted player, given his unique set of skills. Mauer, who turns 27 next month, already has won three batting titles and two Gold Glove Awards, and last year, he began to hit for power, posting a 1.031 OPS.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">--snip--</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Twins' signing of Mauer to a long-term deal is going to be viewed as a strong development for Major League Baseball, at a time when there are growing concerns about the disparity between teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, and teams that generate less revenue like the Rays, Athletics and Twins.”</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As Olney alludes to in the second portion of his article, the signing of Mauer long-term is a very good thing for Major League Baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The gap between teams like the Yankees and Red Sox and teams like the Minnesota Twins is hopefully closing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Any baseball fan knows that over the past decade or two, the competitive balance in baseball has favored large market franchises with payrolls sometimes 4-5 times the size of their small market competitors.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This contract is the first tangible benefit that Target Field has provided for the Minnesota Twins franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They would have no more had the financial flexibility to pay Mauer this type of money while still playing in the Metrodome, as I have the financial flexibility to purchase a private aircraft!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Twins have always held true to a business model in which their payroll for any given season is around 52% of their forecasted revenue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Twins can now expect revenues upward of $200MM, and as a result can afford to not only have payrolls of $100MM or more, but also to retain elite players past their arbitration years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Most importantly, this shows commitment on the part of the Minnesota Twins to winning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Signing Mauer to a contract of this length gives them the best chance at winning, not only now, but long-term as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This essentially ensures that Justin Morneau will remain in Minnesota for the remainder of his career, and also will entice future free agents to sign with the Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This signing, partnered with the continued success of minor league player development, should ensure that the Twins remain extremely competitive, and more than likely contenders for years to come.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One thing that is for sure, Bill Smith has proved his doubters wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He took over as general manager at a very difficult time when two of the faces of this franchise, Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, had their minds set on leaving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hunter, for some reason wanted out, and decided to sign with the Angels during the 2008 offseason, and Johan Santana was set on playing for a team in a larger market, forcing Smith’s hand in trading him to the New York Mets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Couple that with Smith’s trade sending Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay in exchange for Delmon Young, which up until this point has been deemed a bust, left most Twins fans calling for Smith’s head.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This Mauer signing has put the icing on the cake to one of the best offseasons of any MLB team, and probably one of the best Twins offseasons ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With the free agent signings of Clay Condrey, Jim Thome, and Orlando Hudson, the trade for JJ Hardy, and extensions for Nick Blackburn, Denard Span, and now Joe Mauer, Bill Smith has now shown that he isn’t quite as bad at his job as people had originally thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I officially take back everything bad that I have said about Bill Smith, and fully believe that he is approaching the GM status that Terry Ryan possessed prior to resigning from that position in 2007.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One thing is for sure, the Minnesota Twins are no longer the “little engine that could,” they have firmly cemented themselves as a “locomotive” that is ready to compete with the likes of the Yankees and the Red Sox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Gone are the days of contentment with just “being there,” and first round playoff exits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins are</span> here to stay!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Check back within the next few days for a new post including pictures, regarding my recent visit to Target Field!</p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-77656064109233180022010-03-17T22:02:00.007-05:002010-03-17T23:07:54.797-05:00Ladies and Gentlemen… they’ve arrived!<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6GYLWulTyI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Ejf81FUxsQw/s320/Opening+Day+Tickets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449804344941956898" /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s official, my opening day tickets have arrived, and I feel like I would be content with camping out on Target Plaza from now until April 12<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am literally as excited as I could expect to possibly be about the upcoming Twins season, and at the same time as disgusted as I could possibly be with the Minnesota Timberwolves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Due to the circumstances of having opening day tickets to the opening of a brand new stadium, a once in a lifetime type of opportunity, and the fact that the NBA season is almost over, I am a bit less frustrated with the Wolves than I could be.