by Intern Sharkey
Still reeling from the loss of my first round pick, it’s time for some serious linkage.
We’ll start with the bad news. Our on-base machine came up lame the other day, as you might have heard. Things don’t appear overly serious, but he didn’t play yesterday against the Champs. L-Rod should be fine in the short term, but with Castillo’s history of leg troubles, this will be one to watch closely.
It appears the one of the Nicks is none too pleased with how the Skip used the bullpen in the finale against the Angels. It’s a common sentiment among the statistical community that managing bullpens around the save is foolish, and Baseball Prospectus has a stat, Leverage that measures the importance of a situation, the idea being that a team should bring in its best reliever in high-Leverage situations, regardless of whether it’s the 7th or 9th.
But not everyone loves stats as much as I do; I wonder if things like this are part of the reason why.
Speaking of stats, KENtastic is keeping a running tally of Bill-James-style Win Shares (each win share is equal to 1/3 of a win, the idea being that we can calculate just how many wins individual players produce over a season) for the Home Nine this year. His update through the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California of the United States of North America of Planet Earth series is here.
If you’re not checking Will Young’s Win Probability Graphs, you’re missing out. More about Win Probability here and here.
On the business side of things, Forbes released its list of the values of every Major League team; a certain team that I seem to remember taking two out of three from becomes the first MLB squad to crack the billion-with-a-b mark.
And finally, the good news on the stadium front. The House Tax Committee defeated the referendum requirement by the narrowest of narrow votes, 15-13. Maybe soon, Shane will get some real sleep.
Two more with the Champs this weekend; enjoy the hardball.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Links of the Day for 4/21/06
by Pseudofool
Torii Hunter this, Torii Hunter that. Yankees. Angels. Twelve million option. A sold house. Tim Dierkes has had an awful lot to say about how the “Hunter Situation”might shake out. If you think about it, the Twins would have a lot of chits (Hunter, White, Castillo, Stewart, Radke, Lohse) if they fall out of contention. I know, I know - too much fantasy baseball.
SoCal thinks that Crain’s struggles are overblown, while over at Jewscott’s Head, he thinks people who are confident in that left side of the infield are overreacting. Personally I find any analysis this early in the season is always a little overwrought.
Non Sequitur Moments:
Torii Hunter this, Torii Hunter that. Yankees. Angels. Twelve million option. A sold house. Tim Dierkes has had an awful lot to say about how the “Hunter Situation”might shake out. If you think about it, the Twins would have a lot of chits (Hunter, White, Castillo, Stewart, Radke, Lohse) if they fall out of contention. I know, I know - too much fantasy baseball.
SoCal thinks that Crain’s struggles are overblown, while over at Jewscott’s Head, he thinks people who are confident in that left side of the infield are overreacting. Personally I find any analysis this early in the season is always a little overwrought.
Non Sequitur Moments:
- ESPN.com ranks the Twins 10th, Sportsline.com ranks the Twins at 17th, and SI.com ranks the Twins at 11th, for a grand total of 38th place, which means absolutely nothing.
- Batista’s BB to HR total has reached 5 to 2, which is pretty unexpected. And he’s hitting fourth, oh my.
- And who says Gardenhire isn’t prophetic—well, maybe he isn’t but really, he is awfully poetic.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
What I Learned Today...
by Twins Geek (kinda)
This month I've been reading Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History by Stew Thornley, and there are some great stories in it.
If anybody knows any good biographies about Rube Waddell, the Hall-of-Fame pitcher, I'd be fascinated to hear about it. After you read this, you will be too.
Waddell was one of the best southpaws in the first half of the 20th century. But in those days, it wasn’t uncommon for successful players to spend their time in the minors as their skills deteriorated. That may have been especially true of a character like Waddell. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, folks. From Stew's book:
“Rube Waddell pitched for the Millers in 1911 and 1912, compiling records of 20-17 and 12-6, respectively. Waddell had led the American League in strikeouts from 1902 through 1907 while pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics. During that time, the southpaw also resisted attempts by manager Connie Mack to keep his mind on baseball.
According to Lee Allen in his book The American League Story, Waddell could find much more that pitching to occupy his time:
Even though Waddell had worn out his welcome with the Connie Mack and later with the St. Louis Browns, he created remarkably few, if any problems for Joe Cantillon and the Millers. In 1912, the management of the Minneapolis team reportedly promised Waddell $200 if he remained sober all season.
That year during spring training at Hickman, Kentucky, Waddell was one of the hardest workers in helping the residents try to save the local levee during a flood. And when the levee broke, Waddell “did heroic service in helping the panic-stricken citizens to safety.” It was also reported that while in Hickman, Waddell spent many hours trying to train three wild geese to skip rope.”
This guy makes Lew Ford look like Emily Post.
(Actually, there is something I'd pay money to see - Lew trying to look like Emily Post. Not as much as I'd pay to see geese jumping rope, though.)
This month I've been reading Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History by Stew Thornley, and there are some great stories in it.
If anybody knows any good biographies about Rube Waddell, the Hall-of-Fame pitcher, I'd be fascinated to hear about it. After you read this, you will be too.
Waddell was one of the best southpaws in the first half of the 20th century. But in those days, it wasn’t uncommon for successful players to spend their time in the minors as their skills deteriorated. That may have been especially true of a character like Waddell. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, folks. From Stew's book:
“Rube Waddell pitched for the Millers in 1911 and 1912, compiling records of 20-17 and 12-6, respectively. Waddell had led the American League in strikeouts from 1902 through 1907 while pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics. During that time, the southpaw also resisted attempts by manager Connie Mack to keep his mind on baseball.
According to Lee Allen in his book The American League Story, Waddell could find much more that pitching to occupy his time:
Consider merely a few of the things that happened to him in one year alone, 1903: He began that year sleeping in a firehouse at Camden, New Jersey and ended it tending bar in a saloon in Wheeling, West Virginia. In between those events, he won 29 games for the Philadelphia Athletics (even though he didn’t bother to hang around to the final month of the season), played left end for the Business Men’s Rugby Football Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, toured the nation in a melodrama called “The Stain of Guilt,” courted, married and became separated from May Wynne Skinner of Lynn Massachusetts, saved a woman from drowning, accidentally shot a friend through the hand, and was bitten by a lion.
Even though Waddell had worn out his welcome with the Connie Mack and later with the St. Louis Browns, he created remarkably few, if any problems for Joe Cantillon and the Millers. In 1912, the management of the Minneapolis team reportedly promised Waddell $200 if he remained sober all season.
That year during spring training at Hickman, Kentucky, Waddell was one of the hardest workers in helping the residents try to save the local levee during a flood. And when the levee broke, Waddell “did heroic service in helping the panic-stricken citizens to safety.” It was also reported that while in Hickman, Waddell spent many hours trying to train three wild geese to skip rope.”
This guy makes Lew Ford look like Emily Post.
(Actually, there is something I'd pay money to see - Lew trying to look like Emily Post. Not as much as I'd pay to see geese jumping rope, though.)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
On Swings And Misses
by Twins Geek
The following is an excerpt from the Dugout Splinters for the Twins-Angels series, included in GameDay.
The Twins have seen slow starts that are comparable to what poor Rondell White is going through, including one very recently. Last year, Corky Miller snuck his way onto the 25-man roster, had twelve major league at-bats with the Twins, and no hits. He left the Twins last year as the non-pitcher with the most at-bats to never get a hit. The same record for the Twins/Senators franchise belongs to Ike Davis whose futility extended to 14 at-bats over 8 games as a 24-year-old in 1919. He did finally get a major league hit, but it took awhile. Five years later he made it back to the show with the White Sox and played for them for two years.
White, Miller, and Davis are blessed compared to George Foss and Bill Andruss. Foss had seven at-bats with the Senators in 1921 in four games as a 24-year-old. He never had another at-bat. Andruss was called up in 1931 and also had no hits in seven at-bats, though he did have an RBI. He waited six years to get back to the majors, and finally did, with the Phillies. He made it into three games, had two at-bats – and still didn’t get a hit.
Unlike Andruss, White has his hit, it just seems like it was six years ago. But White differs from these other guys in a more important way. Rondell White is a really, really good hitter. Over thirteen years, he’s had almost 1500 hits and 187 home runs. While it isn’t unusual for a 34-year-old’s production to decline, it’s important to note that this 34-year-old hit .313 just last year.
