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

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

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.

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

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

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?

Who wants to play centerfield?

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.

"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!

Are you listening?

December 26 - OK, Twins management, I give up, what is your big plan to make the Twins competitive this year? The Twins preach pitching and defense and now you sign Mike Lamb to play 3B. I can see signing a 3B that is not a strong fielder if he is going to hit 30 or more home runs and knock in 100+ runs, but a 32 year platoon player who committed 33 errors at 3B in Texas when the Rangers tried to give him a full time job back in 2000? The day before you acquired Lamb you signed Adam Everett because he was a stellar shortstop and now you plan on putting Lamb next to him? Lamb has not been a regular in the past because he has proven he cannot play 3B. The Astros were desperate for a 3B in 2007 and yet Lamb was not given the job full time, you have to ask why!
It is so frustrating for me as a Twins fan to see the Twins just like clockwork throw a few bucks each spring at several free agent players that no other team seems to be interested in. Why not pool that money, throw a little more in the pot and go out and sign a real free agent that fills a hole and can play! This year the Twins have already lost Torii Hunter and. Johan Santana will be traded soon and Joe Nathan may follow. How can you with a straight face say we are not rebuilding? The Twins have a number of good young players and should be looking to fill holes to become more competitive with teams like the Tigers who have reloaded, Kansas City that is getting stronger, and the Indians who are looking to upgrade their outfield. Sure, I like the trade with Tampa, but that did nothing to fill holes at 3B, 2B, and CF and actually created a hole at SS.
Twins ownership has been saying for years that if they got that new stadium it would generate more revenue flow and we will be able to be more competitive in signing players. Mr. Pohlad, signing the Everett’s and Lamb’s of the world does not qualify. Now as I sit here in Plymouth and look east towards downtown Minneapolis I see a new stadium going up and Twins salaries going down. Tell me sir why that is the case. You want to own a major league ball club, then start acting like a major league owner. You are the richest MLB owner on the Forbes 400 list with about $2 billion in you coffers, spend a couple million (maybe sell one of your lots on Lake Minnetonka) and make the Twins the competitive team they should be. I am a baseball fan and as pathetic as it may sound, I will still go out and buy my season tickets and keep cheering for the Twins but I gotta say this Carl, you are tearing my heart out. You keep raising the Twins ticket prices year after year and who knows what they will be in 2010 when the new stadium opens. It does however; appear that you are raising ticket prices as much as you can each year before the new ballpark opens so that when the new park becomes a reality you can do a modicum increase and tell us all how little you are raising the price of the tickets at the new ballpark. It is appropriate then at this time of the year Mr. Pohlad that you look in the mirror, and then I want you to tell me that you really are not Minnesota’s Ebenezer Scrooge.

 Twins Now Houston North?

December 16 - The Twins signed free agent shortstop Adam Everett to a one year $2.8 million deal on December 13 after Everett was non-tendered by the Astros after they acquired Miguel Tejada from Baltimore. The 31 year old Everett joined the Astros in 2004 and has pretty much been there shortstop ever since. Everett was limited to 220 at bats in 2007 after breaking his fibula in a collision in the field. Everett is considered by some to be the best defensive shortstop in baseball but comes to Minnesota known as a player with some offensive challenges. Strangely enough, Adam’s average has dropped each year he has been in the big leagues from .273, to .248. to .239. and finally to .232 in 2007. Everett, who bats right handed, does have a little pop in his bat as he showed in 2005 when he hit 11 round trippers.
I can see Everett filling the Twins starting shortstop hole for a couple of years time and I think the fact that he was non-tendered by Houston will spark a renewed energy in his play. The Twins love strong defense and Adam fills the bill here, throw in the fact that he can steal a base now and then and I think Everett is a nice fit. If Adam can get his average up to the .270 range, Minnesota fans will enjoy this man play baseball at the Metrodome.

December 17 - Just one day after signing shortstop Adam Everett to a contract the Twins signed free agent 3B Mike Lamb making it two ex-Astros in two days. The Twins apparently have signed Lamb to a 2 year deal for about $6.6 million with an option for 2010. The 32 year old left handed batter has not been a regular in any of his previous eight seasons in the big leagues with two big league teams, both in Texas. Lamb has been a platoon player who has played the corner infield positions and occasionally he has been seen playing in the outfield. In less then 382 at bats per season, Lamb has hit between 11 and 14 home runs in each of his last four seasons with the Astros. Lamb seems more suited to DH then 3B but the Twins appear ready to hand Lamb the 3B position right now.

Are Prospects Really Valuable?

December 5 - What does prospect mean? In the American Heritage Dictionary it means "something expected or foreseen; possibility, chance for success". The keyword here is chance, there is a chance that the prospect will turn into a major leaguer, but, there is an even better chance he will not be nearly the star you thought he would be. Think back to how many Twins prospects over the years have not panned out as compared to the ones that did.

While I believe in building from within, you need to be flexible enough to move prospects when the opportunity presents it self to acquire talented proven players. That why I think that the recent trade with Tampa was so nice. We shipped out Garza who was still a top notch prospect and we got a young everyday outfielder that can hit and should deliver more power then he has shown.

Prospects are all about turning potential into an everyday major leaguer. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush they say. My brother Stan who used to be a big Twins fan passed away this past Spring used to always say "How do you cook dem dar potentials"? The bottom line is that you want to turn prospects into stars, does it really make any difference if you accomplish that by trading your prospect for that proven star? Do you want to wait and hope for the best from your prospect or do you take the proven player behind door number one? Another thing to always keep in mind is that the next year will again give you another chance at drafting another great prospect, they are always out there.