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">The Timberwolves have absolutely quit on this season with 14 games remaining, counting their matchup tonight with Utah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were absolutely obliterated by the Phoenix Suns last night in Arizona, surrendering 152 points… in a single game...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The 152 points scored by the Suns were the most given up by the Timberwolves in franchise history, and the 78 points given up in the first-half were also the most given up during a single half in franchise history.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The more I think about it, the more it boggles my mind that a professional basketball team can give up that amount of points in only 48 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You almost have to put forth a significant effort toward not playing defense in order to allow an opponent to annihilate you in the manner that Phoenix did the Timberwolves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, as I mentioned initially, I am so “twitterpated” with the thought of what I will experience on April 12<sup>th</sup>, that I don’t even care that much about the fact that the Timberwolves would probably lose to the Laporte Wildcats girls basketball team right now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On a separate note, I can’t even begin to describe how glad I am that the Twins didn’t shell out $10MM for Ben Sheets this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sheets gave up 10 runs to the Reds on Monday… WITHOUT RECORDING AN OUT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t care how optimistic I am, if he were playing for the Twins, I would have a hard time justifying that outing by saying something like he was just “shaking off the rust.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am having a hard enough time convincing myself that Francisco Liriano is ready to return to at least something resembling his 2006 form, especially when he says things like “my mechanics just broke down” in reference to the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> innings of his most recent spring training appearance when he gave up 3 runs, including a 2 run homerun on a changeup he left up in the zone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">No matter how many people think it is a good idea, I am 100% against having Francisco Liriano as our closer in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I feel this way for a number of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First of all, Liriano walks way too many batters, which is the exact opposite of what you want in a closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If people want to be sweating bullets every time a save situation presents itself, then it would be a great idea, because I can assure you that there would be plenty of runners in scoring position during his various appearances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am not saying he is not a good pitcher, and does not have the chance to become a very good pitcher, I just think he is much more suited for a starting role.</p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S6GY4Hp_zFI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/lsQiaC1g4vg/s320/fantasy_g_liriano_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449805113990302802" /><p class="MsoNormal">The second reason I feel that Liriano should not be our closer in 2010 is that he must be given every possible opportunity to be successful as a starting pitcher, and a role as a closer or a reliever should be a last resort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When Liriano was good, a la 2006, he was absolutely filthy, he was better than Johan Santana during most of that season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He finished that season with an ERA of 2.16 and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched, all while maintaining of WHIP of 1.00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What I am trying to say is that if he can return to anything even close to that, he could be a legitimate #1 starter for the Twins, not only this year, but for years to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Pair that logic with the fact that he absolutely dominated the Dominican Winter League during this past offseason, and the conclusion can be made that he must be given every possible opportunity to succeed as a starter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of this reinforces my point that Liriano as a closer/reliever should be a last resort rather than a hasty decision out of need.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Twins fans need to relax a bit about the closer situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes, the loss of Joe Nathan is bad, and I am clearly upset by it (see “The 5 Stages of Grief, Joe Nathan Edition) but it is not nearly as devastating as most fans are making it sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many people forget that Joe Nathan came into the league as a shortstop, then converted to a pitcher, and when he was traded to Minnesota in 2003 he was not a closer at the time, but rather converted to a closer by the Twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Twins have a deep bullpen, and they have guys capable of closing games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obviously the numbers that Joe Nathan has put up over the past 6 years are not replaceable, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t come up with a serviceable replacement.