That kind of history should count for something, and on Ron Gardenhire’s lineup card, it has. He has kept White in the cleanup spot even though White is hitting .085. Gardenhire recognized the reality of the situation. White isn’t a bad hitter. White is a good hitter who is hitting badly. He is in a slump.
Twins fans haven’t been quite so understanding, especially when they booed him loudly in his last couple of games versus the Yankees. Of course, fans aren’t supposed to be understanding. Fan is short for fanatic. The crazy people that will drop 100 bucks on a night at the ballpark may not want to look at the big picture. That’s someone else’s job.
It would be nice if that someone else included the media. While White’s start has been covered almost every way possible, the one angle that hasn’t been emphasized is that White isn’t some 30-year-old rookie that may or may not be able to handle the pressure. He’s Rondell friggin White, and there are 5000+ data points that tell you he’s going to smack that ball around on a regular basis when he gets his head back on straight. Suggesting Ruben Sierra or Lew Ford should replace him in the middle of the lineup might pay dividends one night, but it ignores the next 24 weeks. Not to mention the dozen years that preceded this one.
So what should the Twins do with White? Whatever they think is going to help him. If they think keeping him the cleanup spot will help him get pitches he can handle, they should do that. If they think moving him down in the order will release some pressure, they should do that. If they think playing him in the outfield … well, let’s not get crazy. If one is going to trust White’s history of hitting, one should also trust White’s injury history.
Whatever they do, White has earned the chances he’s received, and has earned plenty more. We’re overreacting to this stretch of 47 at-bats because it’s the only 47 at-bats of his that we ever really cared about. It seems the Twins understand that. We might be happier if we did too.
The following is an excerpt from the Dugout Splinters for the Twins-Angels series, included in GameDay.
The Twins have seen slow starts that are comparable to what poor Rondell White is going through, including one very recently. Last year, Corky Miller snuck his way onto the 25-man roster, had twelve major league at-bats with the Twins, and no hits. He left the Twins last year as the non-pitcher with the most at-bats to never get a hit. The same record for the Twins/Senators franchise belongs to Ike Davis whose futility extended to 14 at-bats over 8 games as a 24-year-old in 1919. He did finally get a major league hit, but it took awhile. Five years later he made it back to the show with the White Sox and played for them for two years.
White, Miller, and Davis are blessed compared to George Foss and Bill Andruss. Foss had seven at-bats with the Senators in 1921 in four games as a 24-year-old. He never had another at-bat. Andruss was called up in 1931 and also had no hits in seven at-bats, though he did have an RBI. He waited six years to get back to the majors, and finally did, with the Phillies. He made it into three games, had two at-bats – and still didn’t get a hit.
Unlike Andruss, White has his hit, it just seems like it was six years ago. But White differs from these other guys in a more important way. Rondell White is a really, really good hitter. Over thirteen years, he’s had almost 1500 hits and 187 home runs. While it isn’t unusual for a 34-year-old’s production to decline, it’s important to note that this 34-year-old hit .313 just last year.
That kind of history should count for something, and on Ron Gardenhire’s lineup card, it has. He has kept White in the cleanup spot even though White is hitting .085. Gardenhire recognized the reality of the situation. White isn’t a bad hitter. White is a good hitter who is hitting badly. He is in a slump.
Twins fans haven’t been quite so understanding, especially when they booed him loudly in his last couple of games versus the Yankees. Of course, fans aren’t supposed to be understanding. Fan is short for fanatic. The crazy people that will drop 100 bucks on a night at the ballpark may not want to look at the big picture. That’s someone else’s job.
It would be nice if that someone else included the media. While White’s start has been covered almost every way possible, the one angle that hasn’t been emphasized is that White isn’t some 30-year-old rookie that may or may not be able to handle the pressure. He’s Rondell friggin White, and there are 5000+ data points that tell you he’s going to smack that ball around on a regular basis when he gets his head back on straight. Suggesting Ruben Sierra or Lew Ford should replace him in the middle of the lineup might pay dividends one night, but it ignores the next 24 weeks. Not to mention the dozen years that preceded this one.
So what should the Twins do with White? Whatever they think is going to help him. If they think keeping him the cleanup spot will help him get pitches he can handle, they should do that. If they think moving him down in the order will release some pressure, they should do that. If they think playing him in the outfield … well, let’s not get crazy. If one is going to trust White’s history of hitting, one should also trust White’s injury history.
Whatever they do, White has earned the chances he’s received, and has earned plenty more. We’re overreacting to this stretch of 47 at-bats because it’s the only 47 at-bats of his that we ever really cared about. It seems the Twins understand that. We might be happier if we did too.
Links of the Day 4/20/06
by Snarky
It was a slow day in the twin's blogosphere, today. Perhaps were are in recovery from the loss on Tuesday, or Gardy's dramatic reenactment of his favorite commercial.
We know what Gardy thought about the officiating last night, but what about an unbiased opinion? How about two opposing opinions? Will Young agrees with Gardy, while the TwinsJunkie opposes.
I could clearly see from my view in the home run porch, that the ump was terrible. Although, I may have been distracted by the obnoxious St. John's student behind me screaming profanity's at Chone Figgins all night. If you (section 141, row 12, seat 20) are reading this, please read this.
The Bat Team gives 10 ways that yesterday's game could have been worse.
Nate Silver at ESPN has rated the 50 most valuable players and two twins landed in the top ten.What, no Batista?
On the twins official site, a story that gives us those warm feelings all over again for Torii. Okay, we forgive you about those comments from last week.
Also, don't forget to go to the public debate about the ballpark on Thursday.
It was a slow day in the twin's blogosphere, today. Perhaps were are in recovery from the loss on Tuesday, or Gardy's dramatic reenactment of his favorite commercial.
We know what Gardy thought about the officiating last night, but what about an unbiased opinion? How about two opposing opinions? Will Young agrees with Gardy, while the TwinsJunkie opposes.
I could clearly see from my view in the home run porch, that the ump was terrible. Although, I may have been distracted by the obnoxious St. John's student behind me screaming profanity's at Chone Figgins all night. If you (section 141, row 12, seat 20) are reading this, please read this.
The Bat Team gives 10 ways that yesterday's game could have been worse.
Nate Silver at ESPN has rated the 50 most valuable players and two twins landed in the top ten.What, no Batista?
On the twins official site, a story that gives us those warm feelings all over again for Torii. Okay, we forgive you about those comments from last week.
Also, don't forget to go to the public debate about the ballpark on Thursday.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Links of the Day 4/19/06
by Intern Jimmy
Because It Was That Good: Wisdom preaches not to dwell on the past, but I'm still having trouble wiping the smile from my face in the aftermath of Saturday's magical triumph. The Dome was transformed into an April playoff atmosphere, putting its inherent home field advantage to good use. Young bucks Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau stepped into the spotlight to deliver crucial hits, a developing situation that foretells better things to come. First ballot HOFer Mariano Rivera was thwarted at what he does best. And did I mention these good times all came at the expense of the dastardly Yankees? Umm, can I have sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry with that victory order? That’s not too much? Twinsriffic!
The M&M Mashers (Or Is It The J&J Jackers?): Speaking of those twenty-something stars in the making, the secret is out about Morneau’s recent success at the plate. Turns out the heavy lumber the Canadian was swinging was better suited for Paul Bunyan. Since switching to Mauer’s lighter bat, Morneau has been on a tear, both with hits and broken bats.
"[Mauer] hasn't broken a bat yet this year, and I've broken six of them," Morneau said. "But he said as long as I keep getting hits with them, I can keep using 'em."
This leads to the logical question- why doesn’t Rondell test Mauer’s magical bats? It’s not like he could do worse, as Brad Zellar articulates.
Headline of the Year Entry: I know the season is still very wet behind the ears, but the New York Times took the prize this weekend for the unintentionally funniest headline with "Yanks Stop Road Woes With Homers and Wang." Since the NYTimes requires a login (it’s still free), I'll include this gem from the story.
"Calmly and with barely a moment of thought, Yankees Manager Joe Torre considered the question as he sat in the visitors' dugout early Sunday afternoon: Had he ever been as agitated about a loss in April as he was about Saturday night's 6-5 defeat? Torre said he could not remember, and even if he could, what difference would it make? The Yankees had more pressing things to deal with Sunday, like trying to win a game on the road, an elusive notion during the first two weeks of the season."
