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| 2008 ARCHIVES
Opening Day April 12, 1965
December 28 - Very heavy snowfall had piled up in early 1965 and the prolonged deep cold temperatures in March delayed the melt. When winter loosened its icy grip on the state, spring came with a vengeance. Rains in early April on the still frozen ground caused the water to pour into streams until they climbed out of their banks. Ice dams in several locations caused even more flooding in the Minneapolis area and throughout different parts of the state.
The Twins opened their 1965 season against the American League defending champion New York Yankees at Met Stadium on April 12. The sunny but cool 44 degree temps and the difficult traveling conditions due to street flooding limited the opening day crowd to a disappointing 15,388 fans. Getting to the ballpark was not an easy task either for the players or the fans as Jim Kaat recalls: “I was living in Burnsville and was driving to the Met when I the traffic came to a standstill. I got out of my car and asked the driver ahead of me what the problem was. He said the highway, 35W was flooded over and you couldn't get across the river. I went back home and called Paul Giel at WCCO radio and asked if they had access to a helicopter, they said to meet the copter at the Burnsville High School. Rich Rollins, Dick Stigman, Bill Bethea (who was staying at my house before reporting to AAA Charlotte) and I were flown in 2 at a time to the parking lot at the Met”. Paul Giel who assisted Kaat and the Twins in the helicopter episode was a pitcher for the Twins in 1961 and was now working for WCCO radio
Jim Kaat started the game for the hometown Twins and Jim Bouton started for the Bronx Bombers. Kaat and the Twins thought they had the game won but with two out in the bottom of the ninth, 3B Cesar Tovar who was playing in his first game as a Minnesota Twin and had replaced an injured Rich Rollins earlier in the game, dropped an easy pop-up for the eighth error of the game (Yankees had five and the Twins had three) and the tying run scored. Here is how Kaat remembers what happened. “I had the game won 4-3 when Cesar Tovar dropped a little pop up that would have ended the game and the tying run scored. He felt terrible and I told him to forget about it and knock in the winning run, which he did in the 11th inning. We became good friends because of that incident, he was new to the team and fearful I'd be irritated that he cost me a W”.
For those of you that want to see the box score for the Twins 11 inning 5-4 win over the Yankees just go to http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=196504120MIN .
The starting shortstop will be Nick Punto? December 20 - It has been almost two weeks since the Twins resigned free agent infielder Nick Punto to a 2 year deal for $8.5 million with an option for a third year and I am just now beginning to accept what has happened. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire seems to already have anointed Nick Punto as his starting shortstop.
I am not a Nick Punto hater but let’s cut to the chase here, Nick Punto has proven he can not play regularly in the major leagues. The man can certainly play in the field and I have no problem at all with him being on the team as a utility player but a starter he is not. I know that the Twins are looking for someone that can play shortstop and hit a little but let’s look at Nick’s history. | | G | AB | R | H | RBI | SB | BA | | 2003 | 64 | 92 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 2 | .217 | | 2004 | 38 | 91 | 17 | 23 | 12 | 6 | .253 | | 2005 | 112 | 394 | 45 | 94 | 26 | 13 | .239 | | 2006 | 135 | 459 | 73 | 133 | 45 | 17 | .290 | | 2007 | 150 | 472 | 53 | 99 | 25 | 16 | .210 | | 2008 | 99 | 338 | 43 | 96 | 28 | 15 | .284 |
In his favor Punto is a switch-hitter, can play multiple positions, has good speed, takes charge of the infield and he is an aggressive and fun player to watch even if he does seemingly stupid things like diving into first base on a regular basis. But I see two major drawbacks to Punto playing shortstop on a regular basis. Nick’s aggressiveness works to his disadvantage when he is diving and crashing into everything in site. These things are not bad in themselves but for Nick who is slight of build to begin with it, it leads to the DL list every now and then. Ability is important but so is durability and Nick has not proven that he can play for an entire season putting up decent hitting stats with out getting hurt.
Now let’s take a look at the season coming up, the 2009 season, an odd number. How is that important you say? Let us look at Punto’s batting averages, in 2007 he hit .210, in 2005 he hit .239, in 2003 he hit .217. In the even numbered years Nick hit .284 in 2008, .290 in 2006, and .253 in 2004. I would say there is reason to be concerned, very concerned. Punto wants to be the best player possible and who doesn’t but the bottom line is that (and I am trying to find a nice way to put this) he worries too much. When Nick goes a day or two with no hits he gets out of his normal rythum and tries to make up for the bad days and this leads to more bad at bats which leads to long slumps. 2007 was a good indication of what happens to Punto when he gets on a bad roll.
If you look at Punto’s fielding stats you will find that Nick is a better 2B then he is a shortstop. So if Gardy has his mind already made up about playing Punto on a regular basis, maybe the Twins should look at moving Alexi Casilla to shortstop and playing Punto at 2B. Personally I think the Twins need to find a regular shortstop by hook or crook or they should try Casilla at shortstop and look for a 2B because I have no problem seeing Punto sitting on the bench waiting to come into the game for defense or to steal a base when it is called for but please don’t send him out there every day.
Veterans committee finalists announced for Hall of Fame
December 1 - Ten former major league players whose careers started in 1943 or later have been named as finalists for election and entry into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2009. Three former Minnesota Twins players, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, and Luis Tiant are part of this select and talented group. In addition, Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Joe Torre, and Maury Wills make up the rest of the group. Boy, I must be getting old because with the exception of Hodges, I grew up watching all these guys play. How many if any of these former stars will make it is hard to say. The veterans group has not selected anyone for admission in years and the voting rules have changed since the last vote was taken. This year, candidates must garner 75% of the vote from living Hall of Famers. Since there are currently 64 living Hall of Famers, 48 votes will be required for entry.
From this group I sure would like to see Tony O, Jim Kaat, and Maury Wills get in. Voting results are scheduled to be announced on December 8 during baseballs’ winter meetings in Las Vegas. I am keeping my fingers crossed. December 9 update – Disappointment….is how I would describe my feelings when I heard that for the fourth consecutive time no post 1942 players were selected to the Hall. How can this be, are you telling me none of these guys deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? That is a bunch of Bull*&^%, a number of these players belong there, the problem is how to get them there. I have no problem with the 64 living Hall of Famers voting but it seems to me that they are all over the board, there is no leadership here, someone needs to stand up and take charge. To achieve the necessary 75% for election, a player must receive 48 votes. The results for the most recent voting were as follows: Ron Santo (39 votes, 60.9 percent), Jim Kaat (38, 59.4 percent), Tony Oliva (33, 51.6 percent), Gil Hodges (28, 43.8 percent), Joe Torre (19, 29.7 percent), Maury Wills (15, 23.4 percent), Luis Tiant (13, 20.3 percent), Vada Pinson (12, 18.8 percent), Al Oliver (nine, 14.1 percent), Dick Allen (seven, 10.9 percent). All 64 living HOF players cast ballots, the Hall of Fame stated that voters could choose up to four candidates, and an average of 3.33 votes per ballot was cast.
Something needs to change, it is not right that players that deserve to be in the HOF are left outside looking in and then years after they pass away, someone decides they do belong in the HOF, that is just not right. This year 256 votes could have been cast and only 213 were cast, that is 43 votes that went unused. Let’s change the rules for this finalist group; I have no problem with at least one player, the highest vote getter getting the call to the hall. If you don’t want to do that, then let’s make sure that each player cast 4 votes on each ballot. You will not cheapen the entry into the MLB Hall of Fame by doing this, you will only make it better for the players and the fans who want to see the stars they cheered for many years get the credit they deserve. All I can say now is “shame on you the living 64 Hall of Famers who have your noses so high in the air that you can’t see the ballot itself”, you guys really disappointed me.
The Twins First Manager 
November 18 - Harry Arthur “Cookie” Lavagetto was born December 1, 1912 in Oakland, California. The tall, dark, and handsome Lavagetto was signed by the Oakland Oaks after a high school all-star game. He acquired his nick name from his Oakland teammates, who called him "Cookie's boy," because he had been hired by Oaks' president Victor "Cookie" Devincenzi. Cookie played pro ball for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1934-1936) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1941) and again from 1946-1947. Cookie missed four full seasons while he served in the military during WW II from 1942 to 1945. After being released by the Dodgers after the 1947 season, Cookie returned to play with the Oaks from 1948-1950.
Cookie played in 1,043 major league games, primarily at 3B although he also played 2B and made a couple of appearances at SS and 1B. Cookie threw and batted right handed and during his major league career he batted .269 with 40 home runs, 486 RBI’s while stealing 63 bases. Cookie was named to the National league All-Star team between 1938 and 1941 although he did not play in the 1938 and 1939 games. Cookie played in the 1941 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees in a losing cause and again in 1947 when the Dodgers again played the New York Yankees. But it was game 4 at Ebbets Field of the 1947 World Series that brought Cookie Lavagetto to the pinnacle of the baseball world. On October 3 the Yankees and pitcher Bill Bevens were ahead 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning with two out. Bevans had surrendered no hits, an unprecedented World Series feat at the time but two runners were on base from Bevens' ninth and tenth walks of the game. Lavagetto was summoned by Dodger manager Burt Shotton to hit for Eddie Stanky and he cracked an opposite-field double to break up the no-hitter and score the two Dodger runners for a 3-2 Brooklyn win. It was Lavagetto's only hit of the series (won by the Yankees in seven games) and his last as a big leaguer. An excellent write-up of this famous event can be found at http://www.users.qwest.net/~yarnspnr/baseball/bevans/bevans.htm . After being released by the Dodgers, Cookie went back and played for the Oaks from 1948 to 1950. When Oakland manager Chuck Dressen was named to manage the Dodgers in 1951, Cookie was named as one of Dressen’s coaches and Lavagetto stayed with Dressen in Brooklyn (1951-53) and the PCL Oaks (1954) and followed him to the Washington Senators when Dressen became their skipper in 1955. On May 7, 1957, with the Senators floundering in last place, Dressen was fired and Lavagetto was named his successor. The team improved slightly, but finished last in 1957, 1958, and again 1959. In 1960 the Senators rose to fifth place in the eight team American League but it was too late as Senators owner Calvin Griffith had decided that he had had enough of Washington and received permission from the American League to move the team to greener pastures in Minnesota where they became the Minnesota Twins. Cookie Lavagetto was the first manager in Twins' history, but he did not even get a chance to finish the 1961 season. With the Twins mired in ninth place in the new ten team American league, Calvin Griffith told Cookie to take a short fishing vacation to clear his head. Lavagetto took a seven-game leave of absence in early June, then returned to the helm. But he was fired June 23 with the club still in ninth place and replaced by coach Sam Mele. Cookie Lavagetto wore number 51 during his short tenure as the Twins manager. Cookie's career as the Twins manager ended after only 66 games and a 25-41 record. Lavagetto's major league managing record was 271 wins and 384 defeats (.414). Lavagetto rejoined the coaching ranks the next season with the New York Mets where he stayed from 1962-1963. He then joined the San Francisco Giants as a coach from 1964 through 1967 before retiring. Harry Arthur “Cookie” Lavagetto died in his sleep at his home in Orinda, California on August 10, 1990 at the age of 77.
