Category: General Blogging

This is a general blogging category.

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February 25, 2011 – Another day and another trip to the ballpark today to watch the Twins as they prepare for their spring training opener just two days away. On a beautiful albeit a windy late February day the fans were out in droves to watch the Twins as they prepare for the 2011 season. Most of the fans watched as TK put a number of players including Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Alexi Casilla through infield drills on two different fields today. During the first infield session people were actually 4-6 deep and that is the first time I have ever seen that at the Hammond Field. TK doesn’t just run drills; he seems to hold court out on the practice fields and actually seems to put on a show for the spectators, sometimes even interacting with the fans. TK isn’t ready for his own stand-up comedy routine just yet but he can be funny at times. In the past I have even seen him out there with his cigar but I have not seen that so far this year. He runs his practice like a drill sergeant but make no mistake, not much slips pass TK. If he doesn’t like what he sees on the field he has no problem stopping the drill right then and there and telling or showing the offending player the error of his ways. With TK, you get a lot of arm gestures and a loud gruff sounding voice, but never to a veteran player. If a veteran makes a mistake TK usually just walks up to him, puts his arm on him and they turn away from the fans and the message is passed on and then TK walks away having gotten his point across with no one being embarrassed. With TK in spring training it is not about the results, it is all about the process and doing it the right way, the Twins way.

In the past I have not been a fan of TK due to how poorly he treated fans that questioned or second guessed his managerial moves on call in radio shows but in spring training these days he seems to be a totally different person, maybe it is the fact that he no longer wears the reins or bears the stresses of being a big league skipper. After practice he does a great job of signing autographs, talks to the fans, particularly the kids and just seems to enjoy his time in the sun. On the practice fields he catches all the mistakes but he is also the biggest cheerleader on the field, always telling players how nice that play looked and how they made a professional big league play. TK even pokes fun at himself whenever he himself makes a mistake.

Today TK seemed to focus on Nishioka and his interpreter. I don’t know how many times TK strolled out to second or short where Nishioka had just completed a play and the three of them would have a little chat. Sometimes you could see a smile cross Nishioka’s face and other time you could see him just nod his head before TK walked away to observe the next play. It is very strange to see Nishioka’s interpreter out at second base or shortstop behind Nishioka during fielding drills but it is a way of life for the Twins these days. With spring training games slated to start on Sunday I will be limiting my visits to probably once a week or so because workouts change so dramatically when the games begin.

Questions everywhere

February 23, 2011 – I checked on the Twins on Monday and I stayed for about 1.5 hours but I walked away kind of bored. The position players still had not reported and the pitchers and catchers were going through their early spring routines. A few minor leaguers were taking some infield practice with TK, nothing extraordinary going on anywhere. Nishioka was as normal to this point, out on a field by himself, doing a little (and I mean little) running if you don’t count his side-kicks who apparently are his translator, nutritionist, and work-out guru. Everyone was looking for Justin Morneau and he was nowhere to be seen but he did eventually hold a news conference later in the day.

The Twins have so many questions as spring training begins, more questions than Alex Trebek has on Jeopardy. What questions? Let me list a few of them for you that come to mind right off the bat, not necessarily in order of importance. 2011 will be an interesting season at the ballpark, you can bet your bippy on it.

  •  Will Justin Morneau be able to come back from his concussion?
  • Can Joe Nathan become the same closer he was before he had TJ surgery?
  • Joe Mauer hasn’t even caught a bullpen session and he already has knee issues.
  • How will Francisco Liriano react to the trade rumors? He is not exactly a Rock of Gibraltar to begin with.
  • Can Alexi Casilla hold down a full-time middle infield spot?
  • Can Tsuyoshi Nishioka play in the majors this season and hold down a middle infield job?
  • Can Danny Valencia improve on his 2010 season without his head getting too big?
  • Can Denard Span bounce back from a poor 2010 season?
  • Can Rick Anderson make silk out of a sows ear in the bullpen?
  • Can Delmon Young repeat his breakout season?
  • Can Jim Thome last another season before his back gives out for the final time?
  • Can Jason Kubel bounce back and play the way he is capable of playing?
  • Will any Twins pitcher show some backbone and make some of those opposing batters dance in the batter’s box once in a blue moon?
  • When are the Twins batters going to quit crying that it is too hard to hit home runs at Target Field?
  • Last year the back drop at Target Field was repainted, after the season the trees have been or will soon be removed. What will Twins batters ask for next? A roof to keep the sun out of their eyes?
  • Who didn’t measure up last year in Gardy’s eyes? Scott Ullger as his third base coach or Steve Liddle as his bench coach? They swapped jobs going into 2011.
  • Can Glenn Perkins and Pat Neshek stay out of Gardy’s doghouse this year? I think they each have one strike left before they are sent packing.
  • Will Gardy actually let his players steal some bases this year?
  • Can the Twins ever get over the “Yankee” hump?