Even though BRadke released the Darth Vader choke hold applied to the Bronx Bombers, it's still nice to see the Evil Empire squirming in their stripes.
Catching Up With…J.C. Romero: This week’s heavenly matchup with the Halos marks the first trip back to the Twin Cities for once reliable set-up ace J.C. Romero. The lefty’s departure for sunnier siestas was ushered in due to frequent quibbles with Gardenhire about his usage, or lack thereof. Gardy can hardly be faulted since Romero’s numbers were slowly eroding ever since his breakout 2002 season. Last year, Romero posted his lowest K production since 2001. He also inexplicably forgot how to pitch to lefties, surrendering an outrageous .261 BAA for left-handed batters. Now he shores up the Angels bullpen as the lone lefty slinger. So far, so good on the season. As of Tuesday, he has pitched 4.2 scoreless innings with 1 win, 5 K’s and 2 hits. I’d say it’s time to welcome him back with a reminder of why he left.
Fun With Video Games: Don’t ask how long it took to painstakingly create or how many times reset was punched. Just jump in Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine and listen to baseball history as it unfolds before your eyes in RBI Baseball fashion. Fascinating stuff. This throws the door wide open for people with too much time on their hands. Will this spill over into other classic games? When will the Ten Yard Fight and Blades of Steel re-enactments pop up? Most importantly, who do we contact about recreating Game 6, 1991 WS?
Because It Was That Good: Wisdom preaches not to dwell on the past, but I'm still having trouble wiping the smile from my face in the aftermath of Saturday's magical triumph. The Dome was transformed into an April playoff atmosphere, putting its inherent home field advantage to good use. Young bucks Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau stepped into the spotlight to deliver crucial hits, a developing situation that foretells better things to come. First ballot HOFer Mariano Rivera was thwarted at what he does best. And did I mention these good times all came at the expense of the dastardly Yankees? Umm, can I have sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry with that victory order? That’s not too much? Twinsriffic!
The M&M Mashers (Or Is It The J&J Jackers?): Speaking of those twenty-something stars in the making, the secret is out about Morneau’s recent success at the plate. Turns out the heavy lumber the Canadian was swinging was better suited for Paul Bunyan. Since switching to Mauer’s lighter bat, Morneau has been on a tear, both with hits and broken bats.
"[Mauer] hasn't broken a bat yet this year, and I've broken six of them," Morneau said. "But he said as long as I keep getting hits with them, I can keep using 'em."
This leads to the logical question- why doesn’t Rondell test Mauer’s magical bats? It’s not like he could do worse, as Brad Zellar articulates.
Headline of the Year Entry: I know the season is still very wet behind the ears, but the New York Times took the prize this weekend for the unintentionally funniest headline with "Yanks Stop Road Woes With Homers and Wang." Since the NYTimes requires a login (it’s still free), I'll include this gem from the story.
"Calmly and with barely a moment of thought, Yankees Manager Joe Torre considered the question as he sat in the visitors' dugout early Sunday afternoon: Had he ever been as agitated about a loss in April as he was about Saturday night's 6-5 defeat? Torre said he could not remember, and even if he could, what difference would it make? The Yankees had more pressing things to deal with Sunday, like trying to win a game on the road, an elusive notion during the first two weeks of the season."
Even though BRadke released the Darth Vader choke hold applied to the Bronx Bombers, it's still nice to see the Evil Empire squirming in their stripes.
Catching Up With…J.C. Romero: This week’s heavenly matchup with the Halos marks the first trip back to the Twin Cities for once reliable set-up ace J.C. Romero. The lefty’s departure for sunnier siestas was ushered in due to frequent quibbles with Gardenhire about his usage, or lack thereof. Gardy can hardly be faulted since Romero’s numbers were slowly eroding ever since his breakout 2002 season. Last year, Romero posted his lowest K production since 2001. He also inexplicably forgot how to pitch to lefties, surrendering an outrageous .261 BAA for left-handed batters. Now he shores up the Angels bullpen as the lone lefty slinger. So far, so good on the season. As of Tuesday, he has pitched 4.2 scoreless innings with 1 win, 5 K’s and 2 hits. I’d say it’s time to welcome him back with a reminder of why he left.
Fun With Video Games: Don’t ask how long it took to painstakingly create or how many times reset was punched. Just jump in Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine and listen to baseball history as it unfolds before your eyes in RBI Baseball fashion. Fascinating stuff. This throws the door wide open for people with too much time on their hands. Will this spill over into other classic games? When will the Ten Yard Fight and Blades of Steel re-enactments pop up? Most importantly, who do we contact about recreating Game 6, 1991 WS?
Monday, April 17, 2006
Daily Links for 4/18/06
by Intern Thomas
- Well folks, it seems we’re finally going to find out whether or not the stadium deal is going to go down. Alright, fine, that’s not true. I’m guessing that short of the two things that shall not be named happening to the franchise, there will always be some kind of stadium deal in the works (note that neither of those things are actually building a new stadium. I like to consider myself an optimist, but I’m not crazy). The current one, however, is nearing its conclusion and the House Tax Committee is holding hearings on it. Dave St. Peters, the President of the Twins, has been emailing various Twins bloggers to help rally support. Shane, of Greet Machine, has all the info, as well as a cynical, yet realistic take on what you’re likely to see if you make it out to the Oak Grove Middle School auditorium in Bloomington on Thursday, April 20 at 6 p.m. to hear the opposition testimony (and which, if you support the stadium, the Twins would like you to attend wearing Twins gear).
- If you made it out to the games this weekend, you probably heard some boos after Rondell White’s “at bats”. Personally, I don’t mind that people are choosing to voice their unhappiness that the Twins cleanup hitter is currently batting under .100 and has a .206 OPS. Third Base Line, however, thinks that Twins fans need a refresher course in fan etiquette. Her main point: only heckle the other team. And keep it clean. If you need some ideas, you can find it at the Heckle Depot a site created to help uncreative hecklers everywhere.
- And while it might seem like it, as Aaron Gleeman points out at the Hardball Times, Rondell White is not, in fact, the worst hitter ever--Ski Mello is, though, if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see Neifi Perez claim that title this year.
- It’s not often that Major League Baseball does a good job with something new, but I have to say, as a happy mlb.tv user (I’ve managed to avoid the problems others have) that MLB has done a great job embracing the internet. And their latest idea is pure genius: FREE customizable email addresses. And yes, I’m as surprised as you are that MLB isn’t charging anything. That being said, being able to have @minnesota-twins.net as your email address is pretty sweet.
Angels Dugout Splinters
The following is an excerpt from the upcoming Dugout Splinters for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which is included in GameDay.
What’s Not Working
At the top of the list is the insanely long name - or maybe it’s working after all. The inclusion last year of “Los Angeles” was more than just a marketing move. It was a direct challenge to the little brother/big brother relationship that the Angels and Dodgers have had in the nation’s second most populous city. The Angels aren’t just the more recent of the two to win a championship. They’ve been consistently competitive for the last five years, and are poised to continue that trend with an ambitious owner, solid management, and a stocked farm system. Meanwhile, the Dodgers fired their manager, then fired their general manager because they couldn’t agree on a new manager, and then reversed his organizational philosophy. Make no mistake; the turmoil in the Dodgers this year is a direct result of the success (and the ambition) of the Angels.
Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez left Sunday’s game with a hamstring cramp. He’s listed as day-to-day, and uber-setup man Scott Shields will likely close if he has any problems during this series.
Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez left Sunday’s game with a hamstring cramp. He’s listed as day-to-day, and uber-setup man Scott Shields will likely close if he has any problems during this series.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Links of the Day for 4/17/06
powered by Intern Sam
- Hockey fans in this state have gotten used to the reaction of the Canadian press every time the Wild manage to beat a team from Up North – it runs something along the lines of “that’s not hockey, the trap should be banned, Lemaire has ruined the sport, they’re so boring that our team was lulled to sleep, waaaaaaahhh.” Standard stuff at this point, and it’s no coincidence that the whining always comes loudest from Vancouver, where the Canucks seem to have frequent trouble with The Cult Of Jacques.