Some thoughts on the 2008 season! October 8 - I have taken a few days to think about the Twins recent 1-0 loss to the White Sox in the AL Central tie-breaker game and you know what? It still hurts but when you look at the big picture it was a very successful season. Before the season began I came up with the following predictions for the Central division. Tigers 98-64 Indians 96-66 Royals 84-78 Twins 80-82 White Sox 76-86
The final standings were almost completely reversed. The Tigers totally collapsed and finished in last place with 74 wins, that is 24 wins less then I had picked them for. I don’t know what to think about that team, just a down year or a bunch of rich old guys not giving a hoot about the team and worried about personal numbers. The Indians came on strong at the end of the year after losing Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez to injuries for most the season and CC Sabathia to a trade, The Royals were a disappointment in my mind and they finished with 9 less wins then I had them pegged for, you have to wonder when that team will turn it around, they have some nice players. The White Sox in my mind over achieved but they do have some very good players and they always have Ozzie, but I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. I probably under estimated the Mighty Whitey’s but they still finished 23 games better than I thought they would. The Twins ended up winning eight more games than I thought they would and they were in the race right down to that tie-breaker. I think what amazed me most was that the Twins young pitchers, Blackburn, Baker, Slowey, Perkins, and Liriano started 79% of the games this season. The only other two starters were Livan Hernandez and Boof Bonser and they both lost their starting spots due to their ineffectiveness. . Bonser was moved to the bullpen and Hernandez was sent packing to Colorado. To have that young a staff come through all season long is incredible, they threw 753 innings and had a combined ERA of 3.96. Slowey had an excellent WHIP of 1.16 and Baker’s was almost as good with a 1.18. Blackburn was next with a 1.36, Liriano was at 1.39 and Perkins trailed the pack with a WHIP of 1.47.
On the hitting side, the Twins hit better with runners on base then what they had in 2007 and the addition of Gomez, Casilla, and Span made for a fun and exciting team to watch. The defense was OK but still not up to Twins standards. The team still has holes that need attention but what team doesn’t.
All in all I have to say that this team exceeded my expectations, they were an aggressive team that was entertaining to watch, they appeared to have fun playing the game, they supported one another and they never gave up. If this team can stay injury free next year and if they continue to learn and play like they did in 2008 and if Mr. Smith helps them with a FA signing or two, we should be watching some post season games at the Metrodome as it goes out in style as the Twins prepare to open the 2010 season at Target Field.
In the near future I hope to look at the Twins position by position and let you know what I think the Twins should do to take that next step.
Will the Twins send the Mighty Whitey’s fans home disappointed? September 30 - This evening the Twins will play the Mighty Whitey’s in the Twins first ever one game playoff to get into post season play and I can’t wait for the game to start. The game will be played in a sold out Cellular Field in Chicago. The weather reports seem to favor the home team as wind gusts of up to 30 MPH are predicted. A “Blackout” has been pushed by local media in Chicago so when the cameras pan the “Cell” seats, we should see a sea of black. Personally I hope that when the game is over that the black will be fitting as the White Sox fans mourn the loss of their beloved Mighty Whitey’s from the 2008 playoffs. The WSox are the power hitting station to station team and the Twins are will drop down a bunt and steal a base and run you dizzy. Two teams with totally different strategies meeting in one final game for all the marbles to decide who gets to fly to Tampa to play the Rays. The Mighty Whitey’s should be favored in this game since they are playing at home with a packed stadium of friendly faces and facing an opponent they have beaten 5 out of 7 games on their home field. In spite of all the indicators pointing to a Might Whitey victory I am going with the Twins in this game by a score of 6-4. These one game playoffs often have unexpected heroes and I hope today’s game is no exception. The TWINS TRIVIA crystal ball says that the Twins will out homer the Whities 2-1 and Buscher will get a key hit that helps the Twins on their way to Tampa.
Was that game fun or what? September 26 - My voice has just about returned to normal this morning from all the yelling and screaming I did at the Dome Thursday night. Even today after having had a night to sleep on it I still think this is one of the best baseball games I have ever attended. Granted it might have not been quite as much fun had the Twins lost but it still would have been a heck of a game. This fans were really into this game and from about the 8th inning on most everyone was standing and cheering. The Dome was really rocking and there was even a “Lets go Pun-to” chant during his last at bat when he worked WSox closer Jenks for a walk. Twins starter Slowey started the game and breezed through the first 3 inning in perfect fashion but in the fourth the Mighty Whitey’s started to hit the ball hard. As for the collision in center, what can you say? It happened and you just have to move on, two aggressive outfielders going for a deep fly ball in a noisy stadium. I think the biggest mistake that inning belonged to Slowey who tried to field the ball after it hit him in the arm. We were sitting down the first base line and when Slowey picked up that ball you could tell he felt rushed, not to mention in some serious pain, and his throw was off the mark. In hindsight he would have been better off holding the ball but in the heat of the battle you do what you think looks like the best option at the time. When the smoke cleared in the top of the fourth it was 6-1 Twins and the crowd was stunned and quiet, but not for long. The Twins scored two in their half of the inning off Gavin Floyd and you had the feeling that this game was far from over. The Twins continued to peck away and what amazed me was that the White Sox bullpen sat quiet, no one even started to warm up until Floyd had given up 11 hits and he was only in the top of the 6th inning. What was Ozzie thinking? Total faith in Floyd or just plain scared to use his bullpen? The rest of the game was a real white knuckler and if you are a baseball fan you can’t ask for more. Both managers working their benches and their bullpens. Ozzie went for his ace closer Jenks with two out in the 8th inning and Gardy came out with his guy Nathan in the 9th. This game had everything, you could ask for in a playoff atmosphere type of ballgame. One thing that kind of went unnoticed last night was that the Twins had two guys that had a chance to hit for the cycle in their last at bats, both Gomez and Span were lacking a home run, how often do you see that? AJ once again drew the most ire from the fans but love him or hate him, the man is a dangerous guy at the plate, I can’t think of many other batters that can foul off as many pitches and work the pitchers like AJ can. When the game ended the Twins celebrated on the field and the Twins fans continued to stand and cheer long after the players had gone on to the clubhouse, it was as if no one wanted to leave the Dome, they just wanted to enjoy the moment. So in the end the Mighty Whitey’s left town with their tail between their legs and the Twins enjoyed the moment and their spot atop the Central Division standings. See ya Ozzie, hopefully not till next spring! Bring on those hated Kansas City Royals……….
Remember September 22, 1968? September 7 - How is your memory? Do you remember what happened 40 years ago this coming September 22nd? If you don't, you should be checking my "Today in Twins History" page. On that day Cesar "Pepe" Tovar played one inning at each position for the Minnesota Twins at the Met Stadium against the Oakland A's becoming only the second major leaguer in history to accomplish the rare feat. Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A's was the first. Tovar became the one and only Twins position player to be a starting pitcher in Twins history as he tossed a scoreless first inning and struck out future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson along the way. Cesar went on to play C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, and RF in that game. Tovar did not forget his offense either as he was 1 for 3 with a run scored and he sole a base for good measure. You can find the box score for this game on my "Twins Box Scores" page. Tovar is regarded as the all-time AL leader in breaking up no-hit attempts with five. In April 17, 1967, Tovar's single was the only hit against the Senator's Barry Moore. On August 10, 1969, Mike Cuellar of the Baltimore Orioles was working on a streak of 35 consecutive batter retired before giving up a ninth inning single to Tovar and losing his no-hitter. Earlier in the same season (May 15), Tovar broke up the no-hit bid of another Baltimore pitcher, Dave McNally. Tovar was also responsible for spoiling two other no-hitters during his career: against the Washington Senators Dick Bosman on August 14, 1970 and against the Yankees Jim "Catfish" Hunter On May 31, 1975. On May 18, 1969 Tovar and Rod Carew set a major league record for most steals by a club in one inning with 5 in the second inning against the Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan. Carew stole 2nd, 3rd, and home while Tovar stole 3rd and home in front of Carew. The two base steals of home in the same inning also tied an existing record. Cesar Tovar also became the first Twins player to hit for the cycle at Met Stadium when he accomplished that unusual feat on September 19, 1972 against the Texas Rangers in a Twins 5-3 victory. Tovar was traded after the 1972 season to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ken Sanders, Ken Reynolds, and Joe Lis. Later in his career Tovar played for the Texas Rangers, Oakland A's, and finally the New York Yankees before retiring after the 1976 season. Cesar Tovar passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 54 in Caracas, Venezuela in 1994.
Senator’s Fun Facts
August 28 - Walter Johnson was the only pitcher elected to the MLB Hall of Fame at its inception. Johnson won 20 or more games 12 times in his career and 30 or more games twice. He started 666 games in his career and completed 531 of them.
Roy Sievers hit 42 homeruns in 1957 and was the only Washing Senator to ever win the American league homerun title outright. Senator third baseman Eddie Yost set an American league record by hitting 28 homeruns as a leadoff batter. One time Twins owner Calvin Griffith served as the Senators batboy on their 1924 World Series Championship team. Calvin’s father Clark owned the team. Senator’s catcher Morris “Moe” Berg became a renowned author and master spy for the US government. Berg, a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School was known as the “brainiest man in baseball”, spoke several languages and reportedly read at least 10 newspapers a day. On May 11, 1897, Senators catcher Duke Farrell set a Major League Baseball record that has stood for more than 100 years by catching eight of nine opposing players who attempted to steal a base.
Twins Send Out Post Season Invoices August 27 - Being a Twins partial season ticket holder, I received my 2008 post season ticket invoice in the mail this past Saturday. In our case we have the “Gold Glove” season ticket holder package which gives us ¼ of the games in our seats and someone else owns the other ¼ and yet another buyer owns ½ of the games. We like our seats which are in the first row right next to the visitor’s bullpen and our row only has two seats, which means we never have to get up to let someone in or out and you can’t beat that. What is frustrating is that with our seats split between three parties as they are, we have no assurance of getting our normal seats for the playoffs because the first choice obviously goes to the party that has the tickets for the ½ season ticket plan. If they choose not to order the tickets then it comes down to the other ¼ season ticket holder or us, depending on who gets their payment in first. It is always a nice to attend playoff baseball games but the prices today are getting up there and with the economy the way it is, it really makes one think before they write that check for the big bucks that it takes, in our case $2,500+. First thing on Monday I went down to the Ridgedale Twins Pro Shop and ordered my tickets but it is anyone’s guess at this point where our seats will be. I am not sure there is a better way to do this but never the less it is frustrating not to sit in your normal season ticket seats. It seems like the post season ticket invoices go out earlier and earlier each year. I can’t help but wonder, who benefits from all that post season ticket money sitting in those coffers, is it MLB or is it the individual teams? That is a lot of money that can be invested for a month or more before monies start to get returned when teams get eliminated from possible post season play and or when playoff teams get eliminated. What about the $35 non refundable processing and handling fee? That seems kind of steep to me particularly since they have had my money for an extended period of time earning interest. But we are talking playoff baseball here, what Twins fan wants to pass on seeing his team play in a Division or League Championship game at the Dome? What if they get to the World Series and you didn’t get tickets, how would you feel then? But that day will surely come for some of us in the near future as the 2008 prices for a single ticket for a World Series game go for $200 in the lower reserved sections. Are the Twins going to get in the playoffs? My heart says yes and my mind says no. So why did I order post season tickets? Because this team is just damn fun to watch and I LOVE baseball.