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the short term, meaning this season, there will be an attempt to solve the problem in-house, either through a closer by committee solution, or by handing the job to somebody like Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, or maybe even Pat Neshek if he is healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If that isn’t working as well as the Twins had hoped, there is always the option to sign somebody during the season, or to make a trade prior to the July 31<sup>st</sup> deadline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I believe that the dark horse in this closer situation may be John Smoltz who is still an unsigned free agent, and was rumored to have been approached by the Twins recently and turned them down, stating that he would probably like to wait until after the season begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I think that Smoltz improved near the end of last season with the Cardinals, he can still throw hard enough to get people out, and his sinker was looking great in the last month of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is 42 years old, but for a team that’s built to win right now, a guy with all the playoff experience Smoltz has may be just what this team needs coming out of the bullpen in the 9<sup>th</sup> inning.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is a situation to keep an eye on as the season continues to approach, because I fully expect Joe Nathan to test out his arm on Saturday, and then shortly thereafter announce that he will undergo Tommy John Surgery because it just doesn’t feel right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I still think that the Twins should be the favorites to win the Central, and I believe if they can figure out a solution for the closer spot, they can make a deep postseason run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The beauty of all this is that we will all be able to see first hand how this plays out, beginning on April 5<sup>th</sup>, and I absolutely cannot wait.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-72634619133465055672010-03-14T21:19:00.013-05:002010-03-15T08:30:06.109-05:00It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and no, I don’t mean Christmas<p class="MsoNormal">Twice a year, non-sports fans and true sports fans come together as a result of 2 specific events in sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These two events are the Super Bowl and the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Today is the day when the buzz of one of these two events begins…. Selection Sunday! </p><p class="MsoNormal">Let’s face it, people who don’t enjoy football still choose watch the Super Bowl for one of three reasons; the commercials, the halftime entertainment, or the social aspect of a particular party they are attending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Unlike the Super Bowl, which occurs on one particular Sunday in the beginning of February, the NCAA Tournament takes place over a 3 week period of time in March, hence the term “March Madness." Over this three week period of time, people who for 49 weeks out of the year couldn’t care less about sports, become emotionally invested in the game of college basketball, and the spectacle that is the NCAA tournament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some do it for the bragging rights of an inter-office bracket pool, others do in hopes of this year’s “Cinderella” team making a run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One thing is for sure, March Madness is like a pandemic, one from which nobody is immune, and there is no vaccine.</p><p class="MsoNormal">March Madness began a bit earlier than expected for me this year, 3 days earlier to be exact, as the Minnesota Gophers found themselves on the bubble with only 18 wins going into the annual Big Ten Conference Tournament.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Gophers handily defeated Penn State as was expected, and advanced to face Michigan State, a team who had defeated them twice this season, on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This matchup turned out to be a real “barn burner” (no pun intended regarding Williams Arena). The Gophers prevailed in overtime thanks to Devoe Joseph catching fire, scoring 8 of his team high 17 in the extra period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Gophers were then set to face Purdue on Saturday afternoon, another team who they had lost to twice this season.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Nobody could have predicted what happened next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Gophers turned in by far their best defensive effort of the season, one in which they held the #5 nationally ranked Boilermakers to 11 first-half points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Had Jajuan Johnson’s buzzer beater at the end of the first-half not occurred, Purdue would have scored in the single digits!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With the Gophers entering halftime leading 37-11, there was not much doubt that they would be facing Ohio State on Sunday afternoon for the Big Ten title.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Gophers entered Sunday having played games each of the three previous days, and Ohio State having only played two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was fairly confident regarding the tournament chances for Minnesota, having now defeated each of the regular season Big Ten champions, including an absolute man-handling of Purdue the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I think my exact quote Sunday morning went something like this, “as long as the Gophers don’t go out and lose by 30 today, we should be in the tournament.