So why bring up that particular bunch of sour grapes on a baseball site, on a weekend in which the Twins finally earned a measure of respect from the mighty Yankee empire? Well, because of this. And this. Annnnnnd this. That, kids, is what you call a New York hat trick – all three tabloids whining in unison about not getting the calls. And lest you think this was a one-night bitch session, here’s how the NYC papers covered Friday’s Twin win.
Yup, you read it here first – Ed Montague is a one-man Yankee-wrecking crew, and he’s clearly either blind, retarded, or on the Minnesota payroll. Returning to reality: were some of Montague’s calls questionable this weekend? Sure, particularly the Castillo no-swing in the 9th inning on Saturday. But if the New York beat writers were actually interested in umpire quality (rather than in endlessly whacking beehives with sticks, which tends to be what passes for sports journalism in Gotham) they would also have noted that Jerry Layne’s bizarrely shaped and wildly inconsistent strike zone almost cost the Twins their ninth-inning comeback, that Posada’s tag of Morneau on Saturday was as phantom-like as Mauer’s tag of Posada on Friday, and that there is no team that benefits more from “superstar” calls than the Bombers. - Having grown up in small-town Pennsylvania (well within range of radio signals from both Philly and New York,) Intern Sam is all too familiar with the demented ravings of Yankees radio voice John Sterling. You know Sterling – he’s the bleating cementhead behind “Annnnd the Yankees win! THUH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH Yankees winnnn!” He does this every time they win. And they win a lot.
Intern Sam spent his childhood assuming that New Yorkers must like this sort of foolishness, but this was before he moved to Minnesota and was informed that John Gordon had somehow managed to hold down a play-by-play job here for the better part of two decades despite the fact that nobody likes him and he can’t pronounce the word “Ibanez.” Anyway, it turns out that Sterling is regarded with some disdain in the Big Apple, and one of the Post’s veteran snipers laid into him this weekend for a couple of blown calls in the Twins series. - The PiPress’s baseball writers had an interesting conversation about MLB’s George Mitchell-led investigation into steroid use by Barry Bon… um, we mean, by any number of major leaguers who may or may not be threatening to break a beloved home run record. Jason Williams and Gordon Wittenmeyer agree that there isn’t much of a chance that the players are about to start ratting each other out to Mitchell, but GW believes that “anything that keeps the hammer down on this issue is important right now.” He may be right, but with Friday’s revelation that a second grand jury is now hearing evidence that Bonds perjured himself during the BALCO investigation, we tend to agree with Will Leitch over at Deadspin, who fears that “we’re really starting to veer dangerously toward ‘We Will Take Him Down At Any Cost’ territory.”
- Lost in the tumult surrounding Saturday’s dramatic comeback win was the increasingly damaging presence of Rondell White in the cleanup spot. In case you missed the game, Joe Mauer had the bat taken out of his hands twice in key situations, because Joe Torre (who is a fairly observant guy) knew he had the equivalent of the pitcher’s spot in the order due up next. White obliged Torre with a routine fly-out to center, and an awful-looking strikeout. (He also looked helpless with men on second and third and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, when merely putting the ball in play would likely have tied the game.)
Despite White’s total ineptitude at the plate, Gardenhire has trotted him out in the cleanup spot for all twelve games the Twins have played, and in Sunday’s blowout loss (in which White went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts,) the crowd began to turn on him early. The booing reached a cascade by White's final at-bat, which is probably a good thing, simply because it puts pressure on Gardenhire to do something, anything, to alleviate the problem. There’s plenty of statistical evidence saying that batting orders don’t matter, but the simple fact is that White is now so bad that he’s costing Joe Mauer at-bats, and that cannot be allowed to continue if the Twins’ want their newfound offensive prowess to last. There might not be a need to bench him completely, but there is no longer any justification for putting his termite-infested bat anywhere but the bottom of the order. (Nope, there wasn’t a link anywhere in that rant. We’re just sayin’...) - Seth Stohs has the latest on the status of the Twins’ ballpark proposal – the next hurdle is the House Tax Committee, chaired by the Shoreview Republican known around the Capitol as “Dr. No,” and as you might expect, the good doctor has a crafty plan rather transparently designed to highlight public opposition to the Hennepin County sales tax. The Twins are pleading for fan support to counter the Krinkie offensive.
- Finally, continuing our series of links to local sports columnists who dazzle us with the blindingly obvious before pounding us over the head with brazen leaps of logic, ol’ Sid has been doing some thinking, and has come to the considered conclusion that Joe Torre is a pretty good baseball manager, and that most of his success is due to the endless patience and unwavering support of Sid’s close personal friend, George Steinbrenner. We’d like to share our favorite sentence of the column, but we just can’t decide between the simply preposterous (“I don't know of anybody more loyal than one Mr. Steinbrenner”) and the grammatically impenetrable (“To nobody's knowledge, [Torre] hasn't received a brain implant since he joined the Yankees, and he was just as smart a baseball manager then as he is now,”) so we’ll just leave y’all to sort through the swamp of Hartman’s prose on your own time. Have a good week…
Friday, April 14, 2006
Links of the Day for 4/14/06
by Intern Sharkey
With a couple of suspicious suspects in town for the weekend, I’ve got steroids on my mind. And I’m not the only one.
Baseball’s ambassador, the Honorable Mister Barry Bonds, is in a spot of trouble. The Feds are coming after him for perjury, based on his grand jury testimony that he never “knowingly” used steroids.
So what do we do with his 700 home runs (and his 73, and Sosa’s run of 60s, and Big Mac’s 70)? Blink and Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell has an answer: unleash the forensic economists. The reader comments are worth a read, as is Gladwell’s follow-up.
If that doesn’t suit your tastes, maybe a teaspoon of democracy mixed with a pinch of mob rule will suit your palate. The good people at Juiced? Or Not? are putting it to a vote. Making the not-so-surprising Top Ten (at numbers 3 and 10) are our pinstriped guests of dishonor.
Of course, getting the feds involved doesn’t mean things will automatically clean up; their own track record is far from sparkling. But there are other mixes of baseball and politics as well. This Washington Post column about the fall of Tom DeLay contains another:
“In the meantime, Buckham had become DeLay's chief of staff. He eventually hired me as Tom's communications director and Tony Rudy as press secretary. But he was brutal in firing some of DeLay's previous staffers. His win-at-all-costs attitude played out in strange ways around the office. He ran a fantasy baseball league that he always seemed to win, even if it meant browbeating young staffers into trading their best players to him. He was also forceful in promoting the evangelical beliefs he shared with DeLay. There were times when he would gather the staff for prayer. And I must admit, at times we needed those prayers just to get through the grueling pace of the Contract With America.”
I can see it now: “Sure boss! A Pujols-for-Batista deal sounds great!”
And it wouldn’t be a Yankee-themed Links without an A-Rod contract reference, so here it is. Mr. March is making about $26 million this year, which happens to be nearly double the Marlins’ entire payroll.
But, $200 million is no match for league-minimum Scott Baker. The President is on the hill next; enjoy the game.
With a couple of suspicious suspects in town for the weekend, I’ve got steroids on my mind. And I’m not the only one.
Baseball’s ambassador, the Honorable Mister Barry Bonds, is in a spot of trouble. The Feds are coming after him for perjury, based on his grand jury testimony that he never “knowingly” used steroids.
So what do we do with his 700 home runs (and his 73, and Sosa’s run of 60s, and Big Mac’s 70)? Blink and Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell has an answer: unleash the forensic economists. The reader comments are worth a read, as is Gladwell’s follow-up.
If that doesn’t suit your tastes, maybe a teaspoon of democracy mixed with a pinch of mob rule will suit your palate. The good people at Juiced? Or Not? are putting it to a vote. Making the not-so-surprising Top Ten (at numbers 3 and 10) are our pinstriped guests of dishonor.
Of course, getting the feds involved doesn’t mean things will automatically clean up; their own track record is far from sparkling. But there are other mixes of baseball and politics as well. This Washington Post column about the fall of Tom DeLay contains another:
“In the meantime, Buckham had become DeLay's chief of staff. He eventually hired me as Tom's communications director and Tony Rudy as press secretary. But he was brutal in firing some of DeLay's previous staffers. His win-at-all-costs attitude played out in strange ways around the office. He ran a fantasy baseball league that he always seemed to win, even if it meant browbeating young staffers into trading their best players to him. He was also forceful in promoting the evangelical beliefs he shared with DeLay. There were times when he would gather the staff for prayer. And I must admit, at times we needed those prayers just to get through the grueling pace of the Contract With America.”