So how do the 2008 Twins compare? August 15 - With the Twins playing so well, I thought that it would be fun to compare the 2008 Twins record to how other winning Twins teams were doing as of the close of play August 14th. YEAR W/L Pct. 1965 74-42 .638 1969 69-47 .595 1970 69-45 .605 1987 63-54 .538 1991 68-47 .591 2002 71-50 .587 2003 61-60 .504 2004 63-53 .543 2006 68-49 .581 2008 67-53 .558 The Twins are playing very well coming off a year where they lost Carlos Silva, Torii Hunter, and Johan Santana. Before the season started I thought that if they played near .500 ball it would be a great season with lots of hope for the future. My reasoning was that they lost a lot of hitting and a solid fielder in center when Hunter left and the starting pitching staff was going to be very young even if Liriano would come back strong from his injury. Matter of fact here are my Central Division predictions from back on March 31, no wonder I have never won the Powerball. Could I have been more wrong? Tigers 98-64 Indians 96-66 Royals 84-78 Twins 80-82 White Sox 76-86
Fredrick "Firpo" Marberry - first prominent relief pitcher August 9 - Frederick "Firpo" Marberry (November 30, 1898 – June 30, 1976), born in Streetman, Texas was a right-handed starter and relief pitcher from 1923 to 1936. Marberry spent most of his career with Washington but he also pitched for the Detroit Tigers and the New York Giants late in his career. 
Early in his Washington career, Fred acquired the nickname "Firpo" because of his size (6’ 1” and 190 lbs.) and facial resemblance to Argentine boxer Luis Firpo. The fighter, dubbed "The Wild Bull of the Pampas," knocked Jack Dempsey out of the ring in a 1923 title bout before losing in the second round. Marberry never liked the nickname, especially as Luis Firpo's career fizzled out, but he would be "Firpo" Marberry for the remainder of his baseball years. Marberry was considered by many to be baseball’s first prominent reliever, he has been retroactively credited as having been the first pitcher to record 20 saves in a season, the first to earn 100 career saves, the first to make 50 relief appearances in a season or 300 in a career, and the only pitcher to lead the major leagues in saves five times. The Senators won their first American League pennant in 1924, and the Browns' George Sisler, among others, thought Marberry was Washington's MVP. In the second game of the World Series, he came into a tie game with two outs in the ninth inning to strike out Travis Jackson, and then watched as the Senators won the game in the bottom of the ninth. By modern reckoning he would be awarded the victory, but the official scorer awarded the win to starting pitcher Tom Zachary. Marberry started and lost game three, but pitched well in games four and seven as the Senators captured their first and only World Series title. After being released by the Tigers in mid season in 1935, Marberry, with no previous experience was offered an umpiring job by the American league and retired from the Tigers to umpire for the remainder of the year but never umpired any games involving his former teammates. His career as an umpire lasted only a short time because according to Marberry. "It’s too lonely for me. I like to be around the players and have companionship." In 1936 he accepted a tryout with the New York Giants. Believing that the problem causing his sore arm was his teeth, he had 14 abscessed teeth extracted. Nonetheless, he pitched in only one game for the Giants before being released. He then returned briefly to the Washington Senators pitching in five games, before leaving the major leagues for good. In a 14-season career, Marberry had a lifetime record of 148-88 with a 3.63 ERA in 551 games (187 starts). He accumulated 86 complete games and 7 shutouts, along with 101 saves. He struck out 822 batters in 2,067-1/3 innings pitched. Marberry would not begin to gain true recognition for many of his accomplishments until the save was created as a pitching statistic in the 1960s. Firpo Marberry is quoted in John Thorn's The Relief Pitcher: Baseball's New Hero (1979) as saying that, "If the relief pitcher holds the opposing club in check, he gets no credit. The pitcher who preceded him and couldn't stand the pace wins the game. Since Fred Marberry started and relieved so well, his managers were never able to stick him in one role and leave him there-he was too valuable to assume a consistent role. Had he started or relieved his entire career, he would likely have been one of the more famous players of his era. Either way, he was an outstanding pitcher, and the first of the great relievers. After his baseball days, he operated a wholesale gas distributorship and, later, ran a recreation center in Waco. In October 1949, Fred was in a serious automobile accident in Mexia, Texas in which he lost his left arm. The injury did not noticeably slow him down-he even continued to pitch in old-timer’s games. He suffered a stroke and died on June 30, 1976.
Interesting piece with Terry Ryan August 1 - There is a very interesting piece and well worth your read at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/07/31/aschburner.ryan/index.html by Steve Aschburner as he talked with former Twins GM Terry Ryan about the trials and tribulations of a baseball GM at trade deadline time. It also makes note of a new Twins book that Aschburner has coming out soon called The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins.
Twins Deadline Trade History July 28 - If you look at the last 10 years, the Twins have not been real active at the trade deadlines in July and August but they have made a number of trades and more often than not, they have been a seller versus a buyer. None have been what you could call real blockbuster deals. The trade they made for outfielder Shannon Stewart in 2003 is probably their best acquisition at a trade deadline. Here is a quick look at the deals they have made:
7/31/98 – Traded Greg Swindell and Orlando Merced to the Red Sox for John Barnes, Matt Kinney, and Joe Thomas. 8/25/98 – Traded Mike Morgan to the Cubs for Scott Downs.
8/3/99 – Traded George Williams to Houston for Josh Dimmick.
7/16/00 – The Twins send Butch Huskey and Todd Walker to Colorado for Todd Sears.
8/31/00 – The Twins send Midre Cummings to the Red Sox for Hector De Los Santos.
7/28/01 – The Twins acquire Todd Jones from the Tigers for Mike Redman.
7/30/01 – The Twins acquire Rick Reed from the Mets for Matt Lawton.
7/12/02 – The Twins send Brian Buchanan to San Diego and acquire Jason Bartlett.
7/16/03 – The Twins acquire Shannon Stewart and Dave Gassner from Toronto and part ways with Bobby Kielty.
8/31/03 – The Twins acquire Jesse Orosco and send Juan Padilla to the Mets.
7/31/04 – The Twins send Doug Mientkiewicz to the Cubs and get Justin Jones in return.
7/11/05 – The Twins acquire Brett Boone and cash for a player to be named later.
7/31/06 – The Twins send Kyle Loshe to Cincinnati and get Zach Ward in return.
8/31/06 – The Twins acquire Phil Nevin and trade Adam Harben to the Cubs.
7/30/07 – The Twins trade Luis Castillo to the Mets and receive Drew Butera and Dustin Martin.
8/15/07 – The Twins send Ramon Ortiz to Colorado and receive Matt Macri.
Looking at this list it appears that very few of the trades that have made a huge difference either for the Twins or for the other teams. Maybe with Mr. Smith at the GM helm it will be different in 2008 but I am not holding my breath. That being said, I sure would like to see Hank Blalock playing 3B for the Twins. The latest rumor has the Twins looking at bringing Latroy Hawkins back to town and I would not mind seeing him sitting in the Twins bullpen.
Twins Uniform Numbers
Did you know that there are only two Minnesota Twin uniform numbers between 0 and 60 that have been worn by only one player each? Junior Ortiz, the sometimes “strange but likeable” catcher from Puerto Rico wore the number 0 in 1990 and 1991. During one of those seasons after a prolonged slump, Ortiz asked that his first name be changed to Joe but after a time he found that did not help so he went back to Junior. Ortiz also served as the designated catcher for Scott Erickson in the Twins 1991 World Series championship season. The only other number lower than 60 that has graced the uniform back of only one player is the famous number 3 worn by Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew.
How about number 13 you ask? The first Twin to wear the number 13 was outfielder Bill Tuttle from 1961 through 1962. Jerry White, the current Twins 1B coach has worn the number 13 since 1999 and has worn the number longer than any other Twin. Other Twins players to wear the number 13 were:
Rich Reese - 1964-1965
John Roseboro - 1968-1969
Dick Woodson – 1972-1974
Tom Lundstedt – 1975
Mike Pagliarulo – 1991-1993
Todd Walker – 1996
Lucky or unlucky, we will let you be the judge of that.
The number worn by more Twins players than any other? The number 21, currently worn by outfielder Delmon Young.
Should the Twins make a Deal?
July 9 – The Twins find themselves in Detroit this evening awaiting the start of a four game series just before the All-Star break after losing three in a row to the Red Sox in Fenway Park. Yes, the team did lose three games in Beantown but they had a chance to win the first two games of the series when Baker battled tooth and nail with Daisuke Matsuzaka before the Red Sox scored the one and only run in the eighth inning off Brian Bass for a 1-0 win. In the second game Nick Blackburn pitched the Twins to a 4-2 lead after 6 and 2/3 inning before turning it over to the bullpen that could not hold the lead and the Twins lost 6-5. Game 3 ended up 18-5 in favor of the Red Sox and again bullpen relief was nowhere in sight. Boy, do the Twins miss Pat Neshek.
The Twins find themselves at 50-41 at this point and 3.5 games out of the Central Division lead. Are the Twins really in the hunt? I don’t think so, the Twins are not as bad as they showed against the White Sox just a little over a month ago but they are not as good as they have played recently. The Twins are somewhere in between, they are a .500 ball club. Don’t get me wrong, I am not down on the Twins at all but remember that this is a team where the only regulars from last year are Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer. The starting pitching staff is totally new with Hernandez, Baker, Blackburn, Slowey and Perkins.
Their two stars Johan Santana and Torii Hunter moved on to other teams as did SP Carlos Silva. If someone would have told me before Spring Training started that this team would be 50-41 at this point in the season I would have asked you what you were smoking. This Twins team is young, exciting, enthusiastic, learning new things about themselves and their teammates every day and best of all, they are just a fun and exciting team to watch. But, they are not yet ready to contend for a division title, they need more experience and they still have a couple of holes to fill at 3B and at SS. Brian Buscher has been hot since he was called up and replaced Mike Lamb at 3B but for some reason Gardy is platooning him now. Nick Punto has returned from his most recent injury and is playing some great SS and is even hitting a bit. If the Twins had a top notch 3B then I think they could leave Punto at SS but they can’t afford to have weak hitter at both SS and 3B.
The Twins desperately need an everyday 3B with some pop but I don’t know where they can find one without giving up the farm. Some rumors out there have the Twins looking at Adrian Beltre from the Mariners but he has a big salary and has been very inconsistent, I don’t think he is the answer. Scott Rolen from Toronto might be available but he too is making big bucks and is well past his prime but the man can play some defense. Bill Hall is probably available in Milwaukee but he can’t play defense at all so he is not the kind of player that would make Gardy happy.
The Twins could also use a little help in the bullpen too what with Bass and Bonser getting kicked around here lately. But again, the price to get some reliable relief help will not come cheap.
Bottom line, I think the Twins should probably be sellers (Lamb, Hernandez, Bonser, and Monroe) and not buyers during this trading period. Francisco Liriano will probably be up soon and he can replace Hernandez. Danny Graves deserves a call up and a shot in the bullpen. As for 3B, it probably remains a platoon position for the rest of the season between Buscher and Harris.
The Twins do seem to be strong in the outfield and there are clubs out there that would “kill” for a Denard Span to play CF but I am not sure the Twins are ready to make that deal yet.
Twins bid adieu to interleague play for another year
July 5 - Sadly, the Twins ended their interleague play for another year with a 5-0 shutout of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Twins end 2008 interleague play with a major league best 14-4 record. The Twins now have a 120-90 record in interleague play which comes out to a winning percentage of .571 and that is not too shabby. Interleague play started in 1997 and during the first five years each division played the same division from the other league. As of 2002 the format was changed so that teams played interleague games against various divisions. The Twins record in interleague play by year is:
1997 7-8
1998 7-9
1999 10-7
2000 7-11
2001 9-9
2002 10-8
2003 10-8
2004 11-7
2005 8-10
2006 16-2
2007 11-7
2008 14-4
The Twins have played the Milwaukee Brewers the most frequently since they are designated as natural rivals and the Twins hold a winning 29-23 record against the Brew Crew. The Twins have never lost to the Montreal Expos in interleague play and never will. Twins interleague play records against the National League teams are:
Milwaukee Brewers 29-23
Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7
Houston Astros 10-7
Cincinnati Reds 8-7
Arizona D-Backs 8-4
Chicago Cubs 8-10
San Diego Padres 6-3
New York Mets 6-3
St. Louis Cardinals 6-9
Florida Marlins 4-2
Atlanta Braves 4-2
Washington Nats 4-2
Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2
Montreal Expos 3-0
San Francisco Giants 3-3
Philadelphia Phillies 3-3
Colorado Rockies 3-3
Maybe the Twins should move to the National league!