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hmmmmmm…</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448684173585403314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S52dYzPZzbI/AAAAAAAAADw/XsDLPzvxBNA/s200/space_jam.jpg" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal">The first-half was exciting, with the Gophers and Buckeyes exchanging baskets, entering halftime with the Buckeyes leading 33-30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to witness in the second half of this basketball game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Buckeyes opened up the second half on an 8-0 run that quickly stretched their lead to 11 points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Gophers countered a bit and kept it within 6-8 points, but then… David Lighty… It was as if Lighty drank some of “Michael’s Secret Stuff” from the movie Space Jam (which as everybody knows, was a bottle of water Bugs Bunny disguised as some secret formula for playing like Michael Jordan, and was given to his cartoon teammates in order to give them the confidence needed to play well).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of the sudden he couldn’t miss, whether he was driving coast-to-coast through 3 to 4 defenders or hitting 22 footers, David Lighty absolutely took over the basketball game in the blink of an eye. He also apparently gave some of “Michael’s Secret Stuff” to some of his teammates, because at one point Ohio State made a field goal in 11 straight possessions.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Let’s also not forget about that other guy named Evan Turner, he had an OK day scoring 31 points, grabbing 11 boards, and dishing out 6 assists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before I could even think about the irony of my morning statement, the final horn sounded and the Buckeyes had beaten the Gophers 90-61, claiming the Big Ten Tournament title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Following this game there were 3 things I felt pretty confident about:</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448682199511769778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 142px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S52bl5PkorI/AAAAAAAAADg/DLG1ffoyNvw/s200/Screen+shot+2010-03-14+at+9.24.58+PM.png" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-: ;font-family:Cambria;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore">1. </span></span>I ABSOLUTELY would like the Timberwolves to receive the #2 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, rather than the #1 overall pick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That way we wouldn’t be forced to choose between John Wall and Evan Turner, we would just get whoever falls into our lap, and by that I mean one of two future superstars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Right now, Evan Turner looks eerily like Dwyane Wade circa 2003, when he led Marquette to the final four. I would have to say, I wouldn’t mind watching him play for the Timberwolves for the next 10+ years.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-: ;font-family:Cambria;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore">2. </span></span>I would now be watching the selection show with a crappy feeling in my stomach, because as I said earlier that day, “as long as the Gophers don’t go out and lose by 30 today, we should be in the tournament.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well, they didn’t lose by 30, but they sure tried hard to do so, in the end falling short and only losing by 29.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1">3. Even if the Gophers were to make it into the field of 64 (65 if you count the play-in game, but let’s face it, who actually pays attention to that), they would be seeded fairly low and have to face a pretty tough first round opponent.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Of the two things that were to be decided today, I was right on one and wrong on the other. I was wrong about the fact that I would be watching the selection show, as I decided to head to Golfsmith to get my clubs re-gripped, as I had to take my mind off of the abysmal performance the Gophers had just turned in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was correct on the other, and the Gophers did make the field of 64 as an 11 seed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are set to face a 6 seed, Xavier on Friday, and although I truly love March Madness and am glued to the TV every single year, the tournament is just a whole lot more exciting when the Gophers are in.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Will this be the year that a 16 seed finally knocks of a 1 seed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could we be saying in twenty years, “remember when Lehigh knocked off Kansas in 2010?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Who will be this year’s Cinderella?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>The Murray State Racers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Siena Saints?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe the Minnesota Gophers?...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nobody knows, and quite frankly that is what makes this tournament so great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A father and his 4 year old daughter could both fill out brackets, with the father picking based on immense college basketball knowledge and his daughter picking based on which mascots she likes best or team colors, and she will most likely win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is because any team can win on any given night, as Dick Vitale says, “it’s awesome baby!