I can see it now: “Sure boss! A Pujols-for-Batista deal sounds great!”
And it wouldn’t be a Yankee-themed Links without an A-Rod contract reference, so here it is. Mr. March is making about $26 million this year, which happens to be nearly double the Marlins’ entire payroll.
But, $200 million is no match for league-minimum Scott Baker. The President is on the hill next; enjoy the game.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
On The Hill
The following is an excerpt from this weekend's Dugout Splinters in GameDay.
Friday: Mike Mussina (1-0 2.77 ERA)
Saturday: Jaret Wright (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Sunday: Chien-Ming Wang (0-0, 5.91 ERA)
Friday: Mike Mussina (1-0 2.77 ERA)
- 2005: 13-8, 180.2 IP, 142 K, 4.41 ERA
- The 37-year-old battled elbow problems last year.
- Has a career record against the Twins of 137-1 with a –3.43 ERA. Roughly.
- His six year, $88.5 million dollar contract expires at the end of this year.
- In his eight career at-bats against Mussina, Rondell White has a five hits, including a home run.
- Heckling Tip - “Where’s the ring, Mike?” Came to New York to be the ace on a champion. After winning four in the five years before he arrived, the Yankees have won zero since.
Saturday: Jaret Wright (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
- Fun with numbers. Check these ERA:
2001: 6.52 ERA
2002:15.71 ERA
2003: 7.35 ERA
2004: 3.28 ERA - Guess which year he worked with former Braves pitching coach/demigod Leo Mazzone?
- After 2004, convinced that Wright is the ace they need in their rotation, the Yankees sign him for $21 million.
- 2005: 6.08 ERA (giggle.)
- This is his first start this year, after battling back spasms during spring training.
- Heckling Tip - “You’re nothing without Leo!” Or worship him for turning one decent year into $21 million.
Sunday: Chien-Ming Wang (0-0, 5.91 ERA)
- 2005: 8-5, 116.1 IP, 47 K, 4.02 ERA
- Rookie who did a nice job stepping in for injuries last year.
- Heckling Tip – Time to break out those Rodney Dangerfield impressions:
“Hey, Wang! What's with the pictures? It’s a parking lot! Come on!” or
“Ask Wang. He’ll tell you. We just bought property behind the Great Wall. On the good side!”
Daily Links for 4/14/06
by Intern PseudoFool
SBG looks at the Twins’ offense after 5% of the season—which is the margin for error on many surveys, but to SBG’s credit he’ll be doing this 20 times, so evidently it makes sense to do so right now.
After 5% of the season, are bloggers ready to eat some crow about Batista? Well for Aaron, not yet, evidently, and for Seth, maybe he didn’t dislike Batista so much after all. Speaking of Batista his, BB to HR ratio is 3 to 2.
When things aren’t going good, any single Twin is due for fury of ad hominem attacks; but for Ron Gardenhire, it becomes a matter of nomenclature: from cmathewson’s Gardenhoser to frightwig’s Gardenhoogle. And as long as we bash Garden(insert-easy-slap-to-end-name-here), let’s do so when his mistakes turn out to be beneficial as AdamOnFirst does over at Twinkie Town.
Non Sequitur Moments: Take a look at the Tagline for this movie, but don’t feel any encouragement. Elsewhere, Kyle Lohse was the first starter to earn a quality start through the first nine games. And Sean McAdam’s thinks the Twins are slowpokes.
Baseless Speculation for the Weekend: Twins take 2 of 3 from the Yankees (Mussina v. Baker, Friday; Wright v. Santana, Saturday; Radke v. Wang on Sunday); Rondell White gets his first multi-hit game; Batista hits one home run, takes one walk, but fails to get another hit; Castro goes 0-for-the series; one Twins’ starting pitcher makes into the 8th inning.
SBG looks at the Twins’ offense after 5% of the season—which is the margin for error on many surveys, but to SBG’s credit he’ll be doing this 20 times, so evidently it makes sense to do so right now.
After 5% of the season, are bloggers ready to eat some crow about Batista? Well for Aaron, not yet, evidently, and for Seth, maybe he didn’t dislike Batista so much after all. Speaking of Batista his, BB to HR ratio is 3 to 2.
When things aren’t going good, any single Twin is due for fury of ad hominem attacks; but for Ron Gardenhire, it becomes a matter of nomenclature: from cmathewson’s Gardenhoser to frightwig’s Gardenhoogle. And as long as we bash Garden(insert-easy-slap-to-end-name-here), let’s do so when his mistakes turn out to be beneficial as AdamOnFirst does over at Twinkie Town.
Non Sequitur Moments: Take a look at the Tagline for this movie, but don’t feel any encouragement. Elsewhere, Kyle Lohse was the first starter to earn a quality start through the first nine games. And Sean McAdam’s thinks the Twins are slowpokes.
Baseless Speculation for the Weekend: Twins take 2 of 3 from the Yankees (Mussina v. Baker, Friday; Wright v. Santana, Saturday; Radke v. Wang on Sunday); Rondell White gets his first multi-hit game; Batista hits one home run, takes one walk, but fails to get another hit; Castro goes 0-for-the series; one Twins’ starting pitcher makes into the 8th inning.
The Yankees are SO yesterday.
The following is an excerpt from this weekend's Dugout Splinters in GameDay.
In the late 1800’s, both Minneapolis and St. Paul had teams in the Western League, whose president was Ban Johnson. Johnson wanted to achieve major league status, so after the 1899 season, he changed his league’s name to the American League to give it a broader appeal. As part of that change, St. Paul moved to Chicago and became the Chicago White Sox.
In 1901, the American League declared itself a major league instead of a minor league, and several franchises in the Midwest moved to larger cities. You might be interested in where the Minneapolis team ended up. The following is from Stew Thornley’s latest book, Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History, published by the Minnnesota Historical Society Press:
“It is clear that the Kansas City team was transferred to Washington, a team that moved 60 years later to Minnesota, meaning that the Minnesota Twins actually have their roots in Kansas City. It is nebulous as to whether the Minneapolis team was moved or if it disbanded and a new team was formed from scratch. However, some sources indicate that the Minneapolis club moved to Baltimore for the 1901 season. Two years later this team move to New York and eventually became known as the Yankees. If the Minneapolis team was transferred rather than disbanded, it means the New York Yankees...had its roots in Minneapolis.”
So to summarize: “Yeah, we used to date. She was OK. Moved out east, I think. But now I’ve hooked up with some Twins.”
In the late 1800’s, both Minneapolis and St. Paul had teams in the Western League, whose president was Ban Johnson. Johnson wanted to achieve major league status, so after the 1899 season, he changed his league’s name to the American League to give it a broader appeal. As part of that change, St. Paul moved to Chicago and became the Chicago White Sox.
In 1901, the American League declared itself a major league instead of a minor league, and several franchises in the Midwest moved to larger cities. You might be interested in where the Minneapolis team ended up. The following is from Stew Thornley’s latest book, Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History, published by the Minnnesota Historical Society Press:
“It is clear that the Kansas City team was transferred to Washington, a team that moved 60 years later to Minnesota, meaning that the Minnesota Twins actually have their roots in Kansas City. It is nebulous as to whether the Minneapolis team was moved or if it disbanded and a new team was formed from scratch. However, some sources indicate that the Minneapolis club moved to Baltimore for the 1901 season. Two years later this team move to New York and eventually became known as the Yankees. If the Minneapolis team was transferred rather than disbanded, it means the New York Yankees...had its roots in Minneapolis.”
So to summarize: “Yeah, we used to date. She was OK. Moved out east, I think. But now I’ve hooked up with some Twins.”
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
The Daily Links for 4/12/06
by Intern Snarky
It's hard to ignore all off the chatter on the net about the bill for the new Twins' ball park. Below are links to a few columnists' recent thoughts on the bill. To help, I've summarized their opinion in the fewest words possible.
Joe Soucheray in the Pioneer Press (Pro)
Rationale: New ballpark = good. Female impersonators = bad. Hennepin County officials = very bad.