Senator’s Tidbits
July 4 - The team played in two stadiums, American League Park in 1901 through 1902 and then played in Griffith Stadium from 1903 through 1960. Griffith Stadium as known as National Park from 1903 through 1920.
Washington’s best season was in 1933 when their record was 99-53. Their worst season was in 1904 when their record was 38-113.
The team made World Series appearances in 1924, 1925, and 1933 with their only World Series championship in 1924.
Team colors were Navy, White, and Red.
Sixteen players with Washington Senators roots are in the major league Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Washington franchise hosted two All-Star games, in 1937 and again in 1956.
The Senators had two rookie of the year winners, ironically they were both outfielders and they were back to back in 1958 (Albie Pearson) and 1959 (Bob Allison).
The Senator’s never had a CY Young award winner but did have 3 MVP winners. Walter Johnson a right handed pitcher won in 1913 and again in 1924. Roger Peckinpaugh, a shortstop, won the award in 1925.
Two Washington Senator pitchers threw no hitters, Walter Johnson in 1920 and Bob Burke in 1931.
Four Washington batters hit for the cycle, Otis Clymer in 1908, Goose Goslin in 1924, Joe Cronin in 1929, and Mickey Vernon in 1946.
In their final year in Washington, the Senators finished in 5th place with a 73-81 record.
So what Twins should go to All-Star game?
July 3 - Catcher Joe Mauer should be the starting catcher if there is no last minute push by Jason Varitek voters. Varitek does not even deserve to be in contention but with the heavy Red Sox nation vote he is a perennial high vote collector. Justin Morneau deserves to start at 1B but again with the heavy Red Sox voting it is very likely that Kevin Youkilis will get the starting nod there but I see no way that Morneau will not make the team. I think that will be it for the Twins unless Joe Nathan gets selected. If you look at saves alone then Nathan is running fourth behind Frankie Rodriguez, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Papelbon. Rodriguez is first in saves so he is a shoe in, Sherrill might be the only Oriole selected and then you have to wait and see if Francona wants to go with his man Papelbon or the Twins Nathan. Joe Nathan is a premier closer and deserves to be on the team but the odds are 50-50 at best, it all depends on how AL manager Terry Francona structures his pitching staff and if he goes heavy with starters or closers.
2008 Twins Draft Notes
June 14 - The Twins first pick was number 14 and they used that pick to take outfielder/pitcher Aaron Hicks from Woodrow Wilson High School in California. Although the 6”2” and 170 pound Aaron has a great arm and had pitched in high school, the Twins plan to have Hicks become a position player and that fits with Aaron’s preference of playing every day. Hicks throws right handed and is a switch-hitter and would like to become a great center-fielder like Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter have been and Carlos Gomez hopes to become in the near future in the land of 10,000 lakes. Hicks is projected as a 5 tool player for Minnesota. Hicks signed with Minnesota on Friday, June 13 for a reported $1.78 million and will be reporting to the Gulf Coast league Twins. The Twins also announced that they had signed 10 other (their number 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 17, 23, 27, and 39th) draft picks.
In all 52 players were chosen byt the Twins. 24 of the picks were hitters and of these 24 hitters, 13 were college players and 11 were high school players. The position breakdown for the hitters was 2 catchers, 1 first baseman, 3 second baseman, 2 shorstops, 5 third basemen, and 11 are outfielders.
28 of the picks were pitchers. 19 of these were college players and 13 throw right handed and 6 are lefties. The remaining 9 pitchers taken were high schooler’s and of these 5 were right handed and 4 are lefties.
The biggest name local player drafted by the Twins is 3B Joe Loftus from Holy Angels High School but it appears that the Twins will not be able to sign Loftus unless they come up with a 6 figure bonus. Joe has committed to Vanderbilt University if he chooses not to sign with the Twins. Not all of these players will be signed but hope springs eternal each year as new blood is brought into each organization.
Juan Rincon
June 14 - Juan Rincon choose to become a free agent today instead of taking the Twins offer to report to their AAA Rochester farm club. Although Rincon has pitched poorly this season and has been on a down-hill slide in recent years, it is still sad to see a player that has spent 12 years in the Twins organization leave. Juan has had his good days and his bad with his low point taking place in May of 2005 when he was suspended for 10 days by MLB after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Prior to the 2008 season, Rincon had a 28-24 record with 392 strikeouts in 413 innings and an ERA of 3.53. This season Rincon was 2-2 with a 6.11 ERA and 16 walks with 20 strikeouts in 28 innings and it seemed like Rincon had lost confidence. Manager Gardenhire gave Rincon a number of chances to pull out of his funk but time ran out on Juan. The bottom line is that Juan Rincon was a very good relief pitcher in his prime but the game changes and it seems that the hitters had caught up with Rincon and he could not adjust. Here is to wishing Juan the best of luck in the future (albeit hopefully not against our Twins) and I hope that Juan regains his magic and pitches in the majors for a long time.
Facts About Griffith Stadium That it was actually down hill going from home plate to first base at Griffith Stadium to help the slow Washington runners? That the center-field wall detoured around five houses and an Oak tree that jutted into the field of play. That there was a National Bohemian Beer bottle above the right-center scoreboard that was approximately 50 feet tall. The stadium was demolished in 1965. http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/GriffithStadium.htm
Twins Need to Make Some Moves
June 8 - Well, 62 games have come and gone and there are 100 games left to play and the Twins are sitting with a .500 record. After losing Hunter and Santana and going into the season with a no name starting pitching staff you have to think that playing .500 baseball would satisfy most fans as they watch some of the young players gain experience but apparently that is not the case. That kind of surprises me because this team is fun to watch most of the time but there will be games that will make you wonder. The loss of Hunter and Santana does seem to have negatively impacted attendance as average Twins home attendance in 2008 has dropped to 24,234 from an average of 28,350 in 2007. On the road the Twins are not a good draw either, as only one team, the Baltimore Orioles have attracted fewer fans then Minnesota has. Seldom near the top in overall attendance, the Twins are currently 23rd in overall attendance as compared to 22nd in 2007. Hopefully the fans will get behind this team as it has some stars like Morneau, Mauer, and Nathan and some stars in the making like Gomez, Casilla, and Young. This team just needs experience to challenge for a division title.
Having said that, I am very frustrated with Twins management failure to do something to plug the hole they have had at 3B for years. If this is a young team getting used to playing with each other and getting experience, why are the Twins sending out Lamb to play 3B? Lamb is certainly not a stellar 3B nor the power hitter that the Twins thought they were getting, he has limited range and his throws to first are almost always an adventure. He has provided no power todate. Geez, get the guy out of there and bring up somebody from the minors that can play the position and let him get some experience. What have the Twins got to lose? Realistically they are not in the division race although they are only 4 games out and the experience gained by a young 3B would be invaluable. What do we gain by sending Lamb out there day after day? If Twins management thinks they are in this race, then do something, make a deal for a REAL 3B and let Lamb do what he does best, pinch hit and play 1B & 3B enough to rest the regulars. So Mr. Smith, you signed Lamb for 2 years, admit the mistake and let’s move on, don’t keep tying Gardenhire’s hands behind his back by forcing him to send Lamb out to 3B day after day.
The pitching staff needs your attention too Mr. Smith, make a deal and sending Boof somewhere where he can get another chance to get in the rotation and acquire some young talent for us to build on. Rincon has shown that he is done here in Minnesota, why do we keep sending him out there? He will probably not fetch much in a trade but I think we have a case here for addition by subtraction, bring Korecky back and he can fill Rincon’s spot, he can’t do any worse. If nothing else, bring Danny Graves up and give him another shot.
Bill Gates and his thoughts on school
Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
10-11-12
June 8 - Holy Cow! Somebody please wake me up from this nightmare because I think I just saw the Mighty Whitey’s score 10, 11, and 12 runs against the Twins as they took the first 3 games of a 4 game set. Took? They flat out spanked the Twins and not a single Twin let out so much as a whimper. Not a single pitcher threw anything that could even be called remotely inside. You know, it doesn’t hurt to plunk a hitter now and then, at least make them dance in the batter’s box a bit. The Twins pitchers look like they are throwing batting practice, the Sox hitters could not hit the ball any better if you put the ball on a batting tee for them. Where is the leadership that Twins management has told us that Livan Hernandez is providing? How long can the Twins keep Juan Rincon on the roster? For the sake of fan safety they should let him go because his pitches are being hit so far, so deep, and so hard that someone sitting in the outfield is going to get hurt. The Twins have looked terrible, this is the worst series of games I have seen the Twins play in I don’t know how long. When is someone going to get mad and speak up? Where is the leadership on this team?
Yes, I am disgusted with the poor play of the Twins in this series but you know that I will be watching them again tomorrow as Perkins tries to end this gruesome streak of bad play. A win on Monday and the Mighty Whitey’s only gain 2 games in the standings on the Twins and after this pathetic display of baseball that will be a huge victory in itself.
2008 MLB Draft Just Around The Corner?
May 30 - The 2008 First-Year player draft will take place on June 5-6 at the Disney Sports complex in Florida. For the second year in a row, MLB has chosen to televise the event on ESPN2. Unlike the NFL draft that drags on and on, MLB allows just 5 minutes between first round picks.
The Twins like many other teams, have done so-so in this draft. Since the draft started in 1965, the Twins have had 46 first round picks and have chosen a pitcher in the first round just 15 times. That seems strange for a team that always talks pitching and fielding over hitting but he Twins have never had a pitcher drafted in the first round become a star and have had a number of big time flops. Over the years they have drafted pitchers like Dick Ruthven (did not sign), Eddie Bane, Bryan Oelkers, Tim Belcher (over all number 1 pick in the 1983 draft but would not sign with Minnesota), Jeff Bumgarner, Willie Banks, Johnny Ard, Todd Ritchie, Dan Serafini, Mark Redman, Ryan Mills, and Adam Johnson. Their most recent pitcher picks have been Matt Garza, Kyle Waldrop, and Glen Perkins and the jury is still out on these guys. I would like to see the Twins cut back on their drafting of high school players and focus more on college players that have more experience and can get to the big leagues sooner. But this draft is not always about potential and ability as money often determines who gets drafted when. This year the Twins have 2 picks (numbers 14 and 27) and are one of just two teams with multiple picks in the first round. One of the picks is a sandwich pick due to the loss of Torri Hunter. Here is a nice site that might be worth you time to check out and it includes a possible mock draft - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/draft .