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So get out your <a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket">brackets</a> and pens and fill those bad boys out, because March Madness is upon us!</p><!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-36871141055697237402010-03-09T08:59:00.019-06:002010-03-16T09:01:25.243-05:005 Stages of Grief (Joe Nathan Edition)The following is a diagram of the 5 stages of grief. In this case the red dot will represent where I am at in the process with regards to Joe Nathan's elbow injury and how it will affect the Minnesota Twins this season. Check back for updates...<br /><br /><em><strong>UPDATE #3: </strong></em><strong><em>I am definitely moving through this grieving process much faster than anticipated, mostly due to distractions and misguided optimism. This time I have skipped right over the depression phase, due mainly to the fact that March Madness is upon us. As you can tell from my latest post, March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year, not just because of the college basketball, but also because I know that opening day is merely weeks away. It also helps that the weather here in Minnesota has been nothing short of gorgeous over the past week. Twice we have seen temperatures above 60 degrees, and all but a few small patches of snow have melted. The sight of green grass (technically brownish-green), have got me dreaming of what it is going to be like once April 12th is here, and the 5 (hopefully 6) months following. Ladies and gentlemen, I am on the road to acceptance!</em></strong><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449229903349063650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S5-NudCOn-I/AAAAAAAAAEA/I_8U-ZM5AMg/s400/cm_model_01_L.gif" border="0" />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-21146849291386625922010-03-08T21:10:00.012-06:002010-03-12T14:59:16.929-06:00Optimism<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">I’m sitting here on my couch, watching the Minnesota Timberwolves give up 71 points to the Dallas Mavericks in a first half where Dirk Nowitzki played only 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know what you are all thinking, “why in the world are you wasting a perfectly good Monday night on the Timberwolves?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Although that is a completely valid question, I feel that I have a completely valid answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am eternally optimistic.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p>I continue to watch the Timberwolves again, and again, and again…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I watch them because I am fully on the “long-term plan” bandwagon, even though I know the odds are against “The Meerkat” David Kahn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that the one aspect to every successful NBA team is the presence of at least one superstar, and the Wolves just don’t have one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And without any future luck with some ping-pong balls, they will continue to lack this critical piece to a successful NBA franchise.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>This extreme optimism has always been a characteristic of mine, mainly in the case of Minnesota sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To give you a taste of just how ridiculous my optimism can be at times, prior to this NBA season I was quoted in a conversation with my father as saying, “the Timberwolves will win 30-35 games this season.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What in the world was I smoking?</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>The fact is, I wasn’t smoking anything; rather I was high or buzzed on the excitement of a fresh start, a new season for a team that I love.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>I am optimistic that the Gopher basketball team will play well in the upcoming Big Ten tournament and maybe sneak into the big dance, I am optimistic that Brett Favre will return next season and the Vikings will have a good chance to win the Super Bowl, but most of all I am optimistic about the upcoming Twins season.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Things that add to my excitement are pictures like the one below showing the tarp removed and green grass showing at Target Field, and the fact that I received my invitation to my season ticket holder open house later in March.</o:p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446473160456274354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_o8RTtvAmt2Q/S5XCe5eyAbI/AAAAAAAAABw/_csX3KcW_8I/s320/1402.jpg" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>My optimism has been a bit dampened as of late due to the reports regarding Joe Nathan’s elbow tightness, soreness, discomfort, inflammation, etc. (depending on what you have read).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, just as with everything else, I will continue to believe that he is just fine and that it was “just the breaking up of scar tissue” causing the discomfort, and that it was to be expected during the recovery, until it is reported otherwise.