Nick Coleman in the Strib (Ambivalent)
Rationale: New ballpark = good. Stadium = Bad. The Pohlad = very bad.
Senator Belanger on MPR (Anti)
Rationale: Even the stadium that most deserves to be built, doesn't deserve to be built. Also, that stadium is not the Twins' stadium.
Sid Hartman in the Strib (Pro and feisty)
Rationale: The Pohlad (who is good) is the only thing keeping the Twins in Minnesota without a stadium. Unfortunately, The Pohlad is not immortal . . . . .yet.
The Greet Machine (Pro)
Rationale: New ballpark = so good I almost crapped my pants.
Say it ain't so Torii
In an interview with Jason Williams, Hunter says
"I want to win, I'm addicted to it. I'm sure there are people in this organization who want to win, but we're restricted. I would love to stay in Minnesota. I get treated fine here. This is my home. I grew up here. But if they don't want to win — I'm not talking about the front office, I'm not talking about the players, you know who I'm talking about (ownership) — then it's time to move on."
Glad to see we've put all that infighting behind us (sarcasm).
Seriously Torii, we want to win, it's just that losing is so easy. Admit it, you kind of like losing too. Besides, they wouldn't respect you in a big market town like we do. We even let you spell you name wrong. We think the extra "i" is kinda cute.
It's hard to ignore all off the chatter on the net about the bill for the new Twins' ball park. Below are links to a few columnists' recent thoughts on the bill. To help, I've summarized their opinion in the fewest words possible.
Joe Soucheray in the Pioneer Press (Pro)
Rationale: New ballpark = good. Female impersonators = bad. Hennepin County officials = very bad.
Nick Coleman in the Strib (Ambivalent)
Rationale: New ballpark = good. Stadium = Bad. The Pohlad = very bad.
Senator Belanger on MPR (Anti)
Rationale: Even the stadium that most deserves to be built, doesn't deserve to be built. Also, that stadium is not the Twins' stadium.
Sid Hartman in the Strib (Pro and feisty)
Rationale: The Pohlad (who is good) is the only thing keeping the Twins in Minnesota without a stadium. Unfortunately, The Pohlad is not immortal . . . . .yet.
The Greet Machine (Pro)
Rationale: New ballpark = so good I almost crapped my pants.
Say it ain't so Torii
In an interview with Jason Williams, Hunter says
"I want to win, I'm addicted to it. I'm sure there are people in this organization who want to win, but we're restricted. I would love to stay in Minnesota. I get treated fine here. This is my home. I grew up here. But if they don't want to win — I'm not talking about the front office, I'm not talking about the players, you know who I'm talking about (ownership) — then it's time to move on."
Glad to see we've put all that infighting behind us (sarcasm).
Seriously Torii, we want to win, it's just that losing is so easy. Admit it, you kind of like losing too. Besides, they wouldn't respect you in a big market town like we do. We even let you spell you name wrong. We think the extra "i" is kinda cute.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Dugout Splinter - Don't Know Much Philosophy
The following is an excerpt from the Dugout Splinters from GameDay for the Oakland Series.
Don’t Know Much Philosophy
by Twins Geek
Stop me if you’ve heard this someplace before.
A small market team, looking for a new stadium, has a multi-year run where they’re competing with the big guys. They make three straight playoff appearances, but fail to make much noise. More recently they’ve failed to make the playoffs, mostly because their division is so loaded.
The organization is poised to compete again this year, primarily because of a strong (and young) pitching staff with plenty of additional pitching in the minors. However, there are questions about their offense. Sure, they made some moves in the offseason, but they failed to acquire the big bat they really need, so they’re hoping they’ll see improvement across the board in their young hitters.
With similar payroll limitations and similar success stories, the Twins and Athletics have become icons for opposing philosophies about baseball. The Athletics have been hailed as the progressive thinking organization, embracing the sabermetric community and a trend towards brash young executive outsiders. The Twins have been portrayed as the antithesis of this philosophy, emphasizing traditional scouting and a stable organization of baseball lifers. The two organizations have been endlessly compared and contrasted, but mostly contrasted.
So why are the end results so much alike?
Don’t Know Much Philosophy
by Twins Geek
Stop me if you’ve heard this someplace before.
A small market team, looking for a new stadium, has a multi-year run where they’re competing with the big guys. They make three straight playoff appearances, but fail to make much noise. More recently they’ve failed to make the playoffs, mostly because their division is so loaded.
The organization is poised to compete again this year, primarily because of a strong (and young) pitching staff with plenty of additional pitching in the minors. However, there are questions about their offense. Sure, they made some moves in the offseason, but they failed to acquire the big bat they really need, so they’re hoping they’ll see improvement across the board in their young hitters.
With similar payroll limitations and similar success stories, the Twins and Athletics have become icons for opposing philosophies about baseball. The Athletics have been hailed as the progressive thinking organization, embracing the sabermetric community and a trend towards brash young executive outsiders. The Twins have been portrayed as the antithesis of this philosophy, emphasizing traditional scouting and a stable organization of baseball lifers. The two organizations have been endlessly compared and contrasted, but mostly contrasted.
So why are the end results so much alike?
The Daily Links for 04/11/06
by Intern Jimmy
Fitting Tribute: As befitting the legacy he left, Kirby Puckett will be in the minds and hearts of players and fans the duration of this 2006 season. As a tribute to his everlasting impact on Minnesota baseball, the Twins have emblazoned # 34 on their sleeves to serve as a constant reminder of Puck. In addition, the Metrodome unveiled its center field homage to our hero who prowled its turf-green pastures for 12 seasons.
Torii Hunter likes the added company, "I'm pretty excited now to go out there with that number, knowing he's going to be in center field with me." As the northern stars align, there's no doubt Kirby's spirit will imbue this special season with a little "Jump on my back" flavor. Piggy back ride anyone?
Youth To Be Served? For all the veterans the Twins added in free agency this off-season- Rondell White (34 years old), Tony Batista (32) and Luis Castillo (30), you'd think they were serving apple sauce and pudding on the charter flights. Turns out the senior movement isn't exactly in full bloom as the average age of the Twins remains a mature, yet rambunctious 27.9 years of age, the 2nd youngest team in baseball behind the baby Marlins, a full two years younger than the Twins at 25.9 years of age.
In a paradoxical twist, the Twins co-elder statesmen, Mike Redmond and Rondell White, both 34 years of age, are the youngest oldest players on their team. I just confused myself typing that last sentence. Of course, if Ruben "Fountain of Youth" Sierra is called up, he supplants Redmond and White as old man on the totem pole, the lone over-the-hill member of the roster.
If you couldn\'t guess, the geriatrics of their respective leagues are the Yankees (32.2) and Giants (32.3), who trot brittle-boned Bingo league lineups out on a daily basis.
Catching Up With...Jacque Jones: Departed Twin fan favorite Jacque Jones experienced quite the roller coaster of emotions in his first homestand with his new outfit. Stumbling out of the gate with an 0-13 start to the season, Jones heard his first boos from the Wrigley faithless after striking out thrice Saturday. As per his frustrating Twins tenure, Jones silenced his detractors Sunday with a 3-run blast, his 1st hit of the year, sparking the team to a sweep of the rival Cardinals. Cubs fans should grow accustomed to his beguiling ways, teasing greatness with his penchant for clutch hits, while pulling a Houdini act other times.
Opponent's Corner - Inside the Moneyball Mind: Ever since Michael Lewis' acclaimed best-seller hit bookshelves, the Moneyball method of structuring a front office has turned the baseball world on its head. The architect, Billy Beane, has spawned a new legion of general managers assessing talent utilizing the myriad offensive and defensive statistical analyses popularized by Bill James. Beane's keen sense of talent has vaulted the A's into the upper stratum of competitive teams despite maintaining a relatively subdued payroll. The premier Oakland fan site was privvy to an exclusive interview with Beane this offseason. If you've got the time, this insightful three-part Q&A runs the gamut on issues, including the difficult decisions a small market GM faces. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
Fitting Tribute: As befitting the legacy he left, Kirby Puckett will be in the minds and hearts of players and fans the duration of this 2006 season. As a tribute to his everlasting impact on Minnesota baseball, the Twins have emblazoned # 34 on their sleeves to serve as a constant reminder of Puck. In addition, the Metrodome unveiled its center field homage to our hero who prowled its turf-green pastures for 12 seasons.