Washington Managers May 29 - The Washington ball club had 18 different managers between its first season in 1901 and its final season in Washington in 1960. Job security was not on your side if you were a manger for the Senators/Nationals since it appears they changed managers like teams change uniforms today. Nationals management must have had a real love/hate relationship with Bucky Harris because he served as their manager on three different occasions, the first time between 1924-1928, again between 1935-1942, and for the third and final time between 1950-1954. Harris put in more years (18) as the Nationals skipper than any other manager. Jimmy Manning 1901
Tom Loftus 1902-1903
Malachi Kittiredge 1904
Patsy Donovan 1904
Jake Stahl 1905-1906
Joe Cantillon 1907-1909
Jimmy McAleer 1910-1911
Clark Griffith 1912-1920
George McBride 1921
Clyde Milan 1922
Donie Bush 1923
Bucky Harris 1924-1928
Walter Johnson 1929-1932
Joe Cronin 1933-1934
Bucky Harris 1935-1942
Ossie Bluege 1943-1947
Joe Kuhel 1948-1949
Bucky Harris 1950-1954
Chuck Dressen 1955-1957
Cookie Lavagetto 1957-1960
Don't Forget to Vote for the All-Star Game
May 29 - Even if you can't get to the Dome, you should take the time to vote for your favorite players for the 2008 All-Star game which will be held on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. The Twins have several deserving players and if you want to see them play in the big game you need to take the time to get your votes in. You can vote up to 25 times each day on the Internet simply by going to http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2008/ballot_reg.html . This game is really for the fans so vote for the players that you would like to see play in the big game.
Who Will Be The First?
May 19 - As baseball completes the quarter point of the 2008 season it is time to start looking at what managers are in trouble as their teams flounder. A couple of weeks ago it sure looked like former Twins infielder and current Texas Ranger manager Ron Washington was going to be the first 2008 managerial casualty but the Rangers caught fire and so far Washington is hanging on. In my opinion it would be a shame for baseball if Washington lost his job with a team of players like the Rangers field day in and day out, but that is the way that baseball works, you can’t dump all the players and so a manager or coach has to go.
I think the leading candidate to depart is Tiger manager Jim Leyland. Leyland might resign due to stress reasons before the axe falls but something needs to be done to turn that Tigers train wreck around and sending Leyland on an early vacation is the logical choice, maybe it is already too late. The Tiger players are making way too much money to have a 17-27 record and to be in last place in the AL Central. Granted the starting pitching has been bad and the bullpen stinks but the team that Leyland is putting on the field is just plain not doing the job. It is obvious to anyone that watches the Tigers play that Carlos Guillen cannot play 3B (or 1B for that matter) and Miguel Cabrera either cannot play first base or he just does not have his heart in it. Putting Sheffield out in left field is a crime as he could not throw out your grandmother. With all the problems that Detroit is having with defense, how can you not play Brad Inge at 3B? The simple solution to the Tigers line-up would be to bench Sheffield who is hurt and isn’t hitting a lick and to insert Inge at 3B and Guillen at DH. That still leaves a hole in LF but Matt Joyce and Marcus Thames can cover that with a platoon situation very well.
The other AL Central manager that I think will be gone before the season is over is Ozzie (the mouth) Guillen in Chicago. I am dumfounded how a professional baseball team can put up with a manger like Guillen and the shenanigans that he pulls off in what seem like weekly tirades, it is like a soap opera out there in mighty whitey land. Based on what former White Sox Jon Garland said in a recent quote it just appears that the players kind of ignore Ozzie and let him throw his tantrums now and then and keep on playing the best they can. Maybe it is just wishful thinking but I see Ozzie moving on.
The San Diego Padres have the fewest wins in MLB but I am not sure that anyone out there cares and now star pitcher Jake Peavy may have an elbow issue. Is Bud Black’s job safe? I don’t know, but if that team does not do something soon he could be taking the summer off too.
How Much Longer? May 19 - How much longer can Gardy continue to send Mike Lamb out on a daily basis to play 3B for the Minnesota Twins? Lamb continues to prove he is not a regular position player but performs best off the bench or in a pinch hitting role. Lamb has 120 at bats this season and he has hit 6 doubles, no triples, no home runs and knocked in 16 runs while scoring but 7 runs himself all season. His average is now at .225 and his on base percentage is a pathetic and measly .256. In the past, Twins management has always said a batter deserves 100 at bats to show what he can do, that time has come and gone for Lamb, he is not performing. It is not like Lamb is stellar in the field, he is below average there too and his throws to first are always an adventure. Lamb is not a young player that we need to be patient with or worry that we will hurt his confidence, let’s admit he has not worked out and move on, please Mr. Smith call up Brian Buscher and give him some playing time. At least Buscher will look like he wants to play instead of just going through the motions.
Lipstick in School (You've got to love this Principal).
According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done.
She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers.... and then there are educators.
PECANS IN THE CEMETERY
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.
'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,' said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.
Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate.
Sure enough, he heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.'
He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along
'Come here quick,' said the boy, 'you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.'
The man said, 'Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk.' When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.
Standing by the fence they heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.'
The old man whispered, 'Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord.'
Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.
At last they heard, 'One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done.'
They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.
At The Ballpark
May 13 - I was expecting a huge crowd when I went to see the Twins take on the Red Sox on Monday night but the announced crowd was a disappointing 18,782 and I am not sure that the Twins fans out numbered the Red Sox fans by very many, I was surprised too at how many Red Sox jerseys I saw at the Dome. The game started with a bang when the Red Sox jumped on starter Livan Hernandez for 3 runs in the top of the first with only one out and Red Sox fans were jumping up and down and hollerin up a storm. The Twins came back with two of their own in the bottom of the first and we all settled in for an exciting ballgame. Clay Buchholz didn’t seem to have his best stuff and lasted only 4 1/3 innings as he gave up 8 hits, 5 walks and 7 earned runs and the Twins built a nice 7-3 lead that they would keep for the remainder of the game. Dustin Pedroia the very good but pint sized 2B who is listed at 5’9” (but I think that must be on his tip toes), was involved in several unique plays as the game moved along. In the second he hit a bullet at the head of Hernandez who caught it just as the ball was going to hit his head and he slammed the ball to the ground just like Eddie Guardado often did with the resin bag when he was pitching. I watched Hernandez in the dugout after the catch and he kept looking at his glove hand and shaking it. Asked after the game why he spiked the ball after the catch, Hernandez simply replied “because it hurt”. He was lucky he caught that ball or the Twins may have been looking for another starter this morning. In the seventh inning Pedroia hit an easy fly ball to right field and as Cuddyer caught the ball it bounced out of his glove, hit the top of Cuddyer’s head and rolled down the bill of his cap before Mike caught it once again before it hit the ground. WOW, the Twins know how to make the game exciting.
One thing that was noticeable from our seats down by the visitor’s bullpen was how Pedroia plays the pivot at 2B. The man never touches the bag, he is just in the vicinity and yet no one calls him on it. Must be an east coast thing…..
All in all it was a fun game and once again the Twins played the Red Sox tough at home and took 3 out of 4 this week-end. Next up, the Blue Jays who have been shut down by the Indians the last few days.
Pat Neshek Out For The Year?
May 12 - The injury to Pat Neshek’s elbow is a serious blow both to the Twins and to Pat Neshek. The Twins lost a quality set up guy and a pitcher that I think manager Gardenhire could put into a tight situation and feel comfortable that he would get them out of the jam with a minimum of damage. If needed, you could count on Neshek to get a strikeout if the situation required it. Pat will be out for several months and very possibly the season. Even more serious is the possibility for both Pat and the Twins is that rest alone will not cure the partial tear in his elbow and that surgery may be necessary but that will not be known for some time and if that comes into play, then we could be looking at no Neshek in 2009 or even worse, if this is a career ending injury. Neshek throws the ball very hard and how much faith will Pat have in the elbow coming off an injury like this? Although I have never met Pat, he sure seems to be a very personable guy and is one of the players that seem to enjoy his interaction with the fans from his home state. The fans will miss him and I will miss watching him on the mound as opposing batters flail at his offerings. The Twins bullpen took a big hit losing Pat but that is part of baseball. Who will step up and take over that setup spot? Will it be Juan Rincon, Mark Guerrier, or Jesse Crain? Dennis Reyes is best when he faces a batter or two so he is not a good choice, Brian Bass is unproven. Bob Korecky is not a lights out kind of a pitcher but more prone to give up hits and walks and wiggles his way out of trouble. Maybe the right man is the Cincinnati Reds all time saves leader that the Twins currently having pitching in Rochester in Danny Graves? It might be time to give him a shot at the big leagues again.
Garfield on the oil crisis
A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in our country. Well, there's a very simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low. The reason for that is purely geographical. Our Oil is located in Alaska, California, coastal Florida, coastal Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Our DIPSTICKS are located in Washington, DC?!!! Any Questions ??? NO? I didn't Think So.
The Hot Corner certainly is not for the Twins
April 29 - With 25 games played we are about 15% of the way through the 2008 season and the Twins hitting woes continue. Let’s look at third baseman Mike Lamb who the Twins have committed to for at least two years. Lamb is not totally to blame for the Twins poor hitting but so far in 2008 he is barely hitting his weight. In 21 games he has scored a total of 4 runs, hit zero home runs and knocked in 10 runs while hitting a paltry .219. For a player that the Twins brought in to add some power, to this point Lamb has been a dismal failure. If you exclude Oakland, Boston, and Toronto who have all lost their 3B to injuries, Lamb is the least productive 3B in the AL league. Lamb has never been able to hold a full time job in his major league career and I don’t see why Minnesota brass thinks he can do so in 2008 at the age of 32. Why not just put Brian Buscher out there and give him a shot and see if he can change some of the Twins hitting ills? Their defense skills have to be about a wash between these two guys. Lamb has always been a better bench player and pinch hitter then he has been a starter so isn’t it about time that Gardy moves him to a role where he has a better chance of success? Gardy always talks about playing players where they can have success; here is his chance to help Lamb and the Twins. The Twins don’t have anyone that appears to be ready to fill the 3B hole in the minors so let’s give Buscher a shot and see what he can do. What have the Twins got to lose? The team is already carrying a rookie centerfielder that can’t hit and a shortstop that has historically hit very little so they can’t afford a hole at third base too. Sure they are paying Lamb good money to sit on the bench but maybe he can get hot in that role and a few months down the line the Twins can send him packing to a contending team and rid themselves of his salary and move on from appears to be a mistake by new GM Bill Smith.
How good is the Twins bullpen?
April 22 - Through the first 3 weeks and 19 games the Twins bullpen has an ERA of 3.51 and a 1.03 WHIP after pitching 59 innings and striking out 37 batters. Some pretty good numbers but these numbers are skewed a bit when you take into consideration that Joe Nathan and Dennis Reyes have pitched a total of 12 innings without giving up an earned run. So if we separate out Nathan and Reyes and look at Brian Bass, Matt Guerrier, Pat Neshek, Juan Rincon, and Jesse Crain we see a slightly different picture with a 4.85 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. A WHIP of 1.22 is still very good and you can attribute that to the fact that Twins pitchers walk so few batters and that Matt Guerrier is the only reliever who has given up more hits then innings pitched. A 4.85 ERA is not stellar by any means but this number is inflated primarily by two bad relief outings against the Tigers and the White Sox. The Twins relief staff has pitched 35% of the innings to date which means that the Twins starters are averaging less that 6 innings a start and that needs to improve. If the Twins starters could average closer to 7 innings a start, it would be a huge plus to the bullpen crew. Overall, I think I will give the Twins bullpen a B for their work so far in 2008, they would rated higher but those meltdowns in Detroit really hurt, particularly when you consider that the Tigers were playing terrible ball at the time.