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Regardless of my optimism regarding Joe Nathan, it will be what it will be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The loss of Nathan would be an enormous blow to the Twins and their pitching staff this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Over the past six years Joe Nathan has been arguably the best closer in baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just for fun, look at these numbers from the past 6 seasons and guess who player x and player y are:</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><b>Player X</b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"><b> </b></span><b>Player Y</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Saves</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span></span>246<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"> </span>243</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Save %</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span>90.8<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span>93.1</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>ERA</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><i> </i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>1.87<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>1.90</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>K/9</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>11.1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>8.7</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Opp. BA</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span>.182<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span>.206</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>WHIP</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span>.093<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>.094</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Due to my obvious foreshadowing, it was easy to guess that Joe Nathan represents one of the players, and most baseball fans would be able to guess that Mariano Rivera would be the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What may surprise you is the fact that player x is Joe Nathan, rather than the other way around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nathan has been better in every category with the exception of save percentage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Obviously Nathan has had some late season struggles in his past 2 seasons, with last year’s postseason struggles being fresh in everybody’s minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Regardless of what happened late last season, Joe Nathan still has a lot left in the tank and will extremely important to the Twins’ success this upcoming season.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Although the Nathan situation has dampened my optimism a bit, solid outings by Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn today have temporarily renewed my excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At least until the reports come out tomorrow regarding Joe Nathan’s status.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">As spring training roles on, I will continue to read accounts of the games based on the opinions of sports writers, while supplementing their analysis with some box score analysis of my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Until the regular season begins and I am able to watch the Twins on a daily basis, I will continue to be optimistic about the prospects of this “new and improved” lineup, and the hope that our pitching staff can stabilize and be solid this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Most people will laugh at my optimism, and some call me a “homer,” but the bottom line is that I am able to look at the Twins from a non-biased perspective and I choose not to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I choose to be optimistic about my hometown Minnesota Twins because it is just more fun this way, and quite frankly I am excited about the thought of outdoor baseball finally returning to Minnesota.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Am I optimistic that Joe Mauer will sign a contract extension with the Twins before the season starts? Yes. Do I believe that Justin Morneau and Pat Neshek will return from injuries and be productive this season? Yes. Am I confident that the Twins starting rotation will be better this year with the help of a "revitalized" Francisco Liriano? Sure. Do I think that Delmon Young can become the player everybody thought he would when he was selected #1 overall? Why not! The bottom line is that I am a Twins fan, which is short for fanatic. I get excited about them and I always will. The day that the Twins are simply another team and represent only statistics or analysis rather than a passion, would be a sad day in my life as a sports fan.</p><!--EndFragment-->Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160624671999079720.post-16687535556655204352010-03-03T11:00:00.014-06:002010-03-18T15:53:18.760-05:00Examining the Twins’ OffseasonIt’s the evening of March 2nd, the temperature for tomorrow is set to be a balmy 31 degrees in the Twin Cities, and although the sun will probably be shining, those “weather terrorists,” as Dan Barreiro so eloquently calls them, are telling us to expect snow this week...<br /><br />1692 miles south of Minneapolis, in Fort Meyers, the forecast for tomorrow is around 50 degrees and partly cloudy, and as of this week it is official, Twins spring training has begun. At this time of year, as most baseball fans are, I am extremely “giddy” if you will, about the thought of baseball season. Opening day is 34 days away, with a couple of exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals sprinkled in just days before.<br /><br />The x-factor that seems to be making this anticipation process more grueling than most years is the fact that I am not just waiting for a season, I am waiting to watch that season in a brand new outdoor ballpark, something that has seemed so foreign to Twins fans since 1981.<br /><br />At this point in the offseason, with spring training now in full swing, and the rumor mill basically shut down until the weeks leading up to the July 31st trade deadline, there are basically two options of what to blog about. I could be like many other bloggers and get my hopes up by posting something about how player x is in the “best shape of his life” or how player y is “poised for a breakout year,” which both are based solely on opinion and perception. On the other hand, I could choose to break down the offseason of a particular team, examining what was done, and how it should improve (or hurt) that team in the upcoming season, based mostly off of statistics. Obviously, since I know none of the members of the Twins organization on a personal level, and have essentially no relevant insight into the player x and y type scenarios, I will choose the latter.