Torii Hunter likes the added company, "I'm pretty excited now to go out there with that number, knowing he's going to be in center field with me." As the northern stars align, there's no doubt Kirby's spirit will imbue this special season with a little "Jump on my back" flavor. Piggy back ride anyone?
Youth To Be Served? For all the veterans the Twins added in free agency this off-season- Rondell White (34 years old), Tony Batista (32) and Luis Castillo (30), you'd think they were serving apple sauce and pudding on the charter flights. Turns out the senior movement isn't exactly in full bloom as the average age of the Twins remains a mature, yet rambunctious 27.9 years of age, the 2nd youngest team in baseball behind the baby Marlins, a full two years younger than the Twins at 25.9 years of age.
In a paradoxical twist, the Twins co-elder statesmen, Mike Redmond and Rondell White, both 34 years of age, are the youngest oldest players on their team. I just confused myself typing that last sentence. Of course, if Ruben "Fountain of Youth" Sierra is called up, he supplants Redmond and White as old man on the totem pole, the lone over-the-hill member of the roster.
If you couldn\'t guess, the geriatrics of their respective leagues are the Yankees (32.2) and Giants (32.3), who trot brittle-boned Bingo league lineups out on a daily basis.
Catching Up With...Jacque Jones: Departed Twin fan favorite Jacque Jones experienced quite the roller coaster of emotions in his first homestand with his new outfit. Stumbling out of the gate with an 0-13 start to the season, Jones heard his first boos from the Wrigley faithless after striking out thrice Saturday. As per his frustrating Twins tenure, Jones silenced his detractors Sunday with a 3-run blast, his 1st hit of the year, sparking the team to a sweep of the rival Cardinals. Cubs fans should grow accustomed to his beguiling ways, teasing greatness with his penchant for clutch hits, while pulling a Houdini act other times.
Opponent's Corner - Inside the Moneyball Mind: Ever since Michael Lewis' acclaimed best-seller hit bookshelves, the Moneyball method of structuring a front office has turned the baseball world on its head. The architect, Billy Beane, has spawned a new legion of general managers assessing talent utilizing the myriad offensive and defensive statistical analyses popularized by Bill James. Beane's keen sense of talent has vaulted the A's into the upper stratum of competitive teams despite maintaining a relatively subdued payroll. The premier Oakland fan site was privvy to an exclusive interview with Beane this offseason. If you've got the time, this insightful three-part Q&A runs the gamut on issues, including the difficult decisions a small market GM faces. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
Quick Correction
Yesterday, as I was scrambling to meet about three different deadlines for GameDay, I accidentally gave credit to the wrong web site for an excellent GameDay article about the historic year the Twins pitching staff had with their control. Andy Wink, the author, is the writer at Twins Killings. I really regret the brain cramp.
John
Yesterday, as I was scrambling to meet about three different deadlines for GameDay, I accidentally gave credit to the wrong web site for an excellent GameDay article about the historic year the Twins pitching staff had with their control. Andy Wink, the author, is the writer at Twins Killings. I really regret the brain cramp.
John
Monday, April 10, 2006
Trading Hunter
There I am, preparing for opening night of the baseball season. The last Grain Belt from the fridge is in one hand, the remote in the other, and I’m doing my pregame warm-up: watching Baseball Tonight as I take that first sip.
Followed by a pratfallish spit take. Harold Reynolds, you see, was doing a preview of players who may be moved at the trade deadline (because it’s never too early to talk trade deadline). The player he’s talking about is Torii.
I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t want to dwell on this either. It’s too early, and I think Reynolds is crazy if he thinks a Twins team that is even remotely in the race is going to trade Torii Hunter. But it’s worth noting that if the Twins are flailing as the deadline approaches, Terry Ryan is going to be asked about trading Hunter. A lot. And even if he isn’t, you can bet that other sportswriters in other cities are going to be talking about it a lot. So we might as well handle this thing head on.
There are reasons to trade Hunter. First, he is worth something in return, possibly something very good. Second, he’ll likely be leaving the Twins in the offseason regardless. Finally, moving him at the trade deadline would save the Twins approximately $5.5 million between his salary and the bonus they owe him at the end of the year. So this isn’t just crazy talk.
He’s also likely worth more to a large market team, because Hunter isn’t necessarily a free agent at the end of this season. Whichever team trades for him has a $12 million option on his contract in 2007, which isn’t so unreasonable considering Johnny Damon just received $13 million for four years from the Yankees. To a large market team who can afford that kind of contract, Hunter isn’t just a half-year rental player.
So which teams are most likely to be interested in Torii, and what would they need to offer the Twins? Let’s look at the top eleven (Why eleven? You’ll find out.) payrolls in the majors and see if we can find the best fit.
1. Yankees - They just signed Johnny Damon for four years and $52 million, though that doesn’t necessarily rule them out. Steinbrenner could switch gears if Damon were to suffer a career ending injury, or go 0 for 4 any given night. But it’s unlikely.
2. Boston - They’re a large market, with the second highest payroll in the major leagues. Unfortunately, they also just acquired Coco Crisp, who is much younger, much cheaper, and who put up Hunteresque offensive numbers last year, with fewer strikeouts. Unless he really struggles, they aren’t a great fit. And even if he is struggling a little, it’s unlikely they would be willing to give up a top prospect like Dustin Pedroia. A player like third baseman Kevin Youkilis might be had, but he’s 27, still isn’t showing any power, and will cease to be affordable fairly soon.
3. New York Mets – Carlos Beltran is under contract through 2011. Not even Omar Minaya would sign Hunter with Beltran on his roster, right?
4. Philadelphia – They also just acquired acquired a center fielder. You might have heard about a little trade that sent Jim Thome to the White Sox and nabbed Aaron Rowand. Rowand is under contract through 2007.
5. LA Angels - Hmmmm. Now this is intriguing. The Angels have the fifth largest payroll in the majors, traditionally emphasize defense, and are stuck with the offensive sieve that is Darin Erstad, whose contract expires this year. Plus, they have a second base and a shortstop who are among the top ten prospects in baseball. If they can stay close to the Athletics, you’re going to hear lots and lots of talk about a trade for Hunter from LA sportswriters.
There are six other teams to review, including one more that is every bit the match that the Angels are. The second half of this column is continued over at TwinkieTown.com, where I’m guest writing for Jesse while he’s out of town. If you miss any of the old bloggers from TwinsTerritory.com, you’ll find most of them over at TwinkieTown, so I hope you can stop by. (And I truly mean “can” instead of “will” since I am blocked from that site from work.) I’ll see you there.
There I am, preparing for opening night of the baseball season. The last Grain Belt from the fridge is in one hand, the remote in the other, and I’m doing my pregame warm-up: watching Baseball Tonight as I take that first sip.
Followed by a pratfallish spit take. Harold Reynolds, you see, was doing a preview of players who may be moved at the trade deadline (because it’s never too early to talk trade deadline). The player he’s talking about is Torii.
I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t want to dwell on this either. It’s too early, and I think Reynolds is crazy if he thinks a Twins team that is even remotely in the race is going to trade Torii Hunter. But it’s worth noting that if the Twins are flailing as the deadline approaches, Terry Ryan is going to be asked about trading Hunter. A lot. And even if he isn’t, you can bet that other sportswriters in other cities are going to be talking about it a lot. So we might as well handle this thing head on.
There are reasons to trade Hunter. First, he is worth something in return, possibly something very good. Second, he’ll likely be leaving the Twins in the offseason regardless. Finally, moving him at the trade deadline would save the Twins approximately $5.5 million between his salary and the bonus they owe him at the end of the year. So this isn’t just crazy talk.
He’s also likely worth more to a large market team, because Hunter isn’t necessarily a free agent at the end of this season. Whichever team trades for him has a $12 million option on his contract in 2007, which isn’t so unreasonable considering Johnny Damon just received $13 million for four years from the Yankees. To a large market team who can afford that kind of contract, Hunter isn’t just a half-year rental player.
So which teams are most likely to be interested in Torii, and what would they need to offer the Twins? Let’s look at the top eleven (Why eleven? You’ll find out.) payrolls in the majors and see if we can find the best fit.