Quit Using the Term Twinkees! April 21- The other day I was watching a Yankee game on MLB Extra innings and one of the Yankee announcers said something that really sticks in my craw. I don’t remember who the announcer was but he was giving score updates on the other games in the American league and when he got to the Twins game he said “and the Twinkees are beating” the Royals by so and so. Damn! I hate that term the “Twinkees”, I take it as a derogatory term, maybe it is not the way it was intended but that is the way I take it. Where did that term “Twinkees” come from anyway? I hear the term used frequently when someone is ripping the Twins for one thing or another. I may be all wrong but it seems to me the term “Twinkees” was coined back in 1982 when the Twins were off loading a number of high priced players like Erickson, Smalley, and Wynegar and traded them to the Yankees and in return the Twins got players like Paul Boris, Ron Davis, Greg Gagne, Pete Filson, Larry Milbourne, and John Pacella. The Twins had so many ex-Yankees on the roster that some people started calling the Twins the “Twinkees”. Then is then and now is now, let’s quit calling our Minnesota Twins the “Twinkees!
I finally get to my first Twins game of the season! April 20 - I attended my first Twins game of the season this past Saturday and watched the Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0. Although we have a partial season ticket plan, some family issues have kept us out of town and unable to attend any games until just the other day but that is all in the past and I am ready to enjoy some Twins baseball.
Blackburn pitched a nice game and every time he gave up a hit it seemed to be followed by a double play ball. It is strange because as I watched the game, it just seemed to me like the Twins were a lock to win the game and Cleveland just seemed to be going through the motions and just looked listless. I remember that in the sixth inning I looked up to see how many strikeouts Nick had since I could only remember Hafner taking a called 3rd strike in the second inning and lo and behold that was Blackburn’s only strikeout. The Twins did play some nice defense behind Blackburn but what really struck me as I watched the game was the poor communication between Young, Gomez, and Kubel. There was a number of near collisions and I know that Kubel is not the regular RF but still, the way these three played on Saturday made you worry for their safety much less making sure they caught all the fly balls. Young and Gomez have played out there all year so they should have a good feel for how each plays but you sure could not tell that by watching them on Saturday.
Lamb was 1-3 in the game but I am very concerned about Lamb and his .153 batting average. Defense is not Mike’s game so he needs to hit and provide power if he is going to earn his keep. Add in the fact that he is signed for 2 years and the Twins hold an option for 2010 and I see reason for worry. Geez, it seem like it has been a lifetime since the Twins had a good third baseman.
The Season is Off and Running! April 6 - The season is about a week old and I thought that I would share my thoughts on what I have seen so far this year. The worst team in baseball and I think it is to no one surprise seems to be the San Francisco Giants at 1-5. To be honest they have not even played that well. This is a team with a bunch of old geezers and some young players that do not even belong in the majors. Oh sure, they have a couple of young pitchers in Cain and Lincecum that every team would love to have and Zito will have his days but the position players on this team are just plain awful, there is no other way to put it. What management has done to this team is atrocious, they have no plan, no clue, and they are going nowhere fast. If I am a Giants season ticket holder I have to wonder what ever possessed me to buy tickets to watch this sad example of professional baseball. I think there is an old saying that goes something like this, every team will win at least 60 games, every team will lose at least 60 games, it is a matter of what you do with the other 40 games that counts. That saying will not be true for the 2008 San Francisco Giants; this team has a legit shot at finishing with 120+ losses.
The biggest surprise this year has to be the 0-5 start by the Detroit Tigers and as I watch them face the White Sox this evening, they are down 9-1 in the 6th and the boo birds are out big time at Comerica Park. What is wrong with that team? Can Granderson make that much difference, I would not think so but this team is really playing badly and the pitching is worse than just bad. This team has no bullpen to speak of and when the starters pitch poorly like they have been; it is a sad site to behold. I wonder what Leyland will tell the boys after tonight?
On the other side of the coin the Kansas City Royals have been a pleasant surprise with their 4-2 start against the Tigers and the Twins. This KC team is not a bad team and I think they will get better as they gain confidence and experience. Their pitching is still not up to par but Soria is a nice find in the closer role. I think that Gordon and Butler are going to be hitting stars for a long time.
It sure is fun to have baseball again, damn I love this game.
Who is the best team in the AL Central division? March 31 - The Central Division will be tough again this year and with the division having no particularly weak sisters, but it is very possible that only one playoff team will emerge from the Central division in 2008. My reasoning is that the teams will face each other 18 times and that will takes its toll on the overall records and they beat up on each other. So how do I see the teams finishing this year? First let’s take a look at each team.
Chicago White Sox – Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera are some nice additions to an aging club. The starting pitching is questionable but if Danks and Floyd come through the starters could be tough. Jenks as a closer is top notch but Dotel whom the team acquired to set up has been terrible this spring. The Sox seem to have no plan and appear to be veering away from the solid defense that they wanted to get to a couple of years ago. I don’t see this team progressing as long as Ozzie Guillen manages this team.
Kansas City Royals – Everyone says this is a much better team than it has been in the past but then again that is not saying much. Having said that, I actually like this team, they are not ready to win a title but they are building a nice team around Gordon, Butler, DeJesus, Guillen, Teahen, Greinke and several others. They still need to improve at catcher, 2B, and in their pitching both in the starter role and in the pen. Meche is their only proven starter but Greinke can be very good if he gets his head back on straight and Bannister showed flashes of being a very nice starter. I don’t see what signing Tomko does for the team other than add someone that can throw some innings. Soria the closer looked good last year but the rest of the bullpen with the exception of Gobble could stand an upgrade. It will be interesting to see what Trey Hillman can do with this bunch, he never played in the major leagues but he has been a very good manager in Japan for a number of years.
Detroit Tigers – Maybe the best hitting team in baseball this year and they have Jim Leyland to lead them. After they acquired Cabrera and Willis from Florida this winter, most everyone has conceded the division title to Detroit in 2008. They are solid in every position but the broken finger that Granderson suffered will hurt the team in April. I see Granderson as a leader and sparkplug on this team and they need him back as quickly as possible. The weak link on this Tiger team is the bullpen where they miss Zumaya terribly and there is not guarantee when and if he will be back. Their old closer and former Twin Todd Jones gets the job done but it is seldom pretty. There used to be an old Baltimore closer, I forget his name and Earl Weaver his manager used to call him two pack so and so because Weaver would go through two packs of smokes in the ninth inning waiting for this pitcher to get the side out and the save.
The Cleveland Indians are picked by some to defend their Central title this year. From a hitting perspective this team is almost as good as Detroit and that is with Travis Hafner having an off season. If he comes back strong, this is a team that will be in the hunt all year long. You throw in a pitching staff led by CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona and the pitching is looking pretty good. The remaining starters are likely to be Jake Westbrook, Paul Bryd who is no spring chicken and throws slow and slower and Cliff Lee figures to come back after a disastrous season in 2007. Strangely enough, just like the Tigers, the Indians have a closer that never makes it looks easy but seems to get the job done in Joe Borowski.
Finally we get to Minnesota, at first blush it is easy to say that the Twins are in trouble, after all, they lost Johan Santana and Torii Hunter the two biggest stars on the team. But let’s not be so quick to give up on this team, they should be improved from a hitting perspective. I think Delmon Young will do as well as Hunter did although with fewer homeruns. Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer should be expected to put up better numbers then they did last year. Harris is an improvement over what we had at 2B last year and the same can be said for 3B with Lamb. What appears to be a platoon at DH should be better with Kubel and Monroe but personally I would like to see Kubel earn that position outright. Gomez in center will be exciting to watch but you will need to be happy if he hits .265 and steals a bunch of bases. Everett is a glove guy but I think he will surprise a few people with his bat too. But can they pitch you say? That sir is the question; can the elderly Livan Hernandez still get guys out for 200 innings one more time? Can Liriano come back like he pitched in 2006? Can Boof can over the hump and throw 200 innings? Can Baker stand up to a full season on the mound? Is Slowey a young Radke? Time will tell but the Twins are counting very heavily on this bunch of starters. If the starters can be just half way decent, then the Twins bullpen and Nathan the closer will do their job and the Twins will be sitting pretty. Can they catch the ball? Not as well as they have in the past I’m afraid as they are weak at 2B and 3B. The outfielders all have great arms although Gomez may not always throw it where he wants to. All in all, I think the Twins will be an exciting team to watch.
So when we look at the final scoreboard standings in October, what will we see? I think it will look like this. Tigers 98-64
Indians 96-66
Royals 84-78
Twins 80-82
White Sox 76 -86
The Fun Corner This is probably true.
A biker is riding by the zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.
The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.
A New York Times reporter has seen the whole scene, and addressing the biker, says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole life."
"Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right."
"Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist from the New York Times , you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this on the first page.
What motorcycle do you ride and what political affiliation do you have?"
"A Harley Davidson and I am a Republican."
The journalist leaves.
The following morning the biker buys The New York Times to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on first page:
BIKER GANG MEMBER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH.
The Fun Corner 1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. Like this: It could be a right number.
13. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
14. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
15. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket
Ft. Myers New-Press Spring Training Reports If you are looking for another source of news about the Twins and spring training, check out the Ft. Myers News-Press spring training reports and blogs by Glenn Miller. He is covering both the Twins and the Red Sox and he does a nice job. It is always interesting to see what someone outside of the Twins has to say about the team. You can find it at www.news-press.com/springtraining .
At The Ballpark  March 24 - I arrived at the stadium this morning about 08:45 and it was pretty quiet with no action on the big league side, some of the minor league teams were just coming out and getting ready to start their work day. A little after 9:00 Morneau and Punto came out for some xtra hitting practice and except for a coach pitching, they were out there by themselves for some time. Shortly after Morneau and Punto started hitting I was surprised to see Denard Span walk out of the locker-room wearing his civilian clothes with a backpack on his back and he did not look very happy. I guessed that he had just been cut and verified that a few minutes later when I listened in to a conversation he was having with some acquaintances. You could see he was down but he talked for a few minutes and said that he would just have to work his way back. He then slowly walked over to his car with his head down and drove away. I guess I did not think that Span had much of a chance to win the centerfield job this year but it is still hard to see how disappointed he looked as he walked away. A few minutes later the gossip going around was that Brian Buscher was also cut. When I got back home a few hours later I saw that Jason Pridie and Philip Humber were also sent packing. This time of the year can be tough; baseball can be very cruel and hard on the ego at times.
 Before I left the park about 11:00 or so since I was not attending today’s game against the Cardinals, I saw Tom Kelly and Cards manager Tony LaRussa sitting on a bench on one of the practice fields talking about who knows what. Gardy was standing next to them just listening as he leaned on his bat. Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the screen and listen to what they were discussing? Did we just see a couple of future Hall of Famers managers enjoying each others company? Who knows. The 2008 season is just about here and there are still a few roster spots to sort out. Everyone is saying that Matt Tolbert has made this team but I am still not convinced that both he and Punto can both make the team.
Championship Washington Teams March 22 - The Washington Senators who became the Minnesota Twins in 1961 certainly had more losing seasons then they had winning seasons between the time they started as a charter member team of the American League in 1901 and when they played their final game as the Washington Senators on October 2, 1960. During their 60 years as the Senators and Nationals, they compiled a 4,223 – 4,864 record while fielding winning teams in only 18 of their 60 years. Their best seasons were: 1924 – The Nationals won the AL pennant with a 92-62 record and went on to win their first and only World Series championship by beating the New York Giants 4 games to 3. 1925 – The Nats won the pennant for the second year in a row finishing the season 96-55 record. They played the Pittsburg Pirates in the fall classic and took a 3 games to 1 lead before losing 3 straight and the series 4 games to 3 and became the first team to lose the World Series after taking a 3 games to one lead in a seven game series. 1933 – The Nationals won the pennant with a 99-53 record and went on to lose the World Series in 5 games to the New York Giants in what turned out to be their final World Series appearance while in Washington.