Twins OK exclusive cable deal

February 17, 2011 – Fox Sports North announced Wednesday that it will become the Minnesota Twins’ exclusive home, which means the end of weekend games on broadcast channel WFTC, Ch. 29. It also means that the 18 percent of Twin Cities viewers who don’t have cable or satellite will be left with only eight scheduled games airing nationally on the Fox network. Add in cable subscribers who only pay for the basic tier, which FSN is not part of, and you’ve got a lot of fans with reason to cry foul.

Another day at the ballpark

February 14, 2011 – It may have been Valentine’s Day today but there was nothing about today at the ballpark that made it any different from any other spring day as Twins players and hopefuls worked up a sweat as they prepared for another season of baseball. The day started off kind of cool, the kind of cool where you welcome standing in the sunshine to feel those warm rays from the bright sun here in Ft. Myers. Officially spring training has not started but every day there are more players and more fans showing up at Hammond Field. Reporters are starting to show up also, Kelly Thesier was there and LaVelle E. Neal III rolled in too but he didn’t show up until after 11 AM. I had a very nice chat with Kelly Thesier who writes for MLB.com and then I listened in as she did a quick interview with pitching coach Rick Anderson primarily discussing Scott Baker. I didn’t see anything real special out at the park today but as I mentioned earlier, the number of fans is growing quickly but the players are very generous with their time after practice on their way back to the clubhouse and they sign everything that is put in front of them and pose for pictures when requested. Matter of fact, that is how I got a number of my pictures today that you can view on my 2011 spring training gallery. Tsuyoshi Nishioka remains the hot topic in camp and he seems to be everyone’s number one autograph target. There are already balls signed by Nishioka selling on E-bay for 80 to 90 dollars.

Have you seen Rusty?

February 14, 2011 – This is the water tower on top of the Wyman building in downtown Minneapolis. Carmichael Lynch, the ad agency occupies the top 4 floors of the building. Brock Davis, who works for Carmichael Lynch was asked to come up with some concepts for the water tower. After reviewing a number of options, projection was selected as it was the most economical medium and ideal for keeping the historic tower in its natural state. This tower, which they named Rusty, faces Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. Several other projection ideas are in the works, but this simple face has been the clear favorite so far as it brings to life the physical structure itself allowing it to complete the overall look of the character. Currently, they are working to have Rusty react in real time to the games in the stadium, so that if the team wins, he can cheer and if they lose, he cries. A huge “Thank You” to Brock Davis of Carmichael Lynch for providing this video. Click on “Rusty” to watch the video and keep in mind it will take a minute or so for the video to down-load so please be patient.

Rusty

Checking out the action at the ballpark

 