1. Yankees - They just signed Johnny Damon for four years and $52 million, though that doesn’t necessarily rule them out. Steinbrenner could switch gears if Damon were to suffer a career ending injury, or go 0 for 4 any given night. But it’s unlikely.
2. Boston - They’re a large market, with the second highest payroll in the major leagues. Unfortunately, they also just acquired Coco Crisp, who is much younger, much cheaper, and who put up Hunteresque offensive numbers last year, with fewer strikeouts. Unless he really struggles, they aren’t a great fit. And even if he is struggling a little, it’s unlikely they would be willing to give up a top prospect like Dustin Pedroia. A player like third baseman Kevin Youkilis might be had, but he’s 27, still isn’t showing any power, and will cease to be affordable fairly soon.
3. New York Mets – Carlos Beltran is under contract through 2011. Not even Omar Minaya would sign Hunter with Beltran on his roster, right?
4. Philadelphia – They also just acquired acquired a center fielder. You might have heard about a little trade that sent Jim Thome to the White Sox and nabbed Aaron Rowand. Rowand is under contract through 2007.
5. LA Angels - Hmmmm. Now this is intriguing. The Angels have the fifth largest payroll in the majors, traditionally emphasize defense, and are stuck with the offensive sieve that is Darin Erstad, whose contract expires this year. Plus, they have a second base and a shortstop who are among the top ten prospects in baseball. If they can stay close to the Athletics, you’re going to hear lots and lots of talk about a trade for Hunter from LA sportswriters.
There are six other teams to review, including one more that is every bit the match that the Angels are. The second half of this column is continued over at TwinkieTown.com, where I’m guest writing for Jesse while he’s out of town. If you miss any of the old bloggers from TwinsTerritory.com, you’ll find most of them over at TwinkieTown, so I hope you can stop by. (And I truly mean “can” instead of “will” since I am blocked from that site from work.) I’ll see you there.
The Daily Links
Home Opener Edition
by Intern Thomas
The Twins continue their brutal early schedule with the home opener against the A’s, a popular preseason pick to win it all (Take it from a fan of 2005’s trendy pick—be afraid Oakland fans, be afraid). Brad Radke opens up against Danny Haren, the key pickup for the Athletics’ in the Mark Mulder trade. So what does Haren think about the A’s this year (and how does he get his Lost fix on the road)? Well, the best place is probably Haren’s Heat written by the shaggy righthander himself.
Have you ever seen a catcher throw left handed? Think about it for a second. I’ll bet you haven’t. The reason--there hasn’t been a southpaw behind the plate since Benny Distefano put on the gear for three games in 1989 for the Pirates. John Walsh has an in depth look at why Distefano is the most experienced southpaw backstop since the early 1900s at the Hardball Times.
If you missed it on SportsCenter, it appears that Darren Daulton has decided to make a run at Tom Cruise for the title of “Craziest Guy in America”. I’ll let the article speak for itself, but it looks like Daulton is just the latest member of the 1993 Phillies to fall from grace, following in the footsteps of Lenny Dykstra (admitting to steroid use) and John Kruk (analyzing baseball).
The Twins’ Blogosphere has a distinct ‘Cisco flavor today: Francisco Liriano is the only thing keeping Brad Zeller off the ledge over at Warning Track Power, Frightwig has some photographic evidence that might get Zeller up on that ledge anyway and Andy Wink at Twins Killings reminds us that they should have a pretty good pitching staff (even though it might not look like it right now).
Finally, if the Twins continue to hit like, well, like a team that likes to start three sub .300 OBP players, and Radke is having his normal 1st inning troubles, take a deep breath, grab a Budweiser and then take a virtual tour of the new Busch Stadium. And, if you’re as impressed as I was, you can get your plane tickets here and your tickets to see the new park here.
Home Opener Edition
by Intern Thomas
The Twins continue their brutal early schedule with the home opener against the A’s, a popular preseason pick to win it all (Take it from a fan of 2005’s trendy pick—be afraid Oakland fans, be afraid). Brad Radke opens up against Danny Haren, the key pickup for the Athletics’ in the Mark Mulder trade. So what does Haren think about the A’s this year (and how does he get his Lost fix on the road)? Well, the best place is probably Haren’s Heat written by the shaggy righthander himself.
Have you ever seen a catcher throw left handed? Think about it for a second. I’ll bet you haven’t. The reason--there hasn’t been a southpaw behind the plate since Benny Distefano put on the gear for three games in 1989 for the Pirates. John Walsh has an in depth look at why Distefano is the most experienced southpaw backstop since the early 1900s at the Hardball Times.
If you missed it on SportsCenter, it appears that Darren Daulton has decided to make a run at Tom Cruise for the title of “Craziest Guy in America”. I’ll let the article speak for itself, but it looks like Daulton is just the latest member of the 1993 Phillies to fall from grace, following in the footsteps of Lenny Dykstra (admitting to steroid use) and John Kruk (analyzing baseball).
The Twins’ Blogosphere has a distinct ‘Cisco flavor today: Francisco Liriano is the only thing keeping Brad Zeller off the ledge over at Warning Track Power, Frightwig has some photographic evidence that might get Zeller up on that ledge anyway and Andy Wink at Twins Killings reminds us that they should have a pretty good pitching staff (even though it might not look like it right now).
Finally, if the Twins continue to hit like, well, like a team that likes to start three sub .300 OBP players, and Radke is having his normal 1st inning troubles, take a deep breath, grab a Budweiser and then take a virtual tour of the new Busch Stadium. And, if you’re as impressed as I was, you can get your plane tickets here and your tickets to see the new park here.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Links of the Day
for April 10, 2006
powered by Intern Sam
for April 10, 2006
powered by Intern Sam
- Last season's Twins collapse may not have hit any local blogger harder than Brad Zellar, who was sounding downright suicidal by late August. This year, The Rake's resident diamond mind is determined to stay positive, at least until the end of April, and is even offering "modest support for Tony Batista, who does not look nearly so fat as advertised." (Apparently, BZ's been reading Anne's exclusive interviews...) Of course, this entry was written before two of the three Cleveland games were played, so come Monday morning, Zellar may be singing a different tune.
- The Strib's baseball writers think Ron Gardenhire needs to be more patient with his young players and stop sending them to Rochester or changing their position in the field every time they look a bit overmatched. By way of evidence, they point to Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost as a shining example of how to bring prospects along. That Gardenhire has frequently expected guys like Jason Bartlett and Michael Cuddyer to do too much too fast is a reasonable point, of course, but (as is grudgingly acknowledged in the article) the Milwaukee comparison is probably unfair, since Yost has been under absolutely no pressure to win for the last several seasons, while the Twins have been expected to contend even as they promote from within.
- There may not have been many high points in the Twins' first week of '06, but hey, things could be worse. Just ask the Texas Rangers, who got swept by Detroit, watched their newly acquired ace get absolutely hammered twice in a row, scored exactly zero runs against a 23-year-old rookie, and demoted a starting pitcher (and his brand new knuckler that doesn't) to the minors after one appearance. The truly scary part of all this is just how much the Twins are starting to resemble the Rangers of two or three years ago - a contending team that just can't ever quite put it together, prompting endless futile attempts to patch gaping holes with mediocre pick-ups.
- When Oakland comes to the Dome on Tuesday to open up the home season, you know they'll be loaded down with the kind of situational stats and advanced analysis that frequently allow Ken Macha to seem more than a step ahead of the "gut feeling" managers that populate most major league dugouts. But according to one Bay Area writer, the elephants have a whole new method for outfoxing the competition this year: just snap up the head cases other teams can't wait to get rid of for reasons that have little to do with on-field performance, and turn 'em loose.
- In an interview with MLB.com last week, Marlins president David Samson all but made it official that Jeffrey Loria's team will be getting the hell out of South Florida the moment alternate accomodations become available. Over at the Hardball Times, John Brattain breaks down Samson's reasoning (which Twins fans will find awfully familiar,) and finds it, well, unreasonable.
- Nearly lost amidst all the things the Twins did wrong this week was the impressive work turned in by über-rookie Francisco Liriano and middle reliever Willie Eyre. It remains to be seen whether Eyre's cutter (which looked solid in his first two appearances) will continue to fool major league hitters, but for a guy who almost didn't make the club out of spring training, Willie had a good week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