<br /><br />With that being said, here is my analysis...<br /><br /><p><strong><em>Sayonara</em></strong></p><ul><li>OF Carlos Gomez - .229/.287/.337 (Traded to Milwaukee)</li><li>C Mike Redmond - .237/.299/.289 (Signed w/ Cleveland)</li><li>INF Brian Buscher - .235/.360/.316 (Signed minor league deal w/ Cleveland)</li><li>SS Orlando Cabrera - .289/.313/.430 (with Twins); .284/.316/.389 (Overall) (Signed w/ Cincinnati)</li><li>Joe Crede – .225/.289/.414 (Unsigned FA)</li><li>R.A. Dickey – 4.62 ERA; 1.62 WHIP; 64.1 IP; 42 K; 30 BB (Signed minor league deal w/ New York Mets)</li><li>Bobby Keppel – 4.83 ERA; 1.56 WHIP; 54.0 IP; 32 K; 21 BB (Signed w/ Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters)</li><li>P Ron Mahay – 2.00 ERA; 1.11 WHIP; 9.0 IP; 8 K; 3 BB (with Twins); 4.29 ERA; 1.67 WHIP; 50.1 IP; 42 K; 22 BB (Overall) (Unsigned FA)</li><li>P Boof Bonser – Missed all of 2009 (Traded to Boston)</li></ul><p><strong><em>New Faces</em></strong></p><ul><li>SS JJ Hardy – .229/.302/.357 (Acquired via Carlos Gomez trade)</li><li>SP Carl Pavano – 4.64 ERA; 1.37 WHIP; 73.2 IP; 59 K; 16 BB (with Twins); 5.10 ERA; 1.38 WHIP; 199.1 IP; 147 K; 39 BB (Overall) (Re-signed one-year, $7MM; accepted arbitration)</li><li>DH Jim Thome – .246/.366/.481 (Signed one-year, $1.5MM)</li><li>2B Orlando Hudson – .283/.357/.417 (Signed one-year, $5MM)</li><li>RP Clay Condrey – 3.00 ERA; 1.21 WHIP; 42.0 IP; 25 K; 14 BB (Signed one-year, $900K</li><li>Notable minor league signings: OF Jacque Jones, P Mike Maroth</li></ul><p>The biggest losses from last year clearly are Gomez, Redmond and Cabrera, even though he was a partial season rental. The Gomez for Hardy swap will be interesting to follow over the next few years for one reason; he was the centerpiece of the Johan Santana trade, and the only player that seems to be somewhat legitimate. When a superstar is traded away, or in this case, one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball, you would like to make sure at least one player you receive in return becomes a staple in your lineup/rotation. With Phil Humber and Kevin Mulvey appearing to be basically washes, and Deolis Guerra struggling in the minors, it would seem that Gomez would have had to be that guy.<br /><br />If this deal works out, and JJ Hardy “is what Brewers fans once thought he was,” then this will be viewed as a successful deal, but if Gomez goes to Milwaukee and turns into a 30-30 type player with perennial gold glove defense (as he has been projected to be in the past), we could be kicking ourselves. As a side note, there were a lot of things to love about Gomez; his speed, his gold glove caliber defense (I still believe he is one of the top 2 defensive centerfielders in baseball, Franklin Gutierrez being the other), and his general “youthful exuberance” which was always a nice spark to have. However, I will not miss him taking mammoth hacks at off-speed pitches nowhere close to the strike zone in favorable 2-0 or 3-1 counts, having extreme trouble knowing which base to throw the baseball to in just about every situation, or his general “brain farts” that you can come to expect from young players.<br /><br />When it comes to Redmond, amongst other things, his naked walks through the clubhouse will definitely be missed, and although you may scoff at that notion, those types of things are exactly what made Mike Redmond so valuable to this team over the past 5 seasons. He was a veteran presence in a locker room with a lot of young guys, and he was always there to lighten the mood, but he was also a competitor, who knew when to turn it on and off. In his first two seasons with the Twins, he put up some nice numbers in a limited role, hitting over .300 twice, with a .341 average in 190 PA in 2006. He also filled in quite nicely for Joe Mauer through some injuries, and various off days. With Jose Morales, Drew Butera and Wilson Ramos in our minor league system, and Redmond not getting any younger, it just didn’t make sense for the Twins to retain him.<br /><br />If you asked Ron Gardenhire (prior to the signing of Orlando Hudson), he may tell you that the biggest loss of the offseason was not signing Orlando Cabrera. From the moment the Twins acquired him last season, he brought a certain energy to this team, which provided enough oomph (yes I used that word), to get them over the hump and eventually win the division. He was exactly what the Twins needed at that time; he was a proven winner, and had been in those types of situations before, he provided a defensive presence at shortstop (even though his range was declining), and he gave us somebody who could hold down the number 2 spot in the lineup, setting the table for Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer. His energy may be missed this season, but believe me, the Twins will be just fine up the middle.<br /><br />Now on to the additions, first looking at Carl Pavano and Clay Condrey, the two pitching acquisitions of the offseason. Condrey is a sinker ball type pitcher with an extremely high groundball rate, he won’t wow anybody with velocity or strike many guys out, but he will be solid out of the bullpen, and we got him fairly cheap.