February 7 – I arrived in Cape Coral a couple of days ago and I decided that it was time for me to make my first visit to Hammond Field this morning and see what is going on out there. It was a windy but sunny day with the temperature in the low 70’s when I arrived at about 10:30 AM. There were just a handful of fans when I parked next to the minor league complex and there were no players on any of the practice fields. But just a few minutes later a couple of players I could not identify came out and did some agility drills and a bit later I could hear someone taking batting practice in the batting cages so I headed over to check it out. As I was approaching the cages I could see a small group of Japanese press that had assembled and they were watching Tsuyoshi Nishioka take some practice swings. I only saw Nishioka hit from the left side but and he seemed to be putting some good wood on the ball. This was the first time I had seen Nishioka up close and he was bigger than I had expected him to be. He is built solidly and to be honest he is a lot bigger below the waist than what I would expect from an infielder that is known for his base stealing skills. Later I watched Nishioka walk to another field to do some running and on the way I asked if I could get a picture but his interpreter (I assume) just waved his hand saying, no pictures. Later Nishioka’s agent joined him on the field and watched as Nishioka and he interpreter ran some sprints but obviously not at full speed. After that workout I again asked for a picture and again got the shake-off. I guess that is understandable as he did not want to be bothered during his workout session. About 15 minutes after he finished practice he came out to the parking lot where four fans asked for autographs but he and his interpreter just walked right past them towards a group of about a half dozen Japanese press that had assembled next to his car. Nishioka spent about 5-10 answering their questions as his agent looked on. One of the fans struck up a conversation with Nishioka’s agent and asked him if he would ask Nishioka to sign autographs for the four fans. When the short press conference for the Japanese press ended, Nishioka again headed for his vehicle but his agent whispered something to Nishioka and he walked over to the four waiting fans and signed an item for each of them without a smile or a word being said. He then turned around and jumped into the driver’s seat of his shiny new black Cadillac Escalade with his agent and interpreter in tow and he was gone. I hope that Nishioka is as fast on the base paths as he was in leaving the parking lot in his shiny Escalade. Today, outside of Nishioka, I saw no other Twins from the big league club.

A quick look at the 2010 numbers

 

January 31, 2011 – With the 2011 season about two months away I thought it would be fun to review where the 2010 Twins finished in comparison to the rest of the American league teams in various hitting, pitching and fielding categories. Here is what I found:

 

HITTING

At Bats – 5 of 14

Runs – 5 of 14

Hits – 3 of 13

Doubles – 3 of 14

Triples – 1 of 14

Home Runs – 9 of 14

Stolen Bases – 12 of 14

Bases on Balls – 4 of 14

Strike Outs – 12 of 14

Batting Average – 3 of 14

OBP – 2 of 14

Slugging – 4 of 14

Total Bases – 5 of 14

Sacrifice fly 3 of 14

 

PITCHING

 ERA – 4 of 14

Complete Games – 4 of 14

Shutouts – 2 of 14

Innings pitched – 4 of 14

Hits allowed – 12 of 14

Runs allowed – 3 of 14

Earned Runs allowed – 5 of 14

Home runs allowed – 8 of 14

Bases on Balls allowed – 1 of 14

Strike outs – 10 of 14

 

FIELDING

 Number of Errors committed – 13 of 14

Fielding Percentage – 2 of 14

Double Plays – 6 of 14

Fast and furious or slow and steady?

January 17, 2011 – After just one season of calling Target Field home, the Twins brain trust has determined that they have a need for speed. The Twins are coming off of a season where they stole just 68 bases. The last time the Twins stole that few bases was 25 years ago, back in 1985. Since the Twins started playing in Minnesota they have stolen a total of 4,343 bases or an average of 87 “swipes” per season. The teams all-time high for SB’s was 151 in 1997 and their all-time low was 32 way back in 1963 but that year they also slugged a team all-time high of 225 home runs to make up for it.

There does not seem to be any consistency to where the Twins finish in the standing based on their stolen base totals. Back in 1997 when they stole 151 bases, they finished fourth with a 68-94 mark. In their World Series seasons, they had 92 SB’s in 1965, 113 SB’s in 1987 and 107 SB’s in 1991. Here is a table showing the Twins top base stealing teams:

Rank Year Won Lost Finish SB CS
1 1997 68 94 4th 151 52
2 2001 85 77 2nd 146 67
2 1976 85 77 3rd 146 75
4 1996 78 84 4th 143 53
5 1992 90 72 2nd 123 74
6 1999 63 97 5th 118 60
7 2004 92 70 1st 116 46
8 1969 97 65 1st 115 70
9 1987 85 77 1st 113 65
10 2007 79 83 3rd 112 30
10 1998 70 92 4th 112 54

But will Gardy use the speed tool if he has the chance? The numbers tell me that he will not. If we compare Gardenhire and Tom Kelly we see that in TK’s fifteen seasons his teams swiped 1,699 bases or an average of 113 per season with a high of 146 in 2001. When you look at Gardy’s 9 seasons you end up with 859 stolen bases for an average of 95 per year with a high of 116. In TK’s final season as manager in 2001, his team ended up with 146 steals, the following year with Gardy at the helm his boys stole just 79 bases with pretty much the same cast of characters. So it will be interesting to see if the Twins burn up the base paths in 2011.