The Washington teams had many exciting players and we will touch on many of them in the future. The Senators/Nationals had several Hall of Famers that played on their pennant winning teams such as RHP Stan Coveleski (1925-1927), SS Joe Cronin (1928-1934), OF Goose Goslin (1921-1930, 1933, 1938), OF Heinie Manush 1930-1935), OF Sam Rice from 1915-1933, and the incomparable RHP Walter (Big Train) Johnson who pitched for Washington from 1907-1927 compiling a record of 417-279 and winning 60% of his games for a team that only won 49.2% of their games. During his time with the Washington Nationals, he won 27% of the teams total games.
Position Battle Updates
  March 22 - On the hitting side it looks like the only position battle the Twins still have going on is for DH and that may not really be much of a fight because I think that Gardy will do what he loves to do and that is to go with the hot hand. So it appears that Kubel and Monroe will share the DH role along with anyone else that Gardy decides needs to take a day off from the field. I am wondering now if Kubel is ever going to get a chance to get a season with 500+ at bats for the Twins. If he doesn’t, I think it is a real shame.
 Third base belongs to Lamb but he had better hit because his defense leaves more than just a little to be desired. The other night I watched him play against the Reds and he had a bad night. He tried a little underhand flip that went over the second baseman’s head and although I don’t think it cost the Twins any runs, it cost Slowey a bunch of extra pitches. His range both to his right and his left also appears to be very limited.
 Harris seems to have nailed down the 2B job and he too is not known for his defense. To date he has made most of the plays when I have seen him play but it seems that going to his right is not his strong suit. Again, he needs to hit to keep his job but who else can the Twins put here? Punto is all they have in reserve and that is really not an option as Nick showed last year when he struggled all year with the bat.
 Centerfield now appears to belong to Carlos Gomez. Carlos is hitting about .267 this spring and I think that is about what we can expect to see from this youngster this year. I have to give him this, the man can literally fly around the bases, the other night against the Reds he hit a slow 2 chopper to short and the Cincinnati shortstop Keppinger waited for it and Carlos beat the throw easily. He is an exciting player and Twins fans will quickly take a liking to Hunter’s replacement in center. Carlos is certainly not a power hitter but he takes a hard swing at everything and hopefully the Twins will not start “working” with him to pound the ball into the turf. Gomez seems to play a shallow center and I have seen a number of balls hit over his head but that could just be a spring training thing as he learns to play the position. He seems to have a good arm but he is no Torii Hunter just yet. I think once he learns to position himself a little better for his throws he will pick up on his accuracy.
At The Ballpark 
March 9 - I am down in Ft. Myers for awhile and have had the opportunity to get out and watch the Twins practice on a beautiful spring day when a number of the players were on their way to Tampa to play the Yankees. The first thing you notice is how close you can get to the players as they walk past you going from one field to another. Some will say hello or nod their head as they walk by and others just go about their business. The atmosphere is relaxed as the players work out and chat amongst themselves. There is something going on all around you, you can go over and watch some pitchers get their throwing in as the coaches look on and throw out little tips now and then. What struck me here was how big Deolis Guerra is when you see him standing on the mound, the man just looks like he can throw it 98 MPH. You can walk over and watch some infield practice as Tom Kelly hits groundball after groundball and makes a funny little comment after each play, yes, that Tom Kelly, the one that walks around giving most of us the impression that he has no time for the average fan. I guess in his element with the players he is more comfortable. On another field you can watch the players take hitting practice as HOFers Carew, Molitor, and should be HOF Oliva look on and give instruction. In the hitting cages under the stands players show up one by one to pound some baseballs into the netting.
You look around and you see Twins fans, young and old watching the players and taking in the sights and sounds of spring training, you can’t beat it. I think briefly about the snow and cold back home in Minnesota, I think they said it was below zero again and I quickly put those thoughts out of my mind as a loud crack of the bat brings me back to reality and Ft. Myers. All I can say is if you have never had a chance to experience spring training, and you can swing it financially, then this is the place to spend some time. Come on down!
My biggest disappointment so far has been watching Livan Hernandez get pummled by the Orioles minor leaguers in the game just a few days ago. Hernandez just did not seem to have his heart in the effort that day and it seemed everything he threw up was being hit hard.
Positon Battles March 9 - So far this spring the race for the Torii Hunter’s vacated center field job is a dead heat between Carlos Gomez and Jason Pridie with Denard Span not far behind. There is good news and bad news with this trio, the bad news is that none of these guys have shown that they can hit with any consistency, the good news is that these guys can run, Gomez has stolen three bases and Pridie and Span have each stolen two bases but the hitting is woeful with Pridie leading the pack with a .263 average, no extra base hits, and three runs batted in. Gomez is hitting .222 with two of his four hits going for extra bases and he too has three runs batted in. Span has one extra base hit with one run batted in. I am not expecting Hunter types of numbers from these guys but they need to show more than they have to this point to win the Twins centerfield job and hopefully leadoff position as well. On top of their poor hitting, no one has shown anything close to gold glove fielding out there with a number of the throws to home plate being wide of their intended target. Gomez seems to play a very shallow center and has had a number of balls go over his head. Someone needs to make a move here because the job is out there on a silver platter but so far Gomez, Pridie, and Span all seem to be saying, no thanks. The way I see it now, Gomez has the best shot at the job at the present time with Pridie as the dark horse candidate. I think Span is not really in the race although Twins management has to give the leading in-hose candidate a shot. I still think they should go and get Coco Crisp from Boston and solve their centerfield and leadoff problems for a year or two while Gomez learns the finer points of hitting and playing the field.
Brendan Harris, Nick Punto, and Alexi Casilla are waging a battle for 2B and here again no one is standing out as a real front runner but Casilla has been hitting the best to this point with a .286 average and he has stolen 4 bases. Harris is hitting .235 with no runs batted in and no extra base hits. Punto looks just like he did in 2007 both in the field and at bat and is hitting .111. In the field Casilla still make some dazzling plays and then tries something foolish that comes back to hurt the team, not much new there either from last year. I like Casilla so I don’t like saying this but right now it might work out best for everyone concerned if they give Harris the 2B job, put Punto on the bench as the ever ready utility man and let Casilla spend a few more months in Rochester gaining some much needed experience.
Steroid and HGH Thoughts
February 20 - Now that pitchers and catchers have reported to all the training camps it seems like you can read a new apology every couple of hours on the internet. There are all kinds of excuses from “I used it to help heal an injury” to “I apologize but I am not going to say for what”. Bottom line is that all these guys cheated, but to be fair we all know that there has been cheating taking place in baseball forever from the spitball, to the corked bats, to the gouged ball, and the pine tar on the balls and bats. But the steroids and HGH controversy seems to be on a higher level, the public looks on this as a dishonest act versus the other kinds of day to day baseball cheating that we all laugh about when we talk about Gaylord Perry, George Brett, or even Sammy Sosa. I guess we consider the corked bats and the foreign substance on the ball as part of the game but steroids and HGH go beyond what most of us can accept as the little white lies that we all tell and do every day from going 65 on a freeway marked for 55, or maybe taking a tax deduction we are not entitled to, or keeping that extra $10 that was given to us as change by mistake.
So what do we do about this situation? It is a heck of a mess but all we can do now I think is learn from the experience and strive to never let it happen again. There is no point in going back and putting an asterisk next to the various baseball records, you sure can’t go back and change the league standings or take away a World Series trophy. Having said that, in my mind Henry Aaron is still the home run champ, not that chump Barry Bonds who could not carry Hammerin Hanks jock strap on his best day.
The players that have been documented as cheaters should be punished in some way. There are a couple of ways to look at this, we could suspend them and punish their teams and ultimately us fans as well but I am not sure that is the answer. These players cheated so that they could be better, bigger, stronger, and make more money in the game. They didn’t cheat because it would help their team win; they cheated because it would help them personally. So to that end I think baseball should fine each of these players (not the teams) $1 million dollars each and that money should be donated to the local children’s hospitals in the area. If these players were truly sorry for what they did, they would step forth and do the right thing on their own before the league knocks on their door to ask them for their generous donation. Sure, $1 million sounds steep but we need to send a message and hitting the pocketbook is the best way to accomplish that. I think these players probably got an extra million or two along the way due to the steroids and HGH benefits anyway so it seems like a fair deal to me. OK, so who is going to be the first player to step up and do right by us baseball fans?
I have had about all I can take of this steroid and HGH bull and I am ready to read and talk about baseball games and put this steroid and HGH affair on the back burner. PLAY BALL!
The New Ace?
 February 12 - The Twins announced the signing of Livan Hernandez today for approximately $5 million plus another possible $2 million in incentives. The 33 year old right hander was 11-11 for the division winning Arizona Diamondbacks last year. The Twins have acquired Hernandez to be that so called veteran presence that will anchor and stabilize the young and inexperienced pitching staff. Hernandez has averaged over 200 innings for the last 10 years but how long can he keep it up? The big Cuban right hander and I do mean big, had an ERA of 4.93 with a WHIP of 1.60 and batters hit .308 off him in 2007 so the Twins fielders can expect to stay busy, at least for the balls that stay in the park because last year 34 balls that Hernandez threw went over the fence. If Hernandez was hit this hard in the national league, I fear for some of our infielders this year.
I am disappointed that the Twins would spend $5-7 million to get a pitcher like Hernandez but then again there is not much out there to choose from. I think I would have preferred to see Josh Fogg here instead of Hernandez. Why not just save the money they spent for Monroe and Hernandez and invest it in a 2B or 3B? I guess it is all about protecting the bullpen but it is still frustrating for me to see this signing.
The way the schedule is laid out in April it looks like the Twins will need 5 starting pitchers come opening day. So now, it looks like the starting five will be Hernandez, Baker, Bonser, Slowey, and one of the following: Blackburn/Perkins/Humber in the final spot assuming that the Twins will go easy with Liriano and have him start the year in Rochester to build up his arm and get used to pitching again after the long layoff.
Well, we will see how this all shakes out soon, as pitchers and catchers report on Sunday, February 17.
Who wants to play centerfield? February 5 - So who will patrol centerfield for the Twins when they face Torii Hunter and the Angels on opening day just under two months away? Now that they have traded Johan Santana and did not get a sure fire everyday centerfielder that is ready to play and hit in the lead-off spot, the Twins find themselves in a real pickle. They seem to be faced with the dilemma of either force feeding Carlos Gomez and hoping that he is a quick study or they have to admit that Gomez is not ready to play in Minnesota and further upset the already frustrated Twins fans that were amazed that the Twins could trade the best pitcher in baseball and not get a single player that can help the Twins compete this year.  GOMEZ SPAN PRIDIE If Gomez can’t cut the mustard, that leaves Dennard Span or Jason Pridie. Both of these guys are about 24 years old and have not played a lick at the major league level. Span did not do much at Rochester in 2007 to convince anyone that he is Torii’s heir apparent by hitting .267 in 487 at bats with 59 runs, 3 homeruns, 55 runs batted in and 25 stolen bases in 39 attempts. Pridie, split his time between AA and AAA and actually did better in AAA by hitting .318 in 245 at bats with 47 runs, ten homeruns, 39 runs batted in and he stole 12 of 15 bases. The Twins say that Craig Monroe, Michael Cuddyer or Delmon Young could play in center but they could also say that I could play center field but we know that won’t happen either. None of the three are center fielders and why also weaken the corner outfield positions by moving one of these guys. Jason Kubel is the only outfielder that they have not mentioned as a centerfield possibility yet and there is a reason for that.  But there is still another option out there, sign or trade for someone that can lead off and play some center field. I think the most obvious candidate is Coco Crisp, he would be a great fit and he can patrol center until Gomez is ready to take the baton, hopefully next year. But, have the Twins shut that barn door in their recent Santana negotiations? Corey Patterson is still out there as a free agent but I think I would rather see Gomez then see Patterson flail away at that spot. Kenny Lofton is still out there but I can’t see Lofton signing with Minnesota because I would think he wants to play for a playoff caliber team. In addition, Lofton’s playing time decreases as the season wears on due to his age and injuries. But if the Twins do swing a deal or sign a free agent, what message does that send to both the fans and to the Twins team? Yup, the Twins are caught in a run-down and we will have to watch and see how it plays out. My vote for what it is worth is to get Coco here as quick as you can, I can hear those C-O-C-O calls at the dome now!