<br /><br />To me, Pavano accepting arbitration and eventually agreeing to a one-year, $7MM deal was an extremely important piece to the offseason puzzle. Some may look at his numbers over the past few seasons, see his high ERA and lack of innings pitched and disagree with me, but if you look a bit deeper, you will see why I believe this. Pavano pitched nearly 200 innings last year, with an ERA of 4.64, and 147 strikeouts. Although he gave up the most earned runs of his career (113 ER), there may be an explanation. Pavano’s BABIP (batting average on balls in play) which measures the batting average of baseballs only hit in play, not including strikeouts, etc., was the second highest of his career at .335, well above the major league average of .303. This shows that Pavano had some bad luck once balls were hit into play. If that number lowers, closer to the league average, look for Pavano’s ERA to come down as well.<br /><br />People also seem to forget just how well Pavano pitched down the stretch for the Twins last season. The Twins pitching staff was in absolute disarray last season when Pavano came in and provided a bit of stability. Look for that to continue again this season, with a rotation that includes a rotation filled with guys who somehow continued to be looked at as “young.” For a staff that lacks a true ace, Pavano should provide some much needed veteran leadership.<br /><br />The acquisition of JJ Hardy, as I mentioned earlier, will be an interesting deal to examine over the next few seasons. Obviously, if his 2009 season was just a bump in the road, and Hardy returns to his 2007-2008 form there will be no examination needed as the deal would be deemed an instant success. Anytime you would be able to bring in an all-star caliber shortstop with 25-30 homerun power to hold down a position that has been an absolute black hole for your franchise, that would be considered a good thing. However, I will say, if “ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we would all have a Merry Christmas...” The bottom line is, Hardy is going to have to forget about 2009, and return to his 2007-2008 form to prove that this was a good deal. Twins fans are well aware that past success doesn’t necessarily guarantee future success (see Delmon Young for Matt Garza/Jason Bartlett swap). The huge positive out of all this is that the Twins know who their opening day shortstop is, and believe they have a guy who will hold down the position for years to come.<br /><br />The signings of Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson are really where the Twins proved that they are looking to be more than just a division champion this season. Clearly they believe they are championship contenders right now, and are looking to be more than just a doormat for the Yankees or Red Sox march to a World Series. The Thome signing was great for two reasons; they signed him for dirt cheap (one-year $1.5MM), and he provides a bench presence that will actually cause opposing managers to alter pitching decisions based on matchups. Let’s face it, Jim Leyland wasn’t sitting in the dugout during game 163 thinking to himself, “hmmm... I could bring in Fernando Rodney, but then they would just counter with Brian Buscher, and we sure as heck don't want to see him come to the plate!...” My point is, Jim Thome is a big time power threat coming off the bench, and will get somewhere around 350 plate appearances through being a DH and pinch hitting. On the days when Thome might DH, the Twins could have six guys in the lineup with 20 HR type power (if Hardy returns to 2007-2008 form).<br /><br />The Orlando Hudson was the biggest signing of the offseason, and clearly the one that made the most noise across the baseball media world. This was the signing that caused writers to say, “the Twins are looking for more than just a first round exit in the playoffs this season.” I love the Hudson signing for so many reasons; I believe that Hudson was the best available second base option this offseason, he is a gold glove defender, he fits perfectly into the number 2 spot of this lineup, and he is a veteran that knows how to win. The Twins opening day lineup should look something like this; Span, Hudson, Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel, Young, Hardy, Punto. With Span and Hudson setting the table for Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer and Kubel, this lineup should score a lot of runs. Let’s not forget that Thome will be sprinkled in there occasionally as well. The signing of Hudson also makes the Twins rock solid defensively in the infield, allowing Punto to focus solely on third base, possibly in a platoon with Brendan Harris.<br /><br />After looking at the busy offseason the Minnesota Twins have had, and taking into consideration the moves that other AL Central teams have made, I expect the Twins to win between 87-90 games and win the division. I expect the White Sox to finish second behind possibly the 2nd best starting rotation in baseball with Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Freddy Garcia. The Detroit Tigers’ signing of Johnny Damon caused me to reconsider placing them 3rd in my predictions, but I still see them falling short of the White Sox simply because of pitching. Although the Tigers will have a solid rotation featuring Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer, I just think that the losses of Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco are too big for this team. Rounding out my AL Central predictions are the Indians coming in 4th due to rebuilding, and the Royals in 5th who seem to be constantly rebuilding.<br /><br />This is my first time doing a complete offseason review, complete with predictions, and as a result I will be forced to be held accountable for these predictions throughout the season, and may end up eating my words. One thing is for sure, I am extremely excited about what the Twins did this offseason, being very active and clearly showing a commitment to winning right now. Opening day is only 34 days away, this should be a fun ride!</p>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01544517890105681965noreply@blogger.com3