Did you know?
- The Minnesota Twins have had three Cy Young award winning pitchers and have traded each and everyone of them? Sounds like if you want to pitch in Minnesota you should not win the Cy Young award.
- That the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins have held spring training in the following locations: Phoebus, Va. (1901); Washington, D.C. (1902-1904); Hampton, Va. (1905); Charlottesville, Va. (1906); Galveston, Tx. (1907); Norfolk, Va. (1910); Atlanta, Ga. (1911); Charlottesville, Ga. (1912-1916); Atlanta, Ga. (1917); Augusta, Ga. (1918-1919); Tampa, Fl. (1920-1929); Biloxi, Miss. (1930-1935); Orlando, Fl. (1936-1942); College Park, Md. (1943-1945); Orlando, Fl. (1946-1990); Ft. Myers (1991-present).
Santana now a New York Met
February 1 - So the Twins have traded Santana to the Mets and in return acquired 22 year old outfielder Carlos Gomez, and right handed pitchers Philip Humber, also 25, Kevin Mulvey who is 22 along with 18 year old Deolis Guerra. Although the final numbers have not yet come out, it sounds like the deal may be for 7 years and $150 million. Wow, Johan is the best pitcher in baseball but I see this as a huge risk for the Mets, seven years is a long time and that golden arm could get weary and sore before 7 years comes and goes.
If the Yankees offered Hughes and Cabrera and a bag of balls I would have much preferred that deal to this deal with the Mets. As for the Red Sox offer, I am not sure that Ellsbury has proven himself just yet so I have no problem passing on that deal. We will never know if the Yankees or the Red Sox actually offered the players that were rumored. As a Twins executive told me this week-end, it takes two teams to make a deal. I interpret that to mean that maybe the Yankees and Reds Sox deals weren’t the names that were so often bandied about because I can’t believe that the Twins would pass on a deal that included Hughes and Cabrera.
This deal with the Mets bothers me because there are no sure fire players that we can just plug in the line-up now. Force feed Gomez in CF to start? Maybe, maybe later in the season. The Twins can still be a fun team to watch this year but they can’t compete with the Tigers or the Indians. I think the Twins can play with the mighty Whities and the Royals but the Royals can be tough if their pitching shows up.
The Twins need to solidify their pitching and they could go a long ways down that road if Liriano can came back strong but that is a lot to hope for in 2008, and more likely to happen in 2009. Can Baker, Slowey or Bonser step up and fill the 2 through 4 spots? That leaves the final spot up for grabs between Blackburn, Perkins, and Humber. I would love to see Perkins in the rotation but with his history I am not sure he can stay healthy throwing that many innings. It is hard to be real confident in these guys and I am thinking we will get some good starts and a number of bad starts from this group as they learn.
So, if that is the case, why not do the same thing with the position players and try this line-up? Casilla leads off at 2B followed by Mauer catching, Young hitting third in left, Morneau bats cleanup and plays 1B, the right fielder Cuddyer bats fifth and the six hole is filled by DH Kubel, Lamb the 3B bats 8th and Everett hits 9th. Why not give Casilla and Gomez a shot and see if they can handle the job and learn how to play in the big leagues. With questionable pitching we can’t afford to give up any extra outs so we need strong defense up the middle and Gomez and Casilla should fill the bill. Plus, these guys should steal 90-100 bases between them. The Twins hitting this year will surprise some people. Mauer should bounce back big after an injury plagued season, the newly acquired Young can be a RBI machine, Morneau can improve, Kubel is just starting to get comfortable and I look for a big improvement with Jason. Lamb will add some power to the lineup and I think Everett will surprise a lot of people with his hitting.
My biggest concern with the Twins is their bullpen because I can see it getting over worked with the inconsistent starting pitching. I think Gardenhire and his coaches will earn their pay this year as they guide this young team through the season. As for the other teams? This deal helps the Red Sox because they keep all their chips and don't have to face Santana as a Yankee. They still need to move Crisp and I would not mind seeing him in Minnesota for a year or so while Gomez gains experience and learns the Twins ways in Rochester. The Yankees are hurt big time by this deal because now the Mets have the best pitcher in baseball across town and the Yankees still have to go into the season with either the old goat or the kindergarten pitching staff and neither option will end up being very appealing.
"The Last of the Pure Baseball Men"  January 12 - On October 26, 1960, Calvin Griffith, President of the Washington Senators, made the historic decision to move his club to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, thereby giving birth to the "Minnesota Twins," named after the two Upper Midwest cities. Won the American League pennant in 1965; however, they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series that year. Voted "Major League Executive of the Year" - 1965. Reputed to be "one of baseball's most astute judges of raw talent"; in 1964, he discovered and signed Rod Carew a second baseman and one of the most famous of former Twins players. On June 23, 1984, prominent local businessman Carl Pohlad stepped forward and signed an agreement in principle to purchase the team for $32 million from Griffith and his sister, Mrs. Thelma Griffith Haynes, and keep the Twins in Minnesota. On September 7, 1984 the deal was finalized ending an era of 72 years in which the Griffith family controlled the ballclub. On October 20, 1999, the man who brought big league baseball to Minnesota died at the age of 87. Calvin Griffith died in his retirement home in Melbourne, Florida, of kidney infection. I had an opportunity to do a telephone interview with Calvin in the late 1980's when I was taking some classes at North Hennepin Community College and I need to interview an executive so I choose Calvin Griffith. I got his number from the phone directory and gave him a call in Florida. Calvin answered the phone and I told him who I was and why I was calling and he could not have been any nicer. I don't know if he was lonely or just loved talking about baseball but he did not want to hang up the phone. We talked about his career and the state of baseball and it was one of the most fun class assignments I ever had. By the time we had this conversation, he and Carl Pohlad had some kind of a falling out and Calvin was bitter about how Pohlad and the Twins were treating him but the man still knew and loved baseball and nothing and no one could keep him away from the game he loved. I had told him about the time when the Met was being readied to be demolished and the Twins had a huge auction of everything and anything that was still left and how I had ended up somehow in the bowels of the old Met and stood outside an office door where Calvin and his cronies were telling old baseball stories, smoking cigars and tipping a few cold drinks. Those were some great stories but many could not be repeated in public today. How the times have changed, I have to wonder what Calvin Griffith was say about the steroid and HGH controversy of today. If any of you are interested in knowing more about Calvin and the impact he had on baseball in Minnesota, find a copy of "Calvin - Baseball's Last Dinosaur" by Jon Kerr, it is a fun read. I have a copy signed by both Calvin and Jon sitting on my bookcase and I take it out now and then and read a chapter or two.
Twins Need to Move Forward! January 11 - Here it is January 11 and Johan Santana is still a Twin. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to see Johan wear a Twins uniform his entire career but in reality we know that is not going to happen. The Twins have stated that they would like to sign Johan but giving him a 4 year extension for $80 million but I just don’t see that happening. That means that they either trade him now or at the trading deadline or they let him walk and get nothing in return. Letting him walk and getting nothing does not make sense for a team that is dependent on promoting from within. Waiting to make a deal at the trading deadline is risky business, maybe they get more or they get less then they can get today. But what would happen if the Twins were in contention at the trading deadline, what message would that send to both the players and the fans if they sent Johan packing then? That would just paint the Twins in a corner. It just makes sense to move Santana now and be done with it. The Twins also need to make a decision on center field and hopefully that problem goes away in any trade they make for Johan.
The Mets seem to have interest in Santana and the names that have been tossed around are Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Gomez is a 21 year old top notch Mets prospect that some say could be another Carl Crawford type of player. But is he ready to play in the bigs this year? The Mets seem to think no. Martinez , only 19 years of age, played in the eastern league last year and is nowhere near ready for the majors but is considered a top prospect, maybe the Mets top prospect. Humber, 25, a right hander and a former first round selection is in contention for a spot in the Mets rotation but has no real big league experience to speak of and has had Tommy John surgery in his recent past. Mulvey, 21 and right handed had a cup of coffee at the AAA level and is also in contention for a spot in the Mets rotation this year. Guerra who will not be 19 until April is a 6’5” right hander with 1 year of pro ball experience.
The Yankees keep changing their mind from day to day as to their status in the Santana hunt. I don’t buy that, the Yankees need starting pitching and I don’t think they want to start the season with that much youth in the rotation. The Yankees have supposedly offered Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, and some other low level prospects. The Twins want Ian Kennedy included in the package but so far the Yanks have said “no deal”. Hughes, 20 and right handed is a strapping 6’5” and is projected to be a star in the near future and will start the season in the Yankee rotation assuming he is not traded to Minnesota. Cabrera, a switch hitting 23 year old already has several years of ML experience and will probably never be a super star but can fill the center field hole for the Twins.
The Red Sox seem to be playing it close to the vest and have offered Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie. .Masterson is a 23 year old right hander who stands 6’6” and reaches 94 on the radar gun now and then. Some scouts say that long term he will make a better reliever then a starter. Lowrie is a 24 year old shortstop that some scouts say will end up as a 2B in the majors. Range is average but his throwing accuracy has been questioned. Lowrie played in the Arizona Fall league this past season but was not impressive with 1 home run and a .163 batting average in 98 at bats. Lester, a feel good story who has beaten cancer, is a 24 year old lefty who is 11-2 in 26 starts for the Red Sox the last 2 years and has a decent strike out to innings pitched ratio. Crisp is 28 and is a switch hitting lead off type hitter who can steal 25-30 bases for the Twins and play a nice center field. Although his average has been in the .260 range the last two years, Coco is a nice player that needs to get out of Boston. The Twins want Jacoby Ellsbury instead of Crisp but Boston is resisting sending the young prospect and World Series hero to Minnesota in the same package with Lester. The Red Sox also have Clay Buchholz who the Twins would take in a second but Boston is not even talking about him.
So, what should the Twins do? First off we eliminate the Mets deal since they are not offering any immediate line-up help although down the line this might be a good deal for the Twins. That brings it back to the Yankees and the Red Sox. Although I like Crisp to play center and Lester can crack the Twins rotation, I would pass on the Red Sox deal simply because they are NOT offering their top prospects in Ellsbury and Buchholz and they want the top pitcher in baseball in return. I would go to Boston just before I take the Yankee deal and tell them if they want Santana before we send him to the Yankees that you need to give up Crisp, Buchholz, and Lester. The reason I say Crisp instead of Ellsbury is that Ellsbury has not proven himself over a full year at the major league level. If the Red Sox say “no”, then I have no problem going to the Yankees and taking their offer of Hughes, Cabrera, and a minor leaguer or two. I plug Hughes into the Twins rotation and put Cabrera in center and we are ready to play some baseball. Then the only hole is at 2B but maybe Punto and Harris can platoon there and fill that slot. Come on Twins, let’